15. Beauty Saves the Hero

Two days passed quickly.

In Lexis Kingdom, funerals lasted four days and nights, but the evenings of the first two days drew the most guests, making them the safest time to attend.

At twilight, not yet fully dark, Yin Sangyu arrived at the Wang family dressed in standard funeral attire: an elegant black long dress, a wide-brimmed black hat adorned with a white flower, the upper half of his face lightly veiled, shrouding his features in shadow.

Black, a somber and heavy color, made Yin Sangyu, already imposing and tall, appear like an elegant, aloof noblewoman. From a distance, everyone would assume he was a female alpha.

Upon entering, Yin Sangyu joined the queue to offer a mourning flower at Wang Jiaxi’s coffin, then minimized his presence, retreating to an inconspicuous corner to await his target.

Despite this, he was noticed. Two betas, after hesitating, approached blushing to ask for his contact information.

After explaining he was a beta, their expressions turned awkward, and they apologized before leaving.

Waiting grew tedious, so Yin Sangyu browsed the system mall, visible only to him, to pass the time. Nearly three hours later, Xiao Muyi’s figure finally appeared at the entrance.

Unlike Yin Sangyu’s expectation of a smug, strutting culprit, Xiao Muyi trailed timidly behind a man, who cast frequent looks of disgust at him.

Xiao Muyi usually slouched with his head down, exuding a gloomy, silent cynicism, but now he seemed like a caught thief, radiating ‘I’m so guilty’ and ‘I’m so scared’.

Yin Sangyu glanced at the man, recognizing him as the Li family’s frail heir and Xiao Muyi’s nominal brother, Li Ziyi.

Upon entering, Li Ziyi ran into friends and stopped to chat. Xiao Muyi, trudging head-down behind, didn’t notice and bumped into him.

Li Ziyi turned irritably, raising his hand. Xiao Muyi flinched instinctively, a conditioned reflex from frequent beatings.

Li Ziyi indeed meant to slap him but, mindful of the occasion, slowed his hand, instead grabbing Xiao Muyi’s arm harshly and yanking him to his side.

Xiao Muyi, a 1.8-meter-tall youth, acted more docile than a child.

From Xiao Muyi’s usual attire, warped personality, and modest rental near school, Yin Sangyu had long suspected his life at the Li household wasn’t great.

But now, it seemed far worse than “not great.”

The novel never detailed Xiao Muyi’s origins or past, only emphasizing his cruelty and heartlessness by describing how he ruthlessly destroyed the Li family, who raised him.

Xiao Muyi’s deeply ingrained villainous image made Yin Sangyu view his outrageous actions as reasonable, overlooking potential underlying causes.

Though their first in-person meeting, Li Ziyi’s treatment of Xiao Muyi reminded Yin Sangyu of the story Xiao Muyi told to deceive Flying Little Rabbit.

The story’s protagonist, born a mistake and adopted by an uncle.

No way…

Yin Sangyu narrowed his eyes, pondering briefly but finding it unbelievable. How could someone like Xiao Muyi easily reveal his pain to others? Even if parts of the story were true, it was credible at most… thirty percent.

Still, he could investigate the Li family’s past later to verify.

…

With many people around, Yin Sangyu couldn’t approach Xiao Muyi yet, waiting for him to be alone. He leaned relaxedly against the wall, feigning rest while covertly observing.

Soon, four or five alpha friends surrounded Li Ziyi, chatting animatedly with subtle gestures only close cronies understood. Xiao Muyi, among them, looked like a mouse among cats, utterly helpless.

Yin Sangyu knew Xiao Muyi’s fear and weakness were an act, his quiet exterior hiding some scheme, but seeing him in trouble still made him want to laugh.

Who could stand random headaches? Yin Sangyu’s resentment toward Xiao Muyi and the system grew daily.

But watching, he noticed something wrong, his expression turning grave.

Li Ziyi grabbed Xiao Muyi’s arm, pushing him to the center, saying something smugly to his friends before lifting Xiao Muyi’s hair with one hand and pinching his face with the other, displaying it.

The alphas, initially uninterested, focused intently after seeing Xiao Muyi’s face.

Suddenly, the ignored Xiao Muyi became their focal point. They engaged in one-sided conversation with the “shy, cute” beta, while casually adding uncomfortable physical touches.

Too far to hear, Yin Sangyu could guess the gist, his face darkening.

Soon, the alphas grew bolder. Though male, Xiao Muyi was just a beta. Sensing danger, he panicked, pushing away their hands.

His resistance was negligible to the alphas, who feigned surprise, acting like they just wanted friendship, making Xiao Muyi seem overly sensitive and ungrateful.

Yin Sangyu’s mood soured.

Finally, Xiao Muyi grew bolder, shoving an alpha to leave, but after two steps, Li Ziyi yanked him back.

Li Ziyi whispered something in his ear. Xiao Muyi trembled, then obediently complied, ceasing resistance.

Witnessing this, Yin Sangyu’s brows furrowed unconsciously. He told the system, “If Xiao Muyi targets the Li family later, I might not stop him.”

