I chatted with my mother for a while, until my father came back.
The first thing upon returning was to urgently summon me for an audience with the emperor.
In the study, I sat trembling in front of my father, feeling a chill down my spine. It wasn't actually because I was afraid that my father would fly into a rage and dismember me limb by limb after seeing those reports, it was just an ingrained habit from childhood. My father had little education, and his only belief was that a "good person will produce wealth", as a result, he would resort to domestic violence at the slightest provocation. Over time, whenever my father summoned me with a gloomy face, I would tremble all over.
Across from me, my father took a sip of tea and finally spoke in a deep voice, "Ning Ning, have you watched the television?"
I nodded like a little chicken pecking at rice.
"And what about that Ren Han? Have you made up with him?"
I touched my nose and hesitated for a moment. The tone of my father's words was like a leader having a heart-to-heart talk with a subordinate. Although I had complaints, I thought about it and reluctantly nodded again. We haven't made up yet, but it's only a matter of time. I could already foresee the unfortunate outcome in the future.
Avoiding Ren Han these past few days was just pretending to be a tortoise, fooling myself.
"Have you also met with Jiao Jiao?"
I nodded again.
Seeing my response, my father's expression twitched. A look of guilt called "a guilty conscience" flickered in his eyes. "...Well, did Jiao Jiao say anything to you?"
I was in a big dilemma. It wasn't surprising that my father knew I had met with Jiao Jiao since he was a Big Boss. Big Bosses always had their sources of information. But the content of my conversation with Jiao Jiao... Could it be that he had "ears" as well?
As I pondered whether to confess the shocking truth about Jiao Jiao or make up a random story, my father suddenly squinted cunningly, his eyes shining brightly in a narrow slit, "You... already know, don't you?"
After hearing those words, I was stunned for a moment, silently nodding in agreement. It seems that old habits die hard. It turns out that it wasn't just Ren Han who knew the truth; my dad might have already seen through the mysteries three years ago. Perhaps he didn't reveal it to avoid causing me distress, just like Demon King Ren—he was afraid of hurting me.
However, neither of them considered that discovering the truth for myself, unraveling it bit by bit, would be a thousand times more shocking than them telling me the truth!
I was about to speak up, intending to playfully complain to my dad, when suddenly he banged his head against the desk, his features contorting in pain. "I knew the truth couldn't be concealed, it couldn't be concealed..."
I stared at my dad in disbelief, and half a second later, I finally reacted and rushed to stop him, holding onto his arm, feeling a pang of heartache. I never expected that my father loved me so much that he would blame himself to this extent just because I knew the truth. I was about to comfort him when he grabbed me and burst into tears:
"Ning Ning, I didn't do it on purpose. I really didn't do it on purpose."
"I've been filled with self-blame and regret all these years. I often agonize so much that I can't sleep, only managing to get about ten hours of rest a day."
"I couldn't dare to tell anyone about this, not even your mother. It was so painful, so painful. That's why when I found out Bo Xi woke up, I was both shocked and delighted. But after the initial excitement, I discovered that he had lost his memories, and I was both delighted and shocked again. (Please note the order of shock and delight, it's not random.) To make up for my guilt towards him, I persuaded you to visit him. Ah~ I've wanted to find a confidant and reveal this secret for a long time."
My arm went numb from my dad's grip, and it took me a while to regain my composure before stammering, "Dad, Dad?"
From my dad's tone, it seems... that there were still some hidden details from the past? This... How much more shock am I going to experience? Could it be that back then, my dad's secret informant had already discovered the future son-in-law's questionable behavior, and upon learning that they were planning to elope, out of anger, my dad instructed his subordinates to tamper with the car, causing the accident?
I was so shocked that my toes clenched the ground, and I almost screamed, "Dad, didn't you know you're committing a crime?! A crime!"
Dad wailed while banging his head against the wall, "Damn it, it's all for your sake! Back then, when I bought the car for that boy Bo Xi, I never intended to do anything. It's all because Grandma happened to see that surveillance equipment, and out of curiosity to know how young people nowadays date, I... just..."
