Strawberry Pop Pop Pop chapter 14
Just last night, he followed Wang Sheng through the pitch-dark front door.
Bang—
The door was forcefully shut, and Wang Sheng turned on a lamp in the living room. “That person just now, did he say he wanted to help you leave here?”
Han Yang instinctively denied, “No.”
“Don’t be so nervous. You leaving will only lighten my financial burden. Just tell me honestly, and I won’t make things difficult for you,” Wang Sheng pulled Han Yang to a chair, poured him a glass of water, and tried to smile as gently as possible.
Unfortunately, Wang Sheng’s face always overlapped with Han Yongnian’s expression unintentionally. Even though they looked nothing alike, the strangely similar abusive behaviors made Han Yang very uneasy.
Han Yang sat stiffly at the table, keeping his head down, and refusing to answer anything.
“Actually…” Wang Sheng changed his approach, “I plan to have a child with your mother. If you leave, I don’t know how our days will be any better.”
“…”
Wang Sheng tightened his grip on Han Yang’s arm and pressed, “You’ve already decided to leave with that man, haven’t you?”
Han Yang, in pain from the grip, broke free from his hand, staggered back two steps, and his lips trembled. “He said he would send me to a private school in the neighboring city. If I excel in my studies, he will support me through college. He’ll cover my tuition and living expenses, so you won’t need to provide any money.”
And he would completely leave this home.
After hearing this, Wang Sheng was taken aback. “That private school in the neighboring city? The fees are not cheap…” He thought for a moment, then slapped his palm. “Not bad, Han Yang.”
Han Yang didn’t know what Wang Sheng was thinking.
Wang Sheng was probably overthinking it. “Rich people want to use sponsorship as a cover.” He rubbed his chin as if calculating money, then said, “But we can’t let them have it for free… I’ve raised you for these two years; I should get at least 300,000 from it.” He seemed to be answering his own question, and at the same time, he looked at Han Yang.
Han Yang timidly retreated to his room, and Wang Sheng quickly caught him. “Give me that person’s contact information now!”
“What are you going to do?”
“Don’t ask stupid questions, give it to me!”
Han Yang realized that something was wrong but remained silent. No matter how Wang Sheng asked or pushed, Han Yang was like a mute. He didn’t say anything, not even willing to look up at Wang Sheng. He wouldn’t let Wang Sheng blackmail the Gu family.
They struggled for a long time, and in the end, Han Yang, daring and unafraid, bit Wang Sheng and escaped from the house.
He hid in a public telephone booth, panicking and constantly calling Ji Mu, but no one answered on the other end. Behind him, Wang Sheng had already caught up to him, panting heavily.
Han Yang resisted, called for help, and shouted for his life, hysterically. The entire neighborhood was so quiet that it was eerie. Afraid the neighbors might hear, Wang Sheng, in frustration, punched him, causing Han Yang to curl up in the corner, instinctively protecting his head.
“You little brat!” Wang Sheng grabbed his collar and said harshly, “Do you remember Han Yongnian? He came to see your mother a few days ago, and she sent him away with some money, but he’ll come back.”
A taste of blood filled Han Yang’s mouth.
Wang Sheng slapped him before he could finish his words. “Let me tell you, if you dare to secretly conspire with your mother to run away, then I will definitely tell Han Yongnian where you are. He’s not someone to mess with, do you understand?”
Of course, Han Yang understood. Until the age of seven, Han Yongnian was a living nightmare for him.
He trembled continuously and was extremely scared just hearing Han Yongnian’s name. He wished Ji Mu could come and take him away now, and he regretted not agreeing with Ji Mu earlier. He should have followed him immediately, without any hesitation. He had to survive to have a future.
But now, Han Yang felt like he was hanging by a thread.
“I only want 300,000 yuan, but Han Yongnian might want more,” Wang Sheng said with a sinister tone, “He’s a real beast, you know. I remember your mother was…”
“Ah—”
Before Wang Sheng could finish his sentence, Han Yang suddenly seemed to go crazy, screaming at him, “You’re not allowed to say that!”
Seeing Han Yang’s agitation, Wang Sheng triumphantly covered Han Yang’s mouth and continued to talk nonsense.
For a fifth-grader like Han Yang, these words were more than enough to intimidate him. “I remember that rich man’s child, he’s only seven or eight years old, right? What if Han Yongnian goes after that family because of you? Do you think their child will be safe?”
Han Yang instantly fell silent.
In the darkness, not a single ray of light fell on Han Yang. In the narrow corner, all that remained was Han Yang’s solitary shadow.
He still didn’t give Wang Sheng Ji Mu’s contact information. He secretly crumpled the page with the number written on his exercise book into a ball and stuffed it into his pocket, vowing to protect it with his life, just like he protected the memories that once brought him sunshine.
………
So, at this moment, facing Li Li’s decision to “abandon” him.
Han Yang took a deep breath, clutching the phone number in his pocket even tighter. Then, he got up and threw the crumpled paper aside.
He turned around and finally saw Li Li covering her face.
Perhaps she was crying.
Han Yang glanced at the sunny day outside the window and asked Li Li as if he were absentminded, “So, am I leaving today, or when?”
Li Li was a ruthless person, and she packed Han Yang’s things that very day.
Wang Sheng cursed and complained, but he couldn’t stop her. Li Li straightforwardly said, “What, are you trying to snatch him from Han Yongnian?”
Wang Sheng, a bully and a greedy person at heart, couldn’t bear to see a substantial sum of money slip away. He spat at Han Yang, “Do you know someone rich wants him? We could have made a big profit!”
“Whoever wants him, they should ask Han Yongnian,” Li Li brushed aside Wang Sheng’s hand, looked at his face, and couldn’t stand it any longer.
“Who would want to get involved with Han Yongnian? You send him back, and we loose our only chance to get rich,” Lowering his voice, Wang Sheng said, “Li Li, don’t lose your mind, think of the money we could make from him.”
Li Li didn’t spare Wang Sheng a glance and picked up Han Yang’s few belongings before leaving with him.
Li Li took Han Yang only to the village entrance and didn’t intend to go further. She handed Han Yang a bank card. “Don’t come looking for me again.”
Han Yang pushed her card away and obediently said, “Don’t worry, I won’t look for you.”
Li Li watched him, her tears falling. “Good.” She wiped her eyes forcefully and quickly left the place that had once been a nightmare for her.
With his school bag on his back, Han Yang walked into the village without looking back. Li Li was right; with him as a stumbling block, her life would never get better. They should let each other go.
Never did Han Yang expect that after all these years of wandering, he would ultimately return to this place.