Lee Mingyun carefully analyzed that photograph.
In that photograph, two people could be distinguished who at first glance seemed familiar, like a mother and son. Both had short black hair, highlighting their similarity, but what caught the most attention were their pink eyes, which gave the image an almost hypnotic beauty...
It was at that moment when a weak voice interrupted his thoughts. — Bring it — Xie Ju's grandmother ordered.
Complying with the director's order, Lee Mingyun dropped the photo and quickly took everything he could from the safe, including the photograph, carrying it towards where Xie Ju and his grandmother were.
Lee Mingyun put the things he had picked up on the floor next to Xie Ju and the director.
With Xie Ju's help, Grandma Xie barely managed to sit up (still in pain) to examine the things Lee Mingyun brought from his safe.
The director searched frantically among the objects, throwing guns and ammunition aside as if it were not important, until she very delicately took a photo; Lee Mingyun realized that it was the same image he had been looking at recently.
The director looked at the photo for a few moments, her eyes suddenly turned red and watery, and then she passed the image to Xie Ju and said between sobs — Xie Ju watches carefully — she indicated to him to point out the woman in the photo. — This is Xie Jie, your mother — she said and then pointed to the youngest in the photo. — And this is Tang Zhenyu, your older brother. — The director's voice was weak but yearning as if she were presenting two people in the flesh. and it was not simply a photo; except that I pronounce the last name "Tang", I pronounce it with a grimace as if that last name brought back bad memories.
Xie Ju felt perplexed by those words, blinking repeatedly. — Grandma, what does this mean? — she asked her grandmother for clarification. — You don't usually talk about my mother, you only told me that she died during childbirth. —
On the other hand, Lee Mingyun was no better than Xie Ju, but not because of the director's words but rather because her pink system told her that the first objective is unlocked and his name was Tang Zhenyu.
Thus, now not only one, but two girls were looking attentively at the director, eager to get answers.
Director Xie let out a long sigh to calm her crying — It's a long and painful story, honey — she began to tell — It all started when your mother was still in school, and her friends introduced her to your miserable father... —
Suddenly, Xie Ju interrupted her — A father I know absolutely nothing about —
— It's because your father wasn't a good man, he wasn't even decent — Grandma Xie explained, tenderly shaking her granddaughter's hand to console her before continuing speaking. — Your mother fell in love with Tang Lei when she was sixteen years old, he was her first love and the only one she had. She was an obedient and good girl, with your grandfather he said she was his "little pink princess" because of the color of her eyes, her eyes were bright pink, let me tell you that her only mistake was falling in love with a miserable man like Tang Lei — He Grandma Xie's face wrinkled every time she pronounced the name "Tang Lei" — At first everything seemed like a fairy tale, and your mother only spoke wonders about him, saying that he was romantic, chivalrous, in short the perfect man. However, I always had a bad feeling about that man, I warned her about him, I told her that it was not suitable for her and that she better leave him, but your mother turned out to be a fool when it comes to love, and she refused. Her love for him was so strong that when they finished school and he proposed to her, she accepted immediately. Then I knew that she had already made a decision, and it turned out to be the worst decision she could have made...—Grandma Xie stopped talking and stared at the wall, with tears in her eyes, it seemed as if she were remembering something and accidentally squeezing his granddaughter's hand tightly.
— ¡Oh! — Xie Ju screamed in pain the moment he felt the strength with which his grandmother squeezed his hand.
Seeing her granddaughter's pained reaction, Grandma Xie loosened her grip to gently caress her cheek. — I'm sorry, honey, it's just that telling you this brings back painful memories — she explained before continuing with the story. — As I said, the worst My daughter's decision was to marry the hateful Tang Lei. They fled to another city to get married and form their own home because they knew that neither my husband nor I would accept that marriage. Once they got married, Tang Lei finally showed her true nature. He was an abuser who mistreated Xie Jie both physically and psychologically, and not only that, but he was also unfaithful to her several times— he said, looking at his granddaughter — But the worst of all is that he was a very cunning manipulator; because even though Xie Jie had already known Tang Lei's true face, she decided to stay because she was pregnant with her first child. However, she did not stay because she still loved him, but out of fear, since he promised that if she left, he would take away custody of the child and she would never be able to see him.—
Xie Ju was terrified by what she heard when she found out what kind of person her supposed "father" was, whom she had never met — Grandma, do you mean...? — before she finished speaking she was interrupted by her grandmother.
