Captain Lu was aloof again today.

Chapter 182 Past
The next morning, Wei Qingsong still showed up at the hospital entrance.

The morning mist in the distance had not yet dissipated, and the hazy fog enveloped the entire city, as if trapping people in a dreamlike illusion.

Wei Qingsong hesitated for a long time before finally going inside.

Director Wang is right. Lu Jingming is never swayed by other people's opinions, and she shouldn't be timid or hesitant.

Since what has already happened cannot be changed or undone, we should try our best to make amends.

Lu Jinghuan's current extreme behavior is largely her fault. It was her failure to keep the promise that indirectly caused Lu Jinghuan to be unable to continue painting and to forever miss her dream.

She didn't expect Lu Jinghuan's forgiveness; she only hoped to resolve the knot in Lu Jinghuan's heart.

Although Lu Jinghuan doesn't want to see her now, she has to try. She can't hide from Lu Jinghuan forever; after all, he's Lu Jingming's family, and she'll have to face him sooner or later.

It was still early, and the hospital was quiet and deserted.

Wei Qingsong went straight to Lu Jingming's ward. Just as she was about to push the door open, she heard voices coming from inside.

The powerful voice was familiar; it belonged to Lu Changbai.

His tone was as authoritative and condescending as ever: "You child, I'm doing this all for your own good, why won't you listen to my advice? No matter what, I'm still your father, would I ever harm you?"

Although she knew that eavesdropping was inappropriate, a strange intuition made Wei Qingsong subconsciously stop her actions, release her hand from the doorknob, hold her breath, and strain her ears to listen more carefully.

"You don't need to worry about what happens between me and Songsong."

Lu Jingming's tone was icy and cold. Even through the door, Wei Qingsong could imagine the indifferent and aloof expression on his face.

Wei Qingsong frowned slightly.

Judging from the tone of their words, their conversation seems to be related to her?

The ward was silent for a long while before Lu Changbai sighed again: "Jingming, I know you've held a grudge against me all these years, so I've never interfered with your decisions and let you do whatever you want. But this time, I can't let you act recklessly anymore!"

“I’m all for you wanting to be in a relationship, but can’t you find a normal person? That girl surnamed Wei is no ordinary person. It’s clearly stated in the records that she was imprisoned for suspected murder. Although I don’t know why she was released, she is still involved in the murder case. How can you be with someone like that?”

Wei Qingsong's heart skipped a beat, her mind went blank, and her fingers, hanging at her sides, tightened unconsciously.

But soon, Lu Jingming's cold voice rang out unhurriedly: "Let's not worry about whether these things are true or false. Even if they are true, so what? You came here so early in the morning to disturb my sleep, just to prove that she is not a good person and does not deserve to be with me?"

"Lu Jingming! Can't you wake up!" Seeing that he was unmoved, Lu Changbai seemed to get a little anxious. "The truth is right in front of you. What else do you not believe? Take a good look for yourself. There are photos and all sorts of things. Are these all fake?"

A rustling sound came from paper documents flying through the air and being slammed onto the table.

Perhaps realizing he was being too emotional, Lu Changbai softened his tone: "I know that you haven't been able to forget her for the past six years, but have you ever thought that you only like the Wei Qingsong from before?"

“Back when you were in school, she often came to our house, and I had a good impression of her. But people change. She’s been to prison and has two murders on her hands. Think about it carefully, is she really the Wei Qingsong you know? Can’t you calm down and be rational?”

Time seemed to stand still. Wei Qingsong bit her lip tightly, almost forgetting how to breathe.

She had imagined it many times.

Once everything has settled down, once she has completely severed ties with the FBI and Interpol, and once the past can no longer affect her in the slightest, she will definitely tell Lu Jingming the whole truth without reservation.

She never expected that her most unbearable and darkest past would be revealed in this way.

She was completely unprepared; she couldn't face Lu Jingming with composure and openness.

All the sounds around seemed to become ethereal.

Lu Jingming's deep, calm voice seemed to come from a very distant place.

"Why do you so presumptuously think that you understand my heart better than I do? Who I love and what kind of person I love are never things that irrelevant people can define for me."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of cold mockery: "Many people say that I am very similar to you, but I am not you, and I never will be."

"Yes, you are so calm and rational. When it comes to feelings, you have a scale that is perfectly balanced. On one side is the gentle white moonlight, and on the other side is the proud red rose. You carefully calculate how to maintain the balance and trample on and betray other people's sincerity without any guilt. As your son, I really can't be as heartless and cold-hearted as you."

"Over the years, I have never accused you of moral failings, tolerated Jiang Qiong's intrusion into our home, treated Jing Huan with sincerity, and loved her as a sister from the same mother. If I had even half of your cold-blooded selfishness, I would have turned the Lu family upside down long ago."

"For my own good? Pshaw! When you were having an affair with someone else while my mother was pregnant, did you ever think about your responsibilities as a father? Now, what right do you have to act like a father and interfere in my private affairs?"

These words were spoken in a casual tone, yet they made Lu Changbai blush and he didn't know what to say next.

He had genuinely loved Wen Manqing back then. Such a proud woman had given up everything to come to Tangzhou for him, and he had been so moved that he shed tears and swore to the heavens that he would treat her well for the rest of his life.

He couldn't explain how he later made an unforgivable mistake in such a muddled way.

In the end, he had let down Wen Manqing and Lu Jingming.

After a long silence, Lu Changbai sighed deeply.

He stared at the brown paper bag and scattered documents on the table, paused for several seconds, and then slowly said, "Take a good look at these things and think about it again. I hope you won't regret your choice in the future."

Having said that, he dared not look at Lu Jingming's sneer-filled face any longer, staggered around, and prepared to leave.

Upon opening the door, one is met with Wei Qingsong's bright eyes.

Lu Changbai was stunned for a moment, then looked away first, as if he felt guilty.

He quickly realized that the person eavesdropping was Wei Qingsong, so why should he feel guilty?
Lu Changbai had a lot to say but couldn't utter a word. He just gave Wei Qingsong a "take care of yourself" look, snorted heavily, and brushed past her.

Wei Qingsong was also at a loss for what to do.

She should have run away, but at that moment her mind was a complete blank, and her legs felt like they were filled with lead, leaving her completely unable to move.

Now that Lu Jingming has seen her, she can't just turn around and run away.

She sighed inwardly, gently closed the door, and moved with difficulty to sit down next to Lu Jingming, her gaze falling on the document.

At the very top is a photograph.

That was a photo of her in prison clothes taken before she was imprisoned in Satan Prison.

In the photo, she is extremely thin, her once chubby face is completely devoid of color, her cheekbones are slightly protruding from her haggard appearance, and her eyes are filled with fear and helplessness as she stares at the camera.

Wei Qingsong raised her hand and flipped the photo over, covering it tightly. She didn't dare to look into Lu Jingming's eyes and whispered, "It's so ugly, don't look."

Lu Jingming asked softly, "Why did you lose so much weight back then?"

The question was asked in a low voice, so ordinary, as if it were just a simple daily greeting.

(End of this chapter)