begging
Coming-of-age ceremonies have always been considered tacky and he has never liked them, but turning eighteen is still something to look forward to.
For the first seventeen years of his life, not a single day was filled with unhappiness or sorrow. He often thought that being human was truly joyful, even to the point that it made him feel somewhat guilty. He had so much love, so much money, so much companionship that there was practically nothing in the world he couldn't have. So, following God's guidance, he spread love throughout the world.
As a result, the family had to set aside a room for the stray cats and dogs he had taken in, each with its own unique ugliness, and none of them were worth the money to give away.
He loves all people and things, and even more so, he loves traveling the world, and he champions freedom. Recently, he made a new friend, or perhaps he can't really be called a friend. Because that person always ignores him, is taciturn, yet loyal to God, like a stray puppy.
The only thing that gave him a bit of a headache was that his parents' business negotiations with Uncle Dale and Uncle Thornton had hit a bottleneck. Several times when he came home late at night, he saw that his father's light was on all night. If he asked, his mother would tell him not to worry about these things, just go and play.
Yes, he can just focus on having fun. The world isn't a warm nest for him, a place where he can sleep peacefully.
The night before his birthday, his parents suddenly knocked on his door. After receiving permission, they pushed the door open and came in. They looked at him tenderly for a long time before saying, "Xiao, if—I mean if your parents send you away from Wanyang to live in the north, would you be willing?"
He asked in surprise, "Is there a problem with the family business?"
His mother shook her head, saying that he was supposed to go abroad to study at university according to the plan, and told him not to think too much about it.
"I'll listen to you." He absolutely trusted his parents' judgment, so he packed his bags that very night.
He couldn't take all his furry friends with him, but he absolutely couldn't abandon them either. Who else could he entrust them to? He habitually thought of someone who always helped him solve his problems.
In the middle of the night, Steven, reeking of alcohol, staggered and rang the doorbell; he had just finished his high school prom.
The two stood by the flower bed talking.
He looked apologetic: "I know you find them troublesome, but Mao Mao is past her molting season, and Mimi's leg injury has healed. Could you take care of them for me for a while?"
"Are you going on a long trip?" Steven was so drunk that his words were slurred.
He didn't hide it from his best friend: "My parents made a last-minute decision to send me abroad, so we might not see each other for a while. But I'll find a way to come back when I have the chance."
"Tomorrow is your birthday, and everyone has been preparing for it for a long time. Even Uncle Dale will be coming back from Wudong Port."
He couldn't remember who Uncle Dale's eldest son was, but he still felt a little guilty upon hearing this: "There was nothing we could do."
"Come over here, let your aunt and uncle have a meal before you leave. Remember what I said about bringing you a gift? It's already been ordered and delivered, it's even better than that treasure you saw before."
He was surprised. A year ago, when he went to Italy, he saw a rare exhibit at a jewelry exhibition in Vicenza and fell in love with it at first sight. Unfortunately, it was too expensive to buy, which became one of his few regrets.
"The old man had a whole set made, including a necklace and a ring. We originally agreed that you and I would each get one. If you don't come tomorrow, I'll sell them for some money to spend, since I'm not religious anyway."
He laughed. Steven tried to persuade him again, but he felt it wouldn't be right to disappoint Uncle Thornton. It was just a meal, and besides, he remembered he'd handed out invitations to many other people. He never wanted to let anyone down.
That night wasn't as peaceful as he'd hoped. First, it suddenly started raining heavily, then he couldn't reach his parents at their company, and then someone stumbled out of the fence next door—it was the new friend he'd made at the church.
He disregarded everything else and drove the person to the hospital even though he didn't have a driver's license.
The approach of death weighed heavily on his mind. He suddenly remembered that his father had mentioned that Uncle Dale had kept many women and that he had an illegitimate child living abroad... No wonder this man always looked gloomy and hid in some corner.
He cried with his gloomy new friend until dawn, then dragged his clothes, now dry, to St. Seville Cathedral.
