Deviant: No Longer Human

"Oh." That single sound? Disrespectful as hell. Like she had just heard the dumbest shit imaginable and was genuinely impressed at the stupidity. She had only come to scare a few people. But Luo Yang? This brain-dead donkey had kept trying to scan Wang Xiao's women with his X-ray fuckery. And that was a game he was not fucking built for. She had given him a chance. A warning. He should've taken it. But instead? This dumbass dug his own grave and flopped in headfirst. Luo Yang knew why she had warned him. He knew who he had been looking at. Wang Mei. And he knew what the fuck he had coming. But Xue Weisheng? That old fart had never been bitch-slapped by reality like this before. And it showed. He squared his shoulders. Sneered at Mary. "The Qing Dynasty Emperor doesn't take rogues like you lightly—" Mary tilted her head. Chuckled. "He doesn't need to." She leaned forward, smile widening. "Even if your emperor was standing here…" Her voice dropped. "He'd die too." Hiss~! The air? Frozen. Xue Weisheng? Stiff. The entire room? Silent. What… the actual hell was this woman?! Even Wang Xiao—who had seen all kinds of shit— Yeah. Even he had to raise an eyebrow. Damn. He liked this version of Mary. Cool! Would have to reward her later. ___ "...Are you with the prince?" Xinyue Zhilan finally spoke. She had been hesitant before, but now? She knew she had seen this woman somewhere before. And she was standing right behind Wang Mei… Yup. If she remembered right…Her daughter did have something going on with the Eighth Prince. Xinyue Zhilan had tried to forget about it. Too much headache. Too many problems. But this? This woman? This woman was willing to murk a fucking emperor just for her daughter. If it wasn't the Eighth Prince backing her… Who else would dare? "Prince?..." Xue Weisheng? Yeah. That man was rethinking life choices. "Mom, Mary is his person. Don't scare her." Wang Mei gritted her teeth. Wang Xiao was so forcing her to take the blame for this shit. The whole room? They rolled their eyes. Scare her? This woman? This monster? Yeah. Good fucking luck. "Sigh..." Xinyue Zhilan exhaled. Yeah. Her mind finally caught up. And from the looks on their faces, the rest of the table was still buffering. "Zhilan, what's going on? Is your family in trouble?" Xue Hanqin. Finally speaking up after watching the shitshow in silence. Xinyue Zhilan shook her head. "It's… not really trouble." She glanced at Wang Mei. Was it trouble?Hell if she knew. But hiding it now? Useless. She sighed. "Mei is already married." Silence. Then— Boom. All heads snapped toward Wang Mei like she just confessed to murder. Married? Her?! She was barely an adult! "Mom!" Wang Mei's face went red. "Why would you say it like that?!" Xinyue Zhilan frowned. Because it's true? Her daughter's reaction was just like any young girl's—flustered, embarrassed, unable to handle the attention. Then Liu Zhixuan, Xue Weisheng's wife asked the real question. "Married to who?" And that's when it hit. Mary, standing behind Wang Mei like a tax collector who just found out you've been evading for a decade. The prince's name was spoken. And that was all they needed to hear. That one name idn't just tell a hundred stories—it was a fucking history book of bloodshed. Their eyes flicked between Mary and Wang Mei, then back again, as if trying to process their impending existential crisis. Oh… fuck. Xue Weisheng's jaw tightened, his fingers pressing slightly into his wife's hand. Liu Zhixuan, who had just been sipping her drink...Nearly inhaled his own tongue. Xue Ruoling, usually elegant and proud, suddenly looked like she had just walked into the wrong boardroom and accidentally declared war on a foreign country. This wasn't good. Xue Weisheng cleared his throat, voice carefully measured. "Wang Mei… how long have you been married?" His wife immediately softened her expression, as if trying to navigate a minefield. "Yes, Mei'er, such things should be shared. Why keep it hidden?" She nodded, hee gaze keen, probing. "It must have been an elaborate affair. What traditions were followed?" Xue Ruoling smiled politely, her tone light—too light. "Was it a private ceremony?" They weren't just asking questions. They were desperately trying to gauge the situation. How deep was Wang Mei's connection? Was she just one of the