Chapter 55#

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

Ye Rongzheng stood in front of a huge four-story western-style building, but hesitated to step inside.

The building was in an early European style. Several huge banyan trees shrouded the red roof and white walls in shadows. Sunlight penetrated through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting many fragmented spots of light, looking quite romantic.

However, Ye Rongzheng only felt gloomy.

He stood in front of the building, frowning and smoking.

Wondering what he thought of, he turned on his phone and looked at an audio file Qin Qing sent him this morning, with a sentence attached below the file.

[Only open it when you feel most uncomfortable.]

So even Qin Qing knew that when he returned to this prison-like home and faced his crazy mother and judge father, he would only be surrounded by endless pain.

In the past, he was accustomed to this hellish life and even took it for granted.

But now, after spending just one night with Qin Qing, a short dozen hours, he knew what a real home should be like. A real home should be like Qin Qing himself, soft, warm, safe, and peaceful, as if full of flowers and sunshine everywhere.

Thinking of Qin Qing, Ye Rongzheng’s fierce eyebrows and eyes completely softened.

He hooked his thin lips and smiled, then posted a photo he secretly took on his Moments, setting it to be visible only to Mu Feiyan.

The photo showed Qin Qing’s sleeping profile. His hair was slightly messy and sticking up, very cute. His snow-white cheeks revealed a layer of faint pink, caused by sleeping too soundly. His slightly red lips unconsciously bloomed with a peaceful smile.

Anyone who saw this photo would be attracted by this serene beauty.

However, this was not the main point Ye Rongzheng wanted to show. The point was the strong arm under Qin Qing’s head. It was this arm that held Qin Qing to sleep all night, acting as a pillow for him, tucking him in, and quietly touching his curled eyelashes in the morning, tickled slightly by them.

Thinking of this, Ye Rongzheng grinned smugly. When he looked up at the building shrouded in huge tree shade again, he didn’t feel anxious anymore.

He walked to the door and stubbed out the still-burning cigarette butt on the snow-white wall, leaving a scorched and ugly small dot.

The butler, who had already noticed him and immediately came over to open the door, looked at this scorch mark with an indescribable expression.

“Xiao Zheng, you have grown up, you can’t be so naughty anymore. Go in quickly, your parents have been waiting for you all night.” The old butler brought a brush and brushed the scorch mark on the wall clean.

Ye Rongzheng pinched the cigarette butt and walked into the living room, flicking it into the trash can at the entrance.

Catching a glimpse of the person sitting on the sofa, he froze just as he was about to bend down to change his shoes.

“Why are you here?” The questioning voice was mixed with anger and disgust.

Yun Siyu’s rosy face immediately turned pale.

Hearing the noise, Ye Father ran out of the kitchen and said grumpily: “I called Xiao Yu over. Did you know that your mother almost cut her wrists to commit suicide last night! If Xiao Yu hadn’t arrived in time to comfort her, you wouldn’t have a mother!”

If it were usual, hearing that his mother committed suicide, Ye Rongzheng would definitely be very anxious, and then willing to kneel in front of his mother’s bed, letting her beat, scold, and inflict all cruel punishments.

But today, for some reason, his mind was clear.

He almost immediately caught the loophole in his father’s words: “There are you, two assistants, four nurses, and three nannies at home, a total of ten people watching her twenty-four hours a day, yet she could still succeed in cutting her wrists. Who do you say is responsible? I wasn’t home, what does it have to do with me?”

Ye Father was dumbfounded for a moment.

Yeah, ten people were all revolving around Ye Mother, yet she could still cut her wrists to commit suicide. This is too outrageous.

“Cutting wrists, taking sleeping pills, burning charcoal, it’s all just talk. Isn’t it just to threaten me?” Ye Rongzheng didn’t even want to change his shoes, stepping directly onto the expensive wool carpet in the living room.

Ye Father’s lips trembled with anger, but he couldn’t refute. How could he not know that his wife clamoring about suicide all day was just to make their son feel more guilty?

“You know your mother feels bad in her heart, can’t you share a little burden for her? She is only more painful than you.” Ye Father said helplessly.

“I have been sharing the burden for her all these years.” Ye Rongzheng sat on the sofa with his legs wide apart, his elbows resting on his knees, scratching his coarse hair irritably.

