Qiming Chapter 32

Chapter 32

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Tang Zhihai sat in the VIP lounge of the airport, dragging a silver suitcase behind him. The flight from Nanpu to Beijing had been announced half an hour ago.

"Mr. Tang Zhihai, please proceed to gate sixty-three, flight MU5123 to Beijing Capital International Airport is about to depart." He sat in his seat, staring into space, indifferent even as the plane actually took off.

He had no desire to go to an unfamiliar city, even less to leave the daughter he had just found, even though she had no idea of his existence, and they had never exchanged more than a few words.

In his youth, he had been a carefree playboy, handsome and suave, frequenting bars and nightclubs, and having fleeting affairs with numerous women whose names he never bothered to learn. At thirty, he suddenly wanted to settle down and start a family, to have a son and a daughter, but an accident had taken away his ability to father children forever.

Everyone who knew him knew he loved children and wanted his own. So, when this dream was shattered, his entire life collapsed. The girlfriend he had planned to marry left him, and for the next decade and more, he lived with the various after-effects and resentment from the accident.

He walked to the smoking area, lit a cigarette, and watched the smoke rings rise and dissipate. From an inner pocket of his backpack, he took out a concert ticket for a seat in the second to last row. He had wanted a front-row ticket but never managed to get one. He wasn't good at the transactions young people used, relying only on ticket release websites to snatch one when they became available.

Squinting at the night sky with its constant stream of planes, he noted the rain had stopped, and the stars were twinkling, the lights dazzling. The airport bustled with people, while he sat alone until dawn.

The first time those police officers came to the company, he paid extra attention. A few days earlier, he had heard from human resources that the police were collecting lists of new employees from the past few years, and he panicked, quickly buying an out-of-town ticket, planning to flee.

How had he been discovered? Because of the impulsive threatening letter he had sent?

Extinguishing his cigarette, he lay on the lounge chair, looking at the stars outside. When that police officer named Gu had visited the company yesterday, he sensed his time was up. If he hadn't accidentally noticed Guan Jianhua tailing Xiao Man a month ago, he might never have realised what Cao Yan was doing or fallen into crime step by step.

Closing his eyes, he remembered the first time he saw Xiao Man. She was singing a quiet song on a TV show, her eyes full of joy. Her large, round eyes resembled his own, and people often said they were destined for romantic entanglements. He couldn't look away once he saw them.

He longed for a child so much that her voice, her face, her smile filled him with ecstasy, like the morning sun illuminating every desolate corner of his heart.

She was the continuation of his life, a lost treasure regained, rekindling his passion and hope.

—————

Siping Stadium. The concert stage was already set up, and the criminal investigation team had stationed personnel at every entrance and exit. Around seven o'clock, Gu Yunfeng received a report that Tang Zhihai, wearing a hat and a grey T-shirt, had entered early.

He hadn't fled after all, risking everything to see his daughter's concert.

"Should we act now, Captain Gu?"

"Let's wait a bit longer." He stood on the stands facing the main stage, his figure straight, his expression calm.

Watching the growing crowd, he suddenly changed his mind. Tang Zhihai must have wanted to watch his child grow up, but unfortunately, that was never going to happen. He had missed over a decade of Yuan Man's life, and nothing could make up for that.

Just like the shattered family he had after his sister left, some losses could only be accepted.

In his mind, he saw the blank photo album, which belonged not only to the girl with a missing childhood but also to the indelible scars on his palms.

He made up his mind to let Tang Zhihai see her one last time.

Gu Yunfeng walked slowly down the steps of the stands towards the inner area, passing through the crowd and watching the neon lights light up one by one with his steps.

He soon spotted Tang Zhihai's back. This nearly fifty-year-old man sat in the second-to-last row of the inner area, leaning forward, staring intently at the empty stage. Compared to the young boys and girls around him, he looked out of place, even somewhat comical.

His face was painted with the fan support design of AIR, he was holding his hat and a glow stick, and had a small custom-made light board on his head that was made by the fans. He sat there quietly, his face full of expectation, like a typical parent waiting to watch their child's school performance.

Gu Yunfeng stood behind him, bent down, and gently patted his shoulder. "Tang Zhihai, is it?"

This gentle yet weathered man turned to look at him, frozen in place. The fear in his eyes quickly gave way to calm resignation. He dropped his glow stick, bent down to pick it up, and took out a tissue to wipe it.

"Gu Yunfeng from Jinping Public Security Bureau, we've met." Gu Yunfeng flashed his badge and sat next to him, starting an extraordinary conversation with a calm demeanour. "You are a major suspect in the cases of Guan Jianhua and Cao Yan's murders, please come with us."

Then he whispered, "I came alone to avoid causing a commotion."

"Police are stationed at every exit. Think about it, if you try to run, what will be tomorrow's top entertainment news?"

He couldn't run, nor could he make a scene.

This was his only weakness. He couldn't let anyone uncover Yuan Man's past or have her life ruined by the mistakes of her parents, making headlines that could destroy her future.

Tang Zhihai took a deep breath and smiled wryly. From the moment he was suspected, he had no way out and had lost everything.

He quietly extended his hands, watching as the cold handcuffs clamped around his wrists.

Looking around, not many people noticed this small anomaly. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, grateful that no curious reporters were nearby.

No matter what happened to him, as long as Yuan Man's concert went on undisturbed and her future remained happy and fulfilling, it was all that mattered.

