Endless pain

"Xiao Jun, didn't Mommy tell you that Xiao Chi is your little brother? He's younger than you, and you're more sensible, so you need to give in to him a little," the woman patiently coaxed the boy in her arms.

The boy shoved her away and cried out, "Mommy, I don't like him! He's not my little brother! He's the child Daddy had with another woman. I hate him!"

Smack! A sharp slap rang out.

The boy clutched his stinging cheek and stared at the woman in disbelief. "Mommy, why did you hit me over the child Daddy had with another woman?"

The woman glared at him through gritted teeth. "Your father told me that as long as I get along peacefully with her, his love for me won't diminish at all. Your father has already compromised. Can't you be obedient too? You're the one tearing this family apart!"

Wiping his tears, the boy stubbornly said, "No! I won't! I want to go back to Grandma and Grandpa's house! I don't want you!"

The woman held a knife as she angrily berated the teenager. "Why did you hit your little brother? When your father finds out, he'll blame me again for not raising you properly!"

The teenager broke down and shouted, "I'll say it again! He's not my little brother! He stole my money, so what's wrong with me hitting him? If he does it again, I'll go straight to the police!"

"What's wrong with sharing a little of your money with Xiao Chi? Is this how you act as an older brother?" Her eyes red, the woman swung the knife at the teenager. "If your father abandons us, it'll be your fault!"

The woman spoke to the man as though her demand were perfectly reasonable. "Xiao Jun, give your engagement to the Lu family's young master to Xiao Chi. He likes Chenchen. Be a sensible older brother and let him have him."

"You called me back just for this? You even resorted to hurting yourself to trick me into coming back!"

The man accused her with numb eyes, but when he saw tears fill her eyes, his shoulders instantly slumped. His voice trembled as he gave in. "If he likes him, let him have him. I don't care."

The woman continued making demands. "The Lu family's young master likes you. Turn him down and let Xiao Chi have him."

The man nodded mechanically. "All right."

Smelling that sickeningly familiar scent of disinfectant, the man opened his eyes in a daze. Half his world seemed to have been swallowed by darkness, and his one remaining eye was like a candle flickering in the wind, giving off a faint light.

He struggled to get out of bed to find some water, only to feel as though his lower limbs had been taken away, devoid of all sensation. Trembling, he lifted the covers and discovered that his legs had vanished without a trace.

That was right. His own mother had demanded that he give the family assets to his younger brother. This time, he had refused to give in. His grandfather had left those assets to him.

In this family, only his grandfather had stood by him. Only his grandfather had given him a shred of warmth.

He could not and would not surrender what his grandfather had left him.

The consequence of refusing to give in was that his own mother had exploited the last shred of familial affection to engineer a car crash. He did not know why his own mother would treat him like this.

What exactly had he done wrong to deserve such punishment?

His face was as white as paper, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. He clutched the hospital gown over his chest with both hands, trying to ease the tearing pain in his heart, but it was merely a drop in the bucket.

He had no choice but to bend forward, trying to make himself feel a little better, yet it was still no use. He closed his eyes in agony, his brows tightly drawn together, the muscles of his face contorting with the intense pain.

The hideous scar around his brow and eye seemed to twitch faintly with his suffering, echoing the bulging veins on his forehead in a chilling sight.

Tears kept spilling from the corners of his eyes, mingling with the sweat sliding down his forehead and dripping onto the floor to form a puddle.

Deep inside him, hatred surged endlessly like raging waves. That hatred seemed to burn with a roaring fire, constantly devouring his soul and plunging him into endless pain.

Every time he recalled the hurt and betrayal he had suffered, his heart felt as though it were being carved apart, leaving him in unbearable agony.

The hatred and pain in his heart intertwined, forming an impassable chasm that trapped him in a dark abyss from which he could not escape.

"Why! Why? Why are you doing this to me?"

"What did I ever do wrong to make you hate me so much?"

"He's your son. Aren't I?"

"Why won't you leave me alone..."

"Why has no one ever cared about my pain..."

"Huo Chuyun, Huo Chuyun! Wake up!" Sweat covered Lu Xingchen's forehead as he anxiously tried to wake Huo Chuyun, who was trapped in a nightmare.

Huo Chuyun lay on the bed like a withered flower, his face as pale as a sheet of paper, his whole body drenched in sweat as though he had just been pulled out of the water.

His brows tightly furrowed, he kept repeating his helpless pleas through his tears. His voice sounded like a lament from hell, heartbreaking to hear.

The scenes described in the book came nowhere close to the visceral impact of experiencing them firsthand.

His heart aching as though it were being carved apart, Lu Xingchen held Huo Chuyun tightly in his arms. It felt as though countless blades were mercilessly slicing through his heart as he kept repeating himself.

"Huo Chuyun, I'm here. I've come. I'll care about your pain. I'll always be on your side."

Amid Lu Xingchen's gentle murmurs, Huo Chuyun's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and his anguished voice slowly grew quieter.

His heart aching for him, Lu Xingchen wiped the tears from the corners of Huo Chuyun's eyes. He was thankful he had transmigrated into the book. He did not want to be Huo Chuyun's savior; he only wanted to care for him.

He only wanted Huo Chuyun to have a shoulder to lean on when he was upset, to stand up for him when he was bullied, and to stay by his side.

By the time Huo Chuyun slowly woke, an hour had passed.

Sensing movement beside him, Huo Chuyun remained wary and did not immediately open his stinging eyes.

Then he caught the familiar, fresh scent of mint. Someone held him tightly in a warm embrace, a small hand continuously patting his back as though soothing him.

He remembered that only his grandfather had done this to coax him to sleep when he was young and his grandfather was still alive.

What was going on?

The moment Huo Chuyun opened his eyes, he was startled by his own hoarse voice. "When did you get here?"

"I haven't been here long. Assistant Lin brought me," Lu Xingchen said casually.

"Little liar."

Seeing Lu Xingchen watching him worriedly with reddened eyes, Huo Chuyun knew he had arrived long ago. He reached up and helplessly touched the corner of Lu Xingchen's eye. "Baby, I've lost count of how many times I've wiped your tears."

"It seems I'm not a very good boyfriend. I keep making you cry."

Huo Chuyun could not bear to leave Lu Xingchen's arms. Lu Xingchen kissed his dry lips. "That's not true. I only cried because my heart ached for you."

Something occurred to Huo Chuyun, and he sighed, apologetically asking, "Did my nightmare scare you? Or did I say something in my sleep that frightened you?"

"You didn't scare me." Lu Xingchen shook his head. "Next time you go back to the Huo family's old residence, could you take me with you? I want to be there for you."

Sure enough, he had let something slip.

It felt as though a gentle stream had flowed through Huo Chuyun's heart, spreading warmth everywhere. He spoke in a soft, coaxing voice.

"All right. There are indeed a few things I want to go back to the Huo family to deal with soon. When the time comes, I'll have to rely on little Xingchen to back me up."