Bang!
Anson was caught off guard, his balance instantly disrupted. He didn't try to control himself but let the force throw him out, attempting to create distance and regain some stability.
However, Jake's emotions were surging, in a state of eruption. The performance flowed seamlessly as he took a stride forward, catching Anson's fall and grabbing his collar.
His fist rose high.
His eyes were wide with fury, anger unleashed.
"I'm going to kill you."
"Damn it!"
"I'm going to kill you!"
The fist never landed, but his left hand tightly gripped Anson's neck, squeezing tighter and tighter. Jake's face turned completely red, but behind the anger, there was despair, his eyes quietly filling with tears.
Pain and struggle.
The initiative completely shifted to Jake, who overturned the situation with a physical attack, instantly turning the tide.
Anson was in a sorry state.
His hands gripped Jake's left hand, the veins in his arms and neck bulging. He gasped for pitiful breaths of air through the gaps.
"Calm down."
"Jake, calm down!"
Huffing and puffing, Anson took deep breaths as Jake released his left hand, looking at Anson and then his own hands in shock.
Disbelief.
Stumbling, Jake crawled backward, creating distance. He looked at his own hands in panic and fear, his stomach churning, on the verge of vomiting. Catching a glimpse of Anson in his peripheral vision, he moved further back, wanting to get away from the murderer.
The entire classroom was silent—
They could see Anson's distress, gasping for air and coughing uncontrollably. They could also see Jake's fear, afraid of being blinded by hatred and becoming a murderer.
One second, two seconds.
Silence filled the air, a suffocating silence.
Anson finally caught his breath and looked up at Jake, emotions flickering in his eyes. Then he closed them in pain. "Don't be like me."
Jake's heart clenched, and he looked up at Anson.
Anson kept his eyes closed in pain. "Don't let hatred blind you. I... I didn't want to... But once you take that step, there's no turning back."
Jake didn't approach, instead feeling a sense of danger. He instinctively took another half step back. "What... what are you saying?"
Silently, the initiative returned to Anson.
Anson, eyes half-closed, lowered his gaze, paused briefly, and then dropped the bombshell without hesitation. "Actually, your father killed your mother."
Buzz.
It was so shocking, so sudden, that there was no audible explosion. Only a roar remained in their minds, the world fading to white.
Even Anson himself felt it—
In utter despair and pain, he closed his eyes, even feeling the agony in his breath.
Jack was stunned.
But Jack's gaze suddenly flashed with a murderous intent. "You're full of lies. You killed her too. There's no need to make ridiculous excuses for yourself."
"No..." Anson gently shook his head, his shoulders slumping powerlessly.
There was no defense, no emphasis, but the truth in his actions and expressions was more convincing than any words.
Gasp!
The sound of people inhaling sharply filled the air, and some even closed their eyes, unable to continue watching.
Jack couldn't believe it.
He was in denial, "No, no! You're lying!"
Jack was enraged again and pounced on Anson like a tiger, pinning Anson's shoulders down. Surprisingly, Anson didn't resist, as if surrendering without a fight.
Jack went mad.
"It was you who killed her! It was you!"
Again and again.
Over and over.
Jack shouted, but Anson didn't respond. He just quietly looked at Jack, his eyes so calm and serene, letting Jack vent his emotions while his body was shaken like a rag doll.
But his eyes said it all.
It became a one-man show for Jack, but all eyes were still fixed on Anson. His silence, his surrender seemed to be the best response, silently proving the truth of his words.
The silence, like an invisible hand, slowly pulled Jack down.
Jack's voice grew smaller, swallowed by despair, until it turned into a murmur, as if trying to convince himself,
"It was you..."
That sadness, that pain, that struggle, was destroying Jack.
At that moment, it was unclear whether it was more terrifying that his uncle had killed his mother, or that his father had killed his mother.
But if it was truly his father, and his uncle only killed his father to avenge his mother, then would everything he believed in crumble?
Jack couldn't bear it.
"It was you... it was you..."
Jack continued to mumble, but the strength in his hands had long since faded, leaving only an empty shell.
And what about Anson?
Anson watched Jack the entire time, his eyes so clear, so certain, and so innocent, giving Jack the entire stage, yet quietly controlling the rhythm. Just as the audience's attention shifted to Jack, Anson suddenly delivered a heavy blow.
Using his abdominal muscles, Anson lifted his upper body.
Anson leaned slightly toward Jack, his eyes showing a hint of pity and sympathy, his lips curling up, revealing a cold and cruel smile in an instant.
"Since you already know the truth, it's a pity, but I have to kill you to silence you."
Jack: What?
Everyone: What?
In the previous second, everyone was convinced by Anson, shocked by the truth, with sorrow and despair spreading.
The next second—
Suddenly!
Anson grabbed Jack's neck with both hands, using his core strength to sit up straight. With a forward roll, he reversed their positions, taking control from above. His eyes showed a cruel smile, his lips curled slightly, and you could almost hear the laughter building up.
Bang.
Just like that, like thunder on a clear day, the emotional trajectory was completely altered, connecting all the emotions from the first glance in the first scene, sending chills down everyone's spine, leaving the entire room in a stunned silence.
Jack, caught off guard, had no idea this would happen.
Uh.
Jack grasped Anson's wrists, his brain shutting down entirely, only able to resist, passively resist, using all his strength to physically fight back, trying to turn the situation around, but how could that be easy?
Anson, from above, gazed coldly into Jack's eyes—
"How did you find out?"
Jack's mind went blank. He tried to respond, but his resistance occupied his mind so much that he couldn't think clearly, completely overwhelmed and passive.
Anson, however, was different. He had Jack firmly under control, leaned in slightly, then whispered in Jack's ear.
"Shh. Close your eyes and sleep."
"Just sleep, Jack. When you wake up, everything will be fine."
"Hmm... hmm... twinkle, twinkle, little star..."
Anson really began to softly hum a lullaby into Jack's ear. Jack's struggle and resistance, in the face of Anson's calmness and indifference, created an unbelievable visual and auditory impact, gripping the throats of everyone present.
Chilling.