Thousands Of People Thought Of Him - Chapter 18

Climbing Out Of Hell

And with how furious Ying Shou Chuan was right now, after hearing that, his first reaction was neither to curse at Ying Fu Sang nor to rush back and attack him again.

During the other person’s moment of silence, Ying Fu Sang had already propped himself up against the wall. He steadied himself and took a few steps forward to the top of the stairs, where he was able to look down at Ying Shou Chuan, who was a few steps below him. In this moment, the dynamic between them had changed.

“What crazy talk are you spouting?” After a few more seconds, the other person finally spoke, without turning his head.

Ying Fu Sang had already planned in his mind how he would react and what his chances of winning were if the other person went crazy again and attacked.

Even though the other person’s words sounded like he was gritting his teeth, Ying Fu Sang wasn’t the least bit afraid. Instead, he used the other person’s logic to counterattack.

“No denial, so that means you admit it?” Ying Fu Sang said deliberately.

Ying Shou Chuan’s back seemed to stiffen. “Shut up.”

“Oh, you’re still not denying it?” Ying Fu Sang said lightly.

The other person seemed to want to turn around, but in the end, he only gave Ying Fu Sang a fierce look, full of warning.

“You’d better not let me hear you gossiping.” After saying that, he hurried down the stairs, as if he had been struck in a vulnerable spot, feeling guilty and running away in a panic.

Ying Fu Sang: ?

He had expected the other person to be furious, but the reality seemed to be a bit different from what he had imagined?

The other person didn’t even choose to deny it. It seemed that only ‘not wanting to deny it’ and ‘being unable to deny it’ could explain…

Just as Ying Fu Sang was trying to use a complicated relationship to think deeply about the situation, his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the phone ringing from the room.

He relocked the door and picked up the phone on the table.

The caller ID was an unknown number. Usually, he would treat this as a scam call. But after letting it ring for a minute until it hung up automatically, the other person was persistent and called again.

This kind of persistence didn’t seem like a scam call.

“May I speak with Mr. Ying Fu Sang?” After he answered, the other person got straight to the point and said his name.

“…Who are you?”

Hearing the response, the other person continued in a very businesslike tone. “Hello, I’m Ms. Qin Mu Ci’s agent. She is interested in meeting you privately. I was wondering if you had time?”

Qin Mu Ci?

Ying Fu Sang knew she was an internationally renowned fashion designer. It wasn’t strange that she had an agent, but out of caution, he asked, “How can you prove your identity?”

And this matter was really strange. Ying Fu Sang and her had almost no connection. Not to mention how she found his phone number, the sudden meeting invitation was also very odd.

The other person then calmly gave out information to prove their identity.

“Even so, why would Ms. Qin suddenly want to meet me?” he asked.

“I’m sorry, the specific reason is not suitable to be discussed over the phone, but the matter we’ll be discussing is related to you.”

After asking a few more questions, Ying Fu Sang was successfully persuaded by the other person. “What about the time and place?”

He would be returning to school this weekend, so if the time given by the other person wasn’t convenient, he would directly refuse.

“It will be this afternoon. I believe you can make time. I’ll send the specific information to your phone later.”

Ying Fu Sang was deep in thought.

…

“This way, please.”

Ying Fu Sang was led to a private room on the second floor of this teahouse. The waiter pushed open the door, and a scent of sandalwood wafted out. After the waiter left, he walked around a screen painted with flowers, birds, and landscapes, and finally saw the person who was waiting there.

Qin Mu Ci’s burgundy hair was dyed black and pinned up. Today, she was wearing a pine-green cheongsam with a white shawl over it. The edges of the shawl were decorated with tassels that swayed gently with her every movement.

She used a tea clip to pour the tea from the fairness cup into two teacups. The steam mixed with the tea aroma spread through the air.

“Have a seat,” she said.

After Ying Fu Sang sat down opposite her, she pushed the teacup she had just poured toward him. He said, “Thank you.”

If he hadn’t looked it up on some search engine, Ying Fu Sang would have found it hard to believe that her age was similar to Shi Su Ying’s, because she looked like she was only in her early thirties. Compared to their first meeting, Qin Mu Ci’s face today looked so tired that even her makeup couldn’t hide it.

“What did you want to talk about?” He took the initiative to ask.

“I haven’t properly thanked you for helping my daughter last time,” Qin Mu Ci said, looking up with a smile.

“It was nothing. You don’t have to worry about it,” Ying Fu Sang said, quietly looking at her. “But you specifically obtained my information to meet me like this. I assume it’s not just for this one thing?”

At this point, Qin Mu Ci didn’t seem to think this was just a simple conversation. She picked up her teacup and held it to her lips, looking at the rippling water. She suddenly continued, “How can it be nothing? Yao Yao is my only child, and her safety is more important than anything, isn’t it?”

When she said the word “only,” she seemed to have intentionally paused.

Ying Fu Sang didn’t respond, so she changed the subject again. “How is your life at the Ying family?”

It was a very abrupt question.

“What are you trying to say?” Ying Fu Sang’s expression didn’t change, but the fingers hidden under the table began to unconsciously pinch each other.

