Chapter Text
—•—|—𝓘𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓗𝓸𝓶𝓮?—|—•—
"What the hell is going on here? What's with all the commotion?" Xueyang annoyingly asks as he pushes through the crowd forming in the middle of the square.
Laughing and jesting about, the group disperses to show Mo Xuanyu standing in the middle of them all, his glasses slightly askew on his tear-stained face.
"Nothing, nothing! Just having fun!" Wolf Luo laughs, his arms hooked around Mo Xuanyu's shoulders., "We're just asking our dear friend here for help with our homework. We're quite busy you see, and we have no time to do it. Little Mo Xuanyu here is great at doing homework. Aren’t we right, fellas?" Wolf Luo turns to his mates.
"Yeah! That's right. We were just talking to him, asking him about his day, about our homework. Yada yada yada. Why are you so worried about him?" Guang Hao laughs.
Xueyang makes a face, clearly not believing anything the bullies are spewing, "Right. Just making sure you're not bullying him like you always do," Xueyang fakes a smile.
"Bullying?" Wolf Luo gasps. "Us? Towards little Mo Xuanyu? Why would we want to do that?" He laughs out loud, "Come on, Xueyang. Don't you believe me?"
"I don't know, you tell me," Xueyang shrugs sarcastically, "Perhaps one of the reasons why I find it hard to believe you might be that I saw you guys beat him half to death the other day. And that recording you guys uploaded of him? That was a breach of privacy!"
Turning to look at the trembling boy in his arms, Wolf Luo grits his teeth and fakes his own smile while grabbing onto Mo Xuanyu's face, squeezing it hard.
"That's because little Mo Xuanyu here is a freaking liar," Wolf Luo gives the boy a few light slaps on his face, "Kept telling everyone that he knows celebrities and famous people when in fact he's just a lunatic who craves for people's attention!" Wolf Luo continues to do his light assault on Mo Xuanyu as he talks. "Even had the gall to say that his father was a famous person! Almost tricked the girls into believing him! Pervert! We just had to let everybody know that such a person exists in this school!"
Wolf Luo punches Mo Xuanyu hard in the stomach, causing him to yell out and double over in pain, his glasses falling off his face. Mo Xuanyu falls to his knees, coughs, and gags a little bit as he feels his gag reflex kick in. His guts clench uncomfortably from the sudden assault and he falls to his side, hugging himself tight.
"Dog Luo, you really have guts!" Xueyang rebukes sternly. "You can be suspended from school for breaking school laws and committing violent acts on school grounds!"
"Be suspended? Me? He's already seventeen years old. He still needs the school to protect him?" Wolf Luo gasps in exaggeration, "Oh, that's right. I forgot. He has no parents to take care of him. He's just a little orphan, living in an orphanage." Wolf Luo smirks, seeing Xueyang not budging from his aggressive stance.
"It seems to me that little Xueyang here is trying to intimidate you, Wolf, calling you dog and whatnot. He's saying someone might report you to the school." Zhang Jun points out.
"I see…" Wolf Luo faces Xueyang with a smirk on his face, "Well then. Who's going to report me? You?" Wolf Luo laughs. "Get him."
Mo Xuanyu yells out in retaliance when he sees Wolf Luo's lackeys jump on Xueyang. They laugh at him while beating him up, making sure their punches and kicks leave a bruise on him. Mo Xuanyu watches as his friend gets beaten up badly from where he lay, whining at the back of his throat. He couldn't see properly except for some blobs and shapes but he knew his friend was being abused by the hands of those bullies. His glasses lay a few feet away from him, slightly dusty and dirty. A few of the lackeys turn their attention back to him and started kicking him. A few punches got to his cheeks and head, a few kicks to his body and stomach. They beat him up a few times before going back to Xueyang.
Xueyang starts laughing amidst the blows. "That's it? Give me all you got! You call this a beating?! I'll show you a beating!"
Xueyang saw a window of opportunity and kicked in between the legs of one of the lackeys, causing him to yell out and fall to his knees. Xueyang then flipped himself up and tackled the one closest to him, remembering his training that he got from his brother and brother-in-law.
