On Father's Day, I secretly video-called my ten-year-old twins from a temple. Suddenly, my good friend Zhang Mingyu grabbed his hair in a frenzy, let out a pained howl, then dropped to his knees before the children and kowtowed.
“Pingping, An'an, please stop cursing me!”
The twins stumbled backward in fright.
But my wife, He Jiajia, slapped each child hard across the face eighteen times.
“Uncle Li has helped us so much! How dare you curse him instead of being grateful?”
“Looks like I’ve spoiled you rotten. You need to be sent to the temple to cleanse your souls just like your dad, so you can learn some manners and behave!”
The phone was knocked over, and the video cut out.
I struggled desperately to free myself from the chains, then slipped home.
When I saw them again, I watched helplessly as their fingernails were ripped out. They were covered in bruises, lying limp on the ground, lifeless.
I had been beaten until every bone in my body felt shattered, reduced to a heap of mush.
As I lay on the brink of death, it felt as if my organs were being rearranged. Strength surged through me. My super-male body had been activated!
