Chapter 237
Pei Yuqing's behavior was strange, but Yuan Qing, who was standing to the side, exclaimed in surprise:
"Isn't this... Xiao Ling...?!"
He swallowed the word "brother" in fright. Tang Hong gestured for him not to say anything on stage. Tang Hong glanced at the distance between Pei Yuqing and Ying Ning.
It seems they've come to understand something.
The host, Liang, immediately broke the awkward atmosphere: "I heard that Mr. Pei also watched this year's Fairy-One live. Do you have a favorite team?"
Pei Yuqing did not think:
"I don't have a favorite team."
"I do have someone I like."
His words drew jeers from many spectators.
Who is it?!
"This Mr. Pei is really handsome, he has the air of a refined nobleman."
"The Pei Group sounds familiar."
"Who is it? Tell us quickly!"
......
Pei Yuqing remained silent.
The host, Liang, discreetly observed his expression and sensed that he probably didn't want to say it in public.
"It seems Mr. Pei also has a favorite contestant, haha." Host Liang grew up in Suzhou and naturally knew Pei Yuqing's identity, so she didn't dare to joke around with the audience.
This young CEO Pei is no pushover.
He could only continue, "This year's MVP will become the official promotional ambassador for Fairnd Games and will also receive multiple advertising contracts from the Pei Group."
"I'll tell you all in secret."
"The Tame virtual machine, which has been selling well in the market recently, is a product of the Pei Group."
"In the coming year, Pei's Group will launch a complete series of tame products, developed in collaboration with Future Technology Company!"
The host, Liang, handed over the envelope:
"Then let Mr. Pei announce this year's MVP for us."
......
Pei Yuqing casually opened the envelope and picked up the microphone:
"The MVP award winner for this year's Fairy-One tournament is..."
The noise from the audience gradually subsided, and many people held their breath, hoping to hear the name of their favorite player.
He read out three words:
"You Yingning".
In an instant...
The heavy burden that had been weighing on Yingning's fans has finally been shattered.
These days, the seemingly endless criticism, ridicule, insults and attacks have finally found an outlet.
They expressed their revelry in the audience and online.
The rumors have been confirmed. Although it's easy to ruin a girl's life, the law and her rights will always give her the courage to defend herself.
This confirmed their favorite female professional player, who won the only MVP award of the match.
They said:
Look, we girls can also stand in the spotlight.
They said:
As women, we have no need to feel ashamed of our appearance or body shape.
The people who should feel ashamed are those who have base thoughts about them.
They said:
No matter how much our education level or living environment is squeezed, as nearly half of the world's gender, we have the right to pursue everything.
professional players...
Freelance novelist...
doctor...
Construction workers, and so on.
Gender should never be a constraint that binds them.
......
On the stage where everyone was watching, Yingning walked to the side of the host. The host, Liang, thought she was going to give a thank-you speech, so he immediately handed her the microphone.
Yingning paused for a moment:
Thank you everyone for recognizing my abilities.
"But I regret to inform you of something."
"From today onwards, due to personal reasons, I will no longer be a professional player." The girl holding the microphone had the same firm look in her eyes as always.
"This is my last match."
The audience fell silent.
Even the host, Liang, almost didn't react:
"This... Ms. You Yingning, could you explain the reason?"
“Fairnd is a game I really enjoy, and I participated in the competition purely out of interest, but in the process, I experienced some things I never imagined.”
Her voice stopped there.
"The difficulties of gathering evidence, the compromises around me, the threats that disappointed me, and the unbelievable accusations made me struggle for a long time."
“I almost ran away.”
"I am able to face this bravely because of the support my fans have always given me."
Yingning bowed deeply. The sounds around her were no longer cheers and praises; instead, there were faint sobs from the audience. It took her a long time to stand up.
"Feel sorry."
"I'm ready to take this step back."
*
The unexpected turn of events near the end of the competition drew a considerable number of fans and reporters to the entrance of the convention center, where many were discussing the matter.
Why did You Yingning choose to withdraw from the league competition?
Despite having a bright future ahead of her, she chose a path that no one could understand.
Due to the large crowd gathered at the entrance of the convention center, the organizers arranged for all participants to leave the venue together on club buses for safety reasons.