many? Or was she… Something more? Meanwhile, Wang Mei? She was just nodding along, mentally screaming. She needed to tell Wang Xiao something very, very important later. Never. Reveal. Their. Relationship. In. Public. Again. At least, not with his damn title attached. Too much attention. Not good for health. And if one goddamn family's reaction was this intense, what about the entire world? Would she even be able to step outside without a thousand aristocrats suddenly "bumping" into her on the street, pretending to care about her well-being? Actually… That was already happening somewhere else. ___ Meanwhile, Across the World… Seraphina. An hour ago, she had followed Wang Xiao's instructions, thinking it was a simple diplomatic maneuver. She had stood before the world, composed, regal… and announced his exact words. And now? She couldn't even step outside without triggering a geopolitical meltdown. Trapped in the palace, she leaned back against her chair, her hands pressed against her temples, trying to process the absolute catastrophe. Josephine? Already on a direct flight to China. The mother and daughter? Had an argument, obviously. But not over whether Josephine should go. No, that part was already decided. The real fight? Over who would get Wang Xiao's first baby. Because if—if Seraphina had actually asked Wang Xiao to knock her first just to beat her daughter to it— Then Josephine wasn't about to forgive her anytime soon. And Seraphina? She couldn't even stop her. She had tried, really, but how do you reason with a woman who just discovered her own mother might be her biggest competition? It was beyond madness. It was Wang Xiao's fault. Everything. The only silver lining in this apocalyptic mess? There weren't many public images of her daughter floating around. But the ones that did exist? Were being wiped off the internet at an inhuman speed. Because someone deep in the ocean, sipping tea, probably laughing their ass off… was erasing them. Sakura. So instead of hunting for her daughter, the world had redirected its obsession. To Seraphina. She tilted her head back, staring at the ceiling. "Congratulations, bitch. You're famous," she murmured to herself, lips curling into a helpless chuckle. She rarely cursed, but today called for an exception. Sitting alone, elegantly draped in her royal gown, her poise remained intact, but her soul? Her soul was questioning every decision that led to this point. She had braced for backlash. A mother and daughter marrying the same man? The world should have been outraged. But no. For the past hour, she had been receiving wedding gifts. Lavish. Endless. Even from people who had never met her. And Sylverguard? No longer just a nation. Overnight, it had become the most politically significant nation in the world. Why? Because every country that had wronged Wang Xiao in the past was suddenly trying to kiss her feet like she was some kind of holy mediator between them and the man who could snap his fingers and send them into ruin. The diplomacy was crushing. And Seraphina was at the center of it. "Why would he do this?" She muttered, her voice still carrying that soft grace of a queen… but in the privacy of her chambers, her foot tapped against the marble floor in frustration. If Wang Xiao wanted to punish her, he could have just asked. Why throw her into the jaws of every greedy politician alive?! A knock at the door. "Your Majesty," her maid's voice was hesitant. "The delegates from more than fifty countries are waiting outside." Seraphina inhaled, straightening. "Are they fighting?" The maid hesitated before answering, smiling bitterly. "No, Your Majesty… They're waiting." Seraphina's brows furrowed. **"Waiting?"