resentment

“Fang Chengyin, that’s how it always has been,” Jiang Zhi said.

Fang Chengyin simply flipped through the last sheet of paper.

The text doesn't specify who killed Fang Bokang. Was it his mother? Holding a knife, with tears in her eyes but a resolute expression?

How helpless she must have felt, all for her own sake.

"Please take me home." The words were tinged with distance.

"There's no going back."

Jiang Zhi took the drawing paper from his hand, turned on the TV, and saw a deluge of Apple-related reports. Changing the channel, Song Zixin's residence was exposed, and the police were searching it.

Fang Chengyin knew that all he could do now was wait for Song Zixin to contact him.

Jiang Zhi wanted to stay with him a little longer, but he couldn't leave the picking site. "Grandma Yang is downstairs. You can cook with her. Grandma is getting old, so please help her out."

She said this because she was afraid Fang Chengyin would keep her locked in her room.

Fang Chengyin made no comment. Jiang Zhi glanced at the spare phone on his bedside table and left.

Not long after the door closed, Fang Chengyin saw Grandma Yang knocking on his door. She had white hair, but was full of energy.

She asked what she wanted for dinner, and Fang Chengyin asked her in return what she wanted to eat. Grandma Yang smiled and said she would wait for him downstairs.

Fang Chengyin stood by the window for a while, and looked around. The staff in the orchard were all there, indicating that the apples had really become a hit this time.

I went into the bathroom to wash my face and was about to go downstairs to make dinner when I opened the door. My feet involuntarily took two steps back, and before I could turn around, I was hit on the head and fell unconscious.

Blood flowed from his hair. Zhang Weike kicked it, then threw down the bleeding iron nail bar, grabbed Fang Chengyin's arm, and dragged him out.

Jiang Zhi received the notification from the surveillance personnel five minutes later. When he arrived at the villa, all he found was Grandma Yang lying in a pool of blood in the living room, and a trail of blood spreading down the stairs.

He tightened his grip on his right hand and dialed Song Zixin's number. "Cheng Yin has been kidnapped by Zhang Weike. I'm on my way there. You don't need to do anything."

The voices on the other end were calm.

Jiang Zhi gritted his teeth and repeated, "You mustn't do anything! Please believe me, I can..."

"Thank you, Jiang Zhi." A gentle voice said, "Thank you for protecting Yin Yin all these years. Now, go and live your own life. You have no obligation to take care of him forever."

Jiang Zhi: "Even if you're grateful, even if you know we like each other, you still don't want to see us together?"

"Forgive my selfishness. No mother wants to see her child indulge in love that carries hidden dangers."

Jiang Zhi tightened his grip on his phone; he knew what Song Zixin was afraid of. She was afraid of Fang Bokang, who had contracted HIV through homosexual activity, and Jiang Yuecang, who had kidnapped Fang Chengyin and imprisoned and tortured him.

But what she feared most was that Fang Chengyin might fall in love with her again.

This affection will amplify the hidden dangers infinitely.

“I will not let go of Cheng Yin, not ever again. So you don’t need to do anything. Just continue to supervise me and warn me peacefully. Don’t say anything, I will handle everything…”

"Jiang Zhi." The voice on the other end of the phone stopped his excitement. "I know you will make the right choice, just like you did in your second year of high school."

The call ended, Jiang Zhi tightened his grip, went into his room to change into black clothes, and sent a message to Zhong Qiqian asking him to take charge of the orchard's harvesting work.

He called Jiang Yuecang and said, "Dad, I'll be an hour late for the celebration banquet tomorrow night."

Jiang Yuecang said it was up to him, and his words carried a rare smile.

After finishing the call, Jiang Zhi called the director of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and spoke for about five minutes.

After putting on his black gloves, he went out.

·

Fang Chengyin woke up again with a splitting headache. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt like liquid was flowing down his cheek.

He was under the guiding tree, his limbs were tied to a chair, and a beam of light was shining on him.

The surrounding branches formed a canopy, and through the leaves, he could see the misty sky outside. He seemed to hear Zhong Qiqian directing the fruit farmers to harvest the fruit.

Looking back, there was a camera set up. The person hidden in the darkness behind the camera straightened up after adjusting the lens. It was Zhang Weike.

“I see a lot of drawing paper in the room. Jiang Zhi told you about it, didn’t he? About the past.”

Fang Chengyin was half-conscious and didn't speak.

"All I wanted was to be with him for a hundred years, what did we do wrong? He doesn't love your mother anymore, what did he do wrong?! Why did you kill him? And why won't you let me collect his body? If you can't have him, you destroy him. Song Zixin is a selfish person, a commodity that has packaged itself flawlessly. Do you know how to destroy a commodity?"

Fang Chengyin looked up at him and saw nothing but madness in his eyes.

"It's to let consumers know that she's expired, and can only be a substandard product that decomposes after garbage sorting!" Zhang Weike laughed. "At first, after killing that kindergarten teacher, I thought she would contact me, but she didn't. She continued to put on airs during interviews. I really admire her strong mental fortitude. I can only target you. Actually, at first, I didn't know you existed, just like those fans. Otherwise, how could Song Zixin have lived peacefully for five years? Maybe Fang Bokang was afraid of losing me and deliberately didn't say anything. I can forgive him for that."

"Really?" Fang Chengyin suddenly laughed. "When your father met you, I was already walking and talking. The three of us were living a happy life. Why are you deceiving yourself just to find your place in the world?"

When his lie was exposed, Zhang Weike became agitated. "You don't believe me? Then let Song Zixin tell you now."

Fang Chengyin then noticed that he was wearing a Bluetooth headset on his right ear.

