Chapter 19
"Mingming, wake up!"
Yue Mingming heard someone calling her name in her dream.
Gentle, patient, and full of love.
She didn't know where she was, but she was sleeping soundly and didn't want to open her eyes. But she couldn't stand the persistent voice, which became a little anxious by the end.
She couldn't bear it, so she tried hard to open her eyes and saw a face she had never seen before.
He is a very good-looking young man.
His temperament is not as good as Zhao Congyun, but he is much kinder than that iceberg, just like his voice.
The man saw that she was awake and breathed a sigh of relief: "How is it? Are you still feeling uncomfortable?"
Yue Mingming held her dizzy head and slowly came to her senses - she was kidnapped by Li Pingru's men after being drugged!
"Who are you?!" Yue Mingming's voice was filled with nervousness.
She looked around and realized she was on a moving ship. Outside, there was no star or moon, only a pitch-black darkness. All she could hear was the constant rushing of water. She had no idea where the ship was heading.
"Where are you taking me?"
The man smiled sadly: "Are you talking nonsense... or do you not want to recognize me?"
“…”
Yue Mingming was embarrassed. Could it be that the character he played had gotten into some romantic debt again?
Just as she was about to ask, someone else bent down and entered the cabin.
This man was handsome, elegant, and looked like a dignified gentleman. He stood at the cabin door and looked at her with a smile.
Yue Mingming shuddered immediately.
Because she saw her own shadow in this person's face.
Isn't this her cruel and deadly father?
It is said that daughters look more like their fathers. At this moment, Yue Mingming deeply agrees with this. She and her father Yue Zhaofeng are simply cast from the same mold!
"Your game character artists are really cutting corners..." Yue Mingming pretended to be calm and complained to the system.
His body began to tremble uncontrollably.
She had imagined the appearance of the mastermind many times, and all of them were of a hideous and greasy old man, but she never expected that it was the same model face as her own.
So scared! So disgusted!
"She's become prettier after getting married." Yue Zhaofeng looked at her carefully, as if he had never seen his daughter before. "But not as good as before... She used to be more obedient."
Yue Mingming was shaking even more violently.
Her father seems a little perverted!
"Father..." The man next to him finally spoke, with suppressed dissatisfaction in his tone.
Yue Mingming remembered that he had an older brother named Yue Chen.
It turns out that the whole family is together!
Yue Zhaofeng glanced at his son, lifted his shirt and sat down, greeting him warmly: "Mingming, come and have a drink with your father."
Yue Mingming shrank his neck and refused to move.
The atmosphere in the cabin gradually became weird, but Yue Zhaofeng's smile did not diminish. It seemed that if Yue Mingming did not go over to drink with him, he would keep smiling like this until the end of time.
Yue Mingming was determined to stay where he was.
Yue Chen suddenly bent down, helped her up, and secretly exerted force with his hands, dragging her to the table.
“…” Yue Mingming looked at him in shock and anger.
There was pain on Yue Chen's face. He didn't dare to look at her, but just silently pushed the wine jug in front of her.
Yue Mingming had no choice but to pour a glass of wine tremblingly and hand it to his father.
Yue Zhaofeng drank it with satisfaction and said to Yue Mingming, "Come, you too! Let's celebrate our father-daughter reunion!"
Yue Mingming felt terrified, her hands shaking so much that she couldn't even hold the wine jug. Yue Chen lowered his eyes and took her hand, guiding her step by step according to his father's instructions.
He placed the wine to her lips and urged her gently, "Drink it."
Yue Mingming swallowed it with difficulty. She didn't know whether she was choked or frightened, but tears couldn't help rolling down her face. She subconsciously reached out to wipe them away, but she couldn't wipe them away no matter how hard she tried.
"Still crying like before."
Yue Zhaofeng chuckled and said, "You've made so many mistakes, crying is useless. You've been as smart as any boy since you were young. Why don't you guess how your father will punish you this time?"
Yue Mingming said in a trembling voice: "Aren't you going to kill me?"
Yue Zhaofeng sighed, his tone filled with a tone of reproach that was unbecoming of his status: "You've grown up, you're no longer obedient, you're against me, and you even stole the canal transport records and gave them to another man."
"... Obviously, we've played so many games of chess, and you've never won. I didn't expect that I would completely lose to you in this one."
"You know what? I was both happy and sad when I failed to kill you the last few times... Now that you've forced me to death, you naturally have to go with me."
"We are a family and will never be separated again!"
…………
On a dark and windy night, the whole family reunited and went to the underworld together.
This dad must be seriously ill!
"Father...shouldn't we...run away now?" Yue Chen was stunned and asked in a low voice.
Yue Zhaofeng snorted contemptuously: "Mingming, thanks to your good husband, we can't escape this time!"
"He's been keeping a low profile these past few years, and I underestimated him. But don't worry, I'll take you away, and I won't treat him unfairly. I've also prepared a big gift for him."
