Chapter 93 Harbor "It's my father."
"Working non-stop," Liu Yang said with a hint of admiration, or rather, great admiration. "You're so young, can your body handle it?"
Li Leshan obediently tidied the table, not even lifting his eyelids. Liu Yang was already used to this kind of scene; they had known each other for at least half a year, if not a year, and he had long since figured out Li Leshan's temperament. He was only interested in "partners" and "money," and didn't care about anything else.
“I’m serious,” Liu Yang thought for a moment, “I’m not kidding you. Here’s what we’ll do: you come here at 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. every day to clean the lobby and my room upstairs. You’ll get paid as usual. After you finish, you can go work at the Zhonghua Market next door…”
He himself felt that there couldn't possibly be such a good person in the world. He raised an eyebrow at Li Leshan and said, "What, isn't your brother Yang looking handsome right now?"
Li Leshan finally reacted. He looked up at Liu Yang, picked up the paper and pen on the table, and said, "I did it all. How much money are you going to give me?"
Liu Yang took a deep breath, almost laughing out of anger.
Is this kid obsessed with money?
Is he in a hurry to pay off millions of dollars in debt?
Or is he bound to some money-making system? If he doesn't make money, will he die in the next second? At this rate, he'll die of exhaustion before he even starts making any money. If a promising student from the Tsinghua/Peking University class is killed off, he'll be hunted down.
Seeing his shocked expression, Li Leshan silently added, "Just kidding."
This is really not funny. And his expression was serious at first.
"How much money do you need?" Liu Yang asked directly. He could lend it to Li Leshan interest-free. With Li Leshan's intelligence, earning that kind of money after he starts working would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?
Li Leshan shook his head.
“Thank you, brother. But it’s okay,” he wrote.
It wasn't because of anything about Liu Yang himself; to be honest, Liu Yang was a really good person. Despite his seemingly carefree and irresponsible demeanor, he was actually quite kind-hearted and had already helped him a great deal. He was genuinely grateful. Li Leshan did need the money, but he had to earn it himself. He didn't want to owe anyone anything.
Furthermore, to put it bluntly, Li Leshan didn't even know exactly how much money was needed, and even if Liu Yang could provide it, he couldn't answer that. How much Li Yong needed was an unknown. Moreover, he couldn't let Li Yong know he had money.
Liu Yang didn't persist. He stood in front of him for a full half minute before leaving, saying, "Say what you need to say."
He now has to take an hour each day to go home and see his grandmother. First, she's anxious because she can't see him. She doesn't know if it's because of that time she had nightmares, dreaming that Li Yong was released from prison. Li Leshan is keeping it from her; he hasn't dared to tell her that Li Yong is out. Second, Li Leshan is also afraid that something might happen.
He hurriedly rode his bike back to Third Alley, managing to compress the half-hour journey into twenty minutes.
After parking his car, Li Leshan went upstairs to check on his grandmother, comforted her to sleep, and then locked the door. To prevent Li Yong from entering, he also had a security lock installed.
After making sure the door was locked, Li Leshan didn't leave. He squatted at the entrance of the stairwell for a while, about five minutes, but no one came. So, he decided to ride his bike back to the internet cafe.
The next second, a figure flashed out from downstairs at Jiang Yueming's house.
Li Leshan's breathing quickened instantly. He disregarded the car, because the distance was a bit far, and Li Leshan couldn't clearly see whether the figure was Li Yong or not. But his subconscious told him it was. By the time he chased after him, "Li Yong" had already vanished.
In an instant, a surge of anger rushed into Li Leshan's mind. The impact of the emotion was so strong that he couldn't even think straight. Li Leshan clenched his fist tightly, sent Liu Yang a message saying "Something came up at home," and then turned and walked towards the old town area.
He's already endured enough, hasn't he? Why does Li Yong keep provoking him?
What exactly is he trying to do?
What the hell is he trying to do?!
...
Deep in the alley, the stench of rotting garbage filled the air. Li Yong, a half-smoked cigarette dangling from his lips, squinted as he counted the few crumpled bills in his hand, pondering where he could spend the night or perhaps find some sucker to rip off for drinks.
Just then, a series of hurried but deliberately light footsteps approached from behind him, forcing Li Yong to turn around and take a look.
The next second, he suddenly felt a huge impact and slammed into the wall.
"Damn it...!" Li Yong gasped. He was slammed hard against the brick wall, his back hitting the wall with a loud thud.
