Deviant: No Longer Human

"Daddy...Can I smash her head again?"

Hiss!

The room collectively gasped.

"Again?" Wang Xiao muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose as he glanced at the little girl sitting across from him.

Her wide eyes darted nervously between him and Lulu, her head wrapped in a large bandage that spoke everything about her previous encounter with his daughter.

The girl was already cowering, her small hands clutching the edges of her chair as if it might shield her from the inevitable.

He sighed, leaning back in his chair. 'Great. Just great.' The last thing he wanted was to be labeled a child molester for stepping into this mess.

But then his gaze landed on Zhenxi, who was sitting beside him with her legs swinging carelessly, looking as innocent as a cherub despite being the reason for all this chaos.

Wang Xiao smirked faintly. "Well, one kid beating the crap out of another? That's fair game, right?"

"Ahem…" Principal Li coughed, breaking the awkward silence that had settled over the room. Her stiff posture betrayed her internal struggle. Talking about smashing heads in front of her—the principal, for heaven's sake—what the hell was wrong with these people?

She shot Wang Xiao a sharp glare, but he seemed utterly unbothered, like this was just another Tuesday for him.

Click!

The door creaked open again, and all heads turned toward the newcomer.

"Uh… Sorry, everyone. I'm late…"

In stepped a towering man, at least six and a half feet tall, his broad shoulders nearly brushing the doorframe. He looked slightly awkward in his casual jacket, as if he'd dressed in a rush. His eyes scanned the room briefly before he froze.

Dong Feng, seated stiffly in the corner, snorted in annoyance. His son was always late, and this was just another reminder of why he had so little patience for him.

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But Dong Kai's reaction was far from indifferent. The moment his eyes landed on Wang Xiao, his entire demeanor shifted.

"Wang Xiao…?"

His voice was filled with disbelief, his expression contorting into something between shock and fear.

For a moment, it was as if he'd seen a ghost. He rubbed his eyes, as if trying to convince himself he wasn't hallucinating.

Wang Xiao leaned forward slightly, his elbows resting casually on his knees. A cold smile played on his lips. "What's the matter, Dong Kai? You look like you've just seen the Devil."

"??"

Principal Li's eyes darted between the two men, confusion etched into her face. Lei Xei, who had been trying to avoid drawing attention to herself, suddenly sat up straighter, her eyes narrowing.

Dong Feng, on the other hand, looked unimpressed, though his furrowed brow betrayed some unease.

Dong Kai swallowed hard, his towering frame suddenly looking a little less intimidating. "You're… still alive?"

Wang Xiao's smile widened, though his eyes remained cold. "Alive and well, as you can see. Surprised?"

Dong Kai didn't answer immediately, his gaze flickering toward Zhenxi, then back to Wang Xiao. His hands clenched into fists, but he didn't dare take a step closer.

Zhenxi, oblivious to the weight of the moment, tilted her head curiously, tugging on her father's sleeve.

"Daddy, do you know this giant uncle?"

Wang Xiao chuckled softly, ruffling her hair. "Oh, we go way back. Don't we, Kai?"

Dong Kai's jaw tightened, but he forced a stiff smile. "Yes… way back."

Principal Li, sensing the mounting tension but completely lost on the context, cleared her throat again. "Mr. Dong, if we could—"

"Let's skip the pleasantries," Wang Xiao interrupted, his tone sharp. He stood, his presence suddenly dominating the room despite being a head shorter than Dong Kai. "I didn't come here to reminisce. Let's get to the point."

"Young man, being rude at such an early age won't take you far…" Dong Feng sneered, his voice dripping with condescension.

He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms like he had just delivered the most profound life lesson of the century.

Wang Xiao didn't even blink. His expression remained neutral, though the slight tilt of his head betrayed his amusement.

Dong Feng, mistaking the silence for submission, smirked. "See? Even a brat like you can learn some—"

BANG!

The sound echoed through the office, followed by the unmistakable shattering of ceramic.

"ARGH—!" Dong Feng clutched his head, his face twisting in pain.

