What if I don't want to ascend to immortality?

Chapter 29 Silky Tall Tree

Even though she had read it many times, browsing real estate information still made Meng Qingtong feel very happy.

Moreover, compared to the past when she could only look and whet her appetite because she couldn't afford to buy, she now has the confidence to set the standard of less than 15 million in the filter box, pick out the fully furnished display pages, admire them, and imagine the happy life she would have living in them.

Imagine this: pick up the glass on the table and take a sip; even the cheapest lemonade tastes several times better than usual.

Unfortunately, they didn't offer refills. She used the straw to scoop out a piece of ice, crunched it, and decided she wouldn't come back to this place next time.

The shadows of pedestrians outside had shrunk into a ball at our feet, as if even they were unwilling to face the scorching sun.

The small cold drink shop didn't have many seats. Meng Qingtong was worried that it wouldn't be good to stay at the table by the air conditioner vent after finishing all the ice cream when the shop's welcome bell rang, and finally the face she had been waiting for entered.

As expected of Lin Sisi's former partner, the two looked almost identical in terms of haggardness. However, the man's career seemed to be going quite well, and his presentable attire made him look at least as old as Lin Sisi.

She waved to the man, "Qiao Mu, over here."

Qiao Mu looked over, his expression somewhat confused.

He sat down and asked softly, "Are you the... spirit mage who said he'd met Sisi?"

“That’s right.” Meng Qingtong took out her credentials and handed them over. “This is my professional license. You can verify it online at any time.”

"No need." His eyes showed a hint of bitterness. "How could a liar possibly try to fool me with a silk thread?"

Qiao Mu raised his eyes, a barely perceptible ripple appearing in his stagnant gaze. "You said you've seen Sisi, so, can you tell me how she's doing now? Has she... met someone more suitable, someone who treats her better?"

After considering it for a moment, Meng Qingtong shook her head apologetically, "I'm sorry, I cannot disclose my client's privacy without permission."

Seeing Qiao Mu's obvious disappointment, she changed the subject and said, "Unless, that can assure me that it will benefit my client."

Qiao Mu was stunned and said in confusion, "I don't understand what you mean."

Meng Qingtong reluctantly ate the last two pieces of ice, reminding him, "What I mean is, you have to let me know what happened between you two, why she left you, so I can judge whether your appearance will help her. If you will only make her more upset, then for her own good, I have no choice but to keep her whereabouts a secret from you."

Qiao Mu sighed, waved to the waiter, ordered an iced coffee, and asked, "Would you like anything else to drink?"

Meng Qingtong shook her head, "No need, I've already drunk it."

After the barista served him his coffee, he took a big gulp, leaned back in his chair, and stared blankly for a while before saying, "I don't know why she left me."

If this man were a tree, as his name suggests, then when he said those words, it would be as if someone were digging his roots up with a shovel, and the pain would make even his branches and leaves tremble.

"So...would you like to tell us your story?" Meng Qingtong didn't want to linger too long. She planned to visit several sales offices that afternoon and also needed to buy ingredients for dinner; she was very busy.

"Can I tell you if I can see her?"

“I can’t guarantee it,” she said after a moment’s hesitation. “But I can sense that you are still very important to her. If it weren’t for that importance, I wouldn’t have even considered coming to you. If I think you can help her, I would be happy to take you to see her.”

“She won’t agree.” Qiao Mu finished his cold coffee in one gulp, unbuttoned the top button of his shirt as if trying to break free from some invisible constraint. “I know her; once she’s made up her mind, it’s hard to change it. She looks gentle and weak, but she’s very stubborn at heart. She left me so resolutely, how could she possibly want me to go to her…”

“I don’t care whether she agrees or not,” Meng Qingtong said seriously. “My respect for my clients’ opinions is conditional. So you don’t need to worry about that.”

Qiao Mu seemed a little more invigorated. He hesitated for a moment, then ordered a pot of iced fruit tea, poured two glasses, and asked, "Where would you like me to begin?"

“At the beginning.”

Meng Qingtong did not drink the fruit tea in front of her.

One should always be wary of strangers. She has a strong sense of security and will avoid drinking anything handled by strangers, even if she is going to listen to a story for a while.

Just as Qiao Mu was about to speak, his phone rang.

The ringtone was catchy; it was a melancholic and gentle female solo. Judging from the style of the music, it must be quite old.

"Excuse me, I need to take this call." Qiao Mu picked up her phone, turned her head slightly, but didn't go far away. "Hello... Yes, I'm outside... No, no, it's okay, I remember the time. How could I forget the day I'm supposed to see the child... Yes, yes, okay, I understand. Don't worry, I'll be careful... By the way, did you finish the medicine I brought you last time? My colleague brought me some more, I'll take it to you... Yes, try to rest earlier in the future, don't work so hard, think more about the child. What will happen to him if your health collapses... Don't say such silly things. Having me and having only me are two different things. The child is always with you, he can't do without you... I understand, that's all then... Okay, we'll talk when we meet."

