Chapter 28 Unwavering Until Death
"Bang—" A tall, disheveled man suddenly appeared in the hospital corridor and rushed into the private elevator leading to the top floor at an incredible speed, without even realizing that he had knocked over a nurse.
"Sir! You can't run in the hospital corridor..." The nurse, who had been knocked down hard, clutched her sore and numb buttocks and tried to call out to the perpetrator to stop him and warn him not to run in the corridor, but instead saw the man's tall figure disappear into the elevator door.
She struggled to her feet, angrily patted her clothes, and complained, "What kind of person is that... bumping into someone and not even apologizing!"
"Come on, that gentleman didn't do it on purpose. Look, he went straight into the elevator on the top floor—as far as I know, there's a patient on the top floor who was critically ill this morning, and I think he might be that patient's family member." Another nurse pulled her aside and gently comforted her.
The top floor houses the hospital's top-tier VIP wards, reserved for the wealthiest and most influential patients. A patient who had just checked in yesterday was reportedly critically ill today, his chances of survival slim. The young nurse, recalling the incident, felt her anger vanish, replaced by sympathy for the man who had hit her—though working in a hospital where she witnessed countless deaths, she still felt a pang of sadness whenever she heard news of a patient's impending death. Seeing the families' heartbroken expressions always weighed heavily on her heart. That man must be suffering terribly… Thinking this, her expression turned melancholic, and she walked on in silence.
"You... your sympathy is overflowing again." The woman next to her saw her expression and immediately understood what she was thinking. She shook her head helplessly. "I told you long ago, this is going to be bad for you. Actually... you're not suited for this kind of job at all."
Hospitals are never exactly pleasant places. Although the nurse was offering advice to her colleague, the sighs and melancholy in her words revealed her true feelings.
However, regardless of what outsiders think, whether they feel sympathy or indifference, it's all far too superficial compared to the feelings of the person involved. Standing before his father's bedside, Xu Qi stared blankly at his father lying there with his eyes closed, almost unable to believe what he was seeing. How could this be? Just a few days ago, when he and Si Qiang visited their father, he seemed no different than usual, even showing him a rare smile, and even praising him for the first time—"Well done, I can finally rest assured."—So this was the consequence of that so-called "rest assured"?
Looking at the gaunt man before him, his hair almost completely white, his breath weak, Xu Qi felt he must be dreaming. How could someone become so haggard in just a few days? This morning, he was idly flipping through documents as usual when he suddenly received a call from his mother. Hearing his usually gentle and calm mother's tearful voice, his mind went blank, as if he'd been hit by a bomb. He ran several red lights, desperately wanting to go faster, faster still.
"Hoo... Is that Qi'er...?" The man on the bed slowly opened his eyes, turned his head slightly to look at his eldest son beside the bed, his sharp eyes replaced by confusion, and he spoke with difficulty, "Sit down..."
“...Father…” Xu Qi’s tightly pursed lips finally opened, and he uttered the title in a hoarse voice—those two words had always been synonymous with authority, and he had never imagined that one day he would say them in such a tone.
Looking at the sorrow on her eldest son's face, Xu Qingjue couldn't help but smile: "Are you...sad? You don't need to be like this...Today is...the happiest...day in my twenty years..."
Xu Qi's throat tightened, and he was about to say something when he heard his mother crying. Startled, he turned to look at his mother, only to see her covering her face with her hands, tears streaming through her fingers, accompanied by uncontrollable trembling. She looked so fragile and helpless. He went over and hugged his mother, only then realizing that the warm and broad embrace he remembered had become so fragile and heartbreaking.
"Mother... Father will be alright... Please don't be sad..." He said these comforting words, but he knew they were just self-deception. But besides saying these things, he didn't know what else he could say.
“Minyu… now that things have come to this… I know… there’s no point in saying anything now…” Xu Qingjue’s weak voice came through, “but… I still want to… say to you… I’m sorry…”
Upon hearing this, Shao Minyu trembled even more violently. Then she suddenly stood up and rushed to the bedside, staring intently at the man who had caused her to spend her entire life in bitterness. Resentment and grief twisted her expression, and she hissed, "You bastard... I hate you!"
"Heh... In my life... I've wronged countless people... but the one I regret most... is wronging you..." Xu Qingjue chuckled hoarsely, her voice growing weaker and weaker, "Hate me... that way I'll feel a little more at ease..."
