Chapter 67 Chapter 67 Oh, right, his brother...
"Don't panic, I'll ask someone to send you clothes." Yan Zijiao said.
We will soon reach the urban village area.
The scenery of the surrounding streets gradually changed, from bright and spacious to narrow gray blocks. Yan Zijiao used the navigation to see that it was a group rental building in several alleys, so he parked at the outermost one, which was equivalent to the entrance.
He made a phone call on the way, and when the car stopped, someone was already waiting outside.
Cen Xue wanted to follow him down, but the young man pressed him down on the seat and unbuckled his seat belt.
The faint scent of perfume on Yan Zijiao's body was like a dark and humid rain forest. For a long time, in Cen Xue's eyes, his image symbol was always associated with such rainy days.
Yan Zijiao got out of the car, took the bag from the man, walked to the passenger seat and knocked on the glass.
Cen Xue quickly came down.
"Wet wipes, a comb, and a set of clothes," Yan Zijiao shoved them through the car window and flipped open the passenger side mirror. "Change before you get out. The glass has a special coating, so it won't be visible from the outside."
"Thanks……"
"Okay, hurry up, don't you have something urgent to do?" Yan Zijiao reached out and straightened the ends of his hair that were sticking up due to the wig.
Thanks to this reminder, Cen Xue tried to calm herself down while changing her clothes.
Take a deep breath—now is not the time to be vulnerable.
At some point just now, Cen Xue almost followed his impulse and wanted to vent and cry to the only person around him who could temporarily turn to him: how Yan Pei treated him, how his family treated him, how his adoptive father said his intellectually disabled brother ran away from home because of him, suspected of jumping into the river, and even abused his mother -
But accusations alone are useless.
Is it miserable? Yes. Is it serious? Yes.
But if words were useful, she wouldn't have ended up in this situation when arguing with Yan Pei. Cen Xue learned her lesson through her own actions.
Moreover, the iron rule he had been taught since childhood was not to tell anyone about family matters.
Asking him to let down all his defenses against Yan Zijiao would be tantamount to opening his entire self to him, but Yan Zijiao was just an enthusiastic person whom he had just met today.
He doesn't even have Lu Yanxi...
Cen Xue glanced at the two people outside the car window in the rain, and ruthlessly eliminated the dependence that had arisen from the suspension bridge effect.
She wiped her face with a wet tissue. After a breakdown, she realized that there was no recovery without destruction. It was difficult for Cen Xue to cry again.
He pursed his lips, changed his clothes as quickly as possible, opened the car door and rushed into the pouring rain, passing Yan Zijiao who was waiting for him.
The alley was very dirty, with mud and water all over the ground. If Yan Zijiao went in, he would only get his shoes and trouser legs dirty.
"Boss Yan, should we follow them?" the subordinate asked.
Yan Zijiao watched Cen Xue run into the dark alley and shook his head, "Let's park somewhere else. I need to take care of something."
The subordinate went to move the car, while Yan Zijiao turned around and made a phone call. In the noisy environment, only his address to the other end could be heard: "Auntie, I have——"
*
When Cen Xue ran to the door of her house, Xu Zhongqiang was holding a knife and cursing at Cen Jing.
"Do you wish Xiaolin would die?!"
"I just happened to have a good son who got into college! Now that Xiaolin is dead, you're relieved, right?!"
"I work outside every day to earn money and entrusted Xiaolin to you, but you deliberately let him go out!"
This is one-sided bullying.
If Cen Jing did not have an ear disease and could speak normally, she and Xu Zhongqiang should be able to argue with each other and determine who is responsible, just like a normal couple whose child was in an accident due to negligence. However, she speaks slowly and her speech is unclear.
Cen Xue was so angry that she didn't know where she got the strength from, but she grabbed something nearby and threw it at him.
When it hit me, I realized it was a heavy wooden stool.
The blunt angle of the stool hit Xu Zhongqiang's mouth, and he cried out in pain, his front teeth and lips stained with blood.
The man staggered, took a few steps back and hit the wall, groaning in pain.
Cen Xue chased after him a few steps and kicked the wine bottle. He knew without even looking that it was Xu Zhongqiang who drank it, so he lifted Xu Zhongqiang by the collar.
Xu Zhongqiang was confused and mumbled, "Little bastard... ungrateful wolf..."
Cen Xue gritted her teeth and said, "Don't impose your thoughts on Mom. Do you think everyone is like you—"
As he spoke, he punched Xu Zhongqiang several times.
Xu Zhongqiang is a contradictory person. His son has intellectual disabilities, but he did not abandon his wife and son. He has always been responsible for supporting the family and even agreed to take in and raise his wife's sister's son. This limited sense of responsibility hides his indifference to the current situation of his family and his desire to go with the flow.
When Cen Xue grew up, she found out that Xu Lin's condition could be treated by attending classes at an institution, but Xu Zhongqiang never mentioned it.
