MWMM Chapter 41: So Ruthless

“Classmate Yan, classmate Yan…”

As his consciousness returned, the first thing Yan Yuzhou heard was an urgent and concerned voice calling out to him.

Yan Yuzhou slowly opened his eyes. The strong smell of disinfectant filled his nose. Above him, Pan Feng was frowning, his face full of worry as he looked at Yan Yuzhou.

When Pan Feng saw him open his eyes, he immediately broke into a wide grin, his joy apparent. His expression relaxed considerably as he said, “Classmate Yan, you scared me to death! How could you just collapse by the side of the road like that for no reason?”

Yan Yuzhou recalled now: after watching Shen Ci leave, he had suddenly felt his vision go dark. In the faint haze of consciousness, he remembered someone holding him and bringing him to the school clinic. It turned out that person was—Pan Feng.

Somewhere deep in his heart, an inexplicable sense of disappointment rose. It was as if, in the depths of his subconscious, he had hoped Shen Ci would turn around and look at him before disappearing around the corner.

“Thank you, Pan Feng. I really owe you one,” Yan Yuzhou said, sitting up from the hospital bed. He forced a dry smile as his lips cracked slightly.

“No worries, we’re classmates, after all.” Pan Feng scratched his head, chuckling a little awkwardly. Then, as though remembering something, he quickly added, “Oh, right! There was someone else who helped bring you here. He didn’t seem to be from our school, probably just someone passing by. The whole way here, he was the one carrying you.”

Because of that sentence, Yan Yuzhou’s heart started beating faster, and it felt as though the blood in his body was flowing anew. A name was ready to spill from his lips.

“That person, he…” Yan Yuzhou had just started to ask when his gaze suddenly froze at the doorway. In the next moment, his entire demeanor became agitated and flustered.

“Shen… Mr. Shen.”

He called out to Shen Ci cautiously, completely ignoring the helpful classmate still standing by his side.

“Huh? Classmate Yan, you know this gentleman who saved you?” Pan Feng’s eyes widened. That cold and distant man from earlier hadn’t mentioned a single word about knowing Yan Yuzhou.

Yan Yuzhou gave an awkward smile and softly responded with an “Mm,” though his eyes remained fixed on the man standing at the door, his face ashen.

Shen Ci finally deigned to move, stepping inside.

Each step he took felt like it struck directly on Yan Yuzhou’s heart, causing waves to ripple across the lake of his emotions. When Shen Ci reached a spot roughly a zhang (three meters) away from the bed, he stopped and stood there. His expression was calm as his gaze swept over to the silent Pan Feng at the side. Raising his eyebrows slightly, he said, “This classmate, I have something to discuss with Yan Yuzhou. Could I trouble you to step out for a moment?”

His tone was harsh, and his gaze was even less pleasant, sending a chill down Pan Feng’s spine.

“Pan Feng, I know Mr. Shen. Please head back to your dorm now. Thank you for bringing me here earlier. I’m fine,” Yan Yuzhou said quickly. Worried that Shen Ci’s demeanor would frighten Pan Feng, he hurried to smooth things over.

But Pan Feng, being an alpha—and a hot-blooded one under the age of twenty at that—wasn’t so easily cowed. Shen Ci’s words had undeniably provoked him.

“Yan Yuzhou is my classmate. Taking care of my classmates is my responsibility. And you—what’s your relationship with him? Just because you told me to leave, you think I have to? What if I go and you end up bullying Classmate Yan? I won’t leave!”

At that moment, Pan Feng felt his sense of justice and protective instinct toward Yan Yuzhou surge to an all-time high. Emboldened, his entire demeanor grew more resolute.

“You’re asking me what my relationship with him is?” Shen Ci smiled, but that smile carried shards of ice. His pupils gleamed with a cold yet dangerous light, as if in the very next second, he could effortlessly crush Pan Feng.

“My relationship with him? I’m afraid you’re not qualified to know.”

Yan Yuzhou felt a surge of unease. The matter between him and Shen Ci was something he didn’t want to drag others into. So, before Pan Feng could retort, Yan Yuzhou hurriedly jumped down from the bed. He didn’t even bother putting on his shoes, grabbing Pan Feng’s sleeve and giving him a calming look.

