What is the most lethal bait for trapping humans?
Money.
In this world, how many people can get their hands on ten million?
Most people work their entire lives without earning that much.
This ten million ensnared Ji An’s father, Ji Niansi. If it weren’t for the money, Ji An would have almost forgotten he even had a father.
When Ji An returned home, the living room was already a mess, with chairs and tables overturned, and shards of glass and porcelain scattered haphazardly.
His father, a man who had spent most of his life doing hard labor, was straddling You Fu, punching his face repeatedly, gripping his throat, his eyes bloodshot as he cursed viciously, “You bastard! How dare you talk to me like that! Where do you get the nerve to call out in front of me!”
You Fu didn’t struggle, only clawing at his father’s hands, leaving bloody marks. His face turned crimson from lack of oxygen as he struggled to open his mouth, gasping for air.
Ji An’s mind buzzed. Without thinking, he rushed forward and swung his briefcase at his father’s head. “Ji Niansi, are you crazy?! Let him go!”
The briefcase, with the laptop inside, momentarily halted Ji Niansi’s aggression. Seeing Ji An, he released his grip, stood up, and straightened his wrinkled clothes. The veins on his forehead were still bulging as he forced a sickeningly ingratiating smile. “Little An, you’re back. I was just teaching this brat a lesson for not listening to you.”
You Fu’s neck bore horrifying bloody handprints, his bruised and swollen face devoid of its usual spirit, his clothes and hair disheveled, like a puppet torn apart and shattered.
Ji An pulled him up and shielded him behind his back. “Go to your room.”
You Fu swallowed the metallic taste in his throat, staggered into his room, and closed the door.
Ji Niansi lunged forward, trying to grab him. “You little bastard, get back here! Damn it!”
Ji An stepped forward, blocking the door to You Fu’s room, his voice icy. “What do you want? What did he do to provoke you?”
Ji Niansi’s face darkened as he forced himself to calm down. He picked up a large bag of walnuts and a sack of apples from beside the door. “I thought you were too busy, so I brought you some things and wanted to see you. You changed your number, and I couldn’t reach you. I asked around to find you, hoping that brat would give me your number so we could go out for a drink. But he refused, so I taught him a lesson in anger.”
Ji Niansi rubbed his cracked, calloused fingers, his simple attire clashing with the elegant and spacious interior.
Ji An was disgusted by his father’s pretense. “I remember we severed ties a long time ago.”
“What are you saying, Little An? I’m your father.”
“My father?” Ji An let out a cold laugh. “You’re the father of that ten million, aren’t you?”
Seeing his intentions exposed, a mix of malice and embarrassment flashed across Ji Niansi’s face.
Ji An’s gaze was as sharp as a knife, stabbing into Ji Niansi, wishing he could pierce him through. His voice trembled with suppressed anger. “Have you ever cared for me? Asked about me? Besides whispering in my ear that my mom was an unfaithful woman, what else have you done? When I first took in You Fu and had no money, couldn’t even afford food, living in a leaky shack, wearing discarded clothes, I begged you like a dog for some money. I said I’d repay you tenfold when You Fu grew up. I stood outside your door all night, almost kneeling before you. What did you do? Did you give me a single cent?”
“You slapped me! You said I was shameless like my mom, money-hungry! You Fu was only thirteen then. Do you remember what you said back then?” Ji An struggled to suppress the nausea, unable to repeat the words Ji Niansi had once said. “Aren’t you disgusting?! You think you’re so high and mighty, calling me a money-grubbing opportunist! And now? What are you here for now?!”
“Back then, you’d rather gamble and whore with your money than give me a cent! So why are you pretending to be a good father now?!”
With each word Ji An spoke, Ji Niansi’s face grew darker. Driven by greed, he barely suppressed the anger boiling in his chest, forcing a smile. “Back then, your mom drove me crazy with her actions. I didn’t have any money; I couldn’t even support myself, let alone help you. Little An, you’re my only son. I always loved you the most. When you wanted a toy car as a child, I bought it for you without a second thought. When you liked painting in high school, I bought you the most expensive paints. I paid for your college; your mom never contributed a penny. You…”
“Stop.” Ji An took a deep breath, cutting him off. “You did treat me like a son once, but after my mom ran off with You Fu’s dad, you cut off all my living expenses to force me to find her. I went to college with my grandparents’ pension, student loans, and part-time jobs. I can repay you every cent you spent on me, but nothing else.”
Anger reached its peak. Seeing that soft words were useless, Ji Niansi could no longer maintain his poor facade. He threw the plastic bag in his hand, walnuts and apples rolling across the floor. “I’m your father! Is this how you talk to me?!”
“I don’t care if you’re Confucius!” Ji An raised his phone, the screen displaying “911,” and threatened, “You Fu has nothing to do with you. Hitting him isn’t domestic violence. How long do you think you’d be locked up if I took You Fu for a medical evaluation?! Two choices: go to jail or take the money and cut ties. Get out!”
Ji Niansi’s temples throbbed as he clenched his fists. His eyes darted around, and he quickly relaxed his grip. “Transfer the money to me.”