The more I listened, the more confused I became. I shook Dad's shoulders vigorously and said, "Dad! What are you trying to say? Make it clear!"
Dad pointed his finger and finally began to explain, "It's like this. When I bought the car for him, someone recommended a set of surveillance devices to me. It's like a walkie-talkie, but... only I could hear what the other side was saying. As long as I didn't press the microphone button, they couldn't hear me. I was just worried that you would be bullied by that boy, so I secretly installed it in the car. During idle times, I would listen to what you two were up to, and the result..."
Dad's voice lowered slightly as he hung his head, looking like an innocent baby confessing, "...the day Bo Xi and Jiao Jiao eloped, I happened to hear that scoundrel talking to Jiao Jiao. I got excited and shouted a few words through the microphone. Bo Xi, that coward, didn't expect to suddenly hear my voice in the car. He turned the steering wheel and... crashed."
"..."
If, at this moment, I were a saint, tears would well up in my eyes as I choked, "Dad, you violated their privacy rights. While Bo Xi didn't have the accident because of you, he lost his memory because of you. Let's go to the police station together now, and I'll wait for you outside."
If I were an evil cannon fodder, I would laugh maniacally at the sky three times and say, "Hahaha, it's fate, indeed fate! Dad, well done! It should have been done like this a long time ago."
If I were a little loli, I would nervously cling to Dad and say, "Oh no, what should we do? Dad, since Bo Xi has lost his memory and Jiao Jiao still has some feelings for me, let's just kill them to silence them."
However, in this situation, as a seasoned fujoshi who has read numerous melodramatic novels, I could only express my feelings with ellipses. Dad! Say, the previous revelations were all from the Queen of Truth, but you are the Emperor of Truth who surpasses all! The most thrilling and outrageous secret always remains as the final climax.
OTZ...
I really don't know how to describe my current state of confusion.
First, my love rival became my secret admirer, and now my dad is the mastermind behind the car accident (for such a ridiculous reason). This dramatic sequence of events, starting with Ren Han's affair, me catching them in the act, and ending with me uncovering the whole truth, has left me completely disoriented.
Finally, as I was standing there with tears streaming down my face, my dad's health and mana miraculously restored. He stood up, laughed loudly, and shouted, "I've come back to life with talent intact, Hahaha!"
He patted my shoulder and, before leaving, delivered one final blow: "Ning Ning, don't worry about me. I did some research three years ago, and violating someone's privacy can be settled with some money. It's my guilty conscience that torments me. Now that the secret is out, I feel relieved."
...After all that, it turns out my dad wasn't even having a conversation with me to reveal the truth. I was just a small part of his scheme.
This damn planet, I really can't stay here any longer! /(ㄒoㄒ)/...
------------------I heard that Jinjiang suddenly stopped using the code, and there was a dividing line of God-------------------
Miao: Ningning, I can't continue writing this story on Earth. If I leave it unfinished, people will track me down. Let's go to Mars together.
Me: No, haven't you seen that Earthlings are planning to conquer Mars recently? If we go there, we'll just end up being captured as extraterrestrials and be subject to experiments.
Miao: Meow, then what should we do?
Me: Naturally, we'll find a handsome, charming, wealthy, and talented Earth guy to settle down with... (the following thousand words are automatically omitted).
And so, on a certain day, in a certain month, I shamelessly kicked open Ren Han's hospital room door and confidently extended my claws, shouting, "Hand it over."
Ren Mowang was looking down at some documents. When he saw me approaching, he remained calm and leisurely, grinning and glancing at my plump figure. Leaning against the edge of the bed, he responded with a hint of satisfaction, "Hand what over?"
I gritted my teeth and mater-of-factly replied, "The ring." Since I had already reached the pinnacle of shamelessness, and recent excessive stimulation had made me not care about the shameless act of proposing and then retracting it, I shook my head and silently recited the prepared lines:
"Last time, I have reluctantly agreed to your proposal."
As I finished speaking, the room fell silent. Demon King Ren raised his deep and profound eyes, staring at me with flickering eyes, his thoughts unclear. I felt a cold sweat on my forehead, but I still maintained a fearless posture, straightening my back. I quietly calculated the countermeasures I had prepared in advance.
