Trapped in fear, Jian Qiao couldnât see anything.
The banquet hall was ablaze with lights, but it was pitch black before his eyes. The savage, fiend-like people who surrounded him were blocked by his subconscious mind. It was the most effective way to escape reality.
In a trance, his body kept falling, the current surged around him, cold water filled his nose and mouth, trying to snatch away his breath. Once again heâd returned to his earliest and most terrifying memory, experiencing the pain of being on the verge of death but unable to struggle.
Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice.
The voice firmly and forcefully ordered, âLet go of him!â
The whirlpools and rapids wrapped around Jian Qiao, dragging him into the endless abyss, disappeared in an instant. He felt his body suddenly lighten, and he immediately followed the sound upward, like a fish surviving a severe winter under the ice, desperately eager for sunlight and a trace of oxygen.
Finally, his eyes brightened, then all the light shot into his eyes, followed by the handsome face of Rege. The man was looking at him with furrowed brows, his expression very impatient.
âAre you all right?â he asked in a deep voice.
âI⊠Iâm fine.â Jian Qiao lay weakly on the sofa, a little alcohol on his lips, cold sweat on his forehead and nose. His whole person looked like heâd just been fished out of the water.
âWhen youâre ready, come over and sit.â Rege didnât reach for him or pull him up, but went to the opposite sofa where he sat down in his usual lordly posture. Then he stared at Jian Qiao and patted the empty place beside him.
Jian Qiao understood. He hastily propped up his weak body, staggered to Regeâs side, and carefully sat down. He already felt relieved, but he didnât dare lean back on the soft pillows because that would make him look even more wretched. He could only straighten his back as much as possible and face everything that followed with the most composed expression.
He could have fled, locking up all the things that just happened with his terrible memories of the past. But Rege had come here, so he decided to stay. He had to finish this banquet with dignity.
The whole room was silent.
The drinkers stood frozen with their glasses; the smokers stopped puffing; the musicians paused their fingertips over the strings.
Everyone could feel the fury Rege was hiding under his calm exterior. His sky blue eyes darkened with his rising anger.
When Jian Qiao sat down beside him, he snapped his fingers at the attendant.
A glass of strong wine was immediately delivered to him, and he tilted his head and drained it in one swallow. His ruthless eyes were locked on Prince Andrew.
Prince Andrew couldnât withstand this kind of extremely oppressive gaze, and his mind had suddenly sobered up by more than half, so he smiled and explained, âYou werenât here, we were having some fun with Jian Qiao. We just wanted him to finish a bottle of wine. We didnât go too far.â
Rege didnât say a word, just lifted the empty glass of wine in his hand.
The attendant immediately refilled his glass with amber-colored spirits.
He slowly took a sip. With gloomy eyes he observed the cold sweat dripping from Jian Qiao, then asked, âDo you want to play with them?â
Jian Qiao didnât get a chance to answer. Prince Andrewâs male favouriteâthat is, the heavily made-up, richly-dressed young man whoâd grabbed Jian Qiaoâs hair beforeâgrinned back. âItâs an honor for him to play with us, why wouldnât he be willing?â
Yes, everyone thought it was a blessing to get close to Prince Andrew because of the immeasurable benefits it would bring. Even if they knew that walking too close to the Prince would have a terrible price, there were more than enough people like moths who were desperate to fling themselves into the flame.
Which of those little lords who came to Grande from remote places hadnât delivered themselves to serve Prince Andrew? Even if some of them couldnât stand the humiliation in the end and committed suicide, they were merely paying the price for the decision they made.
When the heart is consumed by greed, thereâs nothing that cannot be sacrificed, and that includes character and dignity.
And Rege understood peopleâs hearts, so he wasnât sure at all about Jian Qiaoâs answer. If this person publicly said âIâm willingâ, he decided he wouldnât care. From this day forward, if the other party were sunk or destroyed, it would have nothing to do with him.
But even as he thought this, Rege couldnât help but clench his fist until it cracked. He secretly swore: If Jian Qiao really said âIâm willingâ, heâd break that personâs head!
âI donât want to.â Jian Qiaoâs soft but extraordinarily firm voice came from the side.
âI will never agree to play these dirty games with you.â After a momentâs pause he emphasized each word.
Regeâs fist suddenly relaxed. He raised his glass to Prince Andrew and his cheerful expression was like a big lion stretching his body to fling out his mane.
He knew it, this haughty gentleman Earl wouldnât bow down to anyone.
He was exceedingly satisfied with the answer.
Prince Andrew was stunned. He didnât think Jian Qiao would give him so little face. Even if he didnât agree, Jian Qiao should have said yes. It would have eased Regeâs anger and lightened up the atmosphere. Didnât he understand the slightest social etiquette?
It seemed that Prince Andrewâs favourite was held in such high regard that he refused to accept such an answer. He immediately asked, âWhy arenât you willing? How shameless are you?â
Jian Qiao was ready to hit back, but Rege hooked his finger. âCome here.â
The heavily made-up man immediately walked over.
Rege lowered the back of his hand. âSquat down.â
The man obediently bent his knees and dropped his body. In front of Jian Qiao, he was proud as a swan, but in front of a great nobleman like Rege, he was more obedient than a puppet.
He inclined his head and gave a flattering smile to Rege. Like all fashionable young people nowadays, he painted his face white with powder, but added two bright scarlet spots of blush on his cheeks, which made him look like a clown.
Rege lifted his hand and tossed a full glass of spirits on his face.
The manâs lurid makeup was immediately smeared into a confusion of red, white, and black stains. He covered his face and let out a horrified scream.
Rege said coolly, âIâm also playing a game with you, do you think itâs fun? Do you want to continue?â
It was useless to reason with these people, they simply didnât understand. Only when they suffered the same pain would they comprehend theyâd gone too far.
