The little crybaby in the group, the young master is a softie

Mingxi had been trapped in the abyss of kidnapping and trafficking since birth. No one treated him as a human being, and he was sold from one hand to another like a piglet. If he did anything wrong, he would be beaten to death. He suffered a lot at such a young age.

Early trauma carved a self-imposed barrier into his heart, leaving deep-seated fear, inferiority, and shame. Negative experiences from childhood to adulthood left him with a constant sense of insecurity, gradually forming a visceral perception that the world around him was always dangerous.

This cognition made him afraid to try anything new. Past experiences always reminded him that action could lead to injury, so inaction became the only way for him to protect himself.

At the same time, the long-term lack of kindness and love has led him to accept that he is unworthy of love. He even internalizes the harm inflicted by the outside world as his own fault. This deep-seated self-denial makes him particularly concerned about the opinions of others.

Even when he simply expressed himself normally, he would assume he would be ridiculed and rejected, and shame would set in. The intertwined forces of fear, inferiority, and shame created a self-imposed prison for him.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to do anything, but every time he takes a step, the thoughts of “I can’t do it”, “I will get hurt”, and “others will look down on me” will trap him. In the end, he can only choose the safe mode of not changing.

Later, God showed mercy and when he was twelve years old, Su Wenyan rescued him from the brothels when he was dying. He had a gentle temperament and was Mingxi's closest person.

If it were an ordinary child, he would at most regard Su Wenyan as his father, but Mingxi distorted this emotion into a dependence on his lover.

This seemingly absurd perception stemmed from his tragic past. He had long been accustomed to using his body to please others, unconsciously mistaking Su Wenyan, the one who saved him, for a guest, and mistaking the heavy gratitude he felt for love.

Su Wenyan cared for Mingxi patiently, telling the child over and over again, "You are the best, be confident." Worried that he would be lonely without a playmate, he placed him in Haishang Mingyue.

But this redemption ultimately failed to fully warm his frozen heart. Mingxi still couldn't learn to be confident, to let go of himself. The long-suppressed instincts had grown into a deep desire to break free, but he couldn't find a way out.

The appearance of Yin Hen made him vaguely see the possibility of a breakthrough. In his cognition, gentle changes were too unfamiliar.

He has never experienced safe, gradual growth. Instead, he feels that the stimulation with taboos can make him taste the pleasure of breaking free from shackles.

Taboos inherently involve breaking rules, which coincided with his inner need to break free from constraints. So even if this excitement carried a fatal risk, it was more attractive to him than the suffocating feeling of being trapped in the same place forever.

In Mingxi's eyes, taboos were never mistakes, but rather the only way to prove his independence. In his past life, he had always been controlled and harmed by others. When he chose to touch the taboo, he felt for the first time that he had the initiative, even if this initiative was shrouded in the aura of destruction from the very beginning.

……

Rumbling--

The heavy rain outside the window hit the glass, and a pale flash of lightning cut through the night sky, instantly illuminating the room.

Mingxi woke up from his dream and thought of the small orchid on the terrace. It was the variety he had picked out at the flower market last month. It would definitely be damaged by such heavy rain.

He wanted to ask Su Xiang to accompany him to move the flowers, but when he looked down, there was nothing there. Then he realized that Su Xiang had said he would sleep with Su Yang tonight and did not come here.

"Oops……"

He hurriedly threw back the covers, grabbed his coat and threw it on, rushing to the door without even putting on his slippers. But just as he opened the door, a familiar figure suddenly rushed into his sight, freezing him in place.

Yin Hen was standing in the corridor outside the door. His black coat was soaked by the rain, sticking to his body and outlining his tight lines. Water droplets on his hair dripped down the ends of his hair, forming a small puddle at his feet.

In his arms, he was carefully protecting the small orchid. There were still water droplets on the petals, but the leaves were intact, and even the most delicate flower buds were not hurt.

