ASFTB 10: To Stand Up For the Child

After Jian Chengxi said that, the expression on the shopkeeper’s face froze, just as expected.

No matter where you are, especially on a planet still plagued by war, soldiers always carry the most intimidating presence, the kind that naturally keeps people in check.

Jian Chengxi took his nutrient drink, paid the exact 62 yuan without a cent less, and gave a polite smile. “Goodbye.”

He walked away with ease, not taking advantage of a single thing.

After he left, though the others in the village hadn’t gone to settle their bills yet, they had all seen Jian Chengxi talking to the shopkeeper at the counter for quite a while. They exchanged glances and began whispering among themselves:

“He definitely got some kind of deal.”

“Being good-looking really has its perks.”

“Not something we can learn.”

“Exactly. His husband’s not even home and he’s already acting shameless.”

“No sense of decency at all.”

Jian Chengxi walked out of the shop, ready to head back to the square to find his child.

These past few days, because of a leg injury, Li Chen had been in a low mood. The boy was naturally proud and didn’t like to talk to others, and even though Jian Chengxi wanted to comfort him, he didn’t know how to start.

He had hoped today’s gathering might lift the boy’s spirits a little.

As he crossed the alley and was just about to look for the child, he suddenly noticed a commotion up ahead in the square.

A group of kids had gathered in a circle, and their voices grew louder as they came closer. Their playful shouting was mixed with shoving and a clear edge of malice as they dragged Li Chen and Li Suisui along.

One of the taller, stockier boys said, “Li Chen, come play soccer with us!”

He gave Li Chen a rough shove.

Li Suisui ran over in small steps, her voice trembling with tears. “Don’t push my gege. His leg is hurt, he can’t play.”

It was as if that was exactly what the group of kids had been waiting to hear.

“What do you mean his leg is hurt? He’s just a cripple,” one of them sneered, the cruelty of children always so blunt. “Li Chen is a dumb cripple who can’t even walk!”

Li Suisui rushed over and threw her arms around the boy who had fallen to the ground. “That’s not true! My gege is not like that!”

The tall, stocky boy laughed smugly. “He’s a cripple and we’re not even allowed to say it? I’m saying it, what are you gonna do about it?”

“You…” Li Suisui’s eyes were red with tears. Her small body half-knelt on the ground, her voice clear but choked with sobs. “Just wait till I tell my Daddy, he’ll punish you!”

The tall, stocky boy wasn’t scared at all. Instead, he sneered and walked over, squatting down to give Li Suisui a shove. “I’m not scared. Your Daddy doesn’t care about you anyway. What can you even do to me…”

“Ah!”

A sharp and agonizing scream suddenly tore through the sky.

The tall boy clutched his hand and howled in pain. A deep bite mark had sunk into his wrist, and it was so forceful that blood had started to well up. In front of him was Li Chen, who had just been shoved to the ground. There was even a trace of blood on Li Chen’s lips. He looked like a wild beast, vicious and unrelenting. Despite being just a child, there was not a trace of fear in him. In the darkness of the night, his eyes were filled with nothing but cold fury as he glared fiercely at his enemy.

The tall, stocky boy clutched his injured hand and said to the boy on the ground, “You bit me? I’ll hit—”

“Stop!”

Jian Chengxi came running from the distance, a layer of sweat forming on his forehead from the sprint. He spoke urgently and sternly, “What are you all doing?!”

The tall boy froze, not expecting an adult to return so quickly.

When Li Suisui saw Jian Chengxi, tears immediately rolled down her cheeks. “Daddy.”

Jian Chengxi quickly set down what he was carrying and rushed over to scoop the child into his arms. “Suisui, are you okay?”

His first instinct was to comfort his child, completely ignoring the tall boy off to the side. The scene turned a bit chaotic for a moment. By then, other parents had also returned and were all asking what had happened.

The tall, stocky boy immediately raised his wrist and took the lead in accusing, “Li Suisui and Li Chen not only hit me, they bit me too!”

Someone was injured.

That boy’s parent, Li Xia, also ran a fruit stall and had always harbored resentment toward Jian Chengxi. Now that his child had been bitten, he seized the chance to lash out. “Jian Chengxi, what’s wrong with your kids? Attacking someone out of nowhere, is this how you raise them? You better give us an explanation today!”

They were aggressive and their presence intimidating.

Li Suisui glanced anxiously at Jian Chengxi. After all, in the past, if something like this happened, Daddy would’ve scolded them right away.

But—

Today, Jian Chengxi simply patted his child’s back in a soothing gesture, then turned to face the crowd. His expression was calm as he spoke. “You say my kids attacked someone without reason, do you have any proof of that?”

Li Xia raised his child’s wrist. “Is this proof not enough?”