He turned around and saw the giant countdown appear at the centre of the stage. Small fireworks shot into the night sky as four dancing girls emerged from pumpkin carriages from the east, west, south, and north. When the countdown reached zero, a heavenly ladder descended from above, and Yuan Man, like a little white fairy, appeared with wings on her back, wearing a pure white tulle dress.

Everyone began to cheer, and Tang Zhihai joined in. He gazed at the unreachable fireworks, his handcuffed wrists between the cold metal, tears welling up in his eyes.

—————

Three police cars sped along the elevated highway. Gu Yunfeng and Tang Zhihai sat in the back seat of the middle car, Siping Stadium getting farther and farther away, the cheers and music gradually fading.

Tang Zhihai leaned against the car window, looking back, the entire stadium reflected in his eyes, growing smaller and smaller until it became a dot. He pressed his face against the window glass, watching the passing streetlights.

"How did you find me?"

"You went to the Xingyu Orphanage and left the name of your former workplace," Gu Yunfeng hesitated but answered truthfully.

"Ah... yes, that did happen, a year ago." Tang Zhihai lowered his head with a bitter smile, covering his face with one hand while the other was handcuffed to the partition.

"Mr. Tang," Gu Yunfeng called to him. "I still have a few questions. How did you get in touch with Cao Yan?"

"It's quite ironic" he leaned back in the car with the sirens blaring. "She contacted me using a public phone, asking if Xiao Man was our daughter."

"I didn't expect her to have such a scheme in mind, so I said yes." He rubbed his temples. "I made many mistakes when I was young, did many wrong things. I only found out about Cao Yan's crimes during the trial." He laughed at himself. "Only then did I realise she was married. It felt like I had been deceived."

"That night, I knocked her out and put her in the river. I wasn't sure if she would die..." He paused, looking at the red and blue lights flashing on the car window. "So, she really did die?"

"Yes," Gu Yunfeng nodded.

"Then it must be heaven's will." Everything he did seemed to be terribly wrong yet somewhat understandable. Even he didn't know what the right choices would have been if he had another chance.

His only regret was that he would hardly see Xiao Man in the future. He might spend the rest of his life in prison, unable to protect her. He closed his eyes, leaning his head against the car window, listening to the wind howling past and imagining his daughter one day falling in love, getting married, and standing on an even bigger stage.

Reflecting on his life over the past year, at least every day was filled with hope. His greatest anticipation was Xiao Man coming to the company, and his biggest frustration was her struggling at work while he felt helpless. But the future always looked bright as long as he could deal with those evil people for her, clear away the stumbling blocks, and ignore the relentless media hounds constantly eyeing her...

Screech–

There was a sudden screech of brakes.

Tang Zhihai jolted awake, his eyes wide open, body trembling.

The police car continued to drive normally, but he remembered something important and grabbed Gu Yunfeng's wrist, urgently asking, "Officer Gu, when I go back with you to the station, what awaits me?"

"Detention followed by transfer to the prosecutor's office, and then trial by the court," Gu Yunfeng replied, startled by his sudden action.

"Will I have to stand in court and recount everything during the trial? Will there be reporters present?" Before Gu Yunfeng could answer, Tang Zhihai shook his head with a bitter smile and said quietly, "Then Xiao Man's past will still come out."

"It won't be a public trial, and you can choose to remain silent," Gu Yunfeng said calmly, realising his concern. "However, your defence lawyer, the prosecutor, and..." everyone involved in the case, no one can guarantee they will keep this heavy and bitter secret. The person at the centre of this secret isn't just anyone but a rising star. It contains too much explosive news and eye-catching intrigue."

"I understand." He sighed heavily, "I always wanted a child, to be a good father."

"But I'm not a good father." Saying this, he felt a piercing pain, his eyes reddening, his voice low and halting, "I didn't watch her grow up, didn't protect her, and even brought her these troubles."

Her childhood was tough, having no family and being bullied.

Seen as a sin at birth, she tried hard to escape her past, only to be found by her biological mother.

"I'm not a good father." Tang Zhihai covered his face with his hands, tears streaming down the next second. Silent tears flowed through his rough fingers, into his aching yet soft heart.

"I hope she can escape the shadows of the past, have a clean background, and a beautiful life..."

He suddenly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes filled with struggle and endurance, "Please, Officer Gu, let this part of the past go to hell with me."

"She will never know, never know she had such disgraceful parents."

Before finishing his words, he gritted his teeth and broke his thumb joint. With a crisp cracking sound, he wrenched his hand out of the handcuff. Amidst intense pain, he struggled to push open the car door and tumbled out from the speeding police car.

The next second, a speeding truck roared by, followed by a dull thud. A winding trail of blood streaked across the highway. Tang Zhihai lay in the middle of the overpass, looking at the sickle-shaped moon in the night sky, his breath gradually fading.

Ten kilometres away at the Siping Stadium, Yuan Man, in a white dress, stood at the centre of the stage. The glow sticks of various colours below and the starry sky above merged into one, resembling fireflies dancing across the hills.

"I want to sing a song for the person who loves me the most." She wore a sparkling wedding dress under the starlit sky, a tear falling from her left eye. Like a bride-to-be, like a lover from a past life, she stood on tiptoe and asked softly: Who is the one who loves me the most?

—————

The author has something to say:

Dedicated to writing heart-warming stories, wu wu wu.

The next chapter will have a princess hug, really.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: July 8, 2024 by Angel

Edited: August 20, 2024 by Angel