Yue Mingming's heart skipped a beat: "What are you going to do to him?"
Yue Zhaofeng's eyes showed cold hatred: "You care about him a lot?"
Yue Mingming vaguely understood something and immediately denied it, "No! We have a very bad relationship! I really hate him!"
Yue Zhaofeng heard this, and for some reason, he glared at Yue Chen. Yue Chen buried his head even deeper.
"What exactly are you going to do?" Yue Mingming asked anxiously.
Yue Zhaofeng said slowly, as if teasing a child, "I'll give you a hint. Our ship will soon arrive at the Caoyun Wharf."
He admired Yue Mingming's bewildered expression and added, "Tomorrow afternoon, the second batch of grain transport ships bound for Jiangzhou will depart from here."
No matter how dumb Yue Mingming was, he understood that this madman was going to attack the dock!
The key is...what is he going to do?
Yue Mingming's mind raced – he had to drag everyone down with him, and at the same time, he had to destroy the canal dock...
"...Explosives?"
She mumbled a word, hoping she was wrong.
Yue Zhaofeng laughed heartily. "I remember when you were nine years old, on the Lantern Festival, we saw a fireworks display in Luozhou. You loved it so much back then that you begged me to promise you we'd come see it every year... Unfortunately, I became busy with work and never watched it with you again. Tonight, as you wished, the capital's largest fireworks display will be set off just for you. It's a belated promise from your father."
"Are you happy?"
I'm about to be blown into fireworks, what's the point of being happy?
Yue Mingming wanted to refute, to curse, to run away... but he didn't dare to move.
How come he always encounters all the perverts in this game?
At this moment, Yue Chen suddenly stepped forward, his face pale, and he said in a trembling voice, "Father! That's not what you said before! You promised not to kill her again, to treat her well, and to reunite our family... That's why I brought her here!"
Huh?
Yue Mingming's heart suddenly lit up with hope, and he put on a lifelong show of acting, adapting to the situation and crying, "Brother, save me! I don't want to die!"
Yue Zhaofeng smiled coldly, raised his hand and slapped Yue Chen's face, and half of his face swelled up immediately.
"You still have the nerve to bargain? If it weren't for you, how could this happen? None of us would have to die!"
"Father!" Yue Chen almost roared, his voice containing too many emotions. Before Yue Mingming could make out any details, he was interrupted by Yue Zhaofeng's harsh voice.
"Asshole! Get out of the way!"
He reached out to pull Yue Mingming, but Yue Mingming was so frightened that he hurriedly hid behind Yue Chen.
In fact, she had already given up hope, because she had long seen that her brother did not dare to disobey their father at all. Even if he was unwilling, he could only be an accomplice of Yue Zhaofeng.
But this time she was wrong. Yue Chen did not move.
His body began to tremble uncontrollably, obviously he had never faced his father's wrath before, but he did not move.
Keep Yue Mingming firmly protected behind you.
"You've become successful too?!" A hint of surprise flashed across Yue Zhaofeng's eyes, then turned into disdain, and he slapped him again with his backhand.
"Get out of here!"
“…” Yue Mingming couldn’t stand it anymore.
Because of anger, she regained some strength in her hands and feet, and desperately grabbed Yue Chen's sleeve and pulled him back.
Yue Chen stubbornly stood between the two of them, and no one could pull him apart.
Yue Zhaofeng glanced at the fading incense on the table, his expression changed slightly, and without mercy, he grabbed his son's neck: "Still not getting out of the way? You're looking for death!"
Yue Chen yelled, "You should leave now! Jump off the boat!"
"No one can leave tonight!" Yue Zhaofeng's eyes flashed with ferocity, and he pounced on Yue Mingming viciously. When he was about to grab Yue Mingming's clothes, he was pushed away by Yue Chen.
The father and son rolled into a ball in the narrow cabin.
Yue Mingming turned around and wanted to run, but she really couldn't ignore Yue Chen who was lying in a mess on the ground.
His long-term unconditional obedience to his father made him dare not really take action. He just subconsciously hindered Yue Zhaofeng's actions to buy time for Yue Mingming.
Yue Zhaofeng, however, only attacked where lives were lost, without showing any regard for the father-son relationship.
Yue Mingming shouted, "Brother, knock him out and come with me!"
Yue Zhaofeng looked up in anger: "Okay! Very good! If you want to go with him, I will kill him!"
The next moment, his eyes turned red, as if he was possessed by a ghost. He grabbed Yue Chen fiercely and slammed his head against the broken porcelain pieces on the ground.
Yue Mingming screamed and rushed over, trying to block Yue Zhaofeng with his body, but Yue Zhaofeng suddenly dropped Yue Chen and grabbed Yue Mingming's arm with a grin.
"You are mine! Until death!"
None of the three people in the fierce fight noticed that the remaining incense stick that was knocked to the ground flickered and finally burned out.
