Chapter 26

Ning Qiuyan had fair skin, but Guan Heng’s was even paler.

That hand was large, with long, strong fingers, the fingertips clean-a hand that clearly belonged to someone used to a life of privilege.

But it was cold.

Guan Heng’s body temperature wasn’t icy cold, but there was no warmth in it-just like the look in Guan Heng’s eyes at this moment.

“Your heart is beating very fast.” Guan Heng held his wrist loosely and said, “Your pulse too.”

Of course Ning Qiuyan knew his heart was beating rapidly.

He was also aware that no matter how calm he appeared, he was actually trembling-just enough to see with the naked eye. He didn’t know how Guan Heng would begin, but based on the research he’d done and the two puncture wounds that had appeared on his neck last time, he’d made his own assessment, which was why he’d taken these actions.

Beneath Ning Qiuyan’s fuzzy jacket was a sweater with an ordinary collar. He’d originally planned to take off the jacket, but once Guan Heng pulled him over, he no longer knew what to do.

After hearing what Guan Heng said, he trembled even more.

As expected, Guan Heng’s hearing was frighteningly keen; no matter how well he masked it, Guan Heng could easily see through him. As Guan Heng had said, he was never good at dealing with fear. Facing a being hundreds of times stronger than himself as a human, he was almost completely terrified.

“Why?”

“…”

“You’re afraid of me.”

Ning Qiuyan panted rapidly, his breath soft but especially distinct in the quiet house.

He didn’t dare look at Guan Heng and simply yielded, saying, “I just wanted to make things more convenient for you.”

Guan Heng replied, “That’s unnecessary.”

Even as he said this, Guan Heng still didn’t let go of his hand.

Ning Qiuyan didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t guess Guan Heng’s intentions at all.

The cold from Guan Heng’s palm started at his wrist, numbing his entire arm, as if it could be snapped with a gentle twist. Yet, in truth, Guan Heng’s touch was so light that Ning Qiuyan almost felt as if he was being cared for.

Guan Heng asked him, “What have you been thinking about these past two or three days?”

After not seeing each other for a few days, Guan Heng had given Ning Qiuyan time to think.

Ning Qiuyan was curious, sensitive, and pure.

After everything happened, Ning Qiuyan didn’t throw a fit or break down, so unlike other people his age.

Now, everything Ning Qiuyan did seemed like a moth to a flame, searching for a reason to finally see the truth, something that could no longer be blurred.

Guan Heng actually couldn’t read him.

Ning Qiuyan answered, “You don’t need to worry. I won’t run away, nor will I tell anyone about you.”

No fear, no betrayal, no running away.

What exactly had Guan Heng wanted him to promise back then? Now it was perfectly clear.

Over these days, Ning Qiuyan had figured it out-Guan Heng had been focused on this from the start.

Ning Qiuyan didn’t want to know what made him special to Guan Heng, nor did he want to dig any deeper into what Guan Heng really was. He simply loathed himself a little, because even now, he was still fooled by Guan Heng’s appearance, unable to control the hazy feelings inside.

This was not a world he should have stepped into. Now that he understood the truth, he should turn back, preserving himself.

After hearing his answer, Guan Heng said, “I’m not worried.”

Ning Qiuyan: “…”

Maybe even if he told someone else, no one would believe it anyway.

Ordinary people would probably think he’d gone crazy.

At this moment, Guan Heng returned to being the same person Ning Qiuyan had first met.

He asked patiently, “After all these days, is there nothing else you want to know?”

Ning Qiuyan said nothing.

As if knowing what was on his mind, Guan Heng told him, “Without my permission, what they’ve told you is only the surface.”

Ning Qiuyan had guessed as much.

Whether it was Lu Qianque, Dr. Ling, Uncle Kang, or Granny Bai, it seemed like they’d each told him part of the truth, but on reflection, it was clear they’d all given him answers with reservations.

What puzzled Ning Qiuyan even more than all these mysteries was-excluding Lu Qianque-why did these humans choose to stay here, and why were they willing to serve Guan Heng so willingly?

Du Island was remote and isolated; everyone here was guarding its secrets together.

Was there some even more terrifying truth he didn’t know?

Ning Qiuyan no longer wanted to know.

Although Guan Heng’s words seemed to suggest that if Ning Qiuyan asked, he would answer, Ning Qiuyan stayed silent.

At last, Guan Heng let go of Ning Qiuyan’s hand. “I warned you not to go to N° again.”

His tone was simply stating a fact-no blame, no regret, no disappointment-very calm, as if he was always unfazed by anything.

The spot on Ning Qiuyan’s wrist that Guan Heng had touched suddenly grew warm once it was freed.

He tried hard to calm that burning sensation and to understand the meaning behind Guan Heng’s words.

From the night he’d run into those thugs, Guan Heng had already warned him.

If he’d listened and stayed away from N°, he wouldn’t have come into contact with Ray again, and wouldn’t have seen that video. None of what followed would have happened.

Maybe he would still have guessed at Guan Heng’s identity from various clues, but if he had simply listened, he would never have discovered Guan Heng’s secret before the end of the blood donation agreement.