Seeing this scene, the residual fear in Jian Qiaoâs heart disappeared. As he sat beside Rege, who was emitting a dangerous aura, he felt completely secure. His cold and stiff body gradually grew warm.
He no longer looked at the screaming young man but focused all his attention on Rege.
This person was shining in his eyes.
Rege immediately sensed the scorching eyes of the gentleman Earl. He turned his head and glanced at the other person, and his mouth let out a tsk, as if he disdained the otherâs weakness, but the corners of his mouth rose even higher.
The young man had been able to accompany Prince Andrew for a long time, so he naturally had some ability. After collapsing for a moment he wiped off his face full of wine and said with a smile, âItâs my honor to play with you, how could I be unwilling?â
He knew better than anyone that only a complete surrender of personality and dignity could earn sufficient benefits. In this materialistic world, everything could be sold, including himself. His title was bought with his body and it was well worth it.
His shamelessness was an eye-opener to the people around him.
Prince Andrew was the first to laugh, followed by all the guests. So the atmosphere in the room grew lively again. The alcoholics continued to drink, the drug users continued to smoke, and the beauty chasers continued to spin around the dance floor with good-looking men and women in their arms.
Noise and bustle once again descended on the gilded hall. This was a world of distorted aesthetics, and ugly human hearts were lovely in these noblesâ eyes. They shouted for the young man and clapped enthusiastically.
Jian Qiao pursed his lips and tried to suppress the desire to vomit.
Rege, however, was used to these disgusting people and things. Not surprised, he picked up a bottle of spirits and poured it over the young manâs head.
âGood, today Iâll play with you to the end.â He looked at the attendant and ordered coldly, âBring up all the wine in the cellar. If there isnât enough, my family has a large collection.â
The young man was dumbfounded. He thought if he was shameless enough Rege would stop, but he didnât expect the other party to pick a fight with him.
Pouring down bottle after bottle of ice-cold wineâforget whether the body could endure it, the loss of his image in itself wasnât something a man could bear. From that day on, the very moment someone mentioned him, people would think of his ugly face dripping with wine.
The loss of dignity, personality, and reputation, all these could be accepted, but his good image was how he earned his daily bread. If others viewed him as a clown, Prince Andrewâs favor would certainly disappear. The glittering, swirling world of high society, full of social climbing, scheming, and struggle, would become a swamp to swallow him.
Everyone would habitually insult and trample him, like a dwarf who was pulled out for fun at every banquet. Heâd gradually lose everything he had now.
Thinking of this, the young man immediately looked at Prince Andrew, his eyes radiating a plea for help.
Prince Andrew, however, didnât pay the slightest heed to his favouriteâs distress. Instead he clapped his hands and laughed. âThis is so much fun! Hahaha, fetch the wine!â
The attendants immediately went to the wine cellar.
The people around them were eager to play. It was clear theyâd found a new diversion, and they didnât care in the slightest whether the young man was willing.
What happened to Jian Qiao repeated itself for the man.
The young man began to shiver. He could already imagine what would happen next. Everyone here would pick up a bottle of wine, laugh heartily, and pour it on his head as they cavorted around him. Soaked in liquor he would look shameless and pathetic, like a lamb to the slaughter.
Playing to the point of frenzy, these people might really treat him like a lamb of God and burn him on a fire. Such things had happened before.
After drinking too much alcohol and smoking too much opium, these people were like a pile of tinder, just a small spark could completely burn away their reason. After falling into madness, they could transform into devils and impose all sorts of torture on their chosen toy.
Exactly how much humiliation was possible, the young man knew too well, just as he knew exactly how much he risked by playing such a game with them.
In that moment he finally understood Regeâs question. He cried out, âMy lord, I donât want to, I wonât play with you anymore! This game really isnât fun at all, please let me go!â
âThe wineâs already here, how can you stop playing?â Before Rege could answer, Prince Andrew spoke in an unhappy voice.
He loved all games that trampled people.
The attendant had brought in a case of red wine. The deep crimson liquid would stain the young manâs body like blood, and a scene from a slaughterhouse was what everyone would see. Maybe at the end of the game they really would make the young man lie down in a pool of blood.
âIâm not playing anymore! Iâm sorry, I shouldnât have teased Jian Qiao, I apologize! Iâll be damned, I admit I was jealous of his youth, nobility, and looks, I was wrong!â The young man finally revealed the sordidness within his heart.
Of course he knew the game before wasnât fun at all, and he knew how scared and helpless Jian Qiao felt. But heâd wanted to drag that person into the mire anyway.
With his fingertips Jane Qiao gently touched the tear-stained corner of his eye, his expression indifferent. Hearing these words, he didnât feel the slightest ripple of emotion, because heâd always knownâthe human heart is worse than hell.
âGet out!â Rege kicked him.
The young man flew backwards five or six meters. After landing, he scrambled to his feet and limped away. In his haste he knocked into the coffee table, sofa, and attendant several times.
No one prevented him from fleeing and no one blamed Rege for spoiling the fun.
In Grande, it was obvious that Rege, who had both power and an army, had more say than Prince Andrew. These madmen held their tongues before him.
Prince Andrewâs face twisted for a moment, as if he wanted to get angry, but in the end he just curled his lip and asked in a bad mood, âWhen did you become so kind?â
âIâm not kind, I just donât want your deranged behavior to offend Jian Qiaoâs eyes. He comes from Desolette, where this kind of playing doesnât exist.â
Rege was telling the truth. If Jian Qiao wasnât here, he would have skinned that man just now!
Jian Qiao, who was gently touching the corner of his eye, darted a glance at Rege, and a faint light flashed in his pupils.