A family?
Xingxing looked up at Ye Ziyu dazedly. No one had ever spoken the word "family" to him. His identity in the Ye family was merely that of an adopted child. While Ye Shaoting was not stingy with his food and clothing, no one had ever truly cared about him.
When he was with Ye Shaoting, the most he ever heard was about becoming strong and avenging his birth parents.
Through their conversations, he had slowly begun to rely on Ye Ziyu. How wonderful it would be if she were his mother.
"Xingxing, let me see your arm." Ye Ziyu sensed his emotional relaxation and cautiously reached for his arm.
The blood had caused the clothes to stick to the wound. Ye Ziyu lifted his arm, looking at the bloodstains on the inner side. Had he suffered such a severe injury from just a fall?
Ye Ziyu's eyes welled up with tears, and she said to Xingxing with concern, "It will hurt a little. If you can't bear it, just hold onto my hand."
After speaking, she picked up Xingxing and carried him to the bed. He was about the same height as Yu Ze, but much lighter.
After examining the wound, Ye Ziyu wanted to minimize the pain. She turned and searched the room, then found the craft scissors Xingxing usually used.
With a rip, Ye Ziyu felt Xingxing's body tense up. She almost stopped breathing.
Only a small portion of his arm was exposed when she saw the wound on his skin. It seemed that because it had been treated too simply yesterday and was tightly wrapped by clothes, the wound had become somewhat festered.
"Who bandaged your wound?" Ye Ziyu asked.
"Dad." Xingxing referred to Ye Shaoting as his father when speaking to outsiders.
Judging by the wound, the person who bandaged it was very careless. Furthermore, the wound did not look like it was caused by broken glass; instead, it resembled something inflicted by a slender object.
Had Ye Shaoting abused Xingxing?
The thought struck Ye Ziyu, and she immediately asked, "Did he hit you?"
Xingxing's eyes darkened. He seemed surprised that Ye Ziyu could tell. He lowered his head and closed his mouth, refusing to respond.
His silence was the best answer. Ye Ziyu had already confirmed in her heart that Ye Shaoting was the one who had hit Xingxing. As for the reason, she would have to ask Ye Shaoting.
"I'll treat your wound now. To prevent it from reopening, you shouldn't wear any clothes with sleeves for the next few days." Ye Ziyu tied her hair back and carefully cleaned the torn wound with a cotton swab, her head bowed.
There were too many wounded areas. She had used an entire packet of cotton balls, and the bloodstains on his arm were not yet completely cleaned. Ye Ziyu had gone from confusion to anger. Even if Xingxing had been naughty, he shouldn't have beaten the child to this extent.
With her dissatisfaction towards Ye Shaoting, Ye Ziyu tenderly bandaged Xingxing's wound.
"You don't need to wear clothes. Just lie on the bed and rest. I'll feed you when it's time to eat." Ye Ziyu picked up Xingxing and placed him on a nearby chair. With tears in her eyes, she changed the four-piece bedding set on the bed to clean ones.
She couldn't stay here and watch over him all the time, but she was very worried if he was left alone.
After a strenuous effort that left her covered in sweat, Ye Ziyu stood in front of Xingxing. Looking at him, weak from the pain, she squatted down and caressed his face. "Does he always treat you like this?"
Xingxing shook his head.
In reality, Ye Shaoting treated him quite well. If it weren't for him, he would probably be in heaven with his parents by now. His anger last night was also because he had disobeyed him and disappointed him greatly.
"I'll have the maid keep you company later. Here is my phone number. Contact me anytime if you need anything." Ye Ziyu wrote down a string of numbers on a nearby piece of paper and then placed the paper with the number in Xingxing's hand.
A string of numbers touched Xingxing. He grabbed Ye Ziyu, who was about to leave, and after a long pause, his lips moved. "Can I have the candy you made with your own hands?"
"What?" Ye Ziyu did not hear clearly.