Chapter 331
Chapter 331
Seeing how agitated I had become, Du Yunting shook off my hand and said indifferently, “Calm down. I merely greeted her. I had no malicious intent.”
“The words ‘malicious intent’ are carved into your soul.”
I looked at him with contempt. “Stop pretending to be a good man. Do you even know how to write the word ‘good’?”
He wiped the wine from his face, though the stains on his shirt could not be removed. Smiling at me, he said, “Do you know why Qin Shi Huang, the emperor for all ages, was so obsessed with immortality? Or why so many rulers throughout history pursued it so fervently?”
“Not one of them succeeded. They died on the road to eternal life.”
“But I succeeded. Can you see any trace of Lv Zhengxian in me? Can you see any trace of Du Ruhai?”
Now he was actually boasting to me.
I glanced at him. “You think I won’t recognize you because you’ve put on a new disguise? You think a different body makes you another person?”
“What good is living so long when evil like you simply lingers for a thousand years?”
Du Yunting shook his head. He truly did speak as if he had become someone else. “When a person obtains what he wants, or reaches heights inaccessible to ordinary people, his state of mind becomes different from theirs.”
“I believe humanity’s greatest invention is philosophy. Philosophy grants people a second soul.”
“I’ve been studying Buddhist teachings lately. They contain great wisdom. I’m sure you have already noticed that I am completely different from before.”
I could not help laughing.
“Oh, so you’re studying Buddhist teachings now? What’s the next step in your grand plan?”
“Rebirth: I Am the Buddha? Or perhaps The Years I Spent Trapped in the Eighteen Levels of Hell?”
Du Yunting laughed. “Your state of mind remains shallow. You always try to score cheap points in conversation. You possess no depth.”
“The world is not simply black and white. You should view your enemies from multiple perspectives. After dealing with you for so long, I can honestly say that I don’t really hate you.”
I laughed. “Where did you find the nerve to hate me?”
He ignored me and continued, “On the contrary, I find you fascinating. Most people would have gone insane after experiencing what you have. In some respects, I actually admire you.”
“Your performance in Lincheng especially made me see you in a new light.”
After he had praised me to such an extent, I could hardly continue hurling insults at him.
“President Du, if your state of mind has truly transcended that of ordinary people, why did you instruct those reporters to expose someone’s private life in public?”
I smiled. “There’s a faint trace of sleaziness in your lofty state of mind.”
Du Yunting froze for a long moment, then played dumb. “I did no such thing. Don’t slander me without evidence.”
I could not be bothered to argue with him any longer. My expression turned serious. “The truth between us is simple. We both want the other dead, but neither of us can do anything about it. So stop pretending to be profound.”
“Honestly, I have no way to avenge what you’ve done. Even if I watch you harm people with my own eyes, I can’t stop you. You had better restrain yourself. Since you’re studying Buddhist teachings, you ought to believe in karma.”
“If you keep hurting people, the day will come when you can no longer bear the weight of your own retribution.”
Du Yunting said nothing more. He turned and walked away.
I watched his retreating figure and could not help sighing.
People really did need to read and educate themselves. Otherwise, they ended up like him: an uncultured man desperately trying to act profound and making himself look like a complete moron.
In the crowd, I saw Song Xiaotian rise to leave the banquet hall.
But he was not leaving the venue. Someone else was walking ahead of him: Pan Xiaorou.
From the look of things, they were finally going to settle the matter face-to-face.
I called Anning over and prepared to follow them outside to watch the show.
But Anning and I were not the only ones who followed. Everyone else from the storefront came as well. Even Meng Yifan, who had been happily chatting with other people, took up a position to eavesdrop.
“Why are you all so eager to listen in on someone else’s conversation? Have you no manners?”
“As if you have any!”
We followed them all the way to a small garden beside the venue.
No one else was in the garden. There were only Pan Xiaorou and Song Xiaotian.
Pan Xiaorou seemed to have drunk too much. She stood beneath a tree, her eyes slightly red.
Deep down, she must have understood that Song Xiaotian might be about to break up with her.
She was still a woman, emotional and vulnerable. She might be an iron lady in public, but in her personal life, she also needed someone to care for and cherish her.
Song Xiaotian appeared then and hesitantly walked over to her.
She looked at him, and he looked at her.
“Why did you admit it onstage?”
Song Xiaotian asked, “If you’d denied it, people would have gossiped for a while and then moved on. But now that you’ve admitted it, the people in your company and your family will all criticize you.”
Pan Xiaorou sniffed and forced a smile. “Don’t worry. I wasn’t trying to move you or use public pressure to bind you to me. I haven’t sunk that low.”
“I simply believe that although I’ve been married before, I haven’t violated public order, morality, propriety, or decency. Why should I deny it? If you like someone, you should be open about it and show them respect. Don’t read too much into what I did.”
“I know you have something to tell me. A melon forced off the vine will never be sweet. No matter what you say, I’ll accept it.”
Hearing Pan Xiaorou’s words, all of us sighed.
“That ungrateful animal!”
Soon, we heard Song Xiaotian say, “I’m twenty-nine this year. I haven’t had many relationships, and I’ve spent most of my life alone. I’ve never had especially high expectations for romance. I always thought there were many things in life more important than love. Then, without warning, I met you.”
“I admit that your previous marriage bothered me. My pride couldn’t accept that you’d been married, so I avoided you at every turn. But when I think about it carefully, my family taught me from childhood to be reasonable and to understand honor and shame. They didn’t teach me to see myself as superior or to judge others with prejudice.”
“Time made me older, but it didn’t make me a proper adult. I failed to show the responsibility an adult should have. I’m deeply sorry for my behavior and attitude.”
Song Xiaotian drew a breath. Looking earnestly at the stunned Pan Xiaorou, he said, “I should shoulder my responsibilities as a man and as a father. I hope you can forgive my previous arrogance. I’m sorry. I was wrong.”
His words shocked us just as much as they shocked Pan Xiaorou.
The bastard had finally come to his senses!
Meng Yifan excitedly pulled out his phone and began recording. “This will prove he deserves to be allowed home. He won’t have to be an orphan anymore. Only a brother would help him like this. He must have accumulated blessings over several lifetimes to have a brother like me.”
I hurriedly pulled out my phone too, but not to record them secretly. I intended to video-call Seventh Master and invite him to join our spying.
They might even start kissing soon.