78 Weirdness
◎Each returned to its original track◎
He applied a little force with his fingertips, and He Xingyun immediately grimaced in pain, breaking out in a cold sweat. All his hope in life was instantly shattered.
"No, no, no! I'll tell you...I'll tell you what I know..." He Xingyun's voice trembled, his eyes darting around as he quickly thought of a way to clear himself. "But...but this matter is too involved...especially...especially with your mother..."
He paused deliberately, observing He Chifeng's reaction, and sure enough, he saw his brows furrowed.
"You also know your mother's methods...towards your father's...women outside..."
He Xingyun swallowed hard and carefully removed He Chifeng's hand from his shoulder. Seeing that he didn't immediately explode, he continued in a low voice, "Since you've seen the video, you must also know about the truck. Your mother had someone arrange it... I just wanted to scare him, create an accident, and make your father's mistress back off."
"No one expected it to rain so hard that day. Not only did I hit the wrong person, but I also lost my life. What happened next was truly an accident, an accident..."
"What did you say?" He Chifeng's pupils contracted violently, and his voice suddenly became terribly deep.
He knew his mother was selfish, partial, and had done many shameful things, but hiring a killer was also related to Jiang Yue...
He Chifeng didn't know whether he was unwilling to believe the former or the latter. His heart seemed to be tightly grasped and he couldn't breathe.
"I'm telling the truth! The truth..." He Xingyun was afraid that He Chifeng wouldn't believe him, so he quickly added.
He Chifeng's mind kept replaying details he had previously overlooked. Not long ago, when He Mingyuan was wanted by the police, Shen Lin had made a rare phone call to him. Her tone was anxious, and her words were full of requests for him to "show mercy," "let your cousin go this time," and "he is your brother after all."
At the time, he was just annoyed and didn't think about it at all. How could Shen Lin know so much about He Mingyuan? And how could she be so eager to plead for mercy? There was even an unusual panic in her tone.
Even if the benefits were sufficient, she couldn't do this because of her face-saving personality.
...Unless someone has something on you.
A huge, cold panic swept through him in an instant.
He Xingyun carefully observed He Chifeng's expression, trying to completely distance himself from the matter. "Everything that happened later was handled by your eldest brother. Don't you know how powerful his methods are? He covered up evidence, managed connections... He must have been afraid that the girl from the Jiang family would find out."
He Chifeng listened, his head buzzing.
No wonder, no wonder his brother tried every possible means to destroy the evidence, even at the cost of being ruthless to himself. If Jiang Suiyun knew that her mother's death was related to the He family... he didn't even dare to think about it.
You Zhuo's words, "Maybe the result isn't what you want," echoed in his mind like a warning bell.
He Xingyun saw his expression change and seemed to waver, so he quickly struck while the iron was hot, his voice filled with flattery and admonition: "Look, we're all family... It's been so many years since this happened, and now the evidence is gone, and the person is dead... Just pretend it never happened, that would be better for everyone, right? Why bring it up again and make everyone look bad?"
Although this matter seemed to be Chen Lin's fault, in fact he and his second brother were both involved, not to mention that He Linchuan had the leverage over him. If something happened, no one could escape. At the moment, he could only play the sympathy card.
"Gone?" He Chifeng suddenly came back to his senses, and the panic in his eyes was replaced by a deeper coldness and suspicion.
The tall figure cast an oppressive shadow in the ward.
As he approached again, he locked his gaze on He Xingyun's flickering eyes and said in a low voice, "Are you sure all the evidence is gone?"
There was scrutiny in He Chifeng's eyes, as if if he told another lie, he would immediately face more terrible consequences. He Xingyun's scalp tingled when he was looked at by him. He felt like a prey being targeted by a wild beast, with nowhere to hide.
In the end, He Chifeng failed to pry anything more out of He Xingyun's mouth. The old sly fellow kept repeating "I don't know", "It's really gone", and "It was all an accident".
As he slammed the door and left the ward, the fury of his eagerness to prove things vanished. He Chifeng felt as if all his strength had been drained from him. Every step he took felt like it was on ethereal clouds, weighed down by the weight of cold iron.
The truth is so cruel and bloody that it's disgusting.
Tell her?
As soon as this thought came to his mind, a sharp panic rose in his heart.
What should he tell her? Tell her that her mother's car accident might not have been an accident, but a conspiracy born of her jealousy and viciousness? Tell her that the eldest brother she had been grateful to for so long was actually an accomplice in covering up the truth, and might even be using this favor to bind her? Perhaps even the initial funding was not accidental, but was planned by his brother.
What will happen to her then?
Collapse? Despair? Or... hate him? Hate the entire He family?
Just thinking about the possibility that she might look at him with eyes full of hatred, He Chifeng felt as if his heart was being tightly grasped by an invisible hand, and the suffocating pain spread to every part of his body.
He would rather she pushed him away for other reasons, just like she was now.
Don't tell her?
Then he would have to watch her continue to be kept in the dark, feeling grateful and guilty towards his brother, and watching her trapped in the cage of favor.
There is no doubt that such deception means that he will become one of the accomplices in this matter.
Moreover, truth cannot be hidden. What if she finds out from somewhere else one day? Her hatred for him will only deepen.
But...but if I tell her, won't she hate him anymore?
He has always been decisive in his actions, but at this moment, he only felt a painful struggle, as if fate had played a bad joke on him, putting him in a desperate situation where he would lose no matter what choice he made.
Every choice made him feel miserable.
