Chapter 84 He Fan is dreaming again
After the two had walked a distance, Xie Xiao and Song Jingrong boarded the car that had come to pick them up.
"Mom, were you saying that on purpose?" Xie Xiao, who always respected her mother, asked with a rare hint of dissatisfaction, "Why did you invite Lu Chong to dinner without my brother's permission? You knew he wouldn't agree."
Song Jingrong took off her sunglasses, revealing her delicate and beautiful features. She was very well-maintained and looked like she was in her early thirties, even though she was fifty years old.
Xie Xiao's features resemble hers, but because she is an alpha, she looks bright and sharp. She is beautiful in a way that is similar to hers but with a completely different style.
Upon hearing this, Song Jingrong frowned: "Xiaoxiao, what do you mean? Are you blaming me?"
"It's not that I'm surprised, it's that I don't understand why you said that." Xie Xiao tried to keep her tone restrained and calm. "You know perfectly well that it's not our place to repay this favor..."
“I’m trying to help you.” Song Jingrong interrupted her before she could finish, somewhat displeased. “Your older brother has been in the army these past few days. Aren’t you the one managing all the family business affairs? Which of your uncles and elders doesn’t have a good impression of you? In what way are you inferior to Xie Chen?”
Xie Xiao sighed, unsure how to explain it to her mother. Song Jingrong's life was incredibly fortunate. In her early twenties, she quickly rose to prominence on the runway thanks to her talent and beauty. Her agency treated her like a cash cow, and later, after meeting Xie Chengjun, she immediately gave birth to a smart and capable alpha daughter.
When she was young and beautiful, Xie Chengjun doted on her and the company protected her. Now that she's older, she has such a successful daughter. She's had a smooth life, never experienced the harsh realities of society, and doesn't need to compete with anyone. She simply doesn't have the ability to scheme against others.
Xie Xiao couldn't explain it to her at all. Her brows furrowed slightly as she suppressed her anger: "Mom, all these years have passed, and the fact that I've reached where I am today means I know what I'm doing. Don't worry about it. Anyway, you don't spend much money on beauty treatments, buying bags and jewelry, playing mahjong, or traveling. No matter when Xie Chengjun dies, you know I won't skimp on your money."
"Xie Xiao, what do you mean by this? I'm trying to help you. Don't you really want to fight for it at all? Doesn't the Lu family have another omega? If we could get their support..."
“Lu Zhi is already married, Mom. You’re doing me a huge favor by not causing trouble.” Xie Xiao rubbed her burning temples. Song Jingrong had no background, and it had been a long time since she had managed to gain a foothold in the Xie family. “You should just have fun with your girlfriends and stop worrying about me. If you need more money, just ask me.”
Song Jingrong knew that her daughter was always very opinionated, and seeing that she was really unhappy, she could only shut up awkwardly. She made an appointment with her close friends on her phone to get cosmetic surgery, planning to complain to them when they met that her child was becoming more and more opinionated as she grew up and was no longer willing to be close to her mother.
Seeing her mother's unhappy expression, Xie Xiao had no choice but to contact a saleswoman she knew to order a few more pieces of jewelry to appease her. Then she picked up her phone and sent a text message to Lu Chong, saying that her mother had been traveling with friends for the past few years and was not very familiar with family matters, so she asked him to forgive her if she had said anything wrong.
Unlike his cold and distant attitude when they first met, Lu Chong replied to the message quickly and politely this time, saying that the two families were old friends and there was no need to apologize for such a thing, and that he would visit again another day.
"If Mr. Lu's friend is here to recuperate, I can ask my elder brother to help you contact a sanatorium in Binhai."
"Okay, I won't hesitate to ask you for help if you need anything." Lu Chong put the washed blueberries into a plate and replied after glancing at the messages on his phone.
The house he had chosen in advance was located in a small villa area in the city, quiet yet beautiful.
Mu Yan was still a little dizzy when he got out of the car. Tangyuan nestled in his arms and didn't move much. Lu Chong walked in front of him, opened the door for him, and carried the luggage in after he went inside.
Lu Chong had someone decorate the room in advance and prepared some fruit. He asked Mu Yan what he wanted to eat, and Mu Yan said he wanted something sweet and sour and juicy, so Lu Chong washed some blueberries for him.
"I just searched online, and it seems dogs can eat blueberries, just not too many. If you want to feed it glutinous rice balls, you can give it a little bit."
Mu Yan couldn't help but smile, thinking to himself that this dog was really being raised like a child, eating even better than he had when he was a child. He took a few blueberries and fed them to Tangyuan in his palm. Tangyuan seemed to like them very much, and after finishing what Mu Yan gave it, it quickly rubbed its little head against Mu Yan to indicate that it wanted more.
The warm sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and Lu Chong watched them from the sofa on the other side.
........
He Fan was having another dream.
He no longer remembered why that thin, dirty kitten had run into the backyard, but he did indeed once have a stray calico kitten.
The kitten was very thin, with an injured front leg that made it walk with a slight limp, but it was very affectionate. Whenever He Fan tried to hold or pet it, it would never refuse. It would obediently finish whatever He Fan fed it, and after eating, it would carefully lick his fingers.
