Chapter 64: After Class, Come Into My Arms (62)

A Si did not dodge.

She saw the woman rushing toward her.

"I'll beat you to death, you little tramp!"

The words were harsh.

A Si frowned.

With one hand, she caught the woman's outstretched arm, the one poised to slap her.

Remembering that this was, after all, Lu Yu's mother, A Si refrained from throwing her to the floor; instead, she tossed her onto the bed.

The woman had barely processed what was happening when she was grabbed and thrown, her mind still in a haze.

A Si calmly pulled out a tissue from nearby, wiping her fingers one by one.

She spoke with a hint of grievance. "Why do you insult me like that? It's ugly. I don't like it. If I said something like that to you, you wouldn't like it either."

The young girl lowered her head, her brows knitted together, full of wounded indignation.

"Ah! Lu Yu, do you have any conscience left? I've been beaten, and you don't care!"

The woman, snapping back to herself, jumped up from the bed. Though she had landed on the mattress, the force had left her back aching, and her wrists were red and swollen from being gripped.

Anger flared up inside her. Wanting to demand justice, she saw A Si's calm demeanor as she wiped her fingers and felt a twinge of fear.

All she could do was muster her strength and swing her hand at Lu Yu.

In the past, Lu Yu would never resist, always remembering this was his mother—the woman who gave birth to him.

No matter how outsiders insulted her, Lu Yu would always be angry, always defend her.

But what had she given him in return? Only endless despair.

"Xiao Bai, the fact that she gave birth to you does not give her the right to beat or insult you."

"You are a living person. You've done nothing wrong. It is wrong for her to hit you."

A Si stood to the side, watching as the woman mercilessly struck Lu Yu.

"I can hit my own son! What business is it of yours? Move aside! He is mine; naturally, I can hit him!"

Red marks multiplied on Lu Yu's arms.

A Si's eyes were full of outrage.

"Xiao Bai."

"I can't bear to lay a finger on you, so why do you let her treat you like this?"

Lu Yu clenched his fists.

Veins stood out on his forehead.

His suppressed brow was dark and sinister.

"What have I done to him, huh? What's wrong with me hitting my own son?"

The woman sneered viciously, venting all her resentment toward Mr. Lu and her jealousy of A Si onto Lu Yu.

Her blows were heavy.

Yet Lu Yu felt no pain at all.

Strange.

What had A Si said?

She said she couldn't bear to hit him, even once...

She would feel heartache, wouldn't she?

Suddenly, Lu Yu smiled.

A gentle, soft sound.

With a sharp crack, the woman's palm landed on one of Lu Yu's wounds.

For the first time, Lu Yu felt pain.

So this is what it feels like—to have someone who cares.

To be beaten and have the right to cry out in pain—how wonderful that feeling was.

"Enough!"

The young man spoke suddenly, his voice hoarse and tense.

A Si's tightly furrowed brow relaxed as she saw Lu Yu seize the woman's wrist.

He gripped her wrist firmly and flung her to the floor.

Perhaps the woman was stunned by the blow.

Or perhaps by Lu Yu's resistance.

In any case, she sat on the floor, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Lu Yu! I am your mother!"

"Mother? That does not give you the right to beat me at will!"

Lu Yu pulled out his phone and, right in front of the woman, pressed a number.

"Hello, police? There's domestic violence here."

His voice was cold, completely devoid of emotion.

A Si felt a quiet sense of relief, as if her child had finally grown up.

Relying on others will never work; only by rising up yourself can you change things.

"Me, abusive? You're lying!"