Dormancy 019

Liu Wen wanted to refuse, but Fang Zhiyi suddenly spoke up: "Tsk, Xiao Wen, you two brothers haven't seen each other in ages. Are you scared of Xiao Wu? Don't be—he's a good kid."

"Who's scared!" Liu Wen craned his neck stubbornly. "Fine, I'll stay. You'd better explain yourself properly! You've really screwed me over!"

But what could Fang Zhiyi explain? He had only been speaking from the heart! No matter how much he went on, Liu Wen could only resign himself to bad luck. Hu Xiulian, who had caught some of the meaning, also chimed in to scold Fang Zhiyi a bit. Fang Zhiyi didn't argue back, which made their anger feel like punching a cloud.

"Once the heat dies down, I'll go back! Just you wait!" Liu Wen resolved silently. He was determined to completely destroy Fang Xiaolian! And he was going to cut ties with all these useless people in the family!

Hu Xiulian was overjoyed—her eldest son had returned, and with some money to boot. She proudly led her son outside for a stroll. Liu Wen, unable to refuse, went along, not wanting to stay with Liu Wu either.

But as soon as they left, Liu Wu suddenly stopped what he was doing, looked up at Fang Zhiyi, and a strange smile crept across his face: "Uncle Fang, it really takes you."

Fang Zhiyi narrowed his eyes instantly, but Liu Wu let out another harsh laugh and lowered his head again: "None of it matters anymore, Uncle Fang. Do you know what life was like inside? For the past few years, I've wanted to die almost every day."

Xiaoxiaohei said: "Not a time traveler."

"Uncle Fang, my mom thinks you're lazy, good-for-nothing, and useless. But I think you're incredibly smart. I couldn't see it before, but now I can." Liu Wu pointed to his own head with the hand holding the knife, let out two strange laughs, then switched topics and began talking about his time in prison.

Because the house was small, Liu Wu volunteered to sleep out in the livestock shed that night. This put Liu Wen's mind at ease, and he even carefully locked the door from the inside.

But he underestimated Liu Wu's hatred for him.

Around three in the morning that night, someone getting up to use the toilet noticed a house in the village on fire. By the time they woke others to help put it out, the flames were already out of control.

Still, some people managed to escape from inside.

Hu Xiulian was severely burned, Liu Wen was critically injured, and Liu Wu had minor injuries. When Liu Wu was dragged out, he was holding a knife in one hand and—shockingly—an ear in the other!

He laughed loudly as he stuffed the ear into his mouth, sending chills through the watching villagers.

The police arrived quickly. Liu Wu confessed to starting the fire without holding anything back, even admitting he had cut off one of Liu Wen's ears.

Later, it was said that on the way to prison, he jumped out of the transport vehicle but failed to die, ending up paralyzed from the neck down.

The only fatality in the fire was Fang Zhiyi, who had died from smoke inhalation.

When Fang Zhiyi's parents learned of the situation, they rushed shakily from the town to the village the next day. Staring at their son's body, they couldn't even shed tears anymore.

"What sin has been committed to bring this upon us!!!"

Second Brother Fang scowled at the corpse: "A man like him—better off dead sooner!"

But this time, Fang's mother turned and slapped him: "You fool!"

"Mom! Why did you hit me! He abandoned you all these years, and I was the one taking care of you!"

"Second son, you... why can't you get it through your head!" Fang's father grew anxious too. "That money your mother and I brought to you back then—it was given by your third brother!"

"Huh?" Second Brother Fang was startled, but quickly replied, "So what? Even if he gave you money, wasn't it just using the old house as collateral?"

"Think about it yourself! Why did he make a point of telling you the old house was going to be seized? And think again—didn't he say back then that if you gave him a thousand yuan to pay off the debt, the old house would be yours? And when the demolition came, did he ever come to cause trouble?"

Second Brother Fang froze, lowering his head in thought for a moment: "He was just crazy..."

"You!" Fang's mother, her hair now completely white, was filled with pain. She recalled the first time Fang Zhiyi had asked them to do something for him: to favor Liu Wu a little, saying he liked the boy. It wasn't until later, when Liu Wen and Liu Wu's troubles erupted, that the elder Fangs understood, even as slow as they were: clearly, their son had used their hands to set a trap for Hu Xiulian's family.

Meanwhile, in a city in the south, Fang Xiaolian pushed open a door and looked at the bare concrete room that was hers, her heart full of joy.

Suddenly, her phone rang. Fang Xiaolian glanced at the number and answered instantly: "Grandma!"

"Xiao Lian! Your father is gone!"

Fang Xiaolian's phone dropped to the ground.

That bastard—dead? How could he be dead?

Scenes from the past flashed through her mind. Fang Xiaolian couldn't believe that irresponsible man had actually died. He hadn't even waited for her to come back and slap him in the face—how could he die!

"Xiao Lian, come back and take one last look. As rotten as he was, he's still your father... Don't hate him anymore..." Her grandmother's voice came from the phone on the floor.

The air was dead silent.

After a long time, Fang Xiaolian murmured, "I don't hate him... I just don't understand. What did he really think of me? I just want to ask him—am I his daughter or not!"

That night, she had clearly stepped on her father's foot, but he hadn't woken up! He knew she was going to take the money! Otherwise, who would keep the household register and cash together?

For so many years, she had never asked Fang Zhiyi directly: back then, what had he truly wanted to do!

He had taught her how to do business, taught her how to fight back, even taught her the courage to run away. But why was he willing to stay in that village, stuck with those rotten people?

Fang Xiaolian couldn't figure it out.

And now, she would never know what had been going on in that man's mind.

"Serves you right! Serves you right!" Fang Xiaolian laughed hysterically, tears streaming down her face as she laughed. She was no longer the timid little girl of the past. When she had been cyberbullied and felt hopeless, Fang Zhiyi had stepped forward with those words that brought her back from the brink. More than once, she had wondered if her father had done it on purpose.

Even now, she had no definite answer. Not until she returned to that village, saw her elderly grandparents, and heard things she had never known before—then Fang Xiaolian was completely lost.

What kind of person was he, really? Did he love her or not?

Fang Xiaolian wept bitterly at her father's grave. This scene was caught by a reporter who had followed her, adding another shining touch to her public image.

"Wasn't I a pretty decent father?" Fang Zhiyi asked.

Xiaoxiaohei replied: "Host, I don't understand, but you really are quite the scumbag."

"Damn... I forgot you're an idiot. Oh, and next time you want me to die, give me a heads-up. I'd already pulled up my pants when you said 'it's almost time'!" Fang Zhiyi cursed.

Xiaoxiaohei nodded: "Got it, Host. Next time, I'll tell you a minute in advance. But the main body has sent word that the progress has reached eighty percent... Also, you've been here too long, and it's starting to affect you a little."

"Shut up, shut up. Let's go!"