He hung up the phone, stared at the black screen for a few seconds, and said in a somewhat bitter tone, "It's my ex-wife. She and Sisi used to be very close friends."

Meng Qingtong remained silent. She knew that once this seemingly reserved man started talking, all he needed to do was listen, not respond.

The story was short, and the man's storytelling skills were poor, with no detailed descriptions and only brief mentions, leaving her feeling unsatisfied, as if she were only listening to an outline.

There are only three main characters in this story: Lin Sisi, Qiao Mu, and his ex-wife Ye Jiamei, who was on the phone earlier.

Three women make a drama, three men play games, and any other combination will eventually turn into a complicated love triangle.

After entering university, Qiao Mu's first girlfriend, Ye Jiamei, was someone he pursued and successfully dated. At that time, the two were a perfect match, a couple that no one could find fault with.

Lin Sisi, on the other hand, was a country bumpkin who was shy about talking to strangers, and she shared a dorm room with Ye Jiamei.

Ye Jiamei comes from a wealthy family and is particularly fond of her gentle and delicate roommate, Lin Sisi, taking extra care of her. This is how Lin Sisi got the opportunity to meet Qiao Mu.

Under Ye Jiamei's influence, Lin Sisi gradually overcame her initial inferiority complex, and her image and temperament underwent a dramatic transformation. However, she didn't find a boyfriend until graduation. Her only close friends and acquaintances were Ye Jiamei and Qiao Mu.

Later, when Ye Jiamei arrived at the branch campus in Suiyin City, she asked Lin Sisi to help take care of Qiao Mu during the busy period of her internship. At that time, people on campus who were not familiar with them mistakenly thought that Qiao Mu's girlfriend was Lin Sisi.

But Ye Jiamei didn't care much at the time.

Because she was very confident, she felt superior to Lin Sisi in terms of family background, appearance, and academic performance.

In fact, Lin Sisi really didn't dare to have any other thoughts.

After Ye Jiamei's internship ended, she almost deliberately distanced herself from her two close friends. Upon graduation, she naturally and quietly withdrew from the scene. Ye Jiamei's father had considerable influence in Suiyin, so after graduation, Qiao Mu did not return to Dongding City but stayed in Suiyin to start a business with a senior classmate he knew.

However, the first visit to meet the parents didn't go very well.

Ye's parents meant that the couple should at least be of similar social standing.

At the time, Qiao Mu, who had nothing, was able to win over Ye Jiamei with his sincerity, but he found it difficult to persuade her stubborn parents.

After a long stalemate, Ye Jiamei succumbed to her parents' underhanded tactics. In desperation, she invited Qiao Mu to a hotel and gave him the things she had originally planned to keep for their marriage, as a memento of their breakup.

That was the first low point in Qiao Mu's life.

During that time, he met Lin Sisi again.

After a series of clichéd romantic drama scenes, Qiao Mu, having regained his composure, helps Lin Sisi resolve the aftermath of a social event, and using this as an opportunity, they officially begin dating.

Their relationship was ordinary and smooth, warm and compatible.

Qiao Mu even felt that he was originally more suited to a girl like Lin Sisi. He liked the kind of gentle girl who made him feel needed and relied upon.

But more than six months later, something happened to Ye Jiamei's family.

Qiao Mu didn't elaborate on the specific issues involved, probably wanting to preserve some dignity for Ye Jiamei's parents. In any case, the outcome was that both of Ye Jiamei's parents committed suicide, and she herself was implicated and lost her job.

Ye Jiamei once joked that Lin Sisi's personality was like a dodder vine, and she couldn't do without finding a big tree to climb.

At that time, Lin Sisi and Qiao Mu were inseparable and worked together to grow upwards, while Ye Jiamei had turned from a lush sapling into mud trampled on the roadside.

Neither of them could stand idly by. When Ye Jiamei was about to be discharged from the hospital after her suicide attempt, Lin Sisi made the decision for Qiao Mu and took the temporarily homeless Ye Jiamei to their place.

That was a memory Qiao Mu didn't want to talk about. But he admitted that during those months, the relationship between the three of them underwent an irreversible distortion.

Qiao Mu's stance was relatively firm. But what gradually wavered was Lin Sisi, who had been cared for by Ye Jiamei like a sister for four years during their university years.

Sensing the danger brewing, Qiao Mu made up his mind and got engaged to Lin Sisi.

