He rolled up the sleeves of Shen Yu's long robe and found the same thing on the young man's arm.
There are even crisscrossing whip marks, some faint, some deep enough to feel raised when touched.
"Brother, what's wrong?" Shen Yu didn't understand why he was turning his sleeve. Seeing that Yu Tang's face had turned pale, he thought he had done something wrong and started to get scared again.
"It's nothing..." Yu Tang now roughly understood.
Shen Yu had a very difficult childhood, and his temperament and habits are probably a result of this experience.
Feeling upset, Yu Tang tried to compose herself before letting go of Shen Yu's sleeve and placing the chopsticks in his hand: "Hurry up and eat your noodles, they won't taste good if they get cold."
"Hmm..." Seeing that Yu Tang wasn't upset, Shen Yu breathed a sigh of relief. He gripped his chopsticks, but his hands were a little unresponsive, and he ate the noodles clumsily, sometimes even dropping them on the table.
Yu Tang took the bowl, rolled up the noodles, and fed him.
"Is it tasty?"
"Mmm! It's super, super delicious!" Shen Yu's eyes sparkled, and his joy infected Yu Tang as well.
"Even if it's delicious, you should eat slowly." Yu Tang said softly to him, "Don't wolf down your food like you did before, it's bad for your health."
"Mmm, okay."
"Ding—Shen Yu's favorability +10, current favorability 10.002." The system and Yu Tang were both stunned for a moment.
System: [Host, it seems that even a secondary personality can increase the primary personality's favorability. That will make completing tasks much easier for you!]
Yu Tang: Sigh, who knows if Shen Yu will admit it or not once he gets into a real argument.
However, this is still good news.
Yu Tang fed Shen Yu half a bowl of noodles, then taught him how to use chopsticks, patiently helping Shen Yu's fingers become more coordinated.
During the process, Shen Yu finally let down his guard and even smiled at him from time to time.
Every move she makes exudes childlike innocence.
Yu Tang asked him many more questions, and the more he learned, the more alarmed he became.
Shen Yu said that his mother would lock him in a cage, whip him, and burn him with cigarette butts. The more he screamed, the happier his mother would laugh, and then she would give him a piece of steamed bun or bread.
His older brother was the same; he would often come to the cage in a wheelchair and look at him with a frightening gaze. Later, he even broke his leg with a stick.
Back then, Shen Yu clutched his leg in so much pain he couldn't even cry out. His older brother would laugh and say, "Why am I confined to a wheelchair while you, you bastard, live such a healthy life! Now I'll let you taste what it's like to have a broken leg!"
Yu Tang couldn't listen anymore after hearing this.
He even thought that even if Shen Yu really started the fire, he could understand it.
He asked Shen Yu, "Where did you run off from today?"
"Shh—" Shen Yu gestured to him and whispered, "I've learned how to open a cage with a wire! Mom doesn't know about this, so don't tell her!"
Yu Tang paused for a moment, then said, "Okay, I won't say."
"But I'm curious, how did you open it? Can you show me?"
"Hmm, okay."
So, Shen Yu took Yu Tang to the first forbidden area of the Shen family, his room in the main house.
Chapter 6
Died a second time for the villain (06)
When Yu Tang pushed open the door, his eyes were filled with disbelief.
Because the layout inside doesn't resemble a normal bedroom at all.
The curtains were drawn, the light was dim, and it looked more like a torture chamber.
Whips, hooks, clamps, and iron bars were hanging on the walls. In the center was a low bed that looked out of place, next to which was a cage about the height of a person. A thin quilt was laid on the bottom of the cage, and a dog bowl was placed next to the quilt.
Right in front of Yu Tang, Shen Yu took the unlocked lock from the cage and held it in his hand.
Then he knelt down, crawled into the cage, locked it himself from the inside, and secretly took out a thin wire from under the bedding. He poked it into the keyhole, fiddled with it for a few moments, and then opened it.
His eyes held a hint of flattery as he asked Yu Tang, "Am I amazing?"
But when he saw Yu Tang's expression, he was stunned.
"Brother, why are you crying?"
Yu Tang belatedly reached up and touched his face, only then realizing that he had indeed shed tears.
Suppressing the pain in his heart, he wiped his face and squatted down in front of the cage: "I didn't cry, you're mistaken."
"I'm just so surprised. You're so young and already so amazing. What will you be like when you grow up?"
"However, truly capable people don't crawl into the cage on their knees."
He said, "Powerful people should stand up and live with dignity."
After saying that, he removed the lock from the cage, reached his hand into the cage, looked at Shen Yu earnestly, and encouraged him, "So, come out with your brother, okay? Don't live in the cage, we want to live outside."
He could tell that the bed was the one Shen Yu had slept in this afternoon before he became this five-year-old child.
However, Shen Yu should have known about his illness a long time ago.
