"You, apologize to my son!"
At this moment, Wu Hao was cornered in an alleyway beside the entrance of an old residential complex by a burly man covered in tattoos. The man looked to be in his forties and appeared menacing.
"Why should I apologize to your son? Who do you think you are? Your son bullied mine first. If anyone is going to apologize, he should be the one to do it!"
"Your son?"
The tattooed man paused for a second before bursting into laughter. "Tell me, little brother, have you also set your sights on that Widow Liu on the third floor? Let me tell you, there are plenty of people who want to be the father of her son. Who the hell do you think you are?"
"Cut the crap. I’m the real deal!"
"The real deal? Ha! Widow Liu’s husband has been dead for ages. I don’t want to waste any more words with you—apologize to my son!"
The tattooed man pointed at Wu Hao and snarled.
Seeing the man pointing his finger at him, Wu Hao reached out and snapped it. A shrill scream erupted from the man, and Wu Hao followed up with a kick, landing it squarely in the man's crotch.
"Aaargh!!!"
The tattooed man clutched his groin and collapsed onto the ground with a thud.
"I’m telling you, I am the real deal. If you keep talking nonsense, be careful I don't rip your mouth open!"
With that, Wu Hao turned and walked away.
***
Meanwhile, Liu Yafei had finished cooking lunch and was eating with her son while watching TV.
"Mom, do I really have a dad?"
Liu Chenghao asked while obediently shoveling rice into his mouth.
Liu Yafei didn’t know how to answer. Since the child was born, he had never experienced a father's love. Although she always told him that his father would come back, six years had passed, and there was still no sign of him. But looking into her son’s innocent eyes, she said firmly, "Yes, Daddy will be back."
After lunch, Liu Yafei tidied up. "Son, stay home and watch TV or do your homework this afternoon. Mom has to go to work. Don't open the door for any strangers, you hear?"
"Okay, I know!"
Since the bankruptcy, Liu Yafei had been working as a salesperson at a sales firm. It didn't pay much, but it was enough to get by.
Watching Liu Yafei walk away, Wu Hao, who had been hiding in the stairwell, was lost in thought. He truly wanted to rush over to her, but he couldn't find the courage. After all, he had left when Liu Yafei needed him most.
At this thought, Wu Hao gritted his teeth. He was determined to find the culprits who had knocked him unconscious and thrown him off a cliff back then. If not for them, he would never have fallen to such a state.
A moment later, Wu Hao reached the third floor. He wanted to knock on the door, but he hesitated. Just then, the door opened, and little Liu Chenghao poked his head out again.
He couldn't help it; at five or six years old, a boy was meant to play, and he couldn't just sit still at home. However, when he opened the door and saw Wu Hao, his expression changed immediately.
"How did you know where I live?"
Facing Wu Hao, Liu Chenghao was no longer afraid.
Wu Hao thought for a moment and said, "Little guy, how about Uncle takes you out to play?"
"No. Mom said I can't go out with strangers!"
Wu Hao scratched his head, then his eyes lit up. "Uncle isn't a bad guy. How about this: Uncle takes you to buy toys—your favorite toys!"
The mention of toys was something no little boy could resist. Still feeling wary, Liu Chenghao asked, "Are you really not a bad guy?"
"I'm really not!"
"Then swear it!"
"Alright, alright. I swear to heaven I am not a bad guy. Is that good enough?"
"Mm, okay! I want the biggest, biggest, biggest Ultraman!"
"Deal! Uncle will take you to get it."
Wu Hao took his son’s small hand in his. He had the urge to tell him that he was his father, but considering the shock it might cause the child, he held his tongue, deciding to wait for the right moment.
The two went to a large shopping mall in the city. Wu Hao bought his son food and toys and took him to an amusement park. Before they knew it, the sky had turned dark.
***
When Liu Yafei returned home from work and opened the door, she found her son missing, and her heart sank with panic. She checked the time—it was already seven o'clock in the evening. Even if her son went out to play, he was never out past the time she set.
"Haohao! Haohao!"
Liu Yafei turned and ran downstairs to search. She called out his name as she ran, but there was no response.
"Haohao! Haohao!"
After a long search, Liu Yafei ran to the nearby City Guard Bureau.
"You say your son is missing and has been kidnapped?"
"Yes, yes! At noon today, my son said a strange man approached him. I didn't think much of it, and then... and then..." Liu Yafei burst into tears.
After her company went bankrupt and her parents had passed away one after another, her son was the only thing she had left.
The receptionist, seeing her panic, said, "Don't worry. We'll send officers to check the surveillance footage in your neighborhood."
"Okay, thank you!"
Ten minutes later, Liu Yafei and several officers from the City Guard Bureau arrived at the surveillance room.
"That one! That one there!"
Seeing her son walking away with a stranger on the monitor, Liu Yafei shrieked.
"Take a look—do you recognize the man on the screen?"
Liu Yafei stepped forward to look closely, but because the surveillance equipment was old and the image was blurry, she couldn't recognize him at first glance.
"Ms. Liu, don't worry. Why don't you go home first? We will do our best to help you find him."
"Okay, okay. Thank you so much."
***
When she returned home and opened the door, Liu Yafei saw her son playing with his toys on the sofa.
"Haohao!" She immediately ran over and pulled him into her arms.
"Mom!"
Liu Yafei was so frightened she began to cry. Once she calmed down, she looked at the clothes, toys, and snacks on the sofa and asked, "Haohao, where did all these things come from?"
"Mom, the uncle from earlier today bought them for me!"
"The uncle from today?"
Liu Yafei froze, then stood up and pulled her son’s ear. "How could you go out with a stranger? And take things from a stranger! What have I told you? Why won't you listen to me?"
"Waaaah... Mom, the uncle said he wasn't a bad guy!"
"How do you know he isn't a bad guy? When I came home from work and saw you weren't here, do you know how terrified I was?"
"Waaaah!" Liu Chenghao started to sob. Seeing her son cry, Liu Yafei began to cry as well.
Outside the door, Wu Hao felt a heavy ache in his heart. After a moment, he reached out and knocked on the security door.
Inside, hearing the knock, Liu Yafei wiped her tears. "Put these things away. Tomorrow, you'll take me to find the man who bought these for you, and we'll give them back!"
As she spoke, she walked to the door. When she opened it and looked out, she froze in place.
"Um... those things... I bought them for him."
*Clang!*
Before Wu Hao even finished his sentence, Liu Yafei slammed the door shut.
She turned around, her heart racing. She rubbed her eyes, thinking she must be dreaming. "It's impossible, it's impossible. I must have seen it wrong. How could he... how could he be back?"
After bracing herself for a long while, Liu Yafei quietly opened the door just a crack.