Four o'clock in the morning, the capital.
This was the time when most people were fast asleep. In Tianyu Luming Villa, most of the houses were dark, and only the scattered paths around were clearly illuminated by the street lights.
Two tall figures walked to the front of A8 courtyard. As soon as they entered the gate, they heard a rumbling sound of thunder in the air.
"Hey," Song Yecheng looked up at the sky, "Luckily I ran fast tonight, huh? Otherwise, I might not be able to fly back tomorrow."
Thunderstorms are common in midsummer, and they can be very powerful and last for unpredictable periods of time. If they hadn't rushed back tonight, if there was heavy rain in the capital tomorrow, their arriving flights would likely be delayed or even require cancellations or rebookings.
Arriving at the door, Song Yecheng was about to unlock it with his fingerprint when he suddenly remembered something and turned around and asked, "Oh, by the way, when did you find out that the password was a page number?"
He had wanted to ask this question when he was at the base, but he was busy recording and didn't have the chance.
"On the day of the live broadcast," Jiang Que said with a smile, "I was looking for any reference books I could use to create questions. But when I flipped through the dictionary, I found two folds, right on pages 86 and 301."
Song Yecheng had actually forgotten that he had folded the page. He suddenly realized what was going on and said, "Oh—" with a long, drawn-out utterance, "So you actually copied that question from me?"
Jiang Que smiled and didn't deny it at all: "Since you designed the password this way, I thought I would make a similar one. You should be able to guess it easily."
"Tsk tsk tsk, that's cheating."
Song Yecheng shook his head pretentiously, reaching out to unlock the door, then reached for the light switch and called out, "White Hair—?"
The room was quiet, with no response or running sounds until the headlights were turned on, revealing all the furniture. There was no trace of the cheerful little white figure from the past.
"Huh? Where did you go?"
Song Yecheng quickly slipped off his shoes and put on flip-flops. He walked to the cat climbing frame and searched around. Then he squatted down and looked under the sofa: "White hair? - White hair?"
Jiang Que changed into slippers and followed. After looking around, he went to the kitchen again and found that it was not there. He couldn't help but wonder, "Could he have gone upstairs?"
There is no pet isolation fence on the stairs at home, so Baimao's range of activities is quite large. Sometimes when Jiang Que is typing in the study upstairs, he will appear from time to time and take a stroll.
"Well, it seems that surveillance cameras need to be installed quickly."
Song Yecheng propped himself up and stood up, walking towards the stairs while muttering with great experience: "If it were a dog, it would have rushed over before you even opened the door. But cats are really bossy. They only come and rub against you when they're in a good mood, and when they're in a bad mood, they'll just go anywhere and won't necessarily pay any attention to you even if you scream at the top of your lungs."
Jiang Que walked up the stairs side by side with him. He seemed to understand what he said and asked curiously, "Was Huimao like this before? I saw the photos on your Weibo. Wasn't he very clingy?"
"Tsk," Song Yecheng said self-deprecatingly, as if he'd cried too much. "That was all staged—look at it, with those innocent eyes staring at me and hugging my neck, like it's so cute and cuddly, huh? But in reality, under the camera, those two hind paws are almost digging into my belly button."
Jiang Que found it funny. He originally thought that Baimao was naughty because it was a wild cat. He didn't expect that the seemingly docile cat that Song Yecheng had raised before was just an illusion.
They quickly went up to the second floor and went into the master bedroom and the guest bedroom respectively. While calling out, they carefully searched under the cabinets, under the beds, and even in the bathroom. Then they went to the study and several other rooms and searched every corner, but still found no trace of Baimao.
Jiang Que finally felt a little worried at this point. He couldn't help but recall whether he had closed the doors and windows before leaving. As he was thinking, he suddenly remembered that Song Yecheng had called Qiu Mingyue before leaving and asked her to come over to feed the cat at noon the next day. He quickly asked, "Could it be that Auntie thought we wouldn't be back for several days, so she took it back first?"
Song Yecheng woke up as if from a dream when he heard this, and immediately took out his phone, but the next second Jiang Que quickly stopped him: "Hey, don't ask now if you want to ask. It's only four o'clock."
Song Yecheng glanced at the time and realized that he had indeed lost his mind. Qiu Mingyue must still be sleeping at this time. If he called her, she might think something big had happened.
Then he thought again and hissed, "Actually, I don't think so. If my mom took it away, she would definitely tell me. She wouldn't just leave it there without even saying hello."
Qiu Mingyue has never been a self-righteous person. She would not say "I thought this or that" without asking any questions. It is really not her style to take Baimao away directly.
But even so, Song Yecheng was not 100% sure after all, so he said: "How about this, let's look for him again. If we are sure that he is not at home, I will call and ask."
