The frozen shadow lingering in the deep mist did not move an inch.
It remained perfectly still against the cold brick wall of the narrow, dark alley, its sharp eyes locked onto Jow’s retreating figure as he walked away from the store.
It was Ray, pulling the collar of his jacket much higher against the biting night air while watching Jow lock the heavy glass doors from the outside.
Ray’s expression was a complex, painful knot of confusion and guilt because he had spent the last two hours hidden completely in the shadows just to ensure that the poor boy could stand on his own feet after collapsing so brutally the night before.
Seeing Jow walk with a steady, unyielding posture despite exhaustion, Ray let out a quiet, invisible breath into the dense fog, knowing very well what Teng would do to him if his leader ever discovered this secret, silent surveillance.
With one last lingering look at Jow’s fading silhouette down the dark road, Ray turned his back to the scene and quietly dissolved into the pitch-black city streets.Meanwhile, Jow walked down the dimly lit street with a strange sense of peace, his trembling hand buried deep inside his worn-out coat pocket, tightly clutching the plastic bag filled with his grandmother’s proper medication.
For the first time in many painful weeks, a genuine, soft smile touched his chapped lips because he had finally earned enough to secure her health for the coming days.
He looked up at the foggy, cloud-covered sky, his dark eyes reflecting a cold, unbreakable steel that had never been there before during his worst days at the elite academy.
“Go ahead, Teng,” Jow whispered to the empty, freezing air, his voice completely devoid of any fear or tears as his gaze hardened into absolute silence.
“Do whatever you want with me from now on, break my bones or ruin my days as much as your toxic ego desires, but you will never break my spirit again because I will survive and fight back for her.”When Jow finally reached his small, worn-out house at the end of the alley, the faint, wonderfully delicious aroma of homemade dumplings greeted him right at the old wooden doorstep.
His heart skipped a happy beat as he quickly pushed the unlocked door open, only to see a frail, elderly woman standing weakly by the steaming stove with a metal ladle in her hand.
“Grany!” Jow gasped in sudden panic, rushing forward instantly to take the heavy metal pot away from her trembling hands before she could hurt herself.
“Why are you out of bed when your body is still burning with residual fever, you are supposed to rest and sleep, you shouldn’t be cooking at all in this weak condition!” Grany turned around slowly,her tired face wrinkling into a warm, deeply loving smile as she looked up at her precious grandson, gently patting his cold cheek with her rough, comforting hand.
“Oh, my sweet child, I know how much you love these dumplings when you are tired, and you haven’t eaten properly for days because of your hard work, so how could I just sit idle in bed?”Tears instantly pricked the corners of Jow’s eyes at her words, but he quickly blinked them away in the dark, forcing a bright, cheerful smile onto his face as he guided her back to the small wooden chair.
He set the warm plates down on the table, feeling the crushing weight of the elite academy and Teng’s endless cruelty completely vanish from his mind inside this tiny sanctuary.
Jow gently placed his hand over Grany’s thin, cold hand and said softly, “Grany, tomorrow is my official day off from both school and work, and your fever is finally going down with these new medicines.
Tomorrow morning, I am taking you out for a beautiful walk in the grand park, just you and me together like old times, okay?” Grany’s old eyes lit up with pure, unadulterated happiness at his words, and she nodded her head weakly, hugging him tightly as the cold wind howled outside their small window.But the fragile bubble of peace inside that tiny room was short-lived, as the dark wheels of fate were already turning ruthlessly against them in the upper-class districts of the city.
In his lavish penthouse, Teng stood by the floor-to-ceiling glass window, swirling an expensive glass of wine, his jaw clenched as he stared down at the neon-lit skyline.
He was absolutely consumed by a volatile mixture of toxic ego and cold fury, unable to erase the image of Jow’s dead, emotionless eyes from his mind during their encounter earlier that day.
Jow’s sudden lack of fear, his refusal to cry, and that stone-cold look of absolute disgust had pierced right through Teng’s arrogant armor, making him feel an unsettling emotion he had never experienced before—powerlessness.
He slammed his wine glass down on the marble counter, shattering it into pieces, as he pulled out his phone to call his loyal men, determined to find whatever leverage it took to finally crush Jow’s unbroken spirit once and for all.The very next morning, the grand park was blanketed in a soft, golden sunlight that made the dew-covered grass glisten like diamonds, offering a deceptive sense of safety to the small family.