There had never been a moment when he hated his mother as much as he did now. He hated her bigotry, her cruelty, and how she could easily destroy the moment of tenderness he had carefully sought.
Even though she had favored his brother in the past, even though she had sent him overseas to fend for himself in order to clear obstacles for his brother, he had never hated her as much as he did now.
The immense pain and powerlessness nearly overwhelmed him. He desperately needed something to numb his shattered nerves.
He Chifeng walked out of the hospital building.
The sun was glaring, but he felt cold all over.
He finally stopped in front of a convenience store and said in a dry voice, "Get a pack of cigarettes."
He Chifeng leaned against a thick tree trunk by the roadside, took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. He lowered his head and used his hand to light the flame. His movements were skillful yet with a hint of unfamiliarity that hadn't been seen for a long time.
He took a deep puff of the cigarette, which made his eyes red. The spicy smoke suddenly filled his lungs, bringing a long-lost yet familiar sense of stimulation, temporarily suppressing the piercing pain.
The cigarette ash fell and burned his fingers. He suddenly came to his senses and put out the cigarette butt on the trash can next to him.
He took out his cell phone and the screen lit up. The background was still the photo of Jiang Suiyun that the man had taken secretly on the last cruise.
His fingertips hovered over the familiar number, unable to put it down.
-
Hospital.
Rehabilitation training is completed.
There were beads of sweat on He Linchuan's forehead, and his breathing was a little faster than usual.
He took the towel Jiang Suiyun handed him, wiped his neck, and spoke casually, his voice slightly hoarse from exercise: "The medical equipment here is limited after all. I have contacted a rehabilitation expert from Country D. He will arrive in China next week. After that, we will return to the old house. There is more space and it will be more convenient."
Jiang Suiyun was packing up his equipment and paused slightly when he heard this.
Going back to the old house... She was still a little intimidated by that place.
It’s probably the aftereffect of running away last time.
He Linchuan didn't seem to notice her hesitation and continued, "I had your room redecorated. It faces south, so the light is great. The curtains are a warm apricot color. I remember you said you liked the feeling of sunlight filtering through. The bedding, lamp, and desk and bookshelf are all the same brands you used before. You can bring all your design books over there."
His tone was gentle, with a rare hint of longing, and he described everything in detail, even remembering the preferences she occasionally revealed.
As Jiang Suiyun listened, his heart became more and more tormented.
The more he did everything "for her good", the heavier and more inhumane the decision she was about to make seemed.
We can't delay any longer.
She tightened the towel in her hand, and finally interrupted him when he paused for a moment: "He Linchuan..."
He Linchuan stopped wiping and looked up at her, his eyes as calm as water and full of inquiry.
"I... I might not be able to stay in the old house forever." Jiang Suiyun took a deep breath, avoiding his gaze, and said in a tense voice, "I have already submitted my application to S University. However, a large part of the courses in the first academic year will be completed online, which won't take up too much time. I will also travel back and forth between the two places regularly..."
She spoke very quickly, as if she would lose the courage to finish if she stopped. "There's still about half a month until school starts. During this time, I can accompany you for rehabilitation until you get used to the new therapist..."
After saying that, Jiang Suiyun waited anxiously for his reaction.
The ward fell into a suffocating silence.
He Linchuan didn't say anything, just looked at her quietly. His eyes were so deep that they made her feel uneasy, as if he could penetrate her skin and see through all the hesitation and anxiety in her heart.
His fingertips unconsciously stroked the edge of the towel, and the air seemed to freeze.
After a long time, just when Jiang Suiyun was almost unable to bear the pressure of silence, he suddenly smiled very lightly, with no emotion in his smile.
"I've said it before," he began, his voice still steady, even gentler than before, "you can do whatever you want."
He pushed the wheelchair closer to her, picked up her hand that was trembling slightly with nervousness, took another warm towel from her hand, and gently brushed his fingertips across her palm, bringing a subtle shiver.
"Studying is important. I support you." He looked up at her, his eyes focused and deep. "It's just that traveling back and forth will be very tiring. Don't tire yourself out."
He agreed so easily, as if he had known it for a long time and didn't care at all.
This result was completely beyond Jiang Suiyun's expectations.
It seemed that her previous confusion and newly-arising doubts were a bit "petty-minded".
The expected resistance did not appear, but instead there was an almost indulgent letting go. She suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and tried to smile: "Okay."
The following days seemed to enter a strange period of calm.
After a period of rehabilitation, He Linchuan's recovery speed seems to be faster than expected. Although he is still far from being able to walk independently, his complexion and mental state have improved visibly.
He no longer mentioned returning to the old house to decorate the room, nor did he show any attempt to tie her down. Occasionally, he would ask about the progress of her academic preparations and give some advice that sounded very pertinent.
This normal interaction with a sense of boundaries actually made Jiang Suiyun gradually relax his vigilance.
She began to think that maybe she had thought too much before. After experiencing life and death, He Linchuan really changed and learned to respect and let go.
She even began to actively prepare for studying abroad in the near future, looking up course materials, practicing the language, and communicating with Teacher Wen about the details of online learning. Her expectations for future studies gradually diluted the haze that remained in her heart.
There is still no news from He Chifeng.
Jiang Suiyun would occasionally open the silent chat box, and an indescribable sense of loss would arise in his heart, but it would soon be diluted by the busyness in front of him and plans for the future.
She felt that this was a good thing, as they could all return to their original tracks.
【Author’s words】
There should be a big turn tomorrow [heart]
If I could write it, hahahahahaha
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