Chapter 6 - The past that haunted him

"Boss, you are finally here!!!" Li Jun cried out pitifully when he saw Tang Li Mei enter the base.

Turning around to greet them, her eyes widened in shock.

Li Jun and Hong Xi looked worn out, like they had gone through a hurricane.

Their clothes were completely disheveled, and their hair was sticking out in all directions.

Tang Li Mei gave them a look that said,

'What the hell happened here??'

Tears filled their eyes as they seemed abandoned.

'That nasty brat threw them out while he was enjoying himself inside all by himself; they cursed in their hearts.

When her eyes fell on the teenage boy through the glass window, she sighed.

Inside the room, there was a bald man who was hanged upside down, begging and screaming for mercy.

All of his arrogance was gone with the wind, and he looked exhausted.

A handsome teenage boy dressed in a biker jacket and washed-up jeans, his auburn hair neatly gelled, smiled creepily at him.

The boy looked like a university student, and maybe he was one.

However, his ink-black eyes looked rather empty and cold instead of having that teenage charm.

Accompanied by that creepy smile and hands full of blood, it gave people a chill down their spines.

Several tools were neatly arranged on the desk. In between all these, the young boy looked like a complete psycho killer as he licked his lips and played with the knife.

This made Feng Jian shiver uncontrollably. He had seen many sick people in his line of work, but the one who gave him the chills was the person standing before him. 

"Xiao Ru, that's enough!!" Tang Li Mei grimly said, looking at the bald man whose nails were ruthlessly plucked out and a few of his fingers lying on the floor.

That sight would have made any normal person belch, but what had she, Tang Li Mei, not seen in her previous life? Compared to that, it was nothing.

"Please take him out of here; I beg of you; whatever I know, I have already told you people. If you want to kill me, then do it, but take this person away from me. Please!!!" Feng Jian pleaded. 

The three people standing outside looked at the young boy, who was a monster in puppy disguise.

Unless provoked.

The moment he heard her voice, Zhen Ru leaped out of the room as his eyes shone with happiness and an imaginary tail continuously wagged behind him.

"Big Sister Mei, you are here!!" He spoke excitedly and rubbed his head on her shoulders in anticipation while trying not to dirty her clothes with all the blood in his hands.

Tang Li Mei knew he missed her; for him, she was the only family he could accept.

She treated him like a younger brother she never had and affectionately patted his head.

This boosted the young boy's ego as he gloatingly looked at the others.

'Take that in your face, you bastards, his eyes screamed at them.

But the other two completely ignored him.

"How many times have I warned you not to let Xiao Ru come here??" She sighed.

"Boss, when has this lad ever listened to us??" Li Jun sighed pitifully.

There was a troubled look on his face.

Tang Li Mei looked at the young boy, who was squirming with guilt.

"Xiao Ru If I find you anywhere near the base again, I'll send you back to the States." Tang Li Mei warned the young boy.

His eyes glistened with tears like a puppy who was being abandoned, but he nodded his head in response.

"I will stay away, I promise. Please don't send me away. Okay?" he pitifully said.

Tang Li Mei looked into his eyes; they were clear as water, with no malignancy.

How could she reject him? Whatever he had become was because he couldn't let go of the past or of the life he had gone through until she saved him from those monsters.

She wanted to give him a normal life, but this boy was so stubborn that no matter how many times she took him back to the university or how many bodyguards she assigned for him, he would always find a way to run back here, just like today.

"En, I trust you!!" Tang Li Mei answered with a small smile.

The young boy's eyes lit up after hearing this.

Hong Xi and Li Jun looked at each other and shook their heads. 

'Tsk Tsk.. It's been like this every time; in a few days he will definitely escape and run back here.'

"What did he say??" Tang Li Mei asked, gesturing towards the room.

"As per what he told us, it wasn't his gang who caused the accident. They did have plans set in place, but before they could proceed, someone else had already crashed into the car." Hong Xi informed her in a low voice.

Tang Li Mei looked through the glass window towards the person who had been beaten black and blue.

She knew there was no hope left for him, so there was no reason for him to lie.

But then the question remained. Who wanted to kill them?? She didn't have any enemies at that time, and her brother had already given up on the mission as soon as he realized how dangerous it was.

Then who?

"Who hired the Violet Cobra gang??" Tang Li Mei's inner demoness was surfacing.

