55 : Missing you

 In the end, Song Shi didn't attend today's freshman orientation because Song Jinming came to the school. The two hadn't seen each other since he went to Xia City.

The other man had been extremely busy with things at the hospital lately. He was supposed to visit his son the day Song Shi returned to Yangcheng, but he

couldn't find the time, and he hadn't taken it seriously. However, recent events forced him to come see Song Shi. Song Shi was sitting in the car, knowing why Song Jinming had come. The other man cared most about his reputation.

Perhaps because he had been talked about so much in his younger years, he was even more sensitive to gossip now that he was middle-aged. What he had heard these past few days was starting to affect his pride.

Of course, the other man wouldn't reveal the truth in a place like the school, so Song Jinming somewhat forcefully took him back.

People tend to care about the things they have the least. Song Shi knew what the other person cared about most: face and status. So when the news that Song Shi liked boys reached his ears, he dropped everything he was doing.

The affiliated middle school wasn't far from the Zhang family's house. Upon arrival, Song Shi was pulled out of the car. The car parked in front of the Zhang family's house had been replaced; the current sign was more understated than before he left. Song Shi knew why.

His shoulders were pressed down, and he followed the push from behind to walk forward.

The walk to the door wasn't long; he arrived in just a few steps. Song Jinming stood in front of his son, glaring at him. The boy was now much taller than him, and his features resembled his mother's.

But that didn't stop him from disliking this son. Although his current life of luxury was indeed due to this suddenly appearing son, he didn't resemble him in any way.

Everything about him was similar to his mother: ruthlessness, power, and that face.

Song Jinming's facial muscles twitched, and he slapped the person in front of him hard across the face. The sound was crisp and clear, and no one in the room dared to breathe loudly. It seemed they were used to it; such things were commonplace during the period when the Zhang family patriarch had passed away.

Previously, Song Shi's wet nurse had been taking him to seek justice for the country since he was a child, but no one had seen her since the next day. This caused others to be afraid to follow suit, only daring to steal a glance at the scene, but not uttering a single word.

The slap was quite forceful; a red mark quickly appeared on Song Shi's face, covering his entire face. His face was turned to one side, and some skin was broken at the corner of his mouth, tasting blood in his mouth.

Then, his knees were forcefully pressed down, against the cold ground, and his hair was roughly grabbed and pulled upwards, forcing him to look at the person in front of him.

Song Jinming's face was no longer young, but his figure hadn't changed much. His hair roots were a little gray, and judging from his appearance alone, he must have been a very handsome man in his youth.

Indeed, if it weren't for this face, how could the Zhang family patriarch have taken a liking to someone born like this?

Song Jinming was already irritated by the events at the hospital, and now he had to deal with Song Shi's situation. He had little patience left. He looked down at Song Shi's face, which remained unmoved even after being hit: "Didn't I tell you to stay in Xia City and not come back? Now you're back and causing trouble."

He irritably loosened his tie, then grabbed Song Shi's chin and tilted it: "What, you like boys? I raised you all these years not so you would have such disgusting thoughts. Since you have such intentions..."

"You're almost twenty this year, it's time to contribute something to this family. Don't participate in the competition class anymore. Miss Li is looking for a marriage partner recently, you go."

Song Shi's tone turned cold. He had known Song Jinming would definitely come to him, but he didn't expect the other party to think this way: "Impossible."

The person who was about to turn around and go upstairs stopped in his tracks: "You say it's impossible, so it's impossible? Song Shi, do you think Zhang Shu is still in power?"

"I told you long ago we shouldn't have spoiled you back then. Now your mother's dead and you're still not at peace, just like you!"

Song Jinming became more and more agitated, as if provoked by something. He raised his leg and kicked Song Shi hard in the shoulder, even harder than before. Fortunately, someone held him down to steady him.

"You're not going, huh?" He put his hands on his hips and looked at the person kneeling on the ground. "Get me a stick. I'll beat you until you pass out and then tie you up. Let's see if your bones are still hard!"

Although the Li family wasn't ranked very high, the Zhang family was doing quite well to have climbed up to such a family. Now he regretted that Song Shi was a boy back then. If he had been a girl, things would be much easier now.

Although Miss Li was now remarried, it was better than having her son's scandal of liking boys known to everyone.

Song Jinming took off his glasses and casually wiped them with a tissue, then placed them on the table behind him. The person standing next to him had already brought over some things. He casually picked up a tool; he hadn't used this toolbox in a long time.

The last time he used it was four months ago, when Song Shi beat up Zhang's only son.

The stick in his hand was about as thick as an adult male's arm. Song Jinming picked it up, weighed it in his hand, and then tapped it on the ground, the wooden object making a dull thud. A whooshing sound

followed as the stick slid through the air and struck Song Shi squarely. A sharp pain shot through Song Shi's shoulder, his body trembling slightly. He looked up, staring intently at the person in front of him.

"I'm your father! How dare you look at me like that!"

