Feeling somewhat calmer now, Lixin swept the shredded fabric and cotton off the bed before bending down to retrieve his phone from the ground. Praying that he didn't damage it during his outburst, he pressed the power button, letting out a sigh of relief when it turned on.

'Thank goodness,' he thought as he unlocked the device. 

He was unsure of what he would have done if his phone stopped working. Not only would he have lost his mother's contact information, but the detective's as well. 

Once he was sure that the phone was functioning correctly, the first thing he did was click on the calendar. He needed to know exactly where he was in the current timeline so he could plan accordingly. 

Lixin's eyes widened in surprise as he saw the date. April 15, 2083. It was a day he could never forget because it was the day his father deceived him into returning home. 

No, that place wasn't worthy of being called home. He could only think of it as a brothel.

One where he was a toy to be tossed about and degraded. His veins filled with boiling rage as he remembered the shame he endured. 

Each recollection was like a needle piercing his heart, an anguish that would never cease. If he could, he would find a way to make their lives as miserable as they made his.

But he was only 15 years old, with no evidence of their crimes. The only thing he could do was get his freedom. However, there was something he knew he was capable of and that was punching the living shit out of his father if he ever saw him again. 

Lixin still couldn't wrap his head around it. How could a father stand by and do nothing while his son was being taken advantage of?

The pain of the man's betrayal weighed on Lixin's heart and mind, but it didn't shock him. His father had always been wicked. He had just been too naïve to see it. 

If he could, he would go back and smack some sense into his past self. There were so many red flags during his life, especially when he was younger. His fist clenched tight as memories came flooding back of how much he had to struggle to take care of responsibilities that should have fallen on his father. 

He had to learn how to clean the house, cook meals, and shop for groceries when he was only seven years old. A child that young shouldn't even know how to tie their shoes, but he was clipping coupons, wondering how to save money for the household.  

If that wasn't a clue that something wasn't right, then he didn't know what was. Although he shouldn't beat himself up, he really was stupid.

He even deluded himself, thinking things would change when those hateful women came into their lives. It was silly, but he actually thought they would become a normal family. 

Ha. Family.

The only things those bitches brought were betrayal and harassment. They really had him fooled. He gave them that. 

If only he hadn't tried to make his father proud by preparing a grand meal. Lixin knew that was the turning point in his life that led to the mess he was in.

Even though it might seem unreasonable to blame everything on dinner, it wasn't. If it wasn't for the dinner he prepared, his dad wouldn't have come up with a way to curry favor with his boss, the woman he loathed most. 

~

Lixin's father wasn't great at his job, but he had one talent that got him far: he knew how to suck up to the boss. For this reason, he decided to host a dinner party for everyone in the office, but his true intention was to invite Hailey Koller, his boss.

Due to this dinner, Hailey took note of his father, or rather, his cooking - something his father was eager to take all the credit for. Consequently, she asked him if he could cater her daughter's birthday party, and of course, Lixin's father readily agreed.

Although things were going smoothly up until this point, Hailey wanted the food to be prepared at her home. At that moment, Lixin's father had no choice but to reveal that he had a son - and that he wanted to bring him along as a 'helper'. 

The catering turned out fine, and then Lixin was asked to mingle with the other children. On his way out of the kitchen, however, he bumped into Hailey. Her first words when she got a good look at him were about how attractive he was. She also said that if she was a few years younger, she would have shown him a good time. 

Lixin was taken aback by such a comment and tried to hide his surprise by just offering a polite smile and laugh. But maybe if he hadn't tried so hard to conceal what he was thinking, things might have been different - for after that encounter, Hailey Koller started taking a liking to Lixin's father. 

At first, Lixin didn't think too much of Hailey's attention toward his father; he assumed it was a simple sign of admiration. Little did he know it was all part of her plan to get closer to him. 

With each passing visit, it became increasingly clear to Lixin that the woman wanted more than just what the two had been exchanging. No matter where he moved, her gaze followed him, like a hawk watching her prey. He desperately wanted to tell his father what was happening, but when he did the man just laughed it off and told him he was overthinking things.

When Lixin started to become close with Hailey's daughter Solar, she assured him that her mother was always an overly friendly person. She also said that she was that way with her friends as well. Therefore, he started to believe his father and forget about it. But no matter how much he tried, the feeling of unease wouldn't go away.

After Lixin and his father moved in with them, the situation became worse. He tried to tell his dad about the inappropriate affection Hailey was showering him with, but once again, his father just gas-lit him.

Knowing that he had to get away before things got intolerable, he applied for an apprenticeship at Blue Jay, the most renowned restaurant in the country. The only one he told about it was Solar, who was passionate about cooking as well.

Solar thought this was a wonderful opportunity and decided to join him, but her cooking skills were very subpar, even with Lixin's help. So when he got accepted, but she didn't, she became jealous and resentful. In retaliation, she told her mother about his plans, which led to the woman canceling the apprenticeship without his knowledge.

This caused everything to come to a head. All this time, Hailey was being patient with Lixin, believing that one day he would fall in love with her. However, upon learning that he loathed her, she decided to take what she wanted from him.

What she did next was horrible. With her daughter's help, she drugged his food.

However, as someone who deals with food every day, he could tell that something was off about the food. But knowing his stepsister's skills in the kitchen, he decided to eat a bit to be polite.

Lixin's niceness was always his downfall. Because after he ate the food, he started to feel strange. That's when he realized it had been laced with something.

It was only after both of them carried him to a bed that he snapped out of it. Knowing that he only had one chance to escape, he pretended to still be dazed. Yet he was hyper-aware when Hailey walked back into the room alone and started stripping her clothes. 

Lixin made sure nothing showed on his face except a drugged-out smile that she seemed to buy. Waiting for his chance, which came when she started crawling on top of him, kissing him as she did, he lunged forward and grabbed the lamp, knocking her out with one blow.

As she lay there on the floor, not moving, he knew that this was his one chance. Taking the bag he had prepared earlier from his room, he dashed out of the house. But when he was just a few steps away from the house, he heard someone call out for him in the darkness.

It was Mr. Johnson. Before helping him into his car and driving him to the hotel he was in now, the man informed him that it was his mother who sent him.

At the time, he didn't think his father knew what his stepmother and stepsister had planned. However, after he was tricked into going back, he found out the man knew all along. 

From the start, he was using him to land a wealthy wife.

"That fucking scoundrel," Lixin angrily whispered as he came out of his thoughts.

He didn't even want to remember what happened when he returned to that place. Because he would never let it happen again.

Scrolling through his contacts, he called his mother.

~

Author Says:

MomoCatt: Your stepmother is twisted.

Lixin: You only speak the truth. 

MomoCatt: One day she will get what she deserves.

Lixin: I hope so.

MomoCatt: Here, have some Turmeric Tea. It is good for pain.

Lixin: I don’t think it's for my kind of pain but sure.