Pretend to be crazy - Chapter 56

Shen Yan didn’t check the magazine—this kind of detail, Ruan Zhixian wouldn’t lie about.

But the part about “just to scare you”—he wasn’t entirely convinced.

If Ruan Zhixian really wanted to kill him, a gun wasn’t the only option.

He said nothing, just pushed him away while covering his mouth. After turning on the light, he didn’t return to bed but stood there staring at Ruan Zhixian, disappointment written all over his face.

“You came all this way just to ask me that?”

“Yep.” Ruan Zhixian looked at him with an almost tender gaze. “If I hadn’t come, you’d be even more disappointed.”

From his tone, Shen Yan instantly understood: Ruan Zhixian had truly started to care about him—marking him as one of his “own.”

Not quite a confidant, but close enough to be called a “friend.”

Now that Shen Yan had a better grasp of things, he also understood Ruan Zhixian more clearly—and what kind of person he liked.

Shen Yan quickly changed his expression, smiling faintly at him.

He deliberately did what Ruan Zhixian wouldn’t want—disrupting his plans, ignoring the side quests he had laid out for him, handing over all control to others, and doing nothing himself. Like he’d just given up.

From Ruan Zhixian’s perspective, such erratic behavior could only mean one of two things: either Shen Yan had misunderstood his intentions and was running full speed in the wrong direction, or he was doing it on purpose.

Like trying not to think about an elephant—impossible. Reverse psychology. If wrong is right, then right is wrong.

Shen Yan had figured out the final outcome; he was just waiting for Ruan Zhixian to confirm it and hand him the trophy.

So Ruan Zhixian came—with a gun that wasn’t even loaded.

Shen Yan figured Ruan his thought process must have gone something like that.

But this was as far as his understanding could take him. He knew almost nothing about District One. Digging deeper into Ruan Zhixian’s true motivations was next to impossible.

Thankfully, what he had figured out was enough to shut him up for now.

Ruan Zhixian seemed like he had a radar tracking Shen Yan. If he was on the bed, he’d climb under the covers. If he got up and stood by the wall, Ruan followed—always staying within two meters.

“The answer’s out. Are you still going to play with me, bro?” Ruan Zhixian cupped Shen Yan’s face, forcing him to meet his eyes. He leaned down and brushed their lips together lightly.

“With you here, the ending’s obvious. Whether I keep observing or not doesn’t matter. Might as well end it here.”

“bro, come back to District One with me.”

Shen Yan: “No.”

Ruan Zhixian’s smile dropped. “Why?”

District One—the ideal, perfect world. Districts Thirteen through Two all served it. Its public image was flawless. District One was the center of power, and its people were like gods.

After a period of brainwashing, most people accepted this setup. They revered District One, even dreamed of joining it. In hero movies, the ultimate reward wasn’t money or love—it was becoming a citizen of District One.

Shen Yan thought the concept was ridiculous. But since this was a novel’s world, there was no point arguing.

Besides, Ruan Zhixian’s question wasn’t about that.

He hoped Shen Yan was a like-minded friend. It never even occurred to him that once Shen Yan figured out his real goal, he might lose interest and refuse to play along.

Only when he said no did Ruan Zhixian start to feel the threat.

And Ruan Zhixian wasn’t the type to stew in anxiety. Whoever made him feel insecure—he would kill them.

Having read the novel five times, Shen Yan knew exactly how deranged Ruan Zhixian was. He turned his head slightly, staring straight at him.

“So the process doesn’t matter?”

Ruan Zhixian paused.

Shen Yan wrapped an arm around his neck, voice low.

“I’m having fun. Whether you like it or not, the game continues.”

“Until I’m satisfied, you’re not allowed to leave.”

Under Ruan Zhixian’s increasingly heated gaze, Shen Yan let go, chuckling as he patted his cheek.

“Zhixian, don’t ruin the mood.”

.

Run.

He had to run.

If he got dragged to District One, where he knew nothing, and became just another pawn in Ruan Zhixian’s schemes, playing a manic psycho for life—that was a nightmare for a guy who saw himself as a sunny, average person.

What if it really turned him into a freak? Left not a trace of the real Shen Yan? That would be unbearable.

Worse, if he didn’t escape, once Ruan Zhixian cleared the board at the end of the “game,” Blaze, Warren, Falson—even people he had casually interacted with—would be ruthlessly eliminated.

So he needed Ruan Zhixian to understand: he’d been tricked.

Shen Yan didn’t care about his ideals or methods. Everything he did was out of fear. He wasn’t some enigmatic psycho—just a clever, ordinary guy.

Only that realization would make petty Ruan Zhixian keep the others alive—so they could taste the same disgust.

From there, two paths:

Either return to the original plot, find new targets to observe.

Or tear the world apart to hunt Shen Yan down and take his revenge.

Shen Yan had to hide somewhere Ruan Zhixian could never find him.

But where?

