Deviant: No Longer Human

Yuzuki, the ambassador they had trusted, turned out to be an enemy spy.

And to make things worse, it appeared that Wang Xiao and Renji knew each other well—perhaps too well.

Liu Yanmei wasn't sure if they were friends, rivals, or something worse, but judging by their casual demeanor, they certainly weren't enemies.

The reality hit her hard.

This meeting was doomed from the start.

'It's true what they say,' Liu thought bitterly. 'The world's rich and powerful are all part of the same small circle. They compete in public, pretend to be enemies, but in truth, their only goal is to squeeze the rest of us dry.'

She could see it now: Qing Dynasty's very existence was at risk. She was caught in the crossfire of a game played by men far more dangerous than she had ever imagined.

Liu Yanmei cursed inwardly, feeling the weight of the situation suffocating her. Here she was, stuck between two men who could obliterate her entire existence with a flick of their fingers.

'Why didn't I urge my Shan'er to marry sooner?' she lamented, bitterly smiling to herself. 'I might not live long enough to see my grandchildren at this rate.'

This meeting wasn't about diplomacy anymore. It had never been.

It was about survival.

Because the man they were supposed to stop—the Eight Prince—was already here, sitting calmly across from them, clearly knowing that this entire meeting was meant to be a trap for him.

And judging by the look in his eyes, Wang Xiao was fully aware.

He knew. He knew that this was supposed to be about him.

Wang Xiao leaned back in his chair, a lazy smirk playing on his lips as his eyes flicked between Renji and Liu. "Well?" he asked, his voice mocking, "Are you going to say something useful, or is this just a staring contest?"

Renji's jaw tightened, his frustration barely contained, but he knew there was no turning back now.

Renji hadn't expected Wang Xiao to show up so suddenly, but he masked his surprise. With a quick glance, he signaled Zhao Lian. The blonde beauty moved without hesitation, grabbing a thick stack of files and slamming them down onto the table with force.

Bam!

"These are all the crimes reported by countries around the world that want your head on a plate, Prince," Zhao Lian said, her voice sharp but laced with a subtle sensuality. It was like the words themselves dripped with a promise, daring men to want more. "They're demanding an explanation."

Wang Xiao barely looked at the files. His lips curled into a smirk, eyes gleaming with mockery. "They can come to my villa for an explanation," he said with complete indifference, his tone cold and arrogant.

"..."

"..."

Everyone froze for a moment. The silence was deafening. 'Come to his villa?' As if they didn't know what happened to anyone dumb enough to walk through the doors of Wang Xiao's villa.

Once they entered, they'd either be begging for their lives or worse, leaving in a fucking body bag.

Yuzuki, standing behind Wang Xiao, couldn't help but smile, biting her lip to stifle a laugh.

'He's even worse than Sister Luna suggested...' Her heart raced as she stood there, her pulse throbbing in excitement.

She didn't expect to feel this way—like every word Wang Xiao said made her want him more.

Her whole life, she was meant to be nothing but a body double for Luna, the mysterious head of the Illuminati. Fifteen years ago, Yuzuki had been kidnapped for the simple fact that her face looked like Luna's.

Since then, she'd been acting as the public face of the organization, letting Luna operate from the shadows.

But now, standing here, watching Wang Xiao command the room, her body buzzed with thrill. 'This is what I've been missing...' she thought, feeling herself growing wet just from being in his presence. He radiated danger, the kind that sent a woman's blood boiling.

She remembered thinking Luna had exaggerated, but watching him now, she realized she was hooked. 'Fuck, I didn't know I was into men like this.'

She gave him a sly, knowing smile.

Meanwhile, Zhao Lian, standing rigidly on the other side, frowned deeply, her frustration showing. Her tight black top clung to her chest, her breasts straining against the fabric, but her gaze was locked on Wang Xiao, clearly annoyed.

Wang Xiao caught her stare and raised an eyebrow. 'Does she think she can glare at me like that?' he thought, amused by her arrogance. 'Just because she's standing next to Renji?'

His smile darkened. He'd smashed Renji's face once before—he'd have no problem doing it again. And Zhao Lian? If she wasn't careful, her pretty little face would be next.

Wang Xiao's eyes flickered with a cold, wicked gleam.

Renji, trying to regain some control, finally spoke up, though his voice sounded more worn than anything else. "The countries won't sit quietly forever. If you keep fucking with them, destroying everything, they'll retaliate."

Wang Xiao turned his gaze to Renji, his expression filled with scorn. "Tell them to stop harassing me first, and I'll stop harassing them," he said lazily, clearly not giving a single fuck about the so-called threats.

Renji's face twitched. Harassed? When the hell has Wang Xiao ever been fucking harassed?

Just as Renji was barely keeping his anger in check, Wang Xiao kicked his legs up onto the table with an audible thud, leaning back like a king surveying his court. His eyes gleamed with a cold, amused disdain.

"So, what's it gonna be?" Wang Xiao's voice dripped with arrogance, filling the room like poison. "You all come here to gang up on me? Try to put me in my place?" His smirk widened, almost daring them. "If yes, go ahead and start already. I haven't smashed a few heads in a while." He paused, letting his words sink in, his gaze sweeping lazily across the room.

"Otherwise…" he scoffed, "compensate me for wasting my fucking time here."

"!!"

Renji nearly choked on his own breath, coughing blood.

His back stiffened as he fought the urge to lash out. His face paled, veins bulging slightly in his temples, but no words came out.

Even Liu Yanmei felt the tension shoot up her spine, her face aging another ten years in the span of seconds. Her eyes darted between the two men, as if expecting the room to erupt into violence any second.

Zhao Lian, always composed, now showed a flicker of something—shock? Annoyance? It was hard to tell, but her icy demeanor seemed to crack just a little. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. Compensate him? For his time?

How had the tables turned so fast?

They had thought they were here to lay down the law, to corner Wang Xiao and force him into submission. But reality had hit them hard.

People often forget that it's the strongest who make the rules.

In the end, strength decides what's right and what's wrong. God dictates what's evil or good because he has the power to back it up.

Otherwise, who the fuck cares about some half-naked, drunken bastard preaching morality on a street corner?

At the end of the day, if you had the power, you are the daddy.

And right now, Wang Xiao's sheer presence was enough to remind them all of that hard truth.

Renji was the first to attempt speech, his voice strained and tight. "Compensate you? Prince, you've—"