PPS Chapter 174

Chapter 174 “Ranran doesn’t have to bear the crime of matricide anymore”

Chu Zhaoyi arrived at the prison, where Mo Jincheng had arranged for someone to meet him.

That’s right, he was here to see Xie Haoran.

“This is what you wanted.”

“If there are no problems, I’ll take my leave first. Call me if you need anything, I’ll be right outside.” The person respectfully handed the things in his hand to Chu Zhaoyi.

Seeing that Chu Zhaoyi had nothing else to say, he pushed open the door and left.

He stood in front of the one-way glass in the prison visiting room, watching Xie Haoran being escorted in by a prison guard.

In just a few days, Xie Haoran had lost so much weight that he was almost unrecognizable. He was wearing an orange prison uniform, and heavy handcuffs were on his wrists, making a rattling sound as he walked. His hair was shaved very short, revealing pale scalp, his eyes were sunken, and his lips were chapped.

But those eyes still carried a repulsive arrogance.

Xie Haoran only knew that someone was visiting. He had thought of many people, perhaps Zhang Anru still remembering their decade-long relationship and coming to see him one last time, or perhaps some old friends coming to see him off.

But he never expected it to be Chu Zhaoyi.

“Did you come to laugh at me?” Xie Haoran sat down in the chair, a mocking arc pulling at the corner of his mouth.

He had always been unwilling to lower his head in front of Chu Zhaoyi.

Since he had memories, Chu Zhaoyi had been his tool, a stepping stone for him to become a member of the Xie family, and a foundation for him to create the image of a genius painter.

Xie Haoran clearly remembered the first time he saw Chu Zhaoyi. Chu Zhaoyi was painting in the yard, and the painting was a dazzling starry sky, with stars that seemed to jump out of the paper.

He stood in the distance, watching Chu Zhaoyi’s focused profile, and a surge of indescribable jealousy and anger welled up in his heart.

That night, he asked Li Yurong to steal the painting and tear it to shreds.

But Li Yurong, in order to make him happy, took out a dozen paintings.

Pandora’s box was opened from then on.

The next day, he took one of the paintings and ran to his father, saying that he had painted it. His father rarely showed an approving smile, touched his head, and said, “Ranran, you are very talented.”

At that moment, Xie Haoran tasted the sweetness. He realized that as long as he took Chu Zhaoyi’s talent for himself, he could gain his father’s approval and even the fame he had dreamed of.

From then on, Chu Zhaoyi’s paintings became his tools. He asked Li Yurong to secretly take Chu Zhaoyi’s paintings, then sign his own name and send them to various competitions and exhibitions.

Every award, every praise, made him more convinced that his choice was right.

He enjoyed the adoration of the crowd, enjoyed the halo of “genius painter.” He told himself that he deserved it all.

Chu Zhaoyi was just the son of a family on the verge of bankruptcy, why should he have such talent? And he, the second young master of the Xie family, was the one who deserved such glory.

After telling a lie many times, he began to believe it himself.

However, deep down, he always felt uneasy. He was afraid that one day, the truth would be revealed, and he was afraid of losing everything. So, he intensified his suppression of Chu Zhaoyi, trying to completely trample him underfoot.

He was afraid of losing everything, and even more afraid that the only two people who knew the truth, Chu Yu and Li Yurong, would tell the story.

Just when he was uneasy, Chu Yu died.

Xie Haoran was immersed in past memories, unwilling to face the difference in their current status.

Chu Zhaoyi looked at the strange expression on his face, his eyes without a trace of fluctuation. He took out a photo from his pocket and gently pushed it in front of Xie Haoran.

In the photo, Li Yurong stood on the edge of a tall building, her eyes empty, as if she had lost all hope. Completely different from the vicious and fierce appearance in front of him.

“Do you remember her? She did a lot for you.” Chu Zhaoyi spoke slowly, wondering if it was because he had been with Gu Yusen too much, his tone was somewhat similar to his.

Xie Haoran stared blankly at the photo. His fingers were deeply pinched into his palm, