Pretend to be crazy - Chapter 66

“Bro? Bro?”

A faint voice came through the glass.

Shen Yan felt strange all over, his mind foggy and his body hot—especially in a place he couldn’t quite explain.

He felt weak, his head a mess, unable to think clearly, only letting out muffled breaths as his body moved involuntarily.

It was stifling, as if someone covered his mouth and nose, making it hard to breathe. He opened his mouth, trying to take in more air, but all he got was the heavy, humid feeling of a summer storm just before it breaks—like fire.

Shen Yan rarely cried.

Not because he didn’t feel pain, but from enduring so much as a child, his pain threshold had grown high.

So ordinary pain didn’t matter to him; he just couldn’t cry.

But this—this was unbearable.

Fine dust floated in the air, settling on his skin. The sunlight that touched him felt like a cruel tormentor, stretching out like an inescapable hand, pinning him deep in a sea of restless emotions.

With closed eyes, his body trembled slightly, chest rising and falling rapidly. A strange suffocating sensation made his eyelashes wet, tears streaming down his temples and soaking into his hair, mixing with sweat and dampening his pillow.

“Bro, do you need me?”

The voice came again, clearer now, as if someone was whispering close to his ear, their soft tone flowing down his heated skin.

A cool hand touched his cheek, wiping away his tears, then slid down his neck, collarbone, and chest with a casual brush…

Shen Yan shivered, the tension inside him suddenly flaring, his body tensing then relaxing again.

After the release, he finally had enough strength to open his eyes slightly.

The mischievous culprit sat quietly by his hospital bed, chin resting on his hand, watching him.

That intrusive hand covered his face again.

But warmed by Shen Yan’s body heat, the hand lost its allure. Feeling the pressure, Shen Yan shifted his head slightly, signaling discomfort.

Just a little resistance was enough for the culprit to withdraw.

Not enough.

Shen Yan closed his eyes again, feeling restless.

Wanting more.

More of what?

The answer hovered just out of reach.

His lingering shame kept it locked away, refusing to speak.

Ruan Zhixian chuckled softly, pulling down Shen Yan’s zipper and touching him absentmindedly.

Shen Yan bit his lip, stifling a groan.

Ruan Zhixian suddenly blocked Shen Yan again, shaking him gently. The blocked tension surged back painfully.

He leaned closer, suddenly polite, as if asking permission.

“Bro, you haven’t said if you want me or not,” Ruan Zhixian’s thumb loosened leisurely, “If you say no, I won’t dare—I’m afraid you’d be mad, maybe even kill me.”

Shen Yan’s lips moved faintly. Ruan Zhixian leaned to his ear, voice light as a feather.

“Go away, no, I want you,” Shen Yan breathed, a hint of a smile in his voice, “Let …”

The rest was silenced by a fierce kiss.

No choice. Saying no wasn’t an option.

His tongue ring was removed.

The price was two days of exhaustion, drifting between unconsciousness and wakefulness.

It only stopped on the third day.

Now his body felt strange, covered in marks from Ruan Zhixian’s bites. Any slight movement made the friction painful, but the pain was superficial and didn’t limit his actions.

In fact, his condition was better than ever—he felt like he could run several kilometers.

He pulled out his IV needle himself and pressed the call button.

Instead of a nurse, Ruan Zhixian appeared.

Expressionless, he locked the door behind him with his back turned.

Shen Yan watched silently as he approached.

The room was quiet, almost dead still. Ruan Zhixian pulled over a chair and sat down.

After a moment, seeing Shen Yan didn’t speak, he pulled at his lips and said, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Shen Yan said, “Where’s my terminal?”

Ruan Zhixian replied, “I removed the poison from your burned kiss. You’re not happy?”

Shen Yan calmly repeated, “Terminal.”

Ruan Zhixian laughed suddenly, “Terminal, terminal. Bro, I was with you for two days, and the first thing you ask for when you open your eyes is your terminal to contact someone else…”

“Contact who? Blaze?” He tilted his head, curious, “Do you like him? Are you in love with him?”

Shen Yan stared at him for a few seconds. The cold tension on his body eased as he leaned against the headboard and smiled lightly.

“Ruan Zhixian, what’s our relationship? How dare you ask me that?”

Ruan Zhixian answered, “What do you think our relationship is?”

“Don’t answer a question with a question.”

He chuckled softly, “Our relationship isn’t decided by me.”

“Bro, whatever you want us to be, that’s what we are.”

The words sounded obedient, as if Shen Yan could accept any label. But thinking carefully about Ruan Zhixian’s actions, it was chilling.

He wouldn’t follow Shen Yan’s rules, didn’t care about his feelings. Even if he set boundaries, it was useless.

It was an arrogance Ruan Zhixian might not even realize himself.

Understanding him more deeply made Shen Yan calmer. He didn’t answer his own question, instead patiently explaining as usual:

“The reason I asked for the terminal is because I’m just starting some work these days. I need to watch the island’s power shifts closely. The unexpected incident caught me off guard—I’ve been asleep for two days, and I don’t know what happened. That feeling of losing control is awful.”

Ruan Zhixian clearly didn’t take him seriously, smiling as if hoping for a better answer.

