Chapter 14: Li Hong
She kissed him on the lips as he grabbed his bag. He had made plans to stay with his parents when he visited China. He was unsure of how long he would be in China.
"I'll call you when I get to China," he said as he drew back. "I'll call you every day."
"Alright and be safe." She watched him close the door. He was taking a Taxi to the airport because she had a meeting in half an hour. She was running late, but she didn't much care. It was the same man that wasted her time the last time. Rin was with Sesshomaru, this being his last day in town. His flight was early in the morning and he would be landing late in Japan, around ten at night.
She grabbed her keys and her briefcase before running out the door. The meeting was in her building and she had her own parking spot reserved for her so finding parking was not going to be an issue.
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He landed to see his mother waiting for him. He approached her and gave her a hug, his single bag behind him. "Mother, it is good to see you again," he said in Chinese.
"Why aren't you married yet?" She asked him.
"Oh, mother, I am working on it. I have very beautiful woman waiting for me in America." He picked up his bag.
"An American woman?" She looked disgusted.
"No. She is a respectable woman." He pulled out his wallet and pulled out the picture of him, Kagome, and Rin. He showed it to his mother.
"She has a kid," his mother commented. "She's loose then."
"No mother." He sighed. "Rin is from a previous marriage. She is an intelligent and kind girl, and well behaved. Kagome only slept with two men. Her ex-husband and me."
"She's Japanese," his mother commented.
"And she is a very intelligent, nice, and successful woman, and a great mother. You would like her. She has even gone so far as to learn Chinese, as did Rin." He opened and closed the door for his mother and put his bag in the trunk. He got in the car and looked to his mother. "She makes me happy. Is that not enough?"
She sighed as she looked into his eyes. He was changed and she knew it was because of the woman. She had never seen him this happy before. "Then when you go back, I will go with you to meet this woman." He nodded as she pulled into the drive way. He got out of the car and helped his mother out before grabbing his bag and following her into the house. He pulled out his cell phone and called Kagome. She seemed to have been asleep. It was some odd amount of time difference, so it was understandable.
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She had received his call, which was a good start to her day. It was a Sunday so she didn't have work today. She wanted to get in a good exercise so she woke Rin and sat her in front of the television to watch the discovery channel as she did her exercises. Rin was still half asleep so she curled up on the couch and went back to sleep.
She did her exercise for an hour to see Rin fast asleep on the couch. She smiled and kissed Rin's cheek before walking towards her room for a shower. She would cook breakfast after a shower.
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He had hired a private investigator to check on the living conditions of his son. He would need the photos if he had to go to court. He was unsure if Li Kim was an unfit parent. If she was what he remembered, then her house would be trashed and disorganized, with no food in the fridge. Then when he got those photos, he would go and visit his possible son and take him to get a DNA test. His age would also be able to tell him if he was his child. He was waiting on the private investigator. Even if he wasn't his child, if he was treated poorly and lived in an unfitting environment, he would be removed from her care and placed in more capable hands.
He looked up as the man walked in. He threw the manila envelope on the desk. He looked at the photos to see a mess, dirty dishes in the sink, and the investigator even managed to get photos of Li Kim hitting the poor boy for what appears to be no reason. He would have to put a stop to this if it was his child. He slid the photos into the envelope and slipped forward the sum of money that was charged for the job. The man left without a word after tucking the money away.
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He appeared at Li Kim's house and rang the door bell. She threw it open and purred out a name that was not his name, instead it was the name Fong Tai. She looked at him and the look changed. Were she looked to seduce, an angry scowl replaced it.
"I came to see if the child," he stated in Chinese. "I also wish to do a paternity test to see if he is my son."
"Why would I agree to a paternity test? You would only take him away from me and give him to that whore!"
"Do not talk about Kagome like that," he said in anger. "Let me see the boy." She stepped aside and he saw the boy, sitting in a corner crying. He approached him and crouched in front of him. "What is your name?"
"Li Hong," he replied, trying to dry his tears. He looked up at this man to see him in a suit. He had long black hair and kind, loving eyes. He wished this man was his father. Maybe then he would take him away from this place.
"Would you like to come with me?" The boy nodded shyly and he smiled, holding out his hand. "Come then." He helped the boy up and noticed that he looked like him when he was a boy. He also noticed the bruises on his arms and legs. He would not ask about them in front of Li Kim. He held the young boy's hand in his own and walked with him out the door.