District One controlled everything. The whole world served it. How could he possibly escape?

The underworld?

Yeah, right. Hilarious.

_________________________

Shen Yan opened his eyes, full of resentment—more furious than Falson, who lay beside him darkly groping his thigh.

Falson assumed Shen Yan didn’t want to get close, so he got rougher. He climbed on top, shoving up Shen Yan’s clothes, staring intently as he played with his arousal, pulling harder.

It was an outright assault.

Shen Yan grabbed his wrist and sneered, “You think I owe you anything? Get off.”

“I only listen to Mom.” Falson stared at him coldly, fingers tightening. “You’re not her.”

Shen Yan laughed coldly. “You think you’re tough? Put your hands down and say that again.”

Falson’s expression suddenly softened. He leaned down to kiss Shen Yan’s chin, a pleased look in his eyes.

“Be my dog, Shen Yan.”

His cool lips moved lower, sucking two red marks onto Shen Yan’s neck. Then he continued, teasing with his tongue.

“Just bark for me, and your master will bring you plenty of bones. Doesn’t that sound good?”

“Come on, Shen Yan—just one bark.”

A needle emerged from under his fingertip. He tapped it gently against Shen Yan’s hand, smiling slyly.

“Will you do it yourself, or should I give you the drug and wait?”

Shen Yan went still for a few seconds, then grabbed him by the hair and flipped him—pinning him to the bed.

Falson didn’t fight back. Though clearly stronger, he just lay there, looking up at Shen Yan.

Shen Yan stared down, hand tightening around his throat.

“Why aren’t you resisting? You’re stronger than me.”

Falson’s throat bobbed. He panted quickly.

“Came prepared, huh? Even brought drugs?” Shen Yan slapped him. “Didn’t you say you’d inject me? Do it.”

Falson blushed, revealing the needle.

Under Shen Yan’s gaze, he slowly injected it—into himself.

“I was wrong.”

“Punish my selfishness, Mom…”

.

When Shen Yan got out of bed, Falson was still under the drug’s effects, trembling with heat, Shen Yan’s clothes stuffed in his mouth.

Eyes half-lidded and watery, he stared at Shen Yan, grinding softly against the blanket as if to scratch an itch.

The drug had been prepared for Shen Yan, so it wasn’t harmful—just made every inch of skin hypersensitive and stirred burning lust.

The cloth in his mouth was soaked with spit. His jaw ached. But still, he didn’t take it out.

Because it was Mom’s clothes.

He pulled more of the fabric over his face, breathing in deeply—holding the scent in his lungs as long as he could.

Wrapped in Shen Yan’s smell, he grew more regretful and ashamed.

Mom had her own stuff to deal with.

He was just in jail—not dead. Why blame her?

Luckily, Mom still disciplined him. She didn’t really give him a chance to act out.

He loved Mom.

He let out a soft whine, grinding harder into the blanket.

Shen Yan walked in to see this scene.

His vision went black for a second.

He shut his eyes, took a few deep breaths to compose himself, then walked over and pulled the cloth from Falson’s mouth.

Falson gazed at him, dazed. “Woof…”

“Stop barking.” Shen Yan touched the swollen cheek he’d slapped. “How’d you get out?”

His hand was cold. Falson shivered and pressed closer.

“Don’t know. Someone brought me.”

“Ruan Zhixian?”

“Yes.”

Of course.

Ruan Zhixian had shown up after the trial, and now Falson was in his bed. No coincidence.

There was no need to ask anything else. Shen Yan called Blaze.

The signal rang a few times, almost cutting out before it connected.

“Blaze, I’m done here. I’m heading to Paradise Island. When will you be back?”

“Soon.” Blaze sounded tired. He’d been at meetings all night. “Paradise Island’s not too safe right now. Want me to send more people?”

“No need. There are people on the island.”

“Alright. I’ll be done in three hours.”

Shen Yan ended the call and sat at the round table, browsing the materials Ruan Zhixian had sent him about Paradise Island.

In the original novel, Paradise Island had a major arc—after Ruan Zhixian kidnapped military cadets there, chaos ensued.

But things had changed. The tournament was already over. No incidents. The school games ended smoothly, the island got its funding, and business was booming.

In a world dominated by biotech, Paradise Island was a mechanical oddball. It specialized in top-level prosthetics and weapons.

District One didn’t encourage that. If anything, they suppressed it.

After an election, the district governor was removed, and Paradise Island’s military base lost support—hence the desperate need for investors and the reason they hosted the tournament.

Shen Yan scanned the data, eyes narrowing.

Everything looked good on the surface: students returned safe, the base got funding, investors got products.

Win-win… or not.

The military showcase that followed revealed terrifying mechanical power to district elites.

So now everyone was fighting to get in.

At the bottom of the page, one note wasn’t highlighted:

—Suspected Red Star presence on the island.

Shen Yan turned off the device, eyes gleaming.

Now he knew where to run.