“Milk tea, cookies, and here’s so chocolate,” Kong Mingze began by handing out snacks to the two of them.
Zhuge Ying took them and started eating without hesitation—free food was free food, after all.
Quan Zhisui also accepted the snacks but didn’t eat them. She sat there with an expressionless face, waiting for Kong Mingze to speak.
If he dared to defend Wei Shixu, she was ready to hurl the snacks at him!
Kong Mingze took a deep breath. “I want to tell you about Wei Shixu’s past.”
Zhuge Ying asked, “The kidnapping incident?”
Quan Zhisui, who had been about to throw the snacks, paused and put them down. “Go on, then.”
Kong Mingze began to organize his thoughts, furrowing his brow as he said sothing utterly unexpected: “Actually, before the age of ten, Wei Shixu and I had completely opposite personalities.”
*Crack!*
Zhuge Ying stopped eating her snacks abruptly, her face filled with shock. “What do you an? Are you saying Wei Shixu used to be a cheerful, sunny boy, and you were the gloomy, introverted one?”
Kong Mingze nodded. “Yes.”
Quan Zhisui, now intrigued, started opening her snacks.
Zhuge Ying, on the other hand, couldn’t even eat anymore. Her mood had plumted. The very thing she liked about Kong Mingze was his sunny, cheerful personality, and now he was telling her it wasn’t real?
“You were faking it?!” Zhuge Ying asked, nearly breaking down.
Kong Mingze shook his head. “At first, yes, but not anymore.”
Zhuge Ying pressed further, “So Wei Shixu used to be like you, sleeping all day in class? Was he a carefree, goofy guy who acted silly all the ti?”
Kong Mingze replied, “Huh? No, not like that.”
Zhuge Ying asked again, “So you used to be like Wei Shixu, with a weird personality, acting all aloof and arrogant, not caring about anyone?”
Kong Mingze scratched his head. “Oh, no, not that either.”
Zhuge Ying let out a sigh of relief. “Alright, keep going.”
For a mont there, her brain had almost overheated!
Kong Mingze found a spot to sit down, took a bite of chocolate, and began, “Where should I start? Let’s go with elentary school!”
“As you know, my parents didn’t have much education, so they really wanted to study hard. Even if I couldn’t get into a good university, they insisted I at least finish high school. So they moved us to Liangxi Town, a place known for its education.”
“They sold our old house, quit their already low-paying jobs, and bought a tiny, run-down place in Liangxi Town, where property prices were sky-high.”
“Back then, our ho was really small—only thirty square ters. The three of us squeezed in together, but that tiny place was in a good school district.”
“So I got into a really good elentary school in Liangxi Town, and my parents set up a stall right outside the school, working from dawn till dusk.”
Zhuge Ying’s eyes softened with a mix of tenderness and pity as she listened.
“What happened next?” Quan Zhisui asked.
Kong Mingze smiled. “That’s when I t Wei Shixu at that really good elentary school.”
“Wei Shixu was always first in his class, had great grades, was good-looking, and ca from a wealthy family. He rode in luxury cars every day, was cheerful and popular, and had tons of friends. Everyone liked him.”
“But my parents were the ones running the stall outside the school, so my classmates looked down on . I was bullied a lot, and it made withdrawn and quiet.”
“Only Wei Shixu didn’t look down on . He even bought breakfast from my parents’ stall and ate with !”
“He was so kind! He was my only friend in that school.”
Zhuge Ying’s mouth fell open in surprise. She had never imagined their first eting was like this.
Kong Mingze continued, “This went on until third grade, when we were ten. One day, Wei Shixu and I were walking out of school together.”
His expression turned serious as he spoke.
“I still rember what he said as we walked out the school gates.”
“He told his grandfather was sick, and his whole family was busy. He hadn’t seen his parents in days, and he didn’t know if there would be a driver to take him ho that day.”
Zhuge Ying’s heart leapt into her throat. “And then?”
Kong Mingze looked up. “And then, right outside the school, he was pulled into a car I didn’t recognize.”
Zhuge Ying gasped. “!!!”
