Deviant: No Longer Human

Her eyes flickered toward the digital clock by the lampshade. It was already 11 p.m.

Almost unconsciously, Wang Mei spoke, her voice subdued, as if she felt the need to justify her presence. "Mom was worried when you didn't come for dinner. You weren't in your room, so I told her you'd eat later." Her words came out mechanically, as though rehearsed, her mind clearly elsewhere.

Wang Xiao's eyes softened slightly, his usual commanding aura tempered with amusement.

He reached out, pinching her cheek gently between his thumb and finger. "You covered for me?" A faint chuckle escaped his lips, though there was something almost teasing in his tone.

"...Mm..." Wang Mei forced a smile, her lips pressed together in a thin line.

The ambiguous air in the room, made it hard to breathe.

Her thoughts, already in disarray, left her uncertain, her mind spinning.

Wang Xiao tilted his head slightly, his eyes gleaming with something unreadable. "Then why don't you feed me as well?" His voice was soft but held an edge of playful command, drawing her attention back to him.

For a brief moment, Wang Mei forgot about Mary, who knelt silently at his side, her focus clear as she continued her task.

Instead, Wang Mei nodded, her smile becoming a little more natural as she picked up the tray and the chopsticks.

With quiet care, she started to feed him, offering small bites at a slow, deliberate pace.

Yet, just as she reached to give him another piece of food, her hand froze mid-air, her thoughts slipping into the past.

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Wang Xiao noticed instantly. His eyes narrowed slightly as he watched her. "What is it?" he asked, his tone calm but edged with curiosity. His gaze searched her face, trying to read her expression.

Wang Mei blinked, coming back to the present, but the shadows of the memories still lingered in her eyes. "It's nothing... just..." She hesitated, her gaze shifting toward Mary, still busy in her quiet servitude. "I remember when you were injured... and something similar happened."

Her voice was soft, laced with nostalgia.

For a moment, she was no longer in the present but reliving a distant memory.

Wang Xiao's eyebrow arched slightly, the corner of his lips curving into a smirk. "Ah, so you remember the times I bullied you?" His voice was light, teasing, but there was a glimmer in his eyes that held her captive.

Wang Mei's heart raced as she glanced down, her fingers trembling as they held the chopsticks.

Her face flushed under his gaze, her pulse quickening.

She could feel the heat from his eyes.

She didn't need to be reminded—those memories were etched deeply in her mind. She could still see him clearly in her thoughts, lying on the bed, injured after the motorbike accident, his head wrapped in bandages.

She had come, anxious, to wish him a quick recovery. She hadn't expected him to pull her close, his hands firm and unyielding as he forced her to feed him. He had smiled, that same knowing smile he wore now, as if he enjoyed watching her flustered reactions.

'I didn't even want to stay long,' she thought bitterly, her chest tightening as she recalled the moment. 'I just wanted to see if he was okay, not... not to get caught up in his games.'

Her mind swirled, torn between those memories and the present. 'Back then... it was just me,' she thought, her gaze flickering over to Mary once more. 'Now, things are different. There's always someone else. He's changed...'

The oppressive weight of those thoughts pressed down on her, making the air feel heavy, stifling.

She felt like she couldn't breathe, her chest tightening painfully as though she was holding back something heavy.

A burning sensation spread across her nose, making her eyes sting, as if a flood of emotions was trapped just beneath the surface, waiting to break free

"I still remember how you grabbed me," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, though she hadn't meant to say the words out loud.

Wang Xiao's smile widened, his eyes dark with amusement. "Oh? You remember that too? How could I forget the look on your face? You were so flustered, like a startled rabbit."

Her cheeks flushed a deep red. She hadn't meant to bring it up, but now that she had, the memory became even larger.

His teasing tone, only made it worse.

"I just wanted you to get better," she said quietly, lowering her gaze, her hands trembling slightly as she offered another bite of food. "It wasn't... it wasn't like that."

Wang Xiao leaned back, watching her intently. "And yet, you stayed."

She swallowed, forcing herself to look up at him. "Back then, things were simpler," she thought, though she couldn't bring herself to say it aloud.

Now, everything felt heavier, more complicated.

And sitting here, with Mary still kneeling between them, only reminded her of how far they'd drifted from the simplicity of the past.

Wang Mei's eyes darted to her for a moment before she looked away, her throat tightening.

The longer she stayed near him, the further their worlds seemed to drift apart.

Wang Mei couldn't shake the feeling that she didn't quite belong in the same realm as Wang Xiao anymore.

Compared to her, someone like Wang Xueying would have just smacked him upside the head if he tried to claim there was a difference in their worlds.

Naturally, Wang Xiao wouldn't let her get away with it, but Xueying's casual personality was in stark contrast to Wang Mei's quiet discomfort.

As for Wang Jiarong, he didn't know her well enough to say how she'd react. But compared to them, his ties with Wang Mei and Wang Xueying still felt close—if complicated.

Breaking the silence, Wang Xiao asked casually, "Do you know anything about Evangelion Technologies? Or any of the cases mother is working on?"

Wang Mei shook her head. "I don't know much. You should ask Xueying. She'd probably know more."

Wang Xiao nodded in acknowledgment, but as she stood up to leave after feeding him, his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist firmly. "Where are you going?"

She froze under his gaze, stunned.

They say the first time is the hardest, but the second time is easier, and the third time, even more so.

The first had already passed, and just from the way he looked at her, Wang Mei could tell exactly what he wanted.

The hot gaze made her body shiver.

"Brother... There are people downstairs," she said with a small glare, trying to suppress the tension rising in her chest.

But Wang Xiao ignored her protest, his grip still firm as he pulled her to sit on the edge of the bed. He wrapped his arm around her small waist, resting his head against her.

The closeness made her stiffen.

Wang Mei was stunned. "Can't you... be more patient? Just a few months..."

Wang Xiao's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why a few months?"

A flash of bitterness appeared in Wang Mei's gaze. She hesitated, her voice faltering as she struggled to find the words. "I... I thought... everything happened so abruptly. I can't undo what you've done, but...

it feels strange. Every time you touch me... it's like I don't even know you anymore."