Everyone Regrets It After My Death - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: He Wanted to Prick Me with a Needle, He Wanted Me Dead

When the Su parents took Qi Xinghe to the hospital, Su Renhua and Yan Qian left in separate cars.

To outsiders, Su Renhua and his wife Yan Qian appeared to be a perfectly harmonious couple. However, only a few within the Su family knew that they had long been estranged, staying together in name only.

Su Renhua sat in his business van, cradling Qi Xinghe in his arms. The boy had been soothed into a light sleep, and Su Renhua patted his back gently, murmuring comforts.

His driver and assistant, Wang Zhu, drove swiftly, offering comfort during a gap in the traffic. “Mr. Su, don’t worry. From what I can see, the young master’s injuries don’t look too severe.”

Su Renhua cherished Qi Xinghe beyond measure. From the moment the boy entered their home, Su Renhua’s eyes had rarely left him.

To outsiders, it was absurd—why did an adopted son hold a higher status than the eldest biological son, Su Mo? But Wang Zhu, who had served Su Renhua for years, knew the hidden truth.

Qi Xinghe was the illegitimate son of Su Renhua and his first love.

Su Renhua and Yan Qian’s marriage was a business alliance; both had other partners before the union. Yan Qian had initially refused to marry him, only relenting after her parents drugged her and sent her to his room to force the issue.

After five years of quiet marriage, a chance encounter reunited Su Renhua with his first love. Their old flame reignited, leading to the birth of Qi Xinghe.

When Qi Xinghe was born, Su Renhua was anxious. He loved the child—who looked remarkably like him—but didn’t know how to bring him home. Su Mingran’s disappearance provided the perfect opening. Qi Xinghe was brought in as an “adopted” son, effectively stealing Su Mingran’s place in the family.

Wang Zhu understood Su Renhua’s favoritism, but he couldn’t fathom why Yan Qian—who showed no affection for her own children—was so uniquely devoted to Qi Xinghe, a boy with whom she shared no blood.

If Yan Qian knew the truth of Qi Xinghe’s parentage, would she break?

…

In the other car, Yan Qian urged her long-time maid, Mother Chen, “Hurry, Mother Chen! Keep up with Renhua’s car.”

Mother Chen’s driving wasn’t as skilled as Wang Zhu’s, so she could only barely keep the van in sight. “The young master didn’t seem too badly hurt, Ma’am. Please, try not to worry.”

Yan Qian was frantic. she wanted to snatch Qi Xinghe from Su Renhua’s arms to care for him herself, yet she feared her desperation might accidentally hurt the boy.

“It’s all my fault,” Yan Qian muttered. “Why did I give birth to such a monster? Now Xinghe is hurt because of him.”

Mother Chen sighed softly. Having been by Yan Qian’s side for decades, she had witnessed the tragedy of the woman’s marriage.

As the eldest daughter of the Yan family, Yan Qian carried a heavy burden. Because the Yans had no son, she was traded away in a business marriage. She had resisted until she found herself pregnant and had no choice but to marry into the Su family.

Yan Qian knew exactly how Su Mo and Su Minmin came to be. She loathed Su Renhua, and by extension, she disliked his children. Mother Chen had raised the two eldest children herself for five years.

Then, Yan Qian had an unexpected third pregnancy.

By then, her body was frail. The Su family matriarch brought a fleet of relatives to the house, using threats and bribes until Yan Qian agreed to give birth to Su Mingran.

The night Su Mingran was born, Yan Qian nearly died. Su Renhua never visited the hospital, and the matriarch had ignored the medical risks, insisting on a natural birth. After the delivery, Yan Qian was utterly depleted. The Su family only cared about the health of the baby; no one spared a look for the mother.

As Su Mingran grew, every look at him reminded Yan Qian of that trauma—how she was forced into marriage, how she was torn from her true love. Her heart grew cold and resentful toward him.

Mother Chen pitied Yan Qian. The woman hadn’t known a day of happiness since her wedding—until Qi Xinghe arrived.

When Qi Xinghe first came, Mother Chen happened to be visiting her hometown. She heard that Yan Qian adored the boy as her own. Mother Chen didn’t understand it until she returned and saw him for the first time.

Qi Xinghe looked exactly like Yan Qian’s former boyfriend.

Yan Qian and her boyfriend had been deeply in love; she had once sworn to marry no one else. After her family sabotaged the relationship, they were forced apart. To Yan Qian, Qi Xinghe was a living fantasy—a manifestation of the life she could have had, a child that looked like the man she truly loved.

It was a morbid, pathological coping mechanism, but it was the only thing keeping her sane in the Su household. Fortunately, Qi Xinghe was kind to her, treating her like a real mother.

…

Su Mingran got off the bus at a nearby hospital. He rarely visited doctors; usually, he just bought over-the-counter medicine for colds or injuries. But today, the pain in his head and hand was too much to ignore.

As he asked the receptionist about registration, he spotted Wang Zhu, Su Renhua’s assistant, waiting in line nearby. Further off, he saw Su Renhua cradling Qi Xinghe while Yan Qian hovered anxiously.

