Chapter 14
The two arrived at Tang Hui's office, closed the door, and sat down.
Song Ziyi was a little nervous. He cursed himself inwardly—he had known Tang Hui for so many years and they had been through a lot together, especially at work. Why was he so nervous?
Back in the US, they first overcame the contempt of senior lawyers for newcomers, and then proved those white people who looked down on Chinese people wrong with their strength. They fought more than a dozen cases, big and small, two of which were even of epic difficulty. Back then, they were young and passionate. No matter what difficulties or troubles they encountered, they would roll up their sleeves and rush to fight.
Why is it that now that things have improved, I'm still feeling anxious from time to time?
It can't be because of his age.
While Song Ziyi was still lamenting that "time waits for no one," Tang Hui had already organized his thoughts and was ready to tell Song Ziyi about his troubles.
There's no way around it; he doesn't like wasting time. He wants to get straight to the point and be direct.
"Ziyi, the Miss Shen who just came to see me is a doctor at our city's First Hospital." Tang Hui's words pulled Song Ziyi back to reality from his "reminiscences".
After listening, Song Ziyi was stunned for two or three seconds, then realized what Tang Hui was talking about, and his expression changed the next second.
Damn, doctors from the First Municipal Hospital have come knocking on our door. Could it be that Tang Hui has some kind of terminal illness?
Song Ziyi broke out in a cold sweat, his face turned deathly pale, and his voice changed. "Old Tang, you, you're not seriously ill, are you? Don't scare me like that."
Tang Hui rolled his eyes silently, cursing inwardly: What a terrible friend! Why can't he wish me any good things?
He was about to continue speaking when Song Ziyi had already taken two or three steps to his side, grabbed his arm tightly with both hands, looked him up and down, left and right, and muttered anxiously, "It's okay, we'll get treatment if you're sick. Medicine is so advanced now, there's no disease that can't be cured. If it can't be cured in this city, we'll go to Beijing, and if that doesn't work, we'll go to America. Don't worry, brother will definitely get through this with you."
Meanwhile, Song Ziyi was already immersed in his own melodramatic scenario, convinced that Tang Hui had some incurable disease. He was spouting clichéd lines like a Mary Sue while cautiously scrutinizing Tang Hui.
It seemed as if Tang Hui could faint right before his eyes if he wasn't careful.
Tang Hui was so angry that he kicked Song Ziyi, forcefully and disgustedly shaking off Song Ziyi's hand. He straightened his clothes, which had been crumpled by the other man, and said irritably, "What kind of brother are you? Are you hoping I get a terminal illness? Can't you wish me well for once?"
Upon hearing that Tang Hui's illness was not terminal, Song Ziyi breathed a long sigh of relief. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and patted his chest, muttering with lingering fear, "It's good that it's not terminal. You scared the hell out of me. My heart hasn't been feeling well lately, so I can't take a fright like that."
Then, looking at Tang Hui suspiciously, she pressed, "Then why did she contact you? Did someone introduce you to a blind date?"
Tang Hui sighed and shook his head, saying, "Alright, stop guessing and let me finish. This Dr. Shen works in end-of-life care. You've been in the United States for so many years, you should be familiar with end-of-life care, right?"
Song Ziyi nodded vigorously, "I know, it's end-of-life care, which is to provide services to terminally ill patients who cannot be cured, such as alleviating their pain, maintaining their dignity, or helping them fulfill their last wishes. So why did she come to you? Could it be that you have a relative or friend who is about to die and whose last wish is related to you?"
Tang Hui was surprised that Song Ziyi had guessed correctly by accident. His expression was extremely solemn, with a hint of murderous intent between his brows. His voice also turned cold involuntarily, as if every word was squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a hint of gritted teeth.
"It's Zhou Nianhua, he's dying."
Perhaps because he hadn't heard the name in so long, Song Ziyi didn't react at first and blurted out, "Zhou Nianhua, who is that..."
As soon as the last note fell, a flash of lightning struck his mind, and he instantly remembered who this "Zhou Nianhua" was.
Song Ziyi's face changed drastically. His eyes widened, his breathing became rapid, and his voice rose as he blurted out, "Zhou Nianhua? That's not you..."
