Chapter 100
Chapter 100
Qin Song’s legs went weak: “What did you say? Hotel or funeral home?”
Mimi: “Bro, Mom and Dad went out to buy groceries this morning and got into a car accident. Dad was gone on the spot, Mom was rescued but couldn’t be saved…”
Mimi cried and couldn’t continue.
Qin Song froze for two seconds, then suddenly felt dizzy, and fell stiffly onto the cement ground.
He struggled to open his mouth and take two breaths, then rolled over and picked up his phone.
Mimi: “Bro, hang in there, you have to hang in there… otherwise our family is really finished…”
Qin Song’s lips had turned pale white. He tremblingly said, “I’m coming now.”
After hanging up, Qin Song tried to stuff the phone into his pocket but missed several times, and it fell to the ground.
He crouched to pick it up, walked to his car and tried to open the door, but pulled twice and couldn’t get it open. Then he took out the car key from his pocket to unlock it.
After unlocking, he pulled the door open and got in.
He could no longer tell which pedal was the brake and which was the accelerator. He tried to drive forward a few meters and then slammed on the brake.
He scrambled out of the car, tumbling and crawling, and hailed a taxi by the roadside.
Driver: “Hello, where to?”
Qin Song: “Where am I going…”
The driver glanced at his expression and asked again, “Sir, where are you going?”
Qin Song came back to his senses: “Oh… where to, I’m going to Garden Road Funeral Home.”
The driver nodded apologetically and drove forward.
Qin Song slumped weakly in the back seat, looking terrible.
The driver glanced at him twice through the rearview mirror, then drove without a word.
Qin Song stared blankly out the window. Tears and snot rushed out, and he sniffled hard.
The driver pulled two tissues from the center console and silently handed them back to him.
Qin Song took them, lowered his head, and pressed the tissues firmly against his face.
When Qin Song arrived, Qin Bao had already cried almost to the point of fainting. Several people were supporting him, helping him sit down on the roadside.
Qin Song’s limbs finally regained some strength. He walked over and forcefully patted Qin Bao’s chubby face.
Qin Bao opened his eyes, saw Qin Song, and then wailed, “Bro-!”
Qin Song: “Shut your mouth! Stand up!”
Qin Bao struggled to push himself up and stood up trembling.
Mimi ran over to support him. Qin Song saw that her foundation was streaked by tears.
Mimi: “Bro, don’t make him get up. He was crying so much he almost went into shock!”
Qin Song stared into Qin Bao’s eyes: “Where are Mom and Dad?”
Qin Bao pointed tremblingly to the right: “They’re being made up.”
Qin Song asked through gritted teeth: “When did the accident happen? Where’s the driver who caused it?”
Qin Bao: “Early this morning, Mom and Dad went to buy groceries for me…”
Qin Song suddenly punched Qin Bao in the face, eyes bloodshot, and roared: “Don’t you have hands and feet of your own, making Mom and Dad buy groceries for you! They lived with me for so many years, and I never let them buy groceries once!”
Mimi screamed and rushed over to push Qin Song away: “Qin Song, get lost! Why are you hitting him! Is this his fault!”
Qin Song crouched down, supporting himself with his hands on the ground.
Mimi crouched down too and wrapped her arms around Qin Song’s arm. “Brother, don’t blame Qin Bao. Mom and Dad rode out on their bikes early in the morning. Dump trucks have blind spots…”
Qin Song dropped to the ground.
…
A few days later, Qin Song took the high-speed train back to City A.
He could no longer drive. He was afraid that one moment of distraction would send him crashing into the median barrier on the highway.
He had lost seven pounds. Stubble covered both cheeks, and his hair was a mess.
In those few days, dozens of missed calls had piled up on his phone. Five were from Hu Heng, eight from He Qian, and eighteen from Huang Yuanrui.
After getting off the train, Qin Song took a taxi home.
When He Qian opened the door and saw him, she clapped a hand over her mouth and let out a startled cry.
“You… what happened to you?”
Qin Song said calmly, “My parents are gone. I just finished handling the funeral and came back.”
He Qian froze for a few seconds, and then tears suddenly spilled down her face.
She helped Qin Song sit down on the sofa and poured him a glass of water.
Qin Song waved it away. “I won’t drink. Thank you.”
He Qian sat down beside him. She wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come.
After a moment, she stood up again and hugged Qin Song tightly.
Qin Song let her cradle his head against her, but he no longer had the strength to lift his arms and hold her back.
Crying, He Qian said, “Qin Song, I’m sorry…”
Qin Song patted her waist. “You have nothing to apologize to me for.”
He Qian said, “I should have gone too. Why didn’t you let me go?”
Qin Song said flatly, “We’re already divorced. There was no need to make you go with me for a funeral.”
He Qian looked down at him. “Your parents were my parents too.”
The corner of Qin Song’s mouth tugged, as if he wanted to smile at her, but his cracked lips split open and bled.
He Qian dipped a cotton swab in warm water and gently cleaned the blood away, then applied a thin layer of Vaseline.
Qin Song patted her shoulder. “I’m leaving.”
He Qian asked, “Where are you going?”
Qin Song said, “Anywhere is the same. Our three days are over. From now on, live here properly.”
It felt as if something had stabbed He Qian hard in the heart. She hurriedly said, “You can stay. Stay as long as you want. You’re in such a terrible state right now. I can’t feel at ease letting you go.”
Qin Song shook his head, got to his feet, and slowly walked out of the home they had lived in for nearly ten years.
He Qian stood behind him, watching him leave with an aching heart. A few strands of white had appeared in his hair.
After Qin Song left, He Qian stood quietly in the living room for a while, wiped away her tears, and returned to the bedroom.
On her nightstand lay a courier envelope, several photos, and a letter.
There were two people in the photos. One was a strange woman, and the other was He Yuchuan.
The letter had been printed out in SimSun font.
As for the contents of the letter, He Qian had read them many times over the past few days. Now, if she closed her eyes, she could almost recite them from memory.
The last line of the letter had been enlarged and bolded. It read:
“So He Yuchuan has been lying to you all along. His goal was to get your money. Live your own life well, and whatever you do, don’t trust him.”
He Qian picked up her phone and blocked He Yuchuan completely.