Lop-Eared Guard

Warnings // Suicide and mentions of child murder/ torture

Suddenly being reminded of something, Lu Shangjin took a deep breath. Suppressing his anger, he asked, “Xia Pingtian told me that you liked the hamster omega that I brought to the hospital for a gland replacement operation.” 

Bi Ruijing dusted away the ashes, puzzled, “Don’t talk nonsense, how could I steal someone from you? Who are you replacing glands for?”

The corner of Lu Shangjin’s lips pulled a little. 

Although the age gap between the Xia brothers was several years, they looked alike, even their voices were cut from the same mould. After carefully thinking about president Xia’s voice on the phone when he had asked Lu Shangjin to let out the hamster omega, it indeed sounded very similar to the second young master Xia he had spoken to today. 

“Messing with me.” Lu Shangjin gritted his teeth. 

Bi Ruijing slapped his forehead, he lowered his voice and said to the bodyguard next to him, “Look at the time, once fu-ren1 wakes up he has to eat the wheat noodles from the place at Xin Jie in North Gate.” 

The bodyguard said quietly, “Fu-ren just called and said he won’t eat that anymore. He wants you to go back and make mutton ball soup for him.” 

“What time would it be by the time I get back?” Bi Ruijing frowned as he looked at his watch, “Alright alright, hurry and ask Zhao-ma to buy mutton and wait for me after grinding it, I’ll drive home myself.” 

“Yes.” 

Bi Ruijing stamped on the cigarette butt and patted Lu Shangjin’s shoulder, “Something came up at home, I’ll make a move first.” 

Lu Shangjin went home alone. No one had cleaned around the house for a long time, and a layer of dust covered the furniture. He was also too lazy to hire a helper. 

The ashtray on the tea table was broken, its pieces still lying scattered under the sofa. Lu Shangjin walked to the french windows and picked up the strewn boxes of rabbit snacks one by one, neatly stacking them. 

It had been a long time since he’d asked Yan Yi what he wanted to eat. More often, Lu Shangjin thought he understood him, so he bought food he thought Yan Yi liked to eat. 

But once when he asked Yan Yi what he wanted to eat and what he liked to eat, the silly little rabbit would always reply, “I like to eat whatever you give me.” 

Back then, Lu Shangjin would be attentive to his small habits. He liked to eat strawberries. Whenever he did, he would eat a big box of them. Eating too much cold watery food was bad for the stomach, so Lu Shangjin would only allow him to eat half a box a day.

The little rabbit would sit on the sofa and sulk for half a day. Lu Shangjin would carry a bowl of white fungus soup of appropriate temperature and feed him, only able to coax him after holding and kissing him for a long time.  

In the beginning, Yan Yi had a big temper. 

But gradually, he would be coaxed easily. 

He thought Yan Yi was more sensible than before. At present, he was woken up by reality. For someone to become more and more easy to coax, it’s probably because the person who coaxed him was becoming more and more cold. Being able to receive a hug was lucky enough, how could Yan Yi dare to go back to the time before where he could make a fuss just to listen to the lingering comfort he could never get tired of listening to? 

Lu Shangjin walked around the wide and spacious villa twice. He found a wardrobe in the storeroom, quilts and pillows piled up inside. Actually, Yan Yi had his own room, but he never slept there. When he was alone, he was only willing to sleep in such a narrow wardrobe. 

Once, Lu Shangjin was socializing outside and only returned home around two or three in the morning. He couldn’t find Yan Yi anywhere and searched for him in  every corner. He finally found him in the wardrobe and carried the little rabbit out who had curled up fast asleep. 

Yan Yi rubbed his eyes and hugged his neck softly, murmuring a complaint, “I’m scared to be alone…come back early tomorrow.” 

Lu Shangjin felt especially bad. He wrapped Yan Yi into his arms and coaxed him, “I’ll definitely come back early and accompany you tomorrow.” 

Several years passed in a flash, Yan Yi had long refused to behave coquettishly to him. 

Lu Shangjin always thought that Yan Yi was the first to change, which made their feelings fade. Now he realized that he had been the one who changed. 

He bent down and felt around until he found a photo under the pillow. 