He turned his head to look at his father, his pitch-black eyes full of gloom: “Don’t forget, from the age of five until now, all her pain has been vented on me. What kind of parents can use such a self-righteous attitude to make a five-year-old child bear the guilt that even adults cannot bear? Touch your own conscience, don’t you think your actions are absurd?”

The extreme madness of wanting to break out of the cage, as well as the resentment and anger suppressed for years, appeared on Ye Rongzheng’s wild and cold face.

He stared fixedly at his father’s guilty and uneasy face, his eyes crimson.

Yun Siyu hugged a pillow nervously and uneasily.

Ye Father’s lips trembled a few times and murmured: “Your mother is weak in health. You are so tall and strong, and your character is tough, you can bear it. She is your mother after all, what’s wrong with her saying a few words to you?”

Ye Rongzheng looked at his father with incredible eyes.

“So because I can bear it, I deserve to bear these sins? Am I your son or your venting tool?”

Speaking of this, he paused for a moment, then kicked fiercely, overturning the marble coffee table in front of him.

“I’ve had enough!”

Amidst the huge shattering sound, Ye Rongzheng turned and left.

“Don’t go! Come back here!” Ye Mother’s shrill scream came from the spiral staircase.

She hadn’t slept, just waiting for her son to come back. How could her son escape from her side? No way! He must stay in this house for the rest of his life, at her disposal and torture!

“You killed your brother, don’t you feel guilty at all? Look where you are standing!”

Disheveled Ye Mother rushed down the stairs quickly, pointing at the carpet where Ye Rongzheng stood, shouting hoarsely: “Your brother died here, under your feet is all his blood! Do you think covering it with a carpet will make the blood disappear? No! It will flow in my heart forever, and also in your heart! Where do you want to escape? Can you forget your brother by going outside? He lay in a pool of blood, looking at you standing on the third floor with dead eyes. Can you forget that scene? Ask yourself, can you forget it? Don’t even think about forgetting it in your life!”

Ye Rongzheng seemed to have been punched heavily in the chest, retreating a few steps wretchedly, looking at that carpet in horror.

The image of his brother’s small body lying in a pool of blood invaded his brain like a nightmare again.

He couldn’t forget such a scene, because in the past dozen years, his mother would mention it repeatedly, repeatedly every day.

This sin seemed to be carved into his blood by her verbal curses.

Ye Mother rushed up and grabbed Ye Rongzheng’s collar, roaring crazily: “Don’t think about escaping! I want you to stay here for the rest of your life to calm your brother’s soul and atone for your brother! Don’t think about escaping!”

Invisible blood gurgled from Ye Rongzheng’s long-rotten heart.

When is it most uncomfortable? Isn’t it now?

Ye Rongzheng looked at his father aside. His father stood in place, full of guilt, but indifferent. Ye Rongzheng looked at the butler, assistants, nurses, and nannies. These people stood even further away, letting Ye Mother say those vicious words wantonly.

In his peripheral vision, Yun Siyu shrank in the sofa holding a pillow, as if scared silly.

Ye Rongzheng smiled tragically, and then clicked on the audio file Qin Qing sent him. At this moment, this magnificent living room was full of people, but no one could save him. What could Qin Qing, who was far away, do?

But Ye Rongzheng still believed.

Believed that the light he chased would bring hope.

Mother’s crazy, hoarse, and piercing roar was suddenly pierced by the sound of jade falling into the lake.

Qin Qing said slowly with his unique clear voice: “Ye Rongzheng, if I were present when the tragedy happened, guess what I would do?”

You would hug me. This answer was something Ye Rongzheng knew long ago.

So miraculously, his overwhelmed heart, which was almost turning into a pool of pus, was comforted just like that. He quickly adjusted the volume, amplifying this extremely gentle and warm voice.

Qin Qing sighed low and said slowly: “I would hug you immediately, cover your eyes, hide in a safe place, and keep those bloody things away from you. I would whisper in your ear with the gentlest voice, don’t be afraid, this is not your fault. I would make you forget all this forever. I would care for you doubly, tell you to live well, and I would erase all pain, fear, guilt, and regret from the bottom of your heart.”

The sigh was drawn out very long, carrying a bit of regretful melancholy, “Did you hear that, Ye Rongzheng? In that situation, this is what a person who truly cares about you would do for you.”

While Qin Qing was speaking, Ye Mother had unknowingly quieted down. She seemed to have heard Satan’s whispers, or the roar of evil ghosts or monsters, and her whole face twisted with fear.

