"Where is your Young Master?!"

The man’s strong arm muscles tightened as he grabbed a servant by the collar and yanked him forward. Everyone around him dropped to their knees immediately, hoping to calm his raging anger.

"Y-Young Master… he’s upstairs," the servant stammered, breathing hard as he answered.

"So he’s hiding, pretending to stay calm while problems pile up, huh?!"

The man shouted furiously and shoved the servant’s chest with full force.

The servant’s back slammed against the corner of the table, pain shooting through his ribs, but he clenched his teeth and endured it. The others followed quickly, kneeling on the floor without daring to move.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps echoed from the tall staircase. Someone was coming down quickly.

"What’s going on here?"

The sweet fragrance of flowers filled the air, gently stirring everyone’s senses.

Then, from the staircase, appeared a boy so beautiful that it felt as if he had escaped from all troubles, someone worth protecting at all costs.

"First Master, are you looking for me?"

Like a flower standing tall under the warm morning sunlight, he spoke softly yet firmly.

The fierce man, who only moments ago was ready to kill anyone in his rage, suddenly froze.

His anger could no longer find its way out.

Just by looking at the beauty standing before him, it felt as if a part of the world had turned peaceful. He even forgot the very reason for his fury.

The First Master’s face darkened with displeasure.

He wanted to strike the person standing before him, to punish him as he imagined.

But his heart refused, blocking his hands from carrying out the thought. The conflict made him feel uneasy.

"Nan Chu Yan, do you even know what you’ve done?"

The First Master’s voice was cold and sharp as he asked.

Nan Chu Yan’s expression was pure and innocent, almost like a confused little cat that didn’t understand a single word being said.

He truly couldn’t figure out what the Young Master meant.

"Did… did I do something wrong?"

Nan Chu Yan asked timidly, his voice trembling with uncertainty.

Hearing this, the First Master’s face grew even darker, his expression hardening.

His fury boiled over—muscles tense, veins rising—as he suddenly lashed out with his leg, kicking the nearby sofa with a loud crash.

Bang!!!

'Damn it!'

The sudden outburst made Nan Chu Yan stumble back in fright, his steps retreating quickly.

The First Master noticed this. Instead of smashing the elegant flower vases nearby, he clenched his fist tightly, veins bulging.

Clench!

“Too fragile… far too fragile!” he thought, anger and frustration surging inside.

Even the slightest movement from him was enough to shake the First Master’s heart.

How could anyone dare think of harming someone so delicate—someone who seemed as fragile as a single strand of silk?

He must have gone mad. Truly, he had lost his mind!

The First Master suddenly covered his own face with a rough palm, as if trying to hide the emotions burning inside him.

He turned away, refusing to look at Nan Chu Yan. His back faced him, heavy breaths escaping one after another.

"Nan Chu Yan, remember this clearly— I am your husband. You belong to me. No one else has the right to touch you. Avoid going to the Prime Minister’s residence again. Not everyone has good intentions like me."

His voice grew colder.

"And stay away from the Third Young Master. Keep your distance from him."

Then, his words turned sharp, threatening like a blade—

"If you dare ignore me again, I’ll strip you bare and throw you to the dogs!"

After issuing such a cold, threatening warning, the First Master suddenly stopped as if nothing had happened. Without another word, he turned and quickly left the residence.

Just like that, the quarrel that had no clear beginning came to an abrupt end. In the end, it was only the innocent sofa and the helpless servants inside the mansion who had to suffer the First Master’s fury.

The servants, still trembling on the floor, finally dared to lift their heads. Slowly, they pulled themselves up, gasping for air after holding their breath in fear.

All of their resentful gazes shifted toward Nan Chu Yan. It was as if they wished they could beat him up in the First Master’s place.

"Are you all okay?"

Nan Chu Yan asked softly.

But the servants acted as though they hadn’t heard him at all. Without replying, they slipped away in silence, one by one.

"What kind of trouble did he cause this time, to make the First Master so furious?"

"It must be the cursed Nan Yan family…"

"All the darkness and misfortune of the Nan Yan family seem to have gathered inside him."

"The Master spared his worthless life, and instead of living quietly, he only brings suffering to everyone around him."

"Why didn’t he die along with the rest of his family that day?"

One of the servants, clutching his aching ribs, glared at Nan Chu Yan with bitter eyes.

His face was twisted with pain and malice, as if he wanted to do something terrible—revenge was burning inside him.

“Damn it! All because of him!”

The servants’ resentful murmurs burned louder than on any ordinary day.

Nan Chu Yan lowered his gaze, letting the voices wash over him quietly.

As the only survivor of the royal Nan Yan family, he—though young and powerless—was forced to endure, witnessing everything and quietly accepting it all. The weight of it made even his true intentions feel blurred and distant.

In this world, isn’t it always the strong who triumph?

If he were to stand at the very top, commanding everyone, who could possibly oppose him?

Isn’t it better to change everyone’s perception by showing strength from a high place, rather than forcing change and crushing them underfoot?

As a young master of the Nan Yan family , it wasn’t his role to guide useless, weak people to wisdom, nor to waste time trying to fix their fragile minds.

Nan Chu Yan took a cautious step back and then stepped onto the staircase.

At that moment, he heard a familiar voice, and he instinctively turned around.

“Ah… Second Young Master…”

"Young Master Nan Yan… are you alone?

Does the Second Young Master need to come and assist you?"

The Second Young Master, whose arrival Nan Chu Yan hadn’t even noticed, leaned casually against the grand door of the residence, arms crossed.

His eyes, sharp and calculating, seemed to burn right through Nan Chu Yan, as if he wanted to devour him with a single glance.

"Second Young Master… what brings you here?"

Nan Chu Yan asked cautiously.

"What brings me…? Ah, just came to watch the little performance..."

The Second Young Master said with a teasing smile.

He stepped further into the mansion, holding a waxed flower in his hand, pressing it with a reckless, almost wild intensity.

Nan Chu Yan took three cautious steps back and gripped the handrail of the staircase tightly.

His posture showed fear, and his eyes betrayed his unease as he stared at the Second Young Master.

"Why are you running?"

"Are you scared I’ll bite you?"

The Second Young Master teased, laughing as he stopped in his tracks.

Nan Chu Yan glanced briefly at the sofa nearby, noticing the damage caused by the earlier forceful kick. Then, he lowered his gaze back to the Second Young Master, assessing him carefully.

"Our young Master Nan Yan… wasn’t even hurt a little,"

The Second Young Master remarked.

"Knowing that… who knows what you’ll say about me and the Third Young Master one day..."

He added, smirking.

Hearing this, Nan Chu Yan’s hands clenched even tighter on the staircase railing, his grip stiffening with tension.

“So the troublemaker from the start… was actually the Second Young Master.”

"Second Young Master, you’re mistaken"

Nan Chu Yan replied calmly.

"The Third Young Master and I… we’re just ordinary childhood friends," he added.

"Since when did you two become friends?"

The Second Young Master asked, his tone laced with curiosity.

He paused, thinking carefully before cutting off the question abruptly. Then, he used the waxed flower in his hand to block the image of Nan Chu Yan standing a few steps away.

"So… friends can just do whatever they want?"

He asked accusingly.

After speaking, he retracted the flower, his face lighting up with a mischievous smile. Yet there was a hint of menace in his eyes, as if he wanted to corner Nan Chu Yan completely.

Nan Chu Yan stayed at the bottom of the staircase, his gaze locked firmly on the Second Young Master.

Now, he seemed to finally understand why the First Master had erupted in such violent anger earlier.

*****

To Be Continued....