Chapter One: Isolated and Helpless
Life is made up of many choices.
Every choice leads to a different path.
If Yun Yao could choose again, he would only want to go back to six years ago, so that his younger, bewildered, and desperate self would no longer choose to risk everything to save his imprisoned father, but instead run away with his uncle who had traveled a long way to come to him.
At this point, perhaps all the abyss of decadent gold dust and burning desires could be far away from him, and he would no longer be like a moth trapped in a fire, burning everything away, leaving only a thousand holes...
Raindrops pattered on the eaves of Fangzhou Boat, and Yun stared blankly at the flock of birds flying south.
His hometown is far away; he is a wild goose that longs to fly but cannot.
The gray-blue roof tiles flowed down the corridor pillars like a waterfall, soaking the carved window frames of the Mandarin Duck Pavilion into a watercolor painting, while his suggestive shadow, hidden under the wisteria trellis, resembled a crumpled Xuan paper bookmark.
The tuberoses in the west courtyard were in full bloom, their fragrance mingling with the raindrops and seeping into the ornately decorated main hall. This secluded "Jiangnan Manor," seemingly a fairyland, stood in a forbidden and secret place in the northern city center, subtly revealing its supreme power and honor. Extremely wealthy and noble, it was a golden cage that imprisoned him.
...
Six years ago, in Nanhang City.
On an ordinary afternoon, Yun Yao had just left the cemetery when she received a phone call from her father.
On the other end of the line, her father's voice was filled with a warm smile, like the breeze of May in the south: "Ayao, where are you? Come home quickly, I have a surprise for you."
Yun Yao's eyes flickered slightly. He turned back to look at the cemetery gate, his voice a little hoarse, "Dad, I just came out of the cemetery."
The boy's expression was sorrowful and melancholic, as if he could crumble into dust with a mere gust of wind. But he didn't want to burden the person on the phone with his long-standing grief, so he feigned curiosity and asked, "What surprise is it?"
"You'll find out when you get home." The father's tone was deliberately mysterious, and he seemed to be in a very good mood.
"Okay," Yun Yao said softly into the receiver. The asphalt road in front of the cemetery gate was softened by the sun, and Yun Yao's shoes were still covered with pine needles from the cemetery. "I'll be there in twenty minutes."
After hanging up the phone, Yun Yao raised her hand to shield her eyes from the increasingly scorching sun. Sunlight filtered through her fingers, casting crisscrossing shadows on the asphalt road.
Yun Yao could actually guess that the surprise her father mentioned on the phone was a gift for her eighteenth birthday.
He glanced back at the cemetery, where rows of neatly arranged tombstones stood quietly, like amber settling in time, nestled among the green trees.
The wind whistled past his ears, carrying the sound of the pines, and he seemed to hear his mother's last words again: "Ayao, you and your father must take good care of yourselves from now on, don't leave your father alone..."
Yun Yao gripped his phone tightly and turned to walk towards the taxi parked by the roadside. The sunlight stretched his shadow long, all the way to the end of the road, like an invisible line connecting his deceased mother at one end and his father, who was waiting for him to come home, at the other.
Now, only he and his father remain in his home.
Thinking of the surprise in his father's voice on the phone, a ray of sunshine gradually pierced through Yun Yao's gloomy and sorrowful mood of the past few days. He suddenly felt a sense of anticipation and longed to see his father soon.
He had no such expectation since his mother passed away a year ago.
Finally arriving home, Yun Yao opened the door, only to be blinded by the sudden light that shone in the entryway.
However, the first thing that hit his nostrils wasn't the familiar aroma of food, but a strange, metallic scent. Yun Yao looked up, and the scene inside made his heart clench!
My father, who always loved wearing custom-made suits and meticulously aligned even the cuff buttons, was being pinned down on the living room carpet by two men in dark uniforms. His shirt was torn and deformed, and his usually impeccably combed hair was a mess.
In the corner, there was an overturned cake and an unopened gift box. Amidst the mess of cups and plates, several men in uniforms looked at him seriously, their eyes filled with surprise and wariness.
One of the uniformed men turned around, his gesture of showing his badge was calmly almost indifferent: "Economic Investigation Detachment is enforcing the law. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter!"
"Ayao!" Upon seeing him, his father suddenly struggled to sit up, his voice filled with an unprecedented panic, "Don't listen to them, it's a misunderstanding, Dad didn't do it..."
Looking at the sudden turn of events before him, Yun Yao felt as if something was blocking his throat, and even breathing seemed to have been forgotten. He recalled his father's deliberately lighthearted tone on the phone earlier that day, and that word "surprise" felt like a fine needle suddenly piercing his temple.
Yun Yao took a deep breath, suppressing his panic and helplessness. He looked at the person in the lead, and in a flash, he remembered that he had seen this face before. It was a person commended by a certain institute in the internal newspaper that his father had brought back.
"Commander Lin, may I ask what happened to my father?"
The handsome young man tried to appear calm, but his slender fingers couldn't help but clench tightly at his sides.
His stunning good looks and unusually calm demeanor softened the tone of the man who was still surprised to be called by his surname. "I'm sorry, your father is suspected of multiple serious economic crimes. He needs to come with us now."