Ye Father, Yun Siyu, and everyone around showed strange expressions.

Is Qin Qing right? Yes! It should be like this!

How could a mother who truly loves her child be like Ye Mother, neither keeping her five-year-old son away from that bloody scene nor letting him forget the painful memories of that time, but repeatedly and continuously using this tragedy to torture the child’s body and mind, letting the child grow up in a hell-like environment.

Is this love? This is hate!

This crazy mother, where is she pitiful? She is not pitiful at all! She is a perpetrator!

When everyone was reflecting, Ye Rongzheng laughed abruptly, and laughed with a deep, joyful voice.

“A person who truly cares about me would do this for me. So Qin Qing, you admit you care about me, right?” He murmured uncontrollably, and his rotten heart miraculously grew fresh flesh and blood at this moment.

Ye Rongzheng effortlessly pried open Ye Mother’s hand, releasing his collar, and also releasing all guilt and remorse.

Qin Qing was still talking, his voice carrying a warm and shallow smile, and faintly the sound of water washing.

It was recorded in the bathroom while taking a shower last night, right? To help him, he did his best. He really put him in his heart.

Ye Rongzheng laughed shortly again, and unprecedented satisfaction and happiness overflowed from his bloodshot crimson eyes.

In the past, he could never imagine that one day, standing in front of his crazy mother, standing in this prison-like mud pit, he would actually laugh, and laugh so heartily.

Seeing his mother pounce on him, wanting to snatch his phone, he pushed this skinny woman away mercilessly.

Ye Mother fell to the ground, let out a sharp and piercing cry, and then began to curse fiercely.

But the higher, uglier, and more hideous her voice was, the more impossible it was to ignore Qin Qing’s clear and pleasant voice.

Everyone was listening to Qin Qing, which was a natural pursuit of beauty and hope.

“If a person continuously hurts you, then she definitely doesn’t care about you, let alone ever loved you. Why should you care about her? In the years to come, I want you to remember one sentence. No matter what happened at that time, the guilt of causing death should never be borne by a five-year-old, ignorant, and most innocent child. If you still have guilt and self-blame in your heart at this moment, I can only say, let these guilt and self-blame go to hell, let these people who hurt you go to hell.”

Speaking of this, Qin Qing actually laughed. The extremely magnetic low laughter echoed back and forth in the narrow bathroom, stained with damp fragrance, making it impossible not to be infected, and impossible not to be touched.

So Ye Rongzheng also laughed along, bits of light overflowing from his beast-like dark eyes.

He hid the phone in his pants pocket and gripped it tightly with his fist.

Ye Mother, who finally struggled to get up, pounced to snatch the phone, but was pushed away mercilessly by her son again and fell hard.

Ye Father was afraid his wife would be injured, so he ran over to help her up. Yun Siyu and several nurses also gathered around, trying their best to soothe Ye Mother’s emotions.

But Ye Mother couldn’t calm down no matter what. She saw clearly how much influence Qin Qing’s words had on her son. In the past, as long as she was hurt a little bit, her son would be extremely guilty and regretful, but now, he was actually inflicting harm on her!

Just because of a few words from that damn man, her son completely broke away from her control!

This won’t do! This absolutely won’t do!

“Xiao Yu, Xiao Yu, where are you? Mom knows you are still in this house! Come out and look at your brother! He killed you, but has no guilt at all! He is a beast!” Ye Mother started calling the soul again, a trick that had always been effective.

As long as Ye Mother called Xiao Yu, Ye Rongzheng would look around in fear, then be crushed by surging remorse, and then constantly apologize to the air.

But today, all the above symptoms disappeared. Ye Rongzheng lit a cigarette, took a few puffs comfortably, and looked indifferently at his mother shouting at the air through the faint smoke.

He really didn’t care anymore.

Everything in this house seemed to have nothing to do with him, and he became relaxed and free all over.

This feeling was great, making Ye Rongzheng’s gloomy eyebrows and eyes become bright and open, and his whole temperament underwent a huge change. Now he was truly a lion running on the grassland, invincible.

He sat on the single sofa, crossed his legs, narrowed his sharp eyes, and smoked a cigarette lazily.

His mother’s curses and abuse were treated by him as interesting accompaniment. Hearing novel words, he would even hook his thin lips and smile appreciatively, clapping his hands nonchalantly.

This careless, indifferent attitude could drive an angry and crazy person mad.

