Their voices were indeed similar, but Xiaohui's tone was usually soft and gentle, like the gurgling of water, unlike Xiaomin's, whose voice, when angry, was full and powerful, like thunder. At this moment, though her words were harsh and fell like hail, the high pitch was clearly shrouded in an uncontrollable tremor and shortness of breath. It was a kind of weakness that was suppressed but still revealed an underlying weakness, as if no amount of rage could mask the strength drained from within—even beneath this burning rage, there was a sense of exhaustion, a spent force at the end of its strength.
She was obviously driven by anger. She threw the gift box in her hand to the ground with a dull sound, then turned around and walked away quickly without looking back.
She didn't care about Peng Yusheng behind her anymore and ran after him. Her steps were so fast and fierce that she reached out to open the car door before she caught up and grabbed her wrist.
She turned around suddenly, and her tear-soaked eyes met his—filled with intense grief, embarrassment, and a huge sense of grievance that he could not comprehend. Her lips trembled slightly, as if she was trying hard to suppress something.
"Guan Hongjun, you're so free!" She started, her voice tinged with tears, but the ending tone softened as if she had lost all her energy. "Why would you bother him for no reason?"
놖 gasped and explained, "He... is your father after all. It's almost New Year, so 놖 came to see him."
"He doesn't deserve it!" These three words were filled with resentment. She pulled her hand back abruptly, her fingertips slightly cold, and opened the car door without hesitation.
Seeing that she was about to get in the car and leave, 놖 almost blurted out with a rogue tone: "Peng Xiaohui... 놖 is also drunk and can't drive." After saying that, his body swayed slightly, as if to confirm his words.
Her hand on the car door paused, her back stiff in the cold wind. The silence stretched on for a few seconds, her rapid, unsteady breathing clearly audible. Finally, as if nudged by some invisible force, she came over in anger, forcefully opening the passenger door and barking, "Get in!"
As if pardoned, she ducked in, the leather seat rubbing against her back. She slumped heavily into the driver's seat, slammed the door, and roughly twisted the key in the engine. The car roared, its tires scraping against the ground as it carried them, speeding away from the twilight-soaked nursing home as if fleeing some ominous place.
Silence, like an invisible net, enveloped the speeding carriage. The sound of each other's breathing was especially clear in the silence, and between each breath, there was a lingering stagnation.
Finally, it was Wang who moved first, breaking the silence: "Where on earth are you so angry? I've never seen you this angry before."
She sniffed, her fingertips tightening slightly on the steering wheel, her eyes still fixed on the road ahead, not looking at him or responding.
He then chased her again: "Tell me, what did I say that offended you? I need to let you know for sure."
She suddenly said "Pah, pah" twice, with a hint of anger in her tone: "It's almost the New Year, why are you saying such unlucky words?"
놖 persisted: "Did you hear everything he said to 놖?"
She shook her head and said in a quiet voice, "I don't have the habit of eavesdropping on gossip."
"If you didn't hear me, then why did you react so carelessly just now?" He couldn't help but be a little confused in his questioning voice.
"Because," she paused, her tone suddenly cold, as if covered with a thin layer of ice, "I don't know how many times he's told me that. He might be able to fool me, but he can't fool me."
My heart moved, and my curiosity was piqued: "So, everything he just said was fake?"
"He simply fabricated a set of self-consistent lies to make his conscience feel better," she said, her voice thick with despair and a hint of barely concealed disgust. "But he's never truly considered repenting. This is what Xiao Min and I hate most about him."
"What is the truth?" This family's story, like a Rashomon, completely piqued his interest.
She continued, "It was his long-term drinking and gambling that ruined the family. Almost all of Uncle Da's teacher salary went to support our family. He started beating Mom, and when Uncle Da tried to stop him, he started spreading rumors that Mom and Uncle Da were having an affair, and the whole village knew about it. In the end, he forced Uncle Da to resign and leave, never to return. Without a financial supporter for the family, he borrowed money from everywhere, and finally... in a drunken rage, he beat Mom to death."
With two completely different versions before him, it was hard to tell which was closer to the truth. But emotionally, he was more inclined to believe Xiaohui's story. At this point, he finally understood why the two sisters were so resentful of their biological father, unable to let go and even afraid to forgive him.
"There's always something hateful about someone who's pitiful." For someone who'd spent years in prison, still drowning in alcohol after his release, his words were hard to believe. Seeing the pain Xiaohui couldn't hide, he couldn't bear to touch the scars left by her family tragedy, so he changed the subject: "Why have you been avoiding me all this time?"
Unexpectedly, the impact of this question far exceeded her expectations. She slammed the car to the side of the road and stopped abruptly. Then, she buried her face deep in the steering wheel, her shoulders twitching slightly, and she didn't respond for a long time.
Seeing her exhausted and vulnerable, a strong feeling of pity welled up in him. He gently lifted her shoulders and pulled her into his arms. She didn't resist, but leaned obediently against him, as if she had found a safe haven to rest.
After a long moment, her voice choked with sobs: "놖...놖 I'm afraid to see you, but when I don't see you... I miss you."
He caressed her hair lovingly, his voice low and firm, "I'm sorry for not giving you enough sense of security. I promise you, no matter what happened in the past, you sisters will always be my family. If anyone dares to touch a hair on your head," his eyes suddenly sharpened. "I will do everything I can to protect you. I'll keep my word."
She raised her head suddenly, tears streaming down her face, her eyes filled with deep fear and despair. "No... You can't beat them!"
He stared at her tearful face, his lips curled up in a gentle yet resolute arc as he spoke each word with unwavering determination: "Who dares to touch my daughter? Even if he is the king of the underworld, I will fight to the death and drag him down to the grave!"
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