Chapter 361: Chapter 326: You’re Here for Revenge, Right?
Just after Cheng Jinyang hung up the phone, Mu Shuoqian came 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 time..."
"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 same driver as earlier came 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 some 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 some 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."
"Come in with me, 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 come inside. After a moment of distraction, he stood straight, "Okay."
As soon as Cheng Jinyang received the call, he came 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 mental 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 come here specifically for Gu Dezhong.
The second floor was the patient area, and Cheng Menghong’s room was inside. As they arrived, a nurse came 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 time meeting 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 meet 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 meet Mu Shuoqian’s steady gaze, that touch of tender firmness gradually soothing her unease, stabilizing her restless heartbeat.
Cheng Menghong 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 excitement, "Yunxi, is that you? My daughter, is it you? Have you come back?"
Gu Qili hadn’t yet snapped out from Cheng Menghong’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 memories.
"Yunxi." Cheng Menghong 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 Menghong 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 mention Gu Dezhong in front of Cheng Menghong. 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 Menghong, 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 confirmed Gu Qili’s guess, so she accurately repeated Mu Shuoqian’s name.
There was a bed behind, Cheng Menghong stepped back and fell onto the bed.
Cheng Jinyang immediately 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 Menghong who did it, she deserved the appropriate punishment; if not, even if she said it, it wouldn’t affect Cheng Menghong at all.
"His mother’s name is Qiu Lan." With these words from Gu Qili, Cheng Menghong 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 Menghong? 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 Menghong’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 Menghong, who had grabbed the diary and rapidly flipped through the pages until the last one; only then did she seem like someone 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 time, suddenly spoke with a cold tone, questioning: "It was you who sent us mother and son to Detroit, wasn’t it, Ms. Cheng Menghong?"
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 memories. Though the image of Cheng Menghong was blurry, Qiu Lan had also mentioned her several times later; she was Qiu Lan’s best friend back then.
His eyes icily penetrating, Cheng Menghong 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 women and children sold to Detroit... all eventually die a horrendous death..."
"Enough." Gu Qili couldn’t bear to listen anymore. How could someone 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 moment 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 Menghong’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 mean?" Cheng Menghong 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.