The person that walked in was Su Yan's father. When he saw his son sitting next to his wife on the couch he frowned disapprovingly. "So you've come back?"
Su Yan evaded his gaze. "It's not like I'm going to move back in. I just came to see mom. I should go now." He stood up and hugged his mother. "Thanks, mom. I'll do what you told me." Then he hurried toward the door.
His father extended his arm and barred his way. "Stop right there."
Su Yan barely refrained from grimacing. What did I say? He's a fucking tyrant, not a king! Well, but the System said I should let him make a ruling. So I guess I'll have to endure it today?
"Come with me."
Su Yan glanced at his mother but still followed his father into his study.
"Sit."
Su Yan hurriedly took a seat and folded his hands in his lap. His father always made him nervous. Even more so when he had no idea what this was about.
His father went to the other side of his desk, opened a drawer and took something out. Then, he threw it onto the table in front of Su Yan. "Would you care to explain what this is?"
"Uh ... photos?" Su Yan felt dazed at being asked such a question. He was right, though. His father had thrown a stack of photos in front of them.
"Who cares about that?!", his father roared at him.
Su Yan winced and hurriedly took a look at the pictures. Huh? Wait. Why did this seem so familiar? Wasn't that the train station he had worked at until last week? And there was even the subway he always took when he went home. The people were crowding around the doors as if they were boarding the subway at that moment.
Su Yan looked closer and finally noticed a familiar person between the passengers. Wasn't that ... Li Ming, that security guard? Wait. There wasn't only Li Ming but also ... he himself?
Su Yan put the first photo aside and was faced with a picture of Li Ming and him in an intimate position. Li Ming had cupped his cheek with one hand and held his arm with the other while his lips ...
Uh. Su Yan didn't know what to say. He hurriedly threw the photo away but the third one wasn't any better. It was of him and Nie Chang and the things they did, looked even worse than what had happened with Li Ming.
Su Yan blushed. This photo had been taken in the park. Nie Chang was pressing him against the tree, his arm propped up on one side of his face while he held his waist with the other hand. He himself had gripped onto Nie Chang's shirt as if he wanted to pull him closer. Both of them had their eyes closed.
Su Yan's heartbeat sped up when he saw that. He hurriedly put the photo away but it only got worse. The next few photos were all of him and Nie Chang kissing in the park. It gave the impression that they had stood there for a long time doing these things. There were even two close-ups of their faces.
Su Yan blushed harder. Seeing Nie Chang's lips on his like that he felt a strange sensation. Why did the two of them ... look so satisfied? Well, there was something else in the way Nie Chang kissed him, too.
Su Yan frowned. He hadn't noticed it when they were together in the park but looking at the photos now as if he was an outsider observing two strangers he could actually see it. It was some kind of ... frustration? Or, no, maybe it would be better to call it desperation.
"How do you explain this?" His father interrupted his thoughts.
Su Yan didn't know what to say, though. "This ... Uh, the first one was an accident."
Mister Su's expression darkened. What kind of response was that?! He grabbed his son by the collar and pulled him out of the chair. "What do you take me for, huh? Is it fun? Leaving the house and fooling around outside?"
"It's not like that." Su Yan tried to wriggle out of his father's grasp but his old man was holding onto him too tightly.
"Not like that? Then what is it like? Do you have any idea how embarrassed I am about you? You're twenty-one already, yet you still haven't achieved anything. Instead, you're working at some service point. And you're not thinking about your marriage either. You haven't even gotten a girlfriend yet.
I always thought it's strange. How can it be so difficult to get a woman with your looks and family background? But now I see! You never wanted one in the first place. Instead, you moved out to entice some man."
"Dad, I —"
"Shut up!" Mister Su had enough. Before Su Yan could get out another word, he slapped him across the face. Su Yan stumbled back and fell to the ground. He grimaced and held his head. He somehow felt dizzy. His father didn't care, though. He wasn't finished yet. "If it was just that someone had led you astray, then I could still properly reeducate you. But you're actually morally depraved enough to fuck around with different men!
This was all taken this week! This week! Do you hear what I'm saying? How many more will I find when I'm looking at the last month? Just how much have you been sleeping around?" Looking at his son that was still cowering on the floor and not saying anything he got even angrier. "What is it? Do you feel ashamed now that everything has come to light? Do you finally regret?"
Su Yan didn't dare to answer. The last time he had tried to talk he had been shoved down. Who knew what would happen next time?
"Stupid! Why was I cursed with such a son?" He raised his hand and hit.
"Ah! Stop! Stop it!" Su Yan tried to block him but couldn't do anything. He still felt dizzy from falling down. In fact, the whole room seemed to be spinning.
Just then, the door opened and crashed against the wall. The sound was drowned out by a woman's voice, though: "Su Guanting! Get your ass over here! Nobody hurts my baby!" Then, she stormed over and started hitting her husband.
Su Yan ducked and crawled out of the room. He wasn't afraid for his mother. She was a million times fiercer than his dad.