Chapter 67: Bath of Fire

"Get out! Get out!"

The furious woman slapped the boy in the face, and the boy's handsome face suddenly became red and swollen. His eyes were red and he cried while holding the woman's legs.

"Mom, Mom, please—please—"

The woman remained unmoved, her face still filled with anger as she dragged him out of the room. The father next to her also lowered his head and cried, but did not stop her. He just looked at the boy sadly.

"Bang!"

The door was slammed shut, mercilessly.

The boy's face was red and swollen, his dark hair wet and sticky from his tears. He was gasping for breath, clinging to the door helplessly, "Dad, I know you're here, please—please—"

The middle-aged man, who had always been submissive, leaned against the door, listening to the boy's crying at the door, and still shed tears and sobbed softly.

"I won't be soft-hearted anymore, I won't be soft-hearted anymore..."

Whispering like this.

The boy's cry was desperate and aggrieved, and his handsome mixed-race face was full of grievance and vulnerability, which would make anyone feel pity for him.

"Please, open the door, Daddy, and give me some more money, just a little—Dad! Dad! I can't take it anymore! Give me money!"

He went from being fragile at the beginning to shouting at the top of his lungs at the end, his face even turning ferocious as he pounded on the door desperately, "Please! Give me money! I can't take it anymore—!"

"Get out of here, get out! We don't have a son like you anymore!!"

A woman's furious voice echoed through the room, followed by the sounds of arguing and throwing objects. She could faintly be heard yelling, "You've spoiled him all this time! He's stolen so many times! My son has become a shameful, lying drug addict! If you open the door for him again, get out with him!"

The boy's breathing became heavier, and he huddled against the door, forbearing and suffering. He cursed at the top of his lungs, "How could there be such cruel parents like you? I hate you! I hate you!"

"I hate you—! I hate you so much!"

He banged on the door desperately until his hands were covered in blood, but after he finished cursing, he still clung to the door humbly and pitifully, crying and begging for mercy.

“Wuwuwuwu——”

The boy's crying and the quarrel in the house made everything a mess, and the baby's crying overlapped with the boy's crying.

The baby in the stroller next to them was woken up and started crying in a shrill and annoying way.

Apparently, not only the teenager, but also his children were kicked out of the house.

Levi couldn't quite tell whether it was the mother's furious "Take this bastard you conceived and get out with him!" that had thrown the baby out, or the father's desire to make his life easier and secretly put the stroller outside with the government subsidy for the baby.

But this is an urgent matter for Levi, and the government subsidy for the baby will allow him to get rid of his addiction this time.

He wiped the tears from his face, calmed down, and looked at the stroller. The little bastard inside stopped crying when he saw Levi, and danced with joy as if he wanted him to hold him.

But he turned his face away indifferently, losing his previous humbleness and pity. Instead, he lit a cigarette impatiently, not caring at all about the baby beside him, and sneered, "What are you laughing at, little bastard?"

But following him, the child's life will be difficult.

————————

In fact, Levi didn't know who the child's mother was. He was rebellious when he was young, racing, skipping classes, and taking drugs. It was hard to say who the mother of this little bastard of her father was. If he knew, he could extort some child support. If the government hadn't prohibited abortion, this little bastard would have died long ago.

However, the government subsidies for single fathers are quite good. At least they have a stable and simple community residence, and the monthly living expenses can allow the father and the baby to have enough food to eat.

But it was definitely not enough for Levi.

He entered the room in a cheerful mood and impatiently took out several syringes from his arms, his face full of impatience.

But this little bastard probably didn't have many people to coax him after he was born, so he didn't cry or make a fuss, but just looked at Levi curiously.

The baby had finished all the milk powder given by his father at home. Levi didn't know how to take care of the child, so he just threw a bottle for him to hold and chew. He was quite flustered, but he didn't think it was troublesome. Instead, he sat down impatiently, took out the syringe and prepared to use it.

He was holding a cigarette between his teeth, puffing away in a trance. He hazily looked at the child in the stroller, mumbling to himself, "Are you jealous? Little bastard... But I won't let you use it..."

