"Yingzi, let us go! It is time to fetch water!" A youthful and delicate face peeked through the window.
Ten-year-old Luo Ying threw her homework aside immediately. She grabbed a thermos and ran outside.
[Item: Thermos Bottle]
[Quest: Fetch Water]
They lived in the same compound when they were young. Lu Liangchen lived on the second floor. The two of them walked to and from school together every day.
After school, Luo Ying always finished her homework first. Lu Liangchen played until he was satisfied. Only then would he fetch the water. He did not start his homework until after dinner.
[Character Profile: Lu's Father]
[Attribute: Violent Temper]
Lu's father had a terrible temper. It was especially bad when he drank. He would beat and curse at his wife and children over the smallest disagreements. He often caused a great deal of chaos. The entire residential building could hear the noise clearly.
Usually, on the morning after such an incident, Luo Ying would see bruises all over the arms and legs of Lu Liangchen.
[Status: Visible Damage - Bruising]
He did not seem to care at all. He remained as mischievous as ever.
The scene shifted. A young Lu Liangchen gave a mysterious warning to a young Luo Ying.
"Yingzi, I am going to the movies with my classmates. You must not go to my house after school. Do you hear me? You know how dangerous it is. If my father finds out, he will skin me alive!"
Luo Ying nodded her small head repeatedly. "I remember!" she shouted.
Luo Ying was a bit scatterbrained back then. She forgot the warning in the blink of an eye. After finishing her homework, she habitually grabbed the thermos. She ran up to the second floor.
"Uncle, where is Brother Lu Liangchen?" she asked loudly.
The eyes of Lu's father widened. "What? Did he not come back with you?"
[Status: Critical Error]
It was over. Everything was ruined.
Luo Ying covered her mouth immediately. Her large eyes went wide. She turned and fled in terror.
There was no suspense. Lu Liangchen suffered another severe beating from his father.
The next morning, he looked miserable as he came to find Luo Ying for school.
"Yingzi, you really made things difficult for me!"
Luo Ying looked at his face guiltily. She did not see any injuries there. However, when she pulled up his sleeves and pant legs, her eyes filled with tears.
Her guilt lasted for only a minute.
"Why does your father not hit your face?" she asked curiously.
"I protect my head and face with my arms when he hits me," Lu Liangchen said. He raised his eyebrows with pride. "As long as he does not hit my face or kill me, it is fine."
[Stat: Charisma - High]
He had fair skin and delicate features. His high brow bone and deep eye sockets gave him the appearance of being mixed-race. The corners of his lips naturally curled upward. He looked like he was smiling even when he was asleep.
Starting from middle school, Lu Liangchen was the 'White Moonlight' for all the girls in the school. However, a young girl named Luo Ying was always by his side.
Lu Liangchen was two years older than Luo Ying. He was the same age as Luo Xu. Originally, he did not want to attend high school. He wanted to go to a vocational school to learn a trade after middle school. He wanted to escape the clutches of his father as soon as possible.
"Yingzi, you are going to university, right?" Lu Liangchen asked while looking at her.
"Of course!" Luo Ying replied without hesitation. "I want to go to the Academy of Fine Arts. I want to study animation!"
Lu Liangchen kicked the dirt on the ground. He lowered his head gloomily.
"Fine. I..."
Luo Ying looked at him curiously. She did not know what he wanted to say.
Two days later, he stood tall. He told Luo Ying that he would also attend high school. He would go to university in the future.
During the summer after ninth grade, tragedy struck the family of Lu Liangchen. His mother could no longer endure his father. She left with his younger sister.
The factory closed down soon after. Lu's father lost his job. He began to drown his sorrows in alcohol even more. He would beat Lu Liangchen to vent his frustration whenever he drank too much.
One evening, Luo Ying heard a violent commotion from upstairs again. It was mixed with the curses of Lu's father.
She felt restless. She dropped her pen and ran upstairs.
The door to the Lu house was open. Luo Ying saw Lu's father stepping on the back of Lu Liangchen. He held a leather belt in his hand. He was swinging it relentlessly.
