Deviant: No Longer Human

"Are... you okay?"

Qian Ruixin groaned, her eyelids fluttering weakly. She had braced herself to find the cold, unforgiving ground beneath her, but to her surprise, she was cradled in strong arms.

Wang Xiao stood a few meters from the mangled wreckage, his expression unreadable. A faint smile touched his lips, though even he wasn't sure why.

"Alive and well," he murmured, his voice steady as he gently handed her over to the stunned receptionist. Qian Ruixin's mind swirled, half in shock, as Wang Xiao strode toward the crash site.

The wrecked vehicle groaned ominously as he reached in, his fingers closing around the driver's collar like an iron vice. In one fluid motion, he yanked the man through the shattered window.

CRASH!

"You should keep your eyes open when driving," Wang Xiao said, his voice dangerously calm, "but since you've chosen to ignore that, perhaps I should take them from you."

The man, dressed in a gray suit now marred with dirt, groaned pitifully. Miraculously, he bore no injuries—an evidence to modern car safety standards. Yet the onlookers could only gasp in shock, their breaths caught in their throats as Wang Xiao's thumb pressed cruelly against the driver's eye.

"Aaaahhh!" The man screamed, his cries reverberating through the street like a dying animal.

From the crowd, a voice broke through the tension: "Move aside! Let me through!"

Wang Xiao's expression darkened as a familiar figure forced her way forward. "Tch... Your luck is good today," he muttered, releasing the man. With a casual toss, he flung the driver back into the twisted remains of the car.

CRASH!

The broken frame rattled violently, drawing fearful gasps from the crowd.

Wang Jiarong stepped into view, her sharp gaze narrowing as it landed on him. Her presence alone was enough to set the gathered people murmuring in confusion.

Spotting Qian Ruixin being tended to at the edge of the crowd, she frowned deeply.

"What are you doing here!?" she demanded, her tone a mix of outrage and disbelief.

Wang Xiao sighed inwardly. Fighting an army? Simple. Negotiating a truce with demons? Child's play.

But explaining this situation? That was the real challenge.

"What the hell were you two thinking?"

Wang Jiarong's voice cut like a whip. Thirty minutes after the crash, she still couldn't wrap her head around it. Her blind date stood her up, and instead of a decent distraction, she got this: her cousin and her little brother, sitting in a café like nothing had happened.

Wang Xiao leaned back in his chair, calm as ever, like a wolf stretched in the sun. He sipped his tea with the kind of ease that could make a saint want to commit murder. Across from him, Qian Ruixin sat stiff and quiet, her hands folded in her lap like a perfect porcelain beautiful statue—except for the faint tremble of her fingers betraying the storm she wasn't voicing.

"And you," Wang Jiarong snapped, glaring at Ruixin. "You said you were shopping today."

Qian Ruixin's lashes fluttered, but her gaze didn't leave the table. "I didn't think it mattered," she said, voice soft enough.

"Mattered?" Wang Jiarong's laugh was sharp and bitter. "You're here with him."

The meaning of her words settled over the table like smoke. Weeks ago, she'd barely stopped Ruixin from pressing charges. Now, the girl was sitting beside the man who ruined her, looking like a lamb that couldn't decide if it should run or stay.

"Blind date went well, I see," Wang Xiao drawled, crashing through her thoughts.

Her temper snapped. "Don't you dare!" She pointed at him, her nails digging into the edge of the table. "You're not the one asking questions here."

"I could be," he said, a smirk curling his lips. "Why not?"

"Y-You're way too mouthy!"

"I know." He tilted his head slightly, his eyes gleaming with mockery. "But I'm not the one glaring like a bad-tempered wife after a night without sleep. Take it easy, Jiarong, your wrinkles are showing."

Wang Jiarong's face burned red. "You—!"

Liang Chen, who had been trying to vanish into his chair for the past ten minutes, cleared his throat awkwardly. "So, uh... about the accident?"

"No one cares about your car, shut up," Wang Xiao said flatly, not even sparing him a glance.

"Hey! I almost died back there!"

"You're alive, aren't you?" Wang Xiao shrugged, his tone so casual it might as well have been a yawn. "Besides, no one would've noticed if you didn't make that god-awful cough every five minutes. Drink some water, for heaven's sake."

Liang Chen flushed, fidgeting in his seat.

"Enough!" Wang Jiarong slammed her hands on the table, drawing stares from the other patrons. "Ruixin, why are you even near him? After everything he's done—"

"Don't."

The single word stopped her cold.

Qian Ruixin's voice was quiet but firm, and for the first time, her dark eyes lifted to meet Jiarong's. "Don't... talk about it here."

Wang Jiarong blinked, caught off guard. This wasn't the trembling, broken girl she remembered. Qian Ruixin wasn't fine, not even close, but she wasn't crumbling either.

"You don't get to make that choice," Wang Jiarong growled, though her tone softened slightly. Her anger turned to Wang Xiao. "And you—what game are you playing now? What the hell do you did to her this time?"

Wang Xiao's smile faded, his gaze sharpening. "Do you think I'm the villain here, Jiarong?" His tone was low, almost dangerous.

"That's all you've ever done!"

He leaned forward, his presence suddenly overwhelming. "Then ask better questions, Jie."

The word hit like a slap. Rarely did he call her "sister," not since their family had fractured into shards they couldn't pick up. For a moment, the fire in her chest dimmed, replaced by something colder.

Before she could respond, Wang Xiao rose abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. "If you're going to sit here and slander my innocent character, I'll take my leave."

He straightened his jacket, his tone calm but laced with mockery, as if her accusations were beneath him.

"??"

Qian Ruixin glanced between Wang Jiarong and Wang Xiao, her quiet gaze lingering on Jiarong's flushed face. She sighed softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Jiarong, can you stop yelling at him?"

"You're taking his side?" Jiarong's eyes widened in disbelief. Her outrage hung in the air, hot and palpable.

He flew all the way to Beijing just to spy on her blind date, dragged Ruixin along for the ride, and now she was defending him?

"Yes, I am." Qian Ruixin's gaze flickered, her voice calm but firm.

"..."

Wang Jiarong stared at her, stunned, her chest tightening with a mix of betrayal and confusion.

Meanwhile, Wang Xiao had the good sense to stay silent. Years of experience had taught him one thing: never get between two women fighting. With an exaggerated stretch, he walked over to Liang Chen, leaving the sisters to their brewing storm.

"Brother Chen," Wang Xiao drawled, his tone dripping with faux camaraderie. "I didn't think a bit of money would make you think so highly of yourself."

Liang Chen, who had been trying his best to blend into the background, gave a stiff smile. "Wang Xiao, believe me, I was set up. I only came here to clear things up."

"Set up?" Wang Xiao's brow arched as he crossed his arms.

In truth, Wang Xiao hadn't known that the blind date their aunt arranged for Jiarong was Liang Chen. Only after the accident, during a closer inspection, did he recognize him. Liang Chen—the same guy who once lent them bikes for fun, only for Wang Xiao to nearly break his skull in a stupid stunt.

And now this man wanted to marry his sister?

Wang Xiao's lips twitched into a smirk. "I didn't know you were so eager to die."

Liang Chen's laugh was strained, the kind of sound someone made when they realized they'd walked straight into a lion's den.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

He hadn't realized just how much of a devil Wang Xiao truly was. The incident from half an hour ago still lingered in his mind, a fresh scar on his psyche. If PTSD had a fast-track application process, he'd already be approved.