Morning light streamed through the curtains once more, and Su Nian awoke in A Chen's comforting embrace. They had slept side-by-side all night; his arms, still tightly wrapped around her, remained firm, but the strength was no longer suffocating; instead, it felt like a deep, unwavering dependence. His breath, steady and warm, brushed against her ear, carrying the gentle warmth of sleep.
Su Nian stirred slightly, and A-Chen woke up. He opened his eyes, his dark pupils lacking their usual sharpness, replaced by a hazy, just-awakened look and a barely perceptible gentleness. He didn't immediately release her; instead, he tightened his arms, burying his face in the crook of her neck and nuzzling against her, like a large feline unwilling to leave the warmth of her embrace.
"Good morning," he said in a low, hoarse voice.
"Good morning," Su Nian replied, gently patting his hand that was wrapped around her waist. "It's time to get up. We need to continue looking for the wooden box today."
Mentioning the wooden box, Ah Chen's eyes instantly regained their clarity, the brief gentleness replaced by a sense of urgency. He released his arms, sat up nimbly, and rubbed his slightly disheveled hair.
"Hmm." He responded, his gaze sweeping over Su Nian, pausing for a moment at her slightly open neckline, his eyes darkening before looking away and getting out of bed first.
As the two walked out of the master bedroom, the door to the guest bedroom opened just then. Xie Chen (the dominant personality) stood in the doorway, his face still somewhat pale, but his eyes were no longer as empty and desperate as yesterday. Instead, they held a timid yet tentative look, as if he couldn't help but want to get closer. He saw Su Nian and A Chen coming out of the master bedroom side by side, his eyes flickered, and he lowered his head, whispering, "Good...good morning."
Ah Chen glanced at him, and surprisingly refrained from making sarcastic remarks, simply giving a faint "hmm" in response.
This almost "peaceful" morning gave Su Nian a glimmer of hope.
After breakfast, the search continued. This time, they focused on furniture with storage functions that might have been overlooked, especially areas that matched the descriptions of being "dark" and "dusty."
Su Nian carefully inspected the storage compartments under the TV cabinet in the living room, while A Chen knelt on the floor, probing the gaps under the sofa. Xie Chen (the main personality) sat quietly to the side watching, his fingers nervously twisting together, seemingly wanting to help but unsure where to begin.
Time ticked by, and with another morning's efforts about to be in vain, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. Ah Chen's brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and his aura began to stir again.
Just then, Su Nian's gaze was drawn to an inconspicuous tall side table in the corner of the living room, used to hold decorative vases. The side table looked quite old, its wood dark and intricately carved with vine patterns, almost blending into the dark walls. She had previously assumed it was just a decorative piece when she passed by.
She walked over, squatted down, and tapped the side table's surface with her hand, producing a dull, solid wood sound. She tried lifting it and found it was much heavier than it looked. Upon closer inspection, the connection between the tabletop and the supporting column seemed unusual; the gap was slightly larger than elsewhere and covered with a thin layer of dust.
“Ah Chen,” Su Nian called out, “come and take a look at this.”
Ah Chen immediately got up and walked over, looking in the direction Su Nian pointed. His eyes sharpened, and he reached out and felt around in the gap for a moment, his fingertips touching an extremely tiny protrusion that was almost integrated with the pattern.
He pressed down hard!
With a soft "click," the side table's surface popped open a little like a small drawer!
Inside was a dark brown old wooden box with blurry floral patterns carved on its surface!
Found it!
Su Nian and A Chen's hearts jumped at the same time. A Chen carefully took out the wooden box. The box wasn't big, but it felt heavy in his hand. The clasp was a small, old-fashioned brass clasp, and it wasn't locked.
He glanced at Su Nian, took a deep breath, and slowly opened the box.
The sheet music they expected was not in the box.
There was only an old-fashioned brass key with a cold, metallic sheen. Underneath the key was a folded, yellowed piece of paper.
key!
It's the key to the music room!
Su Nian and A Chen both held their breath for a moment. What they had searched so painstakingly for was actually the direct key to opening that forbidden door!
Ah Chen picked up the key, its icy touch causing his fingertips to tremble slightly. He gripped the key tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, as if he were holding a ticket to hell, or... a possible salvation.
He unfolded the yellowed note. The handwriting was neat yet slightly messy, as if it had been written in a moment of extreme haste or emotional distress; it was Xie Chen's mother's handwriting:
To Xiao Chen:
If Mom is no longer here, use this key to open the music room.
Inside is the last gift your mother left you, and... the truth.
I will always love you.
Mother"
The words on the note struck their hearts like a heavy hammer! "If Mom is gone," "the truth"... these words undoubtedly confirmed the worst suspicions of that night.
Ah Chen's face turned deathly pale instantly. He slammed the lid shut, gripped the key tightly in his hand, his chest heaving violently, and his eyes surging with a torrent of pain and rage.
Xie Chen (the main personality), who had been sitting quietly to the side, began to tremble uncontrollably when he saw the key and heard Su Nian read the note aloud. Tears welled up silently in his eyes. The fragments of memories that had been forcibly suppressed surged back, clearer and more cruel than yesterday!
"No...don't open...Mom...Mom's inside..." he cried incoherently, his fear reaching its peak, curling up as if trying to hide in some non-existent safe corner.
Ah Chen looked at the devastated Xie Chen, then looked down at the cold key in his hand, his eyes filled with an intense struggle. Opening it meant facing the bloodiest truth, which might completely shatter the main personality, even himself. Not opening it meant the truth would remain buried forever, and they would forever live in the shadows and under Xie's father's control, and the crisis of that celebration would never be fundamentally resolved.
Su Nian walked to A Chen's side and gently took his hand, which was tightly gripping the keys and trembling slightly. Her hand was warm and steady.
“Ah Chen,” her voice was soft, yet carried a strange power, “let’s go together.”
It's not "you," nor "I," it's "we."
Ah Chen raised his scarlet eyes and looked at Su Nian. In her clear and firm gaze, he seemed to find some kind of support. He gripped her hand tightly in return, with a force so great that he almost crushed her bones, yet it was also as if he was confirming her presence.
"Okay." He uttered a single word in a hoarse voice, with a resolute determination that came from the brink of disaster.
He then looked at Xie Chen (the main personality), who was curled up on the ground crying, his gaze complex. He walked over, not roughly pulling him away, but squatting down, and said in an almost clumsy yet unusually firm tone:
"Listen, you piece of trash."
"If you don't want to be a cowardly wretch forever, stand up."
"Come with me, let's go see what that old man did to us... to Mom."
His words were still barbed, but the phrase "Come with us" was like a faint light shining into Xie Chen's endless abyss of fear.
Xie looked up in shock, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at A-Chen, then at Su Nian, her face filled with struggle.
Ah Chen stopped looking at him. He held Su Nian's hand tightly, his other hand gripping the heavy key. He turned around and walked step by step, resolutely toward the closed door on the second floor, the symbol of the source of all pain.
Su Nian was led by him, and could feel the cool sweat in his palms and the undeniable strength in them. She did not back down and followed in his footsteps.
Behind them, Xie Chen (the main personality) watched the two figures walking side by side. An unprecedented, faint yet real courage quietly sprouted within him amidst extreme fear. He fiercely wiped away his tears with the back of his hand, trembling, and struggled to his feet, staggering as he followed behind them.
For the first time, three people, for the same goal, headed towards the music room that had been locked for many years.
The sound of the key being inserted into the lock was particularly clear and heavy in the quiet corridor.
(End of Chapter 142)
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