Alicia clutched at Ryu and buried her face in his chest as she tried to unsee the cigarette burn marks.Ryu hugged her tightly and then softly murmured for her to go out and freshen up and prepare to meet MiRae.He'd handle the rest.Nodding against him,she turned to look back at the little boy and who had been covered back and with wet s.h.i.+ny eyes went out of the room.

Ryu took a deep breath and turned towards the window indicating for the others to leave the room.This incident had almost taken him back to when he had first come home to discover Leona and Ru.Though this child was not his own,he never could understand how a person could be crazy enough to hurt an innocent child.To Ryu,hurting a child was the biggest crime possible in humanity.

After he had composed himself,he summoned back the doctor and asked for a report.The doctor had also been shaked at this boy's injuries but calmly explained,"The wounds are from cigarette burns,Sir.And they have been especially made on the upper arm because it was rare for a child to wear sleeveless clothes in the upcoming cold weather.The wounds are not very old and festering.He may have had a fever because of that as well and this had weakened his immunity system.We are applying medication to the wound but the scars are bound to remain.There are also marks of a stick beating on the back of his legs and his lower back.Many parents use capital punishment as a form of disciplining but the cigarette marks attribute to domestic violence.Sir,we will have to report this to the police."

Ryu heard what the doctor had to say but stopped him from going to the police,"The child will be safe here and I will handle the person who had the courage to hurt a little child.Doctor,check the little girl also for any injuries and the existence of this boy in this house should remain between us.The person is yet unaware of where this child is and I need to keep him here for sometime."

The doctor nodded in understanding and left the room to check on the little girl.He thoroughly checked the girl's arms and legs and after finding nothing,gave an all clear to Alicia and left.The doctor would have been hesitant to leave an abused child without informing the police but he knew Ryu Long and though the man was known for his coldness he was also known for his fairness.And not many people knew that the only people who were harmed by Ryu Long were those who had done something immoral or something to offend him.So the doctor left the little boy with a clear conscience.

After some time,Zhao Min slowly opened his eyes and looked around.He was feeling sick and was also in a little pain.He looked around the simple room in confusion when suddenly his eyes turned big and he looked around in horror to check if he was in a hospital and his uncle had come.But no one was around.He tried to get up when a hard voice stated,"Stop it Zhao Min.You will pull out the IV in your arm."

The boy froaze in place and stared wide eyed at the man at the door.He recognized him for Ru's father and the man who had forcefully caught him.His hair stood on end and his eyes wildly looked around the room for his sister.When he couldn't see her,he thought that ths man must have definitely called his uncle and he had taken her with him.Once again he tried to get up.He had to go rescue her before that man took her far away from him.

But Ru's father stopped him by saying,"Zhao Xin is in the next room sleeping.Don't harm yourself."He placed the tray in his hand on the side table and picked up a small device from there.It was a child monitor and he could see his sister sleeping peacefully so he sat back a bit and in a timid voice murmured,"Thank you."

Nodding,Ryu accepted the thanks and moved forward to help the boy sit up but the sudden movement caused Zhao Min to flinch back and recoil.This reaction touched Ryu's heart but alarmed the little boy.He had shown the big man that he was scared and now the man could use this knowledge against him.Guessing from the boy's expression,Ryu knew what was going on in his mind and so he acted as if had noticed nothing and slowly uprighted the boy.

He then opened a small lap table and placing it in front of Zhao Min,Placed the table of warm soup in front of him.In an indifferent voice he said,"You are sick and need nourishment.Have this soup and it will help you fight illness."

Saying this Ryu turned to leave the room while the boy perpexedly stared at the soup bowl in front of him.Once at the door,Ryu said only one thing,"Before you try to protect the week,you need to increase your strength.You can win only when the enemy is scared of you.Think about this Zhao Min.Ru tells me that you have made him promise to not tell me anything.But I am a powerful man.Much more powerful than your uncle could ever be.Telling me everything  might just be in your best interest."

With that Ryu Long left the boy alone. Actually some people may feel the need to sympathize with the boy or treat him carefully after knowing his suffering, But Ryu believed that the boy would hate being pitied or knowing that someone else knew his 'shameful' secret.At a time like this Zhao Min needed strength and determination and the confidence to stand and survive. Something that Ryu could give him.