After The Honest Person Was Discovered For Simultaneously Pursuing Three People - Chapter 82

Chapter 82: I Want You to Kiss Me

Tao Ning waited for a moment. When Song Yucong saw he wasn’t moving, he turned around and frowned. “What are you standing there for?”

“I haven’t put on my glasses yet.”

Song Yucong pursed his lips and stared at Tao Ning for a moment. He remembered that Tao Ning wasn’t wearing his glasses when he left the Song family, but as soon as he returned, he would put on that rustic pair again. Those two pairs of glasses felt like they were made of expensive materials. How could this poor bumpkin afford them?

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and he asked with a cold face, “Did Zhao Jingqun give you those broken glasses?”

The question created a ripple in Tao Ning’s heart, but his expression remained calm. He considered Song Yucong’s mood, thinking that they were about to go to the mourning hall. He knew Song Yucong wouldn’t be feeling well, so it was better to just go along with him.

Tao Ning took a different route in his response: “Yeah… pretty much. My sister entrusted him to take care of me. If my glasses are gone, he’ll buy me another pair.”

Song Yucong knew about Tao Ning’s family situation and that Zhao Jingqun was looking after Tao Ning because of his sister. His expression instantly improved, but he still glared at him. “Those broken glasses are so ugly. You’re not allowed to wear them.”

“…Okay.”

Feeling helpless against Song Yucong, Tao Ning obediently followed him. At the same time, he secretly examined himself. He felt he wasn’t like this before; he used to say whatever was on his mind. Based on his usual personality, he should have just said a blunt “yes” and let Song Yucong think what he wanted.

Have I also learned to be evasive? Tao Ning was a little puzzled, wondering if this change in himself was a good thing or a bad thing, or perhaps, if he only behaved this way toward certain people…

Outside, it was no exaggeration to describe the scene as a sea of people.

Looking out, it was a solid mass of people in black, some sobbing behind their hands, some laughing. Most people’s expressions, however, were like Song Yucong’s—calm and emotionless. As for whether the calmness was real or fake, Tao Ning couldn’t tell. He could only follow Song Yucong’s lead.

From a distance, Song Rongguo stood at the front of the mourning hall, talking to people. Song Heng was not in sight, so Tao Ning guessed he had gone to receive guests.

After that nightmare the other night, Tao Ning felt a genuine aversion to seeing Song Heng. It was better that he wasn’t there. He looked around but couldn’t find the person he was thinking about.

After entering the mourning hall, Song Yucong did not look at the coffin or the smiling photo at the very front. He was afraid that just one glance would shatter his calm facade, and the unspeakable anger and pain in his heart would ignite instantly, causing chaos in the entire hall.

So, he kept all his attention on Tao Ning.

Tao Ning’s face was a sickly pale, and he looked dazed. Yet his beautiful eyes kept moving from time to time, clearly looking for something.

If it was a thing, it was fine, but if it was a person, Song Yucong would definitely lose his temper. But since Tao Ning was staying obediently by his side and not wandering off, Song Yucong let him look around.

Among the mourners were some of Song Yucong’s fair-weather friends who didn’t go to the same school as him and had never met Tao Ning.

Seeing such a beautiful young man standing next to Song Yucong, with picturesque features, snow-white skin, and a physique that looked somewhat frail, as if he would be crushed by the gloomy black suit if he stood for much longer, they couldn’t help but let their imaginations run wild.

Malicious gazes kept glancing at the person next to Song Yucong. Song Yucong didn’t frown; instead, his expression was somewhat smug because he knew those people’s dirty thoughts. But so what?

Tao Ning could only stand beside him; he could only be his and go nowhere else.

They also didn’t have the guts to ask Song Yucong for him.

But there were still some who saw Tao Ning’s face and figure, were stunned by his beauty, and for a moment, were so eager they wanted to get closer to him. However, before they could even get close, Song Yucong said mercilessly in a cold voice, “Get lost.”

“Get out—” A sudden commotion at the entrance of the mourning hall, and a powerful female voice echoed. The busy hall instantly fell silent, and everyone stopped their conversations.

As it happened, Tao Ning and Song Yucong had just entered and were very close, so they could clearly see what was happening. In the crowd, a furious woman in her forties was visible. She had on exquisite makeup, clearly intending to maintain her dignity in public.

But at this moment, the woman was trembling, as if she could no longer suppress her raging anger. Behind her, Song Heng followed. His usually gentle demeanor was also a little somber, but what surprised Tao Ning the most was that a tall figure was also following them.

It was Zhao Jingqun.

He was not wearing his usual casual shirt. The black suit made Zhao Jingqun look tall and long-legged. His usual undisguised thuggishness was hidden beneath the expensive, well-fitting suit, revealing only a glimpse of his muscular build. His face was without a smile, making him look even more unapproachable.

As if sensing something, Zhao Jingqun suddenly turned around, his eyes meeting Tao Ning’s curved ones. The heart that had been suspended for the past few days finally returned to its place. He wanted to push through the crowded people to find his beloved, whom he missed like crazy, but after seeing the person next to Tao Ning, he squinted slightly and did not move.

