The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly. The air seemed to grow heavier, pulled out by the presence of the man who entered.
He was tall, formally dressed in a black three-piece suit that cost more than the Lin family's entire apartment. His hair was slicked back, revealing a sharp, noble face. He held a massive bouquet of red roses, Lin Ruoxi's least favourite flower, a fact the man definitely knew but still bought.
Guo Zian.
"Ruoxi," Guo Zian said, his voice deep and smooth like venom wrapped around a snake's tongue. He smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. His eyes were cold, measuring, scanning Chen Zhe like he was inspecting a damaged piece of his collection.
"President Guo," the mother stood up immediately, looking respectful and slightly intimidated.
"Please, Auntie, call me Zian," he said, walking past the family as if they were ants. He placed the roses on the bedside table and leaned down, placing a hand on the mattress right next to Chen Zhe's leg.
Chen Zhe felt Lin Ruoxi's body flinch instinctively. A valid physiological response to the abuser.
"I was so worried," Guo Zian murmured, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from Chen Zhe's forehead. His fingers lingered near the temple, a subtle threat. "I told you, you've been working too hard on your paintings. You need to listen to me when I tell you to rest."
The double meaning was clear to Chen Zhe: You disobeyed me, and this is what happens.
Chen Zhe looked up at him. In the past, Lin Ruoxi would have looked away, trembled, and apologised.
But Chen Zhe was not Lin Ruoxi. Chen Zhe was a man who had already died once. He had stared into death and made a deal with a devil.
A human CEO was nothing compared to that.
Chen Zhe locked eyes with Guo Zian. He didn't glare, that would be too obvious. Instead, he let his eyes widen, filling them with a mixture of fear and a strange, unsettling confusion.
"Zian," Chen Zhe whispered, his voice raspy. He reached out and grabbed Guo Zian's wrist, the one touching his face.
Guo Zian's eyes narrowed slightly. He wasn't used to Ruoxi initiating contact.
"I..." Chen Zhe's breath hitched. He looked at his family, then back at Guo Zian. "I had the strangest dream. I dreamt I was dead."
Guo Zian's smile stiffened. "It was just the effect of medicines, my love."
"No," Chen Zhe said, tightening his grip on the man's expensive watch. "I dreamt I died... and someone else woke up in my body. Someone who doesn't like being touched."
He released Guo Zian's wrist as if it burned him, pulling his hand back under the covers.
The room went deadly silent. The Lin family looked confused, matching the words to the literal.
But Guo Zian... Guo Zian froze. For a split second, the mask he wore slipped, revealing a hint of genuine uncertainty.
'System,' Chen Zhe thought, a cold smile hidden deep within his mind.
'Scan him. I want to know everything. If he wants to play the dominant master, I'll show him what a real tyrant looks like.'
[Scanning target Guo Zian... Analysis complete. Target has high paranoia levels. Warning: Provoking him may lead to physical retaliation.]
'Let him try,' Chen Zhe thought. 'I'm already dead. I have nothing left to fear.'
"Mom, Brother, Sister," Chen Zhe said suddenly, his voice taking on a pitiful whine. "Can you please... give us a moment? I want to speak to Zian alone."
"Of course," his mother said, though she looked hesitant. "We'll be right outside."
As the family filed out, the warmth left the room. The door clicked shut.
Guo Zian straightened up, the loving boyfriend act dropping instantly. His face went pale, his eyes losing any emotions.
"What game are you playing, Ruoxi?" Guo Zian asked, his voice dropping an octave.
"Did I not teach you a lesson last night? Do you want me to break your hands so you can never paint again?"
The threat was real, which echoed in the air. In the past, this was the moment Lin Ruoxi would have shattered. He would have curled into a ball, sobbing, promising to be good and be an obedient doll, just like Guo Zian wanted him to be.
But Chen Zhe just looked at him.
He didn't flinch. He simply tilted his head to the side, studying the man looming over him with a terrifyingly empty gaze. It was the look of someone who had already seen the end of the world and found it boring.
"My hands?" Chen Zhe repeated softly, lifting his right hand to inspect his slender fingers. He turned his hand back and forth, as if admiring the lighting. "You spent three years grooming me to be your perfect trophy artist. If you break my hands, I become useless to you, don't I? A broken toy isn't fun to play with, Zian."
Guo Zian recoiled as if he had been slapped. The cold logic, delivered without a tremor of fear, was completely new behaviour to him. This wasn't the pathetic boy he had left unconscious on the floor last night.
"You..." Guo Zian's face twisted, his ego rising. He took a menacing step forward, his hand shooting out to grip Chen Zhe's jaw, forcing him to look up. His fingers dug into the soft flesh of Chen Zhe's cheeks, hard enough to bruise. "You think because you're in a hospital bed, you're safe? I can make you disappear, Ruoxi. I can make your family suffer till the end."
Chen Zhe felt the pain radiating from his jaw, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he leaned into the touch, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
'System,' he thought calmly. 'Record this. Record the pressure of his grip, the threat, the time, and the location.'
[Recording started. Evidence saved to secure cloud storage.]
"Then do it," Chen Zhe whispered, his voice barely audible, staring straight into Guo Zian's furious eyes. "Kill me. Do it right now. Because if you don't, I'm going to make your life a living hell."
Guo Zian's pupils constricted. He had expected begging, not a rebel. The sheer audacity of the challenge made him hesitate. For the first time, the predator felt a chill of uncertainty. Who was lying in this bed?
He raised his other hand, his temper snapping, ready to strike the arrogance off Chen Zhe's face.
Click.
The sound of the door handle turning was sharp in the silence.