He Fan hid it in the room, and what it ate each day depended on what He Fan could sneak out of the kitchen.
Xie Chengjun disliked cats and dogs and did not allow his children to keep them, believing them to be frivolous and distracting.
He Fan hasn't named it yet because he thinks he probably won't be able to keep it for long. He plans to wait until it's a bit fatter and healthier, then ask the caretaker to find it a good home. The caretaker said that if he really can't find a suitable home, he'll take it back to his son to raise during his vacation.
He Fan was very careful when feeding the cats every day, afraid that the servants would find out and tell Xie Chengjun.
But no matter how careful he was, there are no secrets that stay hidden forever.
"Xie Fan, how could you raise something as dirty and ugly as yourself?"
When He Fan heard Xie Rong's words, his blood seemed to turn cold.
He rushed back to his room and saw his fourth brother, Xie Rong, sitting on his bed, holding the kitten by its tail and waving it around.
"Brother! This is my cat..." His voice trembled, and he rushed over almost immediately. "Don't touch its tail, it will hurt. Put it down!"
Xie Rong scoffed, "I know it's your cat. It's ugly, just as poor as you and your penniless mother."
"Give it back to me..." The words had barely left his mouth when He Fan realized his tone would likely enrage Xie Rong. "Fourth Brother, please give it back to me. I'll give you all my allowance for next month, and if you think it's too little, I'll..."
"Do I still want your money?" Xie Rong rolled his eyes and continued to pull the cat's tail upwards. The cat screamed again and again, arching its body and trembling like a leaf, its voice as shrill as a child's cry.
Each sound seemed to pierce He Fan's heart.
Just then, footsteps came from the stairs, and someone came down the stairs. He pushed open the door and was slightly taken aback when he saw the scene in the room.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Xie Rong's arrogance instantly subsided, while only the kitten continued to struggle desperately.
Xie Chen quietly glanced at his two younger brothers and the kitten they were fighting over, and quickly made a decision.
"Xie Rong, don't bully your younger brother. Give the cat back to Xiao Fan."
Xie Rong hesitated for a moment, but in the end he still didn't dare to disobey Xie Chen, and handed the cat towards He Fan: "Here, take it."
He Fan's eyes reddened, and he ran over to reach out his hand, trying to take the kitten back. When the kitten saw He Fan reaching out to save it, although it was still trembling with nervousness, it immediately stopped struggling.
Just then, Xie Rong flicked his wrist—
"Bang!"
The cat was slammed onto the hard floor without even letting out a piercing scream.
"I gave it back to you," Xie Rong said smugly, looking at He Fan and Xie Chen with a provocative gaze. "He failed to catch it himself, so why should I be blamed?"
"My older brother is so biased, should we report him to Dad? That would mean we'd have to tell the adults about Xie Fan secretly keeping a cat too."
He Fan was stunned, not even having the courage to look down.
He heard a loud "buzz" in his ears, as if the top of his head had been split open, and the world in front of him cracked open inch by inch, with cold wind blowing in through the cracks.
You have to look down. A voice inside you tells you that you have to remember how that kitten died.
You have to go and see for yourself so you don't forget what Xie Rong did.
You have to go see it.
"Xiao Fan, Xiao Fan?" He Fan came back to his senses and seemed to hear a gentle voice calling him.
It was a dream; he was having another nightmare. He dreamt again of the day Xie Rong killed his cat.
Who's calling him? Such a gentle voice, like rain that drifts into dreams on a spring night.
If I open my eyes, will I be able to see the owner of that gentle voice?
He must be very gentle and handsome. Definitely even gentler and better looking than my mother.
He Fan opened his eyes, but did not see the owner of that gentle voice.
I stood at the top of the stairs, my feet on a thick, soft carpet, and sunlight streamed in through the skylight, illuminating the ground.
Looking down the stairs, the ground below was a complete mess.
What beautiful blood!
Xie Rong lay on the floor, his body a bloody mess, with dark red bloodstains spreading beneath him. He had fallen backward, so He Fan couldn't see his expression.
The sunlight shone on half of his body, making the still-dried blood appear even brighter, while the other half was shrouded in shadow.
The distance of one floor wasn't enough to kill him, but who knows if he'd end up in a vegetative state or paralyzed?
This sense of the unknown is what makes it so fascinating.
He Fan waited five years to finally get this opportunity.
He Fan held onto the stair railing and slowly walked down the stairs. With each step, he could see Xie Rong lying there more clearly.
Xie Rong, did you have fun when you killed my cat?
So, how are you now? Are you happy? Are you satisfied?
The plane shook violently, and before He Fan could get off and see Xie Rong's miserable state, he was forced to open his eyes.
He sat up straight, panting heavily, his back soaked with cold sweat.
The first-class cabin was softly lit and quiet. A flight attendant stood beside him, looking at him with some concern: "Sir, sir? Are you alright? Would you like some water?"
He Fan wiped the sweat from his forehead, his voice a little hoarse: "...I'm fine, could you give me a glass of warm water? Thank you."
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