After

Chapter 06 - After Torture

"What was the promise she was talking about that day? You are breaking it now, right?"

"I promised I wouldn't lay a hand on you. I broke it because it wasn't a promise, it was a deal. She didn't fulfill her part of it."

"What?"

"I wanted another kid, she didn't give me that."

"You don't want me, then, you only want an heir. A subordinate. You abandoned everything because of this, and now you want us back? I know mom wasn't a good mother, but at least she isn't a bad person."

"Ah." Jian Yi's father sighed. "You know what, you're so annoying, Yi. I'll be happy if only He Tian stays with me. I can't have my heir, but I can have him. He's strong, quite the opposite of you, a weakling that only knows how to cry seeing his best friend all fucked up. A true Jian would've run to me and punched me in the guts."

"You already have my brother, why do you want me?"

"Your brother is no good, Tian, he is too tamed." Mr. Jian chuckled. "I need a stray cat, a wild one."

None of them could see, but He Tian's brother balled his hands into a fist, clenching them. His face was impassible, but his brain was furious. He didn't like to be called tamed, he wasn't anyone's pet. He stepped backwards and gathered his two men.

"You guys will dismiss them." He pointed to the guys above them, with the guns. "Then we'll beat the shit out of He Tian and his friends, and then we can let them run away."

"And Mr. Jian?" The grey haired man asked.

"We won't obey him anymore."

The two men climbed the stairs, each one at one side. They talked a few words and Redhead noticed that all the men with guns were going away. He poked He Tian with his elbow and pointed with his eyes, the subtler he could. Both of them then saw two guys walking towards He Tian's brother.

The three of them went to Jian Yi, He Tian and Redhead, and stopped in front of each one of them. He Tian's brother then gave a hint and everything started to happen. The first one being hit was Jian Yi, by the grey haired guy. Redhead got hit by the other black haired underling. He Tian swung his head backwards, feeling his brother's fist touch lightly the tip of his nose.

"I didn't command you to do this, what are you doing? SHOOT THEM!" Mr. Jian screamed, realizing all his shooters weren't there. He regretted had given He Tian's brother so much power, the other underlings would obey him with no further questions. He stormed out of the building, going to his car.

"STOP!" He Tian's brother yelled and they stopped fighting. "You guys should take him to a hospital. He lost a lot of blood when I was playing with him."

"Why are you letting us go?" Redhead asked.

"It doesn't matter, just go."

Jian Yi and Redhead lifted Zhan Zheng Xi, hearing a low whine. They started walking as fast as they could, while He Tian called for a cab. The black haired boy had no bruises on his face. The blond had a swollen eye and a little cut on his upper lip. The redhead had a broken nose. All of them had bleeding knuckles.

As soon as the taxi arrived, He Tian told him to go to the nearest hospital, and that he would pay if they damage the car's seat. The driver went as fast as he could, and in a few minutes Jian Yi and Guan Shan were entering the hospital's emergency carrying Zhan Zheng Xi. He Tian threw a thick pack of money to the taxi driver and ran after the others.

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He Tian got his right hand clean bandages, and fresh one on both of his knuckles. Jian Yi got bandages on his knuckles, and pain medicine, they also cleaned his eye and upper lip. Redhead also got bandages on his knuckles, and a nurse took him to get his nose on place again. Zhan Zheng Xi was taken to somewhere deeper inside the hospital.