Her filial duties.

After they left, Fan Qiuyue shut the door and turned to see her second son, Bohai staring at her. Feeling uncomfortable, she asked defensively. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Mother, are you really not going to help them?" Bohai asked.

"Help them? Of course not! Not when they are trying to exhort money from me." She replied mercilessly.

Bohai frowned, his face scrunching in disappointment. "But Grandma Fan is dying!"

She rolled her eyes and walked to him, putting her manicured fingers on his shoulders. "That's what they are saying but it doesn't mean it is true. You don't know those type of people, they can say or do anything just for money. Bohai, don't be so naive."

Bohai watched her walk away, making him shake his head. He was convinced that his brother, Wang Yong was not lying about their Grandmother's condition but there was nothing he could do about it.

He was worried but also helpless.

Ah!

He smiled when he remembered something so he rushed up to his room and opened his closet to bring out a credit card from his school bag. Holding it in his hands, he peeked to check if his mother was still in her room.

When he had confirmed that she was in her room, he ran out of the house to catch up with three boys that were just about to ride their motorbikes. He shouted. "Senior Brother, please wait for me!"

Wang Yong halted to see Bohai running to meet them so he stepped down from his bike. Bai Du raised his fists threateningly at the boy. "Who are you calling senior brother, punk?"

The poor boy stuttered. "I-I...h-have-"

Wang Yong rolled his eyes when he saw the boy, his eyes trailing to see Fu Pei fixing the piercing on his eyebrow, his expression aloof. "What do you want?"

The boy brought a credit card demurely and presented it to him with his hands stretched. "I want to give you this...for Grandma's surgery."

The three boys suddenly became quiet.

Wang Yong cocked his head to the side, his piercing gaze fixed on him. "But she is not your Grandma, you are just an adopted kid."

The boy lowered his head dejectedly when he heard this, his voice dwindling. "But...I-I just wanted help."

Fu Pei who was really feeling bored up to now saw that Wang Yong still hadn't made a move so he stepped forward to collect the money. "Thanks, we will make sure we pay you back."

When his hands had just touched the card, Wang Yong's eyes suddenly darkened as he said. "Wait."

Both of them turned to face him.

"Who gave you that bracelet?" Wang Yong pointed to the shiny bracket that hung on his wrist.

"Oh, this? No one. It was about to be burnt along with the rest of the stuff in the second room when I was moving in." Bohai explained.

"Remove it and hand it over."

Bohai perplexed with the sudden change in his behaviour. "Why?"

Bai Du snapped. "Yeah, were you born in the year of the parrot? He said hand it over!"

Bohai became angry and resentful towards the trio in front of him. Here he was, offering the money he was given for his school fees to them and they were here, picking on him over a bracelet. Peeling it off his skin and throwing it on the ground in front of them, he retorted. "Take it. Its just a piece of junk, anyway."

Wang Yong looked at the bracelet and gazed at the boy, smiling with a devious glint in his eyes. "Bai Du, Fu Pei, grab him."

The two boys didn't hesitate to hold the boy down, delivering a lunch to his abdomen to make him bow his head. Fu Pei asked. "What next?"

Five minutes later.....

The boys drove away, leaving Bohai hanging upside down from a tree. His mouth was gagged with the credit card stuck between his teeth. Tears of hatred ran down his face as he watched them sped off into the horizon.

Mother was right, he thought.

These type of people don't deserve to be helped!

Wang Yong and his friends finally reached his house and were currently sitting in the parlor, planning their next move. Fu Pei choked when he heard the plan. "You want us to rob your parents?!"

"Shh...don't be so loud!" Bai Du smacked his head.

"But we could get arrested!" Fu Pei continued to protest.

"Don't worry, we won't. We have to make my mother perform her filial duties whether she is willing or not." Wang Yong removed a cigarette from his mouth, rings of smoke coming from his mouth as he closed his eyes.

"We will follow your arrangements." Bai Du immediately agreed, ignoring Fu Pei's looks of protest.

"Then that's all for now, I am so tired! Fu Pei, go and make us noodles. Wake me up when you are done. " Wang Yong stood up and left, retreating to his bedroom.

When he opened the door, he saw Mingli sitting on the bed holding the shiny bracelet that was now dirty. Mingli lifted his head and said. "You didn't have to go that far, Da-ge."

Wang Yong landed on the bed with a thud and stretched his body wearily. "He deserved it."

"Stop blaming him for Mother's mistakes. He is not at fault here. She is the one who replaced me, not him." Wang Yong turned to see Mingli gripping the bracelet tightly with tears in his eyes as he stubbornly refused to let them fall.

Mingli continued to talk bitterly. "She even burnt all my toys and gave out my room. It's like I never existed."

Wang Yong raised his upper body up and said. "Alright, its enough. Why are you crying over someone who doesn't even love her own mother? Don't be a wuss!"

"I am not a wuss! Take it back!"

Wang Yong laid back on the bed, turning his back to the huffing and puffing Mingli as he closed his eyes to reply. "Not a chance, baby wuss. But I will think about it in our next life."