PE Ch43: You lied to Pan Yinchuan!

From downstairs to the front door, this short walk felt like being pricked by needles for Pan Yinchuan.

With a “click,” the door opened, and Pan Yinchuan thought maybe he should just let things fall apart.

He looked up to see that the others had already retreated from the balcony.

“Mr. Pan,” Yan Xue greeted him with a polite smile.

Then he pointedly asked, “Did you have a pleasant chat with your friend?”

“Pretty good,” Pan Yinchuan brushed it off.

Yan Xue nodded, “Good, then can I take Lin Shaoyan away now?”

The questioning tone seemed strange, even Pan Yueshan couldn’t help but mutter, making it sound like his son outranked Yan Xue.

Pan Yinchuan frowned, “Why is Major Yan asking me? Of course, only Xiao Lin can make that decision.”

Why?

Isn’t it obvious?

Yan Xue’s face darkened slightly. Lin Shaoyan borrowed Pan Yinchuan’s influence, and Pan Yinchuan borrowed Mr. Huai’s influence.

“Because he knows I won’t go back with him, so he can only force you to drive me away,” Lin Shaoyan chimed in, then immediately turned to Pan’s parents with a sincere tone of guilt, “I’m sorry, uncle and aunt, for causing you trouble.”

Pan Yueshan awkwardly replied, “It’s okay, you see this…”

“I will handle my own affairs,” Lin Shaoyan unexpectedly followed Yan Xue, saying, “Let’s go.”

Yan Xue now realized that showing weakness was as simple for Lin Shaoyan as eating and drinking.

Fine! Now he’s gaining sympathy from Mr. Pan’s parents.

“Go? Go where? Back to Central City with me?” Yan Xue didn’t move.

“Let’s talk outside, so we don’t disturb uncle and aunt.”

“Lin Shaoyan, you just don’t want certain things to be heard by Xiao Pan, right?”

“What do I have that I don’t want heard? Major Yan, you should be more polite. This is someone else’s home.”

Pan Yinchuan pressed his temples, “Alright, both of you go outside.”

He then looked at Jian Yan, “You go out too.”

Jian Yan, who had been watching the drama, was stunned for a moment, then smiled, “This has nothing to do with me…”

“Out.” Pan Yinchuan said, opening the door for them.

Jian Yan guessed he might be in a bad mood after seeing Mr. Huai. So he nodded with a good-natured smile and walked out.

Yan Xue’s eyes flickered but he didn’t say anything more. In a flash, the room was empty.

Pan Yinchuan closed the door and turned to face his parents’ serious and shocked expressions.

“Are you trying to make up for all the relationships you never had?” Pan Yueshan muttered.

Wang Xiu immediately asked, “Who was that downstairs?”

Pan Yinchuan was stunned for a moment, then realized they might not have seen Huai Yu’s face clearly. So he decided to brush it off, “No one…”

“You were hugging,” Wang Xiu frowned.

“Not hugging…”

“An ex? Came back after a breakup?”

“No…”

“Then why not invite them up?”

“It’s already chaotic enough.”

“You know it’s chaotic? A Beta, an Omega, and who was that downstairs? It sounds like someone Major Yan knows… Don’t tell me it was an Alpha?” Wang Xiu’s tone was calm and reasoning.

Pan Yinchuan didn’t get a chance to speak.

Wang Xiu had already gotten the answer from his reaction, her tone changing instantly, “It really was an Alpha?”

Pan Yueshan jumped up, “Pan Yinchuan! You… fortunately, you don’t like girls anymore, or would this place be crowded? Are you collecting cards? This is… this is moral decay! Where’s my stick?”

Wang Xiu, still relatively calm, reminded him, “We don’t have a stick.”

Pan Yueshan rushed out, “I’ll go downstairs and get one!”

“Wouldn’t the clothes drying pole be more convenient?”

“Y-yes…”

Pan Yueshan grabbed the drying pole from the balcony and came back, but hesitated to use it.

“You’ve been so well-behaved all your life… so well-behaved…” Pan Yueshan lamented.

Pan Yinchuan helplessly grabbed the pole from his father, “I really have nothing to do with them…”

“This is called nothing?”

Pan Yinchuan, embarrassed, said, “I don’t like them, it’s just that they…” chased after me.

But Pan Yinchuan had never said anything so “narcissistic” before, so the second half of the sentence got stuck in his throat.

“You don’t like them? But you let them stay in your house? Isn’t that playing with their feelings?” Pan Yueshan was puzzled.

