"My people have already gone to pick him up; you should be able to see him tonight. I’ve returned Rong Mingyan and Lu Xiaofan to you, so when will you give me the antidote?"
Qiao Yiyang didn’t answer him; instead, he looked at Lin Xinlan and said softly, "Xinlan, can I talk to you alone?"
"No!" Without thinking, Rong Shaoze immediately vetoed the idea.
Lin Xinlan stood up, soothingly patted Rong Shaoze’s hand, and then smiled at Qiao Yiyang, "Sure."
Rong Shaoze looked at her deeply, understanding her intent; some things must be settled clear.
"Fine, you can talk alone, but it cannot be for more than an hour." He compromised, respecting her wishes.
The two sat alone on the sofa in the living room, but Qiao Yiyang fell silent and did not speak.
Lin Xinlan broke the silence, "What do you want to tell me?"
The man gazed at her and asked, "Xinlan, do you hate me?"
After speaking, he let out a self-deprecating laugh, "You must hate me."
"I don’t even know if I hate you or not," Lin Xinlan suddenly said.
"Sometimes, I hate you very much, and at other times, I feel sorry for you. But now, I neither hate you nor feel sorry for you. At this moment, facing you, my heart is calm."
Qiao Yiyang’s eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded in understanding, "I get it, I understand everything."
Indeed, he had been the only one infatuated; she never had any feelings for him, from the beginning to the end.
And he also knew that, in front of her, no matter what he had done, she could not hate him, because indifference meant no hatred.
Compared to her, he felt he was too petty.
Lin Xinlan was puzzled; what did he understand?
"Xinlan, do you know about my past? I know you don’t want to hear it, but I still really want to tell you." He started speaking in a low voice, not waiting for her response, and laid out his entire past.
It was a twisted, painful past.
Qiao Yiyang had a beautiful mother who was born into a very wealthy family.
But she fell in love with Qiao Yiyang’s father, a man who spent his days street racing, fighting, collecting protection money, and getting involved in the underworld.
Ignoring her family’s objections, she eloped with Qiao Yiyang’s father, leading a life of constant relocation.
Yet, Qiao Yiyang’s mother never complained, and she remained loving with his father. A year later, she gave birth to him.
For Qiao Yiyang’s mother, his father changed all his bad habits, deciding to earn an honest living and lead a stable life.
However, Qiao Yiyang’s grandfather, wanting to separate his daughter from Yiyang’s father, kept causing them problems, making it impossible for his father to earn money and making their life increasingly difficult.
To avoid Qiao Yiyang’s grandfather, the family kept moving, from one city to another.
Yiyang’s father, in order to provide, took on almost any kind of laborious work.
Despite the hardships, Qiao Yiyang grew up healthy, and the family remained happy.
Yet, their suffering was not over.
When Qiao Yiyang was seven, his father unexpectedly ran into an old friend one day.
This old friend, as well as those from his past, were nothing but bad company, not true friends, nor good people.
Upon seeing Qiao Yiyang’s father, the man dragged him off to eat and drink.