Chapter 54#

World 2: I Want to Be a Fish in Your Pond#

Qin Qing leaned half-way on the sofa, holding Ye Rongzheng.

The phone rang like a death knell, ringing for a full 54 seconds before automatically hanging up, and then ringing for another 54 seconds, one after another, almost without interruption. This showed how manic the person on the other end of the signal was.

Ye Rongzheng hugged Qin Qing tightly, hiding his expression of painful endurance in the other’s warm shoulder hollow.

He didn’t know that he, who had suffered this kind of mental torture for years, had long suffered from stress disorder. Once the ringtone rang, his body would tremble involuntarily and break out in a cold sweat.

The cold sweat wet Qin Qing’s shoulder hollow, making him sigh helplessly.

Hearing the sigh, Ye Rongzheng raised his head and said very guiltily: “Shall I turn off the phone?”

“Get up.” Qin Qing pushed the big head buried in his shoulder.

“Can’t stand the ringtone and want to drive me away?” Ye Rongzheng immediately showed a panicked expression.

“Come with me.” Qin Qing pulled Ye Rongzheng up, took the phone, and walked into the bedroom.

A gray carpet was spread by the bed in the bedroom, and a movable full-length mirror was placed near the door.

Qin Qing moved the full-length mirror in front of the carpet, pressed Ye Rongzheng’s shoulders, made him sit on the carpet facing the mirror, while he sat on the edge of the bed behind Ye Rongzheng.

“Prop the phone on the mirror and answer the call.” He whispered.

Looking from the mirror, the bodies of the two were half-overlapped, one sitting lower and one sitting higher, in a very intimate posture.

Ye Rongzheng was involuntarily attracted by the two people in the mirror. Qin Qing’s long legs were spread on both sides of his body. His feet without socks were as white as a handful of snow, and his toenails were round and pink, cute like cherry blossom petals.

He stared at these jade feet, not hearing clearly what the other party said at all.

“Answer the call.” Qin Qing extended his slender index finger and poked the back of Ye Rongzheng’s head.

Ye Rongzheng then came back to his senses and actually answered the call he used to be most afraid of answering without thinking.

The place on the back of his head where he was poked was hot and itchy, but he couldn’t bear to scratch it. His body, hugged by Qin Qing, was stained with a strong sweet fragrance, and he couldn’t bear to wash it off either.

In his wild and unconstrained thoughts, his father’s voice didn’t sound so annoying to him anymore.

“Who are you with?” Ye Father questioned aggressively.

The phone was propped up vertically against the mirror at a very low angle. Looking from the camera, Ye Father only saw his son sitting on the carpet, and two legs pressed against both sides of his son’s body. The legs were wearing black casual pants, very thin and long, and the snowy feet stepped on the gray carpet, bringing a strong sense of color contrast.

Without seeing this person’s face, Ye Father also faintly felt that the other party must be exceptionally good-looking.

“Don’t make messy friends outside!” Ye Father scolded with disgust.

Before he finished speaking, Ye Mother’s skinny face squeezed in front of the camera, a pair of crimson eyes full of crazy hatred.

“Come back quickly! You can’t leave mom alone! You killed your brother, don’t you feel guilty at all? Your brother’s soul is still wandering at home, won’t you come back to see him? Mom said you have to atone for your sins all your life!” Compared with before, Ye Mother’s words actually increased a lot of logic.

She no longer went crazy wantonly, but started moral kidnapping.

To achieve her goal, she could change her strategy so quickly. Is this really what a madman does?

Qin Qing hooked his lips and smiled, finding it quite ironic.

Ye Rongzheng indeed showed expressions of pain, regret, self-blame, and guilt. No matter how many times he heard similar words, he was still not immune, because his guilt could never be washed away.

However, Qin Qing insisted on washing away all these filthy things.

He leaned down slightly, and his hands gently rested on Ye Rongzheng’s shoulders.

So a pair of soft, boneless, delicate and smooth white hands appeared in the video chat box. Above the hands was a chin with extremely exquisite lines, and further up was a pair of thin, red, slightly curved lips.

Even though only a pair of hands and a mouth were revealed, without seeing the full face, Ye Father and Ye Mother clearly perceived that the person sitting behind their son must be exceptionally beautiful.

