Ever since the day he fainted and was rushed to the hospital, Xu Sheng hadn't stepped foot back here.
After he was discharged, his mother, Huang Fei, had tightened her grip on him even more. It was as though the hospital scare had only deepened her resolve.
Xu Sheng's days continued to be dominated by grueling academic drills, leaving him no time to breathe, let alone play.
At first, Su Li had envied him. Xu Sheng was brilliant, a bona fide prodigy dripping with accolades, hailed as a "genius boy."
Huang Fei paraded his accomplishments with unbridled pride, basking in the glow of her son's success. She seemed like the epitome of a doting mother, one whose life revolved around her child's brilliance.
But that illusion shattered the day Su Li witnessed the slap. It happened at the hospital, Xu Sheng still pale and frail from his ordeal, when Huang Fei's hand struck his face with a force that echoed through the sterile halls.