The atmosphere on the bus to the Miling Club was deathly silent.
"Youyou, why..." Yuan Qing put the trophy beside her as soon as she got in the car, but her mind was still on Ying Ning's words that she would no longer be a professional player.
Everyone knows how much she loves esports.
"I've been too busy lately, I need to take a good rest."
"Sorry, Yuan Qing." Ying Ning, who was sitting by the window, was accidentally illuminated by the streetlight, and it was only then that Yuan Qing noticed that she seemed to have lost a lot of weight.
After all, that kind of thing can't be gotten over in just a few words.
If it were him, he probably wouldn't be able to do what Youyou did.
Yuan Qing sighed and said nothing more.
Yuan Ye, sitting in the last row, buried himself in darkness, making it difficult to fathom his mood.
Just then, the bus suddenly swerved and came to a stop, the driver immediately slamming on the brakes!
"Ouch."
"How can you drive like this so late at night!" The driver was furious because he almost had an accident.
Don't stop the club bus; it's a jet-black sports car.
Pei Yuqing got out of the driver's seat and looked at Ying Ning inside the car through the window.
“Xiao Ling, isn’t that your brother?” Yuan Qing asked.
"He came looking for you?"
Pei Ling didn't speak, while Tang Hong glanced at Ying Ning.
The driver was about to ask Pei Yuqing, this madman, to move aside, but then he heard him suddenly speak:
"You Yingning".
"I have something to tell you."
Pei Yuqing's eyes were deep and unfathomable, as if he were suppressing some unknown emotions.
He vaguely felt a sour feeling in his chest.
how?
Is it really that she's so eager to sever all ties with me just because she has an advertising contract with the Pei Group?
...
When Pei Yuqing saw Ying Ning get out of the car, he unconsciously reached out to grab her.
"Mr. Pei, what's the matter?"
She was indifferent to him.
Pei Yuqing was taken aback, but still put on his usual smiling face, though his tired expression betrayed that he hadn't had a proper rest in a long time.
"Yes, I have a lot of things to do."
He stood before her, as proud as when they first met.
"Why?" Pei Yuqing asked.
He wanted to ask why he wanted to escape from himself so much.
I'd like to ask her why she's angry.
"Why?" Ying Ning smiled gently.
"At the time, the online accusations were all about pressuring and threatening me to come forward and apologize, forcing me to take responsibility for all my mistakes, and trying to keep me trapped in a quagmire of insults for the rest of my life."
"As you said, many people don't actually care whether I'm right or wrong."
Even now, some people on the internet believe that Yingning's clarification is nothing more than a smokescreen to cover up the dirty deeds.
"but..."
The girl standing by the roadside had a determined look in her eyes.
"I care about it myself."
"And what makes you any different from those people?"
Pei Yuqing and those who coerced, threatened, and forced her to submit to violence are essentially the same.
Upon hearing her words, Pei Yuqing felt a tremor in his heart, suddenly realizing that some things could not be resolved according to his own ideas.
He grabbed Yingning's arm, but was stopped by another person.
"Mr. Pei, please don't lay a hand on my team members." Yuan Ye realized the situation was serious and immediately got out of the car to protect Ying Ning.
Even though he didn't know how the two met, he could still vaguely sense an unusual atmosphere between them.
Pei Yuqing looked at the field, his gaze turning cold.
"Your team members?"
"If I remember correctly, she has already left the club."
"how?"
"Can't the club owner talk to the former players?" Pei Yuqing's tone was unfriendly.
This is the second time that someone named Yuanye has gotten involved in things between her and her.
Yuan Ye didn't say anything, but continued to protect Ying Ning behind him.
Even though Pei Yuqing was still angry, he could still see the expression on the person in front of him. His gaze towards Yingning was filled with guilt and undisguised love...
I see...
It's not like I'm the only one who likes her.
A surge of inflated greed instantly filled Pei Yuqing's mind.
How ironic...
He hadn't had a good night's sleep in days because she wasn't by his side, and he'd even reached the limit on his sleeping pill dosage.
His mental state had long been fragile.
And why...?
Why don't you ever care about him?
He never imagined that he would want to keep someone by his side so much because of fear, uncertainty, and a sense of danger, like a coward afraid of losing them, using a rather despicable method.
