Chapter 57: Looks Like She’d Bear Healthy Children
Chapter 57: Looks Like She’d Bear Healthy Children
“Fang-kun?”
Asaka Akihime stared blankly, “What are you doing, Fang-kun?”
“Thief here.”
Fang Cheng answered offhandedly while grabbing Nangong Saye’s clothes and yanking her up from the floor. “Following me?”
If she truly had a death wish, he wouldn’t mind giving her the opportunity to replace her remaining arm and both legs with mechanical parts.
Still reeling from the punch, Nangong Saye snapped back to reality. “Who’s following you? This is MY house!” she roared. “Let go!!”
She’d rushed home despite her injuries to fetch money after realizing hospital fees for her injured gang members exceeded her funds. Never expecting to encounter this demon at her own doorstep, she’d been punched before uttering a word.
The worst part? She couldn’t even beat this brat in a fight. The injustice made her eyes sting.
Noticing Nangong Saye’s angry-pouty face, Fang Cheng turned to Asaka Akihime. “I thought this was your place?”
“We’re all tenants here,” Asaka Akihime clarified, hastily adding, “Could you… put her down first?”
Realizing the misunderstanding, Fang Cheng immediately released Nangong Saye, even smoothing her crumpled collar. “My bad. But don’t burst out doors like that – gave me a scare. Won’t hit you next time.”
Nangong Saye glared, teeth grinding. This bastard punched her first yet acted like she’d inconvenienced HIM. If her boys weren’t bleeding in some hospital bed, she’d throw down right here.
She slapped his hand away and stalked past without acknowledging Asaka Akihime – though normally close with the younger girl, she couldn’t stomach seeing her with this jerk.
“She’s a thief, you know…” Fang Cheng’s voice trailed after Nangong Saye as she left, freezing her mid-step. Her face tightened briefly before she vanished into the night.
Fang Cheng assumed Asaka Akihime didn’t know about the gang’s thefts. But the girl murmured, “Sister Nangong… always looked after me.”
“Looked after?” Fang Cheng eyed her amusedly. “Careful. Girls like you – the fertile type – get sold off as breeding stock.”
Asaka Akihime blinked, uncomprehending. Since moving here, she’d pieced together Nangong Saye’s situation despite avoiding gossip. The gang’s local reputation stank of petty thefts.
Nangong Saye alone stayed clean, struggling to keep her auto repair shop afloat while constantly bailing out her gang. Without those deadweight “little brothers”, her skills might’ve already earned passage out of the fourth floor’s grime.
Asaka Akihime kept these thoughts to herself, knowing it wouldn’t make much difference to voice them.
“Fang-kun, what does ‘good breeding’ mean?”
“It means you have wide hips and can bear many children.”
“You…”
Asaka Akihime’s face flushed crimson as she shot him an embarrassed glare.
Her sensitivity showed through – had it been Kanzaki Rin, the wealthy lady’s heartbeat wouldn’t have changed at all. That woman’s composure remained unshaken by such casual vulgarity.
They removed their shoes at the entrance and walked through the short hallway into the living room.
The modest space held ordinary furnishings, made gloomier by the poor lighting.
“Fang-kun, please sit while I fetch water,” Asaka Akihime offered, feeling obligated to show basic hospitality after he’d escorted her home.
Fang Cheng settled onto the sofa without ceremony. “Got tea? Weak is fine. Coffee with sugar works too.”
This wasn’t just a courtesy visit – he had no intention of leaving immediately.
“Would red tea do?”
“Sure.”
Watching Fang Cheng lounge like nobility, Asaka Akihime stifled a smile and headed to the kitchen.
Alone in the living room, Fang Cheng began pacing and observing. He found it odd she’d brought home a male peer so late without hesitation, apparently unconcerned about parental reactions.
The mundane space held one peculiar detail – a cloth-draped shrine in the corner.
*Crack.*
A faint sound drew his attention. The adjacent room door creaked open, revealing a middle-aged woman bearing striking resemblance to Asaka Akihime. Though clearly once a stunning beauty, she now appeared gaunt and pale, with deep shadows beneath her eyes like an exhausted scholar.
As the woman’s red-rimmed eyes fixed on him, Fang Cheng prepared to greet Asaka Akihime’s mother.
“Xiao Cheng? Is it truly you?”
Tears spilled down the woman’s cheeks as she whispered the name, her trembling hand reaching for Fang Cheng’s face. Though certain he’d never met her, Fang Cheng stood motionless, sensing some revelation unfolding.
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Her fingertips barely grazed his cheek before she recoiled violently, eyes widening in shock.
She examined Fang Cheng carefully and cried out, “No, you’re not Xiao Cheng! Who are you?!”
“Mom!”
Asaka Akihime’s voice suddenly interrupted. Fang Cheng turned to see her emerging from the kitchen, holding a steaming teacup of red tea.
Asaka Akihime hastily set the teacup down and hurried over to hold her mother’s arm. “Mom, this is my classmate, not Xiao Cheng. You’ve mistaken him. Let me help you rest inside.”
“Are you sure it’s not him?”
“No, don’t scare our guest.”
“When will Xiao Cheng come home?”
“He’ll return after school.”
Her mother kept glancing back at Fang Cheng’s face as she walked away, tears finally spilling from her eyes, her gaze filled with heartbreaking sadness.
After settling her mother in the room, Asaka Akihime returned with an embarrassed expression. “I’m sorry, Fang-kun. Mom’s been confused since falling ill.”
Fang Cheng studied her face. “Who does she think I am?”
Asaka Akihime lowered her head. After a long pause, she moved to the household shrine in the living room corner and removed its dust cover.
Two memorial portraits sat inside – a stern middle-aged man and a bright-eyed teenage boy. When Fang Cheng saw the boy’s photo, his eyes narrowed in recognition. The boy resembled him so strongly they could be different-aged versions of the same person.
Asaka Akihime took a ritual bell and struck it softly, then lit incense sticks with practiced motions. Her familiarity suggested daily observance.
When she finished, Fang Cheng asked, “You always claimed to be an only child.”
“I wasn’t always.”
She gazed at the boy’s portrait. “After my brother died, I became one.”
Fang Cheng finally understood her unusual kindness. No love in this world comes without reason.
He’d sensed her treating him like a younger brother, never realizing she literally saw him as one. If not for social propriety, he’d have shown her exactly what kind of “brother” he could be.
“His name?”
“Asaka Makoto…”
Now it made sense. Same name explained the instant “Xiao Cheng” assumption.
Asaka Akihime rose slowly, eyes fixed on the floor. “Fang-kun… I had ulterior motives asking you to walk me home… Forgive me.”