On a weekend a year later, Wang Tao walked into Zhou Shuang's room with something. Hiding the gift behind his back, he scanned the room for the boy.
Noticing a lump in the sheets, he pulled it back and there lay Zhou Shuang with his back facing Wang Tao. The boy turned around in surprise and the Celestial's eyes widened.
"Xiao Lan, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
The tall male hurriedly wiped the boy's face. Zhou Shuang averted his eyes and stayed quiet. Before the man could question further, he crawled into his arms.
"Papa."
The whimper was so sad that the silver haired male didn't know what to say. After a pause, his pale hands rubbed the golden hair soothingly.
.
.
"Xiao Lan?"
"..."
"Xiao Lan?"
Blinking, the Celestial looked down and noticed that Zhou Shuang had fallen asleep. Frowning, he gently put him back in his bed, covered him up and left.
Uneasiness filled him and he hurried over to the living room. There he saw the couple chatting and he stopped a few feet from them.
"A Tao, what's wrong?"
Zhou Jian noticed the concern on his friend's face and quickly walked over. Wang Tao filled the two in on what happened.
"Maybe we should keep an eye on him. What if he's being bullied at school."
"But Xiao Lan loves school and it still seemed so yesterday "
"Maybe he's hiding it?"
Before the pair of close friends could speculate further, Chen Xiang spoke up.
"I'll handle it, just leave it to me."
"You sure?"
"Of course hubby, this would be a good time for some mother and son bonding. I'm sure I can figure it out."
The older man nodded after some thought and so the issue was handed over to the mum. The following day, Chen Xiang had a talk with Zhou Shuang and reported that the reason was something unexpected.
Apparently a stray cat their son had become friends with at school died. The Zion was a bit stupefied at this but his wife assured him. Asking his son later that day, the boy confirmed the story.
The Celestial just watched this silently, also a bit confused. However, the two decided to take Zhou Shuang's word for it and so the incident was forgotten.
___
Two months had now passed and Zhou Jian had to go away for a few days. Interested in the assignment his friend got, Wang Tao decided to tag along. The group of four ate their breakfast and the two friends were now leaving.
As Wang Tao went out to the hover car, the older man said goodbye to his wife.
"Be safe okay."
"Mm, I will, take care."
Chen Xiang nodded as Zhou Jian went on to say goodbye to his son. Making his way to the door, Zhou Jian halted when a small hand tugged his pants. Looking down, sea blue eyes stared up at him.
"What's wrong Xiao Shuang? Missing daddy already?"
Zhou Shuang nodded and hugged his father who picked him up. The Zion held him for a few moments before trying to put him down but the boy held the other's shirt tightly and shook his head, hiding in his father's embrace.
Zhou Jian smiled helplessly at the clingy child. He gently peeled the small hands off as the mother approached.
"Come now Zhou Shuang, don't trouble daddy. I took off a few days so we could spend time together."
Taking the boy from his husband, Chen Xiang stepped back before the boy's hands could grab onto his father again. Zhou Jian smiled at the two but it faltered a bit when he caught a flash of panic in the boy's eyes. He froze, frowning a bit when his wife spoke up.
"What are you waiting for? Go! Me and Zhou Shuang will be fine. We'll go out for ice-cream later."
Nodding slowly, the older man suppressed the uneasy feeling and left. As Chen Xiang carried the boy upstairs, Zhou Shuang had gone mute, the blue eyes dull.
.
.
.
Zhou Jian and Wang Tao, who held Zhou Shuang, stood at the entrance of an amusement park. Chen Xiang had gone away on a business trip, something that was becoming more frequent recently.
It was summer so the little boy didn't have school. Having been busy lately, Zhou Jian decided to take his son out for some fun. He had come here before with the little one and it quickly became Zhou Shuang's favorite. His son always pestered him, asking to go back.
"Which ride do you want to go on first?"
Wang Tao looked at the boy he was holding as they passed by the rides. Zhou Jian observed them closely and an uneasy feeling grew as the boy stayed silent.
The two exchanged a glance before looking back at the boy. Putting on a smile, Zhou Jian proposed.
"How about the roller coaster? That's your favorite, remember?"
