"Song Xiao Bo!"
These words, the cold hand that held his wrist, the sharp piercing gaze toward him, the not-so-soft voice anymore he heard... He was familiar with them.
How could he ever forget them? They were once his paradise and the nightmare of the present.
The terror keeping him awake at nights. The blood-curdling sensation crawling on his skin continuously during the daytimes.
The cruelty he suffered in his hands. He felt helpless when he was not given even a chance to explain himself.
He was told to keep quiet his whole life however the way he was silenced by Wang Mu Chen at the end of his past life was nothing but barbaric and never deserved such an ending even if he was the Villain in their story.
He could never call the present Mu Chen as Mu Gege any longer. He wasn't sure what to address him so he didn't dare to use any term fearing it might offend him again.
Though deep down he knew the present Mu Chen would never do that to him. Still, he couldn't pluck up the courage after undergoing the agony of his tongue being cut off for calling the elder, Mu Gege.
In his entire past life, he was never happy for a day. However, he could still bear everything that life had thrown at him cause he had no one by his side to complain how unfair he was treated.
But the tormenting last days of his past life, he didn't want to endure it the second time. The small happy moments that he was experiencing nowadays were filling his empty heart, he didn't want to lose them.
He always feared that the present was a mere dream so he always checked the date right after waking up assuring himself every day that he really was reborn.
He was getting the comfort and warmth he always desired from the present Mu Chen. He was starting to get dependent on the elder.
Nevertheless, now the tone of Wang Mu Chen, the way the elder called him by his full name although he knew Xiao Bo was not a Song but Li. The way his eyes were looking at him sharply without the kindness he saw in them every day made him question everything until now.
Was it a mere hallucination of his?
He looked at Mu Chen, disconcertedly. Though he was frightened, he still gathered his courage to ask, "W-What did you... call me?"
Wang Mu Chen stared at Xiao Bo strangely. The grip on the smaller's wrist tightened.
"Song Xiao Bo, you dare use drugs to sleep with me, huh?"
Xiao Bo's heart thundered hearing the question... Again. His eyes widened as he stepped backward. His fear became reality.
He knew the Mu Chen in front of him now was not the one who adored him calling him Snowball but the one who hated him to the depth of his guts.
His eyes wavered. His lips trembled. His nose stung sharply. His heart skipped a few beats. He was terrified.
Was he back to the past? To the day when he slept with Wang Mu Chen?
Xiao Bo struggled to free his wrist. His eyelids tried to keep the tears from flowing down. He must not cry... in front of this Mu Chen... Never.
Cause the Mu Chen in front of him despised tears the most, especially from Xiao Bo.
"L-Let... *breathing heavily*... g-go... of ..."
He couldn't breathe. He was petrified. The scene of that day which was imprinted in his mind replayed making him panic more.
...
"SONG XIAO BO! YOU DARE!"
Wang Mu Chen's anger-filled yell made Xiao Bo shudder.
He has no idea what happened last night. All he could remember was, he was made to drink some juice by the bodyguards and then they took him to a room.
After some time he started feeling uncomfortable all over. His entire body burned like a volcano. He cuddled on the bed hugging his knees, whimpering pitifully.
Before he could understand what was going on Mu Chen entered the room in an intoxicated state. Seeing Xiao Bo on the bed he tried to walk out of the room but the door was locked from outside.
Xiao Bo knew something was wrong so he got from the bed to look for another way to leave the room. He didn't want Mu Chen to hate him more.
So, he tried to see if the windows were unlocked. In his weak state, with his trembling legs, he struggled to even stand properly.
The incense sticks burning beside the bed made the situation worse for both of them.
It made their minds foggy. They didn't know what they were doing. It was pure animal instincts that led Mu Chen to grab Xiao Bo and throw him on the bed.
It was a rough deed without any proper prior preparation. Without protection, without any affection. One was the beast, and the other was the prey.
The room echoed with no pleasure-filled moans only cries of a little one in pain, begging the beast to stop, let go of him.
But the predator was out of his mind. Until his mind became clear the smaller suffered relentlessly. He was shown no mercy.
His body was covered with marks. His face was stained with tears. It was his first time but he wished it to be the last time.
That night replaced a heart full of love with immense fear.
The next morning, Xiao Bo who became unconscious sometime in the middle of the deed was forced to wake up as he was thrown to the floor harshly.
When he opened his eyes he saw a furious Mu Chen standing in front of him. He was naked. His entire body was sour. He couldn't even move his lower body.
His eyes widened. He shrank trying to cover himself. He felt shameful to be seen by the elder in such a state.
"Hah... " Mu Chen let out a loud sigh and started laughing mockingly, "Now you feel shame? How dare you drug me to sleep with me?"
Xiao Bo instantly looked up hearing the accusation. When did he drug him? He felt sick after drinking some juice so he went back to his room to rest and the rest was a blank to him.
"If you can't control your desires then you should go to a brothel to satisfy them. Why... why me... WHY USE ME?" Mu Chen yelled gritting his teeth.
"I-I..." Xiao Bo flinched badly. He teared up not understanding a thing the elder was speaking.
He never drugged him. Never wanted to use him. Satisfy his desires? He didn't even know what pleasure was, what it meant to be intimate with someone.
He only knew it was a bad thing cause his Wei Dage cautioned him that he should never let anyone touch him inappropriately in his private parts.
He couldn't even understand what happened to him last night and why Mu Chen was so angry. He wept feeling pain physically and mentally.