Because of early psychological trauma, his child's personality memory is forever stuck in the time when he lived in the cage.
Therefore, only by arranging these things properly can the child feel at ease.
Yu Tang wasn't some saint, but at this moment, he couldn't help but feel pity for Shen Yu.
He wanted his son, Shen Yu, to know that he was a person and that he should no longer live such a humble life.
"But...but I'm scared..." Shen Yu shrank back: "If Mom comes back and finds I've come out, she'll hit me even harder..."
I'm afraid of pain, and I also have an older brother. He wouldn't want to see me standing; he prefers me crawling on the ground..."
Every word he said felt like a knife piercing Yu Tang's heart, shocking and heartbreaking Yu Tang, who lives in a society governed by the rule of law.
He pursed his lips and replied to Shen Yu, "Don't be afraid, I'll protect you from now on."
“I’m stronger than your mom, dad, and older brother. If they dare to hit you, I’ll stop them and beat them up!”
He used a coaxing tone throughout, gentle yet firm, with his right hand always inside the cage, raised: "So, come out, okay? Your brother will stay with you and won't let you be scared, okay?"
Shen Yu hesitated for a long time this time, biting his lower lip several times, before sticking out his little finger and asking Yu Tang, "Then, is it okay to pinky swear?"
Seeing Yu Tang nod, he reached out and hooked his finger with Yu Tang's: "Pinky promise, a hundred years from now, whoever lies is a dog!"
"Yes, whoever lies is a dog."
Yu Tang smiled, then grabbed Shen Yu's hand and pulled him out of the cage, making him stand up.
He took the lock from his hand, relocked the cage, and threw away the wire used to unlock it.
"Never go into the cage again." Yu Tang looked earnestly into Shen Yu's eyes and instructed him, "Otherwise I'll get angry."
He thought for a moment, then raised his hand to scare Shen Yu: "I'll beat you up if I get angry!"
Shen Yu immediately shrank back, his eyes filled with terror, but he didn't expect the other party to flick his forehead with a flick of his finger.
It made a soft snap.
He didn't quite understand that this was what Yu Tang meant by beating him up, but the handsome man over there was already laughing uncontrollably.
She pulled him to the bedside and made him sit down: "From now on, you'll sleep in the bed and don't touch that cage anymore, understand?"
Shen Yu hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Mm..."
After all this commotion all night, it's almost 11 o'clock now.
Yu Tang recalled Shen Yu's bad temper during the day, and the first rule of the Shen family that no one could enter his room, and suddenly felt a little uneasy.
"Then you should go to sleep. It's late, and I need to go back to sleep too."
Yu Tang let go of Shen Yu's hand, said goodbye and was about to leave, but Shen Yu grabbed the hem of her clothes.
When I looked down, I was met with those watery eyes, which, combined with that angelic face, made me look incredibly pitiful.
"Brother, please don't go? I'm scared."
Yu Tang's heart immediately softened again.
I had thought about Shen Yu's face before, but it was a waste because he was a pervert. Now that he has really become a pitiful little angel, no one can resist him.
Yu Tang gritted her teeth and decided to risk her life to accompany him.
If I wake up sooner, I should be able to escape before Shen Yu wakes up, right?
"Okay, I'll stay and keep you company."
"My brother is the best!"
Shen Yu cheered, hugged Yu Tang's waist, and rubbed his face against hers.
The faint scent of lemon filled his nostrils, making him reluctant to let go.
Yu Tang helped Shen Yu change his clothes, and when he saw the scars on the other man's body, his fists clenched.
Later, Shen Yu lay on the bed, so sleepy that he could barely keep his eyes open, but he still insisted on pulling Yu Tang along, curling up and rolling into his arms to sleep.
Children are the most likely to trust someone.
At this point, Shen Yu had no memory of anyone who had been kind to him. Yu Tang's sudden appearance and kindness to him made him develop a strong dependence on her.
Moreover, most children crave physical contact with those they are close to, as it makes them feel safe and secure. Therefore, Yu Tang couldn't bear to push him away and let him hug her.
"Host, Shen Yu's favorability towards you has reached 50.002 in such a short time. It's really unbelievable."
The system was shocked: "[But I think it'll be harder to farm later. After all, the later stages are all about romance, and you can only get that from a more lucid Shen Yu.]"
Yu Tang: Yes, that's what I was thinking too.
Yu Tang: But I'm not in a hurry anymore.
He sighed: When I first arrived in this world, I thought Shen Yu was a ruthless psychopath, and I was always thinking about acting with him to quickly gain his favor and leave. But now I suddenly feel a little sorry for him.
Yu Tang: If only I could help him get better before I left.
Yes, who knew he had such a miserable past? It breaks my heart to see him like this.
Yu Tang chatted with the system for a few more minutes before falling asleep. He had been planning to get up and run away as soon as it was light, but just as dawn broke, a hand grabbed his neck and jerked him awake.