Chapter 45 - I Heard You Like Touching People

"Who does he think he is? Asking me to go with him wherever he liked." Mian Bingbing almost screeched as she shut the door behind her.

She was really furious just by seeing her husband's face. However, that man wouldn't sign her divorce papers. Her eyes then descended on Li Feng who witnessed the scene from the window in the lounge.

"Feng'er, you better not be like your father." The mother didn't mean to make it sound like she hated him, too. It was just that she couldn't contain her anger. She then walked off and up the stairs to her room.

Li Feng then opened the door and saw that his father was just smoking while sitting on his car's hood. The car door was already closed, but Li Heilong was still there. He had heard that his parents were like this every day for the past three months.

He was staying in a dorm so he didn't see it. Seeing was believing indeed. He never thought his father would sit there for two hours before heading to work... borderline begging his mother to come home.

The father noticed the weight of Li Feng's gaze, and so he looked up to see his son by the doorway. The porch was elevated so even if Li Heilong hated it, he would still look up.

He puffed out some smoke and held out his hand as if beckoning his son to come closer. It was just always like this. When was the last time he called him with any name?

"Father, Mother wouldn't go home if you keep on appeasing your relatives first." Li Feng knew what was wrong with them; he also hated the Li family. However, he still had no choice but to use their money to get by. More, now that he couldn't have a bright future just by himself.

"Your mother will come home soon. Come closer." Li Heilong only smirked as if not believing Mian Bingbing would never go back to their house.

"I won't." The young man's fist clenched.

"Feng, be good. Come closer."

His eyes widened before he took a deep breath and walked to his father. He only stood in front of him as if waiting. Then, Li Heilong opened the car door. "Let's talk somewhere else."

None of the males knew that Mian Bingbing would always watch her husband stay in the front lawn until he went away. At that moment, she only stared as she watched Li Feng come with his father and even get in his car.

The car then drove off, leaving behind Mian Bingbing who felt really conflicted. She then took a deep breath. "It's okay, that's his son, too. He won't get my Feng'er in trouble."

...

It was already past lunchtime when Liu Xiaodan finally settled in his cell. It was stuffy and rather too small for his comfort. However, considering that he might only have to stay here until he gets executed, Liu Xiaodan only sighed.

Next to him was Guangru who was sitting at the edge of the bed and kicking his legs.

He extended his hand to pet him. "I'm sorry, Guangru. I might not be able to help you now. What happened was too much to subside. I have to take responsibility." The child didn't react. "Don't worry, if I get lucky and survive, I'd still try to grant your wish."

Guangru only shook his head. "Baba already loves Guangru. Even if I didn't get born soon, Baba already loved Guangru."

"Thank you." Liu Xiaodan chuckled before moving to lie down. He didn't want to receive any visitors for today. He just wanted to sleep it off; all the pain and what-ifs he had in his head. The black bear was already on his bed so he just used it as a pillow.

"Hey, hey, look here." He didn't even get a shut-eye when he heard whistles coming from outside. Liu Xiaodan opened his eyes and saw a group of men watching him, three of them already inside his cell. He only got up to sit and entertain them. With all the movies he watched, it wasn't hard to know what these goons wanted.

"Hey, newbie, why do you get a cell for yourself? Aren't we all friends here; care to share?�� The leader seemed to assess the new detainee. Even if this guy was not a big shot, he got a cell for himself. The boss didn't have one until he rose and made everyone fear him. "Say, what's your name, babe?"

Liu Xiaodan didn't have a hardened face of a grown man just yet. If anything, he wasn't really that much of a strong-looking person.

He was young and still interesting to girls if they wouldn't pick someone too handsome. His mother was a looker, and his father had a good face as well; it would be weird if Liu Xiaodan was actually ugly.

The young man didn't like them, the smell coming from them. He was sure that it wasn't a normal odor produced by the human body. It was the smell of death... the blood in their hands. "Please leave. I don't want to be social."

A sliver of anger gleamed at the leader's eyes. He then laughed out. "Hahah, don't want to be social, ah? Who do you think you are?"

A kick came from the leader, and he pinned Liu Xiaodan on the bed with his leg alone. "You think you can survive here without anyone backing you? You think you're a boss?" His foot moved to cause more pain. "You're just waiting to be slaughtered like a pig!"

"Get your foot off of me," Liu Xiaodan whispered. It was weird. The man was using his foot to crush his c.h.e.s.t, but... he couldn't feel any physical pain.

