standoff
In the afternoon, the most intense sunlight had passed, and the sky was just beginning to darken. A gentle breeze blew, bringing a refreshing coolness to the face...
"Knock knock knock—"
Suddenly, a knocking sounded in the empty hallway.
"Who...who is it?" Mother Qi slowly opened the door a crack, peering through the crack to cautiously observe the situation outside.
When Qi's mother saw Wen Xubai, dressed in a clean white shirt, smiling and gesturing to her, she was clearly taken aback, and then pushed the door open a little wider.
This time, half of its head was able to show.
Qi's mother asked with some surprise, "Little...Little Chen?"
She seemed to think it over carefully to make sure she hadn't mistaken the person.
"Hello, Auntie." Wen Xubai greeted her with a slight smile, his lips slightly pursed.
The woman looked at him blankly for a long time before slowly saying, "You...you're here to see Xiao Zui? He's gone out..."
Wen Xubai shook his head. "Auntie, I came to see you."
"Me?" The woman froze for a moment, a look of helplessness flashing across her face. She glanced into the inner room, her expression somewhat panicked. "Why...why do you want to see me?"
"I just have a few questions I'd like to ask Auntie." Wen Xubai's expression remained unchanged as he raised an eyebrow slightly. "What? Do you have guests at Auntie's house?"
"Ah, no..." The woman seemed flustered and quickly explained, "My house... my house is too messy..."
“It’s alright,” Wen Xubai nodded. “Even if it’s messy, I’ve seen it before. Besides, I can help your aunt tidy up.”
The man before her had a sincere and innocent expression. Qi's mother was not used to dealing with people, and at this moment she really couldn't think of any other excuse. She could only swallow hard, slowly push the door open, and avoid Wen Xubai's gaze, saying, "Then...then you...you can come in."
Wen Xubai smiled and thanked her. After entering the room, he closed the door behind him. Just as he was about to change into slippers, he heard Qi's mother say, "No need to change your shoes, you... just come in."
Since the host had spoken, Wen Xubai naturally stopped being coy and stepped into the living room with his shoes on.
Upon entering the main hall, Wen Xubai noticed two disposable paper cups on the table, with tea leaves still floating on the unfinished tea.
Wen Xubai asked casually, "Does your aunt like tea?"
Upon hearing this, Qi's mother, who had just brought over a cup of hot water, trembled and almost dropped it. Fortunately, Wen Xubai reacted quickly and took it from her, preventing it from spilling on the ground.
As she pushed the cups away from the coffee table, Qi's mother hurriedly explained, "No. This...this is what Xiao Zui drank from earlier..."
As she spoke, she picked up the clothes that were piled up messily on the sofa and took them away. When she came back, she touched the stray hairs at her temples and said to him, "Xiao Chen, you...you can sit here."
"Okay." Wen Xubai responded and sat down in the direction that Qi's mother pointed before returning to the previous topic, "That's a pity. I happen to have some fine tea that I just got. It tastes good. I was thinking of sending some over if Auntie likes it."
"No...no need." Mother Qi rubbed her skirt awkwardly, seemingly uncomfortable with the scene.
Wen Xubai then noticed that Qi's mother seemed to have dressed up deliberately today, with obvious traces of makeup on her face and a brand new dress.
A person who stutters even when speaking a few words to others would dress up specially to meet someone. It seems that the person who is visiting today is a very important "distinguished guest" to Qi's mother.
Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, Qi's mother crumpled her dress into a ball, hesitated, touched her face, and asked nervously, "I...Is there something on my face?"
"No." Wen Xubai withdrew his gaze. "It's just that your aunt looks young and has good skin. She must have been a stunning beauty when she was young."
Mother Qi seemed to have not been praised like this in a long time, and was stunned for a while before saying somewhat embarrassedly, "Oh, no... No matter how I was when I was young, now... I'm just an old woman with a haggard face..."
After saying that, she realized what she meant and asked with a puzzled look, "You...you came here today for something?"
Wen Xubai lowered her lashes and remained silent for a while before smiling faintly and saying, "It's nothing. I just encountered some difficult problems and thought you, Aunt, would know the answers, so I came to bother you."
"A difficult problem...me?" Mother Qi pointed incredulously at herself, then quickly waved her hand, saying, "How would I know about problems like yours, young people's problems..."
But Wen Xubai smiled enigmatically: "Auntie doesn't even know what the problem is yet, why rush to deny it?"
After saying that, a cryptic look flashed in his eyes, and without waiting for Qi's mother to respond, Wen Xubai spoke up.
"Auntie looks so young, she must have been quite old when she gave birth to Qi Zui, right?"
Qi's mother was taken aback upon hearing this, seemingly puzzled as to why Wen Xubai had asked this question.
But the other person's tone was calm and indifferent, like a clear spring, yet carrying an unquestionable air, pulling the listener into a vortex from which they could not escape...
So he instinctively replied, "Yes... back then, I had just graduated from university..."