“You need to register over there first, then wait on the third floor. If you’re confused, you can call your parents over,” the nurse said, noting that Su Mingran looked like a student and was all alone.

Su Mingran lowered his eyes and whispered, “I understand. Thank you.”

He didn’t join the line immediately. He waited until Su Renhua had taken Qi Xinghe upstairs before he approached the desk. As he did, he heard people complaining.

“Think they’re so great just because they’re rich? Everyone’s kid is sick, not just theirs! The nerve… offering me a hundred bucks to give up my spot. Why can’t they just speak like decent people?”

Su Mingran registered and headed to the third floor. His head throbbed, his ears were ringing, and the slap-swollen side of his face burned. He asked a nurse for the restroom and began to shuffle toward it, leaning against the wall for support.

His back was hunched, and he was drenched in a cold sweat. Just as he reached the restroom, the floor proved too slick. He started to fall, but someone caught him just in time.

“Mingran? Why are you here?”

The ringing in his ears faded. He looked up to see Gu Pei. His dull eyes flickered with a rare spark of light. “Gu Pei… why are you at the hospital?”

If the yellow dog was his only childhood companion, Gu Pei was the only light that had reached him since he returned to the Su family.

They had met at Qi Xinghe’s fifteenth birthday party. Qi Xinghe was the star of the show, while Su Mingran had been banished to the backyard after a harsh scolding from Su Renhua.

It was Su Mingran’s second year back. He had tried to be like Su Minmin, making handmade gifts to win over his parents. He had no money, so he spent two months learning to make paper flowers. When he proudly presented them, Yan Qian told him never to enter her room without permission again. Su Renhua simply threw them in the trash. “What is this junk?”

The night before the party, Qi Xinghe had scribbled a few ugly drawings of pigs and “gifted” them to his parents to get money for a game console. They had praised his “talent” for hours.

When a crying Su Mingran asked Qi Xinghe how to make them love him, Qi Xinghe had mocked him. “You’ll never learn! You’re just a beggar. You eat our food, wear our clothes—what else do you want?”

A scuffle broke out. Qi Xinghe pushed Su Mingran into a shelf, shattering an expensive vase. When the adults arrived, they comforted Qi Xinghe and punished Su Mingran.

Banished to the backyard during the party, Su Mingran sat watching a line of ants, his eyes red with unshed tears. That was when Gu Pei, a guest who had wandered off, found him.

“Why are you out here alone? Are you a guest too?” Gu Pei, wearing a black hoodie and holding a basketball, looked at him curiously. He eventually handed Su Mingran a piece of milk candy. “Here. Eat this and stop being sad.”

Over time, they became close. Gu Pei would find excuses to take him out, feed him when he missed dinner, and call him to play ball after his family yelled at him. To Su Mingran, the Su house was a dark room, and Gu Pei was the only window to the sun.

He never told Gu Pei how badly his family treated him because he didn’t want to be pitied. But recently, Gu Pei had been getting closer to Qi Xinghe.

“I’m here to see Xinghe,” Gu Pei said, his expression frantic. “He called me and said he fell down the stairs. It scared me to death. Is he okay?”

The warmth in Su Mingran’s eyes died. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know? Isn’t he your brother?”

Su Mingran looked at him with chilling indifference. “Oh. And?”

Gu Pei frowned. He wanted to ask what kind of mood Su Mingran was in now, but remembering their long friendship, he bit his tongue. “What’s wrong with you? Where did those injuries come from?”

“It’s nothing.”

Gu Pei ignored him and dragged him to see a doctor anyway. The doctor suggested a full check-up, but Su Mingran hesitated. He didn’t have enough money for extensive tests, so he settled for a prescription.

Once the medicine was in hand, Gu Pei checked his watch impatiently. “You’re fine now, right? I’m going upstairs to see Xinghe.”

Without waiting for an answer, Gu Pei turned and ran toward the stairs. Su Mingran watched him go. Since their freshman year of college, Gu Pei had become increasingly attentive to Qi Xinghe. He wondered if Gu Pei had fallen in love with him.

His feelings for Gu Pei were a complex knot he couldn’t untie. All he knew was that the last beam of light in his dark room was fading away.

Standing in the hallway, Su Mingran’s phone rang. It was Su Renhua.

“Where are you?”

Su Mingran remained silent.

“I don’t care where you are! Get your ass to this hospital right now and apologize to Xinghe!”

Su Mingran hung up and walked upstairs. He wanted to see just how “badly” Qi Xinghe was hurt to make his father this angry.

The moment he stepped into the room, Qi Xinghe spotted him. The boy suddenly burst into tears, pointing a trembling finger.

“He’s a murderer! He wanted to prick me with a needle! He wanted me dead!”

Then, Qi Xinghe buried his face in Gu Pei’s chest, sobbing.

Gu Pei protectively held the boy, patting his back while glaring at Su Mingran. The warmth from earlier was gone, replaced by sharp suspicion.

Su Mingran took a deep breath. He looked at Gu Pei. “You’ve known me for so long. Do you really believe—”

Before he could finish, Gu Pei cut him off. “Mingran, Xinghe is your brother. Maybe he said something to offend you, but you should have just let it go. Why did you have to push him down the stairs?”