Sure enough, it made her want to escape.
Pei Yuqing's gaze swept from Yuan Ye's face to the girl's features behind him, his voice low and deep:
"You Yingning".
"Come over here."
This was his last act of kindness.
But he saw Ying Ning's eyes, a kind of indifference and coldness that had never paid him any attention. With just a glance, she completely shattered his spirit.
Greed consumed him, and that feeling of being between lucidity and a dream once again dragged him into the abyss.
So much so that...
Let him forget what he did afterward.
*
A duplex villa in the suburbs.
The vines, neglected for a long time, gave the building a desolate feel. The dust of memories had long since settled by the windows of the manor, quietly watching the eldest son of the former owner.
They were whispering to each other, as if they hadn't seen each other for a long time.
On the swaying doorplate, the words "Pei Residence" could still be faintly discerned.
A series of hurried footsteps finally stopped on the second floor, and the man gently turned the doorknob.
"Ningning."
Pei Yuqing's eyes were no longer the same as before; instead, they held a deep, unfathomable undercurrent.
"Today you drank a glass of water, read three books, and walked 156 steps."
"Eat one more slice of bread than yesterday."
He laughed, and then uttered something utterly despairing:
"You tried to escape through the window again, but failed."
"Go to the storage room under the stairs to find tools, but fail."
"I ran out the back door into the garden, but got lost."
Pei Yuqing sat on the edge of the bed, remained quiet for a while, and then muttered to himself:
“I’ve already told you, there are surveillance cameras everywhere in this house because this has been my home for many years.”
"Everyone always keeps me locked up here, afraid that I'll go out and cause trouble."
"However, I know that all they want is the Pei family's assets, and as the heir, I have already become an obstacle in their eyes."
Pei Yuqing reached out and looked at the sleeping person on the bed. He gently touched her forehead, just like his mother had done to him when he was a child. He then remembered that in the surveillance footage, she seemed to have cut her hand in the garden.
He took out a band-aid from his pocket. Although the small wound on her palm had already healed, Pei Yuqing still carefully applied it.
"Be more careful in the future."
"It's bleeding, and it hurts a lot."
"When I was locked up here, I was just like Ningning, always accidentally hurting myself."
"Luckily, Pei Ling was still young at the time, and they didn't see him as a threat, so they didn't harm him, otherwise..."
"These days are just too hard to get through."
Pei Yuqing lay down and shared a pillow with Yingning, without making any inappropriate moves.
“I was too young then and couldn’t do anything. In the past, I was always willing to hide behind my mother and father to protect me.”
"I'm afraid of being alone."
"I'm very scared."
Perhaps it was this building that stirred up a flood of old memories, making Pei Yuqing feel breathless, and those hallucinations took the opportunity to pull him down.
He seemed to hear someone speaking urgently in his ear:
"Xiaoqing, you're still young. Quickly tell us the combination to your father's and mother's safe..."
"Ouch."
"Are you crazy?! How dare you bite your uncle?!"
"Madman! Madman!"
"The Pei family has produced a madman!"
......
"Someone, quickly pull him away."
"Xiaoqing, you are sick now, so you can only stay at home. Uncle will come to see you later."
...
"Xiao Qing, don't you want to see your younger brother?"
"Stay here obediently, or you'll never see your little brother again."
...
When those people were away from me, they were secretly gossiping:
“He was such a smart kid since he was little, how come he seems to have gone insane after his brother and sister-in-law passed away? Could it be here…” someone pointed to his head.
"Is he really mentally ill?"
"Hmph, a madman is even better. All of Pei's shares will then be in our hands."
Some people were terrified:
"Wasn't we too harsh on that child? I think something's really wrong. Should we get him a doctor?"
"You're being nosy."
...
He was trapped in the lifeless building, and the beautiful memories touched by his former lover in the house seemed to be hurting Pei Yuqing's state of mind time and time again.
Deep in despair and loneliness, he hoped...
It's possible to escape, and it's possible to stay.
He lay on the floor, staring at the dazzling crystal chandelier all night, ultimately escaping from all reality and even more afraid to face his dreams.
Every time I close my eyes, I can see my mother and father who died in the car accident.
