I think you will need some tissues, just in case... cuz this one stung my weak heart qaq

Edited by Qiuxue and Noks

With the missing child having been sent back safely by Fan Jialuo, Liao Fang finally felt at ease and really wanted to return home now.

Sleepiness struck her all at once, having accumulated through an entire night spent struggling to find the child.

She walked into the elevator in a daze and pressed the button to close the doors. Then, leaning her head against the wall, she closed her eyes to rest for a moment. Yes, just a few seconds would be enough.

All of sudden, she was jolted awake by a scream filled entirely with fear, which came from the seventeenth floor. Her head slid forward along the elevator wall and slammed into a corner. She instantly became sober.

Opening the elevator doors, she rushed forward towards the origin of the scream.

"What happened just now? Is the child okay? Open the door or I will open it using force!"

As she banged on the door, her extreme tiredness gave rise to extreme anger. Her current attitude was obviously much more rude than it had been previously.

The door opened and Father Xu waved his hands helplessly. "It's okay. Nothing happened. It's just that, when the child's mother was about to change his clothes, she slipped and fell on the floor."

Liao Fang craned her neck to see Xu Xiyang wrapped up in a large bath towel as he stood in a corner of the living room, while his mother was sitting on the floor in front of him. Her hair was wet and a cold sweat had formed on her face. She appeared to have been injured from the fall.

"When the child was missing, you were not worried, yet a simple slip can cause you to be so flustered?" Liao Fang glared at Father Xu contemptuously before leaving unhurriedly.

The heavy security door slammed shut behind her.

Inside the apartment, Father Xu slid down against the door until he finally sat on the floor, and his expression gradually distorted from a tranquil one to a face filled with panic. At the same time, Mother Xu used her hands to push at a crack in the floor, thereby propelling herself into retreating backwards bit by bit.

Her eyes were completely focused on the child's abdomen. She clearly wanted to look away, but the vast fear and overwhelming hopelessness that lingered around her stopped her from doing so.

She couldn't even push herself to stand up because all her bones had softened and weakened out of fear.

Before that moment, this couple had thought that they still possessed a last little bit of luck.

— Maybe the child hadn't really died. Maybe those previous events that had happened were just an illusion they were under.

Otherwise, how could this child return home alive?

However, when they opened the child's clothes and saw the deep purple footprint on his chest and abdomen, followed by the deep purple spots all over his torso, all of their fantasies were completely shattered!

This is not a living child! It's a corpse! That child had been kicked so forcefully that he suffered severe internal injuries and eventually ended up dying of internal bleeding!

"D-d-d-dead! He's dead! Don't come here!" Mother Xu's face was covered in tears and snot.

Instead of following her instructions, the little boy instead moved two steps closer to her. The dark pupils, that occupied almost the entirety of his eye sockets, stared at her unblinkingly. He then slowly raised his arms towards her.

Father Xu let out a silent scream before pulling open the apartment door and rushing out into the corridor, not sparing even a single glance backwards.

The little boy kept standing beside his mother, holding his arms high with an expectant look in his eyes.

Mother Xu fell into a series of convulsions before she violently pushed the child away, then ran into the bedroom and locked the door behind her.

The little boy's expressionless face gradually turned more and more numb, while the light in his dark pupils also gradually dissipated.

Not needing a key, he simply broke the copper door lock with a slight twist of his wrist, then walked smoothly into the bedroom, and continued to stand beside his mother, staring directly at her all this while.

Faced with this series of actions, Mother Xu continued to scream and avoid him— she tried hiding behind the door, in the closet, under the bed, in the bathroom, and even inside the air vent...

But no matter where she hid, the child would always find her, and after finding her, he would squat beside her silently, continuously staring straight at her.

Not only was he a walking corpse, but he was also a ghost attached to her shadow, something which she was unable to get rid of or severe herself from.

Being faced with such a child, Mother Xu suddenly lost the courage to beat him. Her fists did not dare to wave at him, her sticks did not dare to sweep at him, and even looking at this child and making eye contact with him became a kind of suffering for her.

She scrambled all around the house, just like a mouse being driven by the crowd into broad daylight, but there was no safe corner to be found.

Being faced with such a child, Mother Xu suddenly lost the courage to beat him. Her fists did not dare to wave at him, her sticks did not dare to sweep at him, and even looking at this child and making eye contact with him became a kind of suffering for her.

She scrambled all around the house, just like a mouse being driven by the crowd into broad daylight, but there was no safe corner to be found.

At last she covered her head with a quilt, and started crying and calling for her husband to return home or to take her away from this place.

The feeling of being abused and having nowhere to escape from it turned out to be like this!

***

While such an unexpected event was occurring within the Xu Family, Song Wennuan was in no better situation.

After parting with Fan Jialuo, she felt that the paintings Yu Yuntian had placed in her home were no longer acceptable, so she rushed back home to search for all the 'problematic' paintings.

Her intention was to send them to an institute that specialized in the scanning and restoration of paintings.