Her gaze was menacing, and a cold aura surrounded her body.

"Who else could it be if not for that money-loving bitch?" Hong Xi replied while trying to control her anger.

She wanted to chop off that woman's head. She and her nasty daughter were the same, acting like white lotuses. She loathed people like them.

"What else did he say??" Tang Li Mei asked.

Her tone became sharper, and her cold grey eyes had a storm brewing in them.

"His subordinates had seen the Black Eagle's people during the accident. So they guessed maybe... " Li Jun gulped the rest of the words and backed away in nervousness.

"Black Eagle,... Hmmm... it seems like the time has come for us to visit them," she mumbled.

The bone-chilling smile made the three of them huddle together in the corner and stand far away from her.

They didn't want to be anywhere near her when she had a hard time controlling her inner demons.

"Nowadays, it seems like my aunt is living rather lavishly. Hmmm... Li Jun," she quietly called out.

"On it, boss!!" Li Jun answered as a shiver ran through his body, looking at her creepy smile.

It was late into the night when an Audi passed through the gates of Silver Woods.

The area was quiet and peaceful, unlike the buzzing nightlife of the city.

The air was clean since it was near the mountains, with a lot of houses here and there. Beautiful gardens surrounded these houses, along with tall trees.

An artificial lake with water lilies floating in it made the place seem straight out of a fairy tale.

Soon the car reached a beautiful two-story house. After parking her car, Tang Li Mei quietly went in.

The living room was completely dark; she had a hard time looking for her home slippers.

That's when she saw the lights in the little one's room lit up and the door open.

"Mama?? " he called out.

"En, Mama is here!" She replied to the little bun and switched on the other lights.

No matter how little or no voice she makes, her baby will always know that it's her.

Soon she heard a pair of light footsteps descending the stairs with a head full of soft, messy black hair.

An adorable little boy in his light blue panda-printed pajamas ran towards her with a wolfish smile and jumped into her arms.

"Mama!!"

"Omph!!"

Tang Li Mei almost lost her balance with the sudden attack.

She giggled and hugged her little bun tightly. He was the light of her life, which was full of darkness.

Taking in all his warmth, she finally felt at home.

"What did Mama tell you about walking out by yourself at night when you hear any noise??" She lightly scolded as the little one looked down in guilt, twisting his pajamas.

"Mama said never come out of the room alone or switch on the lights; if it's a bad guy, they'll know right away and catch me. Mama will be sad without Xun'er. Staying in the room quietly is the safest until Mama comes to f-fetch Xun'er." He adorably recounted the words she told him.

"En, then why did Xun'er not listen to Mama?? Xun'er has always been a good boy, but it makes Mama sad when he doesn't listen," she said in a sad tone.

Knowing that he had done something wrong, the little one quickly hugged her and rubbed his head on her shoulders.

"Xun'er will never do it again, I promise. So.. So Mama, don't be sad, okay?" He replied in a muffled voice.

"Alright, Mama won't be sad anymore. Come on, let's get you to bed." She patted his back lightly.

The little boy squirmed in her arms and slid down to the floor.

"NO!!! Mama must eat first!!" he declared as he held her hands and tried to drag her to the kitchen.

"Alright, mama will eat," she laughed as she let him drag her.

Tang Li Mei switched on the lights in the kitchen. Picking up the little one, she sat him in his high chair. Washing her hands, she started getting busy with reheating the food until she heard footsteps coming towards the kitchen.

"Young Miss, you are back!! Let me reheat the food for you," Aunt Lan said as she quickly entered the kitchen, but Tang Li Mei stopped her.

"Aunt Lan, you can go back to sleep. Tomorrow is a Saturday, so it's alright," she said with a small smile playing on her lips.

"Alright!" Aunt Lan nodded her head and went back upstairs to her room.

The little boy's eyes were stuck on his mother the entire time; wherever she went, his eyes would follow.

"Xun'er, do you want to eat a little with Mama?? "she asked.

The little one nodded as his eyes sparkled. If Mama was feeding him, he would eat it even if his stomach was full.

Both mother-son pairs quietly ate in the kitchen. Occasionally laughing at the stories the little one was telling her about his kindergarten, they had their meal. It was a warm picture of their little family.

Somewhere in the city, a handsome blue-eyed man had a sleepless night as his mind was full of a black-haired beauty who was staring at him with her alluring cold grey eyes.