Kong Mingze’s eyes darkened with a look she had never seen before. “At ten years old, I didn’t know it was a kidnapping. I didn’t recognize the car’s logo, and I didn’t realize it wasn’t Wei Shixu’s family car. I thought those two n were his bodyguards!”
“The next day, the teacher ca to and asked why Wei Shixu hadn’t co to school. I said his grandfather was sick, and at the ti, his grandfather’s hospitalization had even made the news.”
“Ha! I don’t know if the teacher called to check, but because of my ignorance, my carelessness, and my failure to call the police…”
“Wei Shixu was kidnapped and taken to a neighboring city!”
At this point, Kong Mingze’s eyes were bloodshot, his emotions raw and filled with regret.
Zhuge Ying reached out to gently pat his back. “It’s okay… it’s all in the past now.”
“It’s not in the past!”
Kong Mingze’s emotions were still running high.
“Three days later, late at night, I was doing howork next to my dad’s stall.”
“A little beggar walked up to our stall and asked my dad if he could have a al.”
Zhuge Ying was shocked. “A beggar?!”
“Yes, a beggar. That little beggar was Wei Shixu, who had been missing for three days.”
As Kong Mingze spoke, his fists clenched tightly on his knees. He lowered his head, tears streaming down his face as he sobbed uncontrollably.
“You know, Wei Shixu always wore clothes and shoes that cost thousands, even tens of thousands. Every sester, he would give gifts to the whole class, and every ti I got one, I was so happy! Because those were the best, most expensive things I could ever get at the ti!”
“Street food was just a treat for him. He usually ate high-end als that cost thousands!”
“But that day…”
“His clothes and shoes were torn, his body covered in injuries, and his face was so dirty you couldn’t even recognize him!”
Kong Mingze pointed to his own eyes. “Right in front of , I watched him wolf down a bowl of plain fried rice with no salt! He ate until he cried!”
Zhuge Ying covered her mouth, her own eyes welling up with tears.
Quan Zhisui, who had been silent, stopped eating her snacks.
Kong Mingze seed to have reached an emotional breaking point. He cried for a while before finally calming down and continuing.
“He had walked all the way back from the neighboring city. He had no phone, no map. He had tried to escape twice. The first ti, he was caught, beaten badly, and dragged back. You know what the turning point was that got him caught?”
“What was it?” Zhuge Ying asked.
Quan Zhisui thought for a mont. “Was he poisoned? Drugged?”
Kong Mingze nodded and shook his head. “Yes, after he escaped, he asked soone for food and passed out, but that wasn’t the main issue. The main issue was what happened before he ate that food.”
He took a deep breath. “After his first escape, the first thing he did was borrow a phone to call his parents.”
“That phone call was what gave away his location.”
“His parents… they were the ones who exposed him.”
Zhuge Ying gasped. “!!!”
Quan Zhisui was also stunned.
Kong Mingze’s eyes turned red again. “I don’t know what was going on within the Wei Family, but after his grandfather fell ill, the whole family was busy fighting over the inheritance—including his parents.”
“The rival forces from the neighboring city were aggressive and expanding. As the eldest grandson of the Wei Family, Wei Shixu was their primary target.”
“The Wei Family didn’t want his grandfather to survive. Only when the most powerful figure died would the wealth be distributed.”
“Wei Shixu’s life didn’t matter to them. He was just a pawn in his parents’ ga for the family fortune!”
“Thankfully, he was really smart and managed to escape again!”
“But after the second escape, he didn’t dare call anyone. He didn’t dare ask strangers for food. Every passerby could have been an enemy. He couldn’t trust anyone.”
“He walked and walked, without food or water, until he reached a familiar road and ca to my parents’ stall.”
“, my dad, my mom—he knew us. He recognized us.”
“Finally, he could eat a al in peace. He could drink water without worrying about being poisoned.”
Zhuge Ying wiped her tears. “How could parents like that exist in this world?”
Quan Zhisui let out a bitter laugh. “Yeah… how could parents like that exist?”
Just like Zuo Zhiyu.
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