"you……"

Mingxi opened his mouth, his eyes filled with astonishment. A few days ago, Yin Hen had been as cold to him as a stranger, not even looking at him when they sat at the same table together for dinner. Why was he suddenly...

"I just heard it was raining, and I brought your flower pot over here for fear it would get wet." Yin Hen explained with a smile. Seeing him standing barefoot on the floor, he frowned: "Why did you come out without shoes? The ground is cold."

Ming Xi's cheeks flushed, and he quickly took two steps back to make room for the door: "Come in quickly! Don't stand outside in the rain." He turned and ran to the bathroom to get a towel. When he came back, he saw Yin Hen placing the orchid on the table by the window.

"for you."

Ming Xi handed over the dry towel and stood by with his head lowered. He wanted to say something but didn't dare. Yin Hen had been so cold to him in the past few days. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would be met with cold words in return.

Yin Hen took the towel and wiped his wet hair twice, then turned to look at Ming Xi. Seeing the young man with his head lowered and his eyelashes drooping, like a wronged puppy, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hmm~ Why are you so quiet today?" Yin Hen took two steps forward, bent down, and stared into Ming Xi's eyes with a smile. "Didn't you always love to chatter with me and ask me questions? Why don't you even talk to me now?"

This intimate tone was too familiar. Ming Xi looked up suddenly and met the other person's smiling eyes. This was the Yin Hen he knew. Was the person who was as cold as a stranger a few days ago really his illusion?

"Why... why are you ignoring me?" He spoke more and more aggrievedly. "I asked you if you needed help in the warehouse, but you refused to talk to me... I thought you were really angry and didn't want to play with me anymore."

Yin Hen raised his hand and cupped Ming Xi's cheek. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have deliberately given you the cold shoulder." He paused, his voice softening. "Actually, I came here today not only to give you flowers, but also to tell you something. I think I owe you an apology."

Mingxi blinked, tears rolling down her cheeks: "Apologize?"

"Yeah." Yin Hen nodded, and gently wiped the tears from his face with her thumb. "I was so cold to you a few days ago, and it made you sad. It's my fault. I shouldn't have been angry with you just because you said you wanted to keep your distance, and I shouldn't have let you have wild thoughts."

"I... I didn't mean to keep my distance from you." Ming Xi sniffed, tears falling even harder, "I'm just afraid... I'm afraid Su Xiang will be angry if he finds out, and I'm afraid you'll get hurt..."

Yin Hen took off his wet coat, put his arm around him, and patted him on the back gently: "I know, I understand. I was too impatient and didn't consider your feelings."

He lowered his head and whispered in Mingxi's ear, "Give me another chance, okay? From now on, I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do, and I won't have a cold war with you. Let's just sneak up the mountain to pick wild fruits and quietly go down to the river to catch small fish like before, okay?"

Mingxi leaned in his arms and nodded vigorously: "Okay... then you are not allowed to ignore me again in the future."

"Never." Yin Hen hugged him tighter, "No matter what happens in the future, I will never let you be sad alone again."

……

The morning light filtered through the bulletproof glass of the nanny car, making the interior as warm as if it were wrapped in cotton. Mingxi leaned against the soft leather seat, her mouth never moving.

"Hey, what are you laughing so hard for?" Su Yang nudged him lightly with his elbow, still holding a half-eaten custard bun in his hand. "I've been laughing since I got on the bus until now. The corners of my mouth are almost stretched to my ears."

Ming Xi snapped back to his senses, realizing belatedly that he'd actually laughed out loud. He quickly raised his hand to cover his mouth. His eyes were evasive, as he was trying to figure out an excuse when Su Xiang's voice came from the front row.

"I know."

He stared at the laptop screen, his fingers still tapping away at the keyboard, not even turning his head. "The teacher praised his star map the day before yesterday. Last time at dinner, he was still grumbling about how bad it wasn't, and now that he's been praised, he's naturally carried away."

Ming Xi nodded in agreement, "Yes! The teacher praised me! He said my paintings were very creative and asked if I wanted to participate in the school's art exhibition!"