Sharing the Dorm with the Enemy from Previous Life

The Past Events (3)

The brightly lit street gradually darkened, leading to a remote area of old villas on the outskirts.

It was a somewhat vintage neighborhood that had been sold at a very high price in its early years. But as the city expanded and the high-tech and industrial areas rose, the new wealthy regions moved to the other side of the town.

The car drove along the somewhat dimly lit road into a small neighborhood where many of the yards along the road were unlit. The owners had obviously moved out and the houses on this side of the road were now empty.

The old mansion over here had been one of a set of townhouses, bought by the Qin family just after they had made their fortune over ten years ago, and had an up-and-down structure with a rather large yard. Because of the murder case, it was not easily sold, so it had been left unused.

Of course, Qin Zhufeng probably had no intention of selling it either. After all, apart from the murders and bloodshed, this place also had traces of a once happy and prosperous family.

Qin Yuan got out of the car and looked at the vaguely familiar courtyard with sad eyes.

Even though no one lived here, someone took care of it regularly. The grass and trees planted in the courtyard were still the same as he remembered when he was a child, and the loquat tree in the yard had grown lush and strong for more than ten years.

The light in the living room on the ground floor was on and the door was unlocked.

When Qin Yuan pushed the door open, Qin Zhufeng was sitting on the sofa silently, with an ashtray by his hand containing a pile of cigarette butts of various sizes.

Qin Yuan closed the door, shutting out the icy air and cold wind outside, and walked up to his dad.

He reached out and took the cigarette that was about to burn from Qin Zhufengs hand before putting it in the ashtray. “Dad, I thought you quit smoking.”

Qin Zhufeng looked at him blankly, his eyes bloodshot, and he seemed to be slightly in a trance.

His son’s looks combined his and his late wife’s best features. The soft contours of his face and beautiful phoenix eyes resembled his mother more than anything else. His straight nose and thin lips inherited his father’s handsomeness, growing up as the most dazzling and beautiful child in the crowd.

Moreover, his personality was not like this as a child. He used to jump at his parents’ feet and giggle with glee.

It was only after his mother’s death that this little child became a completely different person.

In the blink of an eye, Qin Yuan had transformed from a stammering child to a crane-like, handsome, calm young adult.

He excelled in his schoolwork, was calm and collected, and even took on the role of a mature older brother, seriously discussing his sister’s education with him, his father.

He was in a trance for a while before finally standing up, his voice trembling slightly. “Come, offer incense to your mom.”

In the corner of the living room stood a formal memorial space, standing alone, with Qin Yuan’s mother’s posthumous portrait in the middle. The black and white colors couldn’t conceal the gentle temperament and sensible elegance.

The father and son lit incense sticks and silently performed a simple worship ritual.

“Zijun, Xiao-Yuan and I come to see you. I’m sorry to disappoint you… I couldn’t give Xiao-Yuan the best life. Do you feel dissatisfied looking upon us from the underworld?” Qin Zhufeng whispered meekly. “Xiao-Yuan always felt suffering in his heart and I knew of it, but I didn’t know what to do to make him happier.”

Qin Yuan listened silently before finally speaking in a low voice. “Dad, you’re busy with work. I understand.”

Qin Zhufeng finished offering incense and wearily returned to the sofa, turning his steady gaze to his son.

“I told you to come here because I wanted to tell you something in front of your mom.” He smiled sadly and the smile was like crying. “You were still young before, so I didn’t dare to tell you. I wished you would forget about it and never ask about it again.”

Qin Yuan lowered his head. “I didn’t dare to ask when I was little and didn’t dare to think of it. When I grew up later, I looked it up in the newspapers.”

<< Newly wealthy local businessman’s wife and son were kidnapped simultaneously. The nanny and mistress were murdered and the son survived.>>

<< The kidnappers demanded a considerable sum of 5 million yuan and the wealthy businessman surnamed Qin failed to raise the money and chose to ransom his son back.>>

<< The police fought for an hour, killing two of the five kidnappers and capturing the remaining three, but the hostage had already been killed for two days.>>

It was also considered a sensational news story over a decade ago and was all over the newspapers.

Qin Zhufeng nodded his head. “The main thing said in the newspaper was the truth, but the details weren’t precise. Do you really want to know? If not, would it leave a thorn in your heart?”

Qin Yuan raised his head and his eyes were red. “Dad, I just want to know. Did you choose to ransom me, between my mom and me? My mom died because of me, right?”

He had vaguely heard the casual gossip of “this child was born to harm his mother” when the maids and neighbors were chatting.

Qin Zhufeng closed his eyes as if he was in pain and his body trembled slightly. “So, do you think a husband would give up his wife to preserve his offspring? Do you think I value a son more, so I would rather let your mom die?”

The tears in Qin Yuan’s eyes finally slowly flowed down. “… I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t think like this, but I couldn’t help it.”