If Li Ziyi bullied Xiao Muyi like this in the novel, his death was deserved.

System: [Li Ziyi isn’t a key character. You can decide, Host. The system won’t interfere.]

Yin Sangyu hummed, satisfied.

Soon, the alphas, done pretending, half-pushed Xiao Muyi toward a secluded part of the Wang residence.

Some noticed the minor commotion but, preferring less trouble, silently ignored it, some even clearing the way.

Without intervention, a tragedy might unfold, but as a “frail” omega, Yin Sangyu wasn’t suited for a heroic rescue.

Xiao Muyi’s figure soon vanished from sight.

Sighing lightly, Yin Sangyu brushed off his hesitation, dusted off wall grime, and followed.

…

“Xiao Muyi, this is all you’re good for. If you don’t want to die, behave.”

That was Li Ziyi’s whispered threat.

Thus, “death-fearing” Xiao Muyi lost all courage to resist.

He knew what the alphas intended, taking him to a secluded spot. He loathed their lustful touches, wanting to chop their hands inch by inch, but what good would that do?

Like countless times before, no matter how unwilling or hateful, he’d been beaten to near-death. All he could do was accept calmly, using extra suppressants beforehand to avoid a triggered heat period.

Since childhood, Xiao Muyi understood survival meant preying or being preyed upon. Only hatred and anger were enduring fuel.

The only silver lining was that strength and stance weren’t absolute—they could shift.

Unable to openly resist so many alphas now, even if he killed them, he’d be trapped. To suffer less, Xiao Muyi complied, enduring what happened to him.

But he’d carve their faces into his heart, nurtured nightly by hatred, burned by anger.

Silently biding his time, no matter how long or costly, he’d make them endure torment a thousandfold worse. None would escape.

Pushed to the ground, Xiao Muyi saw Li Ziyi standing aside, grinning maliciously, recording with his phone.

An alpha crouched, roughly grabbing Xiao Muyi’s face, holding a pill to his mouth, coaxing falsely, “Baby, open up. Swallow this, and it’ll hurt less later.”

Too close, Xiao Muyi caught a whiff of alpha pheromones leaking past the sealing patch, like the stench of rotting animal corpses in a sewer, nauseating him.

His hand on the grass clenched into a fist. Lifting his eyes slowly, his black, hollow gaze, like a stagnant pool, fixed on the alpha’s face.

The alpha, carefree and smug, froze upon meeting Xiao Muyi’s eyes, breath catching, spine chilling, cold dread rising from his feet.

He’d done this countless times, and this was simple—just a powerless, timid beta.

Yet an eerie tension gripped him, sweat beading, his instincts warning him. Was this beta too calm?

Swallowing hard, about to relent under pressure, Xiao Muyi lowered his eyes, swallowed the pill, and the chilling danger vanished.

The alpha exhaled sharply, seeing Xiao Muyi’s docile demeanor, thinking he’d overreacted.

With the pill taken, it was time to begin. The alphas crowded around, only Li Ziyi filming. Their hands roamed Xiao Muyi’s body, unhurried, teasingly caressing, slowly stripping his clothes.

Xiao Muyi seemed oblivious, lying still, avoiding their repulsive faces, gazing at the sky. But tonight, it was pitch-black, starless.

The usually high, distant sky now felt within reach, oppressively heavy.

In a daze, Xiao Muyi felt it collapsing, swelling. Struggling to move, he was pinned, body covered, mouth and nose sealed.

Gasping in pain from suffocation, he tasted blood. Instinct drove his hands to claw into the soil, physiological saline pooling in his eyes, blurring his vision, adding color.

His lifeless, gloomy black eyes, veiled with tears, looked pitiably fragile to the lustful alphas.

One, enchanted, murmured, “You smell so good,” leaning to kiss his eyes.

Xiao Muyi’s lashes trembled, then slowly closed, suppressing revulsion, trying to ignore the foul lips nearing him.

But the expected touch didn’t come. The weight lifted, restraints vanished, fresh air rushed in. Breathing again, Xiao Muyi opened his eyes.

He saw a scene he’d never forget.

In this small patch shaded by trees, a woman appeared, dominating his entire view with absolute authority.

Beautiful yet fierce, like an unsheathed blade, her face calm, strikes ruthless. In moments, she felled all the alphas, who couldn’t even cry out before collapsing.

As the last alpha fell like mud, silence returned, only the rustle of wind through leaves remaining.

Lowering her eyes, the woman took a handkerchief from her pocket, wiped blood from her hands, then looked at Xiao Muyi. Kicking aside a blocking alpha, she crouched before him.

Xiao Muyi sat up, staring dazedly at her.

About to speak, she glanced at his half-undone clothes, raised a brow, and used slender, deceptively strong fingers to refasten his buttons.

“Muyi, are you okay?”

“I…”

Xiao Muyi opened his mouth, then fell silent.

How could an omega have such strength…?

Lowering his head, bangs hiding his obscure eyes, he said dully, “Lingling, why are you here?”