Song Yucong had also clearly seen Zhao Jingqun. He sneered. Even though Tao Ning had clarified many times that he and Zhao Jingqun had nothing to hide, Song Yucong’s heart was still filled with displeasure. As if to provoke him, he suddenly grabbed Tao Ning’s hand.

From a distance of dozens of people, Tao Ning could feel a chill on his back. A gaze as hot as it could burn flesh and as cold as it could freeze it landed on his wrist, which Song Yucong had just gripped. Despite all precautions, the targets of his conquest had finally met.

Tao Ning didn’t dare to look at Zhao Jingqun again and lowered his head, feeling a little guilty. The gazes on him became even hotter and colder. “Come with me.” Song Yucong led him away from the spot without a word.

The commotion at the entrance of the mourning hall had gradually moved to the front of the coffin. The woman was trembling all over. Even with her exquisite makeup, she could no longer hide her painful expression. She sobbed loudly, “Yueyue, I’m late… You… you were so foolish! For a beast like Song Rongguo… you actually… you were so foolish!”

She covered her face and cried. The people around them looked at each other, clearly not knowing the reason. In their social class, even if a loved one passed away, they would not openly sob, let alone openly curse the host of the public memorial service. Unless necessary, there must be an unknown story behind this.

Tao Ning glanced at Song Yucong, who was holding his hand and not letting go. He was lost in thought, looking at the scene with a calm expression, as if he were an outsider not involved in the matter.

After a long time, Song Yucong said in a low voice, “She’s my… Wu Yue’s friend.”

Tao Ning patted Song Yucong’s back with his other free hand, hoping to offer him some comfort.

As more and more people gathered, some recognized the woman, and from their chatter, Tao Ning pieced together the story.

The woman was Madam Song’s best friend. Although her family’s status was not as high as that of the shipping magnate, the Wu family, she was also the daughter of a prominent merchant. At the time, the woman thought Song Rongguo was no good and strongly tried to dissuade Madam Song from marrying him. As a result, the two had a falling out and had not seen each other for many years.

For former close friends to meet again in a state of separation between life and death was truly a sad and poignant story.

Song Rongguo’s face was ashen. He scolded the servants, “You good-for-nothings, who let this lunatic in?” At this point, the facade he had maintained for decades finally broke.

His words, however, stirred up a hornet’s nest. The woman’s head snapped around, her beautiful eyes glaring at Song Rongguo as if she wanted to devour him alive. She rushed forward and slapped Song Rongguo.

“You dare call me a lunatic?! You shameless thing! I saw Yueyue a few years ago and asked her how her life and health were, and she told me everything was good, everything was good? This is ‘everything is good’?! You must have forced her to her death! You beast!”

The woman’s face was contorted with fury, and her heart was bleeding. Her past resentment toward Wu Yue for nearly giving up on herself for a man had now turned into heartbreak in front of the cold, black-and-white photo.

So she genuinely wanted to beat the two-faced beast, Song Rongguo, to death. She was about to slap him again but was stopped by the timely arrival of servants and bodyguards.

“Aunt Liu, for the sake of my mother not having been buried in peace yet, let’s stop here today.” A gentle, polite voice sounded. Song Heng walked over slowly and told the servants and bodyguards to step back.

But the woman did not appreciate his persuasion and instead gave him a cold look. Song Heng, however, didn’t change his expression and remained humble and polite.

The woman asked Song Rongguo coldly, “How exactly… how did Yueyue die?” Saying this, her eyes flashed with pain. She gritted her teeth, holding back her anger. “I’ve learned how cold-blooded you and your son are over the years, so I don’t believe what the newspapers say at all. Song Rongguo, do you dare to tell everyone how she died in front of Yueyue?!”

Unusually, Song Rongguo did not blush and retort this time. His face, which had been ashen, now turned a defeated gray. In an instant, he seemed to have aged a dozen years. After a long time, under the woman’s repeated accusations, the greedy, scheming middle-aged man’s lips trembled as he said, “Liu Shu… don’t ask anymore.”

Not only were the people who knew him surprised, but even Song Heng, who always had a slight smile on his face, looked at him with some surprise. But this surprise was different from others; it was as if he had discovered something very interesting.

But this interlude passed quickly. The woman closed her eyes and asked him, “…Did Yueyue leave any last words?”

At the mention of this, Song Rongguo’s expression became even more defeated. His eyes were murky, and he couldn’t tell whether it was hatred or something else.

“No.”

The woman was stunned, as if lost in a memory. Finally, she fell silent and stopped arguing. She lit a stick of incense and left dejectedly under everyone’s gaze.

Many years ago, because of family matters, Liu Shu wanted to end her life by the sea several times. It was Wu Yue who stayed with her through the most difficult time. Wu Yue asked her, “Why aren’t you afraid of death? If a person dies, there’s nothing left, so you should live well.”