"..."
The Celestial grew nervous as an awkward silence followed. Observing the children running around with smiles, he bit his lip, noticing the expressionless face of Zhou Shuang. Xiao Lan was always so expressive and cheerful, so why wasn't he even reacting?
"Maybe he doesn't want to ride yet? Let's take Xiao Lan to eat."
Nodding, Zhou Jian calmed down. A while later, the three sat down at table Glancing at the boy, Zhou Jian noticed that he hadn't started eating. Frowning he asked what was wrong but his son only looked at him before staring back at the food.
The little hand stretched out at tortoise speed towards his meal before retracting.
Wang Tao looked at Zhou Jian in bemusement and the other returned the look. The two then tried to feed him his favorite, strawberry ice cream, but Zhou Shuang just wouldn't eat.
Unable to take it, the father took his son away from the food court and they showed him around the park. This was his favorite place and the blue eyes would normally light up whenever they spotted a ride.
Now, the sea blue eyes were dull and the child silent. He simply shrunk into his father's arms and stayed silent. After a few hours, the two friends gave up and returned to the car. Buckling up the sleeping boy, two pairs of eyes met sharing a concerned gaze.
"I thought this would cheer him up since he'd been so quiet lately but…Xiao Shuang isn't even reacting."
"Xiao Lan won't even talk to us. But why?"
"I don't know…I knew something was wrong but I just don't know what…"
They mulled it over in silence before Wang Tao spoke up.
"If he doesn't talk we'll just have to figure it out ourselves."
"Sigh, you're right. We won't reach anywhere if we keep trying this."
"Maybe we should ask Chen Xiang?"
Wang Tao thought that since he solved the last issue maybe he could solve this. The Celestial wondered if the rumored mother's intuition had played a role last time.
"No, Chen Xiang probably doesn't know. There's another way but…"
"But?"
"But I'm just not sure if the situation is that extreme for it."
"What if it is though? Wouldn't we have wasted time? What if someone bullied him at school or something?"
"Yeah, it's better safe than sorry…I was thinking of setting up cameras. In the house that is and we could also check in on the school incase bullies are the problem…I just don't think it's that."
"Why?"
"I specifically told Xiao Shuang to tell me if anything's happened at school so I could deal with it. But he never has anything bad to say, so many good things. He's even made a friend."
"Hua Ming?"
"Mmm."
"Well, I guess but we never know…"
"So we should check just in case."
"Mm-hmm."
Having made up their minds, they calmed down a bit. Zhou Jian dropped by the school on a later date to check things out. He had also gotten the cameras set up by the time his wife returned three days later.
___
Wang Tao sat in the home office with Zhou Shuang on his lap facing him. He nudged the boy's cheek but there wasn't much of a response. He put his hand in front of the boy and waited.
Minutes passed before the boy gingerly held a finger before another and another until he held the whole hand. Wang Tao closed his hand around the smaller hand, warming it as he planted a kiss on the golden hair.
The blue eyes watered as Zhou Shuang's lip trembled. Wang Tao watched as the mouth opened open and closed making a small sound before going mute.
Exhaling softly, the Celestial bit his lip as he watched the dull eyes in front of him. Softly he encouraged,
"Xiao Lan, what's wrong? Don't worry, you can tell Papa."
"..."
Zhou Shuang didn't answer but he hugged the man and simply stayed like that for a few moments. Raising his head, Wang Tao's eyes followed the man who entered the room. The child turned around but still didn't make a sound when he noticed his father.
Zhou Jian's heart twisted as he stooped down. Patting the fluffy hair, he gave his son a kiss. The child tried to speak once again before shutting his mouth, causing the father to clench his fist slightly.
Picking up his son, he walked to his desk and sat. Wang Tao followed when the man gestured to him and sat on the chair beside him.
Opening a hologram, Zhou Jian tensed a bit as he looked down at Zhou Shuang.
"Is there anything you want to say? I'll listen so just speak, please. Dad's really worried about you."
Zhou Shuang stared into the reassuring purple eyes and he pursed his lips. A conflicted feeling rose as he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly before making a sound.