Coughing, Mo Xuanyu got up gingerly on his hands and knees, wincing hard as the pain lance through his body. He took in a deep breath and crawled to where his glasses were, fully intending to put it back on his face when a large foot came stomping down on it. He gasps out loud when a hand grips on to his hair tightly, pulling his head back so hard, his neck cracked a bit.
"The next time I hear you talking about The Yiling Patriarch again, I'll make sure to stomp on your face instead." Wolf Luo smashes Mo Xuanyu's face down onto the ground, causing his nose to bleed profusely from the impact. He turns to see his lackeys being dominated by Xueyang and he clicks his tongue. Raising his fist, he sucker punches Xueyang from the back causing the boy to fall on the ground hard.
"Let's go." Wolf Luo signals for his lackeys to follow him. Once he left, the crowd surrounding them dispersed as well, chattering about the drama that they had just encountered.
Mo Xuanyu sobs pitifully into his clothed arms, his nose a broken mess, humiliated badly. Xueyang got up from where he lay, his lips torn, his body sore and bruised as he made his way slowly to where his friend lay sobbing. He took the broken glasses in hand, glaring hard at it.
"I'm sorry, Xueyang." Mo Xuanyu whispers tearfully from the ground.
"For what!? You didn't do anything wrong!" Xueyang yells out.
"I got you in—involved," Mo Xuanyu hiccups, "You shouldn't have—" Mo Xuanyu broke into a coughing fit, his tears and hiccup all combined into one.
"Shouldn't have what? Stood up for you? Why shouldn't I!" Xueyang huffs as he glares towards the direction of the bullies. "That bastard is nothing but trouble. Just because his father is one of the school shareholders doesn't mean he's allowed to be an ass!" Xueyang balls up his fists, "He did what he did because he's compensating for something that he lacks majorly."
Mo Xuanyu stops sobbing, turning to look at his friend sitting beside him. He sniffled. "What does he lack?"
"He probably has a small dick, that's why he's impersonating as one." Xueyang scoffs before breaking into a smile.
Both Xueyang and Mo Xuanyu began laughing hard at that, only to whine in pain again when their bruised bodies protested badly against them laughing.
"Come on, let's get you clean up and go home." Xueyang says as he picks his friend up to his feet. Mo Xuanyu took out his handkerchief and placed it below his nostrils, leaning forward to let the blood drip out into it. "Do you want to come to my house instead?"
Mo Xuanyu shakes his head daintily, his head throbbing with pain from Wolf Luo's actions a few minutes ago. "I'll be fine. Just have to avoid running into the caretaker, that's all."
Xueyang fiddled with the broken glasses before handing them over to Mo Xuanyu. "This is your sixth pair, right? Will you be able to get a new replacement?"
Mo Xuanyu sighs muffledly as he plucks the glasses out of his friend's hand. A new replacement. He wishes it was that easy. Having to face his aunt to ask her for a new replacement… he'd rather jump into a firepit and just be done with it. He looks down at his glasses, feeling the tears well up in his eyes.
"I hate my life. "
—•—|—𝓘𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓗𝓸𝓶𝓮?—|—•—
Mo Xuanyu walks listlessly down the streets to the orphanage, not even bothering to cover up his bruised face and nose. Xueyang had helped clean him up, wiped the blood off his face and nose before going home. Still, there are specks of dried blood in his nose, the taste of iron still lingers in his mouth from a burst lip, his eyes blurred without his glasses. His face mottled with bruises that are slowly blooming black and blue, tender to the touch. Hopefully, his caretaker is not around to start something new with him later on.
Mo Xuanyu has no idea who his father is. He just knows that his mother kept saying that he's a very big person and that one day, Mo Xuanyu will be her ticket to freedom. He remembers seeing her argue with his father through the phone, asking about her money, or else she'll go public with the truth. He remembers seeing her splurge on expensive bags and alcohol while he sits by a corner, drinking his water to soothe his hunger. When he was six, his mother died in a freak accident on the way home from work, leaving Mo Xuanyu all alone under the care of his aunt.
