Chapter 980: Bird in a Cage
In the following period, Xiang Chuan remained sullen all day, his spirits extremely low, as if his own father had died. He was muddled and disoriented, like a soulless husk, living like a walking dead man.
During this time, Yang Haoran went to see Xiang Chuan several more times. He naturally saw Xiang Chuan's condition clearly, but he chose to turn a blind eye to it. He still wore his usual smile, and spoke with his customary politeness. He continued to work on Xiang Chuan's mind as before, persisting in his efforts to recruit him, as if he wasn't worried at all that Xiang Chuan might do something foolish in his current state.
Yang Haoran's attitude left Xiang Chuan completely unsure, as he truly couldn't fathom what this smiling tiger was thinking.
Though uncertain, he still didn't change his plan, deciding to proceed as intended. And so, more than a month passed.
One day, over a month later, Yang Haoran once again arrived at Xiang Chuan's room as usual.
For more than a month now, he had been visiting Xiang Chuan every three to five days, trying different methods to work on Xiang Chuan's mind. Though each time ended in failure, it didn't deter him from his next visit.
Facing Xiang Chuan's repeated rejections, Yang Haoran didn't get angry. It was true he had only given Xiang Chuan two choices, but he hadn't specified a time limit for consideration. Thus, before he completely ran out of patience, even in the face of Xiang Chuan's refusal, he didn't immediately move to kill Xiang Chuan, but instead let Xiang Chuan think it over further.
This time, when he arrived at Xiang Chuan's room, only four short days had passed since his last visit. He was still the same as ever, entering the room with a benevolent smile, then plopping down onto the sofa opposite Xiang Chuan's bed.
This time, of course, was no exception.
In the past, Yang Haoran would always speak first, before Xiang Chuan would reply. Sometimes Xiang Chuan would even choose silence, not uttering a single sound for a long time. But this time was different. Yang Haoran hadn't even spoken yet; he had just lit his own cigarette, when Xiang Chuan preemptively spoke.
“Emissary Yang,” Xiang Chuan said, “why won't you just let me go? Wouldn't it be better for us to simply be friends? Must you insist on a master-servant relationship before you'll give up? ”
Xiang Chuan lay on the bed, not sitting up at Yang Haoran's arrival. He seemed to have no bones, sprawled limply in a big "spread-eagle" shape on the bed, and spoke to Yang Haoran in a weak, listless voice.
“You're mistaken,” Yang Haoran said, taking a drag from his cigarette, then slowly with a chuckle. “If you follow me, we will still be friends. It won't be a master-servant dynamic. I would absolutely never treat you like a mere subordinate. So you don't need to feel burdened by that. ” But Xiang Chuan wasn't buying it.
“Tch,” Xiang Chuan scoffed, “you can say nice things now, but once I actually follow you, I'm afraid I, Xiang Chuan, will become worse than a dog, spending my days biting people for you. ”
Xiang Chuan's voice remained weak and listless. Beyond his lack of energy, his words also revealed a deep sense of helplessness, and the utter despair of being trapped in a tiger's den.
“I have quite a few people who follow me,” Yang Haoran counter-questioned with a smile, “if it were truly as you say, do you think they would still be willing to follow me? ” But Xiang Chuan still wasn't convinced.
“Hmph, who knows? ” Xiang Chuan lay motionless on the bed, sighed, then slowly replied, his tone filled with disbelief.
“If you're willing,” Yang Haoran said, unhurriedly, smoking his cigarette, displaying great patience. “You can ask anyone else at any time. You can find your answers from them. They all know exactly what kind of person I am. How I, Yang Haoran, treat my own people, they have the most say in that. ”
Xiang Chuan didn't reply again. After a moment of silence, he finally stirred his seemingly boneless body, then slowly sat up from the bed.
Sitting up from bed was normally a very simple action, but Xiang Chuan's attempt to sit up appeared incredibly strenuous. Not only was his movement slow, but he also groaned with effort, as if straightening his body from the bed had exhausted all his strength.