Jiang Que nodded and went up to the third floor with Song Yecheng.
There are only three large rooms on the third floor, namely the cloakroom, the gym and the collection room.
Jiang Que actually didn't think that Baimao would be here, because these places were very special. They contained either clothes that were easily torn or valuable items that were easily damaged. He was worried that Baimao would touch things randomly, so he was very careful to close these doors from the first day he arrived. After all, Baimao was just a cat, and he wouldn't open the door and go in by himself.
However, he had already searched the first and second floors. Even if he felt it was impossible, he had to give it a try and take a look to feel at ease. So he didn't say much and went into the cloakroom and gym with Song Yecheng separately.
There are several layers of clothing inside and outside the cloakroom. Some of the clothes and accessories are hung, some are stacked, and some are put on life-size models for shaping. There are countless corners and gaps in it.
Jiang Que searched in all the gaps one by one, leaving no corner untouched, but the more he searched, the more he felt like he was looking for a needle in a haystack.
He had been searching for more than ten minutes, and he had almost concluded that Baimao couldn't be here. At this moment, a voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Found it—here!"
Jiang Que thought he was at the gym, but when he hurried out to take a look, he saw the door was wide open and there was no one inside. He couldn't help but wonder, "Where is he?"
"Here—upstairs!"
When Jiang Que heard this, he looked up the stairs in surprise.
Fourth floor?
Rather than calling it the fourth floor, it would be more accurate to say that the upstairs is actually the roof. There is only a small "He"-shaped attic near the stairs, which was decorated by Song Yecheng as a leisure tea room. The remaining 80% of the area is an open-air garden swimming pool.
Jiang Que walked up the stairs and saw a row of dim chandeliers lit in the tea room. The glass sliding door leading to the swimming pool had a gap half a person's width open. Outside the gap, Song Yecheng's familiar figure was standing at the other end of the pool.
Jiang Que walked to the door, pushed it a little further to the side, and then stepped out.
At this time, the rumbling thunder outside had become more and more frequent, accompanied by lightning that occasionally streaked across the sky and the howling wind, even causing ripples on the water in the swimming pool.
Jiang Que walked around the swimming pool and along the edge. However, before he took two steps, a flash of lightning suddenly streaked across the sky, and the white light instantly illuminated the situation at the end of the swimming pool clearly -
On the stone railing at the edge of the rooftop, a small, curled-up white shadow squatted on top of the railing, and behind it, Song Yecheng was reaching out to it.
In an instant, Jiang Que froze, as if the lightning had not pierced the sky, but his brain. A long-dormant image deep in his memory suddenly awakened, overlapping with the scene before him, causing his pupils to constrict. "...Don't touch it!"
Song Yecheng was startled, and he retracted his hand as if he had been electrocuted. He looked back and saw Jiang Que staring at him as if he had been frightened by something, his eyes full of panic: "Don't push it..."
Song Yecheng was a little confused. He stretched out his hand just to hug Baimao back, so how could he push it?
"No, I--" He was about to explain, but just as he opened his mouth, he suddenly found that Jiang Que's eyes were a little strange, as if he was not looking at him at all, but at the void behind him.
Jiang Que's face was as pale as paper, and his whole body was trembling uncontrollably, as if he was possessed by a nightmare. He was in a trance: "No, don't push it..."
Then, under Song Yecheng's gaze, he seemed to lose all strength and slowly knelt down, his eyes looking down in panic, his long eyelashes trembling unconsciously, and he was still muttering: "It's my fault... It's all my fault..."
This state was obviously not right. Seeing that the situation was not right, Song Yecheng quickly reached out and pulled Baimao into his arms. He rushed to him, half-knelt down, held his shoulders and called out, "Jiang Que, Jiang Que?"
Seeing that he still looked panicked, Song Yecheng quickly handed the cat to him: "It's fine, look, isn't it fine?"
Baimao felt uncomfortable with his stomach being held by him, so he twisted his body to break free from his hands and jumped onto Jiang Que's legs.
However, Jiang Que showed no reaction. He seemed to be unable to hear Song Yecheng's words, nor could he sense Baimao's movements. He was still immersed in his own nightmare: "It's all me... It's all me, Huangmao... I didn't take good care of him..."
Although the voice was very light, Song Yecheng still keenly caught the word "yellow hair". After a moment of hesitation, he suddenly felt something strange in his heart.
For so long, they had never actually discussed yellow hair, except for Jiang Que who mentioned it once in the code he designed.
The average lifespan of a cat is only a little over a decade. Judging by his age, Huangmao should have passed away years ago. Song Yecheng had always assumed that it, like his British Shorthair, had died of natural causes. But seeing Jiang Que's PTSD-like reactions, he had a different suspicion.
