Chapter 36 – Absolute Control

Ye Zhou shuddered, goosebumps rising instantly on his skin.

In the darkness, Guan Heng’s voice sounded even more alluring, almost seductive. “You’ve seen everything, haven’t you? I was planning to tell you later, afraid that it might scare you. But I’m curious, why didn’t you call the police to arrest me?”

Is he admitting it?

Ye Zhou couldn’t describe the feeling in his heart, only a sense of desolation. He was restrained but still struggling, acutely aware of the disparity in strength between him and Guan Heng at this moment.

Guan Heng didn’t hear a response and asked again, “Huh? Speak.”

“I…” Ye Zhou gritted his teeth. What could he say? He was disappointed, never expecting Guan Heng to be such a person? But he knew what he wanted, the result of both a sudden impulse and careful deliberation: “Guan Heng, I’ll face it with you.”

Guan Heng was taken aback by these words, not yet asking what they meant. Ye Zhou stopped struggling, as if finally making up his mind, saying, “If you’re sick, get treatment. I’ll go with you. Even if you’re a murderer, I love you.”

Guan Heng suddenly fell silent.

Ye Zhou wasn’t lying, nor was he putting on an act. This was truly what he thought, acknowledging that he had fallen for Guan Heng. He continued speaking, candidly revealing what he’d been thinking: “Turn yourself in. I’ll wait for you. I’ll try to help you get probation, and after you’re out, we can start over. I…”

Ye Zhou couldn’t continue, as Guan Heng covered his mouth with his left hand.

Ye Zhou’s breath caught. He initially thought Guan Heng wanted to suffocate him, but after a few seconds, he realized something was off. Guan Heng’s hand was placed lightly, even stroking his face in a comforting manner, more like foreplay.

Ye Zhou was perplexed but made no move.

Guan Heng, however, had expected the worst outcome, never imagining this. After Ye Zhou mistakenly believed him to be a murderer, his first thought wasn’t to escape him, but to deal with it together.

Whether it was a misunderstanding or not, Ye Zhou’s actions satisfied Guan Heng’s desire for control to the fullest extent. Any anger he felt dissipated.

In fact, if Ye Zhou had called the police directly, it would have cleared his suspicion. But if that happened, Guan Heng might have been disappointed in him, and Ye Zhou would have ended up on the same path as Yue Shu. Trust was most important in their relationship; without trust, there was nothing to talk about. Just like how Yue Shu claimed not to understand him, but it was Yue Shu who, using work as an excuse, chose not to make their relationship public. Similarly, it was Yue Shu who first held back in their relationship, subconsciously fearing him, being wary of him, preparing an escape route in advance without any communication, ready to leave at the first sign of trouble. There were too many such things accumulated between them, trivial matters when mentioned individually, but often details revealed a person’s true thoughts. Without trust, understanding was impossible.

If Ye Zhou had chosen to ask him directly, Guan Heng wouldn’t have hidden anything.

So Guan Heng really hadn’t expected that such a righteous Ye Zhou could go to such lengths for him. This was already against his own principles.

Guan Heng didn’t plan to tease him anymore: “Actually, you misunderstood. I’m not a murderer, nor do I have mental illness.”

Ye Zhou was stunned for a while before reacting, “Then… Mm…”

Before Ye Zhou could even ask, Guan Heng’s kiss landed on his neck, causing him to tremble sensitively and emit an ambiguous sound. The atmosphere changed instantly.

In the darkness, senses were amplified. The sensation of Guan Heng’s tongue sliding over the skin of his neck was abnormally clear, sending shivers through him. The sound of rain outside was loud, but it couldn’t quite drown out the intimate sounds close to his ear. Guan Heng’s left hand moved down from his mouth, fingers lightly gliding over his Adam’s apple, lingering back and forth on his collarbone, spreading open to envelop his throat in a choking gesture.

Ye Zhou immediately felt his life was in Guan Heng’s hands. Given Guan Heng’s strength, if he exerted force, Ye Zhou would definitely suffocate.

But Guan Heng merely squeezed his most vulnerable spot gently, asking, “Scared?”

How could Ye Zhou not be scared? When he suspected Guan Heng might be a murderer, he felt as if the sky was falling. He honestly admitted, “Scared.”

And added, “Very scared.”

