"And so, the story starts when I was really really young, like eight years old," Yu Tian finally decided to open up. They had quite some time to kill and now that she had seen everything anyway, it would not really matter if he told her his story. He sat down on the sofa and started narrating the story. Mei Qingyang sat beside him, to patiently listen.

    "You don''t mean…," Mei Qingyang''s jaw dropped. Seriously Yu Rong? You did not spare a child even?

    Yu Tian shook his head, defending his aunt, "She did not start right away. I am just building up the story here."

    Mei Qingyang understood. He was still psychologically attached to his aunt, otherwise he would not defend her like this, especially what happened last night.

    "And?"

    "She entered my room one day and turned off the lights. I was watching the TV then," he recalled exactly how it all started. It was supposed to be childhood trauma, he could have easily blurred it with time. But it was so vivid in his memory, that he would have nightmares about it.

    "Before that she had already conditioned me, I was already developing Stockholm Syndrome. She would shut me in dark rooms after telling me scary stories for hours, even days, without food and water. And then she would shower me with treats. That was just a trivial example but I really grew dependent on her."

    "I thought a lot of Asian parents did that. So, perhaps I was the one who was not good enough. I would study things at length, just to get her approval. But again, I was never good enough."

    Mei Qingyang sympathized. In the whole group, everyone''s parents treated their children like shit, expecting more from them at each step of their life, forgetting that they were their own beings. Yes, Yu Rong took it a notch higher, but they all were broken souls like this, without their parents realizing.

    It did not seem like their parents ever understood that they were own individuals and not just their puppets or reflection or their unachieved dreams and hopes.

    "That one day, she had brought a wooden stick with her. She made an excuse of me humiliating her by doing something that I had not done. She beat me up with that. While I was crying and screaming, she was laughing. Her smile, only lit by the TV in that dark room, still haunts me to the day," he put his head in his hands once again, that first night was too painful.

    Mei Qingyang closed the gap between them and took him into her embrace once again.

    "If it is too painful to recollect, you don''t need to force yourself. It can wait, trust me," she consoled him. Her eyes and voice were very gentle, making him want to melt into her and become one being. His heart throbbed, it seemed like his painful memories were being enveloped with light of love from this girl. Perhaps, perhaps h would be able to let them go if he shared everything with her?

    "No, I think I need to do this. I feel like there is light at the end of this, and I really want to see through it," he replied. Mei Qingyang was all ready to listen to him and let him pour out his feelings, even if it took him days. She gave a nod to let him continue.

    "This whole thing went on for about two to three years, I do not remember exactly. Apart from that one night, the details are kind of hazy. I spent a lot of time in tears, as a kid I did not have any confidence at all. I only remember dark dingy places, homeschooling, strict teachers, my aunt and more tears."

    "I do not have any happy memories at all," he abruptly stopped.

    "What about your friends? Elder brother and others, you guys are childhood friends right?" she inquired. She needed to ask right questions to make sure everything would not just be dark.

    "Yeah, I was too quiet of a kid, precisely because I did not know how whatever I spoke would incense people around me. So, I just kept to myself. Su Lang was the one who approached me first. We became friends around the same time when she started introducing me to s.e.x. I wanted to ask him if it was normal but I was too ashamed to even tell it to everyone."

    Mei Qingyang stroked his hair, comforting him. Yu Tian felt like his heart, that was always bound by shackles, was finally beating. How long had it been since he had felt like this? Wasn''t it the first time?

    "She tried all her kinks on me, since I was eleven years old. I don''t even want to mention, handcuffs and vibrators were normal days but her fascination with bondage and sadism were something, I do not wish to furnish the details," he closed his eyes, he was leaning against Mei Qingyang. The two sat in silence for some time, Mei Qingyang taking in whatever he had told her. That woman was despicable! To be doing this to a kid and robbing him of his innocence like this, she was a monster. The most powerful heir in the country had such a painful past and present, who would have thought?

    "She sometimes treated me as a pet who needed to be tamed. She would put me in chains, cage me, tease me and then shower me with so much love that I could not see my life beyond this whole cycle," his voice choked ultimately and Mei Qingyang''s grip around his shoulders tightened. He must have been completely broken by the time he grew up.

