Chapter 248: KANG SIYING BACKSTORY (2)

"So many people said I was too young for him, or he was too old for me." Kong Siying’s voice wavered, memory pulling at something old and tender. "You were the only one who never showed disgust. I couldn’t see what was wrong with it. We were both adults, even if one of us had children around my age."

Limo said nothing, letting him continue.

"But the pressure was too much, and I ended up in Shen Zihao’s clutches." His hands twisted tighter in his lap. "Limo, it was hell. I never died. I disappeared six years ago because I was trapped. He’s a monster. At first he seemed like a normal man. I needed the money, so I ignored the signs. By the time I couldn’t ignore them anymore, it was too late to run."

His breath hitched, and for a moment he couldn’t continue at all, his whole body curling slightly inward.

"My hands. My ankles. He broke them, both of them, more than once." Tears slid freely down his face now, unchecked. "His parents, they were in cahoots with him. They helped him cover his tracks and locked me in a mental hospital. For three years they fed me every drug imaginable, but I never let them take my complete sanity. I did whatever I could to hold onto even a fraction of it. I needed to escape. I needed to make sure that man never saw daylight again. But I made a mistake going to the police station. He knows I escaped. He knows he’ll find me."

His breathing turned ragged, chest heaving, panic climbing fast behind his eyes.

Limo pulled him into a hug immediately, his own tears falling freely now, grief for everything Kong Siying had endured crashing over him all at once.

Beneath his arms, Kong Siying felt impossibly frail, shoulder blades sharp against Limo’s palms, his whole frame trembling with each uneven breath. Limo held on tighter, refusing to let go, one hand smoothing slowly up and down his back the way he vaguely remembered his father doing once, years ago, after a nightmare he could no longer recall the details of.

"You’re safe here." He held him tight, voice thick. "These are Liu Liuxian’s men. He’s the most powerful man in this country. Shen Zihao couldn’t touch you if Liuxian gave you his protection. My friend is married to him, so trust me on this. Please don’t cry. I’ll stay with you as long as you need."

Slowly, the worst of the shaking eased, Kong Siying’s breathing evening out bit by bit against Limo’s shoulder, each exhale a little steadier than the last.

"Mo’er." He pulled back slightly, studying Limo’s face through wet lashes. "You’ve grown into a fine man. I’m proud of you. You’re just as handsome as your father now."

A laugh broke through Limo’s own tears. "Not just as. I’ve surpassed him in looks and height already. Wealth’s next, give it a few more years."

Kong Siying huffed out something close to a real laugh, the first genuine one since Limo had walked in, brief and rusty, like a muscle he hadn’t used in far too long.

Reaching over, Limo held his hand gently, careful of the bruising still visible around his wrist. "Have you eaten? You look so worn out. Barely have any meat on your bones."

"I don’t remember the last real meal I had." Kong Siying’s gaze dropped to his own hands, turning them over slowly, studying the thin, papery skin like it belonged to someone else. "Everything tastes the same now. I stopped noticing a long time ago."

Limo’s chest ached at that, something helpless rising in him at how small the admission sounded, how ordinary Kong Siying made it seem, as though six years of survival had worn even hunger down into background noise.

"Haha, that’s alright." Kong Siying looked away. "Your father would hate to see me like this. I’ve lost my beauty."

"That’s not true." Limo’s grip tightened. "Dad loved you. He saw the good in you. If he saw you now, he’d still call you beautiful."

Kong Siying’s smile turned distant, hollow at the edges. "I’m no longer beautiful. I’m not even sane. My first thought, every single day in that hospital, was to end my own life. It would have been easier, faster, kinder to whatever was left of me. But I needed to see that bastard dead first. That’s the only reason I kept fighting to stay alive."

"Okay." Limo’s jaw set, resolve settling into his expression. "Let’s do that. We need evidence."

Kong Siying lifted his trembling hands. "If you’re looking for evidence, you’re looking at a living, breathing piece of it. I have everything. I know all his past victims, the horrific things his parents did to cover for him. I know exactly where in the hospital their records are kept."

"That’s good." Limo nodded slowly. "We’ll need a good lawyer, one who specializes in cases like this, someone who won’t be intimidated by the Shen name or scared off by whatever threats might come their way."

For a moment neither of them spoke, the weight of what they’d just agreed to settling over the small room. Limo glanced around at the plain walls, the narrow bed, wondering how many nights Kong Siying had spent somewhere just like this one, waiting for a door to open on the wrong person instead of the right one.

He squeezed Kong Siying’s hand once, firm, grounding. "Whatever it takes, I’m not letting him get away with this. Not after everything he’s taken from you."

Kong Siying’s eyes glistened again, though this time something steadier sat behind the tears, closer to resolve than despair.

Before either of them could say more, a knock sounded at the door, and it opened without waiting for a response.

Luo Cheng stepped inside, his expression measured, professional.

"Mr. Kong." He addressed Kong Siying directly, notebook already in hand. "Could you tell me the names of the victims and the location of the files? Mr. Liu will be coming here tomorrow, so whatever you have for the investigation, please give it to us."