Chapter 112 Chapter 112 I laughed out loud
The next morning, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the heavy curtains, casting a narrow strip of light on the carpet.
Ji Siyun woke up with a severe headache and dry throat.
He opened his heavy eyelids, and before he could fully regain consciousness, the shattered memories of last night rushed into his mind - her cold gaze, her indifferent questioning... and the embrace that gently embraced him and patted his back in the second half of the night.
It was not a false illusion in the real mirror that he deceived and had to cooperate with to complete the task.
But it was the real embrace of Song Youning, with body temperature and shallow breathing.
The fragments of memory gradually gathered together and froze in the second half of the night.
When he curled up in the corner of the bed and cried until he was almost exhausted, a slightly cool hand gently stroked his cheek and wiped away the tears that seemed to be endless.
He looked up dazedly and saw Song Youning sitting next to him. The light cast a soft halo behind her. Her face was no longer cold, but instead had a sense of helplessness, and a hint of... doting that he didn't dare to delve into.
She stroked his red and swollen eyes with her hand and sighed softly, her voice a little hoarse: "Why are you still so crybaby?"
Ji Siyun subconsciously interpreted her words as disgust, and a huge sense of grievance surged up in him again. Seeing that the tears that he had finally stopped were about to burst out again, his lips trembled and he whimpered like a small animal.
"Hey..." Seeing this, Song Youning seemed to be unable to do anything with him, and quickly reached out and hugged him in his arms.
His cheek rested against the soft fabric of her nightgown, and he could feel the warmth of her body and the steady beat of her heart. Song Youning wrapped one hand around his trembling back, patting it gently and patiently, as if comforting a frightened child.
"Alright, alright..." Her voice was close to his ear, with a softness that he had never heard before, almost indulgent. "I won't talk about you anymore. Don't cry, okay?"
The sudden warmth made Ji Siyun's brain, which was dazed from crying, completely stop working. He even forgot to cry. His dark eyes looked up at her without blinking. His long eyelashes were wet with tears and stuck together in clumps.
Song Youning lowered her head, her gaze falling on his eyes that were exceptionally clear after being washed by tears, and then, very lightly, as if a feather brushed past, she kissed his moist eyelids.
Ji Siyun's eyelids trembled violently, like the wings of a frightened butterfly, but he did not dodge.
He just stared at her blankly with his wet eyes open, a bit confused and innocent, like a stray puppy that was finally picked up by its owner and brought home.
When Song Youning saw him like this, something in her heart seemed to soften.
She reached out her hand, gently pinched his burning earlobe with her fingertips, and whispered with a faint sigh, "What a poor little dog."
Ji Siyun only remembered that his last bit of uneasiness and fear also dissipated in her warm embrace and this sigh.
His head was in a fuss and his consciousness was heavy. Her gentle voice was sometimes far away and sometimes near, and it was not very clear. In her arms, Ji Siyun's tense nerves were completely relaxed, and he finally fell into a sweet dream peacefully.
Recalling this, a faint, shy joy once again crept into his pale heart.
She seemed... not to hate him. Even though she knew he had done that kind of thing, she was still willing to use such a gentle tone to comfort him as he cried because of guilt.
With a pious mood, Ji Siyun turned around slowly and carefully, wanting to confirm that it was not a dream, and wanting to see the embrace that gave him brief peace again.
However, the space beside him was empty.
Cold sheets, flat pillows, no trace of warmth left.
The little bit of blood color and the faint glow that had just risen on Ji Siyun's face faded away completely in an instant, and he became even paler than before.
This scene is terribly familiar.
Once, he also woke up from the chaos and brief warmth in this way, full of humble expectations, but saw the same empty and cold bed.
Then, what awaited him was not tenderness, but deep humiliation - he was treated as a prostitute, stuffed with a check, and told to "get away" like trash. Even the person who came forward to deal with it was not her, as if he was just the filth that she accidentally got on and needed to be cleaned up immediately.
The inner demon that had troubled him for years, like a nightmare, opened its huge mouth again and swallowed him.
Ji Siyun felt dizzy.
All his rationality and the faint sense of security he had just built up collapsed in an instant. He could no longer care about anything else, not even daring to think about where she had gone, or whether she had once again... thrown him away in disgust.
Ji Siyun suddenly jumped up from the bed, his hands and feet were cold and trembling. He grabbed the wrinkled clothes scattered on the ground and quickly put them on.
He didn't even dare to look back at the messy but empty bed. He staggered out of the hotel room as if there was a demon chasing him, slammed the door, and completely shut behind him the brief and illusory tenderness of last night.
