Chapter 68 The Truth: I am not worthy to die standing in front of you.
"What's going on?!"
Qiao Zimu was completely bewildered. He saw Lan Jia suddenly jump high into the air, then scurry to the door like a rat, pointing at the ground and stammering, "What a huge snake..."
He then looked closely and saw a pale pink snake coiled on the ground, about two fingers wide, curiously peering at him with its eyes like two round rubies.
It didn't seem aggressive at all, but because it frightened Lan Jia, he was still very angry and scolded, "What's wrong with you? How could you just release a snake like that? What if it bites someone?"
Song Qingqu walked over, scooped the snake up, and smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, it's my pet. I was busy and didn't keep an eye on it, and it escaped." Then, he added to Lan Jia, "Don't worry, this kind of corn snake is non-venomous and has a good temperament. It usually won't bite people."
Lan Jia swallowed hard but didn't say anything.
Seeing that she was still wary, he simply handed the snake to Qiao Zimu, like a parent enthusiastically promoting a child, and said, "Touch it, doesn't it bite?"
Qiao Zimu instinctively wanted to dodge, but then he remembered that he couldn't lose face in front of the opposite sex, especially with Lan Jia watching. So he gritted his teeth and took it, pulling it with both hands. The snake immediately wrapped around his wrist like a tangled data cable and crawled obediently.
"Lan Jia, this snake is really docile, you should touch it too." He turned around and beckoned to her.
Seeing that the two of them had gotten the hang of it, she moved over with some skepticism and sat down next to Qiao Zimu on the sofa. He was always very curious and quick to learn, and he was already engrossed in fiddling with it.
Lan Jia reached out her hand several times, but still didn't dare to touch it. Qiao Zimu had a mischievous idea and deliberately stuck out the snake's head to scare her, and got a few more slaps on the head.
Song Qingqu was rummaging through the refrigerator, taking out the grape juice he had bought on sale a few days ago. Since he didn't often entertain guests, he finally found two glasses, washed them clean, and then poured the juice into them. Behind him, there was a noisy commotion, with two people bickering and laughing. He listened quietly and suddenly felt a sense of disorientation. This room hadn't been this lively in a long time.
Lan Jia had mentioned Qiao Zimu to him; he knew they had grown up together. Perhaps only childhood sweethearts could be so carefree in their interactions? Unlike with him, there was always a layer of distance between them, and now, they probably couldn't even be friends anymore.
He carried the cup over and handed one to each person. Qiao Zimu thanked him, but being a picky eater, he only took a symbolic sip before putting the cup down.
After much persuasion, Lan Jia had accepted the snake. It was now coiled around her wrist, its cool touch and slight friction making her think of her earlier conversation with Song Qingqu, where he mentioned his pet; she hadn't expected it to be this species. Lan Jia looked around and saw many transparent plastic boxes neatly stacked against the wall in the corner, resembling a snake house. She asked, "These…you keep many more?"
The sofa was small and was occupied by the two of them, so Song Qingqu moved another dining chair over to sit opposite them and said with a smile, "We did raise a lot, but we've almost sold them all. We also have a few newly hatched snakes, and we've found buyers who will come to pick them up tomorrow."
After listening to his arrangements and seeing the room full of packing boxes, Lan Jia's expression darkened. She asked him, "Are you leaving? Where are you moving to?" As soon as she finished speaking, she immediately felt that his words were hypocritical. Wasn't his uprooting move just because of her?
Song Qingqu's smile faded, and he did not answer.
Qiao Zimu's eyes darted back and forth, sensing that the two were about to have a private talk. Just as he was wondering if he was being too superfluous, Lan Jia instructed him, "Xiao Qiao, why don't you wait for me outside for a while?"
He glanced at Song Qingqu with obvious unease, then reluctantly stood up and said, "Then hurry up and come out!"
Qiao Zimu left, and the air grew quiet, an awkward silence spreading through the room.
"Who gives a snake to a girl? That's terrifying." Lan Jia said with a dark face, inexplicably getting angry at him. Perhaps it was still because she was wary of his identity.
He knew she had asthma and couldn't keep any furry animals, so after thinking it over, he decided that reptiles were the most suitable, as they were easy to care for and suited her unique personality.
But when he heard her say that, he wasn't annoyed. He just smiled to himself, though it sounded a bit forced.
After sitting for a while, he stood up again, took the snake from him, and said, "I'll go feed it."
Lan Jia watched coldly as he bent over in front of the jar, holding a thawed red-skinned baby mouse in his hand, and was about to throw it into the jar.
She was also very annoyed and couldn't sit still. She crossed her arms and paced around the cramped living room, taking in every trace of his life. The furniture consisted of only a few basic items, and the furnishings were simple. Under the dim light, everything looked gray, old, and plain. She remembered reading in the documents yesterday that his adoptive father was Song Qishan, a very wealthy man. How could he have let him live like this? But then again, he had many adopted sons, so perhaps it was normal that he didn't care much for one or two of them.
Lan Jia thought for a moment, then moved to the dining table. There was a sideboard against the wall, the same dark green as the door, still old, but the cleanest and tidiest place in the whole house.
On the table was only a plate of apples and cakes, with a small incense burner in the center, as if it were for offerings. She looked up and was startled to see a pair of black and white eyes. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a portrait of a deceased woman. The solemn black border framed an old woman, who had no smile and stared straight into her soul, eerie and terrifying.