“Jian Yan is having a hard time, his superior sent him to Ros State, partly because of me. Lin Shaoyan is too young and has nowhere to go. So I’m being a bit lenient. Besides, you enthusiastically invited Jian Yan to stay, dad.”

Pan Yueshan was stumped, muttering, “I thought you and Xiao Jian liked each other?”

He sat back down, “So what do we do now? Xiao Lin, his ex is Major Yan? You definitely can’t beat him. But Xiao Lin doesn’t seem to want to continue with Major Yan. But it seems we can’t do anything about it…”

Wang Xiu suddenly asked, “Is Jian Yan’s superior the Alpha downstairs?”

Pan Yinchuan’s eyelids twitched, surprised at his mother’s keen insight.

Pan Yueshan was also shocked, “How do you know more than me? I didn’t know!”

“He said Jian Yan was sent away by his superior, and it had something to do with him.”

Pan Yinchuan closed his mouth.

Better not say anything rash.

“You handle it yourself,” Wang Xiu said calmly.

Pan Yinchuan stood there in surprise, not expecting the questioning to be let go so easily.

Pan Yueshan couldn’t help but speak up, “But there’s an Alpha, a Beta, and an Omega. How can he handle it all by himself?”

He was worried on Pan Yinchuan’s behalf.

“It’s not easy to handle,” Wang Xiu frowned. “Each one of them is more cunning than the two of you combined.”

Pan Yueshan: ?

“But it has to be handled, and we must not get involved,” Wang Xiu saw things clearly.

“Why?” Pan Yueshan didn’t understand. But he regretted asking right after, as it made him seem shallow.

“If we get involved, they will change their tactics.”

“What do you mean?”

“Legitimately using their power to oppress.”

Pan Yinchuan silently nodded in agreement. This was also why he didn’t want Mr. Huai to meet his parents.

Regardless of whether Mr. Huai used his power or not, once he showed his face, his status and power were there, and he didn’t need to say anything to influence many people.

He didn’t want his parents to worry about this.

Nor did he want other people, with the idea of currying favor with Mr. Huai, to secretly make moves.

Pan Yueshan continued to ask, “Why? Does Xiao Jian or Xiao Lin have power? Major Yan seems quite powerful, but he has nothing to do with Yinchuan.”

“The Alpha downstairs does,” Wang Xiu said, glancing at Pan Yinchuan.

His mother guessed that too?

Pan Yinchuan felt a twinge of guilt and met Wang Xiu’s gaze.

“How do you know? Tell me!” Pan Yueshan curiously asked his wife.

Pan Yinchuan simply slipped out the door, “I’ll go check; don’t let Xiao Lin get beaten up.”

When he got downstairs, he was surprised to see Huai Yu’s car still parked there.

At this moment, his phone rang.

He looked down to see it was Huai Yu calling.

Pan Yinchuan hesitated for a moment before answering, “Hello.”

“Worried about Lin Shaoyan?” Huai Yu asked indifferently.

Pan Yinchuan opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Huai Yu continued, “Yan Xue took him away. Want to follow and listen?”

This question…

“If you want to follow, get in the car,” Huai Yu said.

So… generous and considerate?

Pan Yinchuan found it hard to believe.

“Come over,” Huai Yu’s tone hardened.

Pan Yinchuan walked to the car, opened the door, and got in.

The car finally started moving, slowly driving out of the community.

Jian Yan emerged slowly from behind another building, only able to watch them leave.

He suddenly realized that what he wanted could only be obtained when Mr. Huai no longer wanted it.

He bent over, crushed by jealousy.

Inside the car, the silence was oppressive. Pan Yinchuan couldn’t help but ask, “How do you know where Yan Xue took him?”

“There’s a tracker.”

“Oh.”

The car returned to silence.

It was too quiet, so quiet that Pan Yinchuan felt his breathing was restricted.

His eyes roamed aimlessly, and he suddenly remembered his previous doubt, asking, “I’m not wearing a buffer, why can’t I feel…”

“I took inhibitors and sedatives.”

Pan Yinchuan was stunned.

A strange feeling filled his chest, burrowing into his heart.

Mr. Huai’s affection, of course, had its traces.

Pan Yinchuan wasn’t dumb; he wasn’t completely oblivious.

From the cold treatment after the first encounter to later when he lived alone in the manor, with servants racking their brains to make him happy… this was indeed a sign of Mr. Huai’s affection.

Mr. Huai’s change in attitude influenced the people below to change as well.

But this kind of affection… was charity from a higher position.

