False evidence

Chapter 500 Heredity?

I lit my cigarette and pulled Fang Ling down a step, involuntarily gasping for breath.

The walls and ceiling of this passage seem to be red, not just ordinary red, but blood red, as if it were painted with blood.

"This... must be blood mixed in with the paint." I said this because, while in the passageway, I smelled a faint odor, not the smell of dust, but an indescribable stench. It matched my impression of blood.

My voice trembled slightly as I spoke, because of a terrible thought that I dared not think about in detail.

The observant Fang Ling noticed something amiss and tightened her grip on my hand: "It's not what you think. It's not paint; it's a color made entirely of blood. But it's not human blood; it's probably animal blood."

I asked, puzzled, "How can you be so sure?"

Fang Ling said, "My father was a scholar, but my uncle owned a dye shop. I'm very sensitive to colors, and also..."

She paused for a moment and said, "When I was a child, I went to a dye shop once, and something happened there, so I can distinguish between blood and dye."

Her tone was strange, as if recalling that incident terrified her.

I didn't ask her what it was about, I just smiled bitterly and said, "My dear, you really shouldn't have told me the truth."

"how?"

"N-nothing." I really didn't want to say anything more, because it was really difficult for me to speak right now, it took ten times more effort than normal, and my legs were shaking.

Yes, my hemophobia has relapsed.

I don't know how I developed this problem. It seems that when I was a child, I watched the village butcher slaughter pigs and nothing happened to me. But I don't know when it started, I feel dizzy, unable to think, and have difficulty breathing whenever I see blood.

I thought things had improved, and I even dared to watch Pidan's mom kill chickens, but that was only to a certain extent acceptable. Now, being in a semi-enclosed underground passage with three walls completely covered in blood, and it really is stained with blood, is something I really can't bear.

Because of my instinctive fear, I subconsciously tried to avoid contact with the wall, which forced me to stand even closer to Fang Ling.

"I'm sorry, I... I'm afraid of blood." To avoid being misunderstood as taking advantage of someone, I whispered the truth.

Fang Ling chuckled: "It's alright, my body has long since rotted to the bone underground. As for Fang Ling, I do hope you can take care of her for the rest of her life."

I couldn't help but frown. This wasn't just a double entendre; it was almost blatant, conveying a message to me—she was my relative, but Fang Ling wasn't. My body belonged to Fang Ling, and I could be more "intimate" with her.

Not only that, she even snuggled closer to me.

I nudged her gently with my shoulder: "If I weren't married, I might have the right to mess around with other women. But now that I'm married, I can't. And I certainly won't have anything going on with Sister Ling; I treat her like an older sister."

Fang Ling sighed, "Now it's just the two of us, in the dark, so I'm not afraid to talk to you. Do you really think Xiao Fan can hold on forever? Face reality, she won't be with you forever. I know you'll be angry saying this, but it's the truth, and you can't run away from it. Fang Ling is a bit older than you, but feelings are a consumable. You've given almost all your feelings to Xiao Fan. After she's gone, you'll have very little left. It's hard to say you'll find happiness with another woman. Fang Ling is different. You treat her like a sister, but not a blood sister. Family ties and romantic feelings are intertwined. Perhaps only the two of you can stay together for life. Also, I'll have to leave eventually. After I'm gone, Fang Ling will still be Fang Ling, and she'll go back to being the same fool she was. With your feelings for her, can you really entrust her to someone else? And will the person you entrust her to take good care of her?"

I remained silent, not because I agreed with her, but because I was too angry to speak.

"Sigh, silly boy, if you told me to shut up, it means you're still interested. If you don't say a word, it means you're really angry." Fang Ling tightened her grip on my hand. "Alright, just pretend I didn't say anything."

I stopped and turned to look at her. Fang Ling initially met my gaze, but later her eyes darted away unnaturally. She said, "I won't admit my mistake, because I'm telling the truth."

“It’s okay, I’m not angry anymore. ‘Ancestor,’ I have thought about what you said. I’ve thought about what I should do if Pidan really has to leave one day. There’s only one answer: I’m my mother’s son, and when my time comes, I will only go to Pidan’s grave to keep her company when I miss my loved one.”

Fang Ling stared at me, her face suddenly turning cold: "Hey, Mr. Lü, haven't I told you I don't want to see you again?"

I was stunned for a moment, then shook my head and said, "You've misunderstood, I am Sanqi."

Fang Ling's expression softened slightly: "I know, but I said it on purpose. Yes, including what I just said, it was the truth, and it was something that an elder shouldn't or shouldn't say. But I had to say it."

I was a little dumbfounded: "'Ancestor,' why are you beating around the bush like a monk? My mind is already confused enough, can't you just speak clearly?"

Fang Ling laughed: "Is your mind still a mess?"

I was taken aback. Strangely enough, after saying those few words to her, my thoughts actually became clearer.

Fang Ling chuckled softly, "From the moment we met, I could tell you weren't as calm as before. You seemed very confused. You've probably been through a lot of headaches lately. You can't grasp the important things, but your mind just keeps racing, and the more you think about it, the more confused you get."

I nodded: "You're amazing. You poked me right on my weak spot with your finger, and the pressure was just right."

That's the truth. Strange things have been happening one after another for the past few days, and I still have no clue what's going on. My mind is practically boiling over with frustration.

Fang Ling's initial earnest advice was like a drop of Tiger Balm directly into my brain. As my emotions churned, that drop, along with that small patch, became the central axis of my thinking.

I must admit, I have curiosity and a thirst for novelty, but I crave a peaceful life even more. Given my personality, even if Zhao Qi approached me and his words were incredibly enticing, I wouldn't get involved in things that don't concern me.

But in fact, nowadays, whenever I encounter something bizarre, especially something involving ghosts or reincarnation, I tend to get involved quite actively.

It's because of preserved eggs.

Whether it was Fang Ling or Tong Jiawen, what they just said was the truth.

I am confident that I can stand by Pidan and fight his illness, but this confidence is something I show to Pidan and his mother. The opposite of that confidence is fear—fear of separation, fear of losing my loved one.

Fang Ling (Tong Jiawen) enlightened me in a unique way. The reason I am experiencing everything now is, in the final analysis, just to find... or rather, to place my hopes on another way to face the future reality.

When a person experiences something, their central focus is always themselves. For me, my central focus is my family and my child. Once this most important point is clarified, the rest, which are considered "irrelevant," can be viewed and analyzed more objectively and rationally.

"Thank you, ancestor." I forced a smile and said, "Heh, it seems that my uncle's success as a psychology expert is not entirely due to hard work; there seems to be a genetic component."

"Silly boy, does being able to joke mean you're alright?"

Fang Ling smiled too, but the smile quickly froze on her face. Her lips twitched twice, her eyelids grew heavy, and she suddenly went limp in my arms: "I...I can't take it anymore..."

(End of this chapter)