Liu Shu pouted, “Everyone has to face birth, old age, sickness, and death. Dying early or late is still dying. Isn’t it good to be free from suffering early?”

Wu Yue laughed heartily. “Okay, okay, but you still have a pile of inheritance to deal with, the albums we made, the photos we took, the apartment we bought together in Manhattan, and the jewelry you have in Milan…”

“Come on, I just want to die. Why would I care about those things?”

Wu Yue smiled and said, “This is for us living people to remember. I don’t care, you’re not allowed to die before you’ve dealt with those things.”

“What a hassle. Then as the only daughter of Uncle Wu, won’t you have a pile of inheritance to deal with before you die?”

“Yes,” Wu Yue pretended to be helpless. “I won’t die before I’ve properly dealt with the things my dad left me. And I also want to write an autobiography and dozens of last wills, and have the best craftsmen engrave my epitaph so that future generations will know about my graceful and beautiful style…”

The woman finally couldn’t hold back her tears and burst into loud sobs.

When the public memorial service officially began, Tao Ning watched Song Yucong walk to the front to pay his respects. In his mind, Song Yucong was always childish and unreasonable, but at this moment, his back looked so lonely in the almost deathly silent atmosphere.

His heart began to ache uncontrollably, so much so that Tao Ning didn’t notice that a pair of eyes behind him were also looking at him, silently and with some confusion.

When it was over, the crowd dispersed, and a portion remained to carry the coffin to the hearse. Only Song Yucong left without a word. As he passed Tao Ning, he paused for a moment before leaving this cold place.

Tao Ning looked around and didn’t see Zhao Jingqun. He quickly followed Song Yucong.

The Song family’s villa estate was very large, with a big forest behind it. When Tao Ning first arrived, he heard Ah Yun say that it was the Song family’s hunting ground.

It was twilight, and with the towering trees blocking the sky, it was hard to see shadows on the ground. Only a few patches of light fell through the gaps in the trees.

“Song Yucong, it’s too dark in here… I’m a little scared.”

The footsteps in front stopped. Song Yucong was about to pretend to be impatient and tell Tao Ning to go away, but his sleeve was tugged. Then, a warm, soft hand took his. The young man’s lively and energetic eyes looked at him without blinking. “Song Yucong, let’s go back.”

Song Yucong was silent. The twilight fell on his tired eyes.

Perhaps the warmth of the hand was too much, as Song Yucong couldn’t bring himself to push it away. He also truly didn’t want to chase him away. After a long time, he said, “She sent me a text message a few days ago.” The only time in his life.

Tao Ning didn’t ask; he just listened quietly.

“She told me… not to be her child in the next life, and she apologized to me.” At this, Song Yucong laughed sarcastically. “Because she said she didn’t hug me enough.”

The last sentence was filled with an unspeakable hatred mixed with too much pain. If it were the Tao Ning of before, he wouldn’t have understood, but now, he could.

Tao Ning didn’t say a word and hugged him. Then, Song Yucong hugged him even tighter. The voice above his head was indistinct. “…If I had found out earlier… would she not have died…”

“It’s not your fault.” Tao Ning desperately used his own body heat to try and warm the icy cold man in front of him, telling him over and over again, “It’s not your fault.”

“…Tao Ning.” Song Yucong’s voice trembled.

“Yes, I’m here.”

“Tao Ning.” The grip tightened.

“I’m here.”

“I… want you to kiss me.”

“Okay.”

The next moment, Tao Ning kissed him without hesitation.

Song Yucong’s hands gripped the waist of the person in his arms. He took the lead, and countless emotions of love, desire, and sorrow poured out. He pressed down and sucked on Tao Ning’s delicate lips without any finesse.

The kiss grew deeper, as if only by penetrating Tao Ning’s body and becoming one with him could he calm his endless sorrow.

One cold, one warm, the two leaned on each other. Under the twilight shadows of the trees, they formed a rare and peaceful picture. And not far from them, behind a large tree trunk, Zhao Jingqun watched in silence.

He watched the person he cherished as a treasure comforting, hugging, and finally kissing another man.

The shadows fell on Zhao Jingqun’s face, not dispersing, but merging with him. Even after the two in the distance left, Zhao Jingqun did not move. His feet seemed to have taken root in the dirt. Every step he took would pull at his insides, painfully separating organs and flesh.

Finally, after an unknown amount of time, Zhao Jingqun seemed unable to stand it anymore. He exhaled a shaky breath and lit a cigarette. But the moment it was lit, he stared at the small spark in the darkness, as if possessed, and then pressed the glowing ember onto his throbbing tiger’s mouth.

Here, he had a cigarette burn mark from his stepfather when he was a child, just because he had begged for a piece of candy.

Once upon a time, Zhao Jingqun thought there would never be a pain worse than that. But now, as the fire touched the old scar, the smell of burning flesh filled the air, and Zhao Jingqun only felt numb.

Perhaps, compared to the pain in his heart, it was too insignificant.

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