Ye Zhou was very scared, but didn’t run away. If Guan Heng’s desire for control was also a disease, then he would find this the sweetest thing Ye Zhou had ever said.

“Ye Zhou, there’s something I need to confess to you.” Guan Heng’s voice echoed again in the darkness. “Actually, Yue Shu was right, your intuition was correct. I am a terrible person. I’m someone with a control freak personality, accustomed to controlling everything.”

Ye Zhou’s eyes widened in the darkness, unable to react for a moment.

“I warned you three times, but you didn’t run away. So, you have no chance to escape now, and I won’t allow you to escape.”

The heavy rain accompanied by thunderous booms struck Ye Zhou’s heart with every word Guan Heng said, making his head buzz and preventing him from thinking. He could only listen as Guan Heng continued, “Do you know when I took a fancy to you?”

Ye Zhou was stunned for a moment, shaking his head dumbly. He had pursued Guan Heng smoothly, except for Yue Shu’s appearance, there hadn’t been much turbulence.

Guan Heng answered him, “When your leg was injured.”

This answer was clearly unexpected for Ye Zhou. At that time, he hadn’t even developed feelings for Guan Heng.

Guan Heng paused for a long time before speaking, Ye Zhou, facing away from him, couldn’t see the expression on his face. Guan Heng recounted a past event: “…when I was seven years old, I was kidnapped by a strange man. That man was a pedophile, often cruising around nearby schools, randomly abducting students who were alone. I left class late that day and was targeted by him. He took me to a dark, dirty room, pushed me to the ground, and without warning, pressed me down, tearing my clothes…”

When Ye Zhou heard this, his breathing became rapid. He remembered Guan Heng previously mentioning taking up boxing due to an unpleasant incident, it turned out to be this.

Guan Heng touched his neck again, as if tenderly consoling him: “…he didn’t succeed. It took a lot of effort for me to break free, desperately running away, barely escaping. At that time, I thought, how good it would be if someone could save me…”

No matter how powerful Guan Heng was now, he was once vulnerable, easily dealt with by any adult.

That’s why when Guan Heng learned that Ye Zhou saved the underage girl in the restaurant, he gradually began to develop some vague affection for Ye Zhou. This might be considered a form of transference, or perhaps a way to compensate for certain regrets in his heart. Otherwise, with Guan Heng’s conditions, he had no shortage of people better than Ye Zhou. And it was precisely Ye Zhou’s kindness and willingness to stand up for others that inadvertently created opportunities for himself. But later, Ye Zhou genuinely moved him with his sincerity and straightforwardness.

Guan Heng continued, “And when I saw you personally enter the crowd to catch the pervert in the cinema, I knew I couldn’t let go. Perhaps because of that experience in childhood, I began to dislike situations beyond my control, and swore I wouldn’t let anyone have the chance to overpower me again.”

Guan Heng’s voice remained calm, not sounding like he was recounting his own ordeal. But Ye Zhou knew that for someone as impeccable as Guan Heng to reveal his most shameful thing to him meant he had already regarded him as one of his own.

He had finally entered Guan Heng’s heart, but couldn’t help feeling heartache.

Guan Heng quickly returned to the part where Ye Zhou had misunderstood him: “You asked me before if I went to prison for classes… but more accurately, I went for counseling and observation, simultaneously needing to study the psychology of criminals, avoiding them exploiting illness to avoid punishment or even acquittal… what you saw in my study were the statements of criminals, since I couldn’t take them out, I wrote them down by hand.”

“Originally…” Ye Zhou was truly embarrassed, feeling ashamed for having thought Guan Heng was a murderer. Now, looking back, he felt stupid for not trusting him enough, “Sorry, I misunderstood you.”

Ye Zhou didn’t hear Guan Heng’s response, worried that he was angry with him. He moved slightly, slowly turning around in Guan Heng’s arms to face him.

The heavy rain outside continued unabated, occasionally accompanied by lightning and thunder. Inside, it was still dark. The two were very close, their breaths mingling. Ye Zhou couldn’t see his expression clearly, only vaguely discerning the outline. He reached out to touch Guan Heng’s face, repeating, “Sorry, there won’t be a next time.”

Ye Zhou was always straightforward, admitting mistakes and not making excuses for himself.

In fact, compared to the most standard and correct approach, Guan Heng preferred Ye Zhou’s previous response. Even if it was a misunderstanding, Ye Zhou had given him something more important than trust.