Qin Mu Ci suddenly picked a leaf from the dried tea leaves next to her and put it back into her cup.

“Although Ying De Qing has always claimed to the public that you are an adopted son from an orphanage, in addition to the public, people in the know will more or less guess your true identity.”

“With someone like Shi Su Ying who can’t stand anything in her eyes, I imagine the identity of a ‘love child’ has brought you a lot of resistance and trouble, hasn’t it?”

Ying Fu Sang remained silent, but the look in his eyes had become wary.

She picked up her teacup and shook it slightly. The already moist leaves quickly floated up in the water. Now, with this force, they quickly and freely floated around.

“Don’t be nervous. I’m here to help you. After living in this environment for so many years, have you never thought about getting out of it?”

Ying Fu Sang knew that kindness didn’t necessarily need a reason, but he never believed in good intentions that came to him for no reason, except for the “friends” he had imagined for himself.

This kind of kindness often had other motives or interests behind it. It was most likely just arsenic wrapped in honey.

“That’s my business. I’d like to know your reason for helping me.” Ying Fu Sang wanted to see something deeper beneath her gentle expression.

She suddenly smiled. “You’re as cautious as I thought, but,” her voice paused slightly. “You don’t have to think so complicatedly. The reason is simple. I’ve already told you, haven’t I?”

Qin Mu Ci took a business card out of her bag and pushed it toward him. “I’m guessing you also know my background. I am fully capable of providing you with an opportunity to study overseas. You won’t have to worry about food, clothing, or shelter.”

According to the encyclopedia he had checked, she had lived abroad since birth, and her current husband was also a well-known wealthy businessman overseas.

“Thank you for your kindness, but I also have my own standards. This reason is not enough for me to accept your help.”

Since the other person intended to hide the truth, Ying Fu Sang would obviously not happily accept this “kindness,” which was a textbook example of a scam.

Qin Mu Ci didn’t say anything, so he didn’t waste any more time. After finishing the tea in his cup, Ying Fu Sang stood up and said, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now. Thank you for the tea.”

And just as Ying Fu Sang was about to turn around and leave, she suddenly spoke. “Then, what if it’s just a mother’s kindness toward her child?”

…What?

Ying Fu Sang didn’t react at first. He first suspected that there was a problem with his comprehension. Then he turned around and looked at her. “You mean…”

Qin Mu Ci finally put down her teacup. The tea leaf gradually stopped, leaning against the cup wall, like a lone boat finally coming to rest at the shore.

The look in her eyes as she looked at Ying Fu Sang was a little softer. “It seems like it was just a blink of an eye. I didn’t expect you to have grown so big.”

A string that had been pulled taut in his mind suddenly snapped. Ying Fu Sang’s mind went blank for a brief moment. He didn’t say anything, just stood there, his thumb pinching the joint of his index finger harder.

“You said you’re my…” Even though they were just two ordinary words, he suddenly found it hard to say them.

Qin Mu Ci stood up and walked two steps closer to him. The look in her eyes was full of lingering guilt, and the fine lines at the corners of her eyes showed the passage of time.

After a light sigh, she smiled helplessly and said, “Although it’s too late to say I’m sorry now, I still want to ask, would you be willing to live with us?”

…

At the same time.

Listening to his colleagues go up one by one to give their reports, Jiang Tan rested his chin on his hand, so sleepy he wanted to fall asleep.

If only he could play on his phone, he wouldn’t be so bored.

“Hurry up and end, hurry up and end,” he muttered to himself.

At that moment, Qi Xing Wen, who had been sitting quietly next to him, suddenly coughed up a mouthful of bl00d.

“What the heck, what’s wrong with you now?!” Jiang Tan was startled and said nervously, “Please don’t faint here. I seriously can’t carry you up 200 steps.”

Qi Xing Wen put away his bloody handkerchief, his pale face looking serious. “Something’s happened over there.”

Jiang Tan’s eyes widened. He cautiously looked around and lowered his voice. “No, wait. It’s your turn next. You can leave after you’re done. Don’t be in a hurry!”

Qi Xing Wen glanced at the colleague who was finishing up and shook his head, saying in a low voice, “No time.”

…

It was already 5 PM when Ying Fu Sang returned. The sky was gloomy, and the air had a hint of earthiness, as if it was about to rain. The weather forecast said it would be sunny, so he didn’t bring an umbrella. He had no choice but to speed up on the shared bike.

To prevent Ying Shou Chuan from going crazy and attacking him again, he deliberately stood half-sideways and was on high alert when he opened the door.

Before he could use his fingerprint, the door was opened from the inside by someone else.

“Aunt Zhang?”

As soon as he spoke, the other person made a shushing gesture with a nervous expression, shaking her head and waving her hands at him, as if telling him not to come in.

Ying Fu Sang frowned and silently mouthed the words, “What’s wrong?”

Aunt Zhang’s features were scrunched up. She put her finger up and then put it down, as if she didn’t know how to explain it.

“Oh, the second young master suddenly came back too. The moment he came in, he was looking for you. He’s very angry…” As she spoke, she looked toward the stairs with a troubled and worried expression.

