"I know I was wrong."
"It's good you know, go back now."
Xingxing emerged from the study. Fearing that others would see his injuries, he did not linger and quickly returned to his room.
In the solitude of his own space, the pain magnified tenfold, or even a thousandfold, as it was released. Tears fell from his eyes without him even noticing.
"You have a deep-seated feud with them, and every time you get close to them, accepting the affection they bestow upon you, you are betraying the hopes your parents in heaven have for you."
"Your heart must be strong. If you cannot be cruel to the children of your enemies, how can you possibly exact revenge?"
Ye Shaoting's words echoed repeatedly in Xingxing's mind, his limited brain occupied by the word "revenge." He clutched his head in agony, groaning.
The door was suddenly pushed open.
Ye Shaoting stood there with ointment, looking at Xingxing's tear-streaked face, which was etched with confusion and fear. xxs壹贰
"Take off your clothes."
The wound was on his arm, and blood had stuck his torn clothes to it. As time passed, the blood dried, making it difficult to separate from the fabric.
Xingxing gritted his teeth and bit down hard on his lower lip. He tore at his clothes, causing the wound, which had already stopped bleeding, to bleed anew.
Ye Shaoting watched the crimson scene without reaching out to help him.
If he couldn't endure physical pain, how could he become a stronger person?
The pain gnawed at his chest. Xingxing gasped for breath, heartlessly ripping his clothes further, reopening the healing wound.
"I can put the medicine on myself," Xingxing said, extending a trembling arm.
He was still just a child. Pulling the reins too tight would only be counterproductive.
Ye Shaoting sat beside him, gently cleaning the blood flowing from the wound.
"It'll hurt a bit, bear with it," he said, looking up and tapping the bottle to let the white powder fall onto the wound.
The pain had spread to his bones. Xingxing hunched his shoulders, gripping the edge of the bed tightly.
"You don't need to participate in morning exercises these few days, nor do you need to go to school. Rest at home," Ye Shaoting placed the unused ointment on the bedside table. "Apply it once a day and be careful not to get the wound wet."
"I understand."
Ye Shaoting picked up the bloodstained clothes from the floor.
He left the room. Xingxing released his pent-up emotions, breathing deeply, diverting the pain into his breathing.
In the hallway, Ye Ziyu encountered Ye Shaoting. Her gaze fell on the clothes in his hand. "Big Brother, is Xingxing injured?"
She saw Ye Shaoting coming out of Xingxing's room, and the clothes in his hand were clearly Xingxing's. Even the dark color couldn't hide the bloodstains.
Ye Shaoting crumpled the clothes into a ball. "He knocked over a glass and then fell."
"Is it serious?" Ye Ziyu asked, worried.
For some reason, hearing that Xingxing was injured made her mood suddenly heavy. It felt as if she herself were injured, and her body ached subtly.
"It's not serious. I've already treated his wound. He's asleep now."
"Asleep?"
"Yes, he just fell asleep."
Ye Ziyu wanted to check on Xingxing's condition. Upon learning that he was already resting, she didn't want to disturb him.
She would check on his injuries tomorrow.
Ye Ziyu looked at the clothes in Ye Shaoting's hand again.
"It's getting late, you should get some rest too," Ye Shaoting said and then walked past Ye Ziyu.
Why did it feel so strange?
Ye Ziyu frowned, her gaze deepening as she looked at Xingxing's door.
"Never mind, he said it's nothing. I must be overthinking it."
Muttering a few words, Ye Ziyu turned and returned to her room.
Ye Shaoting went downstairs. He looked back at the second floor and raised the bloodied clothes. He opened the lid of the trash can and, without any hesitation, threw the clothes inside.
In the dead of night, the Ye residence was cloaked in darkness, both inside and out. A small figure darted between rooms and the study.
The crushed candy remained where it was. Xingxing smiled with a sense of relief. The pain in his body disappeared the moment he picked up the candy.