Chapter 3: You will not leave me...

As he grew up he tried to make his presence as little as possible and do things to please his mother to avoid triggering her anger. Everyone in the brothel said he was a lovely little boy and well-behaved. Everyone except for his mother.

He would run errands, clean rooms, wash the dishes and sometimes wash the bed sheets along with the other cleaning staff. His payment for getting the job done would be given to his mother but Xiang Yu never saw a penny of that.

He didn't mind that she took all his money. He was just happy that she scolded him less and the beatings drastically reduced especially the days she received payment.

Because his mother never showed him affection he would sneakily lie next to her for a little warmth on the nights she passed out drunk. He liked his mother like this. She didn't scold him or call him the son of a demon.

Xiang Yu thought they could live like this forever but one day something changed. When he was ten years old a very wealthy client took a fancy to his mother. He was allured by her graceful beauty and her mesmerising talent in playing the Guqin. Slowly her tendrils wrapped around his heart and the man became jealous of her seeing other clients.

That year on her birthday Xiang Yu skipped happily back to the brothel after running some errands. He had bought his mother a longevity peach and a jade pendant with a meticulously carved flower representing her name. As for how he could afford it, he had taken up extra work at Butcher Jong's shop for an entire year.

He was about to present his gifts to his mother when she suddenly hugged him excitedly. For once, she didn't look at him with disdain or dismiss him. Little Xiang Yu stood there, his heart pounding as if it were trying to break free from its icy cage.

Li Hua's embrace lingered a fragile warmth that thawed something deep within him. For the first time, he finally felt the so-called motherly affection that other children spoke of.

A mother was a person who was supposed to give you hugs and kisses. She would put medicine for you when you fall and blow on the wound for it to hurt less. She would sit on your bedside all night guarding you while you have a fever. At least this was what other children said but his mother was not like that. Today, however, he finally felt the warmth a mother should have from her.

Her eyes flickered with something resembling tenderness. She brushed a strand of hair from his forehead, her touch gentle yet fleeting. "Yu Yu," she called out. It was the first time she called him like this. It was always little beast or you, come here each time she called for him.

His chest tightened while calling out softly, "Mother."

She let out joyous laughter as she let him go. Li Hua walked towards the window and looked out at the stars her silk dress fluttering with the soft breeze.

Xiang Yu took out the things he brought for her to wish her a happy birthday only to hear her say, "I can finally leave this hell hole. Finally... I can regain my freedom."

Xiang Yu's fingers clenched around the jade pendant he had saved for, his mind refusing to accept that her affection was only because of this. "We are leaving?" he said, the words bitter on his tongue. He knew the answer already but he held on to a little hope.

She turned back to look at him and with a sarcastic smile she asked, "Who is we? You can't come with me... I am going to be a concubine to a wealthy man. I can't bring a rice weevil like you with me."

He wanted to scream, to shatter the illusion of warmth that had briefly enveloped him. His voice trembling he asked, "And what of me?"

She tilted her head, studying him as if he were a curiosity. "You can stay and continue working for the Madam or you can go wherever you want. Nothing is holding you here. Hahaha, we... that's funny. Come pour me some tea." Her expression was so casual like she hadn't just dropped a huge bomb on him.

His heart blackened his tiny body trembling. For once he didn't do as she told him. He ran out into the night. He didn't know where he was going neither did he care. As long as it wasn't at the brothel anywhere would be fine.

The forest loomed before him, its ancient trees swaying gently with the cool breeze. His breath came in ragged gasps, the chilling air searing his lungs.

The twigs and leaves crunched as he sprinted, desperate for answers. Why him? Why didn't she love him? Was he not good enough to be her son? He could change. He could change whatever it was that she disliked about him. He would change as long as she didn't leave him.

At the forest's edge, Xiang Yu's legs gave way. He leaned against a gnarled tree trunk, its bark rough against his back. He slid down, hugging his knees to his chest, the pain radiating from his core.

Endless questions continued echoing through his mind but no one could answer him. Why had she held him, if only to discard him like a broken doll?

Why had he dared to hope for warmth, for love, when all she ever offered was cruelty? He had endured her heartless scolding and beatings all for what? He did everything she asked and more just to please her but what did he get in return?

His fist unclenched, revealing the jade pendant that had left indents in his palm. Its cool surface mocked him. He had believed when she saw it she would finally smile at him but now, it felt like a curse.

His eyes burned, and he raised his head. They were no longer the soft brown of a lost child. They blazed a fierce, unnatural red.

A twisted smile stretched across his face, revealing sharp canines. His lips curved upward, but there was no warmth in the expression, only resentment. The moonlight caught the glint in his blood-red eyes, turning them into pools of malevolence. As he chuckled, the sound echoed through the silent forest, scaring any animals nearby into hiding.

"Mother," he whispered, the word dripping with venom. "You will not leave me."