Part 2
Luo Wenshu continued, “Your accidental meeting with Tang Yuqi at the hospital earlier made him suspicious. Guess what he’s thinking, and what he’s going to do?”
At this point, her voice suddenly dropped, like a demon whispering, luring a human into an endless abyss. “Tang Yue, do you want to go see? See Tang Yuqiās reaction, and hear the Tang family’s plans…”
The Tang Residence.
Third Floor Study.
The decor was classical and grand, with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves neatly lined with books of all categories. The lighting was bright, and the room was spotless.
On the expensive rosewood sofa, the Tang family members all wore grim expressions.
The tea on the coffee table before them had long since gone cold, but no one had the mind to refill it.
Amidst the swirling cigarette smoke, Tang Mingquan asked in a low, hoarse voice, “Changning, what should we do about this?”
The “Changning” he referred to was Mr. Fu, whom Tang Yuqi had taken to the hospital to see Yu Zhen earlier. He was sitting opposite Tang Mingquan.
Mr. Fu wore a grey mandarin jacket, with white hair and beard. His posture was as upright as a pine on a cliff. If one ignored his expression, he looked like a transcendental expert, a sage from another world.
“I don’t know if Tang Yue has become suspicious.” Mr. Fuās brow furrowed, resembling deep gullies crisscrossing barren land.
As he spoke, his gaze fell on Tang Yuqi nearby.
It was late at night, a time when they should have been asleep, yet they were all sitting here in a stupor because of Tang Yuqi.
Tang Mingquanās brow furrowed even tighter, his expression clearly displeased. “I told you many times. It’s fine for you to be close to Yu Zhen, but don’t make it so obvious.”
“Every time, you promised me you knew your limits.”
“Is this the limit you spoke of?!”
As he spoke, a surge of anger rushed up, impossible to suppress. He grabbed the teacup by his hand and smashed it against Tang Yuqiās head.
“Couldn’t you visit Yu Zhen any other time? Did you have to rush over tonight of all nights?!”
Tang Mingquanās outburst was sudden; Tang Yuqi was dazed when the cup hit him.
Beside him, Zhang Qing hadn’t expected it either. It took her a few seconds to react before she started cursing, “Tang, are you crazy? Why did you hit my son?! If you’re so capable, go solve the problem! What kind of man takes his anger out on his son?!”
Her voice was extremely shrill, piercing to the ears. Since the study was essentially a sealed space, the other three people in the room found it unbearable.
“Zhang Qing, what kind of fit are you throwing!?” Tang Mingquan roared, his large hands clamping down on Zhang Qingās arms, trying to calm her.
Little did he know, this only provoked her further.
With her hands immobilized, Zhang Qing resorted to kicking Tang Mingquan. Her long hair became messy from the violent struggle, completely losing her usual composed image.
Meanwhile, the victim, Tang Yuqi, sat blankly on the rosewood sofa, staring at the scene before him.
Finally, Mr. Fu called a halt to the farce. “Stop it, Xiao Qing. Mingquan, you too, let her go.”
“Huzi is still sleeping inside…”
His voice wasn’t loud, nor did it carry much emotion, but the moment he spoke, it was like a ladle of cold water poured into a boiling pot.
Tang Mingquan and Zhang Qing, who had been cursing and grappling with each other, were the boiling water.
They calmed down instantly, realizing how ugly they looked, and their expressions turned grim.
“Well, was it exciting?” Luo Wenshu asked in a low voice.
The night wind was blowing quite hard, bending the grass and trees in the garden below. She sat on the carved railing, her two long, slender legs swinging gently, looking perfectly relaxed.
Standing beside her, Tang Yue did not share her good mood or composure.
They were on the balcony outside the floor-to-ceiling window of the Tang family’s third-floor study.
It was originally intended for Tang Mingquan, the primary user of the study, to step out for fresh air and enjoy the view when tired from work.
Now, it served as a perch for Luo Wenshu and Tang Yue.
The floor-to-ceiling window wasn’t closed, and the curtains were only half-drawn. The light from inside, along with the sound of the quarrel, drifted out.
The people inside didn’t care because they never imagined there would be anyone outside the studyāleast of all the key person who shouldn’t be there.
Not just themāeven Tang Yue hadn’t expected Luo Wenshu to bring her here.
She didn’t even know how she got to the balcony.
Tang Yue only remembered nodding and saying “I want to” on the bench by the river. Then Luo Wenshu stood up and said, “Follow me.”
One after another, they walked along the river for a bit before turning into deep darkness.
Tang Yue felt a slightly cool hand grab hers, accompanied by Luo Wenshuās calm voice, “Don’t be afraid. Close your eyes and follow me.”
She obeyed subconsciously.
After an unknown amount of time, Luo Wenshu let go and said, “You can open your eyes now.”
Tang Yue felt the air smelled vaguely familiar. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself standing on the balcony outside the study of her home.
Her father, Tang Mingquanās voice, was coming from inside.
…No, that wasn’t right. This wasn’t her home, and the man speaking wasn’t her father.
Tang Yue had already believed Luo Wenshuās absurd story, but a sliver of unwillingness remained in her heart. She wanted to see it with her own eyes, hear it with her own ears. It seemed only that would give an explanation to her painful twenty years.
“You envied Tang Yuqi growing up. You envied that he had his parents’ love, that they would take time out of their busy schedules to attend his parent-teacher meetings, sit down and chat with him, teach him how to conduct himself…”
“Actually, it’s all an illusion.”
“When the winds are calm, they are a warm, loving familyāa kind father, a filial son, a gentle mother.”
“But once a crisis beyond their ability strikes, they shed their masks and reveal their true nature, tearing and biting at each other like mad dogs.”
“Seeing them like this now, do you still envy him, Tang Yue?” Luo Wenshu asked.
Tang Yueās eyes were swollen, but that was from crying earlier.
Since returning… coming to the Tang house, her tears had gradually stopped. Now, there was only an expressionless face and hands clenched so tight her fingernails dug into her palms.
“It’s nothing special,” Tang Yue heard her own voice say. It was calm. There was no love, nor the pain and hatred of unrequited love. It was as if she had extracted those emotions, leaving only a cold disdain.
Luo Wenshu smiled. “I’ve always enjoyed watching pure villains panic before their downfall. Watching them rack their brains, exhaust their efforts, thinking they’ve found a remedy, then executing it with anxiety and hope, waiting for the result.”
“It’s like a prisoner on the execution block waiting for a pardon.”
“They don’t know if the decree will come. As time passes, the shadow of death looms. Their filthy, rotting hearts suffer in a cauldron brewed of immense fear and slim hope.”
“There are three endings for them.”
“One: No pardon comes. The executioner raises the blade and drops it. The head falls, eyes wide with terror.”
“Two: The pardon arrives, but too late. Only a pair of eyes, unwilling to close in death, stare at the hope they yearned for.”
“Or, the pardon arrives just before the execution. Hope ignites in their eyes, a smile surfaces on their face… then they hear the command ‘Execute.’ The blade falls. On the severed head, the hope in the eyes and the smile on the face haven’t even had time to fade.”
“These seem like three paths, but they all lead to one ending.”
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