Fortunately, the security company she had hired for her house was really good at their job, so much so that Yu Yuntian had no way to break into her villa and take away those pieces of evidence.

After signing the non-disclosure agreement, the institute carried out a comprehensive scan of these paintings, and the first one placed under the scanning device was the 'deadly arrow' that Fan Jialuo had mentioned.

One of the staff pointed to a bunch of messy color patches that had appeared on the X-ray film for that painting. "The paint was smeared chaotically on this. The oil paints have overlapped and the picture underneath cannot be distinguished clearly, only a rough outline can be seen. We need to use more sophisticated software to accurately depict it bit by bit. Such a process takes a long time, around eight to ten hours."

"It doesn't matter how much time you need, I can wait. What about these other paintings? Are they difficult to handle as well?" Song Wennuan pointed to the other paintings in the scanning area.

"I'll take a look at their X-rays first." The staff member placed a layer of radiographic film against the paint layers and shone the X-ray light from beneath to encompass all the remaining paintings.

He nodded. "These oil paintings have a very bright outline and color. It can be seen that the painter's concealment skills have improved over time. But this makes it more convenient for us to restore. Three hours should be enough."

"That's good. Can you do it as soon as possible? This is a matter that can't be delayed too long." Song Wennuan was filled with anxiety.

The staff member seemed to perceive something from her words and quickly agreed.

Two and a half hours later, Song Wennuan received four clearly restored paintings.

Each child depicted in the painting looked just like a slaughtered lamb placed on the devil's altar. The ugly lines and bold colors stung her eyes and caused her stomach to churn, while also painfully stabbing at her heart. She had to rush to the toilet to vomit.

She had been in love with this sort of a person for three years, had even lived under the same roof and eaten on the same table alongside him for more than 700 days and nights! How could she ever have tolerated such a pair of filthy hands touching her...

Song Wennuan shut her eyes and vomited again.

According to their professional ethics, they were not allowed to inquire about in-depth information concerning the task they had been entrusted with, so the staff member simply placed other restored paintings in the lounge before leaving.

It took a long time before Song Wennuan could calm down, and only then did she stagger out from the toilet and return to the lounge.

The private detective she had hired had already uncovered the identity of a few of these children and was currently in the process of printing out a list.

"This is their parents's contact information. Miss Song, shall I inform them or do you want to do so in person?"

"I'll tell them personally. You prepare the evidence I'll need to send to their houses."

Song Wennuan traced the list with her fingertips and dialed the numbers in the order they were written.

Some parents berated her for speaking nonsense from the very beginning of the call.

Some parents listened patiently, but didn't dare to face the reality of the situation.

Some of them simply hung up the call in silence, and there was no way of knowing what they were thinking.

Most of them only exclaimed as they sobbed, and continuously repeated the words 'How is this possible? How can it be?' They seemed to be completely overwhelmed by their emotions and were totally unwilling to believe that such a thing could be true.

Song Wennuan also didn't expect them to be able to accept such a cruel reality so soon. After hanging up the phone, she then sent the evidence to them.

After that, all she could do was wait —wait for the response these parents would give her. Because the only ones who could seek justice for these young children, the only ones who could file charges against this perpetrator guilty of messing with these innocent lives were their parents, there were no others.

As time passed, Song Wennuan's heart sank, bit by bit.

Suddenly, her phone rang, and she quickly picked up the call.

A very low voice sounded from the other end. "Miss Song, we are very grateful to you for informing us about this, but we also hope that you will stop disturbing us regarding this matter, so will you do so?

"It's been several years since it happened and we have no conclusive evidence about the incident at all. Even if we sue him, it will be useless. All it would do is make this matter known to many people.

"He's a great painter while we are just ordinary people. How can we fight against him?

"The child is still young and she doesn't possess any awareness about that kind of thing. We are going to let her undergo cosmetic surgery, this way she'll have a new future. As time goes on, she will eventually forget everything.

"Miss Song, I beg you. Think about it again, if only for the sake of your own child. Don't force us anymore, okay?"

"No, no, I'm not forcing you. I—" As soon as Song Wennuan started to reply, the call was interrupted by a beep. The other side had cut the call.

Soon after, another parent called her, but this time, the man on the other end asked, "How much money are you going to pay us to settle it? I'm telling you, you can't shut me up for an amount less than 5 million!"

Song Wennuan quickly explained, "That's not what I intend to do. Yu Yuntian and I broke up long ago. I called you because I want you to report the case to the police."

"What? You broke up with Yu Yuntian? So you want to harm him using other people's hands? Hah! Laozi just wants money! I won't be fooled by you and become your knife. Give me Yu Yuntian's number, I'll settle it with him!"

"I won't give you his phone number! Shouldn't you fight back for the sake of your child? She has already suffered so much!"

"It's just a painting, why fight back? As long as Yu Yuntian gives me enough money, I wouldn't mind letting him paint a few more! How about—ah, what are you doing?"

It seemed that the phone had been taken away from the man, for an anxious woman's voice sounded next , "Miss Song, please don't ask us to be the ones to deal with your boyfriend. We can't afford to provoke people like you. I will take the child to a place where no one can find her. Please let her go!"