The man handed Yun Yao a document containing information and approval documents related to his father's emergency arrest. Although the document didn't reveal much, it was enough for Yun Yao to understand that his father was in serious trouble.
"Major economic crimes?" Yun Yao's hoarse voice seemed to be forced out from between his teeth as he stared at his father in disbelief.
Suddenly, Yun Yao remembered that when she returned home last week, the door to her father's study was unusually locked, and there were crumpled bank statements in the trash can; she remembered that when her mother was hospitalized, her father always said, "There are some cash flow problems"...
Yun Yao had always vaguely known that his father, who was on the inside, had been scheming and maneuvering through various channels. But he never expected that his father, who had just been promoted to vice president of a bank this year, would be involved in such a big case.
The father continued to argue, but his voice grew weaker and weaker. Finally, the man who had been subdued helped him to his feet, and as he passed by Yun Yao, he suddenly shouted to her, "Yao! You have to save your father!"
The uniformed man at the head of the group frowned, then gestured to his companion, "Take him away!"
Yun Yao was helpless; he could only watch as his father was led out the door. His once straight back was now bent like a broken reed. The light in the entryway was still on, illuminating a single white hair his father had left on the carpet, making it stand out starkly, like the white chrysanthemum curled up in the sun at his mother's grave, so fragile it would shatter at the slightest touch.
Today is Yun Yao's eighteenth birthday, and also his first birthday since his mother passed away.
My father once said he would give my mother all the blessings she had given me, but now, this "surprise" has become a bloody wound.
Yun Yao closed his eyes in pain and helplessness. Standing in his messy home, he felt dizzy and disoriented...
During that year, he experienced many changes, which transformed him from an innocent and carefree boy into a silent and melancholic one.
Yun Yao took stiff steps and slowly walked to the birthday gift box that had been overturned in the corner. Her fingertips touched the wrinkles in the fabric, as if she were touching her father’s disheveled appearance at this moment.
He opened the box and saw a brand new pair of men's classical dance shoes inside. His eyes welled up with tears.
Sitting on the sofa, Yun Yao recalled everything that had just happened. He wasn't an ignorant child; it was just that from childhood to adulthood, his elders had never discussed these things in front of him.
He grew up with his maternal grandparents, who were Chinese professors, and was carefully raised until his teens, becoming like an exceptionally pure and innocent orchid. He was not exposed to many complicated human relationships, and his loving family members meticulously nurtured his literary and musical talents, patiently guiding him to develop good character.
Even though he fell in love with classical dance because of his mother, and this boy had a rare talent for dance, his parents and grandparents encouraged him and never restricted him.
It wasn't until a few years later, when his maternal grandparents passed away and his mother died unexpectedly due to excessive grief, that he seemed to grow up all at once.
He quietly learned many lessons and understood the unpredictability of fate.
Yun Yao's father's words before he was taken away echoed in his ears, and he lowered his head in thought. Suddenly, he remembered Uncle Ma, a colleague and friend of his father who often accompanied him to social events. Uncle Ma was a very friendly person who often came to their home and had even given him his phone number.
Yun Yao's tightly furrowed brows suddenly relaxed, and he immediately dialed Uncle Ma's number.
His immediate priority was to find out what his father had done wrong and whether there was any way to save him...
After an anxious and long wait, the call was finally answered, but it was a hoarse female voice.
After he explained the reason for his call, the woman on the other end of the line, who had been unusually silent, suddenly went berserk.
"You're looking for Ma Jian? That bastard ran away a long time ago! You still expect him to help you? He's a heartless hypocrite! He abandoned me and our two children, he didn't even want his own parents, he ran off with all the money and secretly fled abroad with his mistress! He said he committed a serious crime and if he didn't run away, he'd be locked up until he died... Hahaha, that bastard, he'd rather be locked up until he dies! He'll get what's coming to him sooner or later!!"
The phone call ended amidst the woman's frantic cursing.
Yun Yao stared blankly at his phone. The information revealed in the woman's words shocked him, but amidst his fear, he was also deeply confused. His father, how could he be involved in something like this? He couldn't reconcile this serious crime with the gentle father who usually doted on him.
However, soon, this major economic crime case was broadcast on television and in the streets, and the names of the suspects were leaked from different channels.
His former close neighbors now wish they could stay as far away from his house as possible.
Even in the usually peaceful and tranquil dance academy, like an ivory tower, rumors began to circulate quietly. His teacher called to comfort him, but also suggested that he stay away from school for the time being.
He silently endured all of this, tossing and turning at night over his father's crimes and worrying about his father's condition in prison.
Yun Yao tried every means to contact some lawyers, but because he was young and the case was too important, the higher-ups were paying close attention, and no one dared to take on this hot potato.
Left with no other choice, he contacted his aunt, who rarely interacted with his family.
However, when the call finally went through, her aunt's cold voice was indifferent and heartless: "Don't contact me anymore. Your father is just an adopted son of my parents. He was determined to marry into your mother's family back then, and our family hasn't had any contact with him for many years. Now that he's committed a crime, there's no reason for us to be implicated. The elderly are in poor health, and I've taken them abroad to recuperate. Don't bother them anymore."
The call was abruptly ended. Yun Yao took a deep breath; he had never understood the meaning of being utterly alone and helpless more than at this moment.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
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