Jian Chengxi gave a slight smile. “If that’s proof, then what about my son’s injured leg and the fact that he’s still lying on the ground after being pushed? You didn’t come looking for me. I was about to come find you for an explanation.”

Li Xia shot back, “What are you even saying? My child was bitten! Your kid just fell over so how is that even comparable?”

“Why can’t it be compared?” Jian Chengxi lifted his gaze, his voice firm and decisive. “Your child is a child, but mine aren’t?”

Li Xia was momentarily speechless. “You…!”

People came and went through the market, and gradually, passersby were drawn in, watching the commotion that had broken out over a scuffle between children. Truth be told, incidents of bullying among the village kids weren’t uncommon in the past, but no one ever paid much attention. Things were always downplayed, serious matters treated like minor ones. Especially since Jian Chengxi had never cared about those two children’s well-being before. Even if they were truly bullied, he would keep quiet for the sake of so-called pride, avoiding confrontation. That’s exactly why the villagers had felt free to mistreat them.

But Jian Chengxi wasn’t the same as before.

Li Xia took a deep breath, then looked down and asked his son, “A-Hu, did you push them?”

The tall boy, A-Hu, panicked under his father’s gaze. He mumbled guiltily, “I didn’t. I just wanted to ask Li Chen to play soccer. He’s the one who has a bad leg and couldn’t stand properly, so he fell. It’s not my fault. How was I supposed to know he was a cripple? People like that should just stay at home quietly so what’s he doing out here in the square? That’s not my problem.”

Li Xia looked pleased after hearing that. He turned to Jian Chengxi with a gaze full of malice and provocation and said, “You heard him, didn’t you?”

Jian Chengxi crouched down, staying right beside Li Chen. From the moment A-Hu finished speaking, he could feel the tension in Li Chen’s body. No matter how mature a child might seem, they couldn’t possibly withstand such a barrage of cruel words. Even if he was trying to endure it, Jian Chengxi could still feel the trembling of Li Chen’s small frame. He was fragile, like a leaf adrift on water.

He looked up and met Li Chen’s gaze.

Those eyes were like a trapped beast’s, tinged with red. And yet, even in such pain, not a single tear had fallen.

But this was clearly the age when other children would cry their eyes out over just a bump or a fall.

Jian Chengxi gave Li Chen’s hand a reassuring squeeze, then stood up.

The original body wasn’t actually short. On the contrary, he was tall and well-proportioned. Compared to the other villagers, he stood out in height. Thanks to that, Jian Chengxi was able to look down slightly and clearly see the expressions on everyone’s faces.

“Cripple?” Jian Chengxi walked up to A-Hu. “You think that just because someone can’t run or play ball, they don’t deserve to play at all?”

A-Hu felt uneasy under his gaze, but still nodded.

Jian Chengxi stepped to the side and picked up the ball from the ground. He didn’t even move from his spot, his eyes locked onto the basketball hoop not far away. After a brief pause, he made a shot. The ball drew a perfect arc through the air and, under everyone’s watchful eyes, landed cleanly in the hoop.

Everyone stared with wide eyes, stunned in disbelief.

A-Hu stammered, “Y-You…”

“Even without moving, I can still make a shot,” Jian Chengxi said. “Who decided someone like that can’t play?”

A-Hu was left speechless, unable to argue back.

Li Xia jumped in to defend his son. “Jian Chengxi, have you no shame? You’re older than him so what’s so impressive about making a basket?”

Jian Chengxi didn’t flinch at all. He turned to him, lips curling into a smile. “Alright then, I won’t move. You can run, you can jump—how about you make a shot and show me?”

Li Xia was at a loss for words.

He had no confidence he could make it, not even as an adult, let alone a child!

The more he thought about it, the angrier Li Xia got. He raised his voice and demanded, “You, what exactly are you trying to do?”

Jian Chengxi replied sharply, “I’m just trying to make a point that there’s always someone better out there. If you’re not all that capable yourself, maybe stop making a fool of yourself. So what if my kid’s leg is hurt? You’re standing just fine, can you make that shot?”

Li Xia’s face turned red with fury. “Jian Chengxi, are you out of your mind? You’re bragging about playing a game for little kids so what makes you so superior?”

“Oh, I’m not that superior at all.” Jian Chengxi gave a mocking smile and looked toward A-Hu. “I just don’t understand how some people can look down on others just because they know how to kick a ball. That must be real superiority, huh?”

A-Hu, no matter how domineering he usually acted, was still just a kid barely in his teens. He had rarely been humiliated like this. Under Jian Chengxi’s gaze, he couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst into tears.

Li Xia saw his child crying and felt a surge of heartache. He quickly said, “Jian Chengxi, you’re so much older than my kid. Don’t you feel any shame bullying someone younger than you?”

“Shame?” Jian Chengxi’s bright eyes glowed vividly in the firelight of the night. He let out a light laugh and said, “What shame? Your A-Hu is six or seven years older than our Li Chen. If he doesn’t find it shameful, why should I?”

