Gu Xiulin stood at the entrance of the hospital ward. Having little interest in visiting the patient, he spoke calmly, “Go on in. I’ll wait for you out here.”
His brows were tightly furrowed, and his eyes betrayed a hint of unspeakable weariness; he truly held no affection for Shi Yong.
Shi Jun nodded slightly but said nothing.
Gu Xiulin’s decision to stay outside made Shi Wen feel much more at ease. He let out a soft sigh of relief.
Shi Jun stepped slowly into the ward. The dim room was thick with the smell of medicine and the oppressive, somber atmosphere of a fading life. Shi Yong’s body was entangled in various tubes, his gaunt chest rising and falling soundlessly.
“Dad, Eldest Brother is back. He came to see you,” Shi Wen called out gently, whispering twice into their father’s ear.
“Is Shi Jun back?” the father asked, his voice weak like a candle flickering in the wind. He struggled to open his eyes.
Shi Jun’s voice was as soft as a morning mist, quietly piercing through the dead silence of the ward. “I am here.”
“Shi Jun… actually, before I die, I want to tell you some things about your mother. I’m sorry, all of this was my fault…” the father rasped, his voice deep and hoarse, as if he were spending the very last ounces of his life’s strength.
His voice remained faint, resembling a candle swaying in the autumn wind. This was Shi Yong’s final confession and apology to him at the very end of his life.
However, Shi Wen suddenly interrupted, his voice carrying a trace of urgency and impatience. “Dad, weren’t we going to talk about the inheritance? Why bring this up all of a sudden?”
Shi Wen’s heart felt as though it were frozen in ice. He knew that the murmurs of a dying person were often the most sincere confessions from the depths of the soul.
When his father had used his last bit of strength to insist on bringing Shi Jun back to his bedside, Shi Wen’s intuition told him that the secrets deeply buried by time might be laid completely bare in his father’s final words.
He clearly did so many things to hurt Shi Jun, yet he wants to play the good guy right before he dies.
Now that he’s dying, he feels guilty and wants to confess. How laughable!
A flash of agony passed through the old man’s eyes. He knew that the inheritance Shi Wen mentioned was an issue he had never wanted to face. He sighed softly and nodded, signaling for Shi Wen to continue.
Shi Wen took a deep breath and went on, “Dad, we all know you’ve always wanted the family to live in harmony, and to inherit and develop the family business. But given the current situation, we all need to face reality.”
The father closed his eyes, his fingers gripping the bedsheets tightly a clear sign of the inner struggle raging within him. What Shi Wen said was true; they could not run away from this problem.
“Shi Jun, what are your thoughts?” the father finally asked. His voice was weak, yet filled with anticipation.
Shi Jun stood silently by the bedside, the corner of his mouth curving into a mocking smile, as if he were laughing at this world full of lies. His voice was calm and detached, breaking the silence of the room.
“Didn’t you sever ties and kick me out of the Shi family, Father? Why did you look for me right before you died? And… did my mother really commit suicide?” he asked, sitting down slowly and speaking nonchalantly, intentionally pivoting to a question that had absolutely nothing to do with property.
The atmosphere in the room instantly turned eerie. The father’s face gradually grew pale, and fine beads of sweat broke out across his forehead.
“We are, after all, bound by blood. Your mother indeed…” the old man stammered with great difficulty.
The air in the room seemed to freeze. It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Shi Jun cut straight to the point. “You killed my mother just so you could bring your mistress and her illegitimate son through the front door.”
“Shi Jun!” The father’s voice trembled violently. “No… it was because… because… I… your mother… she…”
Before he could finish, he began to cough violently.
His body shook slightly, a flash of terror passing through his eyes. He realized that Shi Jun had seen right through his lies.
He grit his teeth, forcing himself to calm his voice down. “Shi Jun, I…”
A look of vigilance flashed in Shi Jun’s eyes. He stared intently at his father, waiting for his next words.
Yet even before his father could finish speaking, Shi Jun already knew exactly what he meant.
Shi Wen barely managed to suppress the panic in his own heart. While pounding his father’s chest to help him breathe, he barked out, “Eldest Brother, what nonsense are you talking about? Mom committed suicide on her own!”
“What right do you have to call her ‘Mom’? You don’t deserve to. An illegitimate son like you isn’t worthy,” Shi Jun replied, his eyes filled with cold irony.
Shi Wen’s face twisted completely out of shape. His fingers gripped the bedsheets so hard that his knuckles turned white.
Looking at the two brothers, the father felt a wave of agony and helplessness wash over him like a tide.
Seeing that things had escalated to this point, Shi Wen threw away his disguise. “How did you find out?”
The corner of Shi Jun’s mouth curved into a cold smile. His gaze pierced past Shi Wen’s shoulder, as if he could see back to that distant night seeing his mother’s despairing eyes and the knife in his father’s hand.
He knew that everything up until now had been a meticulously woven lie, designed to protect Shi Wen and maintain the illusion of this family.
“I know much more than you think,” Shi Jun’s voice was low and powerful, his icy gaze cutting right through Shi Wen’s facade.
Shi Wen’s body trembled slightly. He knew that none of this could be hidden any longer. Letting out a deep sigh, he released his father’s hand, slowly backed away, and leaned against the wall.
The atmosphere in the ward became exceptionally heavy, everyone’s heart filled with unspeakable emotions.
Looking at Shi Jun, Shi Wen let out a low laugh. “So what? What can you do even if you know? The Shi family belongs to me now. It’s true Shi Yong killed your mother for the sake of my mother, and then staged it as a suicide.”
Shi Jun’s gaze was freezing cold, his jaw clenched tight as he tried to suppress the rage and grief in his heart.
“Why? Was it really just because my mother stood in the way of yours entering the Shi family?” Shi Jun’s voice was low and commanding, his eyes locked onto Shi Wen.
Shi Wen’s expression turned somewhat warped, his smile carrying a hint of madness and resignation. “Do you really want to know why? It was for love. For the love my mother had for him. Your mother blocked their relationship, so Dad chose an extreme measure.”
Shi Jun’s body trembled slightly. This was the family his mother had spent her life protecting, never imagining that such a cruel truth was hidden behind it. He turned to his father, his eyes filled with condemnation and hatred. “How could you do this?”
A look of agony appeared on the father’s face. He knew his mistakes could never be undone. He closed his eyes tremblingly, as if trying to escape reality.
Shi Wen did not respond. He knew that he, too, had run out of options.