If not, how could their son leave his parents, leave his sins, leave everything behind, and willingly stay just because of a hug?

Ye Rongzheng’s gaze was not on the video chat box, but stared blankly, almost obsessively, at Qin Qing in the mirror. Others couldn’t see Qin Qing’s full face, but he could.

This face, beautiful enough to turn all living things upside down, was now gently pressed against his ear. The straight nose exhaled moist and blurred fragrance, and the slightly lowered eyelids cast two rows of thick and long eyelashes, with two faint shadows under the eyelashes.

This snow-white face suddenly became colorful because of these two faint shadows.

All of Ye Rongzheng’s attention was instantly sucked away by this burning flower quietly blooming by his cheek. The guilt, regret, self-blame, pain… all kinds of the most difficult and suppressed emotions triggered in his heart by what his mother said just now were actually thrown to the nine heavens.

Ye Rongzheng’s gaze froze, staring blankly at Qin Qing in the mirror.

Qin Qing turned his head slightly and pressed his red lips tightly against Ye Rongzheng’s auricle. This action was more like a kiss than a whisper.

Ye Rongzheng’s ears immediately flushed deep red.

When his father and mother united to inflict mental punishment and torture on him, he actually showed a shy expression.

Ye Mother suddenly widened her eyes, as if seeing something extremely terrifying and unacceptable, and let out a piercing scream: “Who is the person behind you? He is also a devil! Only a devil would be with a devil!”

Qin Qing curved his lips and smiled with interest.

It’s just the beginning, and she can’t stand it anymore?

He breathed the hot, wet fragrance into Ye Rongzheng’s ear.

So the entranced Ye Rongzheng could hear nothing but his whispers and breath. Even if Ye Mother shouted until she coughed up blood, veins popped out on her neck, and she almost fainted, all Ye Rongzheng could hear and see was Qin Qing alone.

Qin Qing seemed to have turned into a barrier, blocking all the storms from the outside world for him.

“Don’t listen to her. You are not a devil, you are you.” Qin Qing raised his hands and gently cupped Ye Rongzheng’s handsome face.

The warm and tender palms fitted from behind the ears, and a strong fragrance faintly escaped from between the fingers, making Ye Rongzheng show a blurred and trance-like expression. His face also burned red.

In his distraction, his mother’s sharp and piercing cries and howls became smaller and smaller, only Qin Qing’s voice penetrating his mind and occupying his thoughts.

“Tell me, who are you?” Qin Qing asked low and softly.

Such a beautiful voice just wanted to be wrapped up in memory and hidden in the deepest part of the heart.

“I am Ye Rongzheng.” Ye Rongzheng answered involuntarily.

“Is Ye Rongzheng a devil, hmm?” Qin Qing tilted his head and smiled more gently. The glimmer in his eyes was like dew on a leaf, clear as the mist in the cloud mountains.

Ye Rongzheng’s muddy mind also became clear.

Ye Mother cursed fiercely at this moment: “You devil! You are actually with a man! You should be burned to death together!”

It’s fine to burn him to death, but she actually wants to burn Qin Qing to death too? For the first time, Ye Rongzheng felt anger towards his mother.

“I am not a devil! Neither is Qin Qing!” He answered quickly and firmly.

“Right, neither of us are devils.” Qin Qing laughed low in his ear, as if bright stars were jumping in the laughter.

Not only the Ye family can brainwash, he can too.

“If anyone says such things to you in the future, pretend you didn’t hear anything, okay? Don’t pay attention to her, and don’t give her any look.” Qin Qing continued.

Ye Rongzheng nodded without hesitation.

In the chat box, Ye Mother began to tear at her hair. Blood flowed down from the broken scalp, contrasting with her bony face, the picture terrifying to the extreme. Ye Father shouted in panic, then cursed Ye Rongzheng for not caring about his mother and having no conscience.

Ye Rongzheng’s gaze was attracted again.

Qin Qing hugged him from behind, gently pinched his chin with one hand, making him look up at the two people fitting together one after another in the mirror.

“If I keep hugging you, you have to promise me to keep looking at me too, okay?” Qin Qing whispered in his ear, his voice carrying a sticky dampness.

