20 Overseas Friend

It was already 7 p.m. Mrs. Mo was in the kitchen, making some rice porridge for her children. Meanwhile, Yi Fan and Yi Fei were quietly in their rooms, and Mr. Mo was watching some TV.

"Honey, can you ask the children to come here? I'm almost done cooking," Mrs. Mo asked.

"Sure," Mr. Mo sat up, mildly stretching his body. He swiftly grabbed the black remote control and turned off the TV, then headed to the kids' rooms.

Mr. Mo slowly opened Yi Fei's door, peeking inside. The room had a lavender pink wallpaper, and little string lights were on the messy floor. Here and there, you could see various amounts of scattered purple glitter. On the side was the window covered by some soft transparent curtains. A princess bed stood in the middle of the room; its mattress and pillows were fluffy and thick. A little girl was hiding under the amaranth blanket.

"Yi Fei, it's time to eat," Mr. Mo said.

"Already?" Yi Fei asked in a weary voice. She cutely rubbed her eyes and sat up, looking right at Mr. Mo.

"Come to the dining room, okay? I'm going to wake your brother up," Mr. Mo gently smiled at Yi Fei.

"Okay~" Yi Fei replied.

Mr. Mo gently closed the door, and immediately, his temperament changed. No longer was he the pleasant and compassionate Mr. Mo. His eyes were cold-blooded and distant as he indifferently headed to Yi Fan's room. This time, the reason he slowly opened the door was deliberately not to wake up Yi Fan. He shut the door closed and now... Mr. Mo and Yi Fan were the only two in the room.

Mr. Mo leisurely walked to Yi Fan, who was carelessly sleeping in his bed. He towered over Yi Fan's tiny body and promptly smacked Yi Fan's head on the spot. Yi Fan jolted awake because of the sudden pain, and instantly, he sat up. Even with his blurry vision, he could recognize the presence of The Man anywhere.

"Your sister got hurt because of you..." Mr. Mo furiously growled. "And you're sleeping?"

"I⁠—" Yi Fan tried to speak.

"Kneel." Mr. Mo snapped. "I SAID KNEEL!"

Mr. Mo grabbed Yi Fan's sparse hair, coercively pulling him to the ground. Yi Fan shouted out cries of pain, and Mr. Mo gave a vicious kick to Yi Fan's stomach.

"I told you to follow the rules, remember?" Mr. Mo whispered in Yi Fan's ear. "Say it."

Yi Fan quivered in a panic.

"D-don't, don't speak, don't cry, don't make a sound. Don't speak, don't cry, don't make a sound. Don't speak, don't cry, don't make a sound..." Yi Fan repeated in a shaky voice. He broke out in cold sweat as he anxiously tightened his fists.

'Where's Mom? Mom, mom, mom, mom. Please be here. Please, please, please.' Yi Fan desperately prayed with all his might.

"Honey? What's going on?" Mrs. Mo's mellow voice called out. "Why is Yi Fan on the floor?"

God hadn't given up on him. Yi Fan quickly looked up to Mrs. Mo, his eyes teary and moist. He wanted Mrs. Mo to notice, to finally notice The Man. But it was no use, Mr. Mo cleverly covered Yi Fan's face with his long legs.

"Yi Fan suddenly fell. I think he needs more sleep," Mr. Mo calmly stated.

"Oh, what should we do? I already made the porridge, and I need to go out tonight," Mrs. Mo murmured. "My overseas friend finally has some time..."

'Mom is going out?!' Yi Fan knew this was bad, really bad. Without Mom around, The Man could do⁠— no, will do everything. The Man would always hurt Yi Fan in places that people couldn't see, mainly his head, torso, and back. The incoming punishment would make Yi Fan wright in pain and might last until he faints three times over. There was no doubt that Yi Fan would barely be able to open his eyes in the morning.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of Yi Fan," Mr. Mo smiled pleasantly.

"M-mom, can you stay home? I really need⁠—" Yi Fan attempted to keep Mom at home so that The Man wouldn't try anything. But before he could finish his sentence, Mr. Mo scowled at him in a very obscure manner. The Man meant business. He would make the punishment ten times worse if Yi Fan went on any further.

Yi Fan wasn't dumb. He knew that even if he kept Mom today, there would always be another day. He gritted his teeth. The devil was asking him which date Yi Fan wanted.

"N-nevermind, Mom. Have fun with your friend!" Yi Fan tried to be as cheerful as possible. Even if this meant even slightly reducing The Man's anger, it was worth every trouble. It might not be Yi Fan's life on the line, but it was pretty damn close.

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