—Listen to me, Xie Ju! That scoundrel Tang Lei emotionally blackmailed your mother with her first child, and I couldn't do anything because she never told me about her situation. And since they lived in another city, far from here, and I only found out years later about everything he suffered, unfortunately it was too late... — he expressed melancholy, with his eyes reddened by tears —With the arrival of Tang Zhenyu to home, Tang Lei seemed to have transformed into a new man, a decent man. Your mother truly believed that he had changed and gave him a new opportunity, but his change only lasted a couple of months, then he returned to his old self, but now he was not only mistreating your mother but also your brother. Three years later, you were born, and although your birth should have been a moment of happiness, that day turned out to be the saddest for the entire family.—
Xie Ju felt uneasy upon hearing her mother's terrifying experiences — What happened? —I asked, anxious and terrified to know more about that day. He only knew that his mother had died giving birth to him, and after that he had no other information.
—That afternoon, I received a call from the hospital informing me that Xie Jie had been admitted with multiple bruises and in critical condition, and with the possibility of losing her baby—Grandma Xie told her between sobs —Your grandfather and I, full of fear , we did not hesitate to take the first flight to be by your side. Upon arriving at the hospital, the doctor revealed to us that Xie Jie had been brought by an ambulance and not by Tang Lei. At that moment, I lost my sanity; The despicable Tang Lei had not been by her side when she needed him most, at that moment, I realized her marriage was not as perfect as she described it in the letters she sent us. Seeing my daughter's condition, I worried about my grandson Zhenyu, who was very similar to your mother, I asked your grandfather to go find the child and also take Tang Lei to answer for my daughter's condition. But your grandfather never came back, so I called the authorities; It turned out that Tang Lei had killed your grandfather and had run away with Tang Zhenyu, taking many valuable things — at this point Xie Ju was already crying on his grandmother's shoulders, who gently stroked his back in a way of comfort — Your mother could not survive childbirth and died giving birth to you; Tang Lei was captured by the police a few days later in another city, but he no longer had your brother by his side... — he remained silent for a moment, remembering everything he had lost, to continue — He admitted to having murdered him. his own son and was sentenced to several years in prison. However, even if he pays for his crimes, that won't give me back what I lost because of him—
Grandma Xie and her granddaughter Xie Ju clung to each other, crying and finding comfort in each other's presence.
But without a doubt, Xie Ju was the one who was most hurt, feeling deep sadness for everything her mother had suffered with that man, whom she could not even call her father. Furthermore, a persistent guilt was beginning to torment him, he questioned whether his existence had contributed to all of this happening.
Maybe if he hadn't gotten pregnant with her, he wouldn't have ended up in the hospital; and neither his grandfather nor his brother would have died. But most of all he blamed Tang Lei for all the misfortunes that had happened to his family.
On the other hand, Lee Mingyun just stood by, listening to the conversation between grandmother and granddaughter, after all, she had no right to participate in that conversation, much less if both people were crying, only they could comfort each other. knowing that the pain was shared, and for her it was better to stay out of it.
The Lee Mingyun statue: If I don't move, they don't see me.....ʕ( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)ʔ
The moment of comfort between Grandma Xie and her granddaughter was suddenly broken by a cry of pain from Grandma Xie, who already had a face as pale as a ghost.
Xie Ju stopped crying the moment he saw his grandmother complaining of pain — Granny! — I exclaim in despair
—I asked you to do me two favors, didn't I? — Grandma Xie questioned her granddaughter, urging her to remember — But in reality, they cannot be considered favors, rather, they are two promises that I want you to keep; that is my last wish —
—Wu, wu, wuuu~...— Xie Ju whimpered —Please, granny, don't say that; I already told you that you will live—
— Honey, don't give me false hope — said Grandma Xie, complaining of pain again, scaring her granddaughter — The first promise I ask of you is that you take care of your life. I want you to live a long time, Xie Ju; and with these undead monsters appearing, you must adapt to this new world. Live well, my dear granddaughter, and do not repeat the same mistakes as your mother, do not be too naive or you could end up like her —
—I promise I will say everything you tell me, granny, but don't leave me— Xie Ju held his grandmother on his lap, with his hands on the part of the bullet wound, wanting to prevent her from bleeding more, but that It was not possible, the blood continued to flow and stained his tender hands in the process. In the end he could only watch helplessly as his grandmother lost more and more blood.