They said:
"Make sure you live a good life."
That's why he didn't choose to die in this house, but reality was too cruel. He was locked up in what should have been the most beautiful place, and he repeatedly fell ill on the ground, clutching his head, and fainted several times from the headache.
Once the pride of heaven, they are now utterly vulnerable in the face of interests and conspiracies.
......
He didn't know how much time had passed before he finally escaped from the house.
Pei Yuqing no longer cared about family ties or the reputation of everyone in the Pei family. After taking control of the Pei Corporation, he immediately purged everyone related to the car accident within a few months.
However, those painful memories could not be shaken off again.
*
After leaving the police station again, Yuan Ye received a call from the hospital and rushed to the nearby hospital. He rushed to the ward building without even having time to put on a mask and hat.
However, in the hospital, he attracted the attention of some Fairnd players and fans:
"Is that the Plains of Miling?!"
"Hurry up and take a group photo!"
"I absolutely love their team."
"I like Youyou!"
......
Yuanye spoke with the doctor and learned that Grandma had twisted her ankle while going up the stairs and had been brought to the hospital by a neighbor. Fortunately, the injury was minor.
However, the doctor still reminded Yuanye that his grandmother was old and it would be very dangerous for her to live alone.
Yuan Ye spent half a day taking care of his grandmother at the hospital. After the old woman fell asleep in the evening, he quietly came down from the stairwell to avoid attracting attention.
On the fifth floor, Yuanye met an acquaintance.
The pale man in the hospital gown had a beautiful face beneath his sparse hair. He casually wiped his glasses and immediately put them back on, intently studying the contents of several slips of paper.
Duan Shen didn't notice the field above the stairs at first, but he slowly raised his head after sensing the probing gaze.
He also recognized Yuanye.
But Duan Shen ignored Yuan Ye and continued to write and draw in his notebook.
Recently, Yuan Ye has been going to the police station repeatedly to look for Ying Ning, but there has been no news.
Exhaustion and worry made it impossible for Yuan Ye to remain calm when he saw Duan Shen's composed demeanor.
"How do you find the mood to paint in the hospital?" Yuan Ye asked, walking down a few steps, his tone filled with barely suppressed anxiety.
"The one who throws mud at people."
He used these words to describe Duan Shen, who merely moved his pen slightly without getting angry.
Duan Shen was still drawing something in his notebook, which completely angered Yuan Ye, who quickly came to Duan Shen's side.
He snatched the notebook away, and the few sheets of paper mixed in fell mercilessly to the ground. Duan Shen immediately picked them up, as if they were something extremely important.
His expression as he looked at the field was unfriendly, and he said coldly:
Give it back to me.
Unable to find any trace of Yingning, the wilderness gave a cold laugh and uttered a cruel statement:
"Give it back to you?"
"Then can you give her back to me?"
If it weren't for Xia Yueyue and Duan Shen's situation, she would still be a member of the Mi Ling Club, and they would have countless more matches to fight side by side.
However, such an opportunity never came.
Duan Shen didn't understand Yuan Ye's meaning. He reached for the notebook with one hand, but then heard the man in front of him speak in a voice as cold as ice:
"Someone like you doesn't deserve to be with her."
Duan Shen threw a punch, and Yuan Ye was not to be outdone; the two quickly became embroiled in a fight.
"Yuanye, what's the difference between you and me?"
"As the team captain, forcing her to withdraw from the competition, wouldn't that just make it a fact for her to do so?"
"Yuanye, don't be so arrogant in front of me."
A fist came flying, striking Duan Shen's right cheek, and Yuan Ye's words, tinged with anger, followed:
"yes!"
"I am not worthy!"
"From beginning to end, I never felt that I was good enough for her!"
He thought that since they were on the same level, he could boldly express his love.
It's just wishful thinking.
......
"I'm still better than you now. Do you think you can get the police to find her by scribbling and drawing here?!"
"Duan Shen, I look down on you."
Duan Shen stopped abruptly, his eyes turning cold: "What did you say?"
Where is she?
"Don't tell me you don't know, everyone around her is looking for her." Yuan Ye roared, releasing all the panic he had been holding in for days in that instant.
