「Liu Zijian's home.」

The dilapidated house was filled with the thick scent of traditional medicine, punctuated by the sound of painful coughing.

"Dad... Daddy..."

Liu Xiaolin leaned against the edge of the bed, gazing at his father with an eager yet dazed expression. He was not yet four years old and had been slow to develop, so he could only manage a few simple words.

But for Liu Zijian, that was more than enough.

"Xiao Lin, Daddy's okay."

Lying pale-faced on the bed, Liu Zijian looked at his son's thin little face, his heart aching with guilt.

As a father, he couldn't even protect his own mother and son. How could he call himself a son, let alone a father?

At that thought, a familiar face involuntarily appeared in his mind. No! A friend is a friend, and a brother is a brother! As his brother, I already owe Elder Brother Mu far too much. I absolutely cannot trouble him again.

With this resolve, Liu Zijian forced his swaying body to sit up. He pinched his son's cheek and said, "Son, what do you want to eat? Daddy will make it for you."

"Dad... meat, eat..." Liu Xiaolin giggled, mumbling incoherently.

"Alright, Daddy will go make it for you right now!"

Liu Zijian started to cough but forced himself to suppress it. His mother had finally fallen asleep, and he didn't want to wake her.

He dragged his heavy body to the refrigerator and took a look inside. His face turned grim. The fridge was empty, and he hadn't left the house in days.

Ever since that man surnamed Fang last came, Liu Zijian had been beaten so badly he was bedridden for days. Even his mother and son had been implicated and suffered alongside him.

Now, those two despicable men were constantly guarding his door. If he so much as tried to leave, they would barge in and smash everything in sight. There wasn't a single decent item left in the house.

Clenching his fists tightly, Liu Zijian turned to look at his son, who was toddling behind him using a stool for support. He crouched down, ruffled his son's hair, and said, "Son, be a good boy and play quietly at home, okay? But you absolutely must not disturb Grandma's rest."

His son tilted his head, gazing up at him with clear, innocent eyes.

An inexplicable sting pricked at Liu Zijian's eyes. Fighting back tears, he said, "Daddy is going out to buy groceries. I'll buy meat and cook it for Xiao Lin, okay?"

"Meat... eat... okay."

Liu Xiao Lin's eyes lit up, and he even started to drool. Liu Zijian's heart ached as he lovingly patted his son's head again.

"Good boy."

Liu Zijian stood, walked to the entrance, took a deep breath, then pulled the door open and stepped outside.

"Well, now. Did the sun rise in the west today? You actually dare to come out?"

The moment Liu Zijian opened the door, two men emerged from the alley and blocked his path.

Tightly controlling his emotions, Liu Zijian locked the door, pushing on it once to ensure it was secure before turning to face the two men.

"I'm going to buy some groceries. You'd better not cause any trouble."

His gaze was calm, but his body trembled slightly. Liu Zijian was desperately trying to restrain himself. If he were alone, he would have fought these two to the death. But he wasn't alone; he had to think of his mother and son.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

One of the men slowly shook his head before kicking Liu Zijian squarely in the stomach, sending him stumbling to the ground. The man then grabbed Liu Zijian by the collar. "Who the hell do you think you are? You dare to bargain with me?"

"If you know what's good for you, hand over the item and spare yourself a beating!"

The other man crossed his arms and sneered, "Liu Zijian, if I were you, I'd have handed over the thing ages ago. It's better than hiding at home, too scared to come out."

"Besides, do you really think you can hide forever? The moment Steward Fang arrives, you're dead meat."

The one holding Liu Zijian's collar continued, "Come on, Liu Zijian. Even if you don't think about yourself, you have to think about your old mother, right? And your son?"

"Hahaha, I heard your son wants to eat meat. For a father to fail this badly... isn't that just pathetic?"

Liu Zijian clenched his fists, a crazed look beginning to surface in the depths of his eyes. But in the end, the fight went out of him, and he slumped back to the ground, his face a mask of misery.

"What? You still want to fight?" The man stuck out his neck and gestured to it. "Go on! If you're still a man, Liu Zijian, hit me right here! Hit me hard!"

Liu Zijian clenched his jaw so hard it ached, refusing to say a word.

"Hit me!" the man roared, making Liu Zijian flinch.

From inside the house, the sound of a child crying drifted out, followed shortly by an elderly woman's voice.

"Zijian, what's wrong?"

Liu Zijian tried to keep his voice steady. "Mom, it's nothing. I'm just going out to buy some groceries. Please keep an eye on Xiao Lin."

Then, he turned a pleading gaze to the two men before him. "Please, I'm begging you, don't hurt my mother and my son."

One of them sneered, "Sure we can. Just hand over what we want. That way, we can report back to our boss, and your old mother and son won't get hurt. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Liu Zijian growled, "I really don't have what you want! Don't push me!"

The man planted a foot on Liu Zijian's chest and said coldly, "Push you? So what if we are? What are you going to do about it?"

Liu Zijian's lips trembled, the veins on his hands bulging. He had reached his limit.

"If you don't take your foot off me, you will die."

Just then, an ice-cold voice drifted in from the end of the alley.

"Who the hell is this bastard interrupting my business? You got a death wish?" the man on top of Liu Zijian snarled, glaring toward the alley's entrance.

A figure was walking slowly toward them. His pace wasn't fast, but each step covered half a meter. In the blink of an eye, he was standing before them.

"Elder Brother Mu, what are you doing here?"

Upon seeing Lin Mu, Liu Zijian hung his head in shame, his eyes red. He bit his lip so hard it started to bleed.

"Why am I here? I came to see if my useless brother had been tormented to death yet."

The newcomer was none other than Lin Mu. His expression was calm and his tone was icy, but deep within his eyes lurked an irrepressible, towering rage. This rage was for Liu Zijian, and for the men who were toying with his brother.

"Oh, so you're here to back up Liu Zijian?"

The two men exchanged a look and burst out laughing. One of them gave Lin Mu a shove. "Hey, kid, who do you think you are? You want to stand up for this piece of trash, Liu Zijian?"

Lin Mu suddenly raised a finger to his lips. "Shh," he said. "Keep your voices down. What if you frighten my godson?

"Can you pay for that with your lives?!"

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