Lima syndrome

"This seems to be the third time you've asked me this question. What is my relationship with Che Jingcan? Is it important to you?"

Bai Jitai couldn't see his face, but he could imagine the contempt in his eyes when he said this, and the strength in his hands increased, as if he was trying to cover up his irrationality.

He didn't know how to answer. Bai Jitai felt that his mind was not very clear, otherwise how could he be so angry after learning that the reason Bai Zhiyan had not been home for a week was because he was taking care of Che Jingcan in the hospital.

I was even angrier than when I saw him bring Xu Shiyuan home and drink coffee with him outside.

Perhaps it was because he had seen Bai Zhiyan's disgust for Xu Shiyuan, but he acted differently in front of Che Jingcan.

The first time he saw Bai Zhiyan's lively expression was when he was arguing with Che Jingcan at school. The second time he saw him blushing and ashamed was because Che Jingcan was playing with Bai Zhiyan in front of him.

Bai Jitai inexplicably had an illusion, an illusion that Bai Zhiyan liked Che Jingcan, otherwise why would he allow Che Jingcan to be so presumptuous to him.

He put aside those distracting thoughts and carried Bai Zhiyan down the stairs step by step.

"You just need to answer my questions and tell me whether you like him or not. Don't say anything extra."

Bai Zhiyan's heart sank a little more with every step he took. Although he didn't know what was in the Bai family's basement, given Bai Jitai's perverted level, there must be a lot of things that could torture people.

Bai Zhiyan twisted his body, but the shackles on his hands made it impossible for him to move. "Just because of this, you want to take me to the basement? Bai Jitai, are you sane?"

Bai Jitai ignored his cursing and carried him down the last step.

The rotten and damp air rushed into Bai Zhiyan's nostrils, making him feel a little nauseous. Looking at the airtight walls and the dark environment around him, his heart was beating like a drum.

"What on earth do you want to do!"

Bai Jitai threw him onto a tattered bed, and the layer of dust that rose up made Bai Zhiyan cough wildly.

It seemed that the mattress had aged and the cotton wool in it was no longer soft. Bai Zhiyan could almost feel the hardness of the bed board underneath.

He couldn't untie the tie in his hands, and looking at Bai Jitai who was approaching step by step, he had to retreat little by little and shrink his body into the corner of the bed.

No one cleans the basement all year round, and few people go down there because that is where the tools Bai Jitai used to torture people are placed.

In his early years, when he first started working for Bai Zhengren, the public security organs were very strict. He didn't dare to deal with those troublesome people outside, so he just quietly brought them home, and then took them away and sent them to where they should go after the matter was over.

It’s just that it’s not certain whether the person is complete when he is sent out.

Bai Jitai grabbed his ankle and pulled him closer, then picked up the handcuffs from under the bed and handcuffed him.

The cold feeling of the metal spread from his ankles to all parts of his body. Bai Zhiyan shuddered subconsciously, "What are you doing? Why are you locking me up?"

But no matter how he asked or how he struggled, Bai Jitai did not respond.

He kept moving around and kicked Bai Jitai in the chest again, but he seemed not to feel the pain and let him kick and scratch him.

Bai Zhiyan was tired of struggling, and shrank back into the corner, eyes filled with anger, "Bai Jitai, what on earth are you going to do? Father will be home today, aren't you afraid of being discovered by him?"

"You thought Bai Zhengren would come back, didn't you?"

When Bai Jitai heard him mention Bai Zhengren, a strange smile appeared on his face. He slowly straightened his wrinkled shirt, and when he looked at him again, the teasing in his eyes returned.

"If I hadn't asked Butler Li to call you back under the name of Bai Zhengren, how could I have seen you?"

"What do you mean?"

Bai Jitai picked up the whip on the table, his eyes revealing a hint of cruelty, "You always make me angry and refuse to answer my questions. Since you refuse to say, don't blame me for using some means to make you surrender." He approached Bai Zhiyan with the whip in his hand.

"You crazy person!"

Bai Zhiyan's eyes were filled with fear, and he tried desperately to retreat back, but there was limited space on the bed and he had nowhere to escape.

The sound of the whip breaking through the air echoed in the enclosed space. Bai Zhiyan closed his eyes, waiting for the pain to come.

However, the expected beating did not come. Bai Jitai stopped by the bed and looked at Bai Zhiyan, who was pale, with the frivolous look on his face gone.

He put one leg on the bed and supported Bai Zhiyan with his hands on both sides. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. "If you just tell me, I can consider letting you go. You don't want to be locked up here with your skin torn apart, right?"