Zhang Weike leaned over and tapped the suspended tablet. Song Zixin's face appeared on the screen. She was wearing exquisite makeup, more refined than ever before. She didn't speak, as if she was waiting for fans to enter the live stream.

Zhang Weike looked at Fang Chengyin, but said to Song Zixin, "If you want to save your son's life, you have to say whatever I say."

Fang Chengyin suddenly exclaimed, "Mom, no! I know everything, I know everything! He owes us! Ugh!"

Zhang Weike kicked him to the ground, stepped on Fang Chengyin's mouth, and said condescendingly, "Song Zixin, keep your expression steady, and then say that you are a mistress, that you knew about my relationship with Fang Bokang, but still forced Fang Bokang to sleep with you, and after giving birth to Fang Chengyin, you continued to threaten him, and when you learned that he wanted to escape to meet his lover, you cruelly murdered him."

Fang Chengyin listened to the harsh words, and even though he was being trampled on, he still looked at the screen and shook his head firmly.

Song Zixin looked at the camera, and Fang Chengyin knew that his miserable state was right behind the camera. Then Song Zixin showed a guilty expression.

Five minutes into the live stream, the live chat was urging her to speak.

Zhang Weike moved his foot away, stopping Fang Chengyin from saying what was about to come out, and said while Song Zixin repeated those words, "Once I came to your house and bumped into Song Zixin. I originally wanted to pretend I had taken the wrong turn, but your mother is really smart. It turns out she already knew that Fang Bokang was having an affair. She wanted to kick me out, so I just tied her up and threw her into the closet in her and Fang Bokang's marital room. And then guess what?"

Fang Chengyin couldn't feel the pain of his face being shoved into the mud. His bloodshot eyes were fixed on Song Zixin on the screen, as well as the rapidly updating live comments, all tagging the Yanyang Criminal Investigation Bureau.

"She watched her man writhing beneath me. I had no choice but to pin him against the wardrobe and do it to your mother's face. He yelled that Song Zixin wasn't home and told me to be rougher."

Fang Chengyin used all his strength, slamming the chair against him and throwing him to the side. Ignoring the pain from the dirt scraping against him, he continued to kick him.

Zhang Weike grabbed the camera and smashed it at him. The tablet went dark, and a sound of pain mixed with blood escaped Fang Chengyin's mouth.

Zhang Weike grabbed his blood-soaked hair. "You can't die yet. You have to come with me and say hello to Jiang Zhi. Do you think if he sees your nude photos, he'll obediently tell me where Fang Bokang is?"

Fang Chengyin murmured.

Zhang Weike leaned closer, "What? What did you say?"

Fang Chengyin bit down hard on his ear and wouldn't let go, causing blood to flow from Zhang Weike's mouth until he was punched in the abdomen before letting go.

Zhang Weike's ears are essentially ruined.

Fang Chengyin curled up in pain, but laughed out loud, a laugh that sounded like crying.

The branches and leaves suddenly trembled, and Jiang Zhi, dressed in all black, stepped in, his eyes cold and fierce, while the evil spirits behind him were eager to attack.

"You!"

As soon as Zhang Weike turned around, Jiang Zhi kicked him aside, then walked towards Fang Chengyin, pulled out a dagger, cut the ropes binding him, and pulled him into his arms.

He called out affectionately in a low voice, "Chengyin, Chengyin, I'm here."

Fang Chengyin smiled at him, then his expression changed drastically as he looked over Jiang Zhi's shoulder. In his blurred vision, Zhang Weike was holding a knife, the tip of which was pointed at Jiang Zhi.

Before he could even utter a word, the knife clattered to the ground. Zhang Weike's hand was twisted off in a strange way.

Fang Chengyin's eyes widened. He wiped away the blur and saw a fierce ghost, which was enjoying holding Zhang Weike's other hand.

Clatter—

The joints have dislocated, and the joints hang loosely.

The vengeful ghost still wasn't satisfied, so it opened its blood-red maw and bit down, devouring the food piece by piece.

"Ouch!!"

Just as Zhang Weike was about to scream, another vengeful ghost stuck out its long, scarlet tongue and blocked his view. He looked at Fang Chengyin in terror, as if pleading for help.

Fang Chengyin gripped Jiang Zhi's arm tightly and looked back at Jiang Zhi.

Jiang Zhi laughed, a strange laugh, as if he had taken control of something, or as if he was unrestrained after being exposed, and said with a playful tone: "So Cheng Yin can see them."

Fang Chengyin felt a sudden emptiness in his heart and abruptly let go. This unfamiliar Jiang Zhi frightened him.

Jiang Zhi lowered his head and nuzzled the tip of his nose, the cherry blossom pattern on the back of his neck shimmering with light: "If Cheng Yin is afraid, I'll let them go. But Zhang Weike hurt my baby, I can't let him get away with it."

Upon hearing Zhang Weike's name, Fang Chengyin's thoughts were drawn elsewhere, "Mom! Mom..."

Jiang Zhi stepped aside, his smile fading: "Auntie knows what to do."

He turned around and ordered the vengeful ghost to release Zhang Weike. Zhang Weike collapsed to the ground, his hands bleeding and trembling, his head tilted to one side and he kept vomiting.

Jiang Zhi said calmly, "Fang Bokang is right where you two fell in love, and the police know about it too."

Zhang Weike paused for a moment, then ran off into the distance.

Jiang Zhi brushed the mud off Fang Chengyin's face and said with pity, "Chengyin, look, Fang Bokang is not worth you and your son thinking about so much."

Fang Chengyin stared straight at him, but large tears rolled down her cheeks.

"sorry……"

He apologized to Fang Chengyin because he had always known where Fang Bokang's body was buried.