—The second promise I want you to keep is that you find a new home, you have to start your own family, after all there is only you and me left, but now that I'm leaving; You will be left alone, Xie Ju. Therefore, find your own home— Grandma Xie said with a soft and raspy voice, seeming to lack the energy to speak.
Xie Ju was stunned by the promise that her grandmother wanted her to keep. — Grandma, do you want me to look for a boyfriend after what you just told me? — she asked with tears in her eyes, feeling completely indignant.
Grandma Xie smiled softly, but her smile actually looked like a grimace due to the pain she was feeling. — No, my child. What you need is not a boyfriend, you need to find a group of friends, I know that before I scared away everyone who approached you, but I was afraid that the same thing would happen to you as your mother — Grandma Xie's voice seemed to speak every time. weaker and weaker, to the point that it seemed like just simple whispers — But now I know that I can't always protect you, that's why I hope you can find sincere friends, those who will help you in any situation without thinking twice, who you can always count on. , loyal friends, like that blonde girl here — she said, pointing her trembling finger at Lee Mingyun, while the blonde pointed at herself, formulating a "Me? Really? He didn't want me here recently" — Because even though you only became friends today, she decided to help you look for me. My little Ju, I think this time you found a real friend, I just hope you can find more people like her — feeling her eyes heavy, Grandma Xie slowly closed her eyes, knowing that this was her end.
"The only thing I want is for you to live a good life" was Grandma Xie's last thought as she finally closed her eyes and stopped breathing...
—Granny? Granny! — called Xie Ju, full of anxiety, while hugging her grandmother tightly in desperation —Wu, wu, wu~...Granny! "Don't leave me" — he said, clinging to his only family member in this world.
On the other hand, Lee Mingyun felt confused. Xie Ju's grandmother had claimed that Tang Zhenyu was dead, so how could he be the first target of capture?
It was at that moment that system 0010980 interrupted its internal battle —Attention, hostess; The past of the first target has been unlocked, so he will be given a reward—he said in his usual squeaky voice—Also, from now on, you can observe the profile of the first target: Tang Zhenyu—
If this had happened recently, Lee Mingyun would have jumped with happiness and quickly accessed the profile of the first object, but seeing Xie Ju crying while hugging the corpse of her deceased grandmother, she couldn't feel happy. With a long sigh, he whispered to the system — I'll look at it later — and then approached her friend to hug her from behind, in comfort.
Needless to say, Xie Ju leaned on her friend, crying uncontrollably, while the blonde gently stroked her hair. — Don't worry, Juju, she's in a better place now — she whispered sweetly.
Xie Ju cried for hours before falling asleep in the comforting embrace of her friend.
Lee Mingyun, noticing that his friend had fallen asleep in his arms and that they were beginning to go numb from the weight, had no choice but to gently lay her down on the floor.
He felt sad about everything Xie Ju's family had to go through. Although he could not understand the pain of losing someone dear to him, he did feel deep sorrow for Xie Ju, managing to empathize with his situation. At first, he had approached her at the insistence of the pink system, but he ended up developing a certain affection towards Xie Ju.
Which leads him to wonder if Tang Zhenyu was alive, according to what Xie Ju's grandmother said he died, if that was true, why would the system give him the mission to prevent the blackening of a dead person? Unless it was a walking dead...
He shuddered at that idea.
That didn't seem to be entirely correct, it was almost impossible for a dead person to revive, excluding zombies, but that was just a theory. His second theory is that he is actually still alive but if that is correct, then how did he survive? That would have to find out from Tang Zhenyu's profile that was given by the system.
And if he was still alive, maybe he could reunite her with her sister, Xie Ju.
Since the young black-haired girl had recently lost her grandmother and was devastated, maybe if she knew that she still had a family in this world, she wouldn't be so sad. With that in mind, she promised herself that she would reunite both brothers, Tang Zhenyu and Xie Ju, in the hope that it could bring her happiness.
Even, in some way, maybe Xie Ju is important in preventing Tang Zhenyu's blackening.....
But to fulfill his promise and carry out the mission, he first needed to locate Tang Zhenyu and confirm if he was still alive. With those thoughts in mind, he headed to the pink system. — Now that I'm free, show me Tang Zhenyu's profile and then let's talk about the reward that has been given to me. —
System 0010980 only nodded to tell him, — Close your eyes — he ordered.
Lee Mingyun looked at him suspiciously, and then did what the system ordered, he closed his eyes.
