Chapter 107 It's just death, isn't it? "Then kill me!"...
Li Leshan took out his keys from his pocket, but stopped just as he was about to unlock the door. He even wondered if he might have forgotten to lock it; lately, he'd been forgetting things. Forgetting to turn off the lights, forgetting to lock the door, forgetting what he was doing a second ago. But this time, he knew it wasn't something he'd forgotten.
The moment he pushed open the door, he winced at the strong smell of smoke and cheap alcohol. The lights were off, but he already knew who it was. Besides Li Yong, who else would come to this place?
“Son,” Li Yong’s voice came from the old-fashioned sofa, “long time no see. You’ve been having a good time lately, haven’t you?”
...Comfortable?
Suppressing his anger, Li Leshan kicked away an empty wine bottle that had rolled to his feet. The glass shattered against the wall, leaving a trail of broken glass. "What are you doing here?"
“I was thinking of catching up,” Li Yong said with a fearless expression. He stood up unsteadily and looked around the house he had turned upside down—all the drawers were pulled out and the cabinet doors were open. “Looks like there’s no need for that now. Tell me, where did that old geezer put all his money?”
God knows he searched the entire house, turning everything upside down, throwing things away, smashing things—he looked everywhere he could and couldn't find a single penny. Wasn't this blatantly guarding against him? Guarding him like a damn thief!
"You came back just for this?" Li Leshan felt a throbbing pain in his temples, and a fire seemed to ignite in his heart. He didn't know how Li Yong dared to come back. Where did he get the confidence? He must know better than anyone what had happened at home, otherwise why would he choose to come back at this critical moment?
“Oh,” Li Yong scoffed, as if everything that had happened had nothing to do with him. “What are you trying to say? Let me think… Isn’t it good that she’s dead? You’re free of burdens, free of hindrances, you no longer have to worry about this or that…”
Before he could finish speaking, Li Leshan threw a punch with all his might, slamming it into Li Yong's chin. The dull thud of bone hitting bone was exceptionally clear in the quiet room.
He knew Li Yong was heartless, he knew Li Yong was a scumbag, but he never imagined Li Yong could be so disgusting, so utterly shameless. He couldn't understand how such a selfish and cold-blooded person could exist in the world.
"Kid," Li Yong was caught off guard and staggered backward. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes turning ferocious. "While I'm talking to you nicely, don't you dare be ungrateful! Hand over the money, or I'll have to tell you a second time!"
Li Leshan gave him a cold look. "No money."
"I will never give you another penny."
He would continue working, in internet cafes, and anywhere he could squeeze in time, because he needed the money. But he wouldn't give Li Yong a single penny of that money. Looking back, it seemed his initial forbearance and concessions hadn't changed anything; instead of calming things down, Li Yong remained defiant, even more so. His tolerance had only resulted in further demands.
Is it useful for him to give money?
Is it any use for him to hide?
The fact is, it doesn't exist!
He didn't want to struggle and eke out a living anymore. He finally understood his grandmother's words: one must live for oneself. Li Leshan didn't quite understand at first; he always thought he was living for himself, so he studied hard and worked tirelessly. Even though it was painful, he had to live.
But it wasn't until he suddenly realized what kind of life he had been living that he understood. Could his past days of living in fear and constant compromise be considered living?
"What did you say?!" Li Yong was instantly enraged. He was already furious about not being able to find the money, and seeing Li Leshan's words, he finally exploded. "You want me to cause trouble at your school?! To let everyone know that you're an ungrateful wretch who doesn't recognize his father! To let everyone see how you, a mute, treat your own father!"
"Whatever." Li Leshan said expressionlessly.
The next second, Li Yong grabbed his collar and punched him in the face.
Li Leshan didn't dodge. The fist slammed into his cheekbone, the pain making his vision go black. He tasted blood in his mouth, salty and with a metallic taste, and his cheek instantly burned.
"You motherfucker..." Li Yong cursed, his words incoherent. His face was contorted with shock that Li Leshan would dare to defy him like this. "Do you believe I'll kill you!"
"Then kill me!" Li Leshan's eyes reddened, and his hands trembled slightly, but he felt no fear. He was no longer afraid of Li Yong; whatever Li Yong did, he would do as he pleased! He could no longer allow Li Yong to manipulate him.
So what if you die? Living like a ghost every day, what's the difference between this and death? Li Leshan has fucking had enough!
"You think I wouldn't dare!" Li Yong became even more enraged, and then punched Li Leshan hard in the stomach.
