CHAPTER 82: CHAPTER 82; HOLD HER DOWN...

His words tore through Yueyao’s chest like knives, her heart shattering completely as her vision blurred with tears.

She let out a broken sob, her arms trembling so violently that the knife slipped slightly away from his neck.

In that split second, Shen Xiao raised his hand and signaled the head guard.

"Now."

Before she could react, two guards surged forward, grabbing her wrists and wrenching the knife from her trembling fingers.

She screamed and struggled wildly, her hoarse cries echoing through the grand foyer as Shen Xuan scrambled away from her, sobbing into Bai Zhi’s arms.

"No! Let me go! Let me go! Please! I don’t want to be here! Please... please..."

"Hold her down," Shen Xiao ordered coldly, his obsidian eyes narrowing as he watched her thrashing helplessly against the guards’ iron grip. "Call Doctor Han over."

Within seconds, a man in a white coat appeared from behind the guards, carrying a small black medical kit. He knelt beside her swiftly, pulling out a pre-filled syringe with practiced ease.

Yueyao’s eyes widened in terror as she saw the long, gleaming needle approaching her arm.

"No! No... please... don’t... don’t... please... I’m begging you..."

But her screams faded into silent, broken gasps as the tranquilizer plunged into her vein, the cold sedative burning through her bloodstream.

Her vision blurred, her limbs growing heavy and numb as her head lolled back against the marble floor.

The last thing she saw was Shen Xiao’s cold, expressionless face staring down at her, his obsidian eyes dark and unreadable.

Darkness swallowed her whole once again.

She felt herself sinking, drifting into a void of nothingness. Her body no longer hurts. Her mind no longer screamed. There was only emptiness.

And in that emptiness, fragments of voices echoed like distant ghosts.

"...prepare the private room."

"...add extra security at the doors."

"...make sure she doesn’t harm herself again."

Orders blurred through the haze, merging with the quiet hum of fluorescent lights and the muted footsteps of guards moving swiftly across polished floors.

Slowly, hazily, Yueyao’s consciousness flickered back to life.

Her eyelids fluttered weakly, heavy with the lingering sedative as warm light pressed against her pupils. She felt the dull ache of her muscles, her body limp and unresponsive, cradled against something solid and strong.

Her blurred gaze shifted upward.

All she could see was the sharp angle of Shen Xiao’s jaw, the shadow of his obsidian eyes as he stared ahead, his expression carved from stone. His powerful arms were wrapped securely around her, holding her slender form against his chest as he walked down the long, silent corridor.

She could feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing, hear the quiet, controlled rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her ear. His cold scent enveloped her, clean and sharp with faint notes of sandalwood and iron.

Her eyelids fluttered shut again, too heavy to remain open.

Finally, they stopped.

She felt the shift in the air, the quiet click of a biometric lock releasing, the muted whir of mechanical hinges as a heavy door swung open.

Then he stepped inside.

Warm lamplight pressed dimly against her closing eyes. She felt the cool linen sheets against her arms as he lowered her carefully onto a soft mattress.

The bed dipped slightly under his weight as he adjusted her position, tucking a pillow beneath her head with practiced precision.

For a moment, she felt his hand brushing against her hairline, sweeping back damp strands from her forehead with quiet finality.

Then everything began to fade.

His voice reached her ears, low and distant, almost lost in the thick, drowning fog settling over her mind.

"...rest."

That was all she heard.

Her limbs grew heavier, her chest rising and falling in shallow, slowing breaths.

Darkness tugged at her consciousness with relentless force, pulling her down into silent, empty blackness.

And as Shen Xiao rose to his feet and the quiet metallic click of the door lock echoed faintly behind him, Yueyao went completely limp against the pillow.

The last fragile flickers of awareness slipped away.

And she fell unconscious, swallowed once more by darkness that offered neither warmth nor peace.

Shen Xiao stood silently beside the bed, watching as the sedative finally dragged Yueyao’s consciousness into darkness.

Her trembling stopped, her ragged breaths evening out into slow, heavy inhales as her tear-streaked lashes fluttered shut.

He waited a moment longer, his obsidian eyes narrowed in cold calculation, before turning sharply on his heel.

With quiet, measured steps, he walked out of the private room, locking the heavy reinforced door behind him. The digital keypad flickered red, then green, sealing her inside.

The hallway was silent. Sterile white walls lined with faint gold trim stretched ahead, echoing faintly with each polished stride of his leather shoes.

As he approached the foyer, the chaotic tension from earlier still hung in the air like stale smoke.

Shen Xuan sat on the cold marble floor, curled into a trembling ball near the grand staircase. His small shoulders shook with silent sobs, his hands clamped over his ears. Tear streaks stained his cheeks, his wide eyes blank and unfocused.

Shen Xiao paused beside him, his towering shadow swallowing the child’s tiny form. For a long moment, he simply looked down at him, his chiseled face expressionless.

Finally, he crouched down, his large hand reaching out to brush against Shen Xuan’s soft hair.

The boy flinched violently at the touch, recoiling away from him with a small, broken whimper.

"Xuan’er," Shen Xiao softly called him, his voice low and calm trying to soothe him. "It’s over. You are safe now."

But Shen Xuan only shook his head, his small hands clenching tighter around his ears as silent tears streamed down his face. His lips moved soundlessly, mouthing words only he could hear.

Shen Xiao’s jaw tightened faintly, the muscle ticking along his sharp cheekbone. He withdrew his hand and stood, his gaze shifting towards Bai Zhi.

She sat on the velvet settee near...