Repetition

In an instant, everyone's gaze turned toward him.

Huo Jiu leaned lazily against the wall. He didn't have the strength to stand up straight anymore. The high fever left his limbs weak and his head spinning, while waves of nausea churned up from his stomach, as though his internal organs were soaking in sulfuric acid.

Yet a delighted, mischievous smile still played at the corner of Huo Jiu's lips.

The commuters rushing to catch the subway couldn't help stopping. They watched Huo Jiu and whispered among themselves. Some took out their phones to snap pictures and record videos. A few older people hesitantly pulled loose change from their pockets and tentatively tossed it at Huo Jiu's feet.

A kindhearted young woman blushed as she approached. "Do you have a QR code? Let's add each other! I'll transfer you some money."

Though he didn't have a phone, Huo Jiu still thanked her gently, acting perfectly at ease. It wasn't until several men in black pushed through the crowd that the assistant wearing gold-rimmed glasses appeared before him. He was Chairman Su's assistant. Bowing slightly, he said, "Young master, Chairman Su would like to see you."

The murmurs abruptly fell silent. Then came an uproar. The onlookers seemed to have stumbled upon an interesting scene and grew excited.

Leaning against the wall, Huo Jiu sized up the suited assistant and the two rows of bodyguards behind him, then scoffed. "What a grand spectacle!"

Author's Note:

I'm starting a new novel! ︿(￣︶￣)︿

1. This story is going to be packed with melodrama, melodrama, melodrama. Repeating the important things three times.

2. All I want is an outrageously satisfying plot. Logic and intelligence need not apply.

3. The author is letting loose and really isn't planning to act like a decent person. So yes, this story is incredibly melodramatic. Consider this another warning.

Chapter 2: Repetition

The atmosphere suddenly grew tense.

The assistant pushed up his glasses and studied Huo Jiu for a long moment. Then he signaled for the bodyguards to step forward and put their arms around Huo Jiu's shoulders. It looked like they were supporting him, but in truth they were restraining him. "Pardon the intrusion."

Burning with fever and limp as a rag, Huo Jiu had no strength to resist as two bodyguards led him away. He didn't even have time to pick up the money on the ground. The kindhearted woman who had offered him some money bent down to retrieve it, watching the group leave with curiosity and a hint of worry.

A few minutes later, in a café across from the subway station.

Chairman Su looked at Huo Jiu across the table with approval. "You're much smarter than I expected."

Huo Jiu's eyes were half-closed. He didn't say anything.

Chairman Su continued, "I know you've had a hard time. You've always hoped someone would rescue you from your father. You placed that hope in your mother, and she didn't let you down. Though something unexpected happened along the way, it may have made you feel that her reasons for saving you weren't entirely selfless."

At this, Chairman Su carefully studied Huo Jiu's expression. "You're still young. Hearing something like this so suddenly may be hard to accept. Every child hopes their parents' love for them is pure. Your mother does love you. But she's also Su Zhuo's mother. She loves you both equally. Just as I, your stepfather, will love you as much as I love Xiao Zhuo—if you give me the chance."

Huo Jiu slumped in his chair, expressionless.

Su Shiyuan continued, "Think it over carefully. Su Zhuo is my only son. I'd do anything for his sake."

In other words, Su Shiyuan would do whatever it took to restore Su Zhuo's health.

But saying it that bluntly would have sounded too harsh. Huo Jiu was, after all, Lu Manzhen's child. If he could win him over with kindness, Su Shiyuan didn't want to make things ugly.

Yet Chairman Su's words still drew no response from Huo Jiu. He sat quietly in the booth with his eyes half-closed, as though he'd fallen asleep.

Chairman Su looked Huo Jiu over. The boy had lovely features. Even though the fever and hunger made him look a little frail, there was still a visible force coiled inside his lean, well-proportioned frame. He was like a young beast trapped in a corner: seemingly weak and harmless, yet liable to strike a deadly blow at any moment.

Chairman Su sighed and said earnestly, "The last few days must have been hard for you. You're not an adult yet. Without your parents' protection, you can't survive alone in this city. But I can make sure you live well—at least ten or a hundred times better than you have over the past decade."

"Let's make a deal. You donate bone marrow to my son, and I'll guarantee you a lifetime of wealth and comfort."

Chairman Su ordered breakfast for Huo Jiu and spoke in an unhurried tone. "You must be hungry. It's gotten colder lately, and the temperature drops a lot between morning and evening. You didn't bring an extra layer when you went out. You seem sick, too. We'll go home in a bit and have the family doctor take a look at you. Your room is ready. Your mother picked out the sheets and bedding herself and made the bed with her own hands. Go home, take a good bath, and get some rest. We'll put the past behind us. None of us needs to bring it up again."

After showering Huo Jiu with kind words, Chairman Su saw that he still hadn't budged and couldn't help sighing. He tried appealing to his feelings. "Don't be so resistant to me. You're Man Zhen's child, which makes you my child too. I admit I have my own reasons for bringing you back. But I'm doing this for your sake as well. If you agree to donate bone marrow, I promise I'll treat you like my own son. From now on, you'll be just like Su Zhuo in the Su family. Whatever Su Zhuo has, you'll have too. I'll treat you as my own flesh and blood."

Leaning back in the booth, Huo Jiu opened his eyes slightly and looked at Chairman Su, who seemed so sincere. Chairman Su had said the same things in the original novel. Back then, he'd been certain the original Huo Jiu could never escape his grasp, and had made those promises from on high. But now...

Huo Jiu's lips curled. His faint smile was like a blade glinting in the darkness, slicing through the warmth Chairman Su had worked so hard to create.

"You had people watch me around the clock. You threatened everyone who might hire me, telling them not to give me work or food. I didn't have my ID on me, so I couldn't stay at a hotel. I could only sleep in the hallways and corridors of shopping malls and 24-hour supermarkets and convenience stores. You wanted to make me give up by showing me that I couldn't survive without the Su family."