The baby was choked by the smoke and started crying with his lips pouted while holding the empty bottle.

The baby's cry was sharp and piercing, waking up the dazed Levi quite a bit. Anger instantly rose in his heart, and he picked up the bottle and threw it out fiercely, roaring and shouting, "Why are you crying, your father?!"

He was obviously drunk from the drugs and was in a daze, not knowing what to do.

He was drunk and dreaming under the influence of drugs, sitting in a trance beside the stroller. The hazy mind and the baby's distorted cry echoed in his ears and mind, as if he had fallen into another world.

————————

When Levi woke up, it was already daybreak. He slumped next to the stroller with his hands in the cradle, his whole body aching from sitting all night.

The baby who cried so hard last night was sleeping soundly, with his little hands holding his thumb and sucking it gently.

Levi could feel the softness moving in his little mouth, and could also see that he was sleeping soundly, like a porcelain doll.

Probably due to the drugs from last night, Levi was still in a trance. After watching for a while, he didn't pull his hand away for a long time. He just frowned in disgust and said, "...the saliva is so disgusting."

——————

The baby hasn't eaten for a day and has run out of milk powder. If he still has to receive government subsidies, he can't die. That's all Levi thought.

Levi reluctantly sold some medicine and bought a bucket of milk powder.

As soon as he entered the door, he cursed with malice and resentment, "Damn debt collector, do you know how expensive your milk powder is? I sold two bottles! I thought one was enough, you damn debt collector, I'll starve you to death!"

Even as he said this, he did not stop making the milk powder.

The baby, who couldn't understand what was being said, just babbled and laughed, shaking his arms, staring at the bottle in Levi's hand with his big round eyes.

——————

It’s not enough, absolutely not enough.

If you keep a damn debt collector, you won’t be able to buy much medicine.

He was twisting and screaming on the ground because of a drug addiction attack, and the baby in the stroller was whimpering with his pain.

He should have strangled the little bastard long ago.

Levi thought weakly on the ground with sweat all over his head.

It's not that Levi hasn't thought about prostitution, but keeping a debt collector and his body's desire for drugs have long made him lose his mind - that's how all drug addicts are.

I wish he had fallen as well.

But when he stood in the dim alley and the woman's greasy hand touched him, Levi, who had lost his mind, suddenly thought of something. He suddenly lowered his head and bit the woman's hand fiercely. He put on his hood and ran away without paying attention to the woman's curse.

He returned home panting, wrapped himself tightly in his clothes, and was still in shock.

Those deep blue eyes were filled with panic and helplessness, mixed with a hint of imperceptible pain.

But the baby in the stroller seemed happy about his return, shaking his hands as if wanting him to hold him.

Levi just knelt, buried his head in the stroller, feeling the baby's soft body, as if confessing, and was silent for a long time, cursing, "...Damn bastard."

Like choking.

——————

Levi began to carefully calculate his daily expenses and reduce the purchase of drugs. The expenses of raising a baby were much higher than he had imagined. Levi could only suppress his addiction every day while taking care of the little bastard and cursing.

In order to maintain his daily expenses, he even found a job as a stock clerk in a convenience store.

However, his colleagues kept an eye on him all the time. After all, he was a rebellious boy who took drugs, and petty thefts were unavoidable in the eyes of others.

Generally speaking, people like Levi would not be able to find a job, but the old woman hired him after touching his thigh twice with a lustful look. Even though Levi was disgusted in his heart, he turned a blind eye to her groping. Although the salary was meager, it was enough for him and the little bastard to eat enough.

——————

Levi kind of likes this little bastard.

He gradually reduced his drug intake and devoted his daily energy to work and taking care of this little bastard. Although he cursed a lot, his condition was obviously much better than before.

Levi liked his chubby little hands a little bit, and he would pretend to bite them every time, which made the little bastard giggle.

——————

In fact, Levi always thought of the past. Every time he woke up in the middle of the night, he would tremble for a long time, stroking the needle in his hand and thinking, while the baby next to him slept soundly in his dream. Levi, covered in cold sweat, would think vaguely in his dream -

The little bastard doesn’t have a name yet, what should we call him?

