Chapter 165 - Let them be safe

A split second later, the man's blood spurted out from the open wound of his neck while he looked at his oldest son who was glaring at him with expressionless eyes. Little Han Xuan's face and shirt were covered with his father's blood. 

"Y-you..." the man covered his wound with a hand as he tried to lunge toward Little Han Xuan and make a grab for the boy with his other hand.

Little Han Xuan slowly took a step backward in order to lure his father out of the bathroom. His hands were trembling, so he clasped it behind his back in order not to back down.

He did not want his younger brother to see this. 

"Not that big now, are you?" Little Han Xuan said with a cold voice as he took another step backward. 

Meanwhile, the man had stumbled out of the bathroom before falling down outside. The blood was flowing out of him at such a fast rate, that within less than two minutes, his shirt was already fully soaked with his own blood while his face turned paler and paler. 

When he dropped on his stomach with a desperate gaze in his eyes, Little Han Xuan stepped over him. The man who had tortured him his entire life was now begging for his help.

The man still had some energy left to grab the boy's ankle, but the boy merely kicked him away. 

"Don't beg... That's not what a man should do..." Little Han Xuan smiled coldly at his father before looking at the bathroom door. 

He waited until his father was no longer moving. After that, he looked at the knife in his hand and thought, "I had to make sure." 

He then stabbed his father a couple more times to make sure that the man was really dead. With each stab, the images of his father pummeling and cursing him flashed through his mind, and it only angered him further. 

"Xuan..." 

When Han Xuan heard his younger brother calling for him, the knife that was about to be stabbed into his father's back again stopped in the middle of the air.  

Little Han Ye had gotten himself out and was sitting next to the toilet while hugging his knees to his chest as he cried softly.

Drip! 

Drip! 

Drip!

He was completely soaked on the upper half of his body, and he was trembling both in fear and coldness.

When he saw his brother walking in with a bloody face and shirt, he asked worriedly, in a soft voice, "Big Brother Xuan Xuan... Are you alright?" 

He was worried that the man hit Little Han Xuan again, and almost instinctively, his hands reached up to touch his older brother's face, but Little Han Xuan stopped him. 

"I'm fine... It's dirty, let me clean it off first," Little Han Xuan said softly while placing the bloodied knife on the sink. He then washed the blood off his face. Once he was done washing the blood off his face, he took three towels from the towel cabinet inside the bathroom before sitting down next to Little Han Ye.

While wiping Little Han Ye's dripping wet head, he asked in a kind tone, "Were you afraid earlier?" 

Little Han Ye nodded and hugged his brother. "Where's Daddy?" he asked in a timid voice as he glanced at the bathroom door. 

"He left... He won't be coming back anymore," Little Han Xuan said with a gentle expression as he continued to dry his younger brother's head. 

"He always comes back..." Little Han Ye whispered when his older brother helped him took his wet shirt off. 

"He won't this time..." Little Han Xuan said with a resolute expression as he wrapped his brother up with the dry towel. He then used the other towel to soak up the water on the floor so that they could sit down there. 

They then sat in the bathroom, because Little Han Xuan did not want his brother to see the bloody state outside the bathroom. 

He caressed Little Han Ye's head as he said softly, "Xiao Ye, we will sleep here tonight... I'm a little tired to walk." 

Little Han Ye looked at his older brother worried as he mumbled, "But it's cold... You're cold... I'll call Mummy." 

"I'm fine... Mummy's asleep, so don't bother her. She's very tired from her work. Just hug me tighter and I'd be fine..."

They sat there until Little Han Ye fell asleep on his brother's lap. 

Suddenly, a few hours later, Little Han Xuan woke up when he heard a loud, piercing scream, and he immediately covered Little Han Ye's ears so that the latter would not be jolted awake by the scream.

A few seconds later, Feng Ruoyun's voice reached them. 

"Xiao Ye! Xiao Ye! Xuan!"  