The same spot was struck again, and Song Shi felt as if he could already see Shi Shi being beaten to death with each blow. It must hurt...

After three blows, Song Jinming seemed to have found an outlet, venting all the pent-up anger of the past few days. He slammed the blood-stained stick to the ground.

The grip on Song Shi's back loosened, and he breathed a sigh of relief, his lungs aching. Song Jinming completely ripped off his tie and tossed it aside.

Smoke slowly drifted from his mouth. Song Shi stretched his numb shoulders, exhaled, and slowly stood up, supporting himself on his right knee.

"You can still stand up? Looks like I didn't hit you hard enough." Song Jinming looked over, cigarette in hand. "You're going to see Miss Li this weekend, no questions asked."

Song Shi straightened up, ignoring his aching shoulder. "I said, it's impossible."

"You fucking want to get beaten up again?"

"Song Jinming, I didn't fight back because of blood ties. You should be grateful." Song Shi didn't look at him again, but turned and walked away. However, someone quickly blocked his way.

Song Jinming chuckled, stubbed out his cigarette, and waved for the people to move aside. He looked at the people with their backs to him. "Fine, fine, you've got guts. Once you leave this house, you have nothing to do with this place anymore. Think it over..."

Before he could finish, Song Shi lifted his leg and continued walking forward, disappearing through the doorway.

Song Shi looked at the sky, which was beginning to clear up. The temperature was rather cold today, and the chilly wind stung his wounds. He took a deep breath. There weren't many people in the villa area, so there were few cars.

His phone kept vibrating in his pocket; it was Chen Zhoumu calling.

[Are you back yet?]

[What did Uncle say? I'll cover for you if anything happens. If you ask about us, just blame it on me.]

[Why did you take so long?]

[I missed you.]

The page refreshed, and a video call came in. Song Shi tried to appear normal, exhaled a breath, and answered.

The other end was probably still welcoming new students. The host's voice came through the stage. Chen Zhoumu looked at the other person and smiled: "When are you coming back?"

"Soon, on my way."

"Why is your face so pale? Did you not wear enough clothes this morning? I told you to put on my long johns, but you didn't listen. Now you know it's cold."

"Yeah, I'll listen to you next time."

"There shouldn't be anything busy this afternoon. I'll take you to get some nutrition. You're too thin; I can't even touch you properly..."

Song Shi listened to the other person's words and casually agreed twice, but his head was getting dizzier and dizzier. He felt the other person's voice getting softer and softer, and then he felt the ground rising up and getting closer and closer to him. Finally, he fell into darkness.

When he woke up again, his head was throbbing, and the smell of disinfectant filled the air. He tried to move his fingers, but the pain in his shoulder abruptly stopped him.

He thought of Chen Zhoumu; his memory was still stuck on their video call. There was no one around, and he didn't know how much time had passed.

The door to the room suddenly opened, very gently, as if afraid to wake the person inside.

Song Shi saw a familiar face. Chen Zhoumu walked in carrying a bag and quickly approached him after seeing that he was awake.

"Finally awake. Are you hungry?"

"How many days have you been?"

"You were unconscious for two days. How are you feeling now?"

"I'm alright." Song Shi looked at him. "Did something happen?"

Chen Zhoumu paused for a moment while opening the package, but quickly resumed. "Nothing happened. I've taken care of everything."

He took out the porridge from the insulated bag. "Are you hungry?"

"What do you mean? You've taken care of everything?"

"Never mind that." He sat down opposite Song Shi with the porridge. The aroma of the porridge wafted through the hospital, whetting Song Shi's appetite.

But looking at this unusual person, he lost his appetite: "Answer me first, what did you do?"

Chen Zhoumu's hand, scooping up the porridge, slowly stopped. What did he do? Of course, he crippled that person's hands and one leg. If he could still be rational after seeing the other person fall silently like that that day, he wouldn't be Chen Zhoumu.

That day, he left the welcoming site like a madman, inquiring for a long time before finally getting the address. He only saw Song Shi lying alone on the roadside, unresponsive.

Seeing the clothes he had personally dressed the other person that morning now stained red with blood, he knew that Song Shi's relationship with his father might be a bit tense, but he didn't expect things to turn out this way. If he had known earlier, he would have shamelessly gone with him.

So he personally crippled that beast's hands. If Song Shi didn't want to cut off the root of the problem, then he would do it himself. He wasn't afraid of getting his hands dirty.

He didn't want to tell Song Shi any of this, so he continued to hand over the porridge: "Good boy, eat something first."

Meanwhile, at the Zhang family...

A scene of utter chaos. Zhang Su smashed everything he could on the ground. "

Why, why! Why, why!

Song Shi! Why does all the good luck favor you! Why is someone like you even alive!

It's alright, it's alright, I still have one last card to play." He scrambled over like a madman, pulling things out of the drawer, his eyes gleaming with a hint of delusion: "Hahahaha! Song Shi, just you wait, just you wait! You'll all be waiting!" (

← Previous Chapter Next Chapter →