Ye Mother looked at this son who seemed to become invulnerable overnight in disbelief, and at a loss for words, she actually screamed at the top of her lungs.

“Ahhhhhhh…”

A series of meaningless broken sounds echoed in the living room, almost piercing everyone’s eardrums. The crystal chandelier overhead also shook, making a tinkling sound.

All of Ye Mother’s tricks were used up today, and all the stimulating words were spat out cleanly. Only then did she realize that when her son really didn’t care about her and wasn’t affected by the past, he could be so cold and so powerful.

He held the slowly burning cigarette with his thumb and index finger, his pitch-black eyes slightly narrowed, appreciating his mother’s madness with a teasing look like appreciating a farce.

His mother didn’t love him at all, but this cruel fact gave him complete liberation.

It doesn’t matter, someone will love him in the future.

A beam of light has already illuminated him.

Thinking like this, Ye Rongzheng laughed low and happily again.

Ye Mother, who had shouted until her throat coughed blood, heard her son’s laughter, held her breath, and continued to scream. She had no moves left. Unless she really drove herself crazy, she had no possibility of keeping her son.

But this trick didn’t work either.

Ye Rongzheng finished smoking a cigarette, didn’t stub it out in the ashtray, but pressed it directly on the snow-white wool carpet.

A pitch-black small hole was immediately burned in the wool carpet.

He looked at this hole contemptuously, then looked at everyone in the room, stood up, and walked unhurriedly towards the door.

Passing Ye Father, he hooked his thin lips and said coldly: “I’m leaving, and I won’t come back again.”

Ye Father stared at him blankly, tears of reluctance welling up in his eyes. Is there any pain in the world greater than the separation of flesh and blood?

“You are not allowed to go! I forbid you to escape!” Ye Mother stopped screaming and said extremely anxiously.

Ye Rongzheng bent down slightly, looked down at his mother panting half-lying on the sofa, and said word by word: “You and your home, go to hell.”

He straightened up and walked quickly towards the open door. There was a heavy shadow outside, and beyond the shadow was brilliant light.

Ye Mother shouted with her last bit of strength: “Your grandfather left all his property to me when he died. If you step out of this house, don’t even think about using a penny of the Ye family! I will deprive you of your inheritance rights!”

These words didn’t sound like they came from a madman.

Ye Rongzheng finally understood. So for so many years, his mother had been pretending to be crazy!

Ye Rongzheng said without looking back, “This mud-like home, give it to whoever you love.”

Ye Mother shouted unwillingly: “Good, you said this yourself, don’t regret it! I want to adopt Yun Siyu as my godson, and I want to leave all my property to him!”

Suddenly such a huge pie fell from the sky, directly stunning Yun Siyu.

He unconsciously gripped Ye Mother’s hand tightly.

Ye Rongzheng stepped out of the house, his indifferent voice fading away: “Whatever, just pretend you don’t have me as a son in the future.”

“Ye Rongzheng! Ye Rongzheng…”

Ye Mother’s screams were like evil ghosts in hell claiming lives, while Ye Rongzheng under the sun was someone she could never hurt again.

Qin Qing sat on the balcony, slowly reading the forensic examination report.

996 was eating dried fish, making slurping sounds, looking very happy.

The phone placed aside vibrated. It was a text message from Ye Rongzheng. He said he had severed ties with his family and begged Qin Qing to take him in.

Qin Qing replied with three words: [Come back.]

A moment later, the doorbell rang. Qin Qing didn’t check the peephole and opened the door directly, smiling and saying: “Back so soon.”

“Who did you think was outside?” Mu Feiyan stood at the door, his eyes dark.

“You thought I was Ye Rongzheng, right? Are you together? Slept together?” He questioned while walking into the living room, quickly took off his gloves, and hugged Qin Qing forcefully.

A smell of disinfectant wafted up, mixed with woody agarwood. Qin Qing’s head was pressed against a broad chest by a big hand, and his waist was firmly hooped by another strong arm, unable to move.

Mu Feiyan imprisoned Qin Qing in his arms, buried his head in Qin Qing’s shoulder hollow and took a deep breath, then raised his eyes to look at the other’s surprised face.

This face is so beautiful when sleeping, like a bud ready to bloom, but it cannot be his!

“You said you wanted to try with me! You said you wouldn’t like me and Ye Rongzheng. But in just one day, you are with him! You lied to me!” Mu Feiyan whispered accusingly, his hoarse voice full of suppressed unwillingness and anger.