"That's my mom." Those words suddenly came from behind.
Lan Jia's breath hitched. She didn't respond, but noticed a nail next to the portrait, as if something had been hung there and then taken down. She immediately made a hostile guess that maybe it was her father who had hung it there before, but he was worried that she would see it because she was coming.
How dare a murderer look down on her?
The thought of this person, and the fact that he was still kept in the family, filled Lan Jia with a desire to destroy everything!
However, the education she received in her first twenty years would not allow her to do such a thing.
Lan Jia was so angry that her face turned pale, but she felt that she shouldn't leave in a huff now. After all, she was the victim, and she should openly and honestly demand an explanation from this family!
Song Qingqu stood behind her, paused, and then slowly began to speak: "My mother has been dead for almost ten years. She had liver cancer. Back then, our family was unimaginably poor; we couldn't afford a single penny for treatment. In the later stages, I really suspected she died from the excruciating pain. My father, much like Chen Jiang in the script, was an alcoholic and a gambler. But when he saw my mother was sick, he suddenly changed his ways and said he would get money to treat her. One day, someone actually approached him, asking him to do something for them, promising a large sum of money if he succeeded. After that, the news spread like wildfire, and the police came knocking on our door. That's when I learned he had hit someone with his car and become a murderer. I never saw him again after that. The last time I heard was when I learned he had jumped off a building."
Lan Jia listened with a cold expression, her fists clenched tightly.
“My dad died, and the relatives avoided us like the plague. We still had no money, and my mom's illness meant she could only endure it and wait to die. You know, sick people can be irritable and unpredictable, and they might yell at or hit people at the drop of a hat. I was young then and didn't understand. When I saw her banging her head against the wall, I thought she had gone mad. I don't know how I got through those last few months. I went from house to house borrowing money to buy her medicine, but I was met with cold stares. I finally managed to save up a little money and was so happy that I bought painkillers. Do you know what happened after that?”
"That night she was extremely angry, cursing me like a madwoman, cursing that I had been scammed, bought the wrong medicine, wasted money, that I was stupid, that I shouldn't have given birth to me, and that I should just die..."
Lan Jia was subtly moved, but she kept it to herself and didn't show it.
As Song Qingqu spoke, his throat also felt strange.
"The next day, she was like a different person. She woke me up and cooked for me. There was a roast duck on the table, fragrant and juicy, making my mouth water. I asked her where it came from, but she didn't say. She just told me to eat quickly, looking at me but not touching a single piece herself. Later I found out that she had gone to the pharmacy early that morning, made a scene, and got her money back. Instead of buying medicine for herself, she went to the market and picked out the biggest and best duck for me. I swear, I've never eaten anything so delicious in my life. At the dinner table, I looked at her and smiled foolishly. I felt that she had never been so good to me, never been so gentle. I laughed and cried, cried and laughed, vowing in my heart that I would save as much money as possible to treat her illness. Even if I had to steal or rob, I would cure her. As long as she was still here, as long as this family was still here, things would get better..."
"Then she died after only a week."
Upon hearing this ending, Lan Jia felt as if she had been struck a heavy blow to the heart, and she felt an indescribable pain.
Then she heard a thud behind her. She turned around and was shocked to see Song Qingqu kneeling on the ground.
"What are you doing now...?"
He looked up at her and said bitterly, "I'm not saying this to play the victim. My father went astray, made a terrible mistake, and ruined your family. As his son, I don't deserve to die standing in front of you. Lan Jia, I've never hurt you, have I? At this moment, I'm confessing this most shameful part of my past to you just so you can believe me again and believe what I say."
"Then why did you approach me?"
I want you to know the truth!
"Everyone is keeping it from you, lying to you, afraid you'll get hurt. But Lan Jia, you shouldn't live your whole life in the dark, not even knowing who your real enemy is!"
Lan Jia was stunned for a moment, then her heart began to pound wildly. The moment she got closest to the secret felt like standing on the edge of a cliff, about to fall and be shattered to pieces in the next second.
"Who...did you say?" She could barely find her own voice.
Song Qingqu gritted his teeth and said the culprit's name slowly and deliberately:
Qiao Zimu waited outside for a long time, sitting on a stone stool, swatting mosquitoes until his arms were swollen from the bites.
He glanced at his watch and frowned. He wondered what they were talking about for so long, and worried that his family might find out. He decided to go and remind Lan Jia as soon as possible.
As soon as I stood up, I saw a shadow staggering towards me from the opposite side, pale as paper under the streetlight.
Qiao Zimu rushed over anxiously and helped her up, asking, "What happened? You look so pale?"
Lan Jia didn't respond. Waves of nausea surged up, and she suddenly covered her mouth and ran away, leaning against the osmanthus tree as she began to dry heave.
He was like a bee, suddenly anxious, circling around her frantically. "What's wrong? She was fine just now." He ruffled her hair with one hand and stroked her back with the other, muttering, "Did you eat something bad? Was there something wrong with that juice? Was it expired? Sure enough, I knew it tasted off after just one sip..."
While he was frantically trying to do something, the phone rang again on Lan Jia's end.
"Help me catch this..." she said weakly.
Qiao Zimu hurriedly flipped to her phone, and when he saw the caller ID, he felt a chill run down his spine.
This is it.
Author's Note: Qiao Zimu is the real fraudster. [Laughing and crying while covering face]
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