Bai Zhiyan stared at him with his lips tightly shut, saying nothing. He was convinced that Bai Jitai was a demon and he could not believe what he said no matter what.

Seeing that Bai Zhiyan had no reaction, Bai Jitai's eyes became even colder. He turned around, picked up a bucket of water next to him, and poured it on Bai Zhiyan without hesitation. He was soaked by the cold water and couldn't help shivering.

"Are you going to tell it or not?" Bai Jitai roared.

Bai Zhiyan still stared at him stubbornly, gritting his teeth. Seeing this, Bai Jitai's anger burned even more.

Even so, he is unwilling to reveal his relationship with Cha Kyung-chan?

He dropped the bucket, reached out and pinched Bai Zhiyan's chin, lifted his head up hard and made him look directly into his eyes.

"I would like to ask you, why do you care so much about whether I like Che Jingcan?"

Bai Zhiyan's voice was cold, and he was shaking uncontrollably after being soaked by the water, but the fear on his face had turned into ridicule because of Bai Jitai's questioning.

"Why, do you like Che Jingcan?"

His words were full of sarcasm. Bai Jitai gritted his teeth, grabbed his face and pulled it in front of him, and veins on his arms bulged from the force.

"Are you trying to irritate me on purpose?"

"How dare I."

Bai Zhiyan said he didn't dare, but the contempt in his eyes grew deeper and deeper.

"You don't like Che Jingcan, but you insist on asking me. Does that mean - you like me?"

He originally wanted to disgust Bai Jitai by saying this, but he didn't expect Bai Jitai to loosen his hand and look at him with eyes that he couldn't describe.

Whether it was shock, anger or something else, Bai Zhiyan couldn't tell.

Bai Jitai stood up stiffly and stepped back to distance himself from him. Bai Zhiyan's words just now were like thunder in his ears. His mind was in a mess and his lips trembled.

"Bai Zhiyan, I think you are the one who is crazy. You dare to say such a thing."

Hearing this, Bai Zhiyan just sneered, "It's really funny. Isn't what you did even more outrageous than what I said?"

Bai Jitai's eyes turned gloomy. He raised the whip and hit the bed hard, making a crisp sound.

"Don't think I won't take action!" he said gritting his teeth.

Bai Zhiyan's body was trembling slightly because of the cold water, but his face was full of determination, "Kill me if you have the guts!"

Bai Jitai's hands were shaking violently. He had never been so out of control before. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

"How could I let you die so easily?" His voice was low and hoarse, "Don't even think about escaping from the Bai family or from me. You are my—"

"Jitae! Jiyeon! Where are all of you?"

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by a female voice. Bai Jitai's eyebrows furrowed and his face suddenly became extremely ugly.

"Why is Bai Jiying here?"

He just murmured, and after looking at the happy expression on Bai Zhiyan's face, he understood everything.

"You called Bai Jiying over?"

"So what? Are you allowed to have Butler Li lie to me and say that Bai Zhengren is back, but I am not allowed to ask my elder sister to come home so that we can reunite as a family?"

Bai Jitai's face was terribly gloomy, but Bai Jiying was still there, so he couldn't do anything to Bai Zhiyan anymore. His handsome face looked like a Shura at this moment.

“You are really amazing.”

"Thanks for the compliment."

Bai Zhiyan had long lost the panic he had when he was first thrown in. Although his body was still wet and he was shivering from the cold, the fearless expression on his face still made Bai Jitai so angry that his teeth itched.

"Zhiyan! Where are you? Didn't you say you were home?"

Bai Jiying's voice was getting closer and closer, and she would be able to discover it as long as Bai Zhiyan called out.

"Bai Jitai, let me go now, I can pretend nothing happened."

Bai Jitai's mood was extremely bad at this time. He couldn't turn against Bai Jiying, nor could he let Bai Zhengren know what he did to Bai Zhiyan. As he said, he could only pretend nothing happened and let him go.

Bai Zhiyan's heart was finally at ease when his handcuffs and tie were untied. He had never been able to figure out the mind of this madman Bai Jitai. Who knew if he would change his mind and lock himself up again in the next second.

Bai Zhiyan rubbed his red hands and tried to get out of bed with trembling body. Bai Jitai saw that his wet light-colored shirt was tightly attached to his body, and his eyebrows were twisted into knots again.

He pulled the bed sheet next to him and covered him with it. Before Bai Zhiyan could scream out in surprise, he picked him up and carried him sideways.