Shen Yan ignored him, got out of bed, stretched, and sighed with relief.

Nice.

It was a blessing in disguise.

Originally, he was quite angry. Ruan Zhixian had replaced the nerve toxin with an aphrodisiac, changed the rules confusingly, and took advantage of his unconsciousness to make a show of power, hoping to see him begging embarrassingly.

But after thinking it through, he actually lost nothing, so no need to be mad.

The accidental removal of the tongue ring was a good thing; the exhausted body feeling pleasure was good; and he became clearer-headed, so Ruan Zhixian’s plan failed—best of all.

The conflict between the new and old factions wasn’t that important either. With Blaze watching and reliable, Shen Yan didn’t need to intervene directly.

Under Ruan Zhixian’s steady gaze, he calmly changed clothes.

His clothes were on the bedside, along with a glass bottle holding fresh lilies.

He took a lily, walked over to Ruan Zhixian, lifted his chin, and gently pressed the flower stem into his mouth.

He smiled down at him and patted his cheek.

“Well done, here’s your tip. Keep it safe.”

Shen Yan didn’t go straight back to the hotel.

He went to the island’s mall and bought two turtleneck shirts, ensuring the clothes could cover all the marks on his body.

His relationship with Ruan Zhixian had to stay secret; no one else could know.

The other three, except for Falson, were in stable condition. If they found out what had happened, they’d definitely cause trouble.

Whether they targeted Ruan Zhixian or stirred up jealousy, these complications would hinder Shen Yan’s plans.

The military base on Paradise Island belonged directly to District One. Minor chaos wouldn’t attract attention, but if it threatened District One’s core interests, intervention was inevitable.

So the conflict between the two factions on the island was only the first step.

They wanted to disrupt the experiments so the project couldn’t continue smoothly, making it impossible to submit the required materials to District One on time, thus attracting District One’s attention.

Once people from District One came down to handle the issue, Shen Yan would see how to proceed next.

People in District One were human too; everyone had weaknesses, and weaknesses could be exploited.

He didn’t want much.

Just a one-way ticket to the Red Star was enough.

After he returned, he didn’t see Falson.

He asked Warren, who said he was dead. He asked Blaze, who said the same.

The drug on the tongue worked one-way, so theoretically Falson shouldn’t have been affected. The game on Paradise Island wasn’t over yet; Ruan Zhixian wouldn’t move against the three of them.

Shen Yan sent Ruan Zhixian two messages but got no reply, no voice contact either.

He checked the surveillance cameras thoroughly but found nothing.

Ruan Zhixian was skilled at hiding—really hard to find.

Shen Yan frowned.

Why was this “landmine” hiding itself? Landmines are safer when left in the open, not buried.

Blaze covered Shen Yan’s terminal with a cold expression and said lightly, “Don’t worry about him. He’ll show up when it’s time.”

That sounded odd, but since it was Blaze saying it, Shen Yan didn’t overthink and asked about recent developments instead.

Blaze reported steadily, and the situation was pretty much what Shen Yan had expected.

Things were chaotic.

Originally, the undercurrents of competition and hostility were simmering beneath the surface, but after the provocation, the fuse was lit, the fragile peace shattered, and mutual suspicion and hatred came out into the open.

Both sides bought lots of weapons from the military base. Under their pressure, Paradise Island received many orders, and weapons were being rushed in overtime.

There were small-scale firefights, conflicts intensified, many biological labs were destroyed, data was lost, and some test subjects escaped, causing widespread social unrest.

In just two days, despite efforts to control public opinion, news started breaking out everywhere.

People across the districts were uneasy.

Blaze looked down at Shen Yan’s thoughtful face, confused about the purpose behind all these actions.

It didn’t seem like he was benefiting personally, nor did it appear to be done just for fun.

His vague intuition made him subconsciously resist the tasks Shen Yan assigned.

But Shen Yan’s adorable expression when sharing his plans was irresistible.

Just like now.

“Keep looking for Falson. You three, along with Ruan Zhixian, go off the island to escalate the conflict further. I’ll stay on Paradise Island to monitor the military base and stay in touch.”

Blaze’s gaze landed on Shen Yan’s brick-red lips, which had a few small wounds. “Got it. When?”

Shen Yan: “Hmm… in two days.”

Blaze leaned closer. “Anything else?”

Shen Yan was thinking over potential flaws in the plan, not noticing the distance between them shrinking to something less safe. After pondering, he replied, “Shouldn’t be. What do you think?”

“I think so too.”

Blaze closed the last bit of distance and hugged him.

“Warren and Falson aren’t here. Shen Yan, can I kiss you a few more times?”

Used to Blaze’s clinginess and thinking they might not see each other after this was over, Shen Yan nodded, then cautiously added, “One minute.”

Blaze: “Okay.”

Soft kisses fell as he treasured every moment, lightly pecking Shen Yan’s lips, starting shallow and going deeper.

His eyelids lazily lifted, eyes falling on the wardrobe not far behind Shen Yan’s back.

He left a small gap in the wardrobe door.

Inside the gap was darkness.

Shen Yan paused, leaned his head back, and looked around suspiciously. “What’s that sound?”

Blaze covered Shen Yan’s ears and kissed him again.

“Focus.”