"Yuanye, explain yourself clearly, what exactly happened to Ningning?!" Duan Shen's eyes were icy.
"She was here a week ago."
Yuan Ye's voice choked with emotion:
"Gone..."
Surveillance footage showed that she returned to her newly rented apartment, but never appeared again.
Yuan Ye suspected that Ying Ning's disappearance was related to Pei Yuqing, but the police investigation concluded that Pei Yuqing was attending meetings out of town during those days and had no opportunity to commit the crime.
All leads have been completely cut off.
*
Airport announcement:
"Attention passengers traveling to Chicago, check-in for your flight 0067 has begun..."
Wearing a hat and mask and pulling a suitcase, Pei Ling made a phone call before boarding:
"Hey, bro."
"Okay, time to board."
Pei Yuqing on the other end of the phone said, "When you arrive in Chicago, someone will pick you up. Take good care of yourself there."
Pei Ling had always been reluctant to go abroad to see a psychologist, but in the past few days he took the initiative to tell Pei Yuqing that he hoped to cure his mental illness as soon as possible.
"elder brother."
"Would you like to come along too?" Pei Ling asked cautiously.
Pei Yuqing didn't respond to his words, but calmly arranged his schedule:
“Li Zhu will stay with you in Chicago for a month. If you need anything, you can ask him to make arrangements for you.”
"elder brother!"
Pei Ling seemed hesitant, but still asked the question:
"Tell me, is Youyou...?"
"I know you like her, but at the very least, the bottom line and principle of liking someone is that you won't hurt her!"
For some reason, Pei Ling felt that Ying Ning's disappearance was inextricably linked to her brother.
"If you knew where she was..."
"Let her go."
...
The boy on the other end of the phone was in great pain, which reminded Pei Yuqing of some memories. He hung up the phone with a look of struggle on his face.
Pei Yuqing stood by the window, gazing at the figure in the garden, before getting up and going downstairs.
"What's wrong?"
"The black tea doesn't suit your taste?" Pei Yuqing noticed that the amount of black tea in the cup hadn't decreased, and the pastries beside it hadn't been touched.
"If you don't like it, tomorrow..."
Splash!
The other person is angry.
The deep blue porcelain cup was smashed on the ground, and the skirt that was lazily lying on the chair seemed to have been startled by a few drops of tea stains, but the owner of the skirt did not care at all.
The girl's face was pale, and her slender wrists seemed to exude a sickly air.
"Pei Yuqing, you are committing a crime."
Pei Yuqing ignored her and instead squatted down, carefully wiping the hem of her skirt with a tissue. He looked up and said:
"Then I'll have someone send another batch of clothes over in a few days."
"Would that make you happier?"
Yingning sensed that the life force of this body was gradually draining away. She deliberately got up and avoided Pei Yuqing's touch, and walked closer to a cluster of swaying poppies.
"I want to leave here."
“How can someone who is imprisoned be happy?” Her voice was weak.
These words seemed to sting Pei Yuqing. He thought of the time when he was imprisoned here, and suddenly his forehead was throbbing with pain again. It took him a while to recover from the pain.
He was trying to find some warmth.
Pei Yuqing carefully put his arm around her waist, a gesture of longing for protection and dependence.
"I..."
"I just don't want to lose you."
A drop of scalding liquid seemed to land on the back of his palm, burning his hand, while the other person seemed to helplessly stumble into the poppy bushes.
Pei Yuqing, fearing she might get hurt, was pulled directly into a beautiful illusion by her.
"Ningning...?!"
Unfortunately, illusions are never pleasant, and Pei Yuqing was instantly terrified upon seeing the other person's appearance.
He noticed large amounts of blood sliding down her thin face, each drop staining the poppies around her with a bloody stench.
fear...
Shock...
The feeling of loss enveloped Pei Yuqing once again, and he held her tightly in the flower bushes, his mind racing as he tried to stop the blood that kept flowing from her.
"You Yingning...!!"
He prayed to heaven...
he...
I don't want to lose it.
*
Private hospital, VIP ward.
The surveillance cameras in the innermost corridor were turned off in advance. The hospital's upper management had given instructions that only a few designated medical staff could enter that ward.
The atmosphere in the ward was tense.
