Just after Cheng Jinyang hung up the phone, Mu Shuoqian ca back, promising he would rush back to have lunch with her, and he kept his word.
Gu Qili picked up her backpack from the bedside and joined him in the elevator.
After dining in the restaurant on the first floor, Mu Shuoqian put down his knife and fork, gracefully wiped the corner of his mouth, and asked her, "Where to this afternoon?"
"I need to visit Yunshan Sanatorium, if you have ti..."
"I’ll drive you there." He gestured to the waiter to pay the bill.
Gu Qili didn’t say much more, her intent was indeed for him to accompany her.
The sa driver as earlier ca to pick them up, and politely opened the rear car door for Gu Qili, saying, "Miss Gu, please."
"Thank you."
Just as Gu Qili settled in, Mu Shuoqian got in from the other side. The short distance between them and the oppressive aura emanating from him made the already cramped space feel even more stifling.
Gu Qili looked at the scenery for a while, then suddenly turned to the man next to her, "Where did you used to live?"
"Detroit." He said flatly, his expression and eyes untroubled, as if it was an insignificant response.
"I heard that Detroit has very bad public safety, is that true?"
"Yes, the public safety is indeed poor," his storytelling tone inadvertently made Gu Qili feel a heartache - under such harsh living conditions, how did Qiu Lan, a woman, survive with a five-year-old child.
Gu Qili didn’t speak again, her chest squeezed by a heavy emotion. She opened the window to breathe so fresh air.
"Young Master Qian, we’re here." The driver stopped the car at the entrance of the sanatorium and then opened the trunk to take out so gift boxes.
Gu Qili looked at the driver carrying two boxes on each side in surprise, "What are these?"
"You can’t visit a patient empty-handed." Mu Shuoqian leaned against the car, gesturing with his chin towards the entrance, "Let’s go in."
"Co in with , the person I’m visiting is my mom."
Mu Shuoqian already knew she only had a mother and an uncle.
He pocketed the cigarette he had taken out, caught off-guard by her invitation to co inside. After a mont of distraction, he stood straight, "Okay."
As soon as Cheng Jinyang received the call, he ca to the entrance to greet them. Gu Qili and Gu Yunxi looked almost identical. Even her uncle, Cheng Jinyang, thought she was Gu Yunxi when he saw Gu Qili initially.
"Qili, I told your mom that you’re Yunxi. Just talk less later and don’t slip up in any way," Cheng Jinyang warned again, "Your mom’s ntal state is still quite good, don’t bring up anything about your dad."
Gu Qili could only silently express her regret internally, as she had co here specifically for Gu Dezhong.
The second floor was the patient area, and Cheng nghong’s room was inside. As they arrived, a nurse ca out holding a garbage bin, through the slightly ajar door, Gu Qili saw a woman sitting by the window drinking tea. She was dressed in plain color clothes, her black hair tied up high, even just a simple profile exuded an ethereal aura.
Honestly, Gu Qili felt nervous, it was her first ti eting her mother in twenty-seven years. The woman who gave her life and then vanished, her emotions now were indescribably complex, both wanting and not wanting to et her, and amidst this contradiction, Cheng Jinyang already pushed open the door and called out "Sister," as a warm and dry hand covered her trembling one by her side. She turned to et Mu Shuoqian’s steady gaze, that touch of tender firmness gradually soothing her unease, stabilizing her restless heartbeat.
Cheng nghong turned her head from the window at the sound, the afternoon sunlight enveloping her slim figure, making her seem like a fictional character.
She spotted Gu Qili at the door instantly. After her shock, she tremulously stood up, her facial muscles quivering with excitent, "Yunxi, is that you? My daughter, is it you? Have you co back?"
Gu Qili hadn’t yet snapped out from Cheng nghong’s sad yet joyful tone when Cheng Jinyang hastily coughed to the side, "Yunxi."
"Mom..." Gu Qili opened her mouth, finding it difficult to utter even that simple word. Her lips quivered, and she finally completed it, "Mom."
If it wasn’t for assuming the identity of Gu Yunxi, she wouldn’t have called her that, even now, she couldn’t overlap this woman with the image of her mother in her mories.
"Yunxi." Cheng nghong grabbed her hand, tears covering her cheeks, "You’ve lost weight, where have you been, why didn’t you contact mom?"
Gu Qili didn’t know how to respond, and could only let Cheng nghong tightly grasp her hand. She could feel the sorrow and helplessness of a mother missing her daughter, but the person she thought of wasn’t her.
"I went to find Dad." Gu Qili suddenly looked straight into her eyes and spoke unexpectedly.