Could it be...something unexpected happened to it?
Song Yecheng raised his hands and cupped Jiang Que's cheeks, forcing him to look at him gently yet forcefully: "Jiang Que, Jiang Que? Look at me. What's wrong with the yellow-haired thing?"
Jiang Que's eyes had been lowered until he was forced to raise his head, and then he had to raise his eyes slightly.
And just when his eyes met Song Yecheng's and he saw the genuine worry in those eyes, he suddenly seemed to be pulled out of a dream, and his eyelashes trembled rapidly in palpitations and confusion.
Song Yecheng saw the reaction in his pupils and knew that he must have come back to his senses. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He stroked his cheek soothingly with his thumb and smiled gently, "Okay, okay, it's okay, don't be nervous."
He reached out and held him in his arms, resting his chin on his forehead, and his hands around his arms were still rubbing up and down.
Only when he felt the breathing of the person in his arms gradually calm down did Song Yecheng lower his head slightly and asked softly, "What happened to Huangmao? Can you tell me?"
As the saying goes, it is better to relieve a heart disease than to block it. Judging from Jiang Que's serious reaction, this is probably a chronic disease. Instead of letting him bear it alone in his heart, it would be much better to talk it out.
Jiang Que had already held Baimao in his arms, stroking its head unconsciously, as if he was hesitant, and seemed unable to speak.
After a long while, he finally spoke in a hoarse voice: "It... fell down the stairs."
In fact, from the few words he blurted out earlier, Song Yecheng had already vaguely guessed the answer - pets falling from buildings are not uncommon in the news. Every time he saw it, he couldn't help but sigh, but he never thought that it was necessarily the owner's fault.
Thinking about it, he said gently, "How can this be your fault? No one wants this kind of accident to happen, but the reason why accidents are called accidents is because no one can control it, right?"
Jiang Que didn't respond for a moment. Song Yecheng thought he was still blaming himself, and couldn't help but rub the back of his head with heartache.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Que suddenly denied it, "No."
Without waiting for Song Yecheng's reaction, he continued, "That wasn't an accident."
Song Yecheng was stunned: "...It's not an accident?"
Jiang Que was silent for a long time again, not knowing whether he was reminiscing or just didn't know where to start.
After a long time, he finally seemed to have opened a crack in the dusty past, allowing the light around him to reach inside.
He said softly, "Do you still remember... the beginning of 'Searching for the Lantern', when Fang Zhi and Qiao Min were arguing?"
Song Yecheng didn't know why he suddenly brought this up, but he immediately responded, "Of course, what's wrong?"
"That's not something I made up," Jiang Que said, "I heard it with my own ears."
Song Yecheng was stunned for a moment, and immediately recalled the lines in his mind. Thinking of Qiao Min's venting words, his heart suddenly sank: "Your adoptive mother... said she wanted to send you back?"
Jiang Que nodded slightly.
Although Song Yecheng had long known that his relationship with his adoptive mother was not good, he had never expected it to be so bad. He asked, "When did it happen?"
Jiang Que said, "The fifth year after you adopted me, during the summer vacation before I started middle school."
Five years.
After such a long time, one would develop feelings for even a small animal, let alone a human. Furthermore, Jiang Que was only twelve years old at the time, and Song Yecheng could hardly imagine how sad it would be for a child to hear such hurtful words in person.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but tighten his arms around Jiang Que, feeling a bit sour in his throat: "What happened next?"
Compared to him, Jiang Que seemed calmer at this moment, as if after countless days and nights of repetition, the pain and bitterness of that old past were no longer fresh. "That night, I didn't disturb them. I returned to my room and thought about it all night. The next day, I told them that I wanted to live on campus starting from junior high school."
That morning, when he said this at the dinner table, he clearly saw a flash of surprise in Ye Ying's eyes.
He knew that this request was exactly what Ye Ying wanted. As long as he didn't live at home, Ye Ying could completely pretend that he didn't exist, and then many conflicts could be easily resolved.
This was an idea he had spent the whole night thinking of, and he even made up an excuse for it, saying that the workload in junior high school was heavier and living on campus could save commuting time.
However, Jiang Di at the table didn't even give him a chance to explain. He immediately frowned and said, "How can that be possible?"
Jiang Di has always respected Jiang Que's wishes, and the reason why he opposed it without even thinking this time was actually a conditioned reflex - his own parents are both businessmen. Although they gave him a good life when he was a child, they were unable to be with him for a long time due to their busy work.
He had experienced the cold night lights in an empty house and the days when he was only taken care of by a nanny.
Although he understood his parents' hard work and never blamed them, he still planted a seed in his heart: If I have my own children in the future, I must do my best to participate in his growth and grow up with him.