** "Yes. I informed them you were feeling unwell and couldn't attend to them immediately." "And?" "They… sat down. Quietly. No shouting. No demands. Just… waiting." Seraphina paused. A strange feeling of dread crawled up her spine. That didn't sound normal. She rose gracefully, adjusting her dress before walking toward the balcony overlooking the palace courtyard. And the moment she peeked outside… Her face darkened. Fifty countries? Then why the hell did it look like thousands of people had gathered? Rows upon rows of ambassadors, political envoys, business elites— not arguing, not clamoring… just waiting. Tents had been set up. Some were sipping tea. A few were reading newspapers like they had all the time in the world. And the moment she glanced their way? A ripple of silent bows spread through the crowd. It was terrifying. The unspoken reverence. The absolute patience. They weren't here for talks. They were waiting for her. For Seraphina. To acknowledge them. To accept them. And they would wait forever if they had to. Her hands clenched against the balcony railing, her usual composed expression wavering for the first time. "Wang Xiao…" Her breath hitched. "I… I will kill you." She couldn't take it anymore. Turning away, she stormed toward her private jet. Not even bothering to inform her advisors, not even glancing at the chaos behind her. She was leaving. Flying straight to China. Because if she had to suffer through this nightmare— Then Wang Xiao was damn well going to suffer with her. ____ Meanwhile, Wang Xiao… Had zero fucking clue what was happening. Because he was too busy plotting. On how to deal with Luo Fucking Yang. And Luo Yang? Dreaming. Dreaming about power. If he had that kind of influence…Would he still need to lick Xue family's boots for survival? His gaze drifted. A new thought slithered into his delusional-ass brain. 'If I can't grab the apple… I can still climb the tree.' Wang Xiao saw right through him. And he had a better fucking idea. If Luo Yang wanted to use his family to climb the social ladder, then fine. He'd help. By shoving the entire fucking tree so far down his throat he'd be shitting bark for a week. Wanna leech off royalty? Haha. Sure. Just donate a couple of your side chicks first. As a "sign of goodwill." The Dinner Ended in Total Fucking Silence. Talk of marriages? HAHA. NO. No one had the balls to bring that shit up now. Xue Weisheng? Wanted to get the hell out of there. As fast as possible. Because only the dumbest motherfuckers alive would meet the prince and think, "Yeah, I can use him." That was like saying, "Yeah, I can tame a fucking demon king." Who was gonna end up getting used in the end? Not fucking clear. But Luo Yang? Was too goddamn stupid to realize that. And this time? This time, he decided to ride back with Xue Hanqin and Wang Xiao. In the backseat. With Xue Ruoling. Not knowing… That this was about to be the worst fucking car ride of his life. Luo Yang had no idea what kind of hell he had just walked into. He wanted to get closer to Wang Xiao, thinking that building a friendship would eventually give him an in with Wang Mei, and then, the prince. So when Wang Xiao tossed him the car keys, casually stating, "I drank, I can't drive," Luo Yang hesitated for only a second before forcing a smile. "Sure… Brother Wang…" His lips twitched, but he swallowed his complaints and got in the driver's seat. He had big plans. Every man liked women, right? Wang Xiao might seem cold, distant— but at the end of the day, he was still a man. And to Luo Yang? That meant he was easy to manipulate. Some entertainment stars, a few exclusive benefits, and Wang Xiao would owe him a favor. At least, that's what Luo Yang thought. What he didn't notice, however— Was the moment Wang Xiao settled into the backseat… He reached out and caught a soft, trembling hand. Xue Ruoling's hand. For a split second, Xue Hanqin's eyes flickered toward them—but she quickly looked away. Not her problem. Xue Ruoling's entire body stiffened. Her face paled. She shot Wang Xiao a blank, unreadable stare. Only her shaking pupils betrayed her thoughts. And yet— The only one who missed the entire thing? Luo Yang. Too focused on driving, too busy throwing out casual, friendly questions to Wang Xiao. "Brother Wang, what do you like? Cars? Jewelry? Women?" "Are you doing any business lately? Maybe we can work together?" Wang Xiao replied normally. Calm. Casual. As if he wasn't currently holding another man's girlfriend's hand. Xue Ruoling bit her lips. Her boyfriend was an idiot. Here she was, almost taken advantage of in broad daylight, and this bastard couldn't even see it? Fortunately, Wang Xiao let go after a quick, deliberate squeeze. Xue Ruoling exhaled softly, her mind racing. She wouldn't cause a scene here. Not now. Not in front of everyone. But once they were alone…? She would definitely tell Luo Yang. He needed to know. Little did she know… Wang Xiao was never going to give her the chance.