The last word "Dad" was swallowed back by Song Ziyi at the last moment with a sudden stop.
Then, he stared at Tang Hui with a look of pity and doubt, his mind in turmoil.
If it were anyone else or any other matter, given his relationship with Tang Hui, he would definitely get to the bottom of it. But when it came to Zhou Nianhua, he dared not and could not.
He knew Tang Hui's past, and of course he understood what that man meant to Tang Hui.
That was Tang Hui's taboo, Tang Hui's tragic past, something Tang Hui could never accept or forgive, no matter how much time had passed.
Song Ziyi cautiously raised his eyes to look at Tang Hui. He seemed to want to say something, his lips moved a few times, but he swallowed his words back in the end.
At this time, neither pressing for answers nor offering comfort was appropriate; he could only wait for Tang to calm down so he could talk to him.
Tang Hui naturally knew what the word Song Ziyi had swallowed back was. He chuckled self-deprecatingly and said in a cold voice, "Yes, Zhou Nianhua, my biological father."
"Old Tang," Song Ziyi blurted out, his eyes filled with sympathy and helplessness.
This version of Tang Hui was unfamiliar to him and also made him feel heartbroken.
“There’s nothing I can’t say. Twenty years, a full twenty years, and I suddenly realize I don’t hate him as much anymore, at least not to the point where I want to kill him with my own hands. Time is a magical thing; it can heal all wounds and dilute all love and hate. I used to hate him so much, but now I’ve come to terms with it. I’ve even almost forgotten what he looks like. When Dr. Shen mentioned this person to me just now, my first reaction was, ‘Who is Zhou Nianhua?’ You see, I’ve almost forgotten that he’s my father.”
Tang Hui's voice was cold and resolute, tinged with self-mockery and irony.
Song Ziyi fell silent. He didn't know how to comfort her, and he didn't think Tang Hui needed his comfort. They were both adults, and so much time had passed. Did he expect Tang Hui to cry and recount how her father had killed her mother?
Tang Hui is a very strong guy, sometimes even to the point of being ruthless and cold-blooded.
However… Song Ziyi then thought that Tang Hui must have had other intentions in telling him this. Could it be that he hoped Tang Hui would provide some advice or help?
He swallowed hard, cleared his dry throat, blinked at Tang Hui, and cautiously asked the question that had been on his mind, "Old Tang, are you telling me all this because you're feeling lost and want me to give you some advice?"
Finally, he steeled himself and said fearlessly, "Are you trying to see him one last time, but you can't convince yourself and want me, your brother, to give you some advice?"
Seeing Song Ziyi's fearless expression, Tang Hui couldn't help but laugh out loud. With that laugh, all the tension and repression from before disappeared, and Tang Hui regained a bit of his human side.
“I will not see him, and you don’t need to persuade me. The moment he was sentenced, I told him and myself that all kinship ties were severed and that I would have nothing to do with him anymore.”
Song Ziyi could understand Tang Hui's actions. After all, no son could accept a father who was a murderer, especially one who killed his own mother.
After a silent sigh, Song Ziyi seemed to have thought of something. After hesitating for a long time, he asked again, "What...what illness does Zhou Nianhua have? Why is she suddenly on her deathbed?"
"Heh." Song Ziyi didn't get a reply, but instead got a cold laugh from Tang Hui. He looked up at Tang Hui in surprise, feeling a little uneasy.
Tang Hui's eyes instantly filled with mockery, malice, and hatred. He said in a sarcastic and gloating tone, "Terminal liver cancer, the same disease my mother had back then..."
As he spoke, he narrowed his eyes, his gaze devoid of emotion, but his tone of voice was poignant.
"Back then, my mother was tormented by liver cancer and felt like she was dying. Zhou Nianhua wanted to get rid of this burden as soon as possible, so he cruelly killed her. Twenty years later, he got the same disease and was also near death. Then he came to the hospice to find his only son, hoping to see him one last time before he died. Old Song, do you think this is retribution?"
