TWMOV Chapter 8: The Poor Little Thing Who Suffered Domestic Abuse 08
The day before school started, Yu Mu went to a hardware store to find Liang Hua without telling Liang Han. He asked Liang Hua to allow Liang Han to finish high school and promised to cover all the expenses himself.
A tall, strong middle-aged man sat behind the counter, sizing Yu Mu up. He spat out a sunflower seed husk and said with contempt, "What’s the point of school?!"
"He’s been eating for free in my house for over ten years and doesn’t lift a finger to help. Even a dog would be more useful than him!"
Yu Mu cracked his knuckles, suppressing the fury inside him, and politely said, "Times are changing. The country now promotes quality education and encourages children to go to university. Besides, with more education, he’ll have a better future."
"A better future?" Liang Hua sneered. "Did you see the way that little bastard looks at me? Like I’m his enemy. Why the hell should I let him go to school? Why should he get a better future?"
He slammed the table and stood up, jabbing a finger into Yu Mu’s chest. "Listen up, kid. What goes on in my family is none of your business. That boy and his mom are like ants in my hand. They’ll never escape. Not in this life!"
Yu Mu took a step back from the jabbing, the veins on his forehead twitching. His clenched fists creaked as he held back the urge to lash out.
"System, I can’t hold it anymore. I want to beat the crap out of him."
[Host, hold on. If you make the first move, we lose the moral high ground.]
Taking a deep breath at the system’s words, Yu Mu restrained the impulse to smash Liang Hua’s face in. He slapped Liang Hua’s hand away and said coldly, "Your family affairs are none of my business. But Liang Han is my student. If he doesn’t show up to school tomorrow, I’ll report it and come to your house to get him myself."
"He’s not some pet you own. He’s a human being with his own thoughts and autonomy. If you keep abusing him or stopping him from going to school, I will take legal action."
"Legal action? Ha!" Liang Hua crossed his arms. "Let me tell you something—laws don’t work on me. Liang Han is my son. Even if I beat him to death, it’s none of your damn business!"
Yu Mu closed his eyes, unwilling to argue anymore. He feared he might actually kill this scumbag with his bare hands.
As he walked out the door, Liang Hua spat and sneered, "Think being a teacher makes you special? Pfft! What a joke!"
Yu Mu was so furious he nearly passed out. He clutched his throbbing temples, kicked the wall hard, and took several deep breaths to calm down.
[Host, there’s no need to get so angry over Liang Hua,] the system consoled him. [The man didn’t even finish elementary school. He’s just a thug. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have raped the villain’s mother. There’s no reasoning with someone like that.]
Yu Mu clicked his tongue and ran a hand through his hair. "I’m not angry because he insulted me. I’m angry for Liang Han."
"I can’t even imagine how he’s survived these sixteen years."
[Are you… feeling sorry for him?]
"I’m not a stone. We’ve spent so much time together—how could I not feel for him?"
Maybe it started as just a mission, but Yu Mu realized he now had some personal feelings mixed in.
He thought, anyone with a heart would feel for a kid like Liang Han.
[Then… do you like him?] The system asked, its tone oddly expectant.
Yu Mu was stunned, then quickly denied it. "No way. I don’t like men. Besides, he’s just a kid. If I had feelings for him, what kind of person would that make me?"
[Oh… I see.] The system sounded a bit disappointed.
Yu Mu frowned. "System, why do I feel like you want me to fall for him?"
[No! I mean—no! You’re imagining things.]
"…"
After a moment, the system couldn’t help adding, [But host, don’t you think it’s cruel to max out his affection and not respond at all? Doesn’t that make him really pitiful?]
Yu Mu didn’t answer, but something uncomfortable twisted in his chest.
Respond? How?
He didn’t like Liang Han. What he felt was sympathy, pity. Helping him was part of the mission.
As for love—sorry, but he was straight.
Straight as a lamp post.
When Yu Mu got home, Liang Han had just finished making dinner.
Lately, he had been eating regularly with Yu Mu, and his nutrition hadn’t fallen behind. His once pale face now had a bit of color, and his frame no longer looked so weak—it was starting to look strong and upright.
He took off his apron and hung it up, then brought out the small folding table, placed bowls, chopsticks, and stools, and gestured for Yu Mu to sit.
Yu Mu was in a foul mood, and his appetite was affected.
"Teacher, did something happen?" Liang Han noticed something off and paused with his chopsticks.
"Nothing," Yu Mu shook his head, forced down a few bites, and then put down his bowl.
He went into the room, took out 500 yuan, and placed it on the table in front of Liang Han. "This is your salary for the last two months. Use it to pay your school fees tomorrow."
Liang Han was shocked. "But teacher, didn’t we agree on 200? Five hundred is too much."
"If you think it’s too much, then get first place in the math competition and pay me back."
Liang Han bit his lip, his eyes stinging with emotion, but he buried his feelings deep down. He only said thank you and accepted the money.
Yu Mu scooped two spoonfuls of egg soup into his bowl and sipped it silently. After a while, he looked up and said, "Why don’t you stay here tonight? We’ll go to school together tomorrow."
What Liang Hua said earlier had left him uneasy. He was worried something might happen.
It was only the second time Yu Mu had offered to let him stay over.
This time, Liang Han hesitated.
He was tempted.
There was only one bedroom in Yu Mu’s home. If he stayed, they would have to share a bed.
They would be close. He could even touch Yu Mu’s skin while he slept… or do other things.
But no.
His mother was waiting for him at home.