A-Hu’s crying instantly grew louder after hearing that.

Li Xia stepped forward, pointing at him. “Jian Chengxi, stop twisting things and making a scene!”

Jian Chengxi let out a cold laugh, turned around, and lifted the child off the ground onto his back. Looking at Li Xia, he said, “Some people can’t stand up right now because their leg is injured and with medical treatment, they’ll recover. But some people can’t stand up because their hearts are too narrow to accept others. That kind of thing—now that’s truly hopeless.”

Li Xia stared at Jian Chengxi in disbelief, his hands trembling with rage. “You… you…”

Jian Chengxi didn’t bother with him at all. He took the children and headed home.

Tonight’s free time at the market had clearly gone down the drain but he didn’t regret a thing. The original owner had been easy to bully. He wasn’t.

By the time they got back, it was already late. Jian Chengxi brought the children into the room to rest. Li Suisui, exhausted from crying, soon fell asleep once she lay down. Li Chen sat at the edge of the bed when he suddenly heard the sound of the door opening.

Li Chen looked at the person who entered, a bit surprised.

Jian Chengxi smiled and said, “I knew you weren’t asleep.”

Li Chen didn’t understand what he was getting at.

Jian Chengxi walked over and crouched down in front of him. In the faint moonlight from outside, he spoke softly, “Daddy wants to take your measurements. I asked the doctor about it and once we get a brace for your leg, you’ll be able to stand again. Daddy’s already saving up. When the time comes, our Xiao Chen can play ball just like the other kids.”

In the quiet of the night, his voice was especially clear. It was gentle and warm.

Li Chen looked at the man sitting at the edge of the bed. When Jian Chengxi reached out to touch his leg, wanting to lift the pants and check the injury, Li Chen instinctively pulled away.

Jian Chengxi looked at the child in surprise.

Under the night sky, Li Chen’s small, thin figure seemed especially withdrawn. He pressed his lips together and, under his father’s gaze, finally spoke for the first time since the incident that evening. His voice was slow, as if weighed down by heavy chains. “It’s ugly.”

Jian Chengxi said, “What?”

“My leg, it looks bad.” Li Chen avoided his gaze, his whole body leaning against the wall. His hands curled inward in the darkness, and his voice came out soft and low. “Even with a brace, I’ll still be a cripple.”

Jian Chengxi’s eyes widened. In that instant, a storm of emotion surged through his chest.

A mix of anger and heartache surged within him.

Jian Chengxi’s eyes even began to mist over. His breath was unsteady, and after a few sharp inhales, he finally spoke, “Nonsense!”

Li Chen turned to look at him in surprise.

Jian Chengxi sniffed, and even though he didn’t usually talk much with this child, he knew just how proud Li Chen was. For a child like that to say the word “cripple” about himself, he had never known it could hurt this much. Even though Li Chen hadn’t shed a single tear, Jian Chengxi’s nose stung with emotion. “That’s not true at all.”

“It’s just a leg injury, it’ll heal eventually.” Jian Chengxi’s voice trembled slightly. He held Li Chen’s small fist and looked at him, saying, “Even if the current medical treatment can’t fix it, don’t be afraid because there will definitely be better technology in the future. You’ll be able to stand up again. So what if those other kids are healthy now? What’s happening now doesn’t define the future. I believe that someday, Xiao Chen will be just as good as, no, even better than any of them.”

Under the moonlight, Jian Chengxi’s eyes shimmered with a firm, unwavering light.

He held the child’s hand, passing his warmth to him. If Li Chen was an unmelting block of ice, then he was a ray of light falling upon that ice in a cold, desolate desert.

Gentle, and full of acceptance.

Li Chen gazed at Jian Chengxi, and finally, the boy spoke softly, “One day, when there’s a more advanced mech, it can help me stand.”

Seeing him finally begin to imagine a future, Jian Chengxi smiled. “Exactly!”

He started to admire himself a little. It turns out he really was good at guiding kids to rebuild their confidence in the future. Parents truly are a child’s best teacher. Under his careful nurturing, everything was starting to look up now. Perfect.

Jian Chengxi held the child’s hand and smiled with sweet, fatherly affection. “And once our Xiao Chen has better tech and a mech in the future, what will you do then?”

Surely it would be to embrace a bright future, right?

It had to be a life full of light and endless potential!

Bathed in his hopeful smile, Li Chen slowly lifted his head. That delicate little face remained completely calm. For the first time, he looked straight at Jian Chengxi, and the corners of his usually expressionless lips seemed to curve just the slightest bit. Under the pale moonlight, no matter how you looked at it, there was a coldness in that smile that sent a chill down the spine.

“Revenge.”

“…”

Jian Chengxi blinked.

Huh?

Th-this… something feels very off here!