Five days later, they suddenly returned home.
In those few days of interaction, Wen Yan noticed that Liang Shijing’s condition had stabilized considerably. He no longer saw him injecting that pink liquid, nor any signs of impatience on Liang Shijing’s face.
Had this specially customized neck ring played a significant role?
Apart from the initial discomfort and pain when first wearing it, Wen Yan had grown accustomed to it after a few times. The painkillers, however, were running dangerously low…
It was late at night when they arrived at Oak Bay.
Since Liang Wangyou had gone to bed early, they moved like a harmonious couple of parents returning from a business trip, tiptoeing into the room to check on their child.
Liang Wangyou was sleeping soundly and peacefully, his small cheeks half-buried in the covers. Wen Yan gently stroked his face. Dim light spilled onto the carpet at an angle from behind—that was the two childcare workers in the living room reporting to Liang Shijing.
Liang Shijing might be infuriating, but he was truly a very responsible father. Wen Yan was immensely grateful. Liang Shijing hadn’t come to resent Liang Wangyou over those past events, nor had he targeted Wen Yan himself—aside from his occasionally harsh words…
Lost in random thoughts, Wen Yan drifted off until dawn. He wasn’t sure how long he slept before a frantic knocking jolted him awake. Consul Ji’s anxious voice called his name from outside the door.
Wen Yan threw on a robe and hurried to open it.
The usually composed Consul Ji looked frantic. “After activity class, Young Master sneaked out of school. They just found him at the aquarium. The Chief is back, and he’s furious. Young Master is being punished right now.”
“What punishment? Where’s Little You?” Wen Yan’s face paled in alarm.
“Downstairs.”
The elevator reached the second floor. As the doors opened, Wen Yan heard a sharp whooshing sound cutting through the air. He dashed down the corridor to the main hall, where a crowd of over a dozen people had gathered—Liang Wangyou’s bodyguard team, and several secretaries Liang Shijing had brought back.
In the center, a beta childcare worker was striking Liang Wangyou’s palms with a disciplinary ruler!
Liang Shijing sat on the long sofa, his expression stern.
“Stop!” Wen Yan shouted.
Everyone turned to look. The childcare worker lowered his raised arm and stepped aside.
Wen Yan rushed to Liang Wangyou’s side to check him over. The child’s once-plump little palms were already badly swollen.
Consul Ji had briefly explained the situation on the way. Liang Wangyou had indeed been talking about wanting to visit the aquarium lately. The night before last, during a phone call, he’d said “it’s almost gone,” but when Wen Yan asked why, he wouldn’t say. Who would have thought he’d sneak off there himself today…
“Who told you to stop?” Liang Shijing said coldly. “Continue.”
“Little You, you know you did wrong this time. How about we apologize? Or you explain that you won’t do it again?” Wen Yan quickly hugged Liang Wangyou’s shoulders, coaxing him anxiously.
Liang Wangyou bit his lower lip, trembling as he said, “No.”
“If we apologize, we won’t be punished. Let’s apologize now, okay? Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the aquarium to play, alright?”
No matter how Wen Yan coaxed him, even with his hands swollen beyond recognition, Liang Wangyou refused to apologize or give in. Defiantly, he even extended his palms again.
Liang Shijing nodded. “Good.”
Wen Yan sensed disaster looming. Sure enough, the next moment, two childcare workers “escorted” him away. He was forced to sit on the sofa as the disciplinary ruler struck Liang Wangyou’s palms once more.
The heavy sandalwood ruler made almost no sound as it met skin, but its weight made each blow excruciatingly painful.
Wen Yan watched in horror as Liang Wangyou’s small left hand grew redder and more swollen. The child’s little body shook harder, but even in such agony, he held back his tears—until the ruler landed on a certain spot. He let out a sudden cry of shock. Wen Yan leaped to his feet; the left hand was broken open, blood staining the ruler. He charged forward, shoving the childcare worker aside, his legs in sleep pants nearly buckling to the floor.
“Say you were wrong and promise never to do it again, Little You. Apologize, quick.”
Liang Wangyou’s cheeks were taut, tears streaming silently.
“Please, okay?” Wen Yan’s heart was shattering.
“No… I won’t…”
“I’ll take you to the aquarium right after this.” Wen Yan carefully grasped his left hand, blowing on it gently to ease the pain. “You just need to say three words. Then we won’t get hit anymore…”
“No apology!” Liang Wangyou suddenly wailed, thrashing and rolling on the floor, repeating, “No, no, no!”
Now Wen Yan knew he could no longer shield him. But if this continued, the finger bones would break. He clutched Liang Wangyou tightly to his chest, but the bodyguards forcibly pried him away.
“Bring him to my side,” Liang Shijing ordered coldly.