"Mr. Pei, this young lady's symptoms... are very strange." The middle-aged doctor looked at the newly released test report and spoke hesitantly:
"Her organs are failing, and even some cells and platelets are decreasing. We have taken treatment measures, but at present we can only temporarily slow the deterioration of her condition."
What happened to her?
Pei Yuqing stood in front of the hospital bed, looking at Yingning who was still unconscious.
The doctor explained the facts:
"This young lady's health is deteriorating rapidly."
"We've never seen this kind of condition before in our hospital; we need to consult and discuss it further."
"However, I feel I need to remind you that when we examined this young lady, we found that her mental state was already very unstable."
“She has a serious tendency toward anxiety and paranoia, so I suggest we examine her mental state further.”
...
Not long after the doctor left, Pei Yuqing received a call from overseas. He quietly left the ward, not noticing that the girl on the bed had moved slightly.
*
After Pei Yuqing finished arranging things over the phone, it took him quite a while. When he returned to the ward, he happened to be in the corridor when he bumped into a slightly faster-moving figure. The person didn't turn around, but simply said:
"Sorry, I'm in a hurry."
He hurriedly went off.
The second person Pei Yuqing encountered was the doctor in charge of Yingning, who seemed to be anxiously searching for him.
"Mr. Pei, we've finally found you!"
"What is it?" Pei Yuqing asked.
The doctor held up a test report:
"The psychiatric department just sent over an emergency blood test result. Your family member...it seems she has been taking medication for a long time."
"Based on the findings of her previous examinations, she likely already has very severe bipolar disorder," the doctor continued.
"She has likely been secretly taking medication, and at a considerable dosage. Currently, her mental state remains unstable, so we need to consider the next treatment plan..."
Bipolar disorder...?
Pei Yuqing seemed to be thinking about something and ignored the doctor's words, turning around and running into the ward.
"Ningning!"
Pei Yuqing opened the door to the ward, panting, only to find that there was no one else on the bed.
*
A silent, deserted staircase.
Duan Shen stopped in front of the iron gate on the rooftop. He tried to reach out his hand but then let it fall back down weakly.
He searched all the hospitals in Suzhou, but couldn't find Ningning.
According to the parallel memories he saw at the quantum machine, You Yingning should be in the hospital at this time. So Duan Shen searched all the hospitals, big and small, in Suzhou over the past few days, until he remembered the private hospital where she was taken during the last fire.
He came here with the idea of taking a gamble.
Duan Shen closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then gently pushed open the iron door to the rooftop.
The rooftop was deserted.
Duan Shen finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as he turned to leave, he suddenly heard a faint, ethereal song:
"The myriad connections we make are like the swirling snowflakes of October."
"The world is always full of people who are infatuated with love, and they never forget their beloved."
...
Duan Shen's heart skipped a beat.
He remembered that one day she woke up from a nightmare and called him, pestering him to sing for her, and that was when he...
He spontaneously sang a song called "Reciting Love".
Duan Shen's footsteps gradually approached the figure huddled in the corner at the edge of the rooftop, following the sound of the song.
“Ningning...?” Duan Shen’s voice was filled with terror.
It wasn't just because he saw Ying Ning, but when he realized that reality completely overlapped with the image in his mind, a nameless fear almost devoured his soul.
Upon hearing his voice, the other person cautiously raised their head:
"Duan Shen."
Yingning's expression was very strange, even showing signs of anxiety and unease.
She scratched her upper arm so hard that it left several bloody welts, but she still tried to control her emotions in this way.
The beautiful woman's usual charming smiles and gestures were now replaced by a pale and weak expression, and her once upturned fox-like eyes had become dull and lifeless.
It's heartbreaking.
"Ningning, come here a little."
Duan Shen noticed that Ying Ning's mental state was not right, so he tried to pull her back from the brink of danger.
"The rooftop is dangerous, shall we go down?"
"not good."
"I'll take you down first."
"Don't touch me, Duan Shen."
She shook off his hand, strongly resisting his touch.
Then Yingning tilted her head slightly, as if she didn't realize how cruel her words were:
"Duan Shen, why do you still have the courage to appear before me?"
One sentence left Duan Shen frozen in place.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