Jow carefully adjusted the thick woollen shawl around Grany’s frail shoulders, holding her thin hand with utmost gentleness as they slowly walked down the paved pathway, listening to her soft, wheezing laughter.
For Jow, this was the ultimate victory, a brief and precious escape from the living hell of the elite academy, seeing his beloved grandmother breathe in the fresh morning air with a genuine smile on her wrinkled face.
He felt a rare warmth blooming inside his chest, believing for a single foolish moment that his sheer willpower had finally bought them a temporary sanctuary from the monsters ruling his world.He looked at Grany and promised to buy her favorite sweets on the way back, his heart feeling lighter than it had in months as they approached a quiet wooden bench near the lake.They slowly walked deeper into the heart of the grand park, where the towering oak trees created a natural canopy that filtered the soft morning light into beautiful, golden patches on the ground.
Jow held Grany’s frail hand with extreme care, matching his steps perfectly with her slow, hesitant pace while his eyes constantly scanned the path ahead for any loose stones or uneven dirt.
The fresh, crisp air was filled with the sweet scent of blooming jasmines, and for the first time in months, Jow felt the invisible, crushing shackles of the elite academy slip off his shoulders entirely.
He looked at Grany’s wrinkled face, noting with a deep sense of relief how the cold morning breeze was bringing a faint, healthy color back to her pale cheeks after days of burning fever.
It was a small, fragile victory for the poor scholarship student, but to him, this quiet walk was worth more than all the multi-billion riches Teng and his toxic gang possessed.Grany stopped near a beautifully carved wooden bench facing the calm, glassy lake, her breathing a bit heavy but her eyes shining with pure, unadulterated happiness as she looked up at her grandson.
She gently squeezed Jow’s hand, her rough palm spreading a comforting warmth through his cold fingers before she spoke in a soft, trembling voice that held a mother’s endless intuition.
“My sweet boy, you look so thin these days, and your eyes carry a heavy shadow that you try so hard to hide from this old woman whenever you come home from that grand school,” she murmured, her thumb tracing the faint, fading bruise on the side of his wrist from his previous encounters.
“Tell me truly, Jow, are the students and teachers treating you well there, or are you swallowing all your tears in silence just to keep your poor Grany happy and alive?” Jow’s heart skipped painful beat at her words, his mind instantly flashing back to the dark, abandoned room and the ruthless laughter of Teng’s followers, but his face remained a perfect, unreadable mask of absolute He quickly covered her hand with his other palm, forcing a bright, reassuring smile to his lips as he gently guided her to sit on the comfortable wooden bench, completely burying his private agony deep within his chest.
“Grany, you worry far too much about things that aren’t even real, everything is absolutely wonderful at the academy and everyone is simply amazed by my top academic scores,” Jow lied smoothly, his cold, hardened voice softening into pure affection just for her ears.
“The elite students are just very busy with their own high-class lives, and the heavy workload is the only reason why I look a little tired, so you must promise me to stop overthinking and focus only on eating your dumplings and getting better.” Grany stared deep into his dark eyes for a long, silent moment, searching for any crack in his cheerful defense, before she let out a soft sigh and nodded her head,choosing to believe her grandson’s words because she knew how fiercely proud and protective his young spirit was.As they sat together watching the small ripples on the golden water, Jow reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, traditional paper candy wrap, placing it gently into Grany’s hand with a soft, boyish chuckle that he hadn’t shared in a long time.
“Look what I bought for you from the small store near my job shift last night, it is your favorite honey-glazed ginger candy that you always used to make for me when I was a little child,” Jow said, his dark eyes sparkling with a genuine warmth that Teng’s cruelty could never steal away from him.
Grany’s eyes widened in pure delight as she unwrapped the sweet treat, the rich aroma bringing back memories of simpler, happier days when they weren’t crushed by poverty or sickness.
She broke the candy in half, placing the larger piece directly into Jow’s mouth despite his soft protests, and as they chewed the sweet candy together in absolute silence,the dark, predatory world outside the park gates felt like a distant, powerless memory that could no longer hurt them.”But Jow had no idea this peaceful morning was just the silent calm before a brutal storm.
Far away, a dark phone call was being made to expose his secret.
The countdown had begun, and his safety would soon shatter completely.
His unyielding spirit was about to face its most merciless test.”