Moreover, Cen Xue understood better why Xu Zhongqiang asked him to study outside under the identity of Xu Lin.
Most of the time Xu Zhongqiang ignored Xu Lin. Occasionally when he was drunk his eyes would be sinister and cruel, but he seemed to be expecting something. Cen Xue later realized that he was waiting.
Waiting for Xu Lin to have an accident as fate would have it.
If Xu Lin really died, Cen Xue would officially possess all of this identity, and Xu Zhongqiang would have a healthy and normal son.
So when this "opportunity" came, Xu Zhongqiang had to take the initiative to transfer the responsibility and fault to Cen Jing to make himself appear innocent.
However, his angry curses were the vent of emotions he had been holding back for more than ten years.
Cen Xue used to have a limited vision. He thought that the fundamental solution was to study hard, get into a good university, and lead his family to success, just as the teacher taught him. But after getting to know those second-generation stars during the vacation after the college entrance examination, he realized that it was not the case. Avoiding them would only make people like Xu Zhongqiang become more and more presumptuous.
He could have resisted a long time ago, but he just didn't know it yet.
Now I know.
Cen Xue acted ruthlessly, even though he had been frustrated by Yan Pei a few hours ago. But people are always stronger than they think, and anger can support his actions and strength.
Everything is for Cen Jing.
Cen Jing reacted and pounced on him.
I couldn't hear what he said clearly, but I could understand that he was telling Cen Xue to stop hitting me and stop immediately.
Xu Zhongqiang was already somewhat unconscious and about to faint.
If Cen Xue hadn't been holding him up, he would have been able to slide down the wall and sit down.
Cen Jing was very weak, after all, she couldn't even snatch the phone back, but Cen Jing couldn't resist her at all. He asked in confusion: "Why are you speaking for him?!"
"Shouldn't he die? Has he fulfilled his responsibilities as a father over the years? He's the one in the family who's most hoping something bad happens to his brother!"
"I can't even have my own identity, and my brother has been locked up at home for more than ten years—"
Oh, right, his brother.
Cen Xue finally digested this.
My brother, who used to follow my mother around, is gone.
If he's home, his brother will follow him around and ask how his day was. Even though he knows Xu Lin will forget everything the next day, Cen Xue still shares every detail. Not long ago, Xu Lin even ate the lunch box he brought back from the set and declared it better than his mom's, just like a child who thinks takeout is better than home-cooked food.
Of course, Xu Lin was also present when he had several conflicts with Xu Zhongqiang due to going to college.
Cen Jing had to protect him, so she couldn't take care of Cen Xue at the same time. Two or three times, Cen Xue and Xu Zhongqiang got into a fight. Cen Jing treated her wounds. Xu Lin cried and said: "Axue, run away quickly. Dad is a bad man. I don't like him anymore."
In fact, Xu Zhongqiang did not give Xu Lin the chance to say "I love him".
Xu Lin once secretly told Cen Xue that he felt his father was like a monster that stayed at home and refused to leave. Why didn’t Ultraman come to beat him?
In Cen Xue's heart, there were times when Xu Lin was unruly, but that was not something that could be controlled. Most of the time, Xu Lin was like an angel.
Cen Xue's breathing slowed down, and the silver bottle necklace around her neck was as hot as fire. Inside it was the small stone that Xu Lin had given him.
The beating just now was so violent that the silver bottle kept making noises as it shook, but Cen Xue had long been accustomed to it. Once, Yan Pei felt annoyed and asked him to take it, and that was one of the few times he didn't give in.
“…”
Cen Xue looked behind Cen Jing, but couldn't find the person she was looking for.
By the way, Xu Zhongqiang said that Xu Lin ran away secretly, a person who knew nothing. The surveillance footage showed that he went deep into the river behind the building.
Cen Xue noticed that Cen Jing's ears were scratched and the hearing aid she usually wore was missing. It might have been roughly pulled away during the argument.
So Cen Jing can hardly hear anything now.
He let go of Xu Zhongqiang.
Xu Zhongqiang fell to the ground and completely fainted.
Cen Xue looked at Cen Jing, repeating what she had just said and translating it into sign language.
He had to match the rhythm of the sign language and repeat it without sounding as anxious and angry as before. Gradually, Cen Xue's chin began to tremble. He didn't let the tears fall, but he couldn't control his sobs and kept asking:
"Is my brother really gone? What did he do out there? He doesn't know how to do anything..."
"...Is it because I didn't go home? He missed me?"
Cen Jing sobbed and gestured: "Don't say that."
Xu Lin likes to lie on the window and look at the river across the wall. Cen Jing said that he has always longed to be there and see the scenery outside.
Cen Xue heard everything and couldn't tell whether it was good or bad, and she didn't know whether she should take the responsibility on herself.
Only then did he realize that his wrist was aching as if it had been strained because he had thrown the stool too hard.
I'm so tired.
After staring at Xu Zhongqiang for a few seconds, he went to the window.
