Deviant: No Longer Human-Chapter 688: Gambling addict-in-the-making!

A single question had changed everything.

Not long ago, Lanlan had made him promise—no more intimacy. They would keep their relationship as father and daughter, but they wouldn't cross the line again.

Of course, Wang Xiao hadn't agreed easily.

She had begged. Over and over. Until she swore to him—she would never marry anyone else, would never love another man.

And deep down… she knew the truth.

She had never really refused him.

Not just her, but all of his daughters—after growing up, they had all started connecting the dots.

Even back in school, they had noticed—why did any male friend they made mysteriously disappear?

The older they got, the clearer it became.

Escaping Wang Xiao was impossible.

Even as he claimed, "You are free to do whatever you want."

There were always unspoken rules attached to being his "daughters."

They couldn't disappoint him.

That was the rule.

None of them knew exactly what would happen if they did. But they knew this much—Even if he left them alone, others wouldn't.

___

Wenxi had once hinted to Lanlan—if she ever did anything to truly disappoint him, she should be prepared to die for it.

Even if it meant going against him.

Yue had never said anything outright. But she didn't need to.

Less impulsive, more calculating—she would act without warning, without hesitation.

And without telling anyone.

___

Then there was Yanyan.

Lanlan's sworn sister. But more importantly, Wang Xiao's secret guard.

His extra pair of eyes, his legs, his hands.

If it ever came to it, Yanyan wouldn't hesitate. She would eliminate Lanlan before she could even become a problem.

____

Eveline's daughters?

They only cared about Wang Xiao.

They gave zero shits about anyone else.

Would they act on their own? Hard to say.

But they had a track record of doing exactly that.

Not to mention, that terrifying Fiona—who listened to no one.

Not even her own mother.

Only him.

____

Then there were his other women.

Like Anran.

Who had been "offing" bitches left and right since the day she realized Wang Xiao was too ignorant to clean up his own messes.

Yes, Wang Xiao had slept with many women.

Most he forgot after a single night.

But Anran?

She didn't.

And if she deemed them a problem, she removed them.

She didn't even bother hiding it.

She would text him directly.

[Got rid of another one. You're welcome.]

Wang Xiao had never responded. Never acknowledged it.

But he also never stopped her.

And that was approval enough.

Of course, it wasn't great for her reputation among his other women.

But Anran didn't care.

She had been the most blunt about it.

Even when Amelia had been furious at her, even when Eleanor had simply given her a strange look.

Even when she got her ass beaten by Wang Xiao for acting without permission.

Because there was no need to warn women like Amelia or Eleanor.

They were trusted.

Anran just wanted to remind the rest—

That if needed, she was more than happy to be his little hound dog.

_____

So Lanlan knew—if she wanted him to agree to her request, she had to make sure it didn't seem like she was rejecting him. She wasn't denying him, just trying to maintain the status quo.

And surprisingly, he had promised.

For so long, he really hadn't done anything. Even when they met, all he did was give gifts, hug her at best…

Until today.

What she didn't know was that Wang Xiao had started seeing threats.

Xue Hanqin. The Karmic Emperor. Others lurking in the shadows.

He could no longer wait.

To him, leaving an unclaimed territory was like dangling a piece of fresh meat in front of wolves.

And Wang Xiao never made mistakes he would regret.

So he had fully opened his heart—embracing every one of his lovers.

He was driven by the existence of greater threats.

____

"Dad… I beg you…"

Her soft, trembling voice echoed through the silence.

Wang Xiao ignored it, his body pressing forward.

His rock-hard tip nudged against her small, wet entrance.

Lanlan didn't stop him—but still, her tearful eyes stared up at him, pleading.

"..."

Wang Xiao's breath stilled.

He stopped.

Their eyes locked.

Lanlan, feeling the pressure of his stare, didn't move. Tears silently fell.

Only their uneven breathing filled the space between them.

And the quiet anger in Wang Xiao's face.

Eleanor, who hadn't been asleep all this time, felt her heart pound violently.

Until now, she had ignored everything. But the moment she heard her own daughter refuse him—

Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest.

A part of her wanted to stop Lanlan a hundred times over.

But…

She had already promised Wang Xiao.

She had agreed long ago not to interfere in his relationship with her daughter.

Eleanor hadn't wanted to get pregnant in the first place.

But now, she truly loved her daughter.

And that was exactly why she believed it was best for Lanlan to accept him.

Even if it meant breaking taboos.

___

"Dad—"

Lanlan's breath softened as she suddenly felt him push inside.

Her body froze.

She went silent.

Her head dropped against his chest, as if she had been struck.

Wang Xiao didn't stop.

He held her tighter, pulling her close, moving just enough until he came inside her.

His release filled her, hot and filling.

"Next time…" his voice was low, warning, "I won't hear a no."

And then, he left.

Leaving behind Lanlan, who curled up, silent sobs shaking her body.

The excitement from before was gone.

Now, all she could feel was his essence inside her.

He hadn't gone all the way.

Just the tip.

Even though he hadn't pierced the last barrier, he had still left his mark.

Lanlan felt the warmth inside her and yet… her tears flowed freely.

A sigh echoed beside her.

Eleanor gently pulled her into an embrace, startling her for a moment before she finally broke down, crying harder.

Their eyes met.

"Mom… am I being unreasonable?"

Eleanor's brows furrowed. She held back her words, then simply patted Lanlan's back.

"Don't think about it."

Lanlan nodded weakly.

But how could she not think about it?

Seeing her daughter like this, Eleanor, who had held everything inside for so long, finally bit her lip.

