Hatred
The shadow was stretched long and narrow, falling in the midnight corridor. Under the dim light, Wen Tingyi lay quietly on the hospital bed, the instruments beeping. His aged face was hidden under the ventilator.
No matter how brilliant and arrogant a person was in the past, when they are seriously ill and on their deathbed, it is difficult to see their former glory.
The sound of leather shoes falling on the floor drifted slowly over. Wen Xushi walked step by step to the bedside. His tall figure was bathed in the silvery light of the moon. He looked quietly at the man on the bed, a faint smile on his face as always, but the smile did not reach his eyes.
The man on the bed seemed to sense danger and suddenly opened his eyes. The moment he saw the person beside the bed, his eyes widened in shock!
Wen Xushi slowly bent down and smiled, "Father, your son has come to see you."
"Ugh... Ugh..." Wen Tingyi tried to shout with difficulty, but his chapped lips opened and closed again, and his throat remained blocked as if something was stuck in it, making it difficult to make a sound.
Watching the man struggle, Wen Xushi suddenly laughed.
"What does Father want to say?" He covered Wen Tingyi's face with his slender fingers, forcefully ripped it off, and then slowly leaned down under Wen Tingyi's horrified gaze, smiling as he said, "Please speak."
"Ugh...! Ugh...!" Wen Tingyi clutched his throat with his aged hands, a suffocating sensation washing over him. Only faint, gurgling sounds, like water, could be heard from his hoarse throat...
Wen Xushi tilted his head as if in confusion, "Father, don't you have anything to say?"
"Uh...! Uh..." Wen Tingyi's pupils widened, and his fingers trembled as he reached out towards Wen Xushi, but just as he was about to grab his collar, he was suddenly dodged.
“Since Father has nothing to say… then let me say it.” Wen Xushi straightened up, his eyes behind his thin-rimmed gold glasses suddenly turning cold and unfathomable, and the smile on his lips drooped slightly.
Wen Xushi picked up the two corners of Wen Tingyi's quilt, straightened the quilt that had rolled off during his struggle, and said softly, "Father, do you still remember Lin Xi?"
"Uh! Uh...!"
Upon hearing the name "Linxi," Wen Tingyi seemed to react. His thick neck stiffened, his face turned bright red, and his chest heaved violently.
Wen Xushi was very satisfied with his reaction, nodded, and then slowly took out a photo from the inner pocket of his clothes and held it up in front of Wen Tingyi.
The woman in the photo is wearing a long yellow floral dress, with her hair reaching her waist. She is holding a bouquet of baby's breath and looks happily at the camera with a radiant smile.
Wen Tingyi's pupils widened further, and he slightly raised his arm with the blood pressure monitor, as if he wanted to touch it. However, Wen Xushi withdrew his hand just as he was about to touch the photo.
“You…” Wen Tingyi began, his voice trembling and indistinct.
But this time, Wen Xushi heard it. He tilted his head and smiled, "If Mother knew that you still remember her, she would be very happy, wouldn't she?"
Wen Xushi recounted in detail: "A girl who has just entered society, with an incredibly pure and innocent heart, is easily deceived by a man's sweet words. She doesn't need expensive gold and silver jewelry; just a casual remark from her lover and a cheap bouquet of flowers will make her overjoyed. Without the man asking, she is willing to give him everything... How foolish..."
After saying that, he took out a lighter from his pocket, and with a "snap," the light ignited, and then, to the man's horrified gaze, he set the photo on fire.
"Uh..." Wen Tingyi made another sound, seemingly trying to stop him.
Wen Xushi gave him a cold look and said, word by word, "Don't rush, I'll give it to you right away."
The next second, the man flicked the photo between his fingers, and the photo, still glowing with fire, quickly fell onto the bed, instantly setting the sheets ablaze!
"If Mother could see you in the afterlife... she would be so happy."
"Ugh!" Wen Tingyi cried out in fear, his aged body collapsing to the ground amidst the rapidly rising flames, the IV stand crashing to the ground with a loud thud!
Wen Xushi stood by the window with his arms crossed, coldly watching the man struggle to crawl out the door, his smile widening as if he were watching a wonderful comedy.
"Need help?" Wen Xushi raised an eyebrow, stepped on the man's hunched back, and slammed him hard into the ground!
"Ugh! Ugh—" Wen Tingyi screamed wildly, using the last of his strength to desperately pound the ground! As if doing so would attract someone to come and save him.
Wen Xushi exerted force with his foot, and his leather shoe slowly turned, kicking Wen Tingyi's wrinkled face!
Wen Tingyi was suddenly kicked and rolled over, his chest heaving weakly. He didn't even have the strength to pat the flames on his body, but as if unwilling to give up, he reached out to grab the phone that had been thrown under the bed.