Before he could recover from the sudden attack, a hand with distinct knuckles grabbed his collar tightly, pressing him even closer to the wall. Then, the hand violently flung him away, the force so great that he staggered and almost fell.
Li Yong clutched his chest, coughing violently. After finally catching his breath, he could make out the face of the person in front of him in the dim light.
It's Li Leshan.
"Are you fucking crazy?! How dare you hit me!" Li Yong instantly flew into a rage.
He roared and habitually raised his hand to slap the opponent hard.
Li Leshan suddenly raised his hand and blocked Li Yong's wrist.
“Didn’t I warn you?” Li Leshan pointed at Li Yong, “Don’t mess with anyone around me.”
"Warning?" Li Yong scoffed. Even though the young man in front of him had undergone tremendous changes over the years, Li Yong still looked down on him and didn't believe he could pull off anything.
"Damn it! You've gone too far!" Li Yong seized the opportunity to grab Li Leshan's arm and slammed it backward.
Li Yong couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that his once timid son, who would only hide in a corner, would rebel against him to this extent, with a youthful, reckless determination.
...
Li Yong leaned against the wall, wiped his mouth, spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, and had several obvious bruises on his face.
Li Leshan's heart was pounding violently. He was barely able to stand, his body slightly bent, his left hand unconsciously pressing on his right ribs. Every breath he took was accompanied by sharp pain.
He looked up, staring intently at Li Yong, his eyes filled with fierceness and defiance. He wiped a little blood from his hand and gestured with trembling hands, "I know you can read this. Don't pretend with me."
"Stay away from them."
Looking at his reckless behavior and the half-broken brick lying on the ground, Li Yong felt a chill run down his spine.
This kid is really going to fight me to the death!
"Fine! You've got guts, kid! I don't have time to mess with you!" Li Yong spat, cursing as he dusted himself off. "But remember this! My life, Li Leshan's life, was given to me! I can do whatever I want with it!"
He uttered those harsh words and then sauntered out of the alley.
Li Leshan stood there for a minute, dazed, before finally collapsing to the ground, his entire body aching. Leaning against the damp wall, the pain instantly overwhelmed him, causing him to involuntarily bend over.
His right hand had a large patch of skin scraped off in the impact, leaving it bloody and mangled. It was trembling slightly and uncontrollably, making it extremely difficult to even clench his fist.
Excruciating pain and exhaustion, along with a wave of despair, enveloped Li Leshan. He closed his eyes, leaned his head back against the wall, clenched his teeth, and swallowed back the sob that was about to escape his lips.
After a long while, Li Leshan slowly got up from the ground. He knelt on the ground, head down, sweat mixed with a little blood dripping onto the ground.
A gray haze enveloped him, and he felt as if he were about to collapse to the ground at any moment. But he couldn't fall, much less compromise. Because compromise would mean that Li Yong could do whatever he wanted.
Grandma, Yueming.
Li Leshan felt as if he were seeing figures in front of him, as if he were in a dream.
I will definitely protect you.
I swear...
Fortunately, it was dark and there were few people around, so no one was paying attention to his movements. Otherwise, they probably would have called the police if they saw him like this. Only the occasional cat or dog would dart by, make eye contact with Li Leshan for half a second, and then dart off to another place.
He stumbled back to the third alley, barely able to walk without holding onto the wall, taking one step and then stopping. Finally, in the next second of his fading consciousness, he opened the door to his house.
"Lele...?"
Jiang Yueming's trembling voice came from beside my ear.
Li Leshan shook his head, subconsciously thinking he was hallucinating, and couldn't believe Jiang Yueming was here. Because of tinnitus, the sound wasn't very clear, as if it came from a very distant place.
He thought he might be hallucinating because he'd been thinking about it too much lately. But the next second, he looked up and met Jiang Yueming's eyes directly.
Are you kidding me?
Is he dreaming?
Why is Jiang Yueming here?!
Li Leshan stood frozen in place, his hands trembling uncontrollably. He no longer had the strength to dodge, nor did he know where to hide. He and Jiang Yueming stared at each other for a full half minute, neither of them moving. That half minute felt like an eternity.
"Who...?" Jiang Yueming's eyes reddened, he clenched his fists and asked through gritted teeth.
Not hearing a reply, Jiang Yueming asked again.
"Who the hell is it?" Jiang Yueming felt his heart pounding so hard it was about to burst. His mind went completely blank; he didn't know where he was, or even what he'd said. "I'm going to kill him..."