The ornate vase, which had been peacefully perched on Principal Li's desk moments ago, was now a pile of shards scattered across the floor. The crimson streak running down Dong Feng's forehead made it abundantly clear where the vase had landed.

"...YOU—!" Dong Feng sputtered, his voice rising to a pitch that wasn't particularly dignified.

Wang Xiao, still holding the base of the shattered vase with a lazy grip, smirked. "Oh, sorry about that. My hand slipped. Also," he added casually, tossing the broken ceramic onto the desk, "I'm more interested in going above in life, not far."

Aurora's eyes blinked rapidly, as if holding back a smile, while Lei Xei looked absolutely horrified. Her gaze flickered between the blood dripping from Dong Feng's head and the shards of the priceless vase now scattered across the floor.

Principal Li shot to her feet, her face pale. "Mr. Wang! That vase was a gift from the Minister of Education!"

Wang Xiao shrugged, dusting off his hands as if he'd just done a chore. "It wasn't my style anyway."

Dong Kai, who had been standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, looked between his father and Wang Xiao, his jaw slack. He sighed heavily and walked over, clearly the only one willing to diffuse the situation.

"Hey, man," he began, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "Can we just drop this and talk outside? My father isn't… in his right mind nowadays."

Wang Xiao turned to him, a brow raised in genuine surprise. "Hm? You never told me Lei Xei is your mother."

Dong Kai grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck. "She's not. She's my stepmother. My mom… She died during the Great Reset."

Wang Xiao paused, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. "Oh," he said simply, as if that explained everything.

Without another word, he nodded and stepped out of the room, leaving Aurora behind with a pat on her shoulder to handle the aftermath.

"..."

Aurora glanced around her—Dong Feng clutching his head, Lei Xei still looking like she'd seen a ghost, and Principal Li looking two seconds away from a meltdown.

_____

"Hahaha!"

Wang Xiao burst out laughing, the kind of unrestrained, chest-shaking laugh that turned heads even in an empty hallway. After hearing Dong Kai's story, he couldn't help himself. This guy's life was a soap opera written by the gods for their amusement.

"…"

Dong Kai stood there, his face stiff, his fists clenched at his sides. He already regretted spilling his guts to Wang Xiao. Of all the people to confide in, why had he thought 'this' guy would have an ounce of sympathy?

Wang Xiao wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, still grinning. "Man, your life is really tragic. I mean, I've heard of bad luck, but you're living proof that karma is a bitch..."

Dong Kai's jaw tightened, but he said nothing. What could he say? It was all true.

Lei Xei, his so-called stepmother, wasn't just a gold-digger—she was a professional. She'd started her career as a mistress, specifically to Zhao Yang's father, back when Dong Kai was still in school. When she got pregnant, the guy must have panicked and dumped her like yesterday's trash. And Lei Xei, had latched onto her next target: Dong Kai's father.

The poor fool had fallen for her hook, line, and sinker, marrying her without a second thought and, of course, raising her child as his own. That child? Lulu—Dong Kai's stepsister and the apple of his father's eye.

And if that wasn't bad enough, the cherry on top of this tragic cake was that his idiot father had recently updated his will. He'd left almost everything to 'Lulu'. Dong Kai, the biological son, was left with scraps.

"Your dad's really something," Wang Xiao said, shaking his head in mock admiration. "Raising another man's kid and giving her the whole inheritance? That's some next-level cuckoldry."

"Shut up," Dong Kai muttered, his voice low and strained. His face was a mix of shame, frustration, and exhaustion.

Wang Xiao, "You know, I think Lei Xei deserves an award. Most ambitious vixen of the year, maybe? She really played the long game, huh?"

Dong Kai clenched his fists tighter, his knuckles white. "I said shut up."

But Wang Xiao wasn't done. "Come on, don't take it so hard. At least you know who the real villain is. Maybe you should start calling Lulu 'Young Mistress' to get in her good graces."

That was the final straw. Dong Kai snapped, "You think this is funny?! You don't know what it's like to live like this!"

Wang Xiao didn't flinch, his smile widening with a casual, almost devil-may-care air. "C'mon, why don't you just finish off Lulu if she's the main problem?"

"WHAT!?"