"You cannot just take him," she screamed at him.
"You said he was my son," Zhou Yuan said. "I have the right to take him if that is true." He opened the back door of his car. He helped Hong into the back seat and buckled him in. He closed the door and got in the driver's seat, buckling up and starting the car. "There is one thing we need to do before we do anything, alright?" The boy nodded. He looked to be slightly older than Rin.
He pulled up to the doctor's clinic his sister worked at and found her, Hong holding his hand. He greeted her with a hug and she looked at the boy. He was covered in dirt and bruises.
"Mina, do you think you could do a paternity test for me?" He looked his sister in the eye. "It is important, and can you look at this boy to see if there is any major injury?"
She looked at the boy and nodded. He looked pretty banged up and this was her brother. She owed him a lot because he helped pay for her medical schooling.
"Come in here," she told them and led them to a room. She took out a cotton swab for the both of them and took the sample, being sure not to mix the two up. She sent them to the lab then looked at the boy. He seemed to shy away from her. "I'm not going to hurt you," she soothed. "I just want to get a look at you, and Yuan will be here." The boy nodded and stood still as she looked him over. She did a few x-rays to see that his arm had been broken a few times and hadn't healed properly. Yes, he was an abused young boy.
"His arm was broken a few times and it never really healed properly. I don't know how long ago. But he doesn't have any major injuries now." She looked at the boy. He was hiding behind Yuan.
"How long will the paternity test take?" He looked at the boy. He looked like him, so he was already pretty sure this was his son.
"It should be done soon." There was a knock on the door and a man walked in with a folder. He handed it to her with a wink and left. She looked over the results and looked at her brother. "He is your son," she replied.
"I thought so." He smiled at the young boy. "How much is the bill?"
"Well, for the paternity test, in American, fifty dollars, the x-ray is another five hundred." She watched him pull out the amount and hand it to her. Yes, it was improper, but he knew his sister was honest and would give it to the hospital.
"I have to get going. I need to get this little guy some decent clothes and a passport and go to court to get custody for my son, so the notes and paternity test you took should help me." She nodded and handed over the folders. It would be compiled into a medical record for his son. He would have his son's name changed to his legally. "Come visit me in the states," he told her and left with the boy holding his hand. He helped him into the car then looked at him.
"There are a few things that will need to be done with you, and in a short amount of time. There will be a lot of people asking you a lot of questions and I will be there. I want you to tell them the truth. If you tell them the truth then I can help you and I can take you away from that place, okay?" The boy nodded. "We are going to go get you some clothes now and then we will go to court so I can get custody of you and change your name to Zhou Hong and get you a passport."
"A passport?"
"Yes. It is so I can take you with me when I leave China."
"For where?"
"To the United States. You will live with me and my girl friend and her daughter." He knew his son didn't like women and was afraid of them. "She is a kind woman and she will shower you with love and care. I would not be with her if she was unkind. She will just adore you."
"Really?"
"Yes. She is a good mother."
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Hong looked much better after getting cleaned up. Yes, the bruises were visible, but he looked a bit happier. But the door bell rang and he opened it to see the police.
"A Li Kim says you kidnapped her son," the police said.
"How can I kidnap my own son?" He asked.
The police knew who this man was. He was a rich business man but he was not dirty like most other business men, and he donated money to the police on several occasions. It was why the cities were safer now.
"Besides, she is an unfit parent." He felt Hong hug his leg in fear.
"I don't want to go back to her," he cried.
"No one is making you go back to her," Yuan said to his son. "Go to grandma, she will take care of you." He nodded and ran off.
"She wants to press charges," they said.
"And I wish to press charges against her for abusing my son." The police looked perplexed at this. "Why do you think he doesn't want to go back to her? Why do you think he has bruises all over his arms and legs and other parts of his body? Do you want proof?"
The officers shook their heads. "At least come down to the court house with the boy."
"Let me grab a few things." They nodded and allowed him to go back inside and grab a few things. He took hold of his son's hand. "We have to go for a few, okay?" He nodded.
They got into the cop car and the police drove off to the court house.
Author's Note: Now you know the truth. Li Hong is Zhou Yuan's son, and he is very shy and at the moment doesn't like women. Please review.