Chapter 127.2: Unlocking the Secret 2
The week after Chu Qianmiao and Ren Yan broke up was a week
filled with events: the collapse of the Liya project, Ren Yan's resignation,
her promotion to Project 1 Head, and then Kan Qingzhou's report. It was these
packed days that left her no time to heal or ruminate over the pain of their
breakup.
But her emotions gradually calmed down. In the first two
days after their breakup, she'd felt more aggrieved and angry than rational.
Amidst the resentment and anger, she couldn't recall any of the kindness Ren
Yan had shown her. Instead, after she'd calmed down, amidst her busy schedule,
she'd occasionally recall his kindness.
But after that moment, the resentment and anger would
return. She was angry that she had lost her former carefree attitude, the
resoluteness to move on.
That week, Ren Yan had called her office phone.
He asked her if she'd gotten the hang of the work, if
everything was going smoothly, and if everyone was following her instructions.
She reported to him, just as she had in the past, that she'd
gotten the hang of things, that everything was going smoothly, that everyone
was listening to her, and that Project 1 was still united.
He said, "That's good."
Then they hung up.
She thought it would be better if they didn't keep in touch.
After the call, the faint sadness that had been lingering in her heart only
intensified.
She didn't know if he was almost well, almost calm. But she
knew beneath her sturdy exterior, a heart etched with small holes from grief.
Only busyness could numb those holes and stop their dull pain.
That week, she led the Jieheng Group project team to work
overtime from Monday to Saturday. On Sunday, she thought, why not give everyone
a day off to rest?
Everyone was happy about the day off. But she was a bit
troubled. How could she spend the whole day busy?
In the midst of her worries, she received a call from Lei
Zhenzi.
Lei Zhenzi asked her on the phone, "Qian Miao, this is
your Brother Lei. I'm back home." Are you free tomorrow? If so, Brother
Lei will treat you to tea and a chat.
Chu Qianmiao kept Lei Zhenzi's invitation.
On Sunday, Lei Zhenzi met her in a teahouse, where they
chatted over tea.
Chu Qianmiao felt Lei Zhenzi's face glowed. The sinister,
peachy aura on his face and body had faded, and the aura of a good, well-bred
man had quietly emerged.
The change was astonishing. Chu Qianmiao thought that it
must be a woman who could cause such a drastic change in a man.
She asked Lei Zhenzi why he came back so suddenly.
Lei Zhenzi smiled and sighed, "If I don't come back,
I'm afraid someone will isolate and turn into a walking corpse."
Chu Qianmiao felt a slight pain in her heart.
Of course, she knew who he was talking about.
Lei Zhenzi poured her a cup of tea and smiled at her,
"Qianmiao, let's be frank. I asked you out because I wanted to be his
lobbyist." He saw Chu Qianmiao's brows furrow slightly, and he quickly
said, "I know you're resistant. Ah Ren also told me you don't want to be
with him anymore. But I came to you this time without telling him. I'm not
begging you to get back together. I just want you to hear about his childhood.
After you hear it, you'll see if you can understand him a little better."
"
Chu Qianmiao thought, she hadn't figured out how to spend
the day yet. So, why not just listen?
Lei Zhenzi asked, "Qianmiao, did you read novels when
you were in school?" Chu Qianmiao replied, "I read a lot." Lei
Zhenzi said, "When I first learned about Ren Yan's family, I thought I was
hearing the plot of some melodramatic novel. But you know, sometimes reality is
even more melodramatic than fiction. Have some tea, and I'll tell you
slowly."
Flash forward a bit in time. Ren Yan had just started junior
high school. He wasn't like he is now—quiet and aloof, with no particular
hobbies or desires.
Back then, he was incredibly studious, a true academic
genius. Having such an outstanding and sensible child was a blessing to the
family. His parents should have loved him, been proud of him, and the family
should have been harmonious and harmonious, right?
But Ren Yan's exceptional intelligence and understanding
didn't make his family harmonious. Ren Yan's father was a businessman, known
for his bold and unruly ways. Ren Yan's mother was an archaeologist, a
sensitive woman with a love for the arts.
Ren Yan's parents were brought together by his uncle, who
gave his beloved sister to his closest friend, bringing the two people he cared
about most into a family.
At first, their lives were good. But after having a child,
Ren Yan, the gap between the businessman and the artist began to emerge, and
their conflicts intensified. One mocked the other for being obsessed with money
and socializing; the other scolded the other for running around digging graves
instead of taking care of the family or their son.
Their differences grew wider, leading to daily arguments,
often culminating in divorce. In the end, it was Ren Yan's uncle who stubbornly
prevented them from leaving.
Ren Yan grew up in this kind of family environment. The
couple bickered every time they met, hurling the most brutal and abusive curses
at each other. When their words reached a breaking point, they would even curse
each other to have no children. They uttered such cruel words without a single
thought for their children.
Qian Miao, think about it. Having grown up in this kind of
environment, would Ren Yan still dare to believe in marriage? His parents'
marriage had exposed him to the ugliest and most deplorable aspects of
marriage.
So, at times, he would have preferred his parents divorce.