Not long after Ji Siyun fled in panic, the door of another bedroom in the suite was gently pushed open.
Song Youning had already changed his clothes and looked refreshed. He walked out while talking on the phone: "...Okay, I got it. Tell him to keep an eye on it first and don't act rashly for the time being."
She held the phone and looked towards the master bedroom, wondering if the crybaby had woken up. She subconsciously walked towards the master bedroom with light steps.
The person on the other end of the phone was still talking, but Song Youning's eyes fell on the closed door of the master bedroom, but his mind was a little far away.
Last night, she had originally decided to teach him a lesson, to make him remember the consequences of deceiving her and avoiding her without permission. But then… seeing him crying so miserably, curled up in the corner of the bed like an abandoned animal, her heart finally softened.
He was still young after all. She thought, growing up in that kind of environment, without anyone teaching him well, it seemed understandable that he acted a little extreme and grew up a little crooked.
Since he has received the shock and lesson he deserves, as long as he behaves himself from now on and doesn't make any more mistakes, she may give him a chance.
As a human being, you have to be allowed to make some small mistakes.
So later on, she suppressed all her temper, patiently comforted him, wiped his tears, held him in her arms and coaxed him softly.
I wonder if he listened to the soft words she said last night while he was crying and confused? Did he understand what she meant?
As she thought about this, she pushed open the door of the master bedroom and said to the other end of the phone, "Well, keep talking..."
The moment she saw the scene in the room clearly, her voice stopped abruptly.
In the room, the curtains were still drawn, the light was dim, and the big, messy bed was empty.
Song Youning's fingers gripping the phone tightened immediately. She didn't even realize the call was still going on. With a hint of disbelief in her eyes, she repeatedly glanced at the empty bed, then hurriedly turned to the bathroom and pushed open the door - it was also empty.
He wasn't in the room, nor in the bathroom.
Actually...left?
After a few seconds of dead silence, the expression on Song Youning's face changed again and again, from astonishment to disbelief, and finally, it turned into an absurd sneer that was almost squeezed out from between his teeth.
"Oh."
She was actually so angry that she laughed at Ji Siyun.
On the other end of the phone, Gao Jing reported on the recent situation of Ji Siyun's father - he was being pursued for a huge gambling debt and had been hiding everywhere. He had never given up looking for Ji Siyun over the years.
It wasn't because he suddenly had a change of heart and wanted to regain his family affection, but because he wanted to find his son to pay off his debts, and even had the dirty idea of using his son to pay off the debts.
This is also the fundamental reason why Ji Siyun has been like a frightened bird for many years and dared not appear in public.
Gao Jing finished speaking and waited for a moment but didn't hear the boss's response. Feeling strange, she tentatively called out, "Boss? Are you... listening?"
At this moment, she clearly heard a spine-chilling sneer coming from the receiver.
Gao Jing was frightened by the sinister laugh and subconsciously asked, "Boss, what's wrong?"
At this moment, Song Youning felt his temples throbbing, and a nameless anger mixed with the anger of being teased rushed to his head.
Great, Ji Siyun, you are really great!
I didn't even intend to settle the old scores with you, but you just took advantage of it and ran away!
Okay, you run, right?
She took a deep breath and forced herself to suppress the urge to send someone to capture the coward right away.
Gao Jing's delicate voice on the other end of the phone brought her back to her senses, and her mind became even clearer despite her rage.
Song Youning thought of everything he had experienced in the real mirror. Ji Siyun gave him a tragic setting of being an orphan because of the inferiority and anxiety deep in his bones. Thinking of what he said to him before leaving the real mirror, "What's the difference between you and your father", and thinking of his collapsed and desperate eyes last night, Song Youning felt the pain of being stabbed by a boomerang for the first time.
She had begun to regret why she had revealed his most sensitive and painful scar.
But it's no use regretting now. Instead of letting Ji Siyun keep avoiding her, it's better for her to take the initiative and clear away the biggest and dirtiest stumbling block between them.
"I've changed my mind." Song Youning's voice regained its composure, even adding a hint of undeniable chilliness to it than usual. "According to the plan, 'invite' that person to a quiet place."
She paused, a stern look flashing across her eyes.
"I want to see him in person."
The air in the card room was filthy and smoky, the pungent smell of cigarette smoke mixed with the stench of sweat almost suffocating. Ji Kai wandered between the card tables, watching others battle fiercely while he couldn't even scrape together the required minimum bet. He felt like countless ants were crawling around in his stomach, itching intensely.
He stopped at a table where a local card game was being played, and his eyes were involuntarily drawn to a middle-aged man scratching his head.