He had imagined the church would be filled with the melodious sound of a pipe organ, a pastor standing before the altar, and friends and family raising their glasses to offer him heartfelt blessings. But the scene was different from what he had envisioned. There was indeed a choir rehearsing, but it exuded a deathly atmosphere.
Amidst the bustling crowd, he instinctively hid under the altar and heard a familiar voice.
“Actually, Richard Green doesn’t necessarily have to die. Hasn’t the organ trafficking case already implicated him? We’ve got all the evidence. Knowing his personality, even if he comes to his senses now, he probably won’t dare to confront us head-on. He can’t bear to see his wife and son suffer, so he’ll likely take all the blame. The worst that can happen is he’ll go to jail for life.” That was Uncle Dale’s voice.
Uncle Thornton's voice followed: "It's one thing to put him in jail for that, but what if he reveals that our medicine is problematic? Wouldn't that ruin things? Don't forget, he's a researcher. I have a feeling he's discovered something, otherwise he wouldn't be thinking of disbanding the association. I'm really uneasy if he doesn't take action."
Tate Dale countered, "What are you planning to do? If you act rashly and do something shady, you'll be found out eventually."
After a moment of silence, an unexpected voice rang out in the church.
"What if it's a plane crash?" It was Steven's voice. "It disintegrated in mid-air, the remains were incomplete, and no one could find out anything. It just so happens that they've been thinking about going abroad recently, so it wouldn't be surprising."
Tate Dale was a little surprised: "Bobby, what do you think?"
Bobby Thornton's voice was a little deep: "I told you to get on good terms with his kid so I could keep an eye on him. You didn't really take it seriously, but I was worried you'd stop me today. I didn't expect you to actually be somewhat capable."
Steven was silent for a while, then said, "Dad, could you spare Theo Green's life for now? He's stupid. Just tell him that his parents' situation was an accident. His family is gone, so we can keep him at our mercy. We can hide him abroad, or somewhere else... In short, no one will be able to find him. If he comes in handy later, you can use him again."
Bobby Thornton chuckled. "Sounds like you've already figured out how to do it?"
Steven said, "The helicopter should be at the Greene’s doorstep by now. Someone will be watching, and Richard Greene and his wife will get on."
“Your son has the same thought as me.” Tate Dale’s voice was tinged with amusement. “Then, we’ll set fire to all the Green family’s documents and experimental data, and that will put our minds at ease.”
He couldn't listen anymore; the last drop of blood in his body was poured into his escape.
The front door was locked, so he had to crawl in through the dog hole. The house had already been ransacked, and he didn't have time to see what was missing or what was extra. He only vaguely realized that his parents must have come home in the end and taken all thirteen of his furry friends with them.
But why didn't you take him with you?
He was plunged into an unprecedented state of bewilderment. In that instant, he felt neither anger nor fear, only emptiness within.
The feeling was like having your heart suddenly ripped out, leaving only a hole in your chest cavity, through which air was being blown in and out.
It wasn't until the helicopter disintegrated high in the sky, burning fiercely and leaving a black trail, that he realized it was too late.
The wood inside the house burst into flames, the yellow flames flickering and unpredictable.
In the last second before he lost consciousness, only one unrelated thought remained in his mind—so flames can be yellow.
The dim yellow light flickered in the raging wind and rain, illuminating Milo's serene face.
"All these years, you've just stayed by Miles's side? So, he was the one who saved you back then?" Steven's lips curled into a bitter smile. "But that recording clearly..."
That was someone even Milo was surprised by. The recording fabricated the illusion that he was also on the plane. Looking back now, I think my parents probably already foresaw their deaths when they boarded the plane alone, and what they said was simply to leave him a sliver of hope to survive anonymously in the world.
“Miles created a new identity for you; he probably didn’t want you to know about your past. But how did you manage to fool him and make him believe that you accepted the new identity?”
“Car accident,” Milo said calmly. “Amnesia.”
Hearing this, Steven found it absurd and laughed, "Forget it, forget it. Whether he lied to you or you lied to him, it's probably hard to tell the truth anymore."