Bai Zhiyan was wrapped up like a cocoon by him and couldn't move his hands, so he had to move back and forth, "Bai Jitai, what are you doing? I can walk by myself."

Bai Jitai was annoyed by his twisting and slapped him on the waist, "Do you want to go out to see Bai Jiying in that state?"

"I……"

He was soaking wet and in a mess, and was indeed not fit to see her.

"When you see her later, I'm sure you know what to say and what not to say."

From Bai Zhiyan's perspective, he could only see Bai Jita's angular profile and thin chin. He ignored the warning in his words and raised the corners of his mouth slightly.

"Of course, I will perform flawlessly."

When Bai Jitai heard his soft reply, an indescribable emotion surged in his heart, but before he could think about it, he ran into Bai Jiying who came to see him.

"Jitae Jiyeon, why are you..."

Bai Jiying was very confused when he saw Bai Jitai holding the wet Bai Zhiyan.

“I just wanted to go to the wine cellar for fun, but I accidentally broke the vase next to it and hurt my ankle. Luckily, Brother Jitai heard the noise and came to help me clean up the mess.

Bai Zhiyan spoke without stopping, which surprised Bai Jitai who was standing next to him.

He had already made up an excuse in such a short time?

"Then your injury..."

"It's nothing. Brother Jitai has already bandaged it for me."

Every time Bai Zhiyan called him brother, Bai Jitai's hand would tighten a little. He lowered his eyes slightly and looked at his little mouth that was full of lies, with anger hidden in his heart.

How could Bai Jiying not know the relationship between them? He understood that Bai Zhiyan was deliberately lying to her, so she naturally couldn't continue to question and expose him.

"You are so careless. Now that you are hurt, go back to your room."

Bai Jitai nodded to Bai Jiying, his face tense to avoid a split expression.

"Okay, I'll take him back now."

Bai Zhiyan also nodded apologetically, "I'm sorry I can't have dinner with you."

"What's the matter? Go back and have a rest."

Bai Jitai did not let him go. When his body was intertwined with Bai Jiying, he did not notice the glances that Bai Zhiyan exchanged with her.

After the two left, Bai Jiying glanced in the direction of the basement, slightly distracted.

Bai Jitai carried Bai Zhiyan back to the room and threw him hard on the bed.

"Didn't I warn you before not to try to have any contact with Bai Jiying? It seems that you didn't remember everything I said."

"She is my elder sister." Bai Zhiyan broke free from the bed sheet and supported himself on the bed with his hands. "She is also your elder sister. What's wrong with me associating with her?"

"I don't believe you just have this kind of relationship with her."

Bai Jitai gradually approached, and the familiar smell of perfume penetrated into Bai Zhiyan's nostrils again. He tilted his head uncomfortably.

"I don't have to make you believe it."

Noticing his obvious evasion, Bai Jitai's anger erupted again. He grabbed Bai Zhiyan's wrist and squeezed his already red wrist even tighter.

"Bai Zhiyan!"

But Bai Zhiyan did not avoid him again. Instead, he gently pressed his hand and said softly, "Don't you want to know what the relationship between me and Che Jingcan is? I'll tell you now."

Bai Jitai was stunned. He didn't understand why he suddenly brought this up. He had clearly refused to say anything no matter how hard he pressed him. Why was he compromising now?

"Che Jingcan and I are just classmates. He likes me, but I don't have any feelings for him, so there is no such thing as whether I like him or not. This time I went to the hospital to accompany him just because I wanted to get a letter of apology from him, because the person who hurt him was my friend's brother, and I wanted to help him, on the condition that I go to the hospital to take care of Che Jingcan."

Bai Zhiyan had never talked to him so much before. Bai Jitai's mind went blank. He forgot how to think for a moment and just stared at his eyes with a slight smile.

"Then why didn't you tell me when I asked you just now?"

"Because I want to know more about why you keep asking me."

His voice was very soft, but Bai Jitai felt as if a mountain was pressing down on him, making it impossible for him to breathe.

"so you--"

"I see."

Bai Zhiyan interrupted his questioning. In fact, he had thought about it before. Bai Jitai was mentally ill and he didn't know when he developed an inexplicable desire to control him.

Maybe it was when he first met this younger brother at the Baek family, or when he saw him getting along well with Seo Si-won and Cha Kyung-chan, or even when he saw Ji Seung-hoon on his phone screen.

Bai Jitai's face turned pale in an instant. He stared at Bai Zhiyan's opening and closing mouth with his eyes slightly wide open, and in the end he only heard him say one sentence.

"Bai Jitai, you lose."