To avoid worrying everyone, Lin Weiwei deliberately avoided the topic during dinner. It was already 11 p.m., and everyone was waiting for her to come back without having eaten.
She couldn't let everyone worry, and her bowl was already overflowing with meat.
"Wife, I'm so sorry you had to suffer!"
Xiao Se looked at Lin Weiwei with heartache. He knew her well; she usually appeared aloof, but she was actually very kind-hearted. "What angel? She clearly killed someone, yet the one who saved them is the devil you all call her!" He picked up the remote and changed the program.
She must have been very upset. Weiwei always does things carefully, so something must have made her lose her temper at that moment. She stepped forward and held Lin Weiwei's hand.
Ding-a-ling
He received an email on his phone, and when he opened it, the sender was none other than that old man, Li Yao. He wanted to delete it, but the video kept playing audio as long as there was data available.
"Xiao Aotian, you've finally met your match. Just admit to embezzlement already. It's been so many days; we're exhausted, even if you aren't."
"What's that sound!"
Everyone put down their chopsticks and gathered around to watch. The person in the picture was Xiao Aotian. They hadn't seen him for so many days, and in just a few days, his hair had turned white, and he had lost a lot of weight, looking haggard. However, when facing the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), he still maintained a condescending and arrogant demeanor, which displeased them.
She picked up a cigarette butt and burned it on his arm. His white shoulders, covered in old and new scars, were covered with pockmarks. Xiao Aotian just frowned and didn't say a word.
He spoke a few words to the video camera, revealing a forced smile. As soon as he opened his mouth, everyone noticed that the person in the video was missing a tooth, his beard had grown out of shaving after several days, and the beard on his chin was still knotted. He then tapped his fingers at the camera.
Son... when you are afraid, snap your fingers. When demons and monsters hear this sound, they will not dare to come near.
This was his father, the one who had taught him. His hand was trembling as he held the phone. Old Xiao couldn't make a sound as he said something, but from his lip movements, he knew what he was saying.
"Those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who have something to lose."
Xiao Se deleted the email, then blocked Li Yao's email IP address. He picked up his bowl and started eating, saying, "Eat. It's precisely at times like these that we need to unite."
He ate in large mouthfuls, barely chewing, whereas he usually ate delicacies like abalone. Suddenly, this simple meal tasted delicious.
Tears streamed down his face as he ate. He realized how comfortable those days had been, and he had never cherished them. Only now did he understand how much his father loved him. Memories flooded his mind.
"Father, look, I beat the person who bullied me!" He was six years old when he became the leader of the children.
"All he does is fight all day long, what else can he do!"
The man, busy counting money, looked impatiently at his son, whose clothes were torn in several places during the fight. He put a wad of money on the sofa and told him to go buy new clothes.
"Hey, give me some money, I'll beat up that pedophile headmaster." He was twelve years old when he became class monitor.
"Ugh! Another school change. How many schools is this now?"
The person holding the student council board member appointment letter, who was originally happily carrying two jugs of old wine, splashed the wine on his face after hearing this, and then called the school.
"Old Xiao, I've got a girlfriend, her name is Tongtong, she's so pretty. Let me show you her picture!" He was eighteen when his first love appeared.
"You talk too much. Do you think it's something to be proud of if you're in a relationship too early?"
From then on, he refused to say anything to Xiao Aotian anymore, because the old man never let him finish speaking; every word he uttered was accusation. After his grandfather died, Xiao Se's personality changed drastically. No matter what he did, he would be scolded, so he figured he might as well do whatever he wanted.
He sleeps in class all day, plays pranks on the private tutors he hires, and drives them away one by one. He then boasts about his exploits to the class. He occasionally smokes and often gets into fights. He flirts with pretty girls but never develops a romantic relationship with them. He only flirts and doesn't take responsibility.
No one could listen to him finish speaking, no one could understand his actions, and no one knew that even a salted fish has a great dream.
In fact, when his father took over as a student council member, he wore his father's suit and imitated him on television, speaking eloquently.
"I, Xiao Se, will become a man even more powerful than my father, the King of Kings, the Phoenix among Men, the Little Tyrant of the Battlefield."
...
He ate the most dinner he'd ever had that day. After returning to his room, he started staring blankly out the window, a cigarette dangling from his index finger.
"If you quit, don't smoke anymore; finish what you started."
"Okay, there's still half left, let's not waste it."
Lin Weiwei looked at Xiao Se in front of her. His profile exuded a mature aura. He exhaled smoke rings from his mouth and pressed his temples.
A boy doesn't need you to urge him to grow up; rather, the people and things around him will help him grow on his own. What he needs is space.
"You rascal, you're really bad, but I like it." She sat down next to him, resting Xiao Se's head on her shoulder, offering him a shoulder to lean on.
Do you think I'm suitable to be a school board member?
It took a while for the man on the shoulder to finally utter a sentence. He seemed to have never done anything that would make Old Man Xiao proud. He was somewhat uncertain but also very eager.
"suitable"
He was a man with love in his heart, and he infected those around him with his love. Even she, a heartless person, was moved by his love. He changed her.
What is love?
It's not about one-sided giving. There are many kinds of love. It's about putting yourself in the other person's shoes and giving without expecting anything in return or for any outcome.
Just to be worthy of that heart, she was once a killer who shed no blood, a sharp weapon, whose life could be taken at will if the Kingdom of Riel needed it.
Now! No, my life is my own, I'm in charge. I can't be anyone's savior, but I can live a life of peace and contentment. I'll live the first half of my life for others, and the second half for happiness.
She cupped Xiao Se's face in her hands, gently wiping away his tears. "How can my man shed tears? An eye for an eye, an eye for an eye."
"You damn woman, that's from choking on smoke, okay? Hmm, call me 'husband' then."
A stinging slap landed on her face. What was going on? Where was she? How did she get hit again? The worst part was, she couldn't bring herself to fight back. Gritting her teeth, she watched as a pair of large hands reached inside her clothes.
Every day, she lived in a state of happiness yet fear. She was happy because she had someone with her, but she was terrified because the bad guys were becoming increasingly ruthless, committing murder one day and arson the next.
I can at least get a meal when I get back. All my anger from today has subsided. What kind of heinous things will Han Han and his gang do tomorrow? They'll pay for it sooner or later.
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