So Ye Rongzheng’s gaze and mind were firmly stuck by him. No matter how Ye Mother hurt herself, no matter how Ye Father scolded, he didn’t look at those disgusting and terrifying scenes.

996 poked its head out from the crack of the door, rolled its eyes and cursed grumpily: “Pah, vixen!”

Qin Qing laughed deeply, looking gently at Ye Rongzheng through that mirror.

Ye Mother tore off a large handful of hair, but failed to make her son look at her again, so she cried and howled: “Give my Xiao Yu back! You murderer!”

Qin Qing raised both hands, gently covered Ye Rongzheng’s ears, his slightly red thin lips hidden in his palms, and said slowly: “You are not a murderer, your mother is.”

On the phone screen, Ye Mother widened her eyes instantly, as if seeing a ferocious ghost. What is this damn man saying!

Ye Rongzheng was also stunned.

“Don’t talk nonsense without evidence!” 996 was afraid the plot would collapse even more, and warned hurriedly.

Qin Qing put down the hands covering Ye Rongzheng’s ears, pinched Ye Rongzheng’s chin to force the other party to turn his face slightly, and looked into his pitch-black eyes.

“You were never a murderer. A three-year-old child should be under the care of elders at all times. If something happens to the child, the elder responsible for taking care of him is the first person responsible. This is not only a convention but also a clause written in legal texts. No matter how it is pursued, the charge of murderer will absolutely not fall on a five-year-old child.”

Qin Qing stroked Ye Rongzheng’s face gently, then looked at Ye Father in the phone screen and asked in an oppressive tone: “Uncle Ye, am I right?”

Right, how could it be wrong?

Ye Father looked at his son who had long grown up, speechless with guilt. In fact, he always knew who should really be responsible for that tragedy back then.

But he loved his wife deeply. Seeing his wife go crazy with pain, how could he bear to blame her again?

No one had ever said such things to Ye Rongzheng. More than ten years of mental abuse had long formed his mindset of “deserving the punishment”. He was a prisoner of this family, and his sentence was for life.

But now, Qin Qing opened the door of this prison and told him, you can come out.

“You are innocent, everyone knows this, including your mother. She doesn’t want you to have a good time, because if you are innocent, she will have to bear this guilt. She can’t bear it, she can only go crazy.”

Qin Qing said word by word.

This explanation made Ye Father shed tears of remorse. On one side was his wife, on the other was his son. He really didn’t know how to choose.

“I am innocent?” Ye Rongzheng murmured in disbelief.

“Yes. So from now on, no matter how crazy your mother is, don’t listen or look. When you can’t bear it, think of me. If you can, come to me. Let’s stay away from this quagmire together, okay?”

Qin Qing pressed up from behind, his slender arms gently wrapped around Ye Rongzheng’s neck, his snow-white cheek pressed against Ye Rongzheng’s bronze cheek.

He really became a barrier, blocking the coldest wind, the fiercest fire, and also blocking the harm from relatives and the harm Ye Rongzheng inflicted on himself.

At this moment, the shackles binding the soul suddenly shattered.

How could he not live on?

As long as Qin Qing was there, Ye Rongzheng would take root firmly in this world. He wanted to grow into a towering tree to support everything for Qin Qing.

“Okay, I won’t be influenced by my mother anymore. For you, I want to live for myself.” Ye Rongzheng whispered like an oath.

He was originally a person with extremely firm will. If it were an ordinary person, suffering physical abuse and mental torture from his mother continuously for more than ten years, he would have committed suicide long ago.

And he just loathed and gave up on himself, but never thought of actively ending his life.

He didn’t know what he was holding on for. But now he knew.

It was for that beam of light at the end of the darkness.

It was for Qin Qing.

Qin Qing smiled with relief, hugging Ye Rongzheng’s neck, softly and gently swaying with him.

So Ye Rongzheng also showed a happy smile he had never had before in this swaying.

Ye Father’s tears flowed gurglingly, not knowing whether to be happy for his son’s liberation or sad for his wife’s sinking.

Ye Mother completely couldn’t accept her son breaking away from her control. She started screaming, pouncing in front of the camera like an evil ghost, saying she wanted to kill Qin Qing.