Qin Qing shook his head and said calmly: “Who I am with seems to have nothing to do with you.”

Mu Feiyan stared straight at him, questioning wretchedly and painfully: “Why choose him and not me? We both made mistakes, why forgive him and not me?”

Ye Rongzheng walked to the apartment door at this moment and heard these conversations.

He didn’t step in, but subconsciously hid aside, his back against the wall, quietly listening to Qin Qing’s answer.

He also wanted to know why he was so lucky to be chosen.

“Because he needs me.” Qin Qing looked straight into Mu Feiyan’s eyes and said word by word: “Without me, he will collapse.”

Mu Feiyan was stunned for a long time, his head lowered a few degrees more, the tip of his nose almost touching Qin Qing’s nose, and then he said extremely unwillingly with a suppressed voice: “Just because of this? Because he is pitiful?”

Qin Qing did not answer.

Ye Rongzheng hiding outside the door suddenly felt a dull pain in his heart. Qin Qing cared about him, not because of love, but because of pity!

Mu Feiyan’s trembling gaze licked Qin Qing’s face inch by inch, so greedy, so reluctant, and so hateful: “If I also beat myself into the dust, are you willing to choose me? Being with someone because of pity, then pity me too!”

This was a disguised threat. If Qin Qing didn’t agree, Mu Feiyan might very well give up on himself and let himself fall into the dust.

He wanted to use his decadence to beg for Qin Qing’s pity.

“Sinful!” 996 shook its head sighing while chewing dried fish.

Ye Rongzheng hiding outside the door suddenly clenched his fists.

Ignoring the fact that Qin Qing didn’t like him, the most important thing now was to get rid of this rival Mu Feiyan. Mu Feiyan was a pervert. For Qin Qing, he could do anything!

Just thinking of this, Mu Feiyan said in a morbid tone: “Shall I go degenerate? I’ll do nothing, indulge in decadence, and drink myself into a pile of mud every day! Don’t you like redemption? Then come be my savior!”

996’s fur exploded all over. Damn it, what magic did Qin Qing use on these protagonist gongs? Is a fine young man going to be ruined like this?

Ye Rongzheng almost rushed into the room, grabbed Mu Feiyan’s collar and beat him up severely! He knew Mu Feiyan could really do such things! He was a madman who would do anything to achieve his goal!

Qin Qing was stunned for a moment, then his gaze suddenly turned cold. He pushed Mu Feiyan away with all his strength and slapped him hard, making this person’s handsome face turn aside.

“Did you see?” Qin Qing spread his palm, his tone unprecedentedly cold and severe: “Did you see what’s in my palm?”

Mu Feiyan saw nothing. Being hit, he just licked the corner of his torn mouth, revealing a morbid, satisfied smile. This slap proved that Qin Qing cared about him!

Qin Qing held his empty palm, suppressing his anger and said: “My palm is full of dust. Can you see it?”

Mu Feiyan was still smiling, the tip of his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth to lick gently, his face full of evil. What gentleness and elegance, gentlemanly demeanor, were all fake. This was his true face.

Qin Qing walked to the window and let his empty palm spread under the sunlight. So those invisible dust turned into tiny, bright stardust under the reflection of sunlight.

Qin Qing emphasized his tone and said slowly: “If you really let yourself turn into dust and fall into the mud, I will never see you. My eyes can only see shining stars, understand?”

Mu Feiyan looked at those drifting stardust, which looked so beautiful in the floating shadow of sunlight. But even more beautiful was Qin Qing’s extremely angry face. At this moment, his aura was fully open, like a blooming flower.

What kind of green leaves can set off this flower?

Suddenly, Mu Feiyan understood. The current him simply didn’t deserve Qin Qing. If he indulged in depravity and fell into the quagmire, he would lose the last trace of hope…

In his daze, the gloom in his dark eyes gradually dissipated, revealing some light. Mu Feiyan looked at Qin Qing greedily, and then dragged his heavy steps away, “I understand. Wait for me.”

Stepping out of the threshold, catching a glimpse of Ye Rongzheng hiding aside, Mu Feiyan was stunned, then revealed a sarcastic smile: “Qin Qing’s eyes can only see stars. I don’t have light on me, do you?”

This time, it was Ye Rongzheng’s turn to fall into embarrassment. He knew that the current him was not dazzling enough to dazzle Qin Qing, but the light on Qin Qing was so bright.