Sure, it wasn't his place to lecture Yang's parents, much less two of the most powerful people in this world in general but Feng Xinya couldn't have cared less when they were disregarding their own son albeit unintentionally but it was very heartless.

The mission given by his superiors this time around was to protect Xue Yang. It didn't matter how he went about it but it was a broad mission, so it wouldn't be out of character for him to be disrespecting the two in front as long as they posed even the smallest threat. Even the original Feng Xinya cared little for propriety if his mission required him to toss it all out the window.

But while the Xue head could not raise a hand against his wife and child as he loved them both, he didn't have to hold back towards a measly soldier who obviously didn't know his place--even if said soldier was the one who had saved his child.

He immediately let out his aura as the man at the top of the world as he stood imposingly glaring down at the otherwise cold man in front of him, "Who are you to order us around? Know your place, soldier!"

Technically, this man was his boss as well, as the leading figure in A Country. But, his mission was all that mattered. And Xue Yang.

Instead of answering or apologizing to the Xue head, Feng Xinya leaned back in his seat, crossing his long and slender legs as he wordlessly and arrogantly responded with his staple disdainful smirk. That measly aura of the head's was nothing to him, whose soul came from a world much more ruthless and reliant on power than this one.

This was the true Feng Xinya, the man Xiao met in the dungeon all those months ago; the man who scorned the world and would be the one most likely to aid in its destruction if given the chance rather than helping it survive. The silver cross seemed to have forgotten how callous his host originally was after those months of laxness and peace!

Other than to that man, Feng Xinya had never shown even a hint of submission. Actually, even towards him, one could not call it submission as even now he wished to rip his heart out. And, to the superiors that hand out his missions in this world, he treated them with disregard--only receiving the mission and promptly leaving shortly after.

The only one he would willingly soften up his temperament to, was the boy beside him whose warm hands were currently held securely in his own. Yang was strong, for being able to retain himself despite his suffering. Feng Xinya appreciated his strength and found in the boy a comrade who had gone through something similar to himself but took a different and more respectable path.

Towards anyone who made the boy doubt his own choices, Feng Xinya would not hold back against them.

His cold thumb rubbed against the back of Yang's hand as their gazes met in mid-air.

Hate them all you want; feel disappointed. They don't deserve your love or forgiveness, for leaving you alone for so long. It's okay to feel the way you do. You aren't wrong.

He saw how Yang's pale green orbs shook, and before the man across from them could lash out in anger due to having been so openly held in contempt by someone below his station no less, a quiet and pleasant voice softly sounded, "Thank you."

Xue Yang couldn't hold back his tears. He couldn't help it. To Xinya, nothing he did or thought was wrong--how great was that? To always have someone by your side to back you up and supporting you when you fall.

"Thank you," he repeated between his small gaps over and over again.

After having lost everything in the brothel, Xue Yang didn't have any hope left, whether it be leaving that place or having someone who could still appreciate him, much less someone like Xinya who not only respected him but also supported him unconditionally. Even though the man already knew how he was slightly resented for making him remember everything he wished he could just forget forever, Xinya still understood everything and remained by his side regardless.

Thinking about how much Xinya had done for him, Xue Yang really couldn't bring himself to continue being petty about his memories anymore, and he even felt slightly guilty so he cried even harder, "I'm sorry..."

Seeing their son speaking through his restrained sobs, the couple froze, unsure of what to do as they knew he didn't want anything to do with them but at the same time he was their son and they couldn't bear to see him crying so heartbreakingly.

But Feng Xinya didn't give them the time to deliberate on what was the best action for them to take as he pursed his sexy thin lips and pulled the crying boy towards him onto his hard chest, uncontrollable tears soaking through the cotton material of his otherwise spotless white dress shirt. His chin rested on the top of the momentarily startled boy's head as his other hand rubbed against his small back soothingly.

He sighed softly, "Stupid."

While the Xue couple didn't understand what Feng Xinya was implying by his word and actions and were thus stunned speechless at the current situation, Xue Yang knew all too well that Xinya was feeling slightly helpless. After all, he'd just told him with his eyes earlier that it was okay to feel the way he did; that it was okay to hold the wrongs that Xinya had committed against him, well, against him.

And while that fact did make him slightly more ashamed of himself as Xinya didn't deserve to receive such negative feelings from him, the latter had already managed to stop the waterworks from continuing due to the shock of having been pulled into a warm and much-needed embrace. Now, Xue Yang was just feeling awkward at having cried in front of others, so he didn't really want to pull away from Xinya's broad chest.

Knowing that the boy's inner turmoil had shifted from something serious to something sillier, Feng Xinya decided to help him out by pulling themselves apart for him. At the sight of those swollen eyes, Feng Xinya couldn't help the furrowing of his brows as he brought his thumb up, gently wiping away the residue tears at the corners. Throughout the entire exchange, one of his hands was occupied as it remained entangled with Xue Yang's.

By this time, how could the Xue couple not realize that the relationship between the two was not so simple as they had originally thought?

Earlier, the special forces soldier clearly didn't place anyone in his eyes but now it was as if he'd become a completely different person! Even as the most powerful man in the world, the Xue head had to admit that he had felt threatened by Feng Xinya's single smirk as it brought shivers down his spine and shook him from his very core. It felt as if a monarch was eyeing the powerless ants on the floor, debating on whether to dispose of them or to keep them there just for the sake of it.

Despite the lingering fear, the Xue head held more importance towards his son as he steeled his expression and heart, "What's your relationship with our Yangyang?"