Rumble.
The explosion was like a thunderclap, overturning the darkness.
Flames shot up into the sky, heat waves billowed, and the grain transport wharf suddenly became a living hell. The grain ships anchored there, waiting to depart, were engulfed in flames, attracting everyone's attention.
No one noticed that a small boat was shaking with the huge earthquake and was slowly sinking to the bottom of the water.
Because they were too close to the explosion point, all three people on the boat were affected and lost consciousness for a moment.
It was not until the water flooded in that Yue Chen was the first to wake up. He stumbled and grabbed Yue Mingming, stuffed a piece of wood into her arms, and took her into the water.
Yue Mingming was still confused, her hands and feet were stiff and unresponsive, so Yue Chen desperately dragged her to the water.
Yue Mingming finally came to her senses. She looked at the sea of fire all around her and cried, "We are going to die here!"
Yue Chen forced a smile that was uglier than crying: "No! Mingming, listen to me... Hold on to this board and swim west. That direction is connected to Yu Lake. If you see anyone, shout and you will definitely be rescued!"
"Which way is west..." Yue Mingming choked on the water a few times. The more anxious and frightened he became, the deeper he sank: "Help! Wuuwu!"
Yue Chen tried hard to support her, but found that he had no strength.
"Mingming! Don't worry, you can swim!" He patiently instructed her step by step: "Relax, put your arms on the board, and push your legs slowly..."
Yue Mingming was anxious and angry, thinking to himself, why don’t you help me? It’s already this time, and you still have the time to play the role of a swimming coach?
But in order to survive, she could only calm down and slowly adjust her movements according to Yue Chen's instructions. Gradually, she found that her head could be exposed above the water, her legs moved in a regular pattern, and her breathing finally became smooth.
"Where are we going?" Yue Mingming turned his head and asked, even with a slight smile on his face.
Yue Chen also smiled at her and pointed in a direction: "There."
Yue Mingming nodded: "I'll follow you. I can do it now."
"Mingming, I'm sorry." Yue Chen suddenly spoke, the raging fire reflected in his eyes, shattering into tiny tears.
"I never dared to tell you, but it was actually me who secretly arranged things and married you to Zhao Congyun."
He sank down, his tone becoming anxious: "As you grew older, I was afraid of what your father did to you, but I couldn't stop him... I hope you don't hate me."
Yue Mingming was stunned for a moment.
Seeing him so sad, I couldn't help but blurt out: "I don't hate you! What I said on the boat before was all a lie. In fact, I am living very well in the palace."
"Really?" Yue Chen looked at her deeply, searching for any trace of lies in her eyes, but Yue Mingming's eyes were clear and frank.
"That's good... That's good."
He could no longer move his arms and legs, and his mouth and nose were almost submerged in the water. Yue Mingming finally realized something was wrong and swam over to pull him back: "What's wrong with you? Why aren't you swimming anymore?"
Only after getting closer did Yue Mingming smell a scent of blood, which was even overwhelmed by the strong smell of sulfur from the explosions around him.
"Don't worry about me, just leave." Yue Chen's face was calm: "Live well."
After a pause, he added softly: "If possible, don't forget me."
The joy of having just escaped death instantly turned into great panic. Yue Mingming cried, "Don't talk nonsense, you can't die... You can't die! You left me here, what should I do?"
But the light in Yue Chen's eyes grew dimmer and dimmer.
Yue Mingming pulled and tugged at him, but still couldn't stop him from sinking. Instead, he began to choke on water.
"Let go..."
"No!" Yue Mingming shook his head stubbornly.
She had decided to really treat him as her brother, so he was not allowed to die.
Just when Yue Mingming was holding on, she didn't see that a pair of pale hands stretched out from the bottom of the water and tightly grasped her ankles.
Yue Mingming's body suddenly fell down. She opened her eyes wide and saw Yue Zhaofeng, who she didn't know whether he was a human or a ghost, smiling at her sinisterly under the water.
"..." Yue Mingming opened his mouth in shock, spitting out a string of bubbles, and unconsciously let go of Yue Chen.
Yue Chen seemed to sense something, followed her gaze, and saw their lingering father.
He suddenly laughed.
He turned his head and patted Yue Mingming lightly, with a hint of farewell, then bit his tongue, and using the brief clarity brought by the severe pain, he pried open Yue Mingming's fingers, lifted her up for the last time, and then dived into the water without looking back.
Yue Mingming lay on the wooden board and cried loudly.
She waited for him for half an hour. The mud and sand stirred up from the bottom of the water returned to calm, and the surrounding firelight gradually dimmed. She finally dragged her frozen body and swam away, looking back every few steps.
After swimming for a very long time, Yue Mingming paddled mechanically and almost fainted.
Half asleep and half awake, she suddenly remembered something -
The system once told her that her swimming was taught by her brother.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