The rain was still falling, and Cen Xue tried hard to look into the distance, hoping to see the scenery that Xu Lin saw.
The water droplets slanted into the room. Cen Xue was already wet, so now she didn't care at all. She just felt that the rain was a bit salty.
A dragging sound could be heard from the living room. It was probably Cen Jing dragging Xu Zhongqiang back to the bedroom to lie down. Normally, a situation this serious shouldn't be handled so calmly, but for this particular family, the past decade or so had been enough to stretch their nerves and limits. They had become somewhat numb, and their judgment of the severity of the situation was biased.
…By the way, Cen Xue lowered her head.
I suddenly wondered why it was polar bear teeth.
Why?
Why didn’t I feel confused before, but now I want the answer?
There was a sound of wine bottles clinking in the living room. It might be Cen Jing cleaning. Cen Xue wiped her face and went over to ask her to rub some medicinal wine or something on Xu Zhongqiang.
one two three……
Cen Xue counted the bottles.
It seems that Cen Jing had intended to hide it from him, but she didn't expect Xu Zhongqiang to get drunk and snatch her cell phone away.
——Why didn’t he drink himself to death?
Cen Xue was thinking suddenly, but heard Cen Jing's scream from the bedroom.
Soon, Cen Jing stumbled out, her face covered in sweat within a few seconds. She gestured to Cen Xue:
'Dead! He's dead!'
Cen Xue: "What?"
Boom boom boom!!!
At the same time, there was a violent banging sound outside the door, and it seemed that the person was up to no good.
But the voice that rang out was: "We are the police! Open the door! A neighbor called the police. Are you guys fighting here?!"
…
…
So much happened that day.
Xu Zhongqiang really died, choking on vomit.
The autopsy results showed that Cen Xue had nothing to do with it - his blow and a few punches only caused soft tissue contusion. The preliminary diagnosis was that the vomiting was caused by drunkenness.
But the timing of his death was so coincidental that the police came to his door.
It turned out that the neighbor had called the police before Cen Xue came. The person who called the police was a young man who had just moved in and had a strong sense of justice.
It's a complete mess.
He and Cen Jing were interrogated separately, but Cen Jing was disabled and had to wait for someone who knew sign language to arrive, so Cen Xue was the first to be taken away.
When she was taken into the interrogation room, Cen Xue turned around and saw Cen Jing and the police officers crying, "It's not him! It's not him!"
In the interrogation room, Cen Xue lowered his eyes, his hands handcuffed to a special chair. After all, in a sense, he was also a suspect.
From this angle, you can see a shadow in front of you. It is the hair that was wet and then hastily dried, tangled into clumps.
As he was thinking, Cen Xue was no longer able to maintain any emotional state. He looked up tiredly and made his next decision.
Before the police started asking questions, they heard the boy say:
"Uncle police, I'm still a minor. I'm not the Xu Lin listed in my household registration. I still have more than a year to go before I become an adult."
*
Cen Xue knew that she was the child of Cen Jing's sister.
He was too smart. He was five years old when he was brought home, and nothing could be hidden from him after he grew up.
He still remembered that Cen Jing could not resist the questioning and had to take out the letter her sister wrote to her, but because the subsequent content was not suitable for children to see, she only read the first few sentences to him, and that was a version with selected wording.
[Sister, I've given birth to a son. During those days... I just remember it was snowing the entire time. We haven't chosen a name yet, so I'll call him Ah Xue for now.]
So he knew that he was born in the heavy snow, and was at least a year and a half younger than Xu Lin, whose birthday was in the summer.
…
Cen Xue didn't even remember how he got through that day, or maybe it ended at a later date. In short, the signal for the end of everything started when he saw Yan Zijiao again in the police station.
Yan Zijiao said: "I'm sorry, I was still worried, so I followed the police car when I saw it."
"I think you need some help, but before that, there's someone who wants to see you."
Yan Zijiao took out his cell phone and the screen showed that a video call had already been made. He handed the screen to Cen Xue, who saw the woman on it.
This wasn't the first time he'd seen it.
She was a middle-aged woman whose eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar to his. Because their eyelashes were naturally not very curled, they hung straight down like a mysterious mist covering their eyes. But when they met face to face, it was discovered that their temperaments were completely different. The similar eye shape was just a coincidence, but this was the only thing they had in common.
"Hello, I'm Yan Yanfei."
The woman said that her face had the look of a long-standing illness, and her face looked even more shaky and fragile.
After going through several twists and turns, Cen Xue had only a hint of fatigue on his face, but his eyes were like a continuous torch, keeping his spirit burning.
Yan Yanfei said apologetically: "I already know what Yan Pei did, I'm very sorry..."
"Don't worry about what happens next. Zijiao will help you deal with it. Just tell him if you need anything."
"As for Yan Pei, it's my fault for not disciplining him well. I won't let him harass you again."
She sighed. Even with such a voice, even though she was known as the queen of singing, it was still very beautiful.
This is the best thing Yan Pei inherited from her.
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