A/n: The incoming chapters are might be disturbing. Read at your own risk.

*****

Ming Zhi Yi always thought that he had a perfect family.

He had a taciturn father who always disciplined him so he won't go astray. He had a loving mother who instilled beliefs and plans for his future. His grandfather doted on him the most.

Although the servants always looked at him strangely, the bright child only have one reply to those strange looks.

They could not understand.

It was not that he had mistaken his father's 'discipline' as love. Nor he mistaken his mother's pair of cold hands as affection, or his grandfather's threats and warning as expectations of him.

His father truly loved him. So his mother and grandfather.

Those people- outside the family- just could not understand.

Smack!

A loud smack resounded in the study room.

An old man who was still vigorous and lively slapped a young man. The old man did not hold back. The young man's cheeks started to turn red.

However, the old man was not satisfied.

"Zhi Yi, bring me my case."

Not far away from the two was a young child who was barely above five.

He was emotionless like the old man. The young man who was slapped carried no emotion as well. It was no doubt that this little child who was watching them would have no reaction at all.

The child was obedient. He started to cross the room and took a case under the desk.

The old man did not help the child dragged the case that was half the size of the child.

When the child was finally able to bring the case in front of them, a slight fatigue finally could be seen in his young face.

The old man opened the case and a bunch of tools for torturing someone was laid out. Those sharp and violent tools should not be exposed to the child at all, however, the old man did not only covered or hid them, but he beckoned the child to come closer.

"Zhi Yi, choose."

The young child looked closer to the case. Like it was a toy that he frequently played with, he picked a small dagger that was a bit curved at the end.

"Hmm. Last time you have chosen a dagger as well. Do you perhaps taken a liking to knives?" The old man asked dotingly.

The child did not speak. He just looked curiously at his father who was now kneeling then to his grandfather. He then handed the knife to the old man.

"Good. Stand there and watch. This is how our Qian family punish a person who did not meet our expectations. It is because we hope our family to stand above everyone that we should not only be ruthless and merciless to them, but to ourselves and kin as well."

The young man did not fear the knife. He was expressionless. His voice was polite as he carried no grudge at all at the old man's slap.

"This son-in-law understood and accepting the punishment."

The young child followed up like it was a ritual.

"Ming Zhi Yi understood as well."

The voice of the child was rich and childish. It was a bit contrast to the child's emotionless face.

His grandfather was true to his words. He was ruthless and merciless to other people. So to his kin.

The old man started inducing 'punishment' while letting his grandson watch how his father was cruelly punished. Not only to engraved physical pain to the son-in-law but to also to shame him in front of his son.

Violence was a means of punishment and affection for them. Like how there was a thin line between kindness and cruelty. For the Qian family, they have obliterated that line and crossed over between two boundaries.

This was how the young Ming Zhi Yi grew up. And thus, understood 'love' through its means.

**

Whip!

Whip!

Whip!

The young Ming Zhi Yi stood emotionless as the wooden whip hit his legs. The skin was already broken and bleeding.

A sharp sound buzzed in the air. A whip landed on his already broken skin.

The whip hit the most painful bruise that made the emotionless face on the kid broke for a moment.

The child almost let out a frown, but he quickly reigned on his emotion and controlled his facial expression. If he cried or complained that it hurts, his father would start the lesson all over again.

It was not because it hurts that he wants it to end quickly, it was because he thought it was meaningless to learn a lesson that he already learned.

The whip that were hitting him finally stopped. It was already covered with blood.

A handsome man with a dull expression nodded with satisfaction. He looked eighty percent to Ming Zhi. With dark hair and dark eyes.

"You controlled your emotion well. Do you understand where you have gone wrong?"

"...I showed impatience and immaturity." A young child's voice sounded out. Even after such hard beating, his voice was still dull.

The young man nodded again. He took a face towel and wiped the wooden whip before putting it in a case where other tools for 'discipline' were.

"You might be young. But don't let your age be an excuse for you to act like your peers. Those children was not disciplined like you. Don't stoop low like them."

The child did not answer.

His mind was still confused.

Earlier, their family was invited to a banquet.

Because he was a beautiful child, a lot of children approached him and wanted to play with him. Such occurrence was common whenever he go out. But despite his curiosity to join, he controlled himself. It was because he was 'disciplined' than others that he should not stoop low like them and act immaturely.

However, a child was still a child. He was brimming with curiosity that led him to follow his curious mind and forget about the rules for a moment.

When his grandfather and father left for a private room, the young Ming Zhi Yi followed the children secretly. He wanted to see what those uneducated children were talking about.

He arrived at the garden and saw a majestic and magical place that made his eyes wide.

It was heavenly place filled with colors and fantasy of children.

Since the family who invited them requested them to bring their children, they naturally designated a field for the children to play. For a wealthy family, that was a very easy thing to do.

There was a children castle in the garden. There were slides and mini playground beside it. Small cars and other huge toys were displayed everywhere. It was really a heavenly place for children.

The young Ming Zhi Yi who never owned a toy was overwhelmed for a moment.

In his huge room in the Qian mansion, he only had books, pens, dictionaries and lesson plans. So he never knew that such interesting and colorful things existed.

The young child was so taken aback that he froze on the spot.

It was like a new door suddenly appeared in front of him and telling to step closer to take a closer look. For a moment, he forgotten his father's teachings, his grandfather's warning and slowly approach the place.

In the end, curiosity wins. He went to the corner and slowly climbed up the mini horse that only know how to move its body upwards and downwards.. He was still a bit daze as he observed his surroundings.