In the end, reason won over fantasy, and Liang Han painfully refused.
"Alright," Yu Mu said, pausing, "but if anything happens tonight… come find me. No matter how late, I’ll be waiting."
The words were vague, but “I’ll be waiting” sounded so tender. Liang Han’s face flushed. He gripped his chopsticks tighter and didn’t question what "anything happens" meant—he just bowed his head and softly replied, "Okay."
That night, he got home early and didn’t see Jiang Yuan.
Jiang Yuan had recently found work washing dishes at a restaurant. Though she had been mentally ill for years, she had improved a lot and only had some lingering symptoms. As long as she wasn’t provoked, she was stable enough to work.
Liang Han could tell she really liked the job, and he was glad his mother was starting to step out of the house and interact with people.
At 7 p.m., Jiang Yuan came home, watched some TV, and went to bed.
At 8 p.m., Liang Han sat at his desk, working on the math problems Yu Mu had assigned.
At 10 p.m., he washed up and went to bed.
At 10:30 p.m., the front door was unlocked from the outside. A drunken man walked in, reeking of alcohol, gripping a rusty iron pipe from the store. His bloodshot eyes looked like a demon’s.
At the same time, Yu Mu shot upright in bed.
[Host, you were right. Liang Hua came home with an iron pipe!]
Yu Mu had told the system to keep an eye on Liang Hua, just in case he tried to take out his anger on Liang Han after their argument.
Turned out his instincts were dead on.
Liang Han’s room didn’t have a door—just a curtain. Liang Hua yanked it aside, grabbed the sleeping boy off the bed, and slammed the pipe down.
Liang Han jolted awake, shielding his head. The pipe landed on his arm, back, side—each heavy blow echoing in the dark room. He cried out, then bit his lip and curled into the corner, trying to endure the abuse.
There were plenty of things nearby that could kill a man, but he didn’t fight back.
He had made a promise to Yu Mu.
Yu Mu believed in him, believed he was a good person. Yu Mu had said he didn’t want him to become a murderer—so he couldn’t fight back.
"You little bastard, think you can defy me just because you’ve got some teacher on your side?!"
"You’re my son! If I tell you to do something, you do it! I could beat you to death and it wouldn’t matter!"
"School? Future? You think you can run?" Liang Hua panted and squatted down, grabbed Liang Han’s hair, and smashed his head against the wall over and over. Blood began to flow.
Liang Han was dizzy, the pain so intense his hands fell away from his head.
"I’ll break your legs! Let’s see you try to run then!" Liang Hua yanked his leg straight and brought the pipe down with a sickening crack. Bone snapped, and Liang Han screamed—a piercing sound that echoed out into the night.
That’s when Yu Mu burst through the door.
He raced into the room, and what he saw made his blood run cold.
"You f*cking bastard!" he roared, grabbing a chair and slamming it into Liang Hua’s back. He grabbed the man by the collar, kicked his leg out from under him, and drove his fist into his jaw until he passed out.
Then he dropped to his knees beside Liang Han.
"Liang Han, Xiaohan, wake up…" He gently patted Liang Han’s face, not daring to touch his broken leg.
Blood trickled from his forehead. Yu Mu’s eyes stung.
If he had known it would be this bad, he never would’ve tried to reason with Liang Hua. He never should have let Liang Han go home.
The noise drew Jiang Yuan out of her room. Seeing Liang Hua on the floor, she screamed—then suddenly began laughing maniacally.
She pointed at him and asked Yu Mu, "Hey, is he dead? Is he dead? Tell me, he’s dead, right?!"
She was hysterical. When she got no answer, she threw herself onto Liang Hua’s body and checked his breath. When she found he was still alive, her smile vanished.
"Not dead. He’s not dead! Why?!" She grabbed Yu Mu’s collar, yelling, "Why didn’t you kill him?! Why is he still alive… why, why, WHY?!"
Then she collapsed to the ground sobbing.
Watching her spiral, Yu Mu trembled with rage.
He wanted to scream—why hadn’t she intervened? Why did she ignore her son, who was dying just a few feet away, and only cared whether her husband was dead?
Insane. They were all insane.
They didn’t deserve to be called parents.
"Mr. Yu…" Liang Han stirred, cold sweat pouring down his pale face. He grabbed Yu Mu’s shirt and whispered, "I feel sick…"
Before Yu Mu could react, he vomited against the wall. The sour stench filled the room.
Yu Mu’s heart dropped. He probably had a concussion.
"It hurts…" Liang Han mumbled weakly, the pain stripping away his usual strength. Leaning against Yu Mu’s shoulder, he whimpered, "My head hurts… my leg too…"
"It really hurts…"
Yu Mu felt like someone had wrapped a hand around his heart and was squeezing. Hard.
He didn’t dare move Liang Han. He just held him close, letting him lean against the bedframe.
"Xiaohan, don’t be scared. It’s okay. The pain will pass. I’m calling an ambulance right now. Just hold on…"
He ran to the phone, dialed 120, gave the address, explained everything, then dialed 110 and reported Liang Hua.
After that, he knelt by Liang Han again and gently held him, letting his head rest against his chest.
"Mr. Yu…" Liang Han was still cold and pale, his lips colorless. Clutching Yu Mu’s clothes, he whispered, "I didn’t fight back. I did what you said…"
Yu Mu froze. When he understood, his eyes turned red.
He bit his lip hard, drawing blood. He held Liang Han’s hand and said softly:
"I know. I know. You’ve always been good. You did so well… so well…"
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