Chapter 72 Out of Control
The night was as thick as ink.
Fang Qibai stubbed out the cigarette butt hard; the flickering flame made a final struggle in the darkness before being extinguished.
However, the emptiness at his fingertips lasted only a moment. The next second, a crimson flame rose from his fingertips. He took a deep breath, the smoke filling his lungs.
Qiu Chen opened the car door and tossed a bottle of mouthwash onto Fang Qibai.
"I invited you to come for drinks, but you spent the whole night smoking in the car."
"Are you going back tonight? Aunt Leng keeps calling me."
"Did you two fight again?"
During this period, Fang Qibai and his mother argued so many times that he almost lost count.
Qiu Chen handed his phone to Fang Qibai.
"I dare not hang up on Aunt Leng's call, nor do I dare to answer it again."
“She knows you’re with me.”
Fang Qibai took the phone, hung up, and blocked the number.
Qiu Chen was stunned for a moment.
Fang Qibai's voice sounded as if it had been sanded through: "After I finish this one, I'll go back."
Qiu Chen leaned against the car door, a cigarette between his fingers, and sighed amidst the swirling smoke.
"Aunt Leng is just concerned about you."
Fang Qibai curled his lips, "Would you like this kind of care?"
Qiu Chen shuddered as he thought about Aunt Leng's excessive concern for Fang Qibai over the years.
Fang Qibai's life is a transparent prison.
Every inch of the space was filled with cold surveillance cameras, recording his every move and every breath.
Every time he went out, his every move was scrutinized. Every penny spent, every bite of food, and even every friend he associated with had to undergo rigorous approval and questioning…
It's like a humanoid machine that has been programmed with a fixed sequence of instructions.
Just thinking about it sent a chill down Qiu Chen's spine.
If every ounce of freedom in his soul is gripped by an invisible hand, he will truly go mad.
This is not care and love, but a pervasive spiritual confinement in the name of love.
It slowly drains a person's vitality, turning a vibrant soul into a pale and standardized puppet.
Fang Qibai lived for 19 years in such an environment.
Qiu Chen took a deep drag of his cigarette. "Gou Bai, tomorrow afternoon is TAC Club's track day. Come with me to relax."
"If you can't get out, I'll find a way to get you out of the house."
A person can't keep bottling things up forever; when you're unhappy, you have to let it out.
"Let's have a thrilling car chase and give our souls a brief respite."
Seeing Fang Qibai's dejected appearance, he felt quite bad.
Fang Qibai extinguished the flame at his fingertips with his bare hands. "I'm leaving."
-
Arriving home, just as Fang Qibai had predicted.
Leng Qiyi sat on the sofa, waiting for him.
Leng Qiyi stared at her son, who had finally returned home, and her pent-up anger and unease exploded instantly, raining down on him:
"Why didn't you answer all those calls I made?"
"Fang Qibai, do you think you're all grown up now? You want to contradict me in everything you do?"
"Do you even see me as your mother anymore?!"
The strong smell of smoke assaulted her nostrils, startling her. She jumped up from the sofa and reached into his pocket—"How many cigarettes have you smoked outside this time!"
Fang Qibai took a step back, easily avoiding her hand.
The undisguised coldness and disgust in his eyes were like an ice spike, piercing Leng Qiyi's heart.
This is the son she raised with her own hands and is very proud of, but now he is showing signs of completely slipping out of her control.
Fang Qibai's eyes were cold and weary, and his voice was completely devoid of emotion: "Father and Fang Qizhou both know about what you did at Yueyuan."
He casually tossed the laptop and black USB drive he was carrying onto the sofa.
"As for what's in here," he said, his stomach churning, forcing back the nausea, "you can see for yourself."
Leng Qiyi's expression changed slightly, and she practically lunged forward to turn on the computer. The moment the video appeared on screen, all color drained from her face—
Her video at the hotel tonight was recorded from beginning to end.
She lost her composure and tried to delete the video.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that black USB drive—
Leng Qiyi hurriedly inserted the USB drive into the computer.
However, what was stored inside were photos and videos of her having secret meetings with different men in hotels at different times.
There were even some in bed...
High definition reveals everything.
Leng Qiyi's hands began to tremble uncontrollably. She looked up, searching for answers in her son's overly calm eyes, her voice trembling: "Qi Bai, where did you get these things...? Did you...?"
The question, "Have you seen it?" was stuck in my throat.
She couldn't bring herself to ask.
This information was clearly the result of a long and premeditated collection. She believed she had been extremely careful and foolproof...
If these photos and videos were to be leaked, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Qi Bai, listen to your mother's explanation..." She tried to take his hand, her tone pleading.
Fang Qibai dodged again, leaving her with nothing to grab.
“Your father doesn’t care about me at all! All these years, your mother has been all alone…”
She gets lonely too.
Leng Qiyi's voice choked with sobs, then she grasped at a straw, "Has someone used these to threaten you? To blackmail you? Tell Mom who it is, and Mom will take care of it! Just pretend... just pretend you never saw these, okay?"
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