Yan Yan had arrived in Zhannan and made plans with Li Zi to have dinner at the mall once her hospital business was finished. On this day, "Delicious" also suspended its operations due to the private matters of its two owners.
At home, Li Qingliu stood before the mirror, meticulously selecting his outfit. He had already mapped out today’s itinerary: he would meet Xie Bing at the park next to the hospital at six o'clock sharp. Underneath his down jacket, he wore the clothes they had bought together during their Mid-Autumn shopping trip.
The weather was growing colder. Lately, whenever Xie Bing visited his home, she would casually mention the drop in temperature. Li Qingliu had noticed her bare neck and spent a week secretly knitting a scarf, which he intended to give her today.
He had made a reservation at a famous restaurant popular with couples, booking a cliché candlelit dinner. If the atmosphere was right and Xie Bing sensed his intentions, he would take the opportunity to confess his feelings. If things didn't go smoothly, he had a backup plan: taking her for a stroll along the river and asking how she planned to spend the upcoming New Year. He would pull out the small fireworks he had prepared, hand her one, and as they lit them together, he would say:
"If you don't mind, I hope to be by your side every year when the fireworks bloom in the sky."
Everything would go perfectly! Xie Bing had almost no close male friends and hadn't been repulsed by his unauthorized kiss, which meant his chances were high. Li Qingliu silently cheered himself on.
It seemed everyone was in high spirits. Even Hua Yi suddenly posted a rare, cryptic message in the dormitory group chat.
"Yay!"
Yu Tianwu popped up immediately: "Yay? What’s up, Hua Yiyi? Good news?"
"In a way. [Cat peeking at screen and snickering.gif]"
"Stop being a tease, out with it~"
"Ahem. Remember that special case I told you about? The client had been hesitant and wouldn't give me the key evidence. I talked to him again today, and he finally confessed that he found favorable evidence. He decided to go get it after work today, then take his child and leave with me temporarily. They'll stay in a hotel until we win the case."
"I don't quite get it, but congratulations to him for escaping that sea of misery!" Yu Tianwu sent three flower-showering emojis in the group, giving Hua Yi plenty of face. "Our Hua Yiyi is such an excellent lawyer; she’ll definitely help him!"
"I hope so. I'm already getting ready to go pick them up."
Sitting at her desk, Hua Yi couldn't hide the joy radiating from her face. Just a little longer, and Lian Zhi could start a new life. And she, too, could finally take that step forward.
***
Lian Zhi returned home with his child, his heart a mix of trepidation and unprecedented resolve. He had once thought he would rot in this swamp forever, with no chance of escape. But then he met Keke, and by a stroke of luck, he met Hua Yi.
Keke had shown him that a child raised in a normal, healthy family could be like a little sun, warming every soul around them. And Nan Nan deserved that same chance; an innocent child should not be dragged down by a decaying family.
As for himself...
Hua Yi had said: "Lian Zhi, you are a kind person who doesn't lack strength. I believe in your determination to break free, and I believe in my own abilities. If you entrust everything to me, I won't let your trust down. Are you willing to start looking toward a different future today?"
He took a deep breath and instructed Nan Nan, "Nan Nan, wait here. I’m going in to grab a few things and then we’ll come right out. After that, we’re never coming back."
"Papa Lian Zhi..." The child’s face was a blur of anticipation and unease. "Can we really never come back?"
"We can. When I come out, we’ll go find Hua Yi. She’s going to take us away from here."
He leaned down, hugged Nan Nan’s small body, and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek before turning to enter the door.
The lights in the living room were off, the curtains drawn, leaving the room in dim shadow. The stench of alcohol wafted from the sofa.
Dai Zong was home at this hour?
Lian Zhi’s first instinct was to turn and run, but then he thought of Nan Nan waiting outside. He summoned his courage and crept toward the sofa. Peering over, he saw the drunken man fast asleep, completely unaware of anyone’s presence.
Lian Zhi breathed a sigh of relief and headed toward Dai Zong’s room.
Because Lian Zhi would fight back desperately whenever Dai Zong tried to force himself on him, Dai Zong had eventually grown bored and stopped wasting his energy. He could easily spend money outside to find sweet-talking young boys. As for Lian Zhi, he was kept around as a free housekeeper. Later, Lian Zhi would sneak into Nan Nan’s room to sleep with the child, and Dai Zong rarely bothered to drag him out.
However, his identification documents and many other belongings were still locked in Dai Zong’s room. He had found where Dai Zong hid the keys a while ago. This time, he had to succeed in one go.
***
By the time Li Zi saw the discussion in the group chat, an hour had already passed. She and Li Zhenting were just about to head out, and she had intended to report her itinerary to her father. She casually tapped on the message notification.
"He’s going today to..."
Wait.
She quickly checked the calendar. The next second, Li Zi’s expression shifted drastically.
Today—it was today!
She immediately tagged Hua Yi in the group: "Where are you? Are you at his apartment building yet?"
Hua Yi didn't reply.
She immediately dialed Hua Yi’s number. Seeing her expression, Li Zhenting asked in confusion, "What’s wrong?"
