The woman's voice was hoarse and aged. Her lonely eyes held a hint of tenderness.
Shen Yilin's eyelids twitched slightly, and he took out a pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket.
Click—
With a gentle press of the lighter, the cap springs up, tracing a smooth arc in the air.
In that instant, a tiny yet intensely hot blue flame suddenly shot out, leaping like an elf between the cold metal and the air, both wild and untamed, yet sinister and terrifying.
Just like Shen Yilin.
He held a cigarette in his mouth and brought it close to the flame.
Wisps of smoke drifted into the air, instantly filling the cold, quiet basement with a strong smell of smoke.
"Cough cough cough..." The woman couldn't help but cough.
Seeing this, Shen Yilin felt no pity and continued his breathing exercises.
The fireworks flickered, their smoke swirling and seemingly solidifying in the air. Vision gradually blurred, everything shrouded in a hazy and oppressive atmosphere, even time seemed to slow down.
"son……"
The woman finally managed to stop coughing, but her voice grew increasingly hoarse, like the last fallen leaf on a withered branch in autumn, its gentle sway revealing endless desolation and loneliness.
Shen Yilin smoked while fiddling with the lighter in his hand.
Under the firelight, everything around appeared even more deep and eerie.
The woman's chest heaved as she spoke in a trembling voice, "Son, why won't you speak?"
Shen Yilin's left lip curled up slightly, his smile carrying a somewhat enigmatic meaning.
What do you want me to say?
The woman paused for a moment, a hint of sadness flashing in her eyes.
After a few minutes of silence, she swallowed the bloody breath and slowly said, "Son, I'm sorry. I'll do whatever you want."
Shen Yilin laughed out loud, his voice somewhat eerie.
The woman's heart clenched, as if pierced by thousands of silver needles, a dense, throbbing pain spreading through her limbs and bones. She clenched her fingers, opened her mouth, and said, "Even if it means I die right now, I won't blame you."
Shen Yilin's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Letting you die like this would be too easy for you."
In an instant, the surrounding air froze into cold, sharp blades.
Every breath felt like it was cutting through my lungs, carrying a chilling cold and indescribable pain.
A deep despair and desolation flashed in the woman's eyes. "Are you trying to make me wish I were dead?"
Shen Yilin smoked a cigarette, the wisps of white smoke blurring his features. The chill emanating from him grew increasingly intense.
"Worse than death? Ha!"
The woman's expression was pained. "I know you've suffered a lot these past years. Son, it's not my fault, it's your grandfather's fault..."
"Don't mention him," Shen Yilin suddenly interrupted her. His long, slender fingers held a half-smoked cigarette, and his lips twitched. He smiled, yet it seemed he didn't. "You all escaped that cage, but what about me?"
The woman's heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand; each beat was accompanied by intense pain and a feeling of suffocation—a silent yet powerful lament from the depths of her soul.
She clutched her clothes tightly, choking back tears, "Son, I did think about taking you with me, but your grandfather..."
"I already told you not to mention him." Shen Yilin interrupted again, the veins on his forehead bulging and the muscles on his face twitching.
The tears in the woman's eyes froze instantly. A sharp pain shot through her heart.
Time loses its meaning here; every second feels like eternity, dragging him down to the deepest abyss.
“Son, I know you’ve been causing trouble for Sang Yuwan…”
She suddenly stopped, took a deep breath, and then mustered the courage to continue, "But she's innocent... The ones who abandoned you were me and Shen Chongzhou..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com