Mother Rui didn't stop hitting Rui Ye until she ran out of strength and collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.
Her hair was utterly disheveled, her face contorted in agony, surrounded by torn pages scattered across the floor. For a while, only ragged gasps and erratic breathing filled the air, until Mother Rui's eyes focused on the pitiful figure of Rui Ye who almost passed out on the ground. It was as if she suddenly regained her senses.
Choking on her tears, she crawled toward Rui Ye and brought him to her embrace with utmost tenderness and manic desperation. She soothed and patted the boy's trembling back, like she usually would when he was a baby. "Mother…" she began, her voice hoarse. "Mother did this for your own good, understand? There's no one who loves Ruirui more than Mother in this world, so you have to listen to me. En?"