Li Zi couldn't explain it to him at the moment and simply shook her head. Fortunately, after a few rings, Hua Yi picked up. "Hello, Li Zi?"
"Where are you?" Li Zi asked urgently.
"Driving. What’s up?"
"I’m asking you, where does that client of yours live? How much longer until you get there?"
Hua Yi wasn't used to Li Zi’s demanding tone, but she suppressed her annoyance and answered, "XX Neighborhood. I should be there in about half an hour. Why are you asking?"
XX Neighborhood—it was very close to where she was.
Li Zi decided right then to skip picking up her father from the hospital. She gave Li Zhenting a look to follow her, and as she walked, she said to Hua Yi, "Listen to me, don't ask questions. Is your client an Omega named Lian Zhi? Domestic abuse victim, decided to divorce and take the kid? Going to get the last of his things today?"
"Yes," Hua Yi frowned. "How do you know that?"
"Hua Yi, have you thought about what that evidence Lian Zhi mentioned might be? If he goes home to get it and runs into his husband—if his husband finds out he wants to sue and has a mountain of incriminating evidence—what do you think will happen?"
"He said the man shouldn't be home today." Even as she said it, a wave of intense unease began to wash over Hua Yi.
"What if? What if his husband *is* home? Can Lian Zhi handle the consequences of resisting him?"
"Stop talking. I’m closer to the area; I’m heading there now. Send me the exact address and hurry up."
Li Zi decisively hung up, pulled her car out of the garage, and gestured for Li Zhenting to get into the passenger seat.
"What’s going on? Where are we going? Who are you helping?" Li Zhenting was completely in the dark. After buckling his seatbelt, he pressed for answers.
"One of Hua Yi’s clients might be in mortal danger. We’re heading there now. Ting-ge, your condition is special right now. When we get there, don't follow me upstairs. Just wait in the car."
"Okay."
Li Zi and Hua Yi’s cars happened to pull up at the neighborhood entrance one after the other. Li Zi got out and saw a figure rushing out from the driver’s seat opposite her. Even in the dead of winter, sweat was beading on Hua Yi’s forehead; she must have been frantic on the drive over.
"I called him. He didn't pick up," she told Li Zi, her eyes full of panic.
"Let’s go."
The two shared a look and ran inside.
As soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, Nan Nan’s hysterical crying could be heard faintly.
Inside, Lian Zhi was being pinned under the enraged man’s foot. His phone had been snatched away. He clutched his head, enduring Dai Zong’s vicious kicks. "You damn slut, you actually dared to steal my keys and rummage through my things!"
"Dai Zong, you’re actually touching *that* stuff? Are you even human?!"
Meanwhile, Nan Nan was crying in terror nearby, trying to grab Dai Zong’s leg. "Don't hit Papa Lian Zhi!"
"Get lost, you little ungrateful brat! Don't you know who your real father is?" He was kicked aside.
Dai Zong leaned down, grabbed Lian Zhi by the collar, and hauled him up. "You’d better forget everything you saw today. Keep your filthy mouth shut, or you’ll never have a good day again."
"Who wants a future with a piece of trash like you?" Lian Zhi spat a mouthful of bloody saliva into his face.
"That’s right! Auntie Hua Yi is coming to get us soon! I don't want to be your child anymore!" Nan Nan cast aside his usual cowering and rushed forward again, pounding on Dai Zong’s thigh with his weak hands. "Let go of Papa Lian Zhi, you big bully!"
"Auntie Hua Yi?" Dai Zong’s expression turned sinister. He stared intently at Lian Zhi. "You want to betray me too? Run off with someone else?"
Lian Zhi struggled stubbornly, retorting with fury, "I was never part of your family! What betrayal? If you hadn't taken advantage of my mother’s absence, bribed my father to sell me to you, and threatened to go after my mother if I ever ran away, do you think I would have stayed here?"
"I’m telling you, Dai Zong—you abused me and Nan Nan, you’re involved in human trafficking, and on top of that, you’re using *that* stuff. I have evidence for all of it. I believe the court will give me justice. No one will be tied to your side anymore. Go to hell by yourself!"
With every sentence, Dai Zong’s eyes became more terrifying.
"You want to call the police? You want to sue me?" He released Lian Zhi’s collar, only to wrap both hands tightly around Lian Zhi’s slender neck. "Since you want me to go to hell, you’re coming with me!"
"Ah!"
His strength was immense. Very quickly, Lian Zhi’s face turned from flushed red to a bruised purple. His struggling hands slowly lost their strength.
"Lian Zhi!!"
The door was slammed open from the outside, and two people burst in. In the final moment before Lian Zhi lost consciousness, he saw Hua Yi, bathed in light, rushing toward him in a panic.
*Hua Yi... have you come to save me?*
He closed his eyes.
"Who are you?" Dai Zong’s movements were pinned down by Li Zi and Hua Yi, who forced him to the side.
"Who are we? We’re the people who are going to put you in prison!" Hua Yi couldn't contain her rage. She desperately wanted to teach this scum a lesson right then and there, but she wasn't the type to meet violence with violence. She could only signal Li Zi to call the police while she held Dai Zong firmly.