A sharp pain shot through his abdomen, causing Li Leshan to kneel on the ground. He coughed twice, splattering blood on the floor, but his gaze toward Li Yong remained unwavering. "Come on, kill me!"
It just so happens that he died and Li Yong went to jail, killing two birds with one stone and ending it all. He no longer has to work and study every day; he no longer has his days crammed full of chaotic activities; he no longer has to endure the pain and torment of losing his grandmother, and he no longer has to rely on sleeping pills to fall asleep...
"Fine!" Li Yong's eyes flashed with a fierce light. "You've got guts!"
He squatted down and pulled something out of his pocket. With his other hand, he roughly grabbed Li Leshan's hair, forcing him to look up. "Take a good look, who is this!"
Li Leshan was forced to open his eyes, which were wet with sweat and blood, and everything before him was blurry. When he recognized the person in the photo, his pupils widened instantly, and his blood seemed to freeze in that instant.
moon……
Jiang Yueming…!
The photo, specifically a candid shot, shows Jiang Yueming carrying a schoolbag and wearing his school uniform. His profile appears serene in the sunlight.
"What are you going to do?" Li Leshan struggled violently, but Li Yong held him down firmly.
“You know this kid, right?” Li Yong grinned smugly, looking at his expression, feeling a bit more confident. “You two seem to have a pretty good relationship. I don’t care what your relationship is, whether you’re friends or lovers or whatever, I’m not interested. You won’t give me the money? Fine! I’ll go ask him for it! Do you think he’ll readily hand over the money for your sake?”
"Think it over carefully, I don't have that much time to waste on you!" Li Yong casually threw the photo on the ground like trash. He picked up a nearly empty beer bottle and chugged it down his throat. When the bottle was empty, he smashed it on the ground, shattering it instantly. Glass shards splashed onto Li Leshan's hand, leaving a bloody scratch.
The door slammed shut, and Li Yong's footsteps, accompanied by curses, faded into the distance.
The room was deathly silent. Li Leshan stared blankly at the door, then suddenly realized something and hurriedly picked up the photos from the floor, carefully wiping away the crumbs and dust. The blood from his fingertips stained the photos red.
Li Leshan repeatedly checked, his fingertips tracing Jiang Yueming's face, finally accepting the cruel reality: he had dragged Jiang Yueming into this mess. He had lost his grandmother, and now he was going to drag Jiang Yueming down with him. In this world, the last person he wanted to implicate was him.
Li Leshan knelt on the ground, clutching the photo tightly, his fingernails digging into his palms. His forehead pressed against the cold floor, his whole body curled up, his shoulders trembling incessantly, his stomach, abdomen, and heart all aching terribly.
My mind is blank; I can't remember anything, and thinking about anything hurts. Only a few words are frantically screaming and jumping around in my head—
So painful, so painful, I am in so much pain... This was the only thought in Li Leshan's mind.
Grandma's departure took a part of Li Leshan with her. In other words, perhaps Li Leshan also died with Grandma.
Since Li Yong started causing trouble, the pace of life has accelerated, and everything is pushing him forward. He continues to study and work without neglecting either. The burdens of life and studies weigh heavily on Li Leshan's shoulders, almost crushing him, but he accepts everything and no longer has the strength to resist.
He suddenly realized that resistance was futile. He couldn't possibly make Jiang Yueming share the burden because of him. He couldn't do it, and he didn't dare to gamble, not even if there was a one in ten thousand chance.
Li Yong seemed certain that Li Leshan would no longer resist, and he was secretly pleased to have found a good handle against him. Li Leshan transferred money to him on time every month, even more than before. He used that money to continue his drinking, gambling, and womanizing, robbing Peter to pay Paul, patching up this hole and mending that basket... As for where that money came from, or what Li Leshan went through, it had nothing to do with him.
In Li Yong's heart, he never treated Li Leshan as a son, never took him seriously, and never even considered him a human being. He used to be a punching bag, now he was an ATM. He even felt it wasn't enough; if only he had had two more children, their lives might be much more comfortable now.
What lies ahead? Li Leshan couldn't see the end of the road; all he knew was darkness. A vast expanse of blackness, he couldn't find his way; the ground beneath his feet was hollow, and he felt he could sink in at any moment—or rather, he was already deeply mired in it. He didn't know when he could climb out, perhaps never.
Li Leshan didn't know what to do.
He lived each day exhausted, unable to sleep but forced to because he always had something to do. Before, he wanted to know the answers to problems, he would beg for an answer, he would ask anyone, but now, he no longer wanted to know what to do.
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