That day, he made the first move, thinking he had gained the upper hand, but his calculations ultimately came to nothing. He rushed up and punched his father, his anger burning, his eyes blazing, demanding to know why. Bobby Thornton slapped him back with a resounding slap, making his nose bleed, and yelled, "Did you really think I would leave any descendants for the Green family? I'm eliminating the root of the problem so that you can have a smooth path in the future. I'm making sure this fire is burned clean."
At this thought, a twisted idea suddenly popped into Steven's mind, forcing him to ask, "So, I'm the first person you're looking for revenge against?"
"yes."
Steven noticed that Milo maintained the same calm expression throughout, and his heart skipped a beat.
Theo must hate him, but why does he hate him so calmly? In their past interactions, Theo always wore his heart on his sleeve; he never had to guess his emotions. But now, Steven suddenly felt a chill. If there was no hatred at all, then what was he to Theo?
Steven felt a bitter taste in his throat and asked, "What else do you want to know by coming to me?"
Where are my parents' graves?
Steven was so overwhelmed by this question that his back bent low. After the plane crash, as soon as the case was settled, he rushed to collect the charred bones and put them in the incinerator to be burned to powder.
“I threw it into the sea,” Steven said, trying to sound brave. “Right on the Bethlehem. I thought you would like the sea.”
Hearing this, Milo closed his eyes, his chest rising and falling slightly: "That's enough."
Steven paused, then asked, "What do you want me to do?"
"Go back to Wudong Port and wait for your just desserts."
"After all this, you actually... you just wanted to call those cops to arrest me?" Steven suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter. "I see. You came to Gangu with me so that while I was away, you could gather evidence for those cops, right? Waiting for me to go back, arrest me, and put me in jail, or even execute me?" He suddenly remembered something, and laughed until tears streamed down his face. "That day you stood up for me from that guy, also so that I could return to Wudong Port alive to face trial?"
Milo looked at Steven: "You only have this one chance to turn back."
"Turn back? Don't be silly. If you really hate me that much and want me dead, why don't you just kill me yourself?"
"Kill you?" Milo said coldly. "I'd find that disgusting."
"Dirty?" Steven suddenly became agitated. "For over a decade, I've been the best to you, you know that! I don't want to kill you, and I would never harm you! It's your parents who are useless; they couldn't protect you at all... If it weren't for Bryce taking you to the hospital, if there hadn't been that time difference, you would be living safely abroad right now..."
The destruction of the Green family was an irreversible outcome, and he never regretted it; it was his pledge of allegiance to the previous generation of power holders. But privately, he also loathed the Green couple's parenting style, because they made Theo Green an object of everyone's desire, yet failed to teach him how to protect himself.
Milo listened to Steven's sob story and was utterly disappointed: "You're a madman."
Upon hearing this, Steven's eyes widened: "Am I crazy? Hahaha, am I crazy? If I really am crazy, I should..." As he spoke, Steven grabbed Milo's shoulder and suddenly felt that the frame under the cold raincoat was very thin.
This body is clearly Xiao's, how could he... how could he not recognize it?
Steven's gaze fell on the cut on Milo's wrist, and it felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head. All his anger caught in his throat, turning into unbearable pity. He said in a trembling voice, "Theo, no matter what, I'm the one who's wronged you."
Steven raised his hand, his trembling fingertips slowly wiping the cold rain from Milo's face, and murmured, "From now on, I will make it up to you. What do you want? Money? Or business? I have several private properties abroad that no one knows about. You come with me, and Miles won't be able to catch you. I will get you a new identity, and no one will know who you are anymore. You won't have to live this life of fear and worry anymore."
Seeing Milo remain silent, Steven felt a lump in his throat and hurriedly said, "No, I won't go with you. I'll give you all of that, you go by yourself, okay?" He rummaged through the suitcase he had already packed, which contained his passport and black card. Steven grabbed a handful of things haphazardly and stuffed them into Milo's hands.
Milo didn't take them at all, and all the cards slid to the ground.
"Theo, you don't even want to talk to me anymore?" Steven suddenly lost his strength. He hugged Milo's waist and slowly pressed himself against his cold raincoat. "Didn't you say that I was your best friend? I just wanted to... always be your only, best friend."
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