In the photo, two youths under the age of ten had their arms around each other’s shoulders. Yan Yi pulled his rabbit ears and pouted his lips. Lu Shangjin’s head was turned as he looked at him, his eyes carrying a pure smile. 

At the time, they hadn’t known each other for long, let alone kissed, only secretly holding hands with a blush.  

The photo was sealed with plastic, but it could be seen that the photo itself was a little torn and stained with a few drops of dried tears. It was probably touched until it became uneven, so it was sealed with a layer of plastic to be retained until now. 

Thinking about these few years, they had loved before and turned cold before. Unexpectedly, they were unable to find anything to prove that these times once existed. The only thing left was this photo taken for them by his omega father. 

“So it’s still here.” Lu Shangjin’s eyes turned gentle and he put the photo back under the pillow. A black gift box was also stuffed under it. The clean carrot brooch was properly placed inside. If he felt around again, he could find several other precious things Yan Yi treasured, all stuffed under the pillow so his mind would be at ease when he slept. 

It had been so good in the past. Nobody had even mentioned compatibility fit, how did compatibility become an excuse for being fed up? Lu Shangjin rubbed his temple hard. 

He went downstairs to the armoury underground and picked out a pistol, put on silencer bullets inside and took three magazines. Then he started the car and left the villa. Following the moonlight, he entered the pine forest in the suburb of Chang Hui city; Lu Lin’s residence. 

Lu Shangjin stopped his car a kilometre away and walked into the house on foot. The lights in Lu Lin’s room were off, but Lu Shangjin still cautiously waited for half an hour under the shadows in the garden, making sure Lu Lin had slept soundly. He then loaded the gun secretly and climbed up the balcony to the second floor. He walked down the stairs from the second floor and turned to the basement. 

The basement was bright and spacious. With an area of over a hundred square meters, more than twenty compartmental units were built. Lu Shangjin held his breath, slowly following the silent passageway of the basement and headed deeper. 

He stopped in front of one of the rooms. 

The lights were on inside, it looked like someone lived here. 

Lu Shangjin held the gun in his right hand as he leaned towards the door handle. He unlocked it quietly, pushing open a crack. 

The inside was neat and simple. There was a bed and a TV hanging on the wall, which was playing an old film. 

An omega of about fifty years old sat in a wheelchair, his pair of legs were shrivelled into two thin rods like chopsticks. A steel sheath circled around his neck, with chains extended all the way to the steel nails on the wall. At first glance, it looked like a violent and vicious thug was locked up. The omega lifted his head and smiled gently at Lu Shangjin. 

The unexpected smile was tender and bright. Despite having crinkles by his eyes, he couldn’t hide that he had a beautiful face when he was young. 

The omega waved quietly to Lu Shangjin and smiled warmly, “Come here, I miss you so much.” 

Lu Shangjin put down the gun and locked the door. He rushed to the omega and kneeled down, letting him touch his face. 

“Dad.” Lu Shangjin called him softly. 

Ye Wan struggled to support his frail body and hugged him. He looked at his son carefully. Lu Shangjin’s eyes were bloodshot. 

“You haven’t slept well?” Ye Wan pressed his eyes with heartache. 

Lu Shangjin lowered his eyes, but he stared at the omega’s bulging belly with wide eyes as though he was stabbed. He’s almost reaching full term. 

“Are you pregnant again?” Lu Shangjin’s expression was dull as he stared at Ye Wan’s belly. 

Ye Wan’s gaze was warm, but he wasn’t dreadful. He still answered with a gentle tone, “Yes. Lu Lin wants a more outstanding generation.” 

“He killed my older brother, two younger brothers and four younger sisters, and it’s still not enough.” Lu Shangjin gripped his gun, his knuckles clucking. 

On the 25th of September in 2012, Lu Shangjin found their dead bodies soaked in containers of formaldehyde solution in the basement, each labelled with their differentiation grade. There was a chameleon omega and beta, and also a peregrine falcon beta. There was even an undifferentiated peregrine falcon alpha. 

He remained quiet as he carried on investigating. 

On April 1st 2016, which was also three years ago, he had stopped sending flowers to Ye Wan’s tombstone. 

Because on that day, he discovered that his omega father who had passed away for several years in the public eye, had been imprisoned in this basement to give birth continuously. 