Pan Feng caught the goodwill in Yan Yuzhou’s gaze. The fiery rage that had been ready to erupt instantly subsided, though the fists clenched tightly at his sides betrayed his lingering anger.

The moment Yan Yuzhou reached out and grabbed Pan Feng’s sleeve, Shen Ci’s entire demeanor changed.

It was as if a torrent of icy mountain snow had been unleashed, flooding the room and bearing down toward Pan Feng with an oppressive force. Pan Feng couldn’t withstand it; he doubled over in discomfort.

“Shen Ci, stop!” Yan Yuzhou shouted at Shen Ci, his eyes red with emotion.

Almost instantly, a storm surged in Shen Ci’s gaze, his expression becoming even more scornful and dangerous. His face, already grim, turned downright menacing.

However, perhaps out of concern that his pheromones might affect Yan Yuzhou, Shen Ci only disciplined Pan Feng briefly before withdrawing his pheromones completely.

Even in the chaos, Yan Yuzhou sharply noticed that this time, Shen Ci’s pheromones carried only the biting chill of cold snow, with none of the warm pine fragrance that used to accompany them.

Having no time to dwell on the situation, Yan Yuzhou simply squatted down and helped Pan Feng up. After much persuasion, he finally managed to convince him to return to his dormitory.

Once Pan Feng left the infirmary, Yan Yuzhou took a moment to gather his thoughts and faced Shen Ci’s hostile gaze head-on.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

Yan Yuzhou couldn’t help himself; his eyes reddened. Maybe he had been carrying some grievances these past few days. Shen Ci hadn’t contacted him even once all this time. And now, even his appearance here today was because of that childhood friend of his.

Thinking about that sweet and lovely girl, Yan Yuzhou tried his best to steady his voice and avoid the topic, asking instead with feigned curiosity, “Where is Miss Su? Doesn’t Mr. Shen need to accompany Miss Su to see the ginkgo trees?”

Shen Ci listened to his words, then after a moment, let out a soft, mocking laugh—filled with disdain and self-deprecation.

Then he began walking toward Yan Yuzhou, step by step, forcing him to retreat until his back hit the edge of the bed, leaving him no way out.

Yan Yuzhou’s heart pounded violently, as though it might leap out of his chest at any moment.

Then he heard Shen Ci’s gritted voice in his ear:

“Yan Yuzhou, do you hate me that much?”

Startled by the accusation, Yan Yuzhou froze. He looked up into Shen Ci’s eyes, confused, and shook his head slightly. “What?”

“Are you so desperate to stay far away from me that you’d throw yourself into someone else’s arms?”

Shen Ci’s cruel words were like a sharp blade, plunging straight into Yan Yuzhou’s chest.

Yan Yuzhou didn’t even understand why he was being accused like this.

“Moving out of the villa, taking cold showers in the bathroom, rejecting my advances, despising my scent—fine, I can let all that go.” Shen Ci leaned in closer, completely ignoring the bewildered look on Yan Yuzhou’s face. He gripped Yan Yuzhou’s chin firmly, forcing their eyes to lock, and then asked, enunciating each word slowly and coldly:

“I just don’t understand—why must you go this far?”

Go this far? What was Shen Ci even talking about? Yan Yuzhou was utterly stunned.

As Shen Ci leaned in, the scent of his pheromones flooded Yan Yuzhou’s senses. The piercing chill of icy snow, devoid of any warmth, seeped into Yan Yuzhou’s lungs. That frost spread rapidly from his chest to every corner of his body—through his limbs and even into his muddled thoughts.

“Mr. Shen, what on earth are you talking about?” Yan Yuzhou’s voice trembled as he spoke, and he felt as if the icy bitterness in Shen Ci’s words might freeze him to tears at any moment.

Hearing this, Shen Ci let out a scornful laugh. His gaze was filled with frigid coldness, as well as a towering anger. Then he questioned:

“You even dared to take medicine with such severe side effects. You didn’t even care about the future possibility of having your own children. Yan Yuzhou, you really went to great lengths just to get away from me.”

“Why all the roundabout efforts? If you really want a divorce, I can grant your wish right now!”

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T/N: By the time they resolve this issue I’d have been frustrated to death… sigh