Chapter 216 I Can't Forgive Myself

The father and son were sitting and standing respectively, and the atmosphere between them did not ease at all because of his protection just now.

Shuang Xu walked over and said to He Qingwei, "Come here and talk to me."

He Tingzhou grabbed her wrist, his eyes cold: "What do you have to talk about? Talk in front of me."

"It's okay. I want to talk to your father too."

Shuang Xu wanted to leave, but he still held her hand. She had no choice but to turn back and squeeze his hand back firmly: "I won't leave your sight."

He Tingzhou looked at her for a moment before slowly letting go of her hand.

Shuang Xu and He Qingwei walked to the other end of the corridor. He Tingzhou leaned against the wall, staring at them without blinking.

He Xingwei stood at the window. Outside the glass, the leaves of the tall sycamore trees had fallen, and the bare trunks were a lifeless gray-brown color. It was late autumn in Yancheng, and it was a bleak time.

He looked at the thin and elegant girl in front of him. There was a gauze on her neck and some blood on her face that had not been wiped clean. It was from He Tingzhou when he touched her face. Her clothes were stained with dust. She must have suffered a lot today.

But since he arrived at the hospital, he neither saw her crying nor asking for comfort. Instead, she was the only one who was coaxing his 1.88-meter-tall son.

He Qingwei paused for a moment, but softened his tone a little, using a gentleness that he was not very skilled at: "I guess I scared you today."

He wasn't really unreasonable. He knew exactly who had frightened the girl.

To some extent, I also want to say this to someone else through her.

I scared you. I'm sorry for making you suffer.

"I'm fine." Shuang Xu knew that he was concerned about He Tingzhou's injury. "Brother Tingzhou's arm was cut by a knife and had four stitches. The doctor said that there was no nerve damage and it will be fine after some rest."

He Qiwei said, "I know. On the way here, Lao Lin told me everything."

But I still want to care about my son, but unfortunately he doesn't appreciate it.

"Lao Lin also showed me the photo of the warehouse. It was arranged exactly like the place where they were imprisoned back then," He Qingwei said. "He must hate me terribly now."

What Zheng Zuye did today almost bloodily cut out the most painful part of He Tingzhou's heart.

Shuang Xu shook his head and said softly, "Uncle He, he doesn't hate you. What he can't forgive is himself."

If he hated someone else, he could have tortured that person to vent his hatred. He couldn't get over it because he couldn't forgive himself, and he was the one who was torturing himself.

A look of obvious surprise flashed across He Qingwei's face, and then it turned into a more complicated meaning.

He was silent for a long time before he spoke.

"When he was kidnapped, he was beaten for resisting and injured his head. He delayed treatment and his hearing in both ears was affected."

"That gang of drug dealers threatened me with the mother and son. It took several months to catch the drug lord, and many of my brothers lost their lives. It was a painful price. I couldn't let them go."

The scale must choose the heavier end. He was wearing a military uniform, carrying a badge on his shoulder, carrying his country and beliefs, and he had to cruelly abandon his wife and children.

The drug dealers wanted to keep the mother and son for negotiation, so they would not kill them easily, but they would not let them off easily either. He Xiwei's refusal made them even more angry.

How could such a vicious drug dealer be a good person? Such a beautiful woman fell into their hands, and she was also He Qiwei's wife. Naturally, someone would have evil thoughts and break into the warehouse in the middle of the night after drinking too much.

At first He Tingzhou didn't know that he had lost his ears. The night was dark and silent to him. His mother always carefully protected him and never showed any abnormality during the day.

Until one day he woke up without any warning.

From then on, the night and silence turned into a demon. He could no longer close his eyes on a quiet night, as if as soon as he closed his eyes, he would see his mother suffering.

His mother died just before being rescued, and this became a knot in his heart that he could never reconcile with He Qingwei.

He hated himself and also hated He Xingwei.

After returning from the border, he refused to talk to He Qingwei for a long time. His head injury had healed, but his hearing had never improved, and he did not respond to anyone's voice.

The doctor said it was a psychological effect, post-traumatic stress disorder. If it continues like this, temporary deafness may become permanent.

One night, He Qingwei sat by his bed, holding his head and crying. He opened his eyes and said in a very cold voice, "You are making a lot of noise. Go back to your room and cry."

He Qingwei then realized that his hearing had actually recovered long ago.