The boys finally arrived at their dorm and all freshened up. Qi San also seemed to be sticking exceptionally close to him and that left Wen Yu confused.
This was behaviour he'd expect from little Huo Lan and not the straightforward, hotheaded, proud, generally tsundere Qi San. What was up with the kid?
He didn't dwell on the thought for long as everybody got settled in their beds and almost immediately drifted off.
They'd been out for quite a while and it really was late. They also had to wake up early tomorrow as they were leaving for the camp.
Wen Yu tossed about for a while, feeling inexplicably restless. His chest also felt heavy and his breathing was slightly laboured.
He frowned. He couldn't have gotten undetected complications from his assimilation right? He shut his eyes tightly and ran his spirit consciousness throughout his body once more. There seemed to be nothing wrong.
He soon drifted to sleep but was awoken by the sound of dripping water. He opened his eyes just in time to see a palm descend from above him.
Reflexively, he tried to block his face with his hands but then realized he was bound tightly and with gamma metal chains too.
He frowned as the palm hit his face hard and he tasted copper and salt. What was this? Did he get kidnapped? How did he end up here, wherever this place was?
The sound of voices finally registered in his brain.
"So weak, what useless trash. So disgusting!" A voice spat venomously and others echoed this voice.
Wen Yu trembled vigorously when he heard this. He also felt his reaction was too exaggerated. He was sure he didn't know these people but the fear he felt just hearing them speak was too strong.
He tried to raise his head to look around but found that he couldn't. His eyes were firmly glued to the ground and his body kept shaking.
He stared at his body. He was most definitely a kid but the clothes he wore were unfamiliar and of really poor quality.
His arms were also so skinny, just a little breeze and he was sure they would snap like decayed twigs. He finally looked up when someone hooked their finger under his chin.
A pair of large black eyes belonging to another kid met his, it was a kid he was kind of familiar with. Han Zihao. What was he doing here? And why did he feel frightened, looking into those childish orbs?
His mind drifted over to Duyi and he froze. It couldn't be...
"You're really something aren't you?" Han Zihao's spiteful voice started. "Getting Li Anyu to feel sorry for you, such a schemer. Do you think your little bit of acting would make her loathe me? You're still so stupid ah.."
Wen Yu almost facepalmed. What was this? The kindergarten mafia? Han Zihao went on to say some high sounding words but Wen Yu paid no attention to the dumb kid and focused on his surroundings now that he could lift his head.
He was sure he was in Duyi's body but how that happened, he couldn't really tell. He'd been getting snippets of the kid's memories right from when he woke up in the practice hall.
After a while, Han Zihao strode out with a proud gait and the other kids proceeded to torment Duyi's little life. They were even some teenagers mixed in and Wen Yu was really stunned.
These kids really updated his view of this universe. Duyi didn't even do anything wrong, it was all because a certain Li Anyu had seen the other kids giving him a hard time once and said a few nice words.
She didn't even extend a helping hand, just a few halfhearted words and yet it was those half-baked words that got Duyi locked up in this shed of sorts with very little light and oxygen circulation.
The adults around could also clearly see the savage behaviour of the kids but they only turned a blind eye and did nothing.
What was their purpose in adopting Duyi then? Wen Yu felt so sad for the kid. He couldn't even continue being sad as the eldest kid around, who looked to be about thirteen, came forward with a hot rod.
Wen Yu was already shrinking in fear before Duyi's body even had time to react. This was blatant child abuse!
The hot rod seared his skin and Duyi's heart rending screams filled the surroundings but this only fueled the little demons and they went as far as to take turns branding his skin.
Wen Yu choked in pain, more from his heart than skin. This was a kid. A KID!
This had gone too far! But the kids weren't worried because they would eventually sneak Duyi into a healing pod and get rid of the physical evidence of their abuse but what about the psychological trauma?
After what seemed like hours, the kids all got bored and threw Duyi's bloody body to a passing attendant to take to a healing pod. They did this with their nose so high as if it was them being merciful by healing the kid.
The attendant's eyes barely shook, seemingly used to seeing scenes such as this. Wen Yu almost broke down. What ever pain Duyi went through, he did too. This was only a kid and even though Duyi screamed his lungs out, there was barely any tears. Such strong endurance.
Time seemed to warp and Wen Yu was in a different environment. Duyi seemed to be even smaller, much chubbier and his skin was fairly rosy.
A woman was holding a child's hand and the child stared at Duyi with a frown. Duyi paid no mind and rushed over to hug the woman's legs.
"Mother." He looked up with a smile.
The woman curled her lip in disdain and moved to the side, shaking Duyi's little paws off.
"Who taught you to call me that?"
Duyi was oblivious to the woman's disdain and tried to hug her again. "Haohao calls you that and you're my mama too so I decided to call you mother, " He continued with a proud smile that was clearly asking for praise.
Wen Yu just watched all this from Duyi's eyes and he felt his heart burn at the blatant hate in the woman's eyes. What did the child even do to her?
Why adopt him if you were only going to treat him like a maggot? Time warped again and again and Wen Yu honestly couldn't take it anymore.