No different from palace intrigue.

Essentially, it was picking out some unimportant things from what he already had to give to you.

His affection or lack thereof didn’t affect him at all, and giving it was just a form of self-satisfaction.

But now… it was different.

The blade he used to extract from others was pointed at himself first this time.

Pan Yinchuan’s breathing became smooth again. He stopped worrying about the oppressive silence in the car and stared out the window, his thoughts drifting far away.

Until the car stopped and Huai Yu said, “Get out.”

In front of them was a café, with the outer perimeter already guarded by bodyguards, keeping unrelated people away.

“Here?” Pan Yinchuan asked.

“Yes.”

The two got out and approached the café. Before entering, they heard voices inside.

“Not enough to deceive me? Now you come to deceive Xiao Pan? Do you know Mr. Huai followed us? How many lives do you think you have? Being an Omega is not a free pass,” Yan Xue raged.

“I never used it as a free pass. Do you think I deceived you by using the advantages of being an Omega? I used your arrogance. Today’s outcome is of your own making,” Lin Shaoyan’s tone was almost contemptuous.

Pan Yinchuan paused in his steps.

Huai Yu also stopped and gestured to the bodyguards to keep quiet.

“Then what did you use to deceive Pan Yinchuan?” Yan Xue coldly pursued.

Lin Shaoyan calmly replied, “Why bring someone else into this?”

“He’s not someone else,” Yan Xue paused. “Does he know you stayed in Central City voluntarily? Does he know you were aiming at me from the beginning?”

“…”

“The day before departure, I learned something new and never mentioned it to Mr. Huai.”

Pan Yinchuan felt starting with these words wasn’t quite right… He couldn’t help but turn his head to glance at Huai Yu.

But Huai Yu remained composed.

Due to the inhibitors and sedatives, the people inside remained completely unaware of their arrival.

The café fell silent for a few seconds before Yan Xue’s voice rang out again, “Was it an accident that you appeared in Nanta City? I was inspecting Nanta City, and everyone knew. When everyone turns eighteen, they may experience a second differentiation; this is common knowledge. Why did you come to Nanta City at this time? Because your differentiation was meant for me. But you didn’t expect me to leave early, and then there was unrest in the area, and you were accidentally captured in a prisoner camp, right?”

Pan Yinchuan furrowed his brows outside the door.

“I’ve been wondering why you chose to escape from Central City at this time. Because you learned from me about Xiao Pan and Mr. Huai being separated?”

“Or because coincidentally, the people sent to infiltrate me, along with several high-ranking officials from Central City, were executed by Mr. Huai under the pretext of inciting unrest?”

“…”

“Still won’t tell the truth? Should I say the name of that high official?”

Lin Shaoyan’s voice finally gently replied, “After I leave, whether you send people to capture or hunt me down doesn’t matter. I’ve never taken you seriously from start to finish. You guessed correctly, because the person who gave me orders originally died, I felt truly liberated. I can finally go see Pan Yinchuan.”

“Why are you so obsessed with Pan Yinchuan?” Yan Xue gritted his teeth. “I treated you well, didn’t I? You even got spouse permissions from me…”

Lin Shaoyan corrected him, “It’s not that you treated me well. It’s because I was groomed according to your preferences. Anything I gained from you, I earned on my own. Why should I be grateful to you?”

“Crack.”

Something inside exploded.

At the same time, Huai Yu grabbed Pan Yinchuan and quickly put a buffer on him.

Yan Xue’s voice strained as he spoke, “I understand now. You feel no guilt towards me at all, because I was your target from the beginning. But Xiao Pan is different…”

“In Central City, if you hadn’t seen Xiao Pan again, maybe you wouldn’t have felt anything towards him. But you happened to see him again, next to Mr. Huai… In that instant, you realized that you became the agent of his fate, and you harmed him.”

“So you keep recalling his kindness in saving you. The less he knows about your true self, the more you yearn for and feel guilty towards him.”

“But because of this, you’re destined to pretend in front of him forever, never letting him see your true face, never letting him know he shouldn’t have saved you in the first place…”

Lin Shaoyan coldly interrupted, “So what? What else do you want to say?”

“Do you think Xiao Pan can tolerate such deception from you?” Yan Xue wasn’t sure if Pan Yinchuan could tolerate it, but he had to say it this way at this moment, otherwise he’d be the only one angered unilaterally.

Lin Shaoyan remained silent for a moment before saying, “He’s different from all of you.”

“Oh, you think he’s kind-hearted and can tolerate it?”

