Chapter 80 - Grown Up

Zhang Min hunched his shoulders as he followed his father to the man's study.He was in for a lecture himself it seemed.Though he did not want to.He was exhausted from being so cruel to Shi Ai.His father gestured for him to sit on the small couch on the side and then poured him a small amount of baijiu in a glass and one for himself.Zhang Min looked shocked and stared at his father hard..What did he mean by this?Dr Zhang sat on the opposite side of his son and then placed his own glass with Zhang Min's on the table.

Dr Zhang then said,"What are you staring at the glass for,you brat!I know you are under age and I know that you have had alcohol in the past after stealing it from my cabinet with the help of your brothers and that butler."

Zhang Min wondered if he was hallucinating because of his stress.His own father was offering him alcohol..the stickler for rules and laws was willing to break one..His dad had offered these to his brothers also and could be considered a tradition but his brothers had both been over 20 years..Zhang Min dare not touch that glass in case this was some sort of a test..

Dr Zhang shook his head and shoved the glass into Zhang Min's hand and picking his up raised it for a toast.Hesitatingly,Zhang Min raised his glass as well and touched it to his father's.After that the duo drank up the baijiu in one shot.Seeing his son finish the alcohol was like a proud moment for Dr Zhang who then said,"Min Min..You have always been the youngest and the most spoilt by all of us.But you seem to have grown up the fastest.Just yesterday you were lost in your virtual games and now you are fighting to help your sister.I offered a drink to your brothers whenthey were older but you have become mature enough for me to offer you this.Tell me,do you think you were harsh with Shi Ai?"

When Zhang Min realized the reason behind his father offering him a drink he was beyond happy but the next words brought about a strange melancholy.Zhang Min looked down at the empty glass and then like the youngster he was,poured out the entire story starting from how Long Ah Hai had tried to get Shi Ai to back off to the mess that was Yao Yao to Shi Ai's promise and then subsequent thought to get out of it.His father was right.He had grown up too suddenly.From being confronted by the possibility of her dying to all that had he had seen.Like her,he too had been watching the world through rose colored glasses,a spectator from behind a screen.But being on the outside had helped him see the reality of the situation better. Zhang Min realized that he had yet to answer his father's question and said,"Yes.I was harsh,father. Don't get me wrong,she needed to hear everything I said but maybe I could've waited.It is only today that she discovered Yao Yao's deception and then she had to say goodbye to her life long love so I could have been more understanding. But her refusal to look at the bigger picture infuriated me no end and I had to say something.I guess I need to apologize."

Dr Zhang smiled at his son and for the first time felt content. His Luo Luo and him wanted to go on a world tour but they had always been worried about their youngest..Now they could be relieved. 

"Yes you do.Not for telling her the bitter truth but for hurting her and telling it so cruelly. Tomorrow will be a good time..let her absorb everything first.. "Zhang Min nodded his head and then went back to his room.He was just thankful that he had pestered his father to tell him about Long Ah Hai and Shi Ai's history,when he came back from the hospital today.

The photos from this morning had shaken him and so had the interaction between Shi Ai and that man.It had been like watching two different men.Though the man's aura had remained unchanged,his actions were somehow softer as he consoled Shi Ai.So Zhang Min had been at an utter loss whether to interfere in Shi Ai's life or not.Once Ah Hai had taken Shi Ai away,he had ran to his father with the resolve to get as much information as he could.

Finally his determination paid off and his father relented.But when the first bullet of information was fired off he really wished he had not known..

A few hours earlier:

"Min Min, can you kill someone now,if need be?"Zhang Min was a little shocked at his father's question but shook his head in a vehement no.Dr Zhang nodded and then continued, "What I am about to tell you is some fact and some speculation. I have also tried to know more about Knight these past few years but the more I know the more mysterious he becomes.Knight made his first kill at the age of eighteen years.In my experience,the hardest of the soldiers,when they make their first kill,they need time to regroup. To the fact that they have killed a human.But not Long Ah Hai. As that teenager,he not only killed a terrorist with a knife but brutally and slowly killed the entire gang.That is when he became a legend in the army.The public knowledge about Ah Hai is that he is the youngest brother of the powerful business tycoon Long Ryu.As young as fifteen years of age he was involved in some drug related scandal which was forcefully suppressed by his family.His parents died as he was a young child and has been raised by his brothers.He was recruited as the youngest cadet and that too also under pressure from his brothers. Due to his privileged entry and upbringing plus the scandal,some prejudiced officers tried to make it difficult for him to survive.The most difficult and terrifying tasks that were usually reserved for veterans were handed to him expecting him to fail.But the results were astoundingly good.He finished every task with precision and single minded focus and was soon drafted into the elites.The new team worked well and was one of our best ever weapons.But someone turned traitor and handed the entire team to the enemy on a platter.All of our best officers were killed.If everything had gone according to the traitor's plan,then no one would have returned.But those could not have imagined,that one soldier's determination.You have seen that scar in his face?When he had arrived at the base,one wouldn't believe how he was even alive.The number of gun shot wounds and knife wounds,the fractured bones,the doctors were at a loss on how to even begin his treatment.Adding in the fact that his blood type was rare,the doctors had given up on saving him.But then too he survived..However,those that were responsible for what happened to him were not able to escape.Within a year of his discharge he has already slaughtered all the people involved bar one.And if I am not mistaken,that man is his next target.But at this stage,we cannot openly flaunt our link with him because that man is just as powerful.Hence Ah Hai has been forced to live in the shadows.If Shi Ai had not been in danger then Ah Hai never would have made appearance."

Back to the present:

"Some people were meant to create ripples where they went.", Zhang Min thought.Long Ah Hai's entry into their lives had made him change his thinking and the way he looked at the future.Tomorrow,Zhang Min decided he would apologize to Shi Ai and then he would make her channel her thoughts towards teaching that Yao Yao a lesson.But there was one thing that he will never tell Shi Ai and that was that he truly believed that she was the best person for Long Ah Hai.Even though Zhang Min himself had cast doubt in Shi Ai's mind,he himself firmly held confidence in her.

Unknown to Shi Ai and Zhang Min,Ah Hai was already preparing for his mission.In the dark living room stood a man with a smooth face.He had donned a black pastor's garb and his long hair was tied back slickly.The usual dark aura was replaced by a calmness.As if the man had an abundance of patience and kindness.Another man who stood observing this new look could only marvel at the fact that a person could even change their aura.He whistled softly and said,"Knight?Is that really you?"