Chapter 21: Lonely Lu Yucai
Seeing that the two children were no longer resisting, the thugs finally lost interest and took the bread.
"Let’s go. They’re not worth wasting time on."
The men laughed as they walked away. Their laughter slowly disappeared into the distance.
Fu Sinan remained on the ground for a long time. His entire body hurt.
His lips were cracked, his face was bruised, and blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth. But the moment he saw Fu Jing moving, he immediately dragged himself toward him.
"Jing..."
"Big brother..."
Fu Jing weakly opened his eyes. Fu Sinan grabbed his hand. "Can you walk?"
Fu Jing nodded. Fu Sinan struggled to stand before helping his younger brother up.
The two children slowly disappeared into a secluded alley. Only after making sure no one had followed them did Fu Sinan finally stop.
He leaned against the wall and took several deep breaths. Then he secretly looked around. After confirming that they were alone, he reached into his clothes.
A faint glimmer flashed in his eyes. He took out a piece of fresh flatbread. Fu Jing stared at it in disbelief. "Big brother..."
Fu Sinan smiled. "Eat."
"But..."
"Eat."
Fu Jing hesitated before taking the flatbread. He carefully tore it in half and extended one piece toward Fu Sinan. "Big brother, you eat too."
Fu Sinan shook his head. "I’m not hungry."
Fu Jing stared at him. His big brother’s stomach had already been growling for days. How could he not be hungry?
"You are lying."
Fu Sinan froze. Fu Jing stubbornly pushed the bread toward him. "Eat."
"I’m really not hungry."
"Then I’ll feed you."
Before Fu Sinan could refuse, Fu Jing stuffed a piece of bread into his mouth. Fu Sinan stared at his little brother.
For a moment, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He slowly chewed the bread.
The two brothers sat together in the dark alley, quietly sharing the small piece of flatbread.
For those few minutes, the hunger that had tormented them seemed to disappear.
After finishing the food, Fu Jing leaned against his brother. "Big brother..."
"Hm?"
"When will Mom come to take us home?"
Fu Sinan’s body stiffened. He lowered his eyes. "She’ll come."
"When? I truly couldn’t hold it anymore... these thugs are becoming more and more vicious nowadays."
"Half a year."
Fu Jing blinked. "Half a year?"
"Yes." Fu Sinan nodded seriously. "Mom is probably busy right now. After half a year, she’ll come and take us home."
Fu Jing stared at him for a long moment. Then his little face crumpled. "You are lying..."
Fu Sinan’s heart clenched.
"You’re lying, Big Brother." Fu Jing suddenly threw himself into his arms and began sobbing. "Mom doesn’t want us anymore, she abandoned us, and she won’t come back..."
Fu Sinan hugged him tightly. His little hands gently patted his brother’s back. "Don’t cry. She’ll come back. She definitely will."
But as he said those words, tears slowly gathered in Fu Sinan’s eyes. He lifted his head and looked toward the sky.
He knew he was lying. Their mother might never come back.
Originally, their father had been the most favored among their mother’s husbands. Because of that, the two brothers had also enjoyed a peaceful life.
Until that battle. Their father disappeared. After that, everything changed.
The husband who had always been envious of their father’s position took advantage of the opportunity.
He secretly schemed against them. At first, they were merely neglected... then they were punished... then they were tortured, and finally... they were thrown out.
Even the thugs they had encountered today had been arranged by that man. He wanted them dead.
Perhaps he had simply wanted to make sure that neither of them would ever return.
Fu Sinan lowered his gaze toward his trembling younger brother. His fists slowly tightened.
He had not awakened any supernatural ability. Neither had Fu Jing.
In this post-apocalyptic world, ordinary children without powers had almost no chance of surviving.
Especially children who had already been abandoned. Fu Sinan knew that. Perhaps he and Fu Jing wouldn’t survive for long.
Perhaps tomorrow, or perhaps even tonight, they would die somewhere in this forgotten corner of the base.
But he didn’t want his brother to die with him.
If he couldn’t protect Fu Jing himself, then he could only hope to find someone capable enough to protect him.
As for himself, Fu Sinan lowered his head and gently hugged his younger brother.
If fate gave him the chance to survive, he would remember every single person who had harmed them. And one day, he would make them pay.
Even if it took years. Even if he had to crawl through hell to do it. He would take his revenge.
............................
Ni Mengxue entered the apartment with caution. When she saw the living room was empty, she quickly used the auxiliary bathroom near the living room to wash up.
Once she was done, she walked toward the kitchen to make something to eat. But when she saw Lu Yucai cooking, she froze.
He looked thinner and much more lonely, making her chest tighten.
’Shouldn’t he be happy? Did I misjudge? Maybe... somewhere, he has started to like me too? And maybe he has sorted his thoughts out?’