The man held a card in his hand, undecided, sweat on his forehead. Ji Kai was a veteran in this field, and he saw through the situation at a glance. Seeing that the man was about to play a bad card and ruin his good situation, he couldn't help but lean in and whispered a warning: "Play that one, keep the one in your hand."
The man looked at Ji Kai doubtfully, hesitated for a moment, and then played as he was told. Unexpectedly, as soon as the cards were placed on the table, the situation was reversed in an instant. The man actually turned defeat into victory and slapped his thigh with joy.
Ji Kai felt a subtle sense of pride, but it was quickly replaced by a deeper sense of emptiness. He wandered around a few more times, but with his pockets empty, he couldn't sit down at the table. He was met with glares for simply watching without playing, so he could only turn around and leave the card room in frustration.
Not long after walking, I heard hurried footsteps and a slightly hoarse voice behind me: "Hey! Brother in front, wait a minute!"
Ji Kai turned around in confusion and saw that it was the middle-aged man who had been at the card table just now who had chased out.
The man, a warm smile on his face, rushed over, took out a pack of not-so-good cigarettes and handed him one. "Brother, thank you so much for what you said just now! If it weren't for that, I would have lost miserably! Hey, it's weird, ever since you gave me that advice, my luck has been good, and I've won several games in a row since then!"
Ji Kai waved his hand, took the cigarette, and said in a casual manner, "Nothing, just a casual remark."
"How can that be! You are my lucky star!" The man was very enthusiastic. "Come on, come on, I'll treat you to a midnight snack. I must thank you! My name is Yang Dong, how do you call me brother?"
"Ji Kai."
The two of them were acquainted with each other. In the following days, Ji Kai ran into Yang Dong several times, and they became familiar with each other.
Yang Dong was a very righteous person. Seeing that Ji Kai always watched the fun in the card room instead of playing at the table, he understood that Ji Kai was probably short of money, so he took the initiative to give Ji Kai a few hundred yuan so that he could have a try.
Ji Kai declined twice, but finally, unable to resist the urge to play, he took it. But this amount of money was a drop in the bucket for him. He was used to playing big games, and this amount of money was not even enough to fill his stomach. He had no interest at all, and after playing a few rounds, he felt bored.
Yang Dong noticed his disdain, and during a casual chat one day, he mentioned it as if casually: "Brother Ji, I see that you have seen big scenes. I have a distant relative who manages a place in the suburbs. It is said that he plays big. With his guarantee, I can lend you this amount at a time." He stretched out two fingers, put them together, and made a ten.
"One hundred thousand?" Ji Kai's heart skipped a beat.
"Yes, one hundred thousand!" Yang Dong nodded, then looked embarrassed again, "But that place... is also very risky. I just said it casually, Brother Ji, just listen to it."
This casual remark seemed to ignite a fire in Ji Kai's heart.
One hundred thousand! Enough for him to turn things around!
In the following days, this imaginary huge sum of money and the desire to make a comeback tormented him like a curse.
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer and took the initiative to find Yang Dong: "Brother Yang, that place you mentioned last time...can you take me to see it?"
Yang Dong frowned, looking very embarrassed: "Brother Ji, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that the water is too deep there, I'm afraid you..."
The more he refused, the more the fire in Ji Kai's heart burned. He almost begged: "Brother Yang! Just take me with you! If I win the money, I will never forget your kindness!"
Yang Dong frowned and continued to deal with it vaguely: "Say it again, say it again, let me think about it."
Ji Kai pestered Yang Dong for several days but he didn't give a clear answer until today when he finally gave in reluctantly.
"Forget it, it's really hard to see you," he sighed heavily, as if he had made a great decision, "I'll take you there tonight. But make it clear that you have to follow my arrangements. I can't be held responsible if anything goes wrong!"
Ji Kai was overjoyed and repeatedly assured: "Don't worry, Brother Yang! I know the rules and will never cause you any trouble. If I do cause you any trouble, I, Ji Kai, will be struck by lightning!"
He said this, but he didn't mean it at all.
If he wins one hundred thousand, everyone will be happy. Not only can he pay off his debts, but he can also make a fortune. If he loses... the guarantor is Yang Dong's relative anyway, and the casino will go to Yang Dong to collect the debt. The worst that can happen to him is that he can just walk away. The emperor is far away, how can they find him?
No matter how you look at it, this is a business that is sure to make a profit!
Greed and luck completely clouded his mind. At this moment, all he saw were the 100,000 chips and the glory of making a comeback.
A barely perceptible sneer flashed across Yang Dong's face, and he patted his shoulder: "Alright, alright, brother, it would be a shame if I didn't take you with me after we've talked so much. Let's go, I'll take you there now."
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