But his uncle wouldn't allow it. He wouldn't let the family break up. One was
his best friend, closer than a brother, and the other was his only sister, whom
he loved dearly. He didn't want these two to become strangers, so he insisted
on reconciling them rather than separating them.
"In fact, I later realized that if Ren Yan's parents
had truly divorced, the subsequent tragedy wouldn't have happened." Lei
Zhenzi sighed.
"The tragedy that follows..." Chu Qianmiao's heart
skipped a beat. This family situation wasn't tragic enough; there was more to
come.
Lei Zhenzi sighed and said, "Yes, the tragedy that
follows." This fractured and volatile family continued until Ren Yan
entered junior high school.
Later, on his birthday, Ren Yan ate something wrong and was
hospitalized with gastrointestinal poisoning. That day, his mother was with an
archaeological team exploring an ancient tomb on a mountain in a neighboring
province. Doesn't that sound a bit pitiful to Ren Yan? He ate something
poisonous on his birthday, and his mother wasn't around.
Later, Ren Yan's uncle asked his father to go to the
neighboring province to fetch his mother and visit the child at the hospital.
At first, Ren Yan's mother was hesitant because the
archaeological team couldn't do without her. She asked Ren Yan about his
condition and whether it was serious. His uncle said it was serious, almost
life-threatening, and she had to return. It wasn't, but his uncle knew Ren Yan
wanted to see his mother, so he said so. He asked Ren Yan's father to go to the
neighboring province to fetch his mother.
Ren Yan's mother rushed back and was relieved to see that
her child was fine. She spent some time with Ren Yan, sang him a happy
birthday, and then decided to return to the neighboring province to continue
her work.
Ren Yan showed a hint of reluctance. Qian Miao, you know,
Ren Yan still regrets that reluctance.
His reluctance to leave his mother made his father furious,
leading him to argue with her the entire way back to the neighboring province.
He berated her for not being a good mother, for not being able to properly
spend time with her child when he was sick and hospitalized for his birthday.
Ren Yan's mother argued, saying he wasn't much better, and
that wanting her to stay with the child was simply to free up time for social
events. How could he be considered a good father?
The two got into an argument on the highway. It escalated,
culminating in a physical altercation. During the struggle, Ren Yan's mother
started grabbing the steering wheel.
I don't need to explain the rest, Qian Miao, you get the
point, right? Yes, they were in a car accident, and both of them were gone.
Ren Yan was left without parents.
He still regrets showing any reluctance to see his mother
leave. If he had hidden his attachment to his mother, his father wouldn't have
argued with her. They wouldn't have argued on the highway, arguing and losing
each other's lives.
Qianmiao, do you remember that day? It was Ren Yan's
birthday.
"Qianmiao, have some tea." Lei Zhenzi refilled Chu
Qianmiao's cup of hot tea. "Don't be sad. This isn't the hardest time for
Ren Yan. If you're so upset now, how are you going to listen to the rest of the
story?"
Chu Qianmiao stood there in a daze, her nose sore.
"There's more to come."
"Yes." "Lei Zhenzi said.
After Ren Yan's parents passed away, his uncle took him home
to raise him.
His uncle felt deeply guilty, thinking that if he hadn't
intervened and caused Ren Yan's parents to divorce, the tragedy on the highway
wouldn't have happened.
Because of this remorse, he treated Ren Yan very, very well,
almost out of a desire to make amends.
Oh, I forgot to tell you about his uncle's family. He
married late, to a very beautiful woman. She gave birth to a son, Tan Shen,
four years younger than Ren Yan. Yes, that Tan Shen you know. His uncle was
often away from home due to his busy business and social life. Ren Yan's
grandmother lived with his uncle's family, and she wasn't in good health, so
Tan Shen was mostly raised by this beautiful woman. She spoiled the child to
death. Tan Shen had been willful since he was young, throwing tantrums when things
didn't go his way, and would do anything to get the toys he wanted.
But since Ren Yan was taken home, his uncle has been home
more often. He takes care of Ren Yan meticulously.
The beautiful woman had always complained that her uncle was
too busy with business and socializing, lacking any understanding of romance.
Later, he even took his sister's child home to raise, treating her child even
better than his own son. The beautiful woman was furious and confronted his
uncle, demanding either Ren Yan's departure or a divorce.
After discovering the truth, the uncle resolutely chose to
divorce, forcing the beautiful woman out of the house. On the day the beautiful
woman left, Tan Shen clutched her sleeve, crying and shouting, refusing to let
go. It was the uncle who forcibly separated the two.
The beautiful woman left. Tan Shen believed that Ren Yan's
appearance had led to his motherlessness, and he began to resent Ren Yan.
Tan Shen also couldn't understand that his father's kindness
to Ren Yan was somehow tinged with guilt. He only saw Ren Yan as a predator. He
only knew that his father was kind to Ren Yan, giving him money to spend,
praising his abilities, and smiling with joy when he saw him. He also told him
to learn from Ren Yan and not to idle away his time without making progress.
Qian Miao, you know, being constantly irritated by other
people's children can be psychologically distorted. Unfortunately, Tan Shen,
constantly pampered by his mother, must have gradually become psychologically
distorted. He blamed Ren Yan for all his father's kindness to him. He
considered him a predator, believing he had robbed him of his father's love.
