Pretend to be crazy

There were twenty-two test subjects placed in hibernation pods. After screening, fifteen were finally sent to the research site.

Those who were deemed “unqualified” or in an “unstable condition” were detained within the family’s facilities. After undergoing their first round of in-depth examinations around 5:30 PM, they would be sent to storage locations designated by their owners.

There had been similar events before, but Blaze, who had the authority to distribute, never participated and showed no interest.

That’s why this individual, personally labeled by him as someone he “wanted,” attracted immense attention before even making an appearance at the event.

The hibernation pods were currently stored on the first floor of the castle in a storage room. Some people, under the pretense of assisting with the inspection, tried to enter, only to be blocked by the machines Blaze had stationed there in advance.

A half-meter-tall cylindrical robot mercilessly stood guard at the door. Seven or eight young blondes had already been turned away.

A girl named Aya, only thirteen years old, hugged her rabbit plushie and glared at the robot with a sinister expression. She threatened it familiarly, “You better move aside, or I’ll have someone destroy your core processing unit and turn you into something dumber than a trash can.”

The robot’s voice was gentle, but the six mechanical arms extending from its back, each equipped with different weapons, were aimed directly at these unruly little masters.

“Apologies, Miss Aya. I follow Lord Blaze’s orders. No one is allowed to enter,” it said, quickly aiming a weapon at a boy who was trying to slip inside unnoticed. “You may contact him to request access.”

Aya’s face darkened to the point where ink could drip from it. She forcefully threw her rabbit at the robot and sneered, “Just you wait.”

She opened her terminal and skillfully found Blaze’s contact. The others watched her message him with amusement.

The terminal beeped a few times. Shestared at the screen intently, knowing full well that Blaze never responded to anyone while working—but she still clung to a sliver of hope.

She was special.

She was his biological sister, and the family had arranged for her to become his wife, the one who would bear many pure-blooded Mobius heirs for him.

But that never happened.

The call eventually went unanswered and was automatically disconnected.

A boy standing nearby, wearing a mask on the left side of his face, chuckled.

“Aya, didn’t you say that your brother likes you the most? Why isn’t he answering your call?” Cham mocked in a sing-song voice. “What excuse will you use this time? That your call didn’t go through because the line was disconnected?”

“Maybe he just finds you annoying.”

“A wife who irritates her husband… Aya, do you really know how to keep that position?”

Cham and the others laughed, while Aya, humiliated, ran away crying.

Cham picked up the rabbit she had thrown and patted it off.

Although they were curious about the test subjects inside, they had no intention of disobeying Blaze’s orders just to sneak a look. They mainly came to enjoy Aya’s embarrassment.

Aya had just been lucky—she happened to be selected from the batch of eligible candidates. But after that, she started acting high and mighty, ordering people around, making her insufferable.

What was even more frustrating was that she would become Blaze’s wife, the one to bear perfect offspring for the perfect man.

And the rest of them, because of Blaze’s strong resistance, were unable to become part of his marriage arrangements, unlike their parents.

Blaze wasn’t wrong.

He was the son of the chaste god, the guardian of the Mobius family’s future, and the dream lover of the entire clan.

The one in the wrong was Aya, who smugly occupied that position without being worthy of it.

After gossiping about her for a while, the group gradually dispersed.

Although the storage room wasn’t soundproof, and the hibernation pod had decent insulation, none of that stopped Shen Yan from eavesdropping.

Once they were gone, Shen Yan—who had nearly suffocated himself trying to stay quiet—finally resumed normal breathing.

He had only one thought in his mind:

This family is seriously messed up.

The original novel didn’t describe much about the real situation of Blaze’s family. It focused more on how, under Ruan Zhixian’s guidance, Blaze burned down a colossal entity that had ruled over District Seven for a century.

His background before the age of twenty-one was only briefly mentioned.

It was said that sometimes he regretted it—regretted how easy it was to rebel in the end. Why hadn’t he made the right choice before everything began?

The meaning of “everything” was left as a mystery by the author, a hidden thread in Blaze’s storyline before he met the protagonist.

Unfortunately, he joined the main cast too late, and Ruan Zhixian went berserk too soon. The truth was never revealed before everyone met their tragic end.

Shen Yan rolled over. His head felt groggy from sleeping too long. The hibernation pod was too soft and comfortable, and he soon drifted off again.

The room was designed in imitation of the ornate Rococo style of medieval European castles. Inside, the extravagant decorations of gold, silver, and jewels gleamed under the simulated candlelight.

The bedroom was furnished like a vampire noble’s lair.

Blaze, still clad in his cumbersome and elaborate pure-white ceremonial attire after a long day, stood beside the hibernation pod, slightly lowering his gaze as he studied the young man sleeping inside.

