I looked at my father and mother; their expressions were complex, a mixture of pain and disappointment. I pressed them for an answer: "Father, do you know what's in the syringe?"
The father nodded: "It's euthanasia..."
I was somewhat shocked: "Euthanasia? Isn't that for pets?"
The father nodded: "Yes."
My father hesitated, looking somewhat guilty. I pressed him, "How did you know it was euthanasia, Father?"
The mother suddenly burst into tears: "The reason why the euthanasia in Xiao K's hand is white is because euthanasia is prohibited in China, but Xiao K's euthanasia is a modified version of it herself."
I asked with even greater confusion, "Why would she modify euthanasia herself, and how did you know that?"
The father sighed again: "Back then, your condition deteriorated rapidly. Everyone in our family knows that once a hereditary disease recurs, you experience everything from difficulty breathing at the beginning to stiffness and immobility in your limbs. You entered a period of deterioration when you could no longer speak. Your internal organs would gradually lose their function, and you could only rely on machines to maintain your life."
I interjected, "Isn't that the same as being in a vegetative state?"
The father nodded: "Similar but not the same. Patients with hereditary diseases eventually experience softening of all their muscle tissue and osteoporosis. Even turning over can cause fatal fractures. Your mother and I felt so sorry for you back then, we couldn't bear to see you suffer like that. Your brother..."
The father paused for a second, then continued, "Bai Cheng brought Xiao K to us and suggested using Xiao K's modified version of euthanasia. We didn't agree, but we were still hesitant. We also had our own selfish reasons. Although we couldn't bear to see you in so much pain, we still wanted to keep you by our side as long as possible."
My mother covered her face and wept. I reached out to comfort her. She looked up and said, "Your condition deteriorated too quickly. We finally decided to use euthanasia on you. When we sent K to our house with the euthanasia, your father couldn't bear it and sent K away. That's when we saw the milky white liquid that K took out."
I nodded, holding my mother's hand in one hand and my father's in the other: "Don't blame yourselves. I know you did everything for my own good. Now I'm back, I'm back healthy. As long as we get through this difficult time, I can stay with you forever."
The father nodded: "The most urgent thing is to stall Bai Cheng. Bai Cheng has been in the company for many years, and most of the senior executives and shareholders are very satisfied with him. Although I have been friends and partners with them for decades, they may still choose the former when faced with interests. So for now, I need to go back to the company and take back the right to speak."
The mother nodded: "Yes, Susu, your father and I will try to get you to a safe place first. Right now, there is nothing to prove what Bai Cheng did to you. Even if your father wants to remove Bai Cheng, he needs all the crucial evidence. Don't worry, your father and I will take care of everything and bring you back."
I felt uneasy. My mother and grandfather were not young anymore. I took my mother's hand and said, "When I fell ill, Bai Cheng was still young, yet he possessed such astonishing cunning and scheming. I'm worried..."
The old man grabbed my hand and said, "Susu, listen to me. I'll find a place for you to hide first. Only when you're safe can your mother and I do our work without worry."
I hesitated for a moment and said, "But if I suddenly disappear, Bai Cheng will definitely become suspicious, and I'm worried that he might take drastic measures against you."
The old man shook his head: "Don't worry about that, I'll take care of it. You should hide in my study for the next couple of days, and I'll find a way to get Bai Cheng away."
I nodded: "Father, I don't have a cell phone..."
The old man paused for a moment, then maneuvered his wheelchair around to the desk and opened a drawer. Inside were several brand-new, unopened cell phones. He picked out a white one and handed it to me: "Susu, Dad's getting old and forgetful. I can't even remember something this important."
As I unpacked the package, the old man seemed to remember something and turned to his desk, opening another drawer. That drawer had a fingerprint scanner, and inside was a small box. The old man took out a phone card and came to my side: "You can use this card for now. No one else knows this number except your mother and me, so you can use it without worry."
Before I could even reach out to take it, I heard a knock on the door. The next second, I heard a familiar male voice: "Dad, are you resting?"
The old man frowned when he heard Bai Cheng's voice. After handing me the phone card, he said, "Su Su, come with me."
I followed the old man out of the study and into the dressing room. There was a faint scent of sandalwood in the dressing room. The old man drove his wheelchair to a cabinet door, slid it open, and reached into the other cabinet door. The next second, a row of coats hanging on a rack suddenly started moving backward. Only then did I realize that there was a secret passage. After the coats moved, a set of stairs was revealed. The old man took my hand and said, "Susu, there is a secret passage here that leads to the underground parking garage. Wait for my notification. When I tell you to go down, go down as soon as possible. Be careful. The parking garage is not far from the staff lounge."
I nodded. The old man wheeled himself out to open the door, leaving my mother and me alone. After my mother closed the study door, she asked me to take off my clothes. She found me a set of her clothes to change into, while she put on my clothes. I asked curiously, "Mom, what are you doing?"
The mother said, "I'll change into your clothes and go back to your room first, so as not to alert the enemy."
I quickly grabbed my mother: "No, what if Bai Cheng doesn't recognize you and mistakes you for me and hurts you?"
My mother held my hand and smiled, "Susu, don't worry, Mom knows what she's doing. Just stay here and relax."
Seeing that my persuasion was ineffective, I acquiesced and let my mother return my clothes. I eavesdropped on Bai Cheng and my father's conversation by the door. Bai Cheng told the old man about my disappearance, and the old man pretended not to know and said, "Then why aren't you looking for me? What are you standing here for?"
Bai Cheng stood there without saying anything. After a moment, the sound of Bai Cheng's footsteps leaving could be heard. His mother turned around and said, "You must not go out. Listen to your father's instructions, do you hear me?"
I nodded and smiled at my mother. She gently opened the door, looked outside, and left the room after confirming it was safe. I vaguely heard many footsteps outside, but I couldn't tell if they were going upstairs or downstairs. After a while, I heard someone shout, "Miss has been found."
After a series of footsteps were heard going upstairs, the house returned to quiet...
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