Lu Shangjin’s omega father Ye Wan had the gland type of an A3 chameleon, the same precious and rare A3 gland type that Yan Yi had. He was originally a retired special forces soldier and Lu Lin’s sniper in the past. Ye Wan was his surveyor. 

With the chameleon J1 differentiative ability, “360 degree observation”;

The M2 differentiative ability, “Group stealth”; 

And the A3 differentiative ability, “Nine-degree spikes”. 

A first-grade omega whose three differentiative abilities were all innate for battle couldn’t escape the fate of being captured by Lu Lin and having every last drop of blood drained. Yan Yi was just a little rabbit, his differentiative abilities weren’t able to inflict harm on others. 

As a second-grade peregrine falcon alpha, Lu Shangjin casted a thousand beams everywhere he went. On the outside, he was a cold elite with iron-hard abilities, calm and restraint. But from that day on, whenever he saw Yan Yi’s A3 glands, he would become manic and out of control. 

So, any omega by his side could be Yan Yi, but he couldn’t face the eagerness and honesty in Yan Yi’s eyes. 

He could neither save his father’s past nor save Yan Yi’s future. 

The child who was selected and cultivated by the Lu family, the one who raised poisonous insects, the one who grew up from trampling on the bones of his brothers and sisters who had countless failures, who were of low-grade, would have a hardened heart. 

Unless Lu Lin died. 

However, it would take some time to replace Lu Lin as the master of the family. 

    ——

Ye Wan held his hand gently. He took the gun from his tight grip and put it on his lap, “Have you made up with Yan Yi?” 

“No.” Lu Shangjin stood up, his expression completely indifferent, “It’s impossible, maybe he doesn’t even need me anymore.” 

“Phh.” Ye Wan couldn’t help but laugh, “We omegas of this grade never need anybody.” 

“But if, I’m only saying if- if I could receive a little bit of love and cherishment, I would not live my life like this. I only give birth to children for him everyday, and I’ve fulfilled my duty.” Ye Wan held Lu Shangjin’s hand and smiled faintly, revealing a pair of dimples, “Don’t let Yan Yan become like me and be sad until the end that he would even forget where the heart is.” 

Lu Shangjin stood still, his eyes trembling.  

“Back when he was trained by Lu Lin to develop his three differentiative abilities, he was hurt very severely, his whole left hand was twisted and he was so afraid that he lied shivering in my arms,” Ye Wan’s voice was gentle, but each word was like pricking every soft part of Lu Shangjin’s heart, “The existing technological resources from the Lu family are indeed advanced, you can’t even tell that Yan Yan’s left hand is reconstructed.” 

Lu Shangjin’s eyes widened as he recalled carefully. It was impossible to distinguish between the visual effects and just from touch alone. His left hand was dextrous and beautiful enough. Only whenever he saw Lu Lin, he would hide his left hand behind his back in fear. 

But Lu Shangjin was unaware. He even left Yan Yi alone with Lu Lin for such a long time, his heart was probably already on the edge of collapsing, 

Ye Wan smiled calmly, “Freedom and love are antonyms, why do I suffer from pain sometimes? If an omega with three differentiative abilities never falls in love with anyone, he would live a good life in this lifetime.” 

Lu Lin was very considerate to Ye Wan, raising him as the most superior and lavish prisoner. 

Lu Shangjin whispered, “Wait for me for a year, I’ll get you out when I kill Lu Lin.” 

Ye Wan faced him with a smile, “How have the tulips by the gate grown? I want to see them when I go out.” 

“Since Lu Lin’s pheromones are tulips, I planted a garden of them for him.” 

“Actually, I only like lilies, you have to remember to send me some.” 

Lu Shangjin was utterly confused. He went out in a hurry, but remembered his gun was still in the room. When he turned to retrieve it, there was a muffled sound across the door. 

His hand stilled on the door handle, the blood draining from his face. 

He slowly pushed open the door. Ye Wan collapsed in a pool of blood, his hand was holding onto the gun that Lu Shangjin had loaded with silencers, a charred bullet hole was left in his temple. 

Still, he smiled beautifully. 

Lu Shangjin stood at the door, his body numb, his eyes reflecting the shadow of the lamp, seeming a little bright. 

“Dad.”

Footnotes

夫人. Fu-ren: madam/ missus of the house