However, those tears only made Mu Chen madder than ever. He grabbed Xiao Bo by his neck and lifted him in the air, strangling him.
Xiao Bo clasped his hands around Mu Chen's wrist struggling to get free, his face became red and was turning blue due to lack of oxygen. His legs waved in the air.
He was a bony teenager without much strength. How could he free himself from the muscular man who was twice his weight?
The smaller thought he was going to die. His eyes rolled backward and he was about to black out when the semi-white fluid dripped down his thighs to the floor.
Mu Chen clenched his teeth and threw him to the floor like a rag.
"HIDEOUS!"
Xiao Bo coughed badly trying to catch his breath. He felt light-headed. He was horror-stricken.
"If you want to live... never show your disgusting face in front of me ever again..."
Wang Mu Chen threatened and left the room with a loud bang on the door.
"W-Wha-... *-ough*... did... I-I... d-do?" Xiao Bo breathing heavily asked himself and cried hysterically not knowing a thing.
He felt extremely insecure after hearing those words from Mu Chen.
>>>Am I that ugly... is that why Mu Gege is angry?
That was the only thought repeated in Xiao Bo's mind all along until later he knew what actually happened between them and why Mu Chen was mad at him.
But it was too late. He was pregnant by that time.
....
"NO! N-NO... NO!" Xiao Bo screamed as the scenes replayed one after the other which led to his cruel death.
With all his strength Xiao Bo pushed Mu Chen away. But due to the recoil, he fell on his bum.
He held his ears tightly, shaking like a leaf, he repeated the same words, sobbing in a trance.
"I... *hic* didn't do it... I-I don't know anything... I-It wasn't...*hic* me... P-Please don't... *hic* ... h-hurt me... I-I am sorry... *hic*... sorry... I-I won't appear... *hic* in front of you a-again... I am s-sorry... but I-I didn't do it... It wasn't *hic* ... me... not me..."
Wang Mu Chen stood up shocked. He always hated the smaller's tears. To him, they were the crocodile tears of a cunning fox.
But now seeing him all broken and vulnerable like this... His heart ached.
"So... it was really not you...?" Mu Chen mumbled and heard Xiao Bo's repeating words again.
He balled his fists. Crouched down to the level of the smaller, held his shoulders tightly, "You... you didn't drug me?"
"NO! I DIDN'T! *sob* It wasn't me... *Hic*... I didn't... please believe... m-me...*hic* don't hurt me..." Xiao Bo clutched the elder's shirt and cried shaking his head.
Mu Chen remembered how Xiao Bo had the same expression when he cried hitting his head to the ground frantically with desperate eyes when the other asked him why he tried to kill his family and Xin Yi.
Suddenly a tear drop slid down the elder's cheek. Mu Chen frowned as he touched his wet cheek. It wasn't his tears.
"Why am I... Ugh-"
He felt immense pain in his head as if it was going to crack open then and there.
"Aah!" Mu Chen grasped his head tightly, squeezing his eyes shut, "...Dammit! That idiot is trying to come out forcefully... ugh-!"
He muttered to himself and the next second he became normal. His eyes softened seeing the perplexed Xiao Bo in front of him.
Mu Chen immediately hugged the smaller, "...Snowball..."
Hearing the nickname again Xiao Bo hugged the elder back and wept uncontrollably.
"...I am sorry, Snowball. Did I scare you? Don't cry, please. I am sorry. I won't let this happen again... I am sorry."
Mu Chen tightened his embrace feeling scared that he won't be able to hold Xiao Bo in his arms again and see him cry in fear helplessly.
"... Don't leave me... *hic* ... he will kill me... again... *hic* I said I didn't do it... but I know... *Hic* ... He hates me... he will kill me..." Xiao Bo too clutched the elder's shirt tightly hearing the soft caring voice of the elder again.
"I won't. I won't let anyone harm you, my Snowball," Mu Chen broke the hug and cupped the smaller's face in his palms, "I am sorry."
Mu Chen felt like his world crashed seeing Xiao Bo in such a state that too because of him. His chest tightened, and his heart throbbed crazily as if someone had torn it apart and blood oozed out of it.
"Call me Snowball again..." Xiao Bo asked with pleading eyes.
"Snowball..." Mu Chen gently wiped the smaller's cheeks.
"...Again..."
"Snowball... My little Snowball," Mu Chen placed a kiss on the smaller's forehead.
Xiao Bo smiled and lost consciousness in the elder's arms as he finally relaxed after such a mental strain.
Mu Chen embraced him and stroked his hair softly, "I am sorry Snowball. I promised that I won't let anyone harm you yet I... next time I won't let it happen. I won't let that other me scare you like this again."
He spoke with a determined look on his face. He wasn't an idiot to not understand what happened to him. He was taken to a dark damp place and was locked up.
He had to helplessly watch Xiao Bo crying. No matter how hard he tried to break free from that strange place by hitting that invisible wall he couldn't escape from there.
Then he saw some strange scenes where he was yelling at Xiao Box strangling him ruthlessly, torturing him inhumanely. He felt sick in his stomach.
He pleaded to stop showing him all that. He couldn't bear to watch Xiao Bo's suffering and that too by his hands.
If he was given two options to see Xiao Bo being abused by him or to kill himself, he without batting an eye would've killed himself then and there.
How could he hurt the smaller...? His innocent little Snowball?
He won't let anyone harm Xiao Bo not even himself. Wang Mu Chen made a firm resolve that day.
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