Gradually, he developed a habit of plundering everything Ren Yan possessed. The
more Ren Yan loved something, the more he would resort to any means necessary
to take it, claiming it for himself. He wanted to see Ren Yan suffer.
Ren Yan had no relatives on his father's side, and his only
two relatives in the world were his uncle and grandmother. He was forced to
live under the care of his uncle. Therefore, he couldn't avoid Tan Shen's
predations.
So, what could he do? He could only endure and suppress it.
He lived in this restrained manner, telling himself to just
endure it until he could leave home for college.
But when he graduated from high school, something happened.
After the college entrance exam, he met a friend while doing
an online competition. The two of them planned to explore a cemetery in a
neighboring province. The cemetery was up in the mountains. It was the same
project Ren Yan's mother had been exploring before her death.
Ren Yan wanted to see his mother's last job, the one she
never finished.
He missed his mother dearly, and he felt guilty that his
lingering attachment had caused his parents to argue to their death.
He and the friend he met online set out, packing their bags
and leaving a note for home.
Unfortunately, his friend wasn't very reliable and took the
wrong path. They got lost in the mountains, and their phones died. His friend
even broke his leg in a pit dug by hunters who knew how many years ago. Ren Yan
had to work hard to get him out, and carrying him down the mountain afterward
was even more arduous, taking a very long time. After he got down, he took his
friend to the hospital before catching a bus home.
But Qian Miao, did you know? Just as Ren Yan was carrying
his unreliable friend down the mountain, a landslide occurred near the cemetery
they were heading to, burying everyone who passed by. No one survived.
The incident made the news, and his uncle saw it. He called
Ren Yan, but his phone was always off. He then realized that Ren Yan might have
been buried alive. He was overwhelmed with grief and self-blame, feeling sorry
for his best friend, his sister, and now even their child. Qian Miao, you know,
a middle-aged man, constantly socializing, smoking, drinking, and staying up
late, coupled with such excitement, a sudden heart attack was not at all
accidental.
If Ren Yan's unreliable friend hadn't fallen into the pit,
or hadn't broken his leg, or if Ren Yan hadn't taken his unreliable friend to
the hospital, and he had returned home first, and his uncle had seen him alive
in time, he wouldn't have suffered a heart attack.
But there are no ifs in life.
So, when Ren Yan returned home, he saw Tan Shen and his
grandmother surrounding his uncle.
On the way outside.
His uncle's joy and excitement at seeing Ren Yan return
worsened the situation.
He held Ren Yan's hand and spoke to him in a slurred voice.
Yes, those were his uncle's last words. He didn't tell Tan
Shen or his grandmother; he held Ren Yan's hand and said them.
Ren Yan put his ear to his lips and heard his uncle's
struggling words as he told him he was dying. "I used to take care of you
for your parents, but from now on, it's your brother, your brother, who will
help me take care of him. He's not as good as you, so you should give in to
him."
Having explained all this, his uncle passed away.
As if his uncle had foreseen his imminent departure, he had
established his assets in a family trust. His lawyer was responsible for
dividing the monthly income into three parts, distributing them to his
grandmother, Ren Yan, and Tan Shen's accounts.
From then on, Tan Shen began to view Ren Yan even more as an
enemy—an enemy he had to live with, an enemy who had robbed him of all his
father's love and had caused his father's death. His exploitation of Ren Yan
intensified.
After his uncle passed away, Grandma, Ren Yan, and Tan Shen
depended on each other for survival. Grandma told Ren Yan that his uncle's
death was due to him, and that it was in some way his fault that Tan Shen lost
his father, and that he owed Tan Shen this debt. Furthermore, his uncle had
asked him to take care of Tan Shen before his death, so as his older brother,
he had to be more considerate of Tan Shen.
Hearing this, Qian Miao, you probably understand why Ren Yan
has developed his current personality.
He carries the weight of his parents' and his uncle's
deaths, and he feels guilty. He also carries the weight of his uncle's last
wishes, which is why he tolerates Tan Shen.
But Tan Shen loves to plunder everything he cares about.
As a result, he can only suppress his emotions, becoming
restrained and tolerant, without desires or demands.
He forbids any preferences, because if he doesn't like
something, he won't want it, and if he doesn't have it, he won't lose it. He
doesn't care about anything, so what could Tan Shen possibly take from him?
Even if he did, he wouldn't care, so he wouldn't be sad.
Gradually, he became the person he is now, radiating
rationality and indifference from the inside out. He shunned human feelings and
desires, living like an urban ascetic. He doesn't even have any friends, except
me. I only became his friend by clinging to him relentlessly.
Qian Miao, are you going to cry? Stop shaking your head in
denial, your eyes are red.
You asked me how I knew so much.
You should have guessed it, because I was the unreliable
online friend who made an appointment with Ren Yan to go up the mountain, got
the wrong direction, fell into a pit, broke his leg, and prevented him from
returning home earlier so his uncle wouldn't die of a heart attack.
Who in this world doesn't feel a little guilty? I feel
guilty about Ren Yan, too.
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