His sleeping younger brother squirmed from the noise but did not wake up. 

Feng Ruoyun's heart nearly jumped out when she saw her husband's cold body near the outside of the bathroom. She always woke up at 5 am to prepare to work. That was when she noticed that her husband's side of the bed was cold. 

When she looked at her kids' bedroom, their beds were cold as well. That was when she ran down the stairs and saw the bloody scene.

Once she forced herself to calm down slightly, she saw the small bloody footprints around her husband's cold body.

"Xiao Ye... Xiao Xuan..." she thought worriedly as she followed the blood trail into the bathroom. Her legs were trembling as she slowly walked toward the bathroom. In her mind, all kinds of possibilities were presenting itself. 

"Please... Let them be safe..." she murmured as she pushed open the bathroom door. 

The first thing she saw was a bloody knife on the sink and then... a cold pair of eyes that were staring up at her. 

She saw her son sleeping soundly in Little Han Xuan's lap while the older boy's hands that were dotted with dried blood was on her son's back. One of his hands was holding his younger brother's hand.

She sighed in relief when she saw that Little Han Ye was fine. She then took a good look at Little Han Xuan.

Part of the older boy's neck was splattered with dried blood while a bloody shirt lay crumpled on the bathroom floor. 

"Mum..." Little Han Xuan called out. "Dad won't hurt us anymore..." 

"No..." Feng Ruoyun gulped and thought, "Did he do this... He's a nine-year-old boy..." 

There was a soft sound of rustle as Little Han Ye moved around. He then sat up, and when he saw his mother, he muttered sleepily, "Mummy? It's cold..."

Little Han Xuan tightened the towel around Little Han Ye to keep him warm. 

Feng Ruoyun smiled awkwardly as she said, "Xiao... Xiao Xuan... Give Xiao Ye to me... I'll take him to bed..." 

Little Xiao Xuan did not say anything. He saw the terrified gaze in Feng Ruoyun's eyes and knew that she was afraid of him. She used to have the same gaze when their father hit her. That was why Little Xiao Xuan did not move.

He merely watched as Feng Ruoyun reached out with trembling arms and picked up Little Han Ye.

"Mummy... We're... safe..." Little Han Ye smiled as he wrapped his hands around his mother's neck. "Daddy hurt me..." 

"I-I know..." Feng Ruoyun smiled. "Honey, close your eyes, alright?"

"Why?" Little Han Ye rubbed his bleary eyes. 

"Keep sleeping..." Feng Ruoyun pressed her son's head against her chest as she said, "Be a good boy, and keep your eyes closed alright? Mummy will buy you a candy later if you keep your eyes closed..." 

"Alright..." Little Han Ye yawned and closed his eyes as he nestled against his mother. 

Feng Ruoyun kept her eyes on Little Han Xuan as she slowly took a step back. Little Han Xuan never made a move. He merely kept his eyes on them the whole time.

When she got out of the bathroom, she closed the door.

Click!

Little Han Xuan heard the click and knew that she had locked him inside. He then rushed to the door and banged on it. 

"Mum! Mum! Please don't lock me in! Please!" Little Han Xuan yelled as he continued pulling and banging on the door.  

Feng Ruoyun closed her eyes. Her hands were trembling as she apologized, "I'm sorry, Xiao Xuan... I... I'll let you out shortly." 

Little Han Ye looked at his mother with confusion etched onto his face that was stained with dried tears. "Mummy? You accidentally locked Big Brother Xuan Xuan inside." 

Feng Ruoyun pressed her son's head tightly against her chest and covered his eyes with her hand as she quickly ran up the stairs.

"Mummy! Why are we going up the stairs?!" Little Han Ye yelled as he tried to push his mother's hand away. However, her hand wouldn't budge no matter how hard he pushed. "Mummy! Big Brother Xuan Xuan is still in there! Big Brother Xuan Xuan!" 

"Sshh..." 

....