The file had only contained a headshot. Now that the person was physically in his bedroom, he could finally examine, inch by inch, the full appearance of the one who had flirted with him so boldly online.

His eyes were immediately drawn to the marks on the exposed skin—hickeys and bite marks densely scattered across every inch.

Unclean.

In addition to being frivolous, boring, and foolish, Blaze now added a fourth label to him.

But he wasn’t without redeeming qualities.

At the very least, he kept his word.

He had said he would come meet him alive—and he had.

He scanned him thoroughly with his eyes, committing his appearance to memory. Then he turned to leave.

He wasn’t ready to face Shen Yan yet, nor did he have experience dealing with a situation like this.

He needed time to think about what kind of attitude he should adopt toward this unexpected online acquaintance.

Knock, knock.

His hand had just gripped the doorknob when he heard two crisp knocks.

His entire body stiffened.

Knock, knock.

It was the sound of knuckles tapping against the hibernation pod’s cover.

He tightened his grip on the handle, his mind flashing through countless thoughts in an instant.

He had never sent photos of his face. Shen Yan was familiar with his body. Based on his observations, the photos hadn’t been altered.

What color were his eyes?

What would he say to him?

…Would he call him “princess”?

There were no cameras in the bedroom—he had fought bitterly to have them removed at sixteen, the only way he had managed to carve out a tiny sanctuary for himself.

Nothing to be afraid of.

He calmly adjusted his breathing, released the door handle, and turned back to the hibernation pod.

Shen Yan looked at him and blinked, exhaling a breath that fogged up the glass. Then, using his finger, he drew a simple heart on the misted surface.

Not stopping there, he held up both hands in a heart gesture beside the fading fog heart, enthusiastically framing it.

Blaze coldly said, “Foolish. Vulgar.”

Shen Yan gazed at him innocently and knocked on the glass again.

Blaze hesitated for a few seconds. Facing this enormous headache before even preparing himself was troublesome.

But he still knelt down, found the emergency release, and let Shen Yan out.

Shen Yan sat up, taking a deep breath of fresh air, then turned to him and asked, with complete seriousness, “I have a rather bold question I’m really curious about. Can I ask?”

Blaze gripped the edge of the pod. “No.”

Shen Yan: “What if it’s not that bold?”

Blaze, ice-cold: “No.”

Shen Yan leaned against the pod, his previous seriousness fading into a grin. “What if it’s not offensive at all?”

“…Fine.”

“Alright.” Shen Yan shrugged. “I have nothing to ask.”

Blaze: …

Again.

He clenched his fist, his veins tightening.

Talking to Shen Yan always made his teeth itch. His fingers, too.

But Shen Yan had always been too far away. Out of reach.

Now, he was right in front of him.

He narrowed his eyes dangerously and pinched the soft flesh of his cheek, tugging hard.

As expected, Shen Yan winced, laughing through the pain, weakly grabbing at his wrist in surrender.

“I give up, I give up! You’re really strong.”

Blaze’s lips subtly curled upward by a pixel, and the exhaustion from dealing with politicians and businessmen inexplicably lightened.

“What do you want to ask?”

Shen Yan covered his flushed face, embarrassed, and shook his head. “It’s too presumptuous. If I ask, you’ll get mad.”

Blaze: “Ask.”

Shen Yan quickly glanced at him. “I’m really going to ask, okay?”

“You’ve just added another flaw.” Blaze: “Hesitant and indecisive.”

Shen Yan chuckled, pushing his slightly overgrown hair behind his ears, and looked at him. “How should I address you now?”

“Blaze? Flame?

Or…” his smile deepened, his eyes carrying a hint of mischief. “You bought me, so technically, I belong to you. Logically, I should call you ‘Master.'”

“Master, what do you think?”

As he spoke, he naturally called him that.

Blaze stared at him for a few seconds. His ears, uncontrollably heating up, turned red. In the end, he couldn’t help but turn his head away and murmur, “Whatever.”

Shen Yan had been waiting for this. He got up from the hibernation pod and, grinning mischievously, circled him, chirping, “Okay, Princess, no problem, Princess. Why are your ears so red, Princess?”

The redness on his ears slowly spread to his face, and the heat made him mistakenly think he was ill.

His slightly trembling hand pressed against his face, covering his expression.

Shen Yan, being his usual self, leaned in and peeked at him. “What’s wrong, Princess? Feeling unwell, Princess?”

Blaze’s voice was muffled. “If those two words come out of your mouth again, I will turn you into a princess in the truest sense.”

Shen Yan immediately became obedient. “Alright, Prin—uh, fair, brave, decisive, handsome Lord Blaze.”

Blaze, still covering his face, took a deep breath. He really couldn’t handle this kind of interaction and had no idea how to deal with Shen Yan.

