“Cough… cough…”
“Cough… cough…”
In the pitch-black confinement room, Shen Yue hangs his head. His curved, pale neck is so slender it looks as though it might snap. His beautiful cheeks glow with an unnatural flush, yet his body feels as cold as if plunged into an ice cellar.
Since the day he was captured here, he has been kneeling on the ground, both hands bound above his head in a hanging position, and has never been let down. Time is powerful enough to numb pain. His arms and legs no longer feel any pain. His right arm is completely numb, it is probably already ruined.
According to regulations, the interrogation department should have come to question him immediately, delivering the final verdict notice. But after waiting so long, not a single person has set foot here, only Ren Junzhu comes. The confinement room’s light has never been turned on again. Shen Yue does not know how long has passed, a few days, ten-plus days, or even longer. He can only roughly judge by how many times Ren Junzhu has come. He probably comes about once a day. Every time he comes, he does nothing else, only——
Shen Yue coughs a few times. A bitter, bloody taste rises from the base of his tongue. The corners of his mouth are cracked and red. Discomfort churns deep in his throat. He cannot help but dry heave, but it is too deep, nothing comes out.
In this position, it is very difficult for Shen Yue to exert force. His wrists ache from being suspended, and he dare not lift his head even once. But even so, most of the time Ren Junzhu is not satisfied. One hand presses down on the back of his head. Shen Yue lets out pained, unbearable whimpers, yet that large hand does not move at all. Shen Yue can only adapt himself to absorb the thin, sparse air as best he can.
Ren Junzhu had said that only when he is entertained can the child live well. Shen Yue understands his nature, he means what he says and follows through. So every time, he does his best. It’s just that last time, Shen Yue truly could not hold back. After swallowing, he forced himself to ask: “Cough… cough… Junzhu, could you let me… see the child one last time before I die?”
His voice is as hoarse as parched, cracked earth. In the darkness, Ren Junzhu is silent like a cold, merciless [1]Raksha statue refers to a depiction of a Rakshasa, a fearsome, demonic figure from Hindu and Buddhist mythology. Rakshasas are typically portrayed as monstrous, malevolent beings with terrifying … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2373648_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2373648_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });Raksha statue. Half-closing his eyes, he gazes at Shen Yue for a long while, then reaches out and presses him down again.
That time, Shen Yue ultimately lost consciousness.
After that, Ren Junzhu never came again. Shen Yue also understood his answer, he will not let him see that child again. He wants him to suffer torment in agonizing longing. If he does not come, then nothing remains here except endless darkness and silence. Time itself seems to stop here. Shen Yue is a completely forgotten prisoner, only able to silently wait for death.
This is the way he has arranged for him to die, Shen Yue smiles bitterly, hangs his head weakly. He can feel his body temperature gradually fading. His moments of clarity grow fewer and fewer. Most of the time, he is muddled and dazed. Now, his exhalations are heavy, his inhalations scant, he is at the brink of death.
He no longer has the heart to think about what kind of sight it will be when he is found dying without any dignity. At most, he will be mocked and ridiculed. Anyway, he won’t see it after death. It’s just… that child…
Shen Yue leans his head against his arm. His messy, long hair slides down, covering his face. In his heart, he traces, little by little, the features etched deep in his memory, that handsome, almost divinely majestic face, from the straight nose bridge to the thin lips. That child’s face resembles his greatly, only still retaining childish innocence. The occasion was too chaotic, he cannot quite remember the child’s clearest image, and can only sketch it vaguely according to that person.
He imagines the three of them living together, a scene that can never come true, and slowly closes his eyes.
……
“Click…”
Shen Yue, already utterly exhausted, his mind groggy, his consciousness sinking into boundless chaos and a swamp, does not hear the soft but, in the utter silence, very obvious sound of the door opening.
The door closes gently. A person walks silently to stand before him.
Even as the person approaches, Shen Yue does not notice. His breathing is faint, as thin as a thread. His sensory perception of the outside world has dropped to its lowest point.
“How have you become like this?” A crisp, youthful voice sounds.
“That old man Ren Junzhu dares to abuse you?!”
It is as if a shaft of sunlight breaks through the clouds and shines into the deep, thick, impenetrable darkness of a canyon, instantly dispelling the bone-chilling fog. In his coma, Shen Yue is roused to a glimmer of consciousness by this voice. In the depths of his being, his intuition tells him he cannot die just like this. He forces himself to muster his spirits, slowly opens his eyes, and lifts his gaze, immediately meeting a pair of bright, dark pupils. The room is wrapped in thick curtains, not a sliver of light, but these pupils perfectly inherit the night vision ability of both parents. The outer ring of the pupils glows with a faint blue light, and inside the blue light, there is also a silver sheen.
Realizing something, his deadened senses, even every cell in his body, suddenly revive as if injected with medicine, struggling to extend their feelers. A pair of tender, small hands pulls him out of the abyss. Shen Yue bites down hard, forcing himself awake. He thinks he is dreaming, but the dream does not disappear with the pain, instead, it continues to chatter endlessly——
“Article 121, Chapter 5 of the ‘Special Military Defense Forces Disciplinary Regulations’ stipulates that it is forbidden to abuse or torture prisoners. Ren Junzhu, as a Colonel, actually knows the law and breaks it! I’m going to report him!” His small hands clench into fists and wave. His cheeks puff up with anger.
