The days that followed continued, a monotonous repetition that only deepened his despair.
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From the first beating, the second, the third…
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By the end, Yunho had lost count of how many beatings he'd endured.
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Sometimes it was just because of his slowness.
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Sometimes it was just because the food not to their taste.
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Sometimes there was no reason at all; They simply wanted someone to vent their anger on.
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He was always the one at the bottom, the easiest to bully.
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And Jun-ge always stood by.
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From beginning to end, he remained consistently silent.
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Like watching a complete stranger.
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Sometimes Yunho would be covered in bruises, huddled in a corner, panting.
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Jun-ge would leave a bottle of medicinal liquor, a piece of dry bread, and, just like last time, turn and leave.
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Sometimes, even that wasn't enough.
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It was as if wasting even a moment on him was pointless.
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The boy had secretly hoped.
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He hoped that the person who had taken him in would even cast a glance at him.
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Even a simple "Stop it."
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Even just one admission—"He's mine."
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Just once, and Yunho would suffer much less.
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But for two years, it never happened.
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And so, Yunho endured cold stares and bullying from age 11 to 13.
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By day, he shouldered work far beyond his years; by night, he carefully slept, enduring the stinging pain of his wounds, terrified of another beating the next second.
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The darkness stretched endlessly.
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And the person who had once given him a glimmer of light in that darkness,
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though living in the same building, was farther away than the Great Wall,
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seemingly only to be admired from afar, forever unreachable.
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Now, at thirteen,
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he thought he was numb, thought he had closed his heart, that he would no longer feel pain, no longer have expectations.
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Until that girl appeared.
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She was the daughter of a nearby shopkeeper,
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whose shop had a long-standing partnership with the Xi Yue Gang.
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Around 17 years old, a high school student,
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she possessed an incredibly pure and lovely aura,
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bright and radiant.
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She would occasionally help her family organize merchandise at the shop,
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and had several opportunities to interact with the boy.
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She was one of the very few people who looked at Yunho with normal eyes, without disliking his dirtiness, his background, or showing disgust upon seeing him.
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Sometimes, as they passed each other, she would gently raise her head; sometimes, she would secretly toss him some snacks, even giving him a meat bun.
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"Eat quickly, don't let anyone see."
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"Thank you..."
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Yunho froze, the warmth of her hand reaching deep into his heart.
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Since losing his parents at age 11 and being kicked out by relatives, he had never been treated so gently.
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No insults, no contemptuous glances.
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Just... simple, selfless kindness.
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That tiny, insignificant act of kindness, in the darkness of his life, was like a spark, burning him with a frantic intensity, yet irresistibly drawing him closer.
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For the first time, he knew what it felt like to be moved—
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Flustered, unable to look her in the eye, yet unable to resist stealing glances.
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He even had a ridiculous thought:
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Perhaps, there is still a glimmer of kindness in this world.
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At the same time, Yunho could sense that the girl wasn't entirely indifferent to him.
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Sometimes her eyes darted away, sometimes her cheeks flushed slightly, sometimes she would deliberately slow her pace to wait for him.
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The boy thought that this time, he could finally grasp a sliver of light that belonged to him.
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Until that day, he mustered all his courage and tried to take a step closer.
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But the girl retreated first.
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Her eyes flickered, her voice as soft as a cloud, yet every word pierced his heart:
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"We…can't.
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You're from that place, my parents won't approve, and I…don't dare."
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Don't dare.
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Those two words, so light and airy, shattered his last shred of illusion.
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He understood.
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Even if someone had a shred of affection for him, they would back down because of his identity, because of his shady past.
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He could never escape that quagmire.
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That night, the boy huddled alone in the corner where he usually hid after being scolded.
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All the memories he had suppressed surged up in that instant.
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The afternoon his parents died.
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The cold night when relatives rejected him and kicked him out, along with his belongings.
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The hunger and despair of being a homeless person on the streets.
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The endless beatings and humiliations in the gang.
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And the vice-president—Jun Ge—who had taken him in, given him a glimmer of hope, but never offered him a shred of warmth.
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He thought that after enduring so much, there should be some reward.
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After suffering for so long, he was finally going to receive some warmth.
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The result was only a series of abysses, each fall more painful than the last.
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From beginning to end, he had always been alone.
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A person abandoned by the world, unwanted, and uncared for.
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The boy curled up on the ground, his shoulders trembling violently, clenching his teeth to keep from crying out loud, yet tears still streamed down his face uncontrollably.
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The grievances, despair, and resentment of the past two years erupted completely at this moment.
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He didn't know when Jun-ge had appeared there.
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The man leaned against the wall, silently watching him collapse, his eyes still indifferent.
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No sympathy, no heartache, no wavering whatsoever.
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Yunho trembled all over as he cried, but vaguely sensed someone approaching. Through his tear-blurred vision, he slightly raised his head to look at the person he had once regarded as his only ray of light.
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After a while, Jun-ge finally spoke, his voice deep and unwavering, each word striking his heart like a meteorite:
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"Is this what you wanted?"21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa7hUeSK4I4
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