“I’ve only pretended in front of you for a year. I can pretend in front of Pan Yinchuan for a lifetime. No, not pretend for a lifetime. I can live completely with this appearance. Whatever he likes, that’s who I’ll be. How can that be called pretending?”

“Boom,” another loud sound rang out.

The outer glass of the café shattered.

Huai Yu seemed to have been prepared, swiftly taking a black umbrella from one of the bodyguards and opening it right in front of Pan Yinchuan. The shattered glass only managed to sprinkle a few shards onto Pan Yinchuan’s feet.

At the same time, Huai Yu’s voice murmured softly in his ear, “Lin Shaoyan enlisted in 2016 as a non-commissioned officer, previously serving as a private soldier nurtured by the Hui family of Central City’s high officials. Lin Shaoyan’s differentiation wasn’t a natural one but rather facilitated by genetic editing.”

Huai Yu… truly knew everything.

Even though Colonel Yan had claimed not to have informed Huai Yu, whether he did or not didn’t seem to make much difference.

Pan Yinchuan snapped out of the shock and asked calmly, “How does the genetic editing fit into all of this?”

“When we arrived in Ros State, Yu Jia’an hadn’t yet seen you. He knew I was coming and should have chosen to lie low temporarily, plotting later. But he didn’t leave, seemingly convinced I’d soon leave Ros State. Few things can move me, except for Central City.”

“This indicates that Yu Jia’an had already reached a cooperation agreement with someone from Central City.”

“That person happened to be Lin Shaoyan’s superior.”

Pan Yinchuan moved his lips but for a while didn’t know what to say.

This world… felt like one giant lie.

With all the glass shattered, people inside the café naturally noticed Pan Yinchuan and Huai Yu standing outside.

Initially enraged, Colonel Yan now appeared calm. He said to Lin Shaoyan, “It seems your plan isn’t working.”

Lin Shaoyan stiffly turned his neck and fixed his gaze on Pan Yinchuan’s face.

Tears welled up in Lin Shaoyan’s Omega eyes again.

But this time, he didn’t dare rush up to hug Pan Yinchuan.

Pan Yinchuan thought for a moment and said, “Don’t feel guilty.”

Lin Shaoyan froze in place, tears welling up even heavier in his eyes.

Even Colonel Yan was stunned.

Could Pan Yinchuan really endure this?

Pan Yinchuan didn’t look at Colonel Yan’s expression, sighed helplessly, and said, “Following orders from your superior, well, that’s your job. You’re not wrong. And the incident at the prisoner camp didn’t harm me. It was my own decision to save you. In fact, it was the right choice; otherwise, my parents and I would have been killed by Lao Yu long ago. You don’t know who Lao Yu is, which doesn’t matter… I just want to tell you, the time I spent with Mr. Huai wasn’t as difficult for me as you might imagine.”

Yan Xue couldn’t help but glance at Huai Yu when he heard this.

Well, now Mr. Huai should be pleased with what he heard.

“You don’t need to take responsibility for my life, and even less should you mistake guilt for admiration. Um, as for your affairs with Colonel Yan, you handle them yourself. After you’ve dealt with them, you can go on with your life from now on, a relaxed and broader life,” Pan Yinchuan said earnestly. “You did deceive me, but fortunately you weren’t really manipulated or bullied. It’s fortunate that no Omega like you was harmed… You can stand on your own, you don’t need my help.”

Huai Yu didn’t feel particularly happy hearing this.

Pan Yinchuan was pushing Lin Shaoyan away.

But he couldn’t push him away.

Huai Yu had seen it clearly from the beginning…

Every genuinely heartfelt word Pan Yinchuan spoke, every earnest admonition, was constantly emitting a sweet fragrance outward.

It was lethal, more tempting with each instance.

Lin Shaoyan didn’t care about Yan Xue; he was confident he could win Pan Yinchuan’s favor.

Why would he walk away?

He wouldn’t walk away.

He would gradually go mad in the process of being unable to obtain what he desired, until he became another Yu Jia’an.

Huai Yu analyzed everything with utmost calmness.

He even knew, with cold clarity, that he himself had the tendency to develop in this direction. But fortunately…

He could administer another sedative to himself right now.

Lin Shaoyan hadn’t learned to restrain himself yet.

_________

Author’s note:

Xiao Pan is like a source of meme pollution; the closer you get to him, the more crazy you become. Sooner or later, they all turn into perverts. Why can Mr. Huai rise to the top? It’s actually quite obvious!