"Ma…"
The two held their breath in anticipation but we're disappointed when the boy stopped. Zhou Shuang started shaking, as a tear fell. The father quickly tried to console him, rubbing his back gently.
Wang Tao wiped away the single tear and sighed. It seemed too hard for the boy to say. Zhou Jian held his son close as the hologram played a video. As the video progressed, the two adults became mortified.
Hearing familiar words, Zhou Shuang turned towards the source and his eyes widened. Zhou Jian clenched his fist, his eyes flashing dangerously, but quickly released it to grasp Wang Tao's hand.
Blinking, the Celestial's crimson eyes turned back silver as he came to his senses. His true aura was leaking out and it was way too much for a human child.
Realizing this, he quickly withdrew it and gave the quivering boy a kiss. Slowly, he turned back towards the hologram, forcing himself to watch the vicious scene.
__
A clear video of two people showed a horrible thing which the two other worldly beings had never imagined happening the boy. There, on the hard floor of his room, lay a beaten and bruised Zhou Shuang, shielding his head as his mother kicked him harshly.
The youth's delicate face was red in anger as he vented.
"After all the trouble I went through to give birth to a bastard like you, Zhou Jian is still suspicious. Why. The. Fuck. Is. He. Still. Suspicious. Ugh!!! It's so fucking annoying."
Glaring at the sobbing boy, the transmigrator pulled him up by the hair, dragging him to the bathroom, and looked at his messy face.
"Tch, why are you crying so much? Because it hurts? Do you want to know how much it hurt to give birth to you? You owe me! You're supposed to help me keep that slave in check but you're absolutely useless! Tch."
Chen Xiang flung the boy away in anger. He huffed, his face twisted in an ugly manner.
He was absolutely annoyed with how ineffective his schemes and acting had been. The man was so cold to him, not even calling him Xiang er or having sex with him. It must have been years since their last intercourse.
Zhou Jian hid it well though, even that friend of his didn't realize how distant the couple had become. Chen Xiang could no longer hold his fury and had started beating the child to placate his anger.
Moving on from his thoughts, he went on to his usual routine of stuffing the child with food and forcing him to throw it up.
"This is how you lose wait, you hear me? This is what I had to do to get rid of that horrid body you left me with! Ridiculous, want to come into this world and not pay me back? Even dare to call that bastard Papa."
Zhou Shuang tried not to wrinkle his nose in disgust at the smell of his vomit. He knew it would make his mum madder. He held his upset belly as he moved away from the sink and dropped on the ground. Chen Xiang scowled at him, covering his nose.
[ As expected, children are so disgusting. ]
"You better not snitch. He'll never believe you anyway. He could only love you so much. Besides he loves me more, remember that."
Tears flowed like a waterfall from the dull blue eyes and Zhou Shuang trembled as he curled up. At that moment, his face was grabbed and a pill stuffed into his mouth.
Already used to it, he swallowed. His wounds and bruises healed at a rapid pace before disappearing completely. Scrambling up, he went to bathe once his mother left.
__
The two adults were speechless.
Wang Tao slowly looked from the child to the father. Zhou Jian had a blank look as he stared at the hologram. His trembling hand rubbed his son's back consistently.
Zhou Shuang had broken into tears. However, his fear of their reaction immediately disappeared when he noticed the concern on his papa's face and felt his father's warm hand consoling him. He had also noticed their anger at his mother when they discovered it and was relieved that his mother was wrong.
The hologram closed as the two waited for the child to finish crying. After a while, Zhou Shuang stopped and pulled back a bit. Looking at the two, he was unsure of what to say.
"Xiao Lan…you should've told us. How could you think we wouldn't do something about it?"
"B-but Mama said…Mama said that Daddy liked h-him more so…so he wouldn't-"
"That's nonsense. Xiao Lan, your dad loves you so much. He would never do that. And why didn't you at least tell me?"
"...Because if Daddy doesn't do anything I-I thought you wouldn't either."
Zhou Shuang looked between the two adults and whispered. Wang Tao grew even more confused.
"Why would you think that?"
The boy fidgeted a bit before admitting,
"Because you love Daddy."