"Heh." Wen Xushi seemed to find it amusing and kicked again.
This time, the kick landed on the abdomen.
Wen Tingyi's body bent over in shock, weakly clutching his stomach, his eyes vacant, completely powerless to move, and could only watch helplessly as the flames consumed him.
The intense, burning sensation gradually spread from his legs, making him agonize with desire. He knew without even looking that his legs were definitely ruined.
The flames burned up to his waist, then slowly surged up to his chest. In the instant he was engulfed by the flames, he saw his own miserable state reflected in the demon's eyes.
“You unfilial son…” Wen Tingyi said with his last bit of strength, his body trembling.
Wen Xushi simply stared coldly at him, his long shadow gradually climbing onto Wen Tingyi's slightly writhing body, completely enveloping him.
Under his icy gaze, Wen Xushi spoke indifferently: "Father, thank you for your 'nurturing grace' over the years. I am who I am today... all thanks to you."
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The shower water poured over him, the icy water splashing on his face, and Wen Xubai finally snapped back to reality.
Water droplets rolled down his eyelashes, and the misty fog obscured his vision. Wen Xubai looked at himself in the mirror, as if waking from a dream.
It was a face so thin that the cheeks were somewhat sunken, with dark circles under the eyes, bloodshot eyes, and an exhausted expression. Wen Xubai brushed aside the strands of hair stuck to his forehead by water, revealing a shallow scar on his brow bone.
That was three years ago on the ferry, when he was injured by Wen Xuyuan's men.
For some reason, the image of Qi Zui breaking down the door reappeared in his mind.
Surprise, fear, anger, and...heartache...
The excruciating stinging sensation swept through his mind again. Wen Xubai suddenly covered his head, trying to suppress the dizziness. He braced himself against the water-drenched sink with one hand to barely keep his balance.
In the mirror, his hunched back was clearly visible, and his ribs were even clearly visible on his bare chest.
Years of nightmares have left him living in a state of agonizing illusion, and every time he wakes up in the middle of the night, he fears that he will return to the darkness of his childhood.
Unconsciously touching his face, Wen Xu's hand, with its distinct knuckles, trembled slightly. In his eyes, this face filled him with utter disgust.
I still love you.
Qi Zui's voice suddenly rang in his ears, driving away all other sounds in his mind, just like the day the two first met. With just one glance from afar, everything around them stopped, and all people, things, and events disappeared. In the vast world, only the two of them remained.
Why would I love him? Wen Xubai was puzzled.
He dragged him into a whirlpool of suffering, causing him to fall into danger time and time again. Why... does Qi Zui still love him?
He couldn't understand it, he really couldn't understand it.
No one likes someone who constantly brings disaster, especially when that person actively invites disaster upon them...
Is it pity? Or sympathy?
Wen Xubai looked at the haggard figure in the mirror and slowly placed his hand on the cold mirror surface.
In an instant, steaming water vapor rose up, blurring the surface and making the figure inside indistinct. In a daze, the face seemed to transform into Qi Zui.
What if I were to take away all the happiness and hope you have left?
Qi Zui's expression in the mirror changed unpredictably, gradually becoming the expression he had when he saw Wen Tingyi off in the ambulance the day he fainted.
Panic.
He knew, of course, that Wen Tingyi couldn't possibly be truly Qi Zui, but the panic in Qi Zui's eyes when Wen Tingyi fell didn't seem fake.
Like a neglected child, no matter how their parents treat them, they always yearn for even a little bit of love from them. Just like Qi Zui begged Lin Xi for love back then.
In the end, he still... regarded Wen Tingyi as his father.
Staggering again, Wen Xubai took a deep breath and lowered his head once more.
He quickly wiped the water droplets off the mirror, making it clear again and reflecting his pained face once more.
From that car accident twenty-one years ago, their fates were destined to be intertwined, and destined to... never find peace.
Wen Xuyuan has been staying at the hospital, by Ruan Yun's side, who has become a vegetable. He doesn't care about company affairs at all, as if he really doesn't care about anything anymore.
Police discovered in the Wen family's surveillance footage that Wen Xuyi had secretly sneaked into Wen Xuyuan's vehicle. This time, with Wen Xuyuan putting pressure on him, Qin Yalin could no longer protect him, and Wen Xuyi was taken away for investigation.
Suddenly, this "competition" that had lasted for more than a decade was reduced to just Wen Xushi and Wen Xuchi.
Wen Xubai's gaze suddenly darkened.
Why would Wen Xuyi, who is usually active in Jiangcheng, suddenly appear in Jincheng? And why would he drive into an inconspicuous alley that even locals rarely drive into after getting drunk?
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