So, with lightning-fast movements, before Shen Yan could even react, he shoved him back into the hibernation pod and sealed it shut.

Then, he sprinted to the door.

Before opening it, he clenched his fists and fiercely recited the Ten Commandments in his mind multiple times.

After finally suppressing the restlessness inside him, he checked his appearance, making sure nothing looked out of the ordinary, adjusted his expression, and left the room.

His work for the day was completely done.

Perhaps due to exhaustion over the past two days, he wanted to rest. As a result, he cleared his schedule for tomorrow, the day after, and even the day after that.

Expressionless and aimless, he strode through the corridor, denying that he had essentially exiled himself from his own room.

Nowhere in the entire castle was safer than his room.

So why was he running?

His steps slowed and eventually stopped.

Shen Yan wasn’t scary.

His sweet-talking skills were nothing compared to the people who tried to trap him in negotiations and deals.

He just wasn’t used to him joking with him in a way that carried no malice or twisted desire.

There was no reason to avoid him. Shen Yan merely saw him as a regular person. Even if they shared the same space, nothing would happen. He could completely use him as a medium to experience normal friendship and joy.

Shen Yan was an experimental subject, a slave he had personally chosen. He could even righteously lock him in his room, making him part of his own designated safe zone.

He was an outstanding Mobius. He adhered strictly to the Ten Commandments, controlling his desires. He met his parents’ and teachers’ expectations of being the perfect heir. His public image embodied every virtue expected of nobility. He excelled at everything.

He deserved some kind of reward.

Just a brief moment of indulgence—God wouldn’t mind.

Successfully convincing himself, he turned back.

No one could see the inner turmoil he had just gone through.

The clan members who passed him by trembled, pressing themselves against the walls in silence, trying to minimize their presence.

Only after he was gone did they dare to breathe normally again. They whispered to each other, saying they had never seen him this angry before and wondered who had provoked him.

They also warned each other to stay away from him for now—an angry Blaze was terrifying.

In the well-informed castle, rumors spread like wildfire. Within just one night, everyone was on edge.

And the truth behind the rumors was hidden inside his room, unseen by anyone.

Seeing him return, Shen Yan stopped trying to pry open the hibernation pod from the inside.

Blaze wordlessly let him out. As he stood up, he coughed lightly, hesitantly approaching him with a bit of awkwardness. “I’m sorry. I was too flippant. I’ll speak properly from now on. Please don’t be mad.”

Blaze: “I’m not mad.”

Shen Yan observed his expression. From the moment Blaze entered, he had that ice-cold face that could freeze someone to death. Saying he wasn’t mad was very unconvincing.

Staring at his face, which resembled that of a cold, aloof academic genius, Shen Yan felt the urge to stir things up again. His mouth moved before he could stop it. “Kiss me, and I’ll believe you’re not mad.”

Blaze’s gaze lightly fell on him.

Shen Yan had used this trick with his buddies before. Whenever there was a conflict, saying this would make his friends chase after him to punch him, calling him disgusting. After a bit of playful roughhousing, their relationship would smooth over.

Without thinking, he applied his usual way of interacting with friends to Blaze.

He immediately reflected on this. He was naturally friendly, but Blaze might not be.

This time, he had really crossed the line.

He felt genuine remorse. He needed to install a filter on his mouth to stop himself from saying things he shouldn’t. He turned away from Blaze, scratching his face, embarrassed by his own rudeness.

“Don’t take it seriously. I just have a foul mouth. Don’t worry, I definitely won’t—”

Before he could finish, Blaze gently pressed a single finger against his right cheek, tilting his face slightly. A soft, cool kiss landed on Shen Yan’s left cheek.

Even lighter than the kiss was the touch of golden strands brushing against Shen Yan’s neck.

He raised his hand to cover the spot where the hair had touched and froze.

Blaze gazed at him, suddenly becoming a diligent student, asking with one hundred and twenty percent sincerity, “Do you believe me now?”

Shen Yan stared at him for a few seconds, took a sharp breath, and quickly retreated several meters, putting distance between them.

Holy! Sh*t!

That atmosphere!!!

He almost forgot—he might not be straight anymore!

He really needed to stop messing around like this.

If he actually got bent…

That was one thing, but if Ruan Zhixian found out…

Considering Ruan Zhixian’s suffocating level of possessiveness, if he discovered someone else had left a mark on his toy, neither the toy nor the thief would have a good ending.

Blaze, confused, took a step toward him. Shen Yan immediately raised a hand and shouted, “I believe you! I believe you completely! Bro, stay right there! Let me process this!”

Blaze obediently stopped, looking at him calmly. “Are you mad?”

Shen Yan: “No, no, no.”

“Don’t believe it.”

Blaze paused, then slowly said, “By your logic, now it’s your turn to kiss me.”