His aunt, however, didn't want anything to do with him. His mother worked as a cleaner before meeting his father, and to his prideful aunt, it's a job that is disgusting. Any 'creature' that comes out of her, be it legitimate or not, is disgusting and should never be able to set foot in her own home. With this thought in mind, she sent Mo Xuanyu to the Mo Orphanage, telling the caretakers to handle him themselves. She requested that they punish him for anything that is considered a hassle and to limit his freedom in the orphanage. For years, Mo Xuanyu struggles under the abuse coming from the orphanage and his aunt and cousin.
His dreams of being free are the only thing that kept him going. To one day move out of the orphanage and live on his own. To be able to meet someone that will save him from his ordeal. To learn how it is to have a loving family, adopted or fostered by anyone who is wanting to take him in. But for years, Mo Xuanyu stayed at the orphanage, not a single-family came to pick him up. He sees orphans after orphans be adopted by loving families but none came for him. His caretaker said that maybe he's jinxed. Maybe he's cursed. He caused his mother's death and his father doesn't exist. His aunt laughs at him, his cousin kicks him down the stairs, telling him that no one would ever want him because he's nothing. No one will ever want a child that brings bad luck to his own family.
When the school opened, Mo Xuanyu thought that he could have friends that will support him, somebody he could lean and be comforted with. It was his first day of school that the bullies decided Mo Xuanyu will be their punching bag. It didn't help that his cousin was one of the bullies, spreading lies and rumors about him, making him the social outcast of the school. And so, Mo Xuanyu suffers even further.
As he gets closer to the orphanage, he notices a figure standing in front of the building, leaning against a beautiful car. Since he's not wearing any glasses, all he sees is a blob of black and white with something white fluttering in his hands. Mo Xuanyu shrugs and just continues. Maybe it's one of his caretaker's guests, or one of the foster parents, who knows.
As Mo Xuanyu walks towards the orphanage gates, the man raises whatever it was he was holding and waves him over.
"Excuse me," The stranger calls out. Xuanyu stops in his tracks to look at the man.
"Yes?"
"Come here, please."
Mo Xuanyu frowns. "Why?"
"Please?" The man grins. Or what Mo Xuanyu hoped was a grin because he can't see all that well without his glasses.
Mo Xuanyu gave the man a disapproving look before walking towards him. As he gets closer, he could see the man's face a bit clearer. He seems familiar.
"Wow, what happened to you?" The man asks while looking at the bruises on Mo Xuanyu's face.
"None of your business," Mo Xuanyu mumbles, "What do you want?"
The man flips his fan open (oh so that's what was in his hand) and begins to fan himself, "Do you live here?" He gestures to the orphanage with his chin.
Mo Xuanyu turns to look at the house before turning back to the man, "Yes?"
"Do you know everyone who lives there?" Fan Man asks again.
Mo Xuanyu's eyes shifted. "... Maaaybe…"
"What kind of vague answer is that?" Fan Man frowns, "Is that a yes or a no?"
"The kind of answer someone should be telling someone that they're not supposed to talk to," Mo Xuanyu rolls his eyes, "Look, stop beating around the bush and tell me what it is that you want. Otherwise, I'm going to go back to my room and ice myself, okay? If you hadn't noticed, I'm badly injured."
"Wow. Angst much?" Fan Man fans himself, "I'm looking for Mo Xuanyu. Do you know him?"
Mo Xuanyu tries hard to not give anything away. "... Y… yes?"
Fan Man practically brightens up, talking a few steps closer, "You know him?"
Mo Xuanyu had to back up a little bit from the guy. The man was getting a little creepy. Standing outside an orphanage, asking about kids below the legal age. Everything about him screams stranger danger. He still looks familiar though.
"Yes, I do know him. Why are you looking for him?" Mo Xuanyu gives the stranger a dirty look.
"Official business." Fan Man simply replies while hiding half his face behind his fan. "Can you tell me if he owns this… house?"
Confused, Mo Xuanyu turns back to look at the orphanage and then back at the stranger, "Owns this house? No, Mo Xuanyu doesn't own this 'house'. He doesn't own anything at all. This is an orphanage." Mo Xuanyu points to the building.