Shao Minyu let out a sob: "Waaah... Who needs your remorse! Didn't I kill the woman you loved most? Didn't you hate me the most? What are you pretending to be magnanimous for!"
“How could this be… I killed her…” Xu Qingjue struggled to reach out and grasp her left hand. “You did nothing wrong… I was the one who was wrong…”
Shao Minyu trembled, and her intermittent sobs turned into unrestrained wailing.
Xu Qi stared blankly at the scene before him, completely at a loss for words. He had never seen his mother like this, nor had he ever seen his father show such tenderness to anyone. He vaguely knew about the grievances between them, but he hadn't realized they were so complex. The woman who had long since passed away was an insurmountable chasm between his father and mother.
That woman… He sighed, lowering his eyes. He had already informed A-Yi on the way; perhaps she was almost there now, but by then… He sighed heavily again, his gaze shifting towards the door.
"Whoosh—" The door was pulled open, and a tall man burst in. His long hair was disheveled, his clothes were in disarray, and his once fair face was completely bloodless. He just stared blankly at the scene before him—it was Xu Yi.
"Ah Yi..." Xu Qi called out to him, but saw the other rush straight to the bedside. Startled, he quickly followed.
"Xiao Yi...you've come..." When Xu Qingjue saw him, a glimmer of light immediately flashed in his originally cloudy eyes, and his voice became clear.
“…Old man…” Xu Yi stared straight at him, speaking with difficulty, “Why are you making that face? It looks awful…”
"Haha... How could I look bad? I'm very happy today." Xu Qingjue laughed, her previously ashen face regaining a rosy hue, her eyes brightening. "I'll be able to see your mother soon... No matter how much she hates me then, it won't matter. Weiru... she's very soft-hearted..."
“…You perverted old man, what nonsense are you spouting?” Xu Yi glared at him, but his expression gradually turned sorrowful, and his voice lowered. He knew this was a final burst of energy before death; the old man was truly dying.
From a young age, he knew he was different from other children. In his mother's eyes, he was "that man's" son, his birth a complete mistake. As a child, he didn't understand why, but as he grew older and learned about the past, he finally understood why his mother always looked at him that way—he was the product of his father's rape of his mother, who was his cousin, a dirty, sinful fruit. He hated the man who claimed to be his father, and even though the man tried his best to "compensate" him, he could not forgive him. That was the root of his entire childhood and adolescence's nightmares, the culprit behind his mother's tragic life.
For over twenty years, he had deliberately ignored the other man, never calling him "father," and only coldly addressing him as "old man" when absolutely necessary. However, after meeting Su Xibai, his hatred gradually faded, and after truly marrying Su Xibai, he seemed to be reborn, and his feelings for this "father" gradually changed. Yet even so, he still couldn't openly call him "father," and the other man's cold and arrogant attitude seemed to have become a habit that could no longer be changed.
He hadn't expected this man to be like this. Lying on his deathbed, barely alive, smiling gently, saying he was going to see his mother. He knew this man's selfish love had made his mother's life so hopeless, but he didn't know this man still didn't regret it. This was the kind of person who was utterly wicked…wicked to the core, even love, which should have been beautiful, was inseparable from bloodshed and horror. He should despise this kind of person, should hate him to death, but he could no longer hate him.
Xu Qingjue fell in love with his cousin, Qi Weiru, and was willing to commit incest to possess her, even resorting to the unscrupulous act of murdering her lover. For this immoral behavior, he was ultimately punished. Upon learning of her lover's murder, Qi Weiru suffered a mental breakdown and attempted to kill her son, but was stopped by Xu Qingjue who arrived at the scene. In the ensuing chaos, she was shot and killed by Shao Minyu, who was trying to protect her husband, leaving Xu Qingjue with a lifetime of regret. However, his regret was not for forcibly possessing Qi Weiru, but rather for not paying closer attention to her, thus causing this irreversible consequence.
He recalled Su Xibai's misunderstanding that they were related by blood. He imagined that even if Su Xibai were truly his cousin—or even his biological brother—he would still stop at nothing to get him. Was this genetics? Ultimately, his mother was right. He was the son of the Xu family, inheriting the blood of a demon.
“If reincarnation really exists, I will definitely go find her… This time, we won’t be siblings again, will we… No…” Xu Qingjue sighed softly, his voice gradually fading, and his eyelids slowly closed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