It's okay, really, it's okay.
If Ren Han dares to refuse, I'll say that I'm already yours, we've been living together for three months, I'm pregnant with your child, even Ultraman doesn't recognize me as his original owner anymore, and the television station has exposed our relationship. I won't be able to find another partner. Wait, wait, I'll come up with more reasons to leave him speechless.
I took a deep breath, ready to face Demon King Ren from all angles, but his response with just one word immediately silenced me.
He said, "Okay."
Okay?
I repeated that syllable in my mind once, then again, making sure it wasn't just "hao hao hao hao" (Chinese for "good, good, good, good"), but indeed an affirmation, a definite confirmation. Subconsciously, I tremblingly touched Demon King Ren's forehead.
"Are you sick?"
"Do you have a fever?"
"Did you develop a stomach ulcer and turn into a mental patient?"
After I finished speaking, the face of Demon King Ren turned darker and darker. After a long silence, he said in a low and deep voice, "So, are you going to marry or not?" His tone was undeniably gentle, but I still sensed a hint of coercion.
Thinking for a moment, I replied confidently, "Give me back my GV, and I'll marry you."
In truth, I had never given up on the GV. Despite my pleading, acting crazy, and throwing tantrums, Ren Han never mentioned the whereabouts of my mysteriously missing GV. However, I firmly believed that Ren loved me and would not truly destroy my precious collection that I had cherished for years.
The atmosphere in the room inexplicably grew heavy. I was determined to take a hard stance to show my resolve. I boldly declared, "This is my dowry. You hid it all. When I marry into the Ren family, your relatives will look down on me! >O<"
As soon as I finished speaking, I saw three dark lines appear on Ren Han's face, which must have been caused by the disgust I evoked in him. Despite that, he still maintained his composure.
"So, you've decided to use the GV as your entire dowry?"
"Yes, dear husband, you can rest assured. Once I marry into the family, I vow to train all the men to be receptive and all the women to be fujoshis."
Ren Han's fist tightened and loosened repeatedly. Finally, with his veins bulging from his restrained anger, he handed me the documents and said, "You should focus on improving your elementary Chinese language skills first. It would be better."
"Huh?" I took the documents and examined them carefully, only to realize that they were not from the journalism department, but the manuscript I had submitted to the boss for approval a few days ago.
"Why do you have my manuscript?"
Ren Han rubbed his temples and replied, "Li Ziru came to visit me this morning and brought your recent work. He kindly asked me to educate you a bit about elementary Chinese language. He wanted me to help you understand."
My mouth twitched as I held the manuscript, looking left and right. "Is there... any problem?" This piece was a soft article I wrote a few days ago, covering various aspects of a winery, including its history, geography, and corporate culture. I thought I did a good job at the time, feeling quite satisfied with myself.
Recently, I was being pursued too closely by paparazzi and didn't dare to go out, so I had to call the company and take a few days off. I thought the boss would be furious about it, but to my surprise, it was easily approved. Therefore, I never knew the feedback or suggestions for this manuscript. However, I never expected that the boss would bring it to show Ren Han. Could it be... that there was a serious professional mistake?
Seeing me scratching my head, Demon King Ren spoke with a cold and teacher-like tone, "Haven't you found the problem yet?"
I shook my head, and Demon King Ren gave me a look that said, "You're beyond help," snatching the document away and circling a sentence with a pen. I blinked my eyes, and the original meaning of that sentence was:
--- According to legend, after being enlightened by a great monk, the woman suddenly became enlightened. She found her way back and stayed at the foot of the mountain to brew wine using the secret techniques taught by the monk.
But what was written on the manuscript was actually:
--- According to legend, after being defiled by a great monk, the woman suddenly became enlightened. She found her way back and stayed at the foot of the mountain to brew wine using the secret techniques taught by the monk.
In an instant, I realized... I had walked right into the trap.
MiraiSaesang's notes: LOL Her father.... Her parents are just golden!😅