Silence engulfed the room as Zhou Jian shifted his gaze towards his son. His hand paused before continuing to stoke the small back.
Wang Tao was unsure of what to say so stayed quiet.
Gently, the strong hands of his father lifted the boy onto the table. The purple eyes stared into blue ones. Holding the small head, the Zion ensured that the boy was listening before he spoke.
"Never stay quiet again. The moment someone even says something that hurts you, you have to tell me. Never let anyone, no matter who it is, tell you that I won't do anything. Xiao Shuang, I love you so much. You have no idea how much I love you. I would never, never let someone hurt or abuse you so please…"
Zhou Shuang started to tear up again as he listened. His small hand reached out to catch the stray tear which fell from his father's face. Zhou Jian looked down and hastily wiped his face.
He held his son close as he stood up. Quickly walking to the boy's room, he raised his son's clothes and checked him. It seemed that the pill's ability didn't diminish even after repeated use.
[ Not a single scar, not even a trace. How...how could I have let this happen? ]
Closing his eyes for a second, the father composed himself before he continued undressing the boy.
After the bath, he tucked in the tired child. His son held his hand tightly as he rested him on the bed so Zhou Jian sat beside him silently until the boy fell asleep. Once the grip loosened, the Zion gave the golden hair a kiss and left.
Returning to his office, he was met with a dark aura as he went over to the couch where the Celestial was lying down in a daze. The crimson eyes blinked and looked at him. The stuffiness faded as Wang Tao sat up.
"Lie down."
Zhou Jian mumbled after sitting down next to him. Seeing that the other hesitated, he pulled the other's head onto his lap. Before Wang Tao could speak, his crimson eyes narrowed as the warm hands rubbed his head.
Stroking the little cat, Zhou Jian's tense body relaxed. The Celestial hands reached up and pulled the still trembling hands down, holding them tightly.
[ He's trying to hold back. I'm sure he's heartbroken too. His wife was abusing his son all this time and he didn't know… ]
Feeling the other squeeze his hand in reassurance, Zhou Jian opened his eyes. The purple eyes watched as silver and crimson mixed in the phoenix eyes. Obviously Wang Tao was also trying to hold himself back.
Wang Tao froze when a hand caressed his cheek gently. His cheek burned from the touch, his ears turning scarlet. He flinched when the hand pinched his ears lightly before brushing back a strand of his silver hair and continuing to caress his cheek.
"He never let me mark him."
"Huh?"
"Chen Xiang. He never let me mark him."
The Celestial's eyes widened.
"What? How? Why wouldn't-"
"When…whenever we did it, he would pull back if I tried. I thought it made sense since we weren't even married but…"
"But you're married now and he still hasn't?"
"Mm. I didn't try for long. At first I thought it was because he only cared but didn't love me. But I realized he didn't even care that much once we were married so I thought it was because he didn't want to be confined."
Zhou Jian paused, having thought of something. They hadn't been having intercourse for years so the Zion assumed that Chen Xiang took suppressants. It seemed his thinking was to naive. Smiling lightly, he continued speaking.
"Being mated is a serious thing so it would make sense not to if you don't love the person. It was more than just dating, with mating you can't ever leave each other. At least the omega can't, so I believed it was a safeguard in case he actually fell in love with someone in this world."
"You're okay with him leaving?"
The Zion didn't answer and Wang Tao thought that he wasn't. How could that loyal man be okay with it? A sour feeling arose for a moment but the Celestial pushed it down.
"So where are you going with this?"
"..."
"A Jian?"
.
.
"A Jian?"
"Business trips…coming home late…being okay with me...I'm such an idiot. Of course that was him. How could I…It's just…I mean. Those green eyes should've given it away but…there are so many with them. How could I...I should've known. I was so hopeful after how caring he was in the last world that I…he must have used the system. I bet he let his guard down since we're married-"
Zhou Jian froze.
A cool hand nudged his face gently as the silver eyes looked at him in concern. Wang Tao seemed to have understood Zhou Jian's point from the man's rantings and wanted to comfort him.
The Zion closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Opening them, his phoenix eyes softened as he thanked the other. Noticing that the Celestial was waiting for more details, Zhou Jian disclosed what he knew.