The Daughter-In-Law Is So Pitiful? Just Take Her Home and Pamper Her! - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Storm Brewing

At dawn, Xu Yao was the first to wake.

His chest felt heavy—sometime during the night, Chen Mi had curled up into his arms, his fluffy head resting under Xu Yao’s chin, warm breath brushing against his collarbone.

The boy’s hand was still clutching the front of Xu Yao’s pajamas, as if afraid he might disappear in the middle of the night.

Xu Yao stared at the ceiling quietly for a while, ultimately unable to bring himself to move.

The ledger lay on the nightstand. The latest entry read:

“Hogging the bed –200”
“…But sleeps so obediently +∞”

Sunlight slipped through the curtain slits, dancing on the dried fish that the calico cat had brought over. Xu Yao reached out and gently ruffled Chen Mi’s messy hair, whispering softly:

“…You little rascal.”

Since that night, Chen Mi’s pillow had never returned to the attic.

At first, Xu Yao would still keep a stern face and say, “Just this once.” Later on, he simply cleared out a section of the wardrobe—just for Chen Mi’s pajamas.

The three kittens were quite pleased with this—Now they could snuggle at the foot of the bed with both of them every night, without having to choose between “sleeping with Mom or sleeping with Dad.” (The author really wanted to write that—type 1 if you agree.)

1:19 AM.

Chen Mi was woken from sleep by the roar of a motorcycle engine.

Half the bed was empty. Xu Yao’s usual black leather jacket still hung on the chair, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Chen Mi climbed out of bed. From the window overlooking the alley, under the dim streetlight, Xu Yao sat straddling his old motorcycle. He wasn’t wearing a coat—just a black tank top. The tattoo on his right arm gleamed coldly in the night.

Chen Mi glanced at the clock—1:23 AM.

Xu Yao almost never went out in the middle of the night, unless…

Barefoot, Chen Mi stood by the window and watched as Xu Yao pulled something from his pocket and tossed it to someone lurking in the shadows of the alley.

The streetlight caught the other man’s face as he turned—it was Old Zhou, the duty officer from the local police station, and one of the few people Xu Yao would actually drink with.

They spoke quietly for a few minutes. Then Old Zhou patted Xu Yao’s shoulder with a grave expression and said something serious.

Xu Yao visibly stiffened—then suddenly twisted the throttle. The motorcycle roared and disappeared into the night.

Chen Mi waited at the window for forty minutes. Xu Yao still hadn’t returned.

At some point, the mother calico cat had come to sit by his feet, her tail twitching irritably against the floor.

Chen Mi crouched to scratch her chin—Then noticed something dark red on her paw.

It wasn’t the usual fishy smell. It was the sharp, metallic scent of bl00d.

His heart skipped a beat. He grabbed his jacket and bolted out the door.

At the end of the alley, by the trash bins, Chen Mi found Xu Yao’s motorcycle.

The headlight was still on, illuminating fresh droplets of bl00d on the ground—
Leading all the way to the iron door of an abandoned warehouse.

“Xu Yao?” Chen Mi called softly.

No answer. Only the creaking sound of the metal door swaying.

He pushed it open. A wave of mold and bl00d hit his nose. Moonlight slanted through a broken window, outlining two figures locked in a struggle—

Xu Yao had a man pinned to the wall. One hand gripped the man’s collar, the other held his old straight razor, its tip pressed to the man’s throat.

“It’s been five years,” a briefcase lay open on the ground, its contents scattered—Every photo was of Chen Mi.

Buying fish at the market.
Sweeping the barbershop entrance.
Even… a silhouette changing clothes in the attic.

“Liu Mingyuan still using this kind of scummy tactic?”

“How much is the Liu family paying you?” Xu Yao’s voice was colder than the blade in his hand.

The man grinned, flashing a gold canine tooth. “Back then, you broke Young Master Liu’s leg for some cheap MB—”

He didn’t finish.

Xu Yao’s fist slammed into his face.

Chen Mi heard the sickening crack of bone, saw the bl00d spray across Xu Yao’s brow, trickling down that crescent-shaped scar.

“Tell Liu Mingyuan this,” Xu Yao yanked the man’s hair, slamming his head against the wall, “If he dares have anyone tail Chen Mi again, I’ll break his other leg too.”

He released the man, turned to leave—then froze as he saw Chen Mi standing in the doorway.

Behind him, the man perked up. He pulled another photo from his coat and deliberately waved it in front of Chen Mi.

The photo’s edge was stained with dried brown bl00d. In it, Xu Yao’s fist was mid-swing, striking a young man whose face was a bloody mess.

But what made Chen Mi’s skin crawl was the background—
On a blurry sofa, a teenager in a school uniform curled up, his exposed ankles covered in whip marks.

“This one… was the original?” the man taunted.

“Replacement—replacement—ment—ment—” The word echoed endlessly in Chen Mi’s mind.

Xu Yao strode over, grabbed Chen Mi’s wrist, and pulled him out.

On the ride back, Xu Yao drove the motorcycle extremely slowly.
Chen Mi wrapped his arms tightly around his waist, cheek pressed to Xu Yao’s sweaty back.

The night wind was chilly, but Xu Yao’s body radiated alarming heat.

“Why did you follow me?” Xu Yao suddenly asked.

Chen Mi felt the tension in his back muscles and held on tighter.
“…I was afraid you’d get lost.”

Xu Yao chuckled lowly, the vibration of his laughter passing through his spine.

He reached back and touched Chen Mi’s cold fingers, didn’t say a word—
Only slowed the bike down even more.

By the time they returned to the barbershop, it was already 2:30 AM.

Xu Yao could tell Chen Mi wanted to say something but was holding back.

He sighed and motioned for Chen Mi to sit down.

But Chen Mi suddenly ran up and grabbed the hem of Xu Yao’s shirt, blurting out urgently:

“I… I can be a replacement.”

Xu Yao let out a helpless laugh and shook his head.
Chen Mi, misinterpreting this as rejection, panicked.

“I can be a replacement! Just don’t push me away. I can change, I can be like him. Tell me how he talked, how he acted, everything—I can learn, I swear, Xu Yao, just please don’t push me away—” Chen Mi was nearly choking on his words by the end, eyes turning red.

Xu Yao cupped his face in both hands, forcing him to look up.

“Chen Mi, look at me. You’re not anyone’s replacement. You’re you.”

Chen Mi was compelled to meet his eyes.
Those deep, dark eyes seemed to hold a galaxy inside them.
Slowly, he calmed down.

Once he saw the clarity return in Chen Mi’s gaze, Xu Yao cradled his face and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead.

The moment Chen Mi had just managed to regain his composure, his brain short-circuited again.

Seeing him dazed, Xu Yao let out a quiet laugh, took his hand, and led him to the fridge—Grabbing a can of cold Coke for Chen Mi and two cans of beer for himself.

He led Chen Mi outside, where they sat together on the front steps.

Chen Mi still looked shell-shocked.
Xu Yao chuckled, ruffled his hair, then popped open the Coke for him.
The hiss of the carbonation seemed to snap Chen Mi out of it.

He took the Coke, just as Xu Yao asked:

“Want to hear my story?”