But shortly after that, something happened that Qiao Mu prefers not to mention. Because of that, he and Lin Sisi had their first argument.

Judging from Qiao Mu's brief mention of the incident and his complicated expression when talking about the argument, Meng Qingtong guessed that Lin Sisi must have had the idea of ​​returning her boyfriend to Ye Jiamei and deliberately created an opportunity for him to have something happen with Ye Jiamei.

After that incident, Qiao Mu began planning to have Ye Jiamei move out.

At that time, Ye Jiamei was already a well-known columnist. After her parents investigated her assets, they unfroze some of the assets that were not in question, so supporting herself was no longer a problem.

But she was no longer the spirited Ye Jiamei. For the first time, she realized that she would be just as weak as Lin Sisi without her support.

Just when the situation reached a stalemate, Lin Sisi disappeared.

“She just disappeared like that, without even packing a few clothes from the house. I searched for her for over three months, almost losing the company in the process. But I couldn’t find her. I really couldn’t find her.” Qiao Mu chewed on a sour plum in his fruit tea, as if trying to hide the bitterness on his face with that action. “Once, I searched for her until very late, and on my way back, I accidentally got into a minor car accident. Jia Mei completely snapped. She threw an ultrasound report at me and demanded that I take responsibility for her and the baby.”

Meng Qingtong, recalling his previous wording, asked in confusion, "Then why did you two get divorced later?"

“Because Jiamei has always been the proud Jiamei. After she emerged from her most vulnerable low, she no longer wanted to accept even the slightest bit of charity. She also believed that charity was meaningless in matters of the heart. Moreover, I later realized that she had found a new pillar in her life, which was that child. In a sense, she no longer needed me.” Qiao Mu smiled with a hint of mockery, seemingly calmly saying, “We broke up peacefully once again, and she got the child and the house. The story ends here.”

Meng Qingtong recalled Han Jie mentioning Lin Sisi's health condition and how Xiao Tu worked hard to convert the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to prolong her mother's life, and couldn't help but ask, "During the last time you spent with Sister Lin, did you notice that her health was getting worse and worse?"

"Her body?" Qiao Mu froze, then shuddered as if recalling something, muttering to himself, "I thought... she was worried about Jia Mei, eating and sleeping poorly... that's why..."

Meng Qingtong then asked, "Has Sister Lin ever mentioned having children after marriage?"

He nodded somewhat blankly. "I mentioned it. Sisi really likes children. She started trying to get pregnant right after we got engaged. When we were discussing when to get our marriage certificate, she even joked with me that once we had the certificate, we wouldn't be in a rush and would hold the wedding banquet whenever she got pregnant. At that time, I was having some cash flow problems at work, and I thought she was worried that I wouldn't have enough money for the wedding if I rushed into it... Are you saying that her departure was due to health problems and was related to the child?"

"It's just a guess." Meng Qingtong sighed inwardly, resting her chin on her hand.

It's just that Sister Lin is so pitiful that it makes her feel so sorry for her. Otherwise, if it were a couple who didn't communicate properly and honestly, and made rash decisions for each other's own good, leading to such a tragedy, she would immediately scold them and tell them to use their brains more.

Qiao Mu observed her expression, growing increasingly worried, and asked anxiously, "What's wrong with her? Can I go see her? If she really doesn't want to see me, at least let me see her from afar."

Seeing that the man's eyes were red, Meng Qingtong thought for a moment and said, "Wait a moment, I will give you an answer soon."

Then, she looked down and took out her phone to send Han Jie an encrypted message: "Senior Han, I need your help. You used your spiritual power to check Sister Lin's physical condition, right? Could you tell me exactly how bad it is?"

A short while later, a long report, clearly generated by divine thought, was sent back. The words and phrases in it had probably been searched using a search engine or polished by AI, and at first glance, it looked just like a report written by a doctor.

Meng Qingtong quickly grasped the key point—if her mood improved, coupled with the nourishment of spiritual energy at the level of the little rabbit, she could live much longer than other people with the same terminal illness.

She put away her phone and said to Qiao Mu with a serious expression, "Sister Lin might not have many years left to live. Are you still willing to see her? You know her personality. If you really try to win her back, she might become a clinging vine that entangles you again. She can't have children for you, and she's not as pretty as she used to be. For you, bringing back a wife like that will only add to your life's burdens..."

Qiao Mu interrupted her before she could finish, saying, "My phone ringtone just now was Sisi's favorite song, called 'Dodder'."

He suddenly stood up, tears welling in his eyes, and said, word by word, "I am her tree. No matter what she becomes, I will only regret not finding her sooner."

"Well... I only have one last question."

"You said."

Would you be willing to be the father of a demon?

"what?"

(End of this chapter)