After sitting upright, Xiang Chuan's listless gaze didn't fall on Yang Haoran, but instead drifted towards the window beside him. His eyes pierced through the glass, looking out at the sky beyond the window.
“Now, I am like a little bird in a cage,” Xiang Chuan sighed aloud, his expression forlorn. “Yearning for the freedom of the sky. Alas, how did my life suddenly become so wretched? ”
“A bird in a cage may lack freedom,” Yang Haoran said with a smile, “but its safety is guaranteed. Soaring freely might be exhilarating, but there's a good chance it will end up on someone's dinner table. Furthermore, I've only restricted your freedom for this period. As long as you agree to me, then you can regain your freedom, to fly however you wish. ”
Hearing this, Xiang Chuan withdrew his gaze from the window, and slowly turned his head to look at Yang Haoran.
“Fly however I wish? Alright, we're not children anymore, so why bother lying to me, Emissary Yang? Once I agree to you, even if I regain my freedom, there will always be a string attached to that freedom, a string connecting you and me. When you need me, you'll just give that string a gentle tug, and I'll have to obediently come back, won't I? Is that still called freedom? ” Xiang Chuan's face remained blank, as he asked in a listless voice.
“Nothing in this world is absolute,” Yang Haoran replied, “and freedom is no different. There is only relative freedom, never absolute. Even without me, do you think you'd be absolutely free? With your enemies hunting you across the world, are you free? In the territory you inhabit, the authorities have laws; you are bound by official laws, are you free? Even if you could ignore official laws, this world itself has its own rules. Living under these rules, are you free? ”
Yang Haoran's barrage of rhetorical questions almost made the feigning Xiang Chuan drop his act. He hadn't expected a single word from him to prompt Yang Haoran to spout such a long string of profound arguments.
For a moment, he couldn't tell if Yang Haoran's arguments were right or wrong. He hadn't even recovered from his daze when Yang Haoran spoke again.
“If you agree to follow me, an invisible string will indeed be added between you and me. This string will certainly impose some restrictions on your so-called freedom, but at the same time, it's a special form of protection for you. At the very least, when you encounter problems you can't solve, you can still follow this string back to me. Moreover, with this string in existence, it will give you a sense of belonging; you'll know where your home is, and you won't become easy prey. ”
Xiang Chuan stared at Yang Haoran, his expression dumbfounded. He hadn't expected Yang Haoran to be such a smooth talker, forcing him to do something he didn't want to do, yet making it sound as if it were entirely for his own good.
During this time, Yang Haoran had worked on his mind extensively, and he had witnessed Yang Haoran's skill in this regard. Yet, even so, hearing Yang Haoran's words now, still greatly astonished him.
“Oh my god, how can this Yang Haoran be so shameless? It seems I underestimated him before! ” Xiang Chuan cursed Yang Haoran fiercely in his heart. Of course, he didn't dare utter these words aloud, because he feared that if he did, Yang Haoran would kill him in a fit of rage.
He didn't want to continue talking nonsense with Yang Haoran. He had feigned his act sufficiently, he had stalled for enough time. Now, he felt it was the perfect moment to take the final step of his plan, so he decided to proceed with the last phase of his scheme. Success or failure depended on this one move!
He took a deep breath, trying not to think about Yang Haoran's shamelessness. At this moment, a glimmer of spirit appeared in his listless eyes, and his blank facial expression grew considerably more serious.
“Emissary Yang,” Xiang Chuan asked, “however long this matter has dragged on, is how long I've been confined in this cage by you. I've had enough of this kind of life. If this continues, I'm worried I'll have a nervous breakdown. Now, I only have one question for you: If I don't agree to you, will you truly kill me? ”
Xiang Chuan had expected Yang Haoran to deliberate carefully before giving him an answer, but to his utter surprise, Yang Haoran didn't even think, and immediately gave him a smiling reply.
“Heh heh, that's right. ”
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