As he left, Ji Niansi twisted the doorknob and turned back, his face twisted with malice. “You and your mom look alike, and he looks like his dad. Seeing you two reminds me of them. Back then, she protected that man just like this, even threatening to die if I didn’t let him go. I hope the fate they couldn’t fulfill in life, you two can continue. That wretched woman liked him, didn’t she? Do you think she’d be happy to see her son and his son in bed together from the grave?”
“Ji Niansi, shut up!” Ji An could no longer control his emotions. He grabbed a vase from the table and smashed it over Ji Niansi’s head.
Ji Niansi staggered back from the blow, falling outside the door, warm blood gushing from his forehead, streaming down his face.
His mind and ears buzzed, his blurred vision reflecting Ji An’s twisted face. The blows rained down on his face, pain causing Ji Niansi to instinctively raise his hands to shield himself, wailing.
Along with the blows, Ji An’s warm tears fell.
Why was he so unlucky? Stuck with parents like these! A mother who abandoned him without a second thought! A father who spouted vile words at his own son!
Why!!!
“What did I do in my past life to deserve this?! Do I owe you?! Why didn’t you catch AIDS from those prostitutes?! I beg you to die, okay?! Can you die already?! Can you be torn to pieces?!!!” Ji An screamed, each punch delivered with deadly intent, wishing he could kill Ji Niansi, rid the world of this filth!
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the shattered vase. He could no longer maintain his sanity, driven mad, he grabbed a shard of porcelain and slashed at Ji Niansi’s neck.
The shard barely broke the skin when a hand grabbed his arm, pulling him upright and into someone’s embrace. The person took the shard from his hand and threw it to the ground.
Ji Niansi clutched his neck wound, seizing the opportunity to curse, “I hope you two have lots of children!” before scrambling to his feet and fleeing with his hefty body.
“Ji Niansi, if you have the guts, die by my hand! Let go of me!!!” Ji An struggled violently, but the person behind him held him tightly. In desperation, Ji An bit down on the arm wrapped around his shoulder, tears streaming down his face, dripping onto You Fu’s arm.
Only when the taste of blood seeped into his mouth did Ji An’s impulsiveness fade. He released his bite, hearing You Fu’s pained grunt.
He came to his senses, realizing You Fu hadn’t resisted, hadn’t tried to wake him from his frenzy, but silently endured, accepting all his emotions.
He thought You Fu was foolish.
He saw several doors open in the hallway, people peeking out to watch the commotion, whispering, laughing maliciously.
Thankfully, You Fu pulled him into the room, closing the door, shutting out all the prying, humiliating gazes.
Ji An stood by the door, breathing heavily, tears still slipping from his eyes.
You Fu placed a hand on the door, half-encircling Ji An, offering him a tissue.
Ji An didn’t take it.
You Fu leaned in slightly, wiping the tears from Ji An’s face.
Ji An grabbed his wrist, looking at the bloody bite mark he’d left on You Fu’s arm. “Isn’t it ridiculous? Hearing all that, isn’t it disgusting?”
You Fu’s throat moved painfully due to the wound on his neck. “What is disgusting? Why would it be disgusting?” It was merely stating a fact that would happen sooner or later.
Ji An smirked self-deprecatingly. Of course, You Fu wasn’t normal. He had never stopped insulting him over the years. Why would he find these insults significant?
“Go to the clinic downstairs and have your wounds checked. I’ll clean up the house.” He released You Fu’s wrist, crouching to pick up the scattered walnuts and toss them in the trash.
You Fu left the house without a word.
When You Fu returned, Ji An had mostly tidied up. After sweeping the mess into the trash, the living room felt even emptier.
The TV played an unamusing comedy show.
The two sat on the couch, You Fu quietly inching his fingers closer to Ji An’s until their pinkies barely touched.
After a long silence, You Fu spoke first. “Do you have something to say to me?”
Ji An stared blankly at his toes. “Why didn’t you fight back?”
You Fu replied, “I don’t think I have the right to fight back against your family.”
Ji An felt a headache coming on at his words. Pressing his head with the hand touching You Fu, he said, “Don’t consider him my family. Also, the only person you can’t fight back against is me, regardless of their relationship with me.”
You Fu looked at his solitary pinky, then picked up an orange from the table, peeled it, and removed the white threads before placing it in front of Ji An. “Understood.”
They sat in silence, the orange on the table drying out, neither speaking.
They were used to eating dinner late, having some fruit or snacks in the afternoon to tide them over until eight or nine at night.
But today, the meal You Fu had prepared was destroyed by Ji Niansi, and neither had the appetite for dinner.
Ji An’s mind felt like it was filled with a million ants, each one speaking, creating a chaotic mess, leaving him physically and emotionally exhausted.
After sitting in a daze for nearly half an hour, Ji An was about to remind You Fu to return to his room when he felt a weight on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw You Fu’s head resting there, his breathing even, clearly asleep.
Instinctively, he was about to push him away, but seeing the bandage on You Fu’s face, he refrained, picking up an orange from the table and popping it into his mouth.
He bit through the dry, hard peel, eating one segment after another, until the last one. He squeezed the orange juice onto You Fu’s lips.
“Revenge,” he whispered.
Because this brat had peeled him a very sour orange.