Through the slowly widening gap in the door, the room lay in darkness.
The lights were off, and the sheer curtains kept the sunlight outside thoroughly blocked.
Cold air poured through the gap, easing much of the heat clinging to him.
Shen Yanci looked around before spotting a small figure curled up beside the piano bench. The exposed stretch of pale calf bore alarming red welts, and the fingers applying ointment were trembling.
The boy's faint sobs echoed through the practice room, like the cries of an injured young animal. He sounded pitiful.
Tsk, how miserable. Those marks were clearly left by a thick stick.
Apparently, I'm not the worst off. My old man stopped hitting me with sticks after I turned ten.
Mostly because he couldn't beat me in a fight anymore.
Having seen enough, Shen Yanci was about to close the door when he unexpectedly met the boy's reddened eyes.
Song... Yunxing?
A few teardrops clung to the boy's long lashes. Washed with tears, his amber eyes looked even clearer and brighter.
The boy's gaze was hazy. He blinked, bringing Shen Yanci into focus.
"...Why is it you?!" Song Yunxing immediately wiped the tears from his face and hastily pulled down his trouser leg, the tips of his ears turning pale pink.
For some inexplicable reason, something stirred in Shen Yanci.
Shen Yanci cleared his throat twice, tapping his slender fingers against the doorframe as he stood there casually. "What happened? Got beaten?"
"What's it to you? What's that supposed to mean? Did you come here just to laugh at me?" The boy's eyes still glistened with tears, his gaze wary and angry.
He really is like an injured stray kitten. Those claws are pretty sharp, too.
Shen Yanci raised an eyebrow. "I didn't do it on purpose.