Ye Rongzheng wanted to turn off the video, but was stopped by Qin Qing.

“Let her go crazy. Just watch quietly, treat it as training. Her going crazy is actually torturing you. Her purpose is just to make you hurt.” Qin Qing ruthlessly exposed Ye Mother’s petty thoughts.

Ye Mother, who was going crazy, was quiet for a second, then became even more manic and irritable.

Ye Father hugged her waist tightly, almost unable to hold her, so he had to call loudly for the nanny and assistant.

Ye Rongzheng was a bit unbearable at first and wanted to look away, but Qin Qing blew a mouthful of strong fragrant hot air into his ear, and he persisted. Wanting to grow into a towering tree to shelter Qin Qing from wind and rain, how could he not even endure this level of torture?

He watched his mother silently, his handsome face becoming more and more steady, and more and more cold.

When a man has someone he wants to protect and is willing to make all efforts, he can do anything.

Qin Qing tilted his head and looked at such Ye Rongzheng, finally finding a trace of familiar shadow in his determined profile.

The phone hung up at some point. Qin Qing kept his promise and slept holding Ye Rongzheng for a night.

The quilt was full of hot and sweet fragrance, and he held a soft and boneless body in his arms. Ye Rongzheng woke up after five o’clock, but insisted on burying his face in Qin Qing’s fragrant hair, lying in bed with his eyes open until nine o’clock.

As long as Qin Qing didn’t wake up, he could lie holding Qin Qing for a lifetime. He wanted to steal a few kisses, but was afraid of waking Qin Qing up and ending this short embrace.

“Get up and let me take a few photos.” Qin Qing lifted the quilt and said lazily.

“Okay.” Ye Rongzheng hurriedly got up, walked to the brightly lit window, and posed in a pose he thought was very cool and handsome.

Qin Qing narrowed his eyes and said: “Lift up your pajamas, I want to take pictures of your abs.”

Ye Rongzheng blushed, but still obediently lifted his clothes, showing his majestic and lean body.

Qin Qing’s appreciative gaze lingered on every piece of his robust muscles, making him uncontrollably react.

Qin Qing lowered his eyes to look, and the corner of his lips hooked into an arc of interest.

“Turn around.” He ordered.

Ye Rongzheng felt relieved but also somewhat disappointed as he turned around. Even this couldn’t attract Qin Qing? Then he would have to work harder on fitness in the future.

“Lift up your clothes.” Qin Qing ordered again.

Ye Rongzheng lifted his clothes, showing his scarred back.

Qin Qing took many photos but didn’t explain the reason, and Ye Rongzheng didn’t ask. He had said long ago that as long as Qin Qing was willing to forgive him, he would listen to Qin Qing in the future. He would do whatever Qin Qing asked him to do, and absolutely wouldn’t be foolish again.

“Go home now.” Qin Qing put away his phone and said.

“Why? Can’t I stay?” Ye Rongzheng was stunned.

“I want you to go back and see your mother. You have to learn to face her like yesterday.” Qin Qing opened the door and raised his chin towards the outside: “Go. If you feel uncomfortable, open the audio file I sent you and listen to it.”

“What audio file?” Ye Rongzheng was pushed out by Qin Qing before he could react.

He stood outside the door for a long time, scratching his hair irritably, pacing back and forth for a while, and finally left unwillingly.

Qin Qing stood behind the door, peeking at Ye Rongzheng’s reaction through the peephole. When he left, he changed into a casual suit and left home.

“Where are you going?” 996 walking by the street asked curiously.

The leaves of the plane trees had all fallen, paving underfoot one by one, making a crisp and pleasant sound when stepped on by Qin Qing. He stopped in front of an old residential building, checked his phone, and then walked in slowly.

Five minutes later, Qin Qing sat opposite a white-haired old man.

The old man’s home was very simple, but warm everywhere.

“How did you find me?” The old man took off his reading glasses and wiped the lenses with trembling hands. His extremely uneasy heart was exposed at this moment.

“A reporter reported this case back then. Although the names were hidden, I knew it was about the Ye family after reading it. I found him and asked for his help, and he gave me your address.”

The old man was silent for a long while before sighing helplessly: “The old saying is right, the guilty things done will come knocking on the door sooner or later.”

