And for that short, stolen moment, Li Feng allowed himself to simply exist… not as the powerful President Li, not as the heir carrying a crumbling legacy, but as a broken man sitting in a car, too exhausted to face the world beyond the cemetery gates.
— — — — — —
MEIYUN CITY
LI FAMILY MAIN MANSION
SAME MORNING – 10:00 AM
Sunlight spilled generously through the tall French windows of the main mansion, illuminating the elegant marble floors and the lingering scent of sandalwood incense burning in porcelain holders along the hallway.
In one of the upstairs bedrooms, Li Bo Yen groaned softly as he shifted under the thick cotton duvet.
Pain radiated through his ribs and shoulders, his face swollen and mottled with bruises.
The throbbing in his temples reminded him of the night's chaos with a sharp clarity that cut through his hangover haze.
Beside him, his younger brother Li Ren lay sprawled on his side, face half-buried in the pillow. Dried blood crusted along his split lip, and a purple bruise marred his cheekbone. He blinked his swollen eyes open, staring at the ornate plasterwork of the ceiling.
His head pounded and his body ached. And as he shifted, a wave of nausea forced him to lie still again.
"…Ge… did… did you call dad…?" he croaked, his voice hoarse from shouting and alcohol. How did they get back home from the clubhouse? He had blacked out and recalled nothing much.
Li Bo Yen scowled, wincing at the pain that tugged at the corner of his mouth. "What the hell would I call him for? He will only beat us up again… or lecture us for hours."
"Then how did we get here? Has he seen us like this?" Li Bo Yen was worried that they would be disciplined again if their father knew they had caused a commotion in a clubhouse last night.
Li Bo Yen's scowl deepened.
He tried to piece together the hazy fragments of last night...
flashing lights, deafening music, the bitter burn of expensive whiskey down his throat, laughter that turned to yelling, fists slamming into his face, the metallic taste of blood coating his tongue, gaming, and losing leading to a fight breaking out...
But after that… darkness.
He sighed shakily, staring at the tall curtained windows now glowing faintly with morning light. He could recall someone treating them like some nobodies....
"I don't know," he muttered under his breath, his voice quiet and bitter. "Maybe someone called the driver… or maybe the club didn't want trouble and dumped us back here before Dad found out. Who knows."
He tried to sit up but pain flared sharply in his side, forcing him to lie back down with a ragged breath.
Everything felt heavy. His limbs... His chest... His pride....
Was this all he had become? A wasted heir who couldn't even protect his brother from a drunken brawl… or himself from drowning in humiliation?
A faint pounding headache echoed his self-disgust as he pressed a bruised palm against his eyes.
Outside their room, the faint sound of hurried footsteps approached their bedroom door. Their mother burst in moments later, her hair still pinned elegantly but her makeup smudged from sleep and worry.
"Bo Yen… Ren… how are you feeling now?" She rushed over, kneeling by the bed to check up on their injuries after the doctor tended to them.
Tears pricked her eyes at their swollen, battered faces and red bruises, "How could they do this to you…? You are all still a child… My poor boys…"