Chapter 3 Part 2 Suspicion, Park Encounter, And Awakening
The next morning, everything seemed normal again.
His mother bustled as housewife, his father went to work, and the hospital checkup was postponed till the weekend.
Days passed peacefully. The shocking scenes of that day grew faint, as if they had been dreams.
Still, Qi worried. He pulled Zhou Yi aside at school, ensuring their stories aligned. His friend, loyal without hesitation, promised to cover for him.
When Zhou Yi pressed for the truth, Qi half-jokingly claimed he had gone to Xiangyun Monastery that day.
The weekend arrived.
His mother brought him again to First Municipal Hospital. Vice President Xu personally greeted them at the door.
His mother bowed with exaggerated politeness. Xu chuckled, falsely nervous: "The wife of Secretary Li arrives how dare I neglect such honor?"
Seizing the chance, his mother kicked him hard on the ankle almost enough to cripple him. From then on, Xu hobbled with a limp in the corridors.
The examination revealed nothing unexpected. His body was weak, needing nutrition and outdoor activity. Both he and his mother had anticipated as much.
At noon, back home, his father had already gone to an emergency Party meeting. Mother quickly made noodles, and lunch was simple.
Qi returned to his books.
But soon, he overheard her answering the phone. Words unclear, muffled. Then she pushed into his room:
"Qi, Mom's going to the supermarket for a bit, I'll be home soon. Don't just sit still reading. Remember what the doctor said stretch and move a little."
He nodded. She left.
The instant the door shut, Qi slipped on shoes and followed after her quietly.
He was restless with suspicion. He had realized he hardly knew what his parents did outside, what lives they really lived. Had what he witnessed days ago truly been only illusion? He could not accept that.
So this time, when his mother stepped out alone, he tailed her.
As he expected, she did not go to her usual market. Instead, she wandered through several alleys, arriving at a nearby park.
There, she made a call. Qi dared not follow too close, so the words were lost.
But when she hung up, she walked toward the rock garden. Behind it stood a man in a trench coat.
"Not Uncle Jun..." Qi froze. He instantly knew this was not Xu Tiejun.
Could it be... his mother had more than one lover?
The thought rattled him.
If it had been Xu Tiejun, he might have stomached it. He had known the man since childhood, even calling him uncle. In some unconscious way, he had even come to accept his mother's intimacy with him.
But this stranger this unknown man with his mother... Qi's breath became rapid, sharp.
By the time he drew closer, the two figures vanished around the rockery.
Panicked, Qi searched. Instead, he stumbled upon a different couple intertwined on the grass half naked, writhing.
The man cursed upon seeing him. "The fuck you staring at? Get lost before I smash you!"
But the woman turned, blushing, and gave Qi a kind smile, whispering soothing words to calm her lover.
Burning with shame, Qi fled.
Venturing further, he heard it the sound of his mother's voice, unmistakably hers, beyond a low wall.
Crouching low, he peered.
On the grass, his mother clung tightly around the trench-coated man's body. Her legs coiled like snakes about his waist, bodies pressed, rolling on the ground.
She peeked hurriedly, then stripped off her coat and tossed it aside. The man pulled off his trench coat but spread it over their bodies, shielding them beneath. Only their entangled legs remained visible.
Moments later, their garments were flung away. Four bare legs writhed underneath the fabric, white against grass. The coat above them heaved violently, quivering.
Visitors passing nearby didn't even glance. To them, the park was a place for lovers to tryst; such scenes were not unusual.
But Qi could not look away.
For ten endless minutes, the coat quivered with intensity, then finally stilled.
Wait... his mother shifted from beneath, her bare skin gleaming pale as she snatched their strewn clothes. For a moment, he could see the rounded swell of her breasts before she pulled the bra taut, covering them swiftly. She ducked back inside the coat.
Moments later, a milky fluid spilled to the ground between her two high-heeled shoes. Qi knew full well what it was and his breathing stopped short, chest heaving.
Finally, they emerged dressed. His mother clung to the man's neck, sharing a long, reluctant kiss before parting ways.
Qi lingered. On the grass, he stooped over the place they had lain. There were no condoms anywhere. But a thick, white pool stained the blades of grass, sticky strands gleaming in the sunlight.
Arriving home before her, he resumed his book in his room. When she returned, arms laden with groceries, her smile warmed, satisfied, seeing him studying.
Yet in his mind, one thought hissed sharp as venom:
"Slut."
That night, he dreamed once more.
It was the same himself locked indoors, pounding, crying, helpless. The impenetrable door.
But this time something shifted.
No longer the soft, weak child. This dream-Qi stood tall, his face twisted with rage, mouth contorted in fury:
"You force me to live in lies and hypocrisy. You think a door like this can keep me bound? You're wrong! I will never be ruled... never! In this world no one can control me! My world I am the master!"
And in that instant, the door previously unyielding creaked, and began slowly to open.