Suddenly an image appeared before his eyes. In it was a boy who looked extremely familiar: it was Tang Zhenyu, but in this image he was already a young man and not a child. Even so, similar features could be recognized, such as the intense pink color of her eyes. Furthermore, he had left childhood behind; His face had lost the roundness of a baby and was now more symmetrical and defined, with a sharp jaw and thick eyebrows.
If in the photo as a child I had considered him cute, in this image he could be described as handsome and attractive.
And he still had that something that attracted people, as if hypnotizing them.....
After the image the following information appeared:
Capture Target No. 1: Tang Zhenyu
Age: 18 years
Hair Color: Black
Eye color: Bright pink
Status: Alive
Family:
Tang Lei - Father (In Prison)
Xie Jie – Mother (Deceased)
Xie Ju – Younger Sister (Live)
Ou Xia – Maternal Grandmother (Recently Deceased)
Xie Hao – Maternal Grandfather (Deceased)
History:
Tang Zhenyu's birth became a tool for his father to completely subjugate his mother, who lived under the constant threat of losing custody if she dared to rebel or think about running away with the child.
Since he was just a baby, Tang Zhenyu was a victim of abuse from his father, a tyrannical man who mistreated both him and his mother, who, despite being docile and fearful, always offered him her love.
Not only was he an abusive father, but he also had extramarital affairs, cheating on his mother repeatedly, and when she dared to protest, he cruelly beat her until she fainted.
His mother had tried to escape with him on several occasions, but, for some reason, his father always managed to track her down, and every time he found them, he and his mother received severe punishment.
When Tang Zhenyu was barely two years old and had begun to walk, he accidentally entered his parents' room (which was open), only to find his father having sex with one of his many lovers. Tang Lei, angry at the intrusion, in his moment of rage tried to suffocate the child, but his mother arrived at the last moment to save him, but he paid a high price, since his father not only attacked his mother, but also her sexual assault.
As a result of that event, his mother became pregnant, Tang Zhenyu, without knowing that his father raped his mother due to her innocence, was happy because he would have a little sister; and he promised to protect her at all costs.
One day, when his mother was a few days away from giving birth, his father came home more furious than usual, since one of his lovers was demanding alimony from him, since it turned out that she was pregnant. That day, her mother accidentally burned some of the food, which provoked her father's anger even more so he attacked her with all his strength.
Even though Tang Zhenyu was just a child, he had vowed to protect his sister, so he bravely stepped in between it, which resulted in his father directing his anger at him.
Meanwhile, his mother managed to escape in search of help, but she did not get very far with the blows she suffered, and she fainted in the street; A couple passing by decided to call the ambulance, however, Xie Jie arrived in critical condition, so much so that only one of them could save herself or the baby, Xie Jie chose the baby.
This event led to his maternal grandparents coming to see his mother; Grandma Xie, worried about her grandson, decided to send her husband to look for him. When Grandpa Xie arrived at his daughter's house and saw his only grandson being mistreated, he confronted Tang Lei. He was not far behind and took a knife to fight; but due to Grandpa Xie's advanced age he found himself at a disadvantage, allowing Tang Lei to emerge victorious and stab him several times, until Grandpa Xie finally ended up dead.
Once the old man was no longer a problem, Tang Lei fled with his son, taking with him all the money saved and various valuables from the house.
However, when they were fleeing, Tang Lei realized that he had made a mistake by taking his son, thinking that it would only be a burden and an extra expense, he decided to kill him, so he took him to a forest outside the city and He hit him with such brutality that he thought he had died, not knowing that the boy had only fainted due to the pain. An hours later a person found Tang Zhenyu... .... ... .... ...??
.....?????????
.....????
Lee Mingyun was so engrossed in her reading until, suddenly, she came across several periods and question marks, she opened her eyes to look at the system 0010980—Pink, what's wrong? Why can't I read anything anymore?—I ask, visibly confused.
—It's because you only unlocked a part of his past; If you want to access the rest, you must locate the target, that is, find Tang Zhenyu—system 0010980 explained fluttering.
Lee Mingyun nodded at the system's explanation and asked — But how can I locate Tang Zhenyu? —
—You can locate it through the target's profile, there is a function called "search" that will help you track the target—the system responded
Lee Mingyun nodded, only to close his eyes again and find the profile of the first target. He entered the "Search" option but nothing appeared, so he opened his eyes again.
When her eyes opened, she was amazed to see a bright pink thread that was tied to the wrist of her right hand. She didn't know where she was going, but she did know that her destination was Tang Zhenyu.