Chapter 314: Always Being Deceived and Protected
At the same time, the "Mr. Duan" whom Meng Anran claimed was stuck in traffic and unable to arrive was standing in front of the prison gate.
He couldn't explain why he suddenly wanted to meet Duan Xi. Perhaps it was because the various absurd events in the Lu family recently reminded him of his childhood. Occasionally, he was glad that he did not grow up in the Lu family and avoided being caught up in the vortex.
Or perhaps compared with the various open and covert struggles and internal fighting within the Lu family, he actually felt that the years he lived with Duan Xi could be considered happy.
So he came, bringing with him the stack of childhood photos that Duan Xi left him, which were so large that he couldn't hold them in one hand.
I made an appointment for a visiting time in advance, but stood there for an hour. I still couldn't muster up the courage to go in and face the person who raised me for more than 20 years and also deceived me for more than 20 years.
The cell phone suddenly rang. He took it out and took a look. It was Lu Heng calling.
His pupils twitched suddenly, and he quickly answered the phone: "Brother, where are you?"
"Country A." Lu Heng said succinctly, "You must have been feeling very complicated these days, but as I said, it's a blessing for you not to have been born into the Lu family."
Duan Jingyao's heart skipped a beat. He always felt that Lu Heng seemed to be everywhere, knowing his movements and understanding his thoughts.
Just like now, when he was hesitating whether to go in and see Duan Xi, he realized that perhaps the twenty years he had been deceived might not have been a deception.
After all, Lu Zhong and Bai Yujin are indeed not worthy of being parents, and they really don't care about their child's life or death.
"Brother, if you were taken away from me when I was little and deceived for more than twenty years, would you choose to forgive me?"
"There are no ifs." Lu Heng never liked to make assumptions. What had already happened was inevitable. "If there were ifs, I would have taken Lu Yi and An Ran away from the Lu family when I was ten years old."
Even though he was still young and his future was uncertain, he did not want to end up like this today - his stupid brother was still lying unconscious in Lihua Garden and could die at any time.
Duan Jingyao gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. "I understand, brother. I want to meet Duan Xi."
"Well, go ahead." Lu Heng had no objection. He had never had any feelings for Duan Xi. "Bai Yujin has been arrested. The Bai family may contact you in a few days. Don't worry about it."
"Understood."
The call was disconnected, Duan Jingyao put away his phone and stepped into the solemn iron gate.
Prison visiting room.
Duan Jingyao sat on the cold metal chair, his fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of the stack of photos.
The boy in the top photo was standing in front of the castle in the amusement park with a bright smile - it was his sixth birthday, and Duan Xi turned down all work to play with him all day.
The sound of the iron door opening made his spine stiffen. Duan Xi, wearing an orange prison uniform, walked in under the escort of prison guards.
"Jingyao?" Duan Xi's pupils dilated slightly, and then a complicated smile appeared on his face. "I thought you would never come to see me again."
The voice from the other side of the glass came through the microphone and was much hoarser than I remembered.
Duan Jingyao found that he still remembered the gentle tone of this voice coaxing him to take medicine when he had a fever.
"I'm here to return this to you." He pushed the photo towards the glass. "This childhood is incomplete."
Duan Xi's eyes fell on the photo, his throat rolled over, and he forced a smile: "At least...it can be regarded as some testimony of the past."
"You're not there." Duan Jingyao suddenly uttered these words, his voice as taut as a string: "You should have been there in my childhood."
The incandescent light in the visiting room cast a deep shadow on Duan Xi's eye sockets, masking the redness that was gradually spreading in her eyes. She was silent for a long time, so long that the prison guards began to check their watches.
"I'm just a human trafficker..." Duan Xi finally spoke, unable to hold back his sobs. "You've found your family now. Although your parents aren't good people, I heard from Meng Anran that Lu Heng and Lu Yi treat you very well."
Duan Jingyao clenched his fists. He admitted that Lu Heng and Lu Yi were exceptionally kind to him, considering their personalities. But when he occasionally thought back to the past, he realized that someone had already loved him.
He did not have relatives only after returning to his two brothers. He had always had family affection - from his aunt who was not related to him by blood.
When he was sixteen, he returned to Jing City from Hai City alone to attend high school. Before leaving, Duan Xi packed his luggage for him and kept reminding him, "Take care of yourself when you get there. Don't get into conflict with the Lu family, don't reveal your identity, and call me immediately if anything happens."
After discovering that he had been deceived, he naturally thought that Duan Xi was afraid that he would get out of control, so he did not allow him to contact the Lu family.
But now thinking back, maybe she knew what kind of people were in the Lu family and was afraid that his identity would be exposed and he would be caught in the vortex, so she repeatedly emphasized that he should stay away from the Lu family.
"Why did you lie to me?" he asked with red eyes.
"Because I saw how Lu Zhong treated Lu Heng." Duan Xi raised his head, his eyes sharp, unlike those of a prisoner. "At the business summit that year, I saw him lock eight-year-old Lu Heng in the car for six hours, just because Lu Heng knocked over a wine glass."
Duan Jingyao's breathing stopped for a moment. To be honest, he seemed to have never seen Lu Heng expose his arms. Lu Heng always wore a neat shirt and suit.
Perhaps, beneath the decency, there are countless scars.
"My original intention in exchanging you was indeed to take revenge on Lu Zhong, but later I thought that people like Lu Zhong probably wouldn't care too much about so-called blood ties. Whoever is valuable to him can become his child."
Duan Xi smiled bitterly, "Those years, watching you grow from a baby to a toddler, hearing you call me 'Auntie' over and over again, how could I bear to let you go back to the Lu family and suffer in that abyss?"
She lowered her eyes and exhaled heavily, tears finally falling uncontrollably. "So I lied to you, so that you wouldn't have any expectations of your parents. I thought this would keep you from getting hurt..."
However, she did not expect that the hatred that blinded her eyes would eventually blind Duan Jingyao's life as well.
So she could only try her best to push him away, keep him away from any of her plans, and push him towards the road to sunshine.
She succeeded. She knew she had succeeded when she decided to stay in Beijing to study at university.
"Enough." Duan Jingyao stood up suddenly, and the chair made a harsh sound as it scraped against the ground.
He suddenly realized that whether it was his previous hatred for the Lu family or his later hatred for Duan Xi, it seemed to be wrong.
He was always deceived, yet protected.
And the person who protected him was the woman sitting in front of him who had no blood relationship with him.
It was time for the visit, and the prison guard came forward. Duan Xi waved his hand and said, "Let me say a few last words."
She looked at Duan Jingyao with tears in her eyes: "Jingyao, I'm very happy that you can come to see me. But... you are the president of Hengyi Group now. It's better not to come in the future. It's not good for your reputation."
After saying that, she stood up and followed the prison guard out.
Duan Jingyao dug his nails into his palms but didn't feel any pain. When the figure was about to disappear from his sight, he shouted anxiously, "Auntie! I'll wait for you to come out!"
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