the roommate ；xu minghao

twenty

▸ flashback : 24years ago.
third person pov

The crying of a baby instantly filled the crowded room as the woman laying in bed finally found some rest, little drops of sweat forming on her body and tears welling her closed eyes.

After the nurses finished what they had to do, they layed the newborn in the thin and pale arms of the mother, her fingers instantly wrapping around the white blanket that was covering her second son. Soon his whimpering stopped as his little chubby hand wrapped around the index finger of Meihui.

"Madame, your son was born healthy.". A maid chimed in, making her way through the nurses who were tidying up. "He will be a handsome boy.".

"And powerful as his father.". Another softly spoke up with a strange smile on her lips. "Madame Xu, I think it's best if now we take your son and take care of him. You can relax.".

"Yes, we'll look after him while he grows up and you can leave everything to us." "We'll provide him that motherly affection.". "Us maids will take him and you won't have to worry about him anymore." "Leave him to us".

Their voices haunted the poor woman laying on the bed, all the past memories were flooding in her head as the women's faces were morphing into devils, creepy figures that were trying to take his second son away from her. Their hands looked like thorns, the same ones with which her family tied her whole life to the expectations and to their desires.

The air seemed to suffocate her, it was all so dark and a heavy feeling was pressing on her chest. The anxiety of losing precious memories, the ones she could get with her new son, all of his smiles and tears, the first falls and the first birthday. She didn't want to miss those things.

She already lost everything in her life: love, affection and happiness seemed so distant until she saw this baby's face, the puffy cheeks and his little hands that desperately tried to grasp her fingers.

Meihui looked at the four maids surrounding the bed, their arms already spreading in the baby's direction. "No!". Her shout was crystal clear. She quickly held the newborn close to her chest in a protective way. "I won't let you take him like you did with my first son.". She said, in such a threatening way that the maids looked at her coldly. "I'll look after him the best I can.". She whispered to herself, brushing gently the soft and rosy cheek of the calm baby.

"But Madame you are weak and you need to recover your energies~ It's best if your body isn't put under any sort of weight...". She tried to change her mind, her hand already reaching the white blanket of the baby.

"We only want the best for you and Master Xu. So hand him over to us.". Another maid wearing a blue uniform and a white apron immediately launched herself on her, trying to get the little baby out of Meihui's arms.

She held him tight to her chest, not budging a bit at the maids attacks, her whole body curling trying to desperately protect her son. "No! You won't have my little Minghao!". She screamed at the top of her lungs while heads and hands seemed to deprive her of her whole life in that moment, the white dress, which made her look so defenceless and weak, was already all crumbled in the area where her legs moved continuously despite the pain she was feeling.

She couldn't bare being treated this way again, living a life secluded away from her own sons.

"My Minghao!". She yelled as she lifted her head only to be met by Seojun's eyes. The man who always stayed beside her, the man who owns her heart, the only one who she could trust. "Minghao.". She said as tears rolled down her cheeks.