——————

Levi couldn't stand it anymore, he dreamed about the past again, where several women's dirty hands touched him and approached him with evil smiles.

He struggled desperately in disgust, and was suddenly awakened by the stimulation.

“Huff…Huff, huff, huff—”

Levi lowered his head, cold sweat soaked his hair, making him look extremely embarrassed.

He looked at the table, where there was a month's worth of medicine.

Levi lit a cigarette and put it in his mouth. He saw the baby sleeping soundly beside him. He paused, lowered his crow-feather eyelashes, and put out the cigarette and threw it into the trash can.

He just took the syringe and went outside.

The cold wind outside blew on his body, biting him. He almost couldn't wait to push the needle into his arm. The dense needle holes on his arm had decreased a lot, but the stinging pain and the pleasure of forgetting still made him dazed.

The distorted scene in his mind made him squint his eyes with pleasure, and he fell into a deep and happy sleep, curled up and murmured, extremely happy.

"don't want……"

"don't want……"

"Mom, don't—"

——————

Levi was awakened by the shrill sound of the fire alarm. When he staggered to the front of the house with soreness and daze all over his body, firefighters were coming in and out. The scorching flames and choking disgust made Levi stunned for a long time.

The firefighter yelled, "Whose house is this! How many people are inside!"

The neighbor said anxiously, "It's a boy with a child. Oh my god - the boy is here, where is the child?"

Levi's head ached terribly. He seemed to be detached from the noisy scene and could only hear the anxious and sharp voices of his neighbors.

The boy is here, where is the child?

Where are the children?

…The child was in the fire.

——————

Levi's life, which was briefly illuminated, quickly dimmed again, darker than the darkest night.

——————

"Dr. Christian, this is the patient's information—"

The doctor named Christian frowned slightly as he looked at the information in his hand.

A patient who was accused of murdering a child... Although the charges were eventually dropped by accident, this patient not only suffered from drug addiction, but his mental state was also unstable, and he had self-harm behaviors more than once, so he was sent to Christian.

If Christian can't cure the patient, he will be sent to a mental hospital.

She asked the young man in front of her with a calm and gentle tone, "Would you like to tell me about your past?"

He lowered his eyes, still lifeless.

——————

Perhaps it was the boy's sense of brokenness and pain that was not in line with his age that made Christian feel sympathy.

She flipped through the boy's profile more than once, looking at his dull and lifeless face in the photos.

The other colleagues were puzzled, almost sneering and scornful. "Christian, you're too concerned about him. A man like that would do anything to get high. He probably had a child through prostitution. If it wasn't for drugs, how could the fire have happened?"

Christian frowned slightly and pointed at the information. "But he was a minor when he gave birth. He has a long history of drug abuse. The baby didn't have a drug addiction, but he did. This at least proves that he desperately suppressed his drug addiction during the ten months of pregnancy—"

"There have been more than one incidents of mediation at his home due to domestic violence."

"He was sexually assaulted."

"—I think he might be a good boy."

——————

Christian wanted to study him more. At least curing a patient who had suffered mental damage due to a major blow would be a good thing for her research.

Levi gradually became willing to talk to Christian, and even just a few words would make Christian happy for a moment.

When she brought her daughter born to her ex-husband, Levi's silent gaze moved obviously.

The little girl was rarely brought to her mother's workplace, and she pestered almost everyone to play with her, and she especially liked to pester Levi.

Probably because the little girl was warm and cute, like the dead bastard, Levi's condition was obviously much better.

Like the warmth of slowly flowing water, Christian and the little girl celebrated Levi's birthday in the ward, eating cake together and singing ridiculous birthday songs together.

Levi's voice was hoarse, and he hadn't spoken for a long time. He looked at the cake and paused for a long time before saying, "No one has ever celebrated my birthday."

"As far back as I can remember, that man was being beaten."

He spoke for a moment and then stopped talking. He just leaned slightly towards Christian, closed his eyes, and enjoyed a rare moment of peace.