It's not something to be proud of for a girl to have a child in her early twenties, so Qi's mother seemed a little embarrassed.
"I see..." Wen Xubai said thoughtfully, "Then taking care of a child alone must be very hard, right?"
"It's alright... I'm used to it..."
Qi's mother was a little teasing; she always felt a bit awkward discussing these things with a younger person who was old enough to be her son…
"And what about the child's father?" Wen Xubai asked abruptly.
He clearly saw Qi's mother's body tremble, and the forced smile on her face froze for a moment. A stray lock of hair fell down, swaying precariously.
Mother Qi quickly tucked the stray strand of hair behind her ear and forced a smile, saying, "Oh, he... he's gone. He doesn't want us anymore..."
After saying that, as if afraid he wouldn't believe her, she hurriedly added, "It happened a long time ago... the neighbors... the neighbors all know about it..."
The reasons he had explained to his neighbors and colleagues a thousand times now seemed so difficult to utter in front of this boy with eyes as clear as mirrors.
She always felt... that beneath this boy's calm gaze, it was as if he could see right through her thoughts...
"Didn't you think about going to see him? After all, he's also the child's father, and he should do his part in raising the child..." Wen Xubai took a sip of hot water.
"I... I'm just a weak woman, raising my child is already difficult enough, how could I possibly have the ability to find someone..." Mother Qi said with a bitter smile.
"Really?" Wen Xubai raised an eyebrow. "It's quite a coincidence. I have some connections at the police station, which might be of help. How about this, you tell me the person's name, and I'll try to find him for you?"
"No, no need!" Mother Qi's eyes widened instantly, and she shook her head frantically. "No need to trouble yourself!"
"Really not necessary?" Wen Xubai lowered his eyes.
"Really, there's no need!" Mother Qi said hurriedly, "It happened so many years ago... I don't care anymore... Why make such a fuss?"
Seeing the other person's loss of composure, Wen Xubai's heart sank to the bottom.
"Unfortunately, I've already checked."
Qi's mother's pupils suddenly contracted.
Wen Xubai changed the subject and said calmly, "But what I'm investigating isn't that man, it's you."
"Me?" Mother Qi asked in astonishment.
“Yes.” With that, Wen Xubai slowly tossed a stack of documents onto the table amidst the other person’s surprised and uncertain expression.
The photo at the very top of the table is of a young woman who bears a striking resemblance to Qi's mother, both in her facial features and eyes.
Qi's mother immediately trembled all over, her clasped fingers turning slightly white as if burned, and she instantly looked away.
Hearing Xu Bai's voice, which sounded like a demon, still echoed in his ears.
“Your aunt was indeed a beauty when she was young…” He slowly picked up the photo, seemingly examining it closely.
Then he said, word by word, "Is that right, Qi Xi?"
"Oh no, I should call you Lin Xi."
"You changed your name, didn't you?"
Qi's mother's eyes widened instantly. Suddenly, she rushed forward, snatched the photo from his hand, and angrily said, "Yes, I changed my name, I got pregnant out of wedlock, and I was abandoned! My parents feel ashamed, and I feel ashamed! But so what? What does it have to do with you?!"
The smiling woman in the photo instantly shattered into pieces, and the shredded paper fluttered into the air, landing on Wen Xubai's face.
Wen Xubai neither dodged nor avoided the other party, letting him vent his anger before slowly speaking: "It has nothing to do with me, but... it has something to do with my father."
Upon hearing this, Qi's mother's face, which had been flushed with anger, turned deathly pale. She slumped onto the sofa beside her, pointing shakily at the person who was slowly standing up, and stammered, "You...you are...?"
The man stood in front of the balcony, his pale skin almost transparent in the backlight. His expressionless face was utterly calm, one hand in his pocket. There was no shock, no doubt, as if everything was under his control.
The more composed the man was, the more panicked the woman became. She had kept that secret for eighteen years, escaped from hell for eighteen years... Was she about to be discovered again...?
Their hearts pounded wildly; neither of them uttered a word, and the atmosphere in the entire living room seemed to freeze...
After a long while, the "clack-clack" sound of men's leather shoes rang out again.
Wen Xubai moved slowly, his gaze sweeping over the furnishings in the living room as if he were visiting an exhibition.
Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at the red toy car under the TV cabinet, but my footsteps finally stopped on the tall newspaper rack.
Wen Xubai casually picked up one of the newspapers, flipped through it, and said, "I noticed this when I came last time. Auntie is very concerned about current affairs. Especially about... the affairs of the Wen family."
A gentle breeze blew in, lifting the hem of the clothes of the two people in the hall, and the newspaper just happened to stop at the headline "Chairman of Wen Group Mourns His Deceased Wife".
He glanced calmly at Mother Wen, who was frozen in fear, and said with a smile, word by word:
"I haven't formally introduced myself to you yet, have I? Hello, my name is Wen Xubai, and I am Wen Tingyi's son."
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