The years that Jiang Que spent in the welfare home before being adopted were already an irreparable regret for Jiang Di. Now that he has finally been given a home, how could he possibly let him live in a boarding school again?
Jiang Di expressed these thoughts in a gentle manner, and then raised a question that Jiang Que couldn't refute: "Besides, you see how Huangmao is attached to you, and you have the heart to leave him at home and only see him once every one or two weeks?"
These words hit Jiang Que's vital point. He couldn't help but look down at the furry head at his feet. Seeing it looking up at him intently with its bright eyes, his originally firm heart softened in an instant.
Seeing that he seemed to be losing his resolve, Jiang Di reached out and picked up a fried dumpling for him, then rubbed his head and said with a smile, "Actually, you don't have many years left to live at home. Once you go to college and get a job, you might not be able to come back for a year or two. Can't you be kind and let us be empty-nesters for a few less years?"
Jiang Di was not only good at reasoning, but also at appealing to his emotions. Although these words were meant as a joke, they still touched Jiang Que. Furthermore, if he really lived on campus, he would inevitably have to separate from Huang Mao, which easily tipped the scales in his heart.
Jiang Que hesitated silently for a while, then glanced at Ye Ying beside him. After weighing the pros and cons for a long time, he finally nodded in compromise.
After that day, neither of them brought up the subject again.
Soon, Jiang Que entered junior high school as planned.
The brand new environment was not easy for Jiang Que, who was not good at socializing, but fortunately, his class was the so-called "fast class" at that time. Most of the students in the class were hard-working academic masters, which reduced his pressure a lot.
However, although the pressure on interpersonal communication was reduced, the pressure on academic performance was magnified due to being in such a class.
Although they had taken the class placement test when they entered the school, the final results were not made public. So even though they were all placed in the fast class and were obviously at the top of the grade, they did not know their specific ranking.
In this way, the first midterm exam becomes much more important. It is equivalent to a test that allows them to know exactly where they stand.
This is equally important to Jiang Que.
Although he himself did not have much competitive spirit, he had always felt that there was nothing he could do to repay Jiang Di and Ye Ying for raising him. At his age, academic performance was the only thing he could do in return, so he never dared to slack off on this matter.
Two months later, the midterm exam came as scheduled.
When the results came out a few days later and Jiang Que saw the ranking list, he finally felt a little relieved - his ranking did not change because of the new environment, and he still ranked first in the grade.
That day at school, he was praised by teachers of various subjects all day long, and his classmates were also amazed at his nearly full marks.
But these are actually dispensable to Jiang Que. The only thing that makes him happy is that he can bring back a satisfactory answer sheet home today. This is the meaning of getting first place for him.
At that time, Jiang Di had his own gallery and studio. Although he was very busy, in order to spend time with his family, he would go home before dinner every night unless he occasionally went to other places for art exhibitions.
Ye Ying has a much more relaxed schedule. Apart from occasional performances, she only teaches a few piano students at home on weekends, and takes two short lessons at the Children's Palace on Wednesday and Friday afternoons.
The day the results came out happened to be Friday.
On the way home from school, Jiang Que thought that both of them should be back before seven o'clock, so he pondered for a while and thought about when would be the best time to take out the report card.
But after thinking for a long time, he finally decided that it would be better not to take it - he could just mention it briefly during dinner, which would not be too deliberate nor seem too casual.
After making the decision, he walked towards the community with ease, and even quickened his pace a little, wanting to prepare the meal before the two of them came back.
However, after he stepped into the gate of the community and had not walked far, his brisk steps stopped involuntarily, because he saw from afar a large group of people gathered downstairs of his house, and he didn't know what they were doing.
Although he was not a person who liked to join in the fun, the corridor entrance surrounded by those people was the only way for him to go home. Even if he didn't want to get involved, he could only walk towards that direction in confusion.
As he got closer, the scattered voices of those people's conversations gradually reached his ears:
"Ouch! These floors? Why hasn't anyone come to clean up yet?"
"Maybe no one's home? But you said you didn't even close the doors and windows when you went out, it's really..."
"Oh, it's so pitiful to watch. My family will probably be heartbroken when they get home..."
The conversations were very chaotic, and the view in front of him was completely blocked. Jiang Que listened to a few words hastily and didn't quite understand what was going on.
Even though he didn't want to squeeze with others, he couldn't go home without going through the crowd. After hesitating for a moment, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk forward, saying "Please make way" while carefully squeezing sideways through the gap between them.
Finally, he managed to get through the wall of people and squeeze into the open space leading to the corridor.
However, the next second, when he looked up and saw the scene on the empty ground, his whole brain exploded -
There was a pool of deep red blood.
In the middle of the bloodstains was a limp yellow cat corpse.
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