Li Leshan was covered in wounds from head to toe. Every time Jiang Yueming looked at him, she felt as if her heart was being cut by a knife.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk,” Jiang Yueming said without hesitation. He turned to go to the kitchen to get a knife. “Don’t worry, Lele. I… I will definitely find her. I will never let you suffer any injustice…”
Seeing his resolute back, Li Leshan quickly took two steps and hugged Jiang Yueming. His arms around Jiang Yueming's waist were so tight that Jiang Yueming could clearly see the injury on his hand.
Almost no part of the back of his right hand was intact; it looked shocking.
Jiang Yueming's nose tingled, and her eyes immediately filled with tears. Her voice choked with emotion, "Please, please tell me, I really beg you..."
Jiang Yueming turned around, pressed his shoulder, and looked him up and down with trembling hands. Finally, she slowly lowered her head and pressed her forehead against Li Leshan's chest.
"Please, I..." Jiang Yueming's voice was choked with sobs, and she couldn't even utter a complete sentence.
The injury clearly fell on Li Leshan, but it felt the same as if it had fallen on him. Jiang Yueming felt a sharp pain in his heart, so painful that he couldn't straighten up.
Li Leshan moved his fingers, putting a little distance between himself and Jiang Yueming.
"It's my father."
The moment Jiang Yueming saw the sign language, he was practically frozen in place. He went over the word in his mind several times before he realized what Li Leshan had said.
For six whole years, he had spent six whole years with Li Leshan. For more than two thousand one hundred days and nights, he had never heard Li Leshan mention that he had a father. Like everyone else, he thought he was dead.
"Was it your father who hit you...?" Jiang Yueming's tone changed.
Li Leshan closed his eyes and nodded.
He was exhausted; walking back to Third Alley had drained all his strength. The moment he saw Jiang Yueming, he knew he could no longer hide it, and he couldn't hide it any longer. If he remained silent, if he chose to stay quiet, Jiang Yueming would break down.
This is fate; he can't escape it.
Only a nightlight was on in the room, and everything was quiet. Jiang Yueming knelt on the ground, wiping Li Leshan's wounds. He wiped for a moment, then looked up to see Li Leshan's reaction.
That same night, Li Leshan recounted his childhood to Jiang Yueming in detail. His father was a complete scoundrel, beating his wife and children, gambling, and drinking—he did every bad thing imaginable. Later, he accidentally went to prison and was sentenced to ten years. Li Leshan finally had a brief escape from that hellish place, from that devilish man.
He and his grandmother came to Shengping, his mother's hometown. Shengping was far from Chuanshan, one inland and the other by the sea. Li Leshan felt that ten years would be enough. He would study hard for ten years, and then take his grandmother away from Shengping to a place that Li Yong would never find.
Contrary to expectations, Li Yong was released in less than ten years, and his nightmare began again.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Jiang Yueming said softly.
"I have no idea……"
He didn't know Li Yong would come out so early, he didn't know Li Yong would find him and his grandmother so quickly, and he didn't know that Li Yong hadn't changed at all over the years.
Li Leshan ultimately concealed the fact that Li Yong had returned for money. He could no longer let Jiang Yueming get involved in this mess, and he would never do so; this was his bottom line.
"Promise me you won't go looking for him." After signing, Li Leshan reached out and touched Jiang Yueming's face, lingering on his cheek for a moment. "I'll hide, and you have to hide too."
Jiang Yueming pursed his lips, a pleading look on his face, "Not going to find him? But I can't bear to see you get hurt."
“So we have to hide.” Li Leshan got out of bed and squatted down to look Jiang Yueming in the eye, his expression particularly serious. “If you go to him, he will come to me again, it will make no difference. So you absolutely cannot go.”
Jiang Yueming nodded quickly after seeing the sign language clearly, "I won't look for it, I won't look for it."
As he got closer and saw the injuries on Li Leshan's face, a bitter feeling welled up inside him. The injuries were particularly glaring and seemed out of place on his face. He reached out and carefully touched the corner of Li Leshan's mouth. "But if he comes to you again, you must tell me."
Li Leshan nodded.
"Lele," Jiang Yueming hugged Li Leshan, burying his face in Li Leshan's shoulder, tears slowly soaking the other's shoulder, "I'll do whatever you say. I'll definitely be obedient, I'll protect you..."
Li Leshan hugged him back, and the two snuggled together tightly.
For over six years, Li Leshan had been by Jiang Yueming's side, every drop of his sweat and tears falling on her. They had grown up together, and now, their slightly trembling embrace was the closest and greatest haven for each other.
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