With just that one action, Ying Fu Sang instantly knew what was going on. “My room?”

Aunt Zhang nodded, hesitating to speak.

The next second, he ignored the other person’s attempts to stop him and rushed upstairs at the fastest speed he could. It wasn’t far, but every muffled step he took on the wooden stairs was like a bell tolling in his heart. The rush of adrenaline seemed to make his body ignore the accompanying pain.

“Bang—”

The moment he forcefully pushed open the door, the first thing that came into his sight was Ying Cheng Lang sitting on his bed. The moment the other person looked up at him, the scene seemed to overlap with that day many years ago.

The difference was that this time, he had a… book in his hand?

Ying Fu Sang’s pupils constricted!

“Finally back?”

Before the other person could rush over, Ying Cheng Lang had already stood up. He walked to the window in two steps, and with a malicious smile, he held the book out of the window. “You really want this?”

In this situation, Ying Fu Sang didn’t even have the energy to think about whether this fairytale book was a real object or a figment of his imagination. He only had one thought: “Give it back to me.”

Being stared at by the other person’s dark eyes, Ying Cheng Lang wouldn’t admit that he had been momentarily spooked.

“Don’t come any closer. If you do, I’ll let go. It’s raining heavily outside. If it falls, you probably won’t be able to read it anymore.”

It had indeed started raining outside, accompanied by thunder and lightning, making it so stuffy that it was hard to breathe. And Ying Cheng Lang’s actions at this moment had already drenched the old book.

Ying Fu Sang clenched his fists and stopped a meter away from the other person. “Give it back.”

Hearing this, Ying Cheng Lang actually nodded as if he had listened. He pulled his arm back, looked down, and casually flipped through the book. “Okay, I’ll listen to you.”

The old book was soaked. In his hand, it was like broken pottery, and a few pieces had already fallen off.

“But…” Ying Cheng Lang suddenly held up the book and smiled. “Are you sure this is the only thing you’re looking for?”

His chaotic mind was as clear as an electric shock at that moment.

Ying Fu Sang’s gaze was suddenly fixed on the birdcage that was originally by the window—

The lights in the room were off. With the faint moonlight, he could still vaguely see the cage in the darkness, but the bird inside was gone.

No, no, that mountain tit was just a figment of his imagination. It was normal that he couldn’t see it.

But Ying Cheng Lang’s next sentence shattered that thought. “Are you looking for that bird?”

What?!

Ying Fu Sang looked up, staring intently at the other person. “What did you do?”

“Oh, you want to know?” Ying Cheng Lang smiled harmlessly. He held the book in one hand and rummaged in his pocket with the other.

He took something out and threw it on the ground like garbage.

A flash of lightning tore through the sky, illuminating the room as if it were a bright day. It lit up Ying Fu Sang, who was kneeling on the floor, and also the lifeless… gray and blue mountain tit he was holding in his trembling hands, its feathers covered in bl00d.

Looking at the person on the floor who seemed to be completely stunned, Ying Cheng Lang was very satisfied and held up the book again. “I didn’t expect a malicious person like you to have a childlike heart. Since I’ve given you the bird back, I’ll give you this piece of junk, too.”

After saying that, he quickly raised both hands and tore the book into strips of paper like he was tearing a rag, and he casually scattered them over Ying Fu Sang.

The shredded paper floated down, covering the floor.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. You even dared to secretly raise a bird here. It’s like this entirely because of you. It’s because of your selfishness, because of your greed, understand?”

“I warned you to stay away from Xiaoyu, but you didn’t listen. How about that? Now you know the consequences, don’t you?”

…

The words the other person was saying gradually became inaudible to Ying Fu Sang. The sound turned into a piercing noise, and then a buzzing sound.

In the silence, only his heart seemed to be beating in his ears. Every beat was heavy and clear.

Because of his selfishness…

It was all because of him…

All the misfortunes were caused by his existence…

…

Was it really because of him?

Just as his sanity was about to crumble, the conversation he had with Qi Xing Wen that afternoon suddenly resurfaced in his mind.

“Then, how do you understand ‘evil’?”

“It is sin.”

It is sin…

Sin.

The feeling he had before appeared again, stronger than the last time. Starting from his heart, a pain that felt like being gnawed on by countless ants became extremely hot, as if a ball of fire was burning toward his limbs and organs, about to burst out of his body.

“Boom—” The thunder roared, its sound like a tidal wave rolling in from the horizon.

Ying Cheng Lang, who was feeling triumphant, suddenly realized that the other person had been silent. He felt that something was odd, so he looked down. And that one look almost made him freeze, his hair standing on end and a chill running down his spine.

The person kneeling on the ground was still holding the bloody bird in his hands, his head bowed. But what was bizarre was that his silver-white hair had grown crazily in an instant. In the blink of an eye, it had grown long enough to reach the ground.

At that moment, the person slowly looked up. This kind of look had never appeared on his face before.

Another flash of lightning cut through the sky, passing through the window and illuminating the white shredded paper scattered on his body and all around him.

Ying Fu Sang at this moment looked just like a—

A fiend that had crawled out of hell.