——————

Levi's condition has improved a lot. Christian helped him to quit drugs and regulate his body, and even obtained a discharge certificate.

The days here were like a refuge for Levi. He was in a trance for a long time and was reluctant to step out, but Christian held his hand and invited him, "Vivian likes you very much. Maybe you should stay at my house temporarily and help me take care of her."

The woman's smile was gentle and kind.

Levi was silent for a long time, with his head down, and then nodded inaudibly.

They went to the supermarket together to buy things, and even though Levi liked to cover himself completely with a hood, Christian did not let go of his hand.

Levi likes desserts, so he rewards him with a piece of sweet cake every time he recovers from his drug addiction.

Their lives were plain and warm, and Levi's gradually melting eyes slowly melted away along with the darkness of the world.

——————

Levi still had nightmares all the time, and his deep blue eyes would always become moist and red, and then he would sob softly in the night.

Christian hugged him lovingly and listened to his hoarse voice saying, "I want to see my mother."

——————

The haggard old man almost didn't recognize his son who had been away from home for a long time. When they met again, he looked at Levi with caution and distress, "Levi...don't come back."

Levi didn't say anything, just pushed the man aside and walked into the house.

Christian followed him and smiled apologetically at the man.

The woman in the room sat next to the TV, drinking beer sip by sip, and the smell of alcohol was strong.

It took her cloudy eyes a long time to see Levi clearly, and she paused, as if surprised or exclaiming, "Levi? Levi!"

Levi then stepped forward and punched the woman hard in the face.

"Ah ...

The woman cried out in pain, and the man's scream was obviously more shrill.

He rushed over quickly, pushed Levi away, and accused him sharply, "Levi! Did you come back just for this? She is your mother!"

"Fuck your dad's mom, she fucked me."

Levi stared at him fiercely, his voice hoarse.

He looked at the man protecting the woman with sadness and anger, "Why didn't you protect me when she hit me? Where were you when she touched me? Where were you when she had sex with me?!"

The man was stunned, then trembled silently.

Levi gave him a disappointed look and turned to leave, but Christian stopped where he was.

He waited for a long time but Christian didn't come out.

When she came out, her face was obviously bruised. She smiled and rubbed the bruises on her face, "I had a fight with that woman."

Levi just reached out, scoffed, and gently touched her face.

——————

Their lives are getting better and better.

He was trying to reconcile with his family of origin and to integrate into society. He refused Christian's offer of financial support and found a job as a waiter.

The indifference on his face slowly melted away, and finally only peaceful calmness remained.

Maybe he's better.

Maybe he no longer dreams.

Christian thought so.

When he was getting off work, a bouquet of flowers suddenly appeared in front of him, the lights suddenly came on, and a woman knelt on one knee, looking affectionate.

"Levi, marry me."

"I will give you a better life and I will love you well."

She promised solemnly.

Levi was slightly dazed, squinting his eyes, looking at the crowd next to him who were expecting to make a fuss, looking at Vivian's eager eyes next to him, and then looking at the cherishment in Christian's eyes.

He was in a daze for a long time and still didn't take the ring.

He said he needed to think about it.

Give him time from night to dawn.

——————

Dawn is coming.

Christian was preparing breakfast excitedly, perhaps the next second Levi would knock on the door gently and agree to kiss her.

Maybe Levi would appear in front of her in a while.

She hummed a song, feeling happy and cheerful.

It was just that in the morning news, a serious female news anchor was reporting the news.

"A charred male body was found at 5:57 a.m. on the city's beach. Based on clues at the scene, police initially inferred it was self-immolation. Currently, the identity is difficult to identify. We hope the public can provide clues to the identity of the charred male body."

——————

What is he thinking about?

At the moment he burned himself to death, did he see the first rays of dawn rising from the seashore? Or was the flame rising from his body the only light in the darkness?

What was he thinking when he looked at the sea?

Not all warmth ends in a peaceful release, and not everyone deserves forgiveness.

At least in Levi's heart, he has never been forgiven.

——————

The movie "Bath of Fire" starring Li Ji has been released.