When the leader put more pressure instead, Liu Xiaodan reached out his hand and grazed his fingers under the hem of the man's pants.

"F.u.c.k!" The leader pulled himself away and would even fall down if his own pigs didn't catch him. His brain couldn't fully process what just happened. That man's hand... was so cold. It wasn't freezer cold; it was dead-body cold. His presence almost turned ghastly when his hand moved.

"Please leave." Liu Xiaodan didn't even smile. He just sat up again and dusted his c.h.e.s.t. Great, his prison clothes already had a footprint on it.

"You're getting yourself killed!" The leader didn't look at his pigs. He just bolted out of the room in fear. His scalp tingled, and he really didn't want to stay in the room anymore.

He had killed a couple of people in this lifetime, but he felt like those two had stood next to him and murmured words for him to go away.

Fear. Irrational fear. That was what made the people leave his cell without the help of the warden.

Liu Xiaodan only sighed before he lay down again, preparing to sleep even if his cell door was open. Since he's new, he was bound to receive a lot of people. He just wished they wouldn't try to do anything stupid on him because, well, he didn't want to kill anyone else again.

...

Dinner time came, and the inmates were sitting in rows of tables after getting their fill from the chefs. Liu Xiaodan picked a rather inconspicuous spot to eat in peace. However, he could clearly hear all the whispers they had about him.

Apparently, that guy he sent away was called Qin Rong. Moreover, he was an upper-hand-man of this guy they call Black Boss. He almost wet his own pants when he spoke about the newbie.

Liu Xiaodan only shrugged inwardly as he continued to listen to them. He might just stay here for another week or two; his crimes were too grave. Moreover, he didn't like it here. He wanted to leave even though it meant dying for his chosen cause.

"Yo, I heard you like touching people."

Liu Xiaodan was speechless; trouble came to him again. The man then sat down with his goons surrounding Liu Xiaodan. He spoke again, "Heheh, Qin Rong said things. You like touching other men's legs?"

"He kicked me." Liu Xiaodan wanted to leave, but he knew he couldn't. His knowledge about these circ.u.mstances was purely from movies and literary works, but they seemed to hold a sliver of truth in them. If it was the old him, he would be scared.

"Oh, so if we punch you, you'll touch our hands, ah?" The new leader laughed out as he pulled Liu Xiaodan's cheek to keep him from eating. His eyes then quivered as he felt that the skin was rather cold... like he was touching a corpse instead.

"Why do you want me to touch your hand?" Liu Xiaodan raised one of his hands to the other man's eye level. "Want to hold it? Here, you can hold it."

Crazy. Suicidal. Homo.

The onlookers had a rather mixed impression on what Liu Xiaodan was doing. He was letting a man almost double his weight to casually hold his hand? If he wasn't asking Dong Qiu to break his digits, then he was asking for some c.a.r.e.s.sing?

However, they were all not Dong Qiu.

Dong Qui's eyes then gaze at the hand right in front of him. He didn't know why, but he was scared to do it. He was someone who killed people coldheartedly.

However, when he looked at that hand, he felt like he was about to take Death's hand to hell. Moreover, the man's face was already cold; wouldn't his hand be like a corpse's as well?

"Go away."

"Holy shit!"

Dong Qiu fell back off the bench and hit the floor so hard. However, he still crawled away in haste and even ran off towards anywhere he could hide; except that there was no place for him to do so.

The guards noticed his actions and readied their sticks. One called out, "Hey! What are you doing?! Go back to your seat!"

The big man then caught his breath and didn't even glance at the newbie. His heart had raced too fast as if he felt like he shouldn't have heard a little boy's voice on his ear. However, there was a cold breath that c.a.r.e.s.sed his earlobes. He should better stay miles away from that corpse guy as much as he could.

Liu Xiaodan stifled his smile before eating again. His eyes slid to the side and winked at the little boy who was seated next to Dong Qiu's spot. Guangru only smiled as his eyes curved into crescents.

He could hear the child just fine, and he knew that his son whispered at Dong Qiu. That man had bad intentions. If he didn't chase the man away, the other might do something to Liu Xiaodan. By then, his father would have to retaliate and might even kill again. It was bad...

Liu Xiaodan still had to go to trial, right?

"Baba, there's a library here. Let's find a good book for Guangru!"

"Mn."