Wen Yan was “escorted” to sit beside Liang Shijing, forced to watch the punishment head-on. The left hand could take no more. The childcare worker hesitated, but the five-year-old Liang Wangyou defiantly extended his right hand.
Three strikes, five, seven, nine… His cries grew louder and louder…
“I hate you so much,” Wen Yan said, covering his eyes in anguish.
“I know,” Liang Shijing replied flatly.
After a full ten strikes, the right hand was also broken open. Liang Wangyou let out a dying whimper… Wen Yan tried to rise several times, but Liang Shijing gripped his wrist, pinning him down.
“Hit me instead…” he said, tears blurring his vision.
The room fell silent in shock. Consul Ji stepped forward, hesitating to speak. The childcare worker halted the ruler…
“Are you threatening me?” Liang Shijing’s face darkened.
As he spoke, his grip loosened slightly. Wen Yan immediately rushed to Liang Wangyou, cradling him protectively. Liang Shijing asked expressionlessly, “Liang Wangyou, are you willing to let Wen Yan take your punishment?”
At those words, even gasping in pain, Liang Wangyou struggled to climb out of Wen Yan’s arms… Wen Yan wouldn’t let him. Liang Wangyou refused to stay put. Liang Shijing said nothing.
The standoff dragged on until Cheng Zhu, who had been standing silently to the side with a black briefcase, spoke up. “Chief, the Military Department and Finance Department are still waiting for you.”
Consul Ji shot him a look. Before Liang Shijing could respond, Wen Yan scooped up Liang Wangyou and bolted for the elevator.
Director Hu arrived soon after. Seeing Liang Wangyou’s injuries, his eyes widened. “My god, who had the guts?”
Consul Ji signaled him to shut up.
The examination inevitably required touching the hands. Liang Wangyou burrowed into Wen Yan’s arms in pain. He cried, and Wen Yan cried too, turning the bedroom into chaos. Fortunately, the exam showed no major damage to the finger bones—just the torn, bloody palms that would take a very long time to heal. The pain during recovery was all too imaginable…
“Do we have any painkillers?” Wen Yan asked through his tears.
“We do have some,” Hu Li said, scratching his bald head. “The ones suitable for the Young Master are oral painkillers—they take fifteen to thirty minutes to kick in. But these wounds need immediate treatment.”
Wen Yan had no choice but to crush the painkillers and feed them to Liang Wangyou in a half-forced manner. Liang Wangyou choked badly from all his crying. Wen Yan directed the servants to hold down his legs and arms as the disinfectant was applied to the wounds, and Liang Wangyou let out piercing screams.
“It’ll be okay soon. It’ll be okay right away,” Wen Yan coaxed him desperately.
Hu Li had originally wanted to find a moment to chat with him about the neck ring’s usage, but seeing the scene before him, he quietly slipped away with Consul Ji.
After dusk fell, the bedroom plunged into dimness. No matter how Wen Yan tried to soothe him, Liang Wangyou wouldn’t calm down. Wen Yan supported his upper body and shoulders with one arm while cradling his head with the other, gently rocking him. Every so often, he wiped his own tears, then Liang Wangyou’s, and fed him sips of water.
Liang Wangyou must have been desperate to sleep, but the pain in his hands kept him awake. Every ten seconds or so, a whimper escaped him.
“It won’t hurt in a bit,” Wen Yan whispered.
Liang Wangyou lay in his arms with his eyes wide open and bloodshot, his forehead and temples damp with sweat. In a halting voice, he said, “Why are you so good to me…”
“I’ll always be good to you…” Wen Yan murmured so softly it was barely audible. “You’re my most precious baby.”
“Will you still hold me when I wake up?” Liang Wangyou asked in a faint, feeble voice.
“Yes,” Wen Yan replied, his lips trembling. “I’ll hold you forever.”
Liang Wangyou pursed his lips, looking almost like he was smiling. His tone was still weak and feeble, but there was now a hint of smugness in it. “I like this.”
Night had fallen, and the bedroom sank into deeper darkness.
He finally drifted off into a hazy sleep. Wen Yan sat there holding him motionless, even as his arms grew numb and his legs cramped. Liang Wangyou slept soundly in his embrace, his body so soft and warm.
But he didn’t sleep for long before waking again. Wen Yan asked softly, “Are you hungry?”
“I want to eat,” Liang Wangyou murmured, nuzzling against him in his arms. Wen Yan carried him out.
Consul Ji had been waiting outside the door and immediately stepped forward. “Dinner has been kept warm.”
They took the elevator down to the second floor. Wen Yan gently patted Liang Wangyou’s back as he headed toward the small restaurant. To his surprise, when they passed the main hall, Liang Shijing hadn’t left—he was still sitting in the same spot.
Their eyes met.
Wen Yan shot him a cold glance before turning and walking away.
