The Shen estate today was as solemn as if it were preparing to receive a head of state. Rows of servants stood in perfect formation; Mr. Shen straightened his tie with grim precision, while Mrs. Shen clutched a bottle of heart medication. Everyone was mentally prepared to welcome back a kidnapped, haggard, and pitiable young master.
But the moment the car came to a halt, the scene that met their eyes left them frozen for a full five seconds.
Shen Zhe stepped out with a regal air, his black suit devoid of a single wrinkle. However, instead of waving to his parents, his left hand was leading… a long red silk ribbon. The other end of the ribbon was loosely tethered to Lin Yan's wrist. She wore a pristine white silk dress, her eyes dreamy like a somnambulist, following closely at his heels like a beautiful shadow.
"Zhe… son… what on earth is that?" Mrs. Shen stammered, nearly dropping her rosary beads.
Shen Zhe showed not a hint of embarrassment. He expertly tugged the ribbon, causing Lin Yan to stumble into his chest. He wrapped an arm around her waist and nonchalantly kissed the crown of her head in front of everyone.
"Mother, I've brought my most precious 'gift' home. She's a bit shy around people, so I hope no one frightens her. Otherwise… I'll be quite upset."
A jolt of electricity seemed to flash through the entire mansion. The servants bowed their heads, none daring to breathe loudly. They had never seen the once elegant, aloof Shen Zhe with such a wicked gaze, his hands never straying from a woman's waist.
The "Dinner of Horrors" began.
The dining table was long and laden with delicacies, but the atmosphere was as cold as a morgue. Shen Zhe did not sit in the heir's designated spot; he pulled Lin Yan close to him, even letting her share his large armchair.
"Zhe! Do you still respect me as your father? This is a family dinner, not a place for you to… perform such depraved acts!" Mr. Shen slammed the table, the veins in his neck bulging.
Shen Zhe remained unfazed. He picked up a piece of expensive truffle, not with a fork, but with his fingers, bringing it to Lin Yan's lips.
"Be good, eat. Are you afraid to use your chopsticks because there are so many strangers here?" His voice was as sweet as honey, yet it made the listeners' skin crawl with its sheer imposition.
Lin Yan looked at the truffle, then at Mr. Shen, who was trembling with rage. She offered a faint smile—innocent yet defiant—and lightly bit Shen Zhe's finger as he fed her. Instead of pulling away, Shen Zhe gazed at her with doting obsession.
"Is it sweet? My finger, or the truffle?"
Clang! Mrs. Shen officially dropped her crystal glass. The servants in the corner of the room simultaneously turned to face the wall, some even surreptitiously covering their eyes at this "melodramatic" and "deviant" display.
"Zhe! You've lost your mind! What kind of bewitching spell has this woman cast on you?" Mrs. Shen wailed in agony.
Shen Zhe set his wine glass down. His gaze suddenly turned ice-cold as he stared directly at his mother.
"You're right. I am mad. Ever since that accident, I've been dead. She was the one who gathered my remains and used her own madness to keep me alive. Now, I'm giving back everything I have to her, including this insanity… what is so wrong with that?"
With that, he stood up and swept Lin Yan into a bridal carry. The red silk ribbon trailed across the marble floor like a long streak of blood.
"I'm a bit tired; I'm taking her up to my room to rest. Oh, and Mother, please tell the staff not to enter without knocking. My Yan… she doesn't like wearing clothes when she sleeps. She says that's the only way she can fully feel my warmth."
The dining room fell into a deathly silence. Shen Zhe strode defiantly up the stairs, leaving behind a bewildered family and a staff covered in goosebumps.
Once inside the room, as the door clicked shut, Lin Yan finally trembled as she clung to his neck. "Zhe… if you do that, they'll hate me to death."
Shen Zhe chuckled softly—a laugh that was both romantic and deranged. He pressed her against the door, kissing her fervently as if he wanted to consume her whole.
"Let them hate you; that's the only way they won't dare to touch you. You only need to be afraid of me, Yan. I'll handle the world. Your job is to… continue being mad for me."