“So you admit there are hidden facts in the case back then?” Qin Qing pressed on.

The old man opened his slightly trembling lips, shook his head painfully and guiltily, “Can’t say! Saying it out is bad for everyone!”

“Everyone is fine, but that child back then was ruined.” Qin Qing placed his phone on the table, the screen showing Ye Rongzheng’s photo.

There was a huge laceration on his chest, almost splitting him in half, and there were as many as five fatal wounds on his back. Not dying like this, it can only be said that he was blessed by heaven.

“This is that child. He grew up, but didn’t want to grow up. He always felt he didn’t deserve to live, so he constantly struggled on the edge of death. His whole life was ruined like this, while you sinners lived peacefully for so many years. Except for the dead Xiao Yu, this child is the most innocent. Why should he bear these for you?”

Qin Qing pushed the phone under the old man’s eyelids and said slowly: “You took the Ye family’s money and saved your daughter. I checked, she is now working in the Women’s Federation, and she has also saved many women and children in desperate situations. In an interview, she said this was your expectation for her. You hoped she would be kind, brave, and strong. You hoped she would help more people in need, and she did it. You are her role model.”

The old man lowered his head, tears of remorse slowly welling up in his cloudy eyes.

“Stop talking, please stop talking.” He begged tremblingly.

Qin Qing looked at the old man steadily and said unmoved: “I know you still have a conscience, otherwise you wouldn’t have voluntarily resigned from the position of forensic doctor after that case was closed. I didn’t come here today to punish you, nor will I expose you in front of your daughter. I just want to know what exactly happened back then. I want the truth.”

He grasped all of this person’s weaknesses, so compromise became an obvious result.

The old man struggled for a long time before taking out a forensic examination report from the bookcase and spreading it on the table.

“The child named Xiao Yu back then didn’t roll down from the third floor, but was thrown directly from the third floor to the first floor.” He closed his eyes, feeling a little uncomfortable even though he had solved many bloody cases.

996: “What did he just say? Is there something wrong with my ears?”

Qin Qing seemed to have guessed this result long ago and said with certainty: “The murderer is the child’s mother?”

“Yes, the railing on the third floor is so high, only an adult can lift a three-year-old child and throw him down. Only the child’s mother was an adult in the house, she was the only suspect.” The old man put the reading glasses aside and let out a long breath.

The truth hidden for many years was finally spoken.

“Why meow?” 996 was already crazy: “I can’t understand it at all meow! My mom treats me so well, she even fought a big tiger for me!”

“Is it Munchausen syndrome?” Qin Qing said knowingly.

Munchausen syndrome is an extremely perverted psychological disease, mostly occurring in mothers. Mothers with this disease will constantly abuse their children, or even kill their children, to gain attention and care from people around them.

To highlight their sense of existence and value, they will constantly make their children sacrifice, just like Xiao Yu’s death, and just like the abuse Ye Rongzheng suffered over the years.

“Yes.” The old man nodded dejectedly, tears wetting his face.

“That woman loved her husband too much. Because her husband didn’t come home for years, she said she needed to kill a child to make her husband come back to visit her. After her husband came back, he paid too much attention to the eldest son’s situation, so she wanted to kill the eldest son again. Under my suggestion, Mr. Ye sent the child away. That woman is an animal lacking love, she is no longer human. She wants everyone around her to revolve around her so that she can be satisfied.”

The old man wiped away his tears and said fearfully: “The human heart is the dirtiest thing in the world. This case broke through my psychological defense line and also made me lose my professional ethics and conscience, so I resigned. I’m sorry, I am guilty. Please say sorry to that child for me.”

“No need to substitute, I have recorded your words. Is this okay?” Qin Qing took out a voice recorder.

The old man was stunned, then nodded resolutely: “Okay. For so many years, I have been very guilty. Give the recording to that child. Whether to call the police or whatever afterwards, I don’t care. I don’t want to bring shame to my daughter, I really regret it. But she was too sick. Only by taking the Ye family’s money could I save her.”

The old man was overwhelmed with remorse and cried bitterly.

Qin Qing stood up and said calmly: “I am not the victim, I cannot forgive you on his behalf. When he has a decision, I will tell you. Goodbye.”