"Why are you taking the child away? Don't you know that she's my money—" The call finally ended in a scuffle between the two. Obviously, the couple had a disagreement, but they had both agreed to not bring the matter to the police.

Song Wennuan stared at the phone in a daze. Disappointment and bitterness reigned in her heart.

After a while, the third call came through. Their intention was no different from that of the previous callers, they also didn't want to report the incident to the police because they couldn't bear for the child to be harmed any further.

The last call came in at three or four o'clock in the morning.

A hoarse woman's voice calmly analyzed, "Miss Song, I have consulted with some people in the legal profession. They said that this is an old case, and so, much of the evidence that will be required cannot be obtained, for too much time has passed. Yu Yuntian has a strong background and a good reputation. The probability of us winning the lawsuit is only 30%.

"And even if we do win, he will spend no more than ten years in jail. He can simply perform some acts of meritorious service, and it may be possible for him to be released in seven or eight years. Then, he will create more such paintings. So, what's the point of all this then?

"During the lawsuit, the news of Yu Yuntian's arrest will arouse the attention of many people. My child will be exposed to the spotlight and will become the center of discussion for the public.

"Our neighbours, relatives, friends, and even the child's classmates, all of them will know what happened to her. Can you imagine what kind of life she will live in the future in such a case?

"We can't ruin our child's life for a lawsuit where our chances of winning are too low.

"Miss Song, thank you very much for notifying us about this, but we are not going to report this matter to the police, nor will we be filing a lawsuit. Please understand our feelings."

"I understand! Of course I understand!" Song Wennuan affirmed strongly, but still couldn't help shedding cold tears.

She understood why this mother had said those things. Of course she loved Nini and cared for Nini, otherwise she wouldn't have chosen to silently endure the insults and abuse she had received ever since this matter was revealed.

This society was far more severe on the victims than the perpetrators, especially when it came to such cases. Even adult women would collapse from the oppression directed towards them by public opinion and through the trials of long-term litigation, so forget about even mentioning children.

Perhaps what they needed the most was neither justice nor compassion, but for people to simply forget such things and let them disappear!

Song Wennuan squeezed the hot phone in her hands tightly, but her heart was gradually turning cold.

It was at that moment that her phone rang again. It was Brother Song calling her—the one who had been so unwilling to answer any of her calls was now contacting her in person.

"Song Wennuan, I heard that you are trying to sue Yu Yuntian? What the hell are you doing? Do you want to make things worse for Nini?

"Stop causing trouble! Nini hasn't been hurt in any way. You can just let this matter slide!

"After spending time with Song Rui, have you also become a cold-blooded animal just like him?

"Have you ever thought about Nini's feelings? Her dream is to be a dancer. She wants to stand on the stage and perform all over the world. She absolutely can't get involved in this kind of scandal, for the sake of this future!

"Let her go, okay? Think of it as your atonement to her. I'll talk to Old Man Yu. Don't do anything!

"In the future, just keep your eyes wide open when choosing a boyfriend! And don't bring anyone back to my home!"

Song Wennuan gawked and asked, "Are you mistaken? Shouldn't it be Yu Yuntian who should be blamed? Isn't he the one we should be least willing to let go free? Why are the two of you accusing me instead?"

Her voice trembled as she continued, "Am I doing something wrong here? If none of you sue him, if none of you report his crime, he will only hurt more children in the future!"

"Other people's children are none of my business. I only care about my own child. Song Wennuan... forget it.

"Just ask the parents of the other victims, how many of them want to report it to the police? To make everything worse by making it public?

"You have never been a parent and so will never understand our feelings." Saying this, Brother Song hung up the phone coldly.

Song Wennuan slammed the phone onto the floor, then picked up the stack of evidence materials and slapped them against her forehead, constantly blaming herself—

Did I do something wrong?

Is what I'm doing right now making everything worse?

If I had a child, would I choose to let go of that kind of demon?

Or, would I be willing to take the risk of my child being harmed for the second time by pursuing this demon?

But the fact was, she had no children, so she couldn't find the 'right' answer.

Her lonely courage and righteous indignation withered away throughout this difficult night. She didn't know if she could persist any longer, insisting on seeing this so-called 'right choice' through.

She even began to wonder if this choice was truly correct. If so, then why did everyone keep saying that she was wrong?

As she lay on the table, she did not see the distressed and angry expression that the private detective was now wearing.

He quietly left the lounge and headed to the scanning area. It was around an hour or two later that he returned, holding a restored painting and a copy of the investigation data pertaining to it in his hand.

"Miss Song, there will be a turning point. Don't be discouraged. I believe all your efforts will eventually yield good results."

The private detective then unfolded the scanned result of the painting gently on the table, and this child's appearance was entirely different from the previous ones.

She had a purely Western face and fiery red hair. According to the investigation, even though the painting had been completed seven years ago, she was still only 13 years old this year. However, this child had a history of depression that spanned the last three years, and during this period, she had attempted suicide five times.