    "Then I got to go abroad, thanks to Lang. And I jumped on that opportunity as soon as I could. I jest needed to run away and start my life. These three were achieving so much while I was just sitting, wallowing in my sorrow. I went there and with peace of mind and help from Bufan and Lang, I was able to start a few ventures on my own. That really gave me a boost. However, there was a huge incident some five years ago and to save the reputation of the school, we both had to come back and the cycle started again, because even after going independent, I just could not say no to her," he sighed. What kind of coward was he? Even after undergoing so much psychiatric treatment when he was abroad, he was at square one still.

    "Again senior Yu, it was not your fault. Do not blame yourself. Man or not, anyone can be a victim of abuse, there is nothing to be ashamed of," she told him softly and kissed his head on the side. Flowers bloomed in his heart, replacing the heavy feeling he was feeling right now.

    Another period of silence ensued when the main door opened suddenly and a haggard Yu Bufan appeared, halting in his steps when he saw the scene before him. He startled the couple who frantically separated from each other, shock registering on everyone''s face.

    -----------

    Mei Qingyang and Yu Tian spent the whole day together. Yu Bufan had arrived in the afternoon and cried silently on seeing the damage to his master. He was surprised to see the girl and his master being upbeat, even after yesterday''s activity and they explained to him everything.

    "Should we be wary of you now that we know you know how to use weapons too?" Yu Bufan joked. This girl never failed to surprise them. She had arms training and license! What was Minister Jiang thinking making such a frail girl go through such a tough training?

    "Hmm? I thought you were wary of me since the beginning. Why would a gun add increase or decrease anything to that?" Mei Qingyang retorted. She had always been aware of Yu Bufan not trusting her completely. He was always on an alert around her.

    "You can''t blame me for this. This is the first time I have seen master so infatuated with someone. I need to make sure they don''t have ulterior motives," Yu Bufan said sulkily. When these days happened in his master''s life, he always tried to be a friend rather than an assistant. And thus, he was in that mode currently. He had sat down on the sofa with his master while Mei Qingyang prepared lunch for them.

    She had strictly forbidden Yu Tian to move around, after she accidently reopened a wound during their passionate kiss. He could only be a good boy and listen to her. Thus, he was currently resting on the big couch.

    To Yu Bufan, it looked funny but was a novel experience. In all honesty, he was happy for his master. From the story that they both told him, it seemed like he could really trust the little lass.

    "Anyway master, the vacation is ending tomorrow. Where do you plan to go after this?" Yu Bufan asked. The pair had not really thought about the next steps when Mei Qingyang had charged at Yu Rong.

    "We absolutely cannot go to school. I can still use an excuse, but what about Qing Qing?"

    "I don''t want to miss the new semester to be honest, but if you go to your usual place, won''t it be easy for her to access you?" Mei Qingyang asked while cutting the veggies.

    "I am guessing she will take it easy for a while, she would not disturb us. You, on the other hand, I am not really sure about," Yu Bufan replied with a worried expression. Should he ask his minions to tighten security around her? He had gotten a few people on her tail to protect her. But it did seem like a waste because she had better skills than the people he had sent for her aid.

    "That is fine. Her attacks have been foiled till now, she would have enough estimation of my and her own abilities by now. I can take care of myself. I need you both out of way though, otherwise I won''t be able to protect all of us at the same time," she was confident that she could get out of it if it was just herself. She pleaded them both to take one month off.

    "Okay, it is decided then. We will leave you alone for a month. But if you ever need our help, you can use one of your secret ways to contact us," Yu Bufan smirked.

    "You knew about it?" Mei Qingyang replied in a smile. She had known about their agents for quite a while so she had an idea they would also know a thing about her or two.

    "You don''t look surprised," Yu Bufan laughed. The cat was out of bag. Yu Tian, on the other side, grunted. He had just started his relationship with this girl and he had to now separate from her for another month? Guess it was revenge for the month he had kept her by his side permanently. He cursed his stars once again, why did it have to happen to him?