Fan Man's fan suddenly stops, "An orphanage? I thought it was a hostel. That's strange." He frowns, fanning himself further, "Do you know where I can find him?"
"You found him."
The fan tilts downward, "What?"
Mo Xuanyu gestures at himself, "You found him. This battered piece of human flesh is Mo Xuanyu."
Fan Man's eyes widen in, what seems to be, horror as he checks the teenager out from top to bottom. "You're Mo Xuanyu?"
"Yes, I'm Mo Xuanyu." He sighs out, "Look, my face and body are hurting too much to hold a conversation outside in this heat. Normally I'm not allowed to invite strangers into my room but it seems to me you know who I am. So either you follow me or you go home." Mo Xuanyu turns to walk towards the orphanage, not even turning to see if the man was following him.
He climbs the stairs to the half-empty lobby, wincing when one of his ribs shifted wrongly. Mo Xuanyu presses a hand against the rib, slowly walking to his destination, trying his best to not let his tears fall. He looks around and doesn't see anyone at the counter so he wrote his name down and the time he reaches home. He turns and walks listlessly to the end of the walkway and up the stairs to his room.
This sucks. Everything hurts. His glasses are fucked up. A strange man is asking about him. Door number 3 smells of weed again. This really sucks.
Mo Xuanyu reaches into his pockets to take out the keys to his door, a donkey keychain dangling on one of the keyrings. The one thing he's appreciative about the orphanage is that they gave him a separate room since he's one of the oldest in the place. Other than that, everything else is shit.
"So you don't own this place?"
Holding back a curse, Mo Xuanyu pats himself on the chest, trying to calm his heart. Damn sneaky stranger.
"I don't own the place." Mo Xuanyu grits his teeth, "I have no idea where and how you got that info from because it is not true. I may not even be the same person that you're looking for so I suggest you go find that person instead."
"Mo Xuanyu, age seventeen," Fan Man rattles out, "born on Thirteenth September, Harvest Moon of the year 2002, Horse zodiac. Height 180cm, weight currently 53.4 kilo but may rise again due to stress eating. Your mother was Mo Fang-"
Mo Xuanyu frantically waves at the man to shut up, "Alright, enough, enough! What are you, the police? How do you know so much about me." Mo Xuanyu frowns. "Come in before you let everybody know of my entire existence." He opens the door to his room and walks in, throwing his bag on the floor by his door.
Fan Man passes through the doorway and shuts the door with his fan before turning to look at the room. It was inconsiderately small for a room. A single bed is squashed underneath the window with a drawer at the foot of the bed. Beside the bed was a table crammed with books and an old computer. By the door is a small bookshelf with a compact icebox on top of it. A few posters on the wall, a fairy light decoration on the window and that is it. Fan Man scrunches up his nose in disguised anger.
Mo Xuanyu took an ice pack from his icebox and went to sit on his bed, gesturing for the man to sit on his computer chair. "Have a seat." He pauses for while, "Do you want a glass of water or something?"
"Do you need to leave the room for it?" Fan Man asks.
"I'll have to go down to the kitchen and get you a glass. I didn't get a chance to stock up on bottled water the past few days." Mo Xuanyu sighs.
"Then forget about it. I'm fine." Fan Man waves his fan at him.
"Ok," Mo Xuanyu nods, "Sorry about the mess. Wasn't expecting anyone." He places the pack on his nose.
"Not an issue. It was partially my fault for not informing you about my arrival as well." Fan Man swipes his fan open and begins to fan himself. "I didn't expect this, though." He pulls the chair out and sits elegantly on it.
"What, a mess?" Mo Xuanyu asks.
"A small room." Fan Man says dryly, "I thought you were given land with a proper house and proper care, from what I've heard."
"From who?" Mo Xuanyu frowns, "I've not had a proper house since I was born. And what land?"
The man frowns back, "Really? That's not what he said."
"Who?"
"Your father."
—•—|—𝓘𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓗𝓸𝓶𝓮?—|—•—