Cheng Jinyang was greatly shocked, as they had clearly agreed before entering not to ntion Gu Dezhong in front of Cheng nghong. He felt tricked and his gaze turned frantically and angrily towards Mu Shuoqian, who stood there silently; he felt Mu Shuoqian was indulgent.
Mu Shuoqian turned to leave, but Gu Qili stopped him: "Mu Shuoqian, you stay."
Upon hearing these three words, Cheng nghong, who had been grasping her hand all along, suddenly shivered as if stabbed, her body trembled like a sieve. She widened her eyes glaring at Mu Shuoqian, her pale lips quivering as she asked, "What did you just call him?"
Her reaction further confird Gu Qili’s guess, so she accurately repeated Mu Shuoqian’s na.
There was a bed behind, Cheng nghong stepped back and fell onto the bed.
Cheng Jinyang imdiately went over to support her, while also giving Gu Qili a blaming look, and shook his head in disapproval.
But Gu Qili had no intention to stop. If it really was Cheng nghong who did it, she deserved the appropriate punishnt; if not, even if she said it, it wouldn’t affect Cheng nghong at all.
"His mother’s na is Qiu Lan." With these words from Gu Qili, Cheng nghong fell into hell again, her mouth continuously muttering: "So it turns out you really are Qiu Lan’s son. Hah, Qiu Lan’s son isn’t dead after all, I wondered why he looked so familiar."
She suddenly looked towards Mu Shuoqian, her eyes filled with venom: "You’re here for revenge, aren’t you, avenging your mother?"
If Mu Shuoqian didn’t know what had happened before coming here, now seeing everyone’s reactions, he could roughly guess. Could it be that the events of that year were related to this Cheng nghong? Had they hated the wrong person?
"This was left by my father." Gu Qili took out an old diary from her backpack, "Take a look."
"What diary?" Cheng Jinyang accepted it with a hint of suspicion, Cheng nghong’s gaze, however, showed a trace of panic.
Cheng Jinyang was attracted by the photo on the first page of the diary, and Mu Shuoqian’s position allowed him to see the two people in the photo clearly.
He looked at Gu Qili incredulously, who was also watching him with a complicated and difficult-to-discern expression.
"Who is this brother-in-law with?"
"Qiu Lan." The one who answered him was Cheng nghong, who had grabbed the diary and rapidly flipped through the pages until the last one; only then did she seem like soone drained of their strength, her face utterly pale.
"Sister, are you alright?"
Gu Qili was not heartless and stone-cold; although they did not share a mother-child affection, she is still a patient, and stirring her up like this wasn’t really her intention. Hesitating whether to speak, Mu Shuoqian, who had been silent all this ti, suddenly spoke with a cold tone, questioning: "It was you who sent us mother and son to Detroit, wasn’t it, Ms. Cheng nghong?"
Although Mu Shuoqian had only seen the photo in the diary, with no idea of the content written, as clever as he was, he quickly guessed the contents from his childhood mories. Though the image of Cheng nghong was blurry, Qiu Lan had also ntioned her several tis later; she was Qiu Lan’s best friend back then.
His eyes icily penetrating, Cheng nghong was suddenly startled, feeling guilty but also indifferent about breaking down: "Anyway, I won’t live much longer. Since you’ve found your way here, I’m not afraid to tell you, I let him tell Gu Dezhong that you were safe. Also, I forged Qiu Lan’s handwriting in a letter to Gu Dezhong, making him believe you were safe and sound. But why are you still alive? I heard that won and children sold to Detroit... all eventually die a horrendous death..."
"Enough." Gu Qili couldn’t bear to listen anymore. How could soone narrate such inhumane deeds so calmly? She thought of how these years her father, like a fool, thought his beloved woman had a happy and fulfilling life, not knowing his own wife was the one to stab him in the back, "No wonder Dad divorced you, no wonder Dad never loved you. The mont you sent them on that ship, you lost the right to be loved by him."
"Yunxi, do you know what you’re saying? You’re siding with outsiders to accuse your own mom?" Cheng nghong’s eyebrows were tightly knitted, portraying the image of a wronged victim.
"I’m genuinely relieved I didn’t live with a mother like you, otherwise, I’m not sure if my own values would have been led astray by you."
"What do you an?" Cheng nghong stared at the familiar face in front of her, suddenly realizing, pointing at her: "You’re not Yunxi."
"Right, I’m Gu Qili, Gu Dezhong’s daughter." Gu Qili felt a mix of heartache, anger, and upset, turning her head to look at Mu Shuoqian who had been silent since earlier, seemingly calm. Yet Gu Qili could see his composure cracking bit by bit.
Without a word, he turned and walked away.
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