*
After returning to the hospital, Shen Bining was absent-minded. Even during lunch, she was still distracted, missing food with her chopsticks several times, and then foolishly putting it into her mouth. Once, she even almost knocked over her soup bowl.
"Miss Shen, snap out of it! What are you thinking about so intently? Are you thinking about men?" Chen Nian, unable to bear it any longer, waved her hand in front of Shen Bining's eyes and teased her.
Chen Nian brought Shen Bining back to her senses. She put down her chopsticks and stared at the plate in front of her that she had barely eaten, looking like she had no appetite.
"You guessed right, she's thinking about men."
Shen Bining smiled wryly and joked to herself, her mind filled with thoughts of her meeting with Tang Hui that morning, so how could that not be considered thinking about a man?
Chen Nian was putting a piece of sweet and sour pork rib into her mouth when she heard this and almost choked. She widened her beautiful eyes and asked in surprise, "You're really thinking about men? Is this... something's going on? This is not simple. Is this the start of a long-awaited romance? Is your life of being single since birth finally coming to an end?"
"Don't talk nonsense. The man I'm thinking about right now has absolutely nothing to do with feelings," Shen Bining sighed.
"Is it about work?" Chen Nian immediately realized.
Shen Bining nodded and said weakly, "Do you remember that I took on a job with a prison inmate yesterday?"
Chen Nian interjected, "The one with terminal liver cancer who asked you to help contact his son?"
Shen Bining let out a wail and nodded.
"Is work not going well? Did the other party reject you? Did he give you a hard time?" Chen Nian asked nervously, worried that Shen Bining was being harassed by that family member.
The outcome is obvious—the father killed the mother, and now the father is dying and wants to see his son one last time. Which son would agree to that? Shen Bining's job is practically making people jealous.
Shen Bining shook her head and patted Chen Nian's hand to reassure her, "Of course not. The other party is a lawyer, and he's very polite. He knows I'm doing this for work, so he didn't say anything unpleasant. He just said he wouldn't visit me in prison."
"That's good. Seeing how distraught you are, I thought you had been wronged by a medical dispute." Chen Nian breathed a sigh of relief. In recent years, the problem of medical disputes has become increasingly serious. Although Shen Bining does not participate in medical treatment or surgery, it is actually quite difficult for her to provide end-of-life care services.
Just like this case of the prison inmate, if the son were psychologically twisted, vindictive, or a scumbag from the underworld, he might actually have become violent towards Shen Bining.
Fortunately, the other party was reasonable.
Shen Bining, however, was far from relieved. She slumped onto the table and wailed, "You know, Niannian, when I explained my purpose, that lawyer's face changed instantly. He looked sad, angry, and desperate. I must have reminded him of that painful experience from back then, something he should have forgotten long ago. At that moment, I felt like a bad person, taking on jobs indiscriminately and rubbing salt into the victim's wounds once again."
"Alright, it's not your fault. After all, you can't be sure if the other party will forgive your father. Maybe in twenty years, the other party will be willing to let go of their hatred and see your father one last time? You just went to ask for their opinion as a matter of routine, doing your job. See, you didn't make things difficult for them when they refused, did you?" Chen Nian quickly comforted Shen Bining, trying to prevent Shen Bining from shifting the blame onto her.
But Shen Bining didn't seem at ease at all. She pouted, her eyes drooped, and her expression was gloomy, making her pretty face look somewhat distorted.
Finally, she unexpectedly burst into tears, saying, "The other person, the other person is a super handsome guy! I didn't leave a single good impression on him!"
Chen Nian almost bit her tongue. She stared at Shen Bining in shock, as if asking, "Sister, are you serious?"
But thinking about it, it makes sense. Shen Bining always swoons over handsome guys, and she did something so unwelcome in front of him today, so it's no wonder she's upset.
However, Shen Bining said that the man was a lawyer, and incredibly handsome, and seemed to have mentioned that he had returned from the United States… Chen Nian's heart skipped a beat; why did she suddenly think of someone…
"The lawyer you mentioned..." Chen Nian was about to ask the lawyer's name when she was interrupted by a male voice that suddenly rang out from the side.
"Dr. Chen, are you free tonight? Could we...could we have dinner together?"
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