Sian blew into the leaf, producing a series of sounds that were strangely beautiful to hear. The notes were strong enough to reach even the audience watching the live broadcast.
Just as Lan Qisheng was about to contact San to stop him or ask what he was doing, he noticed the wolves attacking Sian suddenly halting in their tracks. Not just the ones near Sian—every wolf attacking the others had stopped as well. Slowly, they all fell into an almost trance-like state, standing still as if immobilized.
Lan Qisheng, the soldiers, the other participants, and the audience were all silent.
This wasn't scientific—could wild wolves be trained like guard dogs to respond to a whistle? Impossible. Even police dogs required months of training to become obedient, let alone wild predators like wolves. These creatures couldn't be tamed.
Everyone turned their gaze toward Sian. The teenager sat cross-legged on the lush green grass, a leaf larger than his face in his hands, blowing into it with his eyes closed. After several moments, Sian opened his eyes, and the melody shifted, becoming sharp, angry, and explosive.
Suddenly, the wolves that had been motionless a moment ago began to move, walking slowly toward Sian. The audience watched, mouths agape, as the wolves encircled him. One even gently rubbed its head against Sian's cheek.
It was a surreal scene, like something out of a fairytale—reminiscent of Snow White and her harmonious connection with animals.
Lan Qisheng had a sinking feeling about this. His instincts proved correct when Sian calmly stood, dusted off his clothes, and patted the head of the wolf nearest to him. Then, with an angelic, pure smile, he turned his gaze to Marco.
Those who knew the real Sian understood one thing: the calmer he appeared, the angrier he truly was. His team in his world feared him most when he was smiling and serene.
His soft, cherry-red lips parted, and what came out were words dripping with malice.
"Do you enjoy using people as shields, hmm?"
Marco nearly fainted. He finally realized why Sian was furious—it was because he had thrown Aaron in front of a wolf earlier to save himself.
"I... I was just... scared... I'm sorry, please," Marco stammered, his voice trembling.
He didn't dare say "Don't kill me," because Sian's smile widened even more.
"You know," Sian began, his voice deceptively calm, "the kind of people I hate most are the ones like you. You think your life is more valuable than others. That your survival is more important. That it's acceptable to use others' lives to protect your pathetic existence. But why? What makes your life worth more than theirs?"
Sian's tone remained quiet, but each word dripped with sorrow. No one dared to interrupt him. What could they say? He was right. Every word he spoke was true.
Suddenly, Sian's smile faded. He crouched down, stroking the head of the nearest wolf. "Do you know how painful it is to be bitten by a wild animal like a wolf?" he asked, his voice soft. "I doubt you do. If you could throw someone else to the wolves, you must have no issue being bitten yourself, right?"
His amber eyes locked onto Marco's, his voice dropping to a sinister tone.
"Attack."
The command was directed at the wolf beside him.
The wolf lunged, claws aimed at Marco's face, but at the last second, Lan Qisheng intervened, pushing the wolf away. He turned to Sian, his expression a mix of alarm and disbelief. He needed to defuse the situation. He couldn't let Sian kill someone—especially not on a live broadcast.
"Sian, calm down," Lan Qisheng pleaded, his tone carrying a hint of desperation. "You can't kill someone. It's against the law—you'll be arrested."
"Oh? So I'm the killer, but he's innocent?" Sian's eyes narrowed dangerously.
In those golden eyes, Lan Qisheng saw a storm of emotions—sorrow, madness, anger, and complexity far beyond someone of Sian's age. What could have happened to this teenager to burden him with such feelings?
Lan Qisheng sighed, speaking in a gentle tone to pacify him. "I understand. What he did is unforgivable, and he will be punished for it."
Sian remained silent, his expression unreadable. It was unclear if he even heard Lan Qisheng. Meanwhile, the soldiers had surrounded both Marco and Sian, prepared to act defensively.
Suddenly, a voice broke the tense silence.
"Sian, please stop. You saved my life—I don't want to see my savior become a criminal for someone like him."
It was Aaron Wang, who had stepped forward hesitantly.
"People like him are scum, as you said. But we shouldn't become like them, right?"
Sian flinched at Aaron's words. They were almost identical to something his mother had once told him. He recalled her bloodied figure, her labored breaths as she struggled to speak her final words: "Son, there are many bad people in the world. We can't erase them, but we can choose not to become like them."
"Drip..."
A single tear fell from Sian's beautiful amber eyes, wetting his long lashes. Everyone stared in shock as the teenager began to cry.
Lan Qisheng was the most affected. Without thinking, his feet carried him toward the crying boy standing alone among the wolves.
As the others approached, the wolves growled, ready to attack. But Sian's eyes hardened, and he quickly raised the leaf to his lips, playing a sweet, soothing melody. The wolves calmed and ran off into the forest.
The tension dissipated, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Lan Qisheng, however, felt his heartache as he looked at the tears streaming down Sian's delicate face. He stepped closer until only a few steps separated them.
Just as he reached out to wipe away Sian's tears...
The boy collapsed, his body falling toward him.
To be continued...