Mister Li, the Heart Bandit

Three in the morning.

The night abruptly became cold.

“Mother—!”

A boy cried out dismally.

The blazing sea of flames left everything ruined in its wake as it burned

A middle-aged woman was tangled in a vicious melee against a middle-aged man.

There was fear in her eyes.

“Run, Shaoling!”

The boy shook his head furiously. “I won’t leave you!”

The man was dragging the woman by her hair and smiling viciously. “Still protecting your son even now? Both of you can just die!”

Beaten to the floor, the woman had her face pressed to the ground beneath the man’s foot, her tears mixing with the mud.

Even so, she screamed at the top of her lungs, “Run, Shaoling, run! Or you won’t make it!”

The boy’s eyes were aflame with rage. Gripping his little fists tightly, he lunged at the man.

“Don’t bully my mother!”

The man shot him a murderous glance and kicked the boy into the wall. “Bastard!”

The boy felt an agony as if all his organs had shattered and spewed fresh blood. He struggled to get, up, but suddenly heard the muffled cry of a girl and froze.

Like a beast gaping its maw, the blinding orange flames were torching and consuming everything amidst the man’s maniacal laughter.

The burnt roof was crashing down.

Bang—

The boy’s eyes were bulging, his pupil reflecting the body of the woman who was bleeding from the beating

His scream echoed from his throat right then.

“Mother—!”

Li Shaoling was promptly pulled out of his dream.

He sat up. His chest was heaving rapidly as he breathed sharply in the fright.

Sweat drops rolled from his forehead, dripping onto the bedsheet in tiny splatters.

The sharp light in the exceedingly sharp eyes slowly faded into dimness.

The pain in his head left him frowning, his eyes tightly shut.

When he opened his eyes again, he found the woman curled into a ball and sleeping soundly in the quiet room. Beside her, the tot was also fast asleep with his little mouth hanging open.

Only he himself was not sleepy.

He got down from bed and left the room.

Click—

A blue flame arose from his lighter, igniting the cigarette in his mouth.

He took a deep breath. The puff of smoke he then exhaled enveloped his distant eyes as he leaned on the balcony, allowing the cold wind to blow on the strands of hair beside his temples.

His white shirt was flapping with the wind and exposing his chest muscles. His eyes were closed—though there was no telling what he was thinking, fatigued showed on his brow, presenting him as above the common man.

***

As Ji Weixi slept, she faintly felt someone moving her. She grimaced unhappily, even as she was suddenly caught in a cold embrace that reeked of smoke.

She wriggled around, but the embrace tightened.

She wanted to curse but she could not open her mouth

Well, it was fine.

She gave up and allowed herself to be freely embraced.

Meanwhile, unable to stand the woman’s fidgeting, Li Shaoling rubbed his chin against her hair.

It appears that his head did not hurt then.

***

The next day.

Ji Weixi stretched lazily by reflex when she woke up.

She yawned and open her eyes to find the man’s captivating sleeping face. His soft hair were docilely dangling in the light.

What the hell!

Ji Weixi paused halfway through her yawn.

Why was she in his arms?!

She then turned to find the little one sleeping almost at the edge of the bed, all by himself…

That must be that damned Li Shaoling’s doing!

Irritated, Ji Weixi lifted her foot and was about to kick him off the bed.

However, Li Shaoling frowned, rolled around and pressed himself over her, burying his head beneath her neck while breathing evenly.