Lu Qianque had said that Guan Heng had always hoped he would never have to know this secret.

After thinking it all over, Ning Qiuyan had to admit: Guan Heng really had been doing his best to keep him away from all this.
He also confirmed that the constraints imposed by Guan Heng were never the kind he had imagined.

These past few days, every time Ning Qiuyan thought of this, he was overcome with shame, wishing he could dive into the sea to cool himself down. It was as if he had suddenly stepped off the edge of the beautiful world he had built for himself, waking up completely, and finding it hard to believe all the things he had fantasized about when his life was a mess.

Did he have some strange tendencies?

Seeing him silent, Guan Heng said, “You’ve discovered a secret you shouldn’t know, and you’ve already been punished.”

Ning Qiuyan looked up and saw Guan Heng find the correct puzzle piece and place it in the spot Ning Qiuyan had left empty.

Then, Guan Heng said calmly, “As long as you behave from now on, nothing will change.”

At that moment, Ning Qiuyan had the illusion that nothing had ever happened.

Everything was over.

“Button up, it’s cold in here,” Guan Heng turned his head, lowering his gaze to look at him. “Human.”

*

Life truly returned to normal after that.

Ning Qiuyan didn’t see Guan Heng again.

Guan Heng was like a demon who had retracted his claws, only briefly revealing his true nature that night.

Ning Qiuyan finished one corner of the puzzle.

The next morning at breakfast, Uncle Kang told him that Guan Heng suggested he could start with the relatively larger animal patterns, because if he began from the corners, this puzzle would become difficult again.

Ning Qiuyan returned to the puzzle room; the scattered pieces on the floor were just as he had left them, with no sign that Guan Heng had been there.

That night, Ning Qiuyan received another ice cream.

Uncle Kang stood by the dining table and told him politely, “Doing puzzles every day can get tedious, and sitting for long periods with your head down isn’t good for your health. There’s also a library and an art collection room here; you’re welcome to visit them.”

When Ning Qiuyan first arrived at Du Island, Uncle Kang had given him similar advice.

Ning Qiuyan nodded.

Uncle Kang added, “If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask Mr. Guan. He won’t mind you disturbing him.”

Ning Qiuyan looked up toward the hallway, but there was nothing there.

Since that night, the island seemed to be gradually unveiling its mysterious veil.

Ning Qiuyan began to notice the Servants’ work routines, when the curtains were drawn and when they were opened. Standing by the window, he also noticed when the vehicles from the farm arrived, bringing insulated boxes filled with fresh blood.

Life on the island returned to peace; it was no longer dull and drawn-out. Ning Qiuyan even felt that a whole day seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.

Guan Heng hadn’t bitten him-at least, not in his memory. He guessed that, just like the first time he discovered the bite marks, he might have blacked out at some point.

It was undeniably chilling, but some truths were never meant to be exposed so nakedly.

Ning Qiuyan visited the study on the second floor, which was as large as a library, and looked at some of Guan Heng’s art collections. He came and went freely, with no one to disturb him wherever he went.

On the afternoon before leaving the island, Ning Qiuyan entered a studio.

In this labyrinthine building, treasures were hidden everywhere, beyond imagination.

Various Western and ancient paintings were collected here. Some were obscure, some priceless, but all were treated equally by the owner, piled in corners or hung on the walls.

In the center of the studio stood a large easel, holding a half-finished painting, loosely draped with a thin veil. The paint on the palette hadn’t dried yet, as if the artist had just left.

Ning Qiuyan was startled and instinctively took a few steps back.

The studio was very quiet.

Once his heartbeat calmed, he realized it was daytime, and Guan Heng wouldn’t be here.

He quietly approached. The painting depicted a lighthouse.

Ning Qiuyan recognized it at a glance-it belonged to Du Island, the one he often visited.

Unlike the completely lightless, shadowy building he was in, the painting was rendered in very bright tones.

The lighthouse stood on a blue coastline, behind the clouds, golden sunlight poured down, reflected on the shimmering sea, scattering brilliant points of light. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

Ning Qiuyan was almost mesmerized.

He had never seen a sunrise as beautiful as the one in the painting, not even in real life.

Why did Guan Heng paint this?

Had Guan Heng seen such a beautiful sunrise?

As he turned around in confusion, he accidentally knocked over some books piled on the table. The books scattered on the floor, and as he picked them up, Ning Qiuyan found a photograph.

The photo was clearly old, its corners yellowed, and the image was in black and white.

Guan Heng sat on a wide couch, his long hair habitually tucked behind his ear, wearing a shirt with sleeves that hinted at another era, his handsome face bearing a hint of a proud smile.

Beside him stood a little girl of about five or six, with a round face and big eyes, dressed in a pretty lace dress, standing obediently.

Both were looking at the camera.

Ning Qiuyan thought the couch in the photo looked familiar, and soon realized it resembled the one he’d seen in Guan Heng’s room.

He turned the photo over; the handwriting on the back was already smudged.

A line read: April 1960, Bai Zhilan and Mr. Guan, at Du Island.