Deviant: No Longer Human

Click!

The door creaked open, and Wang Xiao, who'd been idly flicking his watch, looked up with a casual "Hey—"

The word froze on his lips.

In the doorway stood Fu Yuxin, her eyes sharp as daggers, lips pressed in a tight line. She hadn't changed much—smooth, pale skin framed by dark, flowing hair, dressed in a simple black sleeveless top that hugged her figure and a pair of fitted jeans. She looked effortlessly stunning, but her gaze was anything but welcoming.

Right now, that icy stare was directed squarely at him.

There was a charged silence. Memories he hadn't wanted to relive rushed back unbidden—the night seven years ago. Her anger clearly hadn't faded. If anything, it seemed sharper.

"I told you!" Zhenxi's triumphant voice broke the tension, completely oblivious to the mood. "Daddy's really here!"

Wang Xiao glanced between the two of them, his mind working overtime, the resemblance sparking some dangerous thoughts that he'd rather not entertain.

"Ahem," Chen Meili interjected, stepping forward quickly. "Why don't we all… move inside to catch up?" She forced a smile, eyes darting between Wang Xiao and Fu Yuxin, who looked like she'd rather strangle him than talk.

What happened to Yuxin's earlier confidence about "handling things calmly"? Because right now, Chen Meili wasn't seeing an ounce of calm in her at all.

______

Fifteen minutes later!

Inside the villa, Wang Xiao sat stiffly on the couch, a spread of snacks and tea laid out in front of him, untouched. Like hell he was in the mood for snacks.

Every time he glanced over, he saw Zhenxi, happily oblivious, getting ready for school. And there was Fu Yuxin, entirely focused on Zhenxi—braiding her hair, adjusting her bag—all without giving Wang Xiao so much as a sideways look. She might as well have turned him into a damn ghost.

Chen Meili, caught between them, looked like she'd rather be anywhere else, glancing between the two with growing dread. 'Heaven help us,' she thought. 'This is awkward.'

"So… nice weather, huh?" she finally muttered, voice shaky as she tried to break the heavy silence.

Wang Xiao ignored her attempt at small talk, turning instead to Chen Meili with a sudden, razor-sharp focus. "What's Zhenxi's full name?" He asked.

Chen Meili blinked, clearly caught off guard. "Uh… that's…"

She hesitated, clearly doubting if now was the time to say it.

But Fu Yuxin finally looked up, shooting him a glare that could probably crack stone. "It's Chen Zhenxi," she spat, "Got a problem with that?"

Wang Xiao's expression darkened. Oh, he had a problem, alright. His gaze shifted between Zhenxi, Fu Yuxin, and Chen Meili, pieces falling into place. Memories stirred—nights with both of them, one consensual, the other… let's say complicated.

And now, Chen Zhenxi? They took him for a damn fool?

Even Zhenxi, who'd been babbling a second ago, went quiet, sensing the crackling anger in the air.

Chen Meili, clearly noting the storm gathering in Wang Xiao's eyes, cleared her throat and scrambled for an explanation. "Fu Yuxin was… too young back then. She couldn't register Zhenxi under her name for… certain reasons."

The more she said, the worse it got.

"Too young?" Wang Xiao sneered, his voice like poison. "How young exactly? You both think I'm some clueless idiot?"

Fu Yuxin's eyes narrowed, but Wang Xiao leaned in, a twisted smile on his face. "Cute kid, by the way. Who's the father? Or do I have to guess?"

"!"

Fu Yuxin's expression turned ice-cold, but before she could even start to respond, Wang Xiao cut her off, his voice dropping to a growl. "When exactly were you planning to tell me the truth? Or were you hoping I'd never find out you'd hidden my daughter from me?"

Chen Meili looked away, her discomfort clear as daylight, while Fu Yuxin met his gaze directly, her silence screaming volumes.

He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "Unbelievable. You two knew all along, and neither of you thought I had a right to know."

"…"

Fu Yuxin's patience snapped. Her hands clenched as she glared back at him. "She's not yours, so stop acting like you need to be involved!"

"Oh, really?" His angry scowl twisted into a mocking smile, but his eyes were cold.

Fu Yuxin, her gaze turning wary, reached to cover Zhenxi's ears—not realizing the little girl's heightened senses probably caught every word. "Zhenxi isn't yours, and I'd prefer you stopped meeting her altogether. Unfortunately… I can't stop her from finding her way to you." Her tone was pure ice.

Wang Xiao's laugh was short and humorless, barely able to process the absurdity. 'Not legally his?' Was this the start of some twisted villain arc?

He'd heard enough stories to see where this was going, and it would be funny if it weren't about him. 'Hell, he was twelve,' for heaven's sake.

How the fuck was he supposed to impregnate anyone back then?

But reality didn't seem to give a damn about logic.

Looking at Zhenxi now—those sharp red eyes, that faint resemblance, her overly sensitive eyes—it all clicked into place. And the realization left a bitter taste. She had his rare eye condition, the reason she'd spent six years with limited vision.

A fury simmered deep, molten. He'd fixed her sight now, but knowing she'd been stumbling around half-blind all this time, while he held the power to flatten nations if he wanted… and didn't even know she existed?

His fists clenched, and he shot a scathing look at both Fu Yuxin and Chen Meili. Great, ladies.

Zhenxi had nearly died the first time he met her, and only his intervention saved her.

If either of them had the brains to come forward, to tell anyone in his family, his daughter could've been safe and cared for instead of barely scraping by, in the dark.

But instead…

WHOOSH!

"Huh? Why did it get dark all of a sudden?" Chen Meili muttered, glancing at the window. The daylight had vanished, an unnatural darkness pressing against the glass, thick and dangerous.

"Is it going to rain?" Fu Yuxin murmured, blinking, though the chill seeping into the air made her tense.

But this wasn't any normal weather. Wang Xiao's dark domain had expanded, blanketing the villa, swallowing every scrap of light and sound from the outside.

He sat there, gaze cold as iron. "One reason," he said, his voice deadly calm, "not to end this here and now… and take my daughter."

"??"

"??"

Chen Meili and Fu Yuxin stared at him, mouths slightly open in shock. They could feel the anger radiating from him, the prickling chill raising the hair on their skin, though the idea of him actually following through seemed almost unreal.

To them, he sounded like a man who'd simply been pushed too far.

Oblivious to the tension, Zhenxi reached over and tugged his sleeve. "Daddy," she murmured, "Don't be mad...."

Wang Xiao's gaze softened as he looked down at her, the tightness in his eyes loosening just a little.