That evening, Ma Xudong, coerced by his future prospects, did the most spineless thing in his life.
A poor boy who became a man in officialdom, a mere deputy town mayor, what could he do?
Ma Xudong, with closed eyes, clenched teeth, and fists, solemnly said to Liu Zhizhong in a low voice, "I knelt there, holding Qingqing who again had been coaxed to sleep, and watched helplessly as that old bastard lay on top of Qingqing's mother..."
"Zhizhong, I am guilty, I have always been guilty, I deserve to die... I really deserve to die... I am still blinded by power, I am not human..."
"I am sorry to Qingqing's mother, sorry to her... She is innocent, always so innocent..."
"Power is a harmful thing, it can make people lose themselves, endlessly lost, losing all humanity..."
Ma Xudong wept silently, curled up there, hands covering his face, head deeply buried between his knees, like a sinner painfully confessing in front of history.
His past was both hateful and pitiful!
But wasn't he, alone, hateful?
Liu Zhizhong clenched his teeth tightly, making a grating sound, nearly unable to calm his emotions.
He didn't know what to say and was momentarily speechless.
He could only deeply inhale his cigarette, one after another, before he finally calmed down and asked quietly, "What happened then?"
"Then... then..." Ma Xudong raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, his face tear-streaked and utterly miserable.
"Then, that old scoundrel left arrogantly."
"I held Qingqing, sleepless all night. Sitting on the bed was her mother, with a vacant, lifeless gaze, she sat there almost the entire night."
"As dawn was about to break, she said she needed to use the bathroom... and then, she jumped from the balcony of the rented apartment, from the sixth floor... 601, I remember, I will remember it my whole life..."
"Later... I brought back her ashes along with Qingqing. I had no choice but to marry the Old Town Mayor's daughter... At that time, the County Mayor was the Old Town Mayor's elder brother, the County Public Security Bureau Director was his cousin, and the Mayor was the Old Town Mayor's father's secretary..."
"Later, I rose through the ranks, becoming deputy county mayor at 31. That same year, my wife died in childbirth, and neither mother nor child survived. I never remarried, until I married your aunt."
"Qingqing was always with me, her stepmother wasn't very kind to her, and often mentioned the past, not discussing all the scandals, just saying I wronged Qingqing's mother, causing her early death. Qingqing hated me, and that was the source. But my heart, not for a moment did it forget the hatred, not at all."
"Men are strange, on one hand messing around in officialdom, messing with money, power, and women, and on the other hand, thinking about revenge!"
Ma Xudong cursed loudly, a gleam in his eye, "When I was 40, I moved up to be the deputy secretary of the Provincial Disciplinary Committee! From the old dog's father's secretary down to the old dog's grandnephew, the entire faction, completely wiped out! Do you remember the Yangbei anti-corruption and anti-gang case?"
Liu Zhizhong nodded, "I remember, over two hundred people, all went in. So, your father-in-law was that Yu Guangjun, right? Retired 15 years, yet still exposed, not only dismissed for disciplinary violations but also involved in organized crime, responsible for the deaths of eight people, sentenced to death at 75 years old, along with the then Mayor, City Committee Secretary, and others, 216 people sentenced, six death sentences carried out immediately, 11 suspended, 24 life imprisonments, and the least was from five years."
Ma Xudong nodded, "You remember very clearly, impressive! I remember, you really do have a photographic memory, that's a talent, your capital. After that event, I then came to Yangzhou, started a new journey, but, hehe, the deputy disciplinary committee secretary who handled that matter chose the wrong side, hehe..."
He shook his head, spread his hands, "I don't have many days left, and I've thought it through. Zhizhong, power is a harmful thing, a lot of vulgar temptations, indeed deadly, you must remember! Men in officialdom, who doesn't play? Remember, if you're going to play, play in the high-end games! Even with women, you must be selective, can't have too good an appetite. My backing, died from having too good an appetite, from little girls up to old ladies in their fifties and sixties, sigh..."
Liu Zhizhong remained silent, but nodded, looking very enlightened.
In this world, once you have people, reality is more fascinating than any novel!
"I have never spoken Qingqing's mother's name because that name is my eternal pain! Do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand! And thank you, Secretary Ma, for your advice, it's very beneficial. But now, we must return to reality, who is Qingqing's biological father? Are you sure you are the one she got pregnant with after her first forbidden fruit?"
"I am sure! Absolutely sure! She is too!" Ma Xudong said decisively. Fınd the newest release on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⁂𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⁂𝙣𝙚𝙩
Liu Zhizhong gave a bitter smile, nodded, "I understand. Maybe, it's a big possibility, quite melodramatic, that there was a baby mix-up at the hospital back then! Maybe, I need to take a trip to the South, to the hospital where Qingqing was born, see if I can find anything."
Ma Xudong was speechless, but then affirmatively said, "Indeed, it's possible, it's the only possibility that makes everything possible! I really hope... really hope..."
Saying this, he looked toward the reception room window, gazing at the fervently blue sky bathed in sunlight...