Li Zi said, "Don't worry, I called the police on the way. they’ll be here any minute."
Hearing this, Dai Zong, who had been struggling wildly, suddenly went pale as ash. It was over.
Seeing that he had seemingly given up, Hua Yi shoved him aside and went to support the collapsed Lian Zhi, performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. "Lian Zhi, Lian Zhi! Are you okay? Are you conscious? Please, say something!"
Nan Nan also knelt by his side, wailing, "Papa Lian Zhi, Papa Lian Zhi, don't die! Don't leave Nan Nan, waah—"
Lian Zhi suddenly gasped, coughing as he opened his eyes. "Cough, cough... Hua Yi, you’re here... cough."
"Yes, I’m here. You don't have to be afraid anymore. No one can hurt you again." At this moment, Hua Yi could no longer hide her feelings. She pulled him into her arms. "As long as I’m here, I won't let you be harmed again."
Having survived the ordeal, Lian Zhi finally found his hope. Lingering fear and a sense of grievance flooded his heart. He clung to Hua Yi and broke down in tears. "I was so scared, Hua Yi. I thought I was going to die just now—"
He was completely unable to control his emotions or his body, and his gland uncontrollably released a faint scent of pheromones. Hua Yi, being so close to his neck, immediately caught the light fragrance.
This pheromone scent! It was Lian Zhi!
She was momentarily stunned. Lian Zhi was actually the Omega she had met at the institution during her first rut.
None of them noticed that the man who had seemingly resigned himself to his fate became crazed once more upon seeing Lian Zhi and Hua Yi embracing.
At that moment, Li Zhenting, unable to stay put, had disobeyed orders and followed them up. He reached the doorway and saw the chaotic scene inside. Just as his eyes met Li Zi’s—who was standing by the door with a frown—he caught a flash of cold light out of the corner of his eye. The man in the corner had grabbed a knife from the sofa and was about to lunge at Hua Yi’s back.
"You pair of adulterers! Today, even if I die, I’m taking you both with me!"
"Watch out!"
Li Zhenting didn't have time to shout a warning; he simply charged forward. Lian Zhi, who was facing Dai Zong’s direction, also paled and threw himself over Hua Yi to shield her.
*Clang!*
Li Zhenting was faster. He landed a precise kick on Dai Zong’s wrist, successfully knocking the knife away. Seeing his attempt fail, Dai Zong tried to grapple with Li Zhenting.
"Li Zhenting!"
Li Zi reacted, moving past him to pin Dai Zong’s hands behind his back and force him to the floor. Her eyes were like blades as she glared at Li Zhenting, who was still ready to fight. "What are you doing? Who told you to charge in? What if you got hurt?"
"We have two Alphas here. Did we really need you to ignore your own body and rush in to help?"
Because she had been so terrified seeing Li Zhenting face someone with a weapon, Li Zi’s words were incredibly harsh. "Do you even understand your current condition? Why are you trying to be a hero?"
"I..." Rebuked so mercilessly, Li Zhenting stood to the side, speechless.
But he had been the one in the best position to stop him just now. He felt a wave of grievance in his heart.
Li Zi didn't give Li Zhenting a single kind look until the police arrived and took Dai Zong, Lian Zhi, and Hua Yi away. Li Zhenting followed behind the stone-faced woman. She was walking very fast, and with his body feeling heavy now, he couldn't quite keep up.
"Zi, wait for me!" he called out from behind.
Li Zi was furious and pretended not to hear him.
"Zi!" Li Zhenting clutched his belly, his face beginning to look pale. "My stomach hurts!"
The person in front stopped immediately, turned around, and rushed back to him. "What’s wrong? Did you strain yourself just now?" She worriedly placed her hand on his protruding belly. "Does it hurt a lot? We’re going to the hospital right now."
Li Zi leaned down, preparing to pick him up.
"It’s okay, just a little discomfort. I just need to rest a bit." Li Zhenting bit his lip and shook his head at her. "Maybe the babies are protesting their mother losing her temper at a pregnant man."
"You." Li Zi was so choked with anger she wanted to scold him again, but seeing his cautious, pleading expression, she held it in.
"The car is right ahead. Go rest in the car."
"If you ever dare to charge in like that again, Li Zhenting, I won't be this easy to talk to."
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
连枝 | Lian Zhi | The Omega client Hua Yi is helping; a victim of domestic abuse.
戴宗 | Dai Zong | Lian Zhi's abusive husband; the antagonist of the chapter.
南南 | Nan Nan | Lian Zhi's young son.
易感期 | Rut | The periodic state of heightened aggression/desire for Alphas (similar to Heat for Omegas).
腺体 | Gland | The organ in the neck that produces pheromones in the ABO setting.
信息素 | Pheromones | The biological scents used for communication/attraction in the ABO setting.
圳南 | Zhannan | The city where the story takes place.
“好吃” | "Delicious" | The name of the shop/restaurant owned by the protagonists.
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