[Item: Leather Belt]
[Damage Type: Physical]
Lu Liangchen lay on the floor while protecting his head. He did not make a single sound.
Chapter 6: Childhood Sweethearts (2 / 2)
"Let him go!" Luo Ying shouted. She did not know where her courage came from. She rushed forward and grabbed the raised belt. She used all her strength to push the father back.
She looked up and met the bloodshot eyes of Lu's father. Her heart hammered against her ribs in fear. However, she refused to let go. She stared back at him with anger.
"Liangchen is in high school now! He needs to study hard for university! Uncle, you must stop hitting him!"
Lu Liangchen scrambled to his feet. He blocked Luo Ying behind him.
"Go back! Leave quickly!" he urged her nervously.
He growled at her while staring at his father warily. He was afraid that his father would hurt Luo Ying while his mind was clouded.
The small frame of Luo Ying could not survive a single kick from his father.
Luo Ying was facing the bare back of Lu Liangchen. There were several bloody welts across it. Tears fell from her eyes uncontrollably.
Lu's father froze for a moment. His gaze was still vacant. However, he did not continue the beating. He pointed at Lu Liangchen and cursed.
"You brat! You and your mother are both useless!"
Suddenly, he saw Luo Ying peeking out from behind Lu Liangchen. He instinctively swallowed the rest of his insults.
Lu's father stumbled toward the bedroom. There was a loud bang as the door slammed shut. The frame shook from the force.
"Yingzi, are you hurt?" Lu Liangchen turned to check on her. He looked her up and down several times. "Do not come up here no matter what you hear. It is too dangerous!"
"But you..." Luo Ying reached out toward the bloody welts on his back. She pulled her hand back, afraid of causing him pain. "Come to my house. I will give you medicine."
She pulled the arm of Lu Liangchen. She turned and led the way out.
Lu Liangchen hesitated for a moment before following her.
"I am fine, Yingzi. This is a daily occurrence for me." He used a forced, cheerful tone and laughed. "See? My handsome face is not damaged at all. Do not worry. I will not be disfigured."
Luo Ying turned and glared at him. "Is your face more important than your life?"
"Of course!" Lu Liangchen lifted his chin exaggeratedly. "This is my trademark! It would be very awkward for you to look at me if I were disfigured."
When they arrived at her house, she went to find the first aid kit. When she returned, she saw Lu Liangchen chewing on the apple she had half-eaten. Her face turned red instantly.
"I will wash another one for you. I already bit that one."
"It is fine. There is no need. This is enough." He did not mind at all. He finished the apple in a few bites. Only the core remained.
Later, the father of Luo Ying formed his own engineering team. His business became very successful. They moved away from the residential compound.
Lu Liangchen endured the immense pressure from his father. He studied for two years and entered university at the same time as Luo Ying.
He studied Economic Management at Yuntai University. Luo Ying entered the Academy of Fine Arts as she had wished.
[Location: Yuntai University]
[Major: Economic Management]
Luo Ying could not remember when they officially started dating. Everything had happened naturally.
Occasionally, Luo Ying would think about the past. If her father had not had that accident, and if she did not have to repay the massive debt, they would be like most lovers. They would find jobs after graduation. They would save money to buy a house and get married. Or they would simply rent a place together.
She did not dare to look back at the time when the debt collectors blocked the door. Luo Ying and her mother had huddled together and shook with fear. Lu Liangchen had been powerless. She remembered him slamming his head against the wall until it bled.
She also did not dare to remember the desperate and mad look in the eyes of Lu Liangchen when she proposed the breakup.
Tears slowly overflowed. A pair of cool fingers slid gently across the corners of her eyes. She woke up in a fright. Her gaze met a pair of eyes filled with pity.
"Did you have another nightmare?"
The warm breath of Cheng Ji hit the cold face of Luo Ying. She was stunned. She did not dare to make a sound.
[Character: Cheng Ji]
[Status: Concerned]
She felt ashamed of her secret thoughts. She was lying in the arms of one man while dreaming of another.