"Lanlan… I want to tell you something."

"Hm?" Lanlan blinked, surprised.

Why did her mother sound so sad?

And then—Eleanor told her everything.

From the day Wang Xiao arrived in this very village, to the truth of their relationship.

Lanlan sat frozen, stunned.

Because no one ever talked about Wang Xiao's past.

But when she heard about how her mother had drugged him and abandoned him outside…

She turned to Eleanor, her face filled with disbelief.

It wasn't about the motives.

No matter how noble the reason, if the actions weren't honest, then nothing could excuse them.

That was something Wang Xiao had taught her.

And now… she finally understood.

____

Men like Wang Xiao—people in positions of absolute power—

The thing they hated most wasn't enemies.

It wasn't war.

It was lies. It was deceit. It was manipulation.

People like Wang Xiao were allowed to lie, to manipulate. But others weren't allowed to do it to them.

Why?

Because they planned.

People like Wang Xiao had everything mapped out.

They could predict external threats—even someone as strong as the Karmic Emperor.

But could they predict the hearts of their own people?

No.

That's why betrayal was the ultimate sin.

And now, Lanlan, who had grown up knowing the worst thing she could do was lie to Wang Xiao,

Realized her mother had committed the one sin he could never truly forgive.

Eleanor didn't want to dwell on the past. She had once prioritized this village, her position as the head of Xianthera, over everything else.

Even over herself.

She had changed with time.

But her old self had made mistakes—mistakes she could never forgive herself for.

Wang Xiao had left her a way out.

He had known that she valued this village more than her own life. If he had agreed to become its next leader, she would have killed herself without hesitation—to atone for what she had done to him.

She had already decided on it.

But he refused.

Instead… he raped her. Impregnated her.

Punished her.

Made her his slave.

She had once been willing to die for atonement.

But now, she couldn't even die.

Because of him.

Wang Xiao had refused to take over the village, refused to let her die.

Instead, he decreed that their daughter would inherit it after her.

And now, Eleanor was bound to him.

She had never wanted a daughter. She had never even liked being his lover. Because... She had always held motherly affection for him.

But since Lanlan was born, Wang Xiao had never once addressed Eleanor as his 'slave.'

Not openly.

Not in front of Lanlan.

Because it would affect her upbringing.

But that didn't mean Eleanor could forget.

How could she?

Why else would she follow him like a fool?

She had agreed to his every demand before.

But back then, at least she had asked questions, gotten silently angry.

Now?

Now, she couldn't even do that.

She had lost the right to.

She had made a mistake, and even if he forgave her, she couldn't forgive herself.

How stupid had she been?

To think that a village that didn't even recognize her existence was more important than him?

_____

"Mom, don't cry…"

Lanlan's voice was pained.

She had never expected her mother to suffer in silence like this.

"Lanlan…" Eleanor whispered, voice trembling.

"Don't repeat your mother's mistakes.

Do you want history to repeat itself...?"

Lanlan fell silent.

Repeat?

If she had known things were like this…

Would she have hesitated at all?

Wang Xiao's other women couldn't ask him to forgive Eleanor.

Because that would be trying to influence his decision.

Who were they to interfere?

When did they get so daring?

But Lanlan?

Lanlan was different.

She was asking for her own mother.

Even if he wanted to, he couldn't blame her for that. If she had known earlier—she would have accepted him without hesitation.

And she would have begged him to forgive Eleanor.

But now, he was gone.

Or rather…

He hadn't really left.

____

Rustle~

Wang Xiao was still there.

Perched on the rooftop, legs stretched out, silently smoking as he watched the sunrise.

The golden light spilled across the horizon, chasing away the remnants of night, but his expression remained—calm, distant and profound.

He exhaled a slow stream of smoke, letting it dissolve into the morning air.

He had never really left.

He didn't care about their conversation.

He simply stared at the horizon, his mind elsewhere.

His thoughts were too clouded.

No one could truly understand what went on inside this god-like entity's mind.

What was his end goal?

Where was he headed?

Eventually, he stood up and left.

He had come here to invite his women and daughters to a party.

Not his own birthday.

He never celebrated that.

But his daughters' birthdays?

They liked it.

So, for them, he did it.

_____

December 29th.

Wenxi and Yue's birthday.

He had come to invite Amelia and the others.

And once he had done so…

He left.

With time dilation, only two days had passed in the outside world.

______

"You're all going WHERE?"

Back at his house, Wang Xiao booked the tickets and, in front of a completely astonished Xinyue Zhilan, dragged Wenxi, Yue, Wang Mei, and Wang Xueying away.

"It's just a small trip, Mom!"

"What trip?! Who the hell goes to MACAU for a 'small trip'?"

Xinyue Zhilan stared in shock as they walked off.

"Xiao Wang, I'm NOT done with you! Come back!"

Her shouts were ignored.

In the end, she could only yell after them—

"DON'T GAMBLE! STAY AWAY FROM THE CASINOS!"

But she already knew.

Her stubborn, reckless son had long stopped asking for permission.

_____

Once they were outside, Wenxi excitedly grabbed his hand.

"Dad, can we gamble there?"

If Xinyue Zhilan had heard the words of this spoiled little princess of her son, she would have drop-kicked this tiny gambling addict-in-the-making before she even got the chance to sniff a damn dice, let alone roll one.

Wang Xiao smiled.

"Just this time."

"Mm." Wenxi nodded, eyes gleaming with excitement.

The others?

They were confused.

Why was Wenxi banned from gambling in the first place?

Well.

They'd soon find out.