“You…” Shen Yue’s throat is so dry it feels like it might bleed. Every word he utters is like a knife slicing. He coughs lightly a few times, coughing up a bit of bloody foam. The visitor runs to a nearby table, stands on tiptoe, and looks around. Frowning, he says: “Not even a cup of water. How does the interrogation department do things? Sister Sun isn’t like this. It must be that stinky old man Ren Junzhu forcing them. I’m going to tell Grandpa Liu to punish him!”
Shen Yue opens his mouth, wanting to stop him from righteously reporting his own father, but he cannot speak. He bites the corner of his mouth hard, licks a bit of his own blood, and at the same time tries to lick off all the dirt around his mouth, only then says hoarsely: “Don’t… you…”
The visitor runs back. In such silence, he runs back and forth without making a single sound.
Just like his father.
He stops before him. Shen Yue stares fixedly, his eyes full of surprise and disbelief. The person he has longed for day and night has actually appeared here like this. It is neither an illusion nor a dream. Shen Yue’s heart surges with an uncontrollable excitement. He dares not even blink. While he looks the child over, the child also looks him over, carefully examining him from head to toe.
After the excitement comes deeper sorrow and embarrassment. Appearing before his own child in such a posture, with such a face, Shen Yue does not fear the gaze of the world after death, but now he deeply fears the clear, transparent gaze of this seven-year-old child.
He presses his lips together, turns his head to let his hair cover his face, not wanting the child to see him in such a messy and miserable state.
“What are you doing…” The child mumbles discontentedly, reaches out to take his long hair that has fallen in front of him, and gently tucks it behind his ear.
The sensation of brushing past his ear is smooth and distinct. Shen Yue trembles, holds back the acridness in his eyes, and says hoarsely: “Dirty… don’t touch it…”
The child opens his eyes wide and continues staring at him. Shen Yue’s gaze passes over his forehead, then looks at his right arm, then carefully examines his entire body: “Your injuries… are you alright?”
“I’m fine, those injuries are nothing.” The child answers.
“But that day, your whole body was covered in blood.”
“That was all that stupid alpha’s blood, not mine.” The child puffs out his chest proudly: “My healing ability is very strong. Those injuries healed completely in three or four days, not even a scar left. Bones can heal themselves too.”
This, too, is inherited from his father.
When he was pregnant with him, Shen Yue was very afraid he would inherit his own constitution. But judging by the situation, Ren Junzhu’s genes are more powerful and superior. He breathes a sigh of relief, yet his heart still churns with waves of bitterness and pain. Just because wounds heal quickly does not mean they don’t hurt. The pain of broken tendons and bones is not something ordinary people can bear. He is only a seven-year-old child, who should be enjoying his childhood at his parents’ knees, not going through these things at such a young age.
Shen Yue forces back the tears in his eyes and says softly: “I still don’t know your name.”
“My name is Ren Suixing. Sui as in ‘year’ (年歲), Xing as in ‘star’ (星星).”
Pausing for a moment, Ren Suixing says somewhat shyly: “Grandfather said this name was given by that stinky old man, from some classical Chinese text, saying I am a star that fell into the mortal world, the only one of its kind.”
“I got goosebumps when I heard it. I always thought Grandfather was fooling me.”
Shen Yue is stunned for a moment, then murmurs: “Call me Fang Shuo, a falling star in the human world.”
Year after year, bright as a star, never extinguishing, never withering.
It is a very good name.
Shen Yue exhales and smiles softly. He had thought that given Ren Junzhu’s temper and character, after his betrayal, he would surely destroy everything related to him. He is an extreme and irascible man, who wouldn’t care at all whether it is his own bloodline or not. But unexpectedly, he still does not understand him… Does that prove his hatred is not so deep after all?
That is enough, Shen Yue thinks. That is enough. Knowing that he did not vent his anger on this child because of him, but instead raised him with great care, that is enough. Even if he dies right now, he can do so with a smile and closed eyes.
“And you? What is your name?” Ren Suixing asks.
“Shen Yue.”
“Which yue? The moon (月)?”
“In front of ‘moon’ add the character for ‘king’ (王).”
Shen Yue smiles gently at him, his long, narrow, affectionate eyes slightly raised. In the darkness, a faint, almost imperceptible silver glow rings the outer edges of his pupils. When he looks at someone, there always seems to be mist and water within them, like moonlight scattering over mountains and rivers on an autumn night, shimmering, extraordinarily beautiful, yet filled with an indescribable sense of fragility.
Ren Suixing looks at him smiling, yet feels as though he is crying.
“You…” Ren Suixing’s heart aches for some reason. He raises his hand to wipe away the sorrow in Shen Yue’s eyes, but finds he has not shed any tears. He looks at the tear mole beneath Shen Yue’s right eye, like a droplet about to fall but not falling, and murmurs to himself: “The tear mole and silver glow are so similar… could it really not be…”
“Shen Yue.” Ren Suixing suddenly speaks seriously.
“I have a question to ask you. You must answer me honestly. Do not lie to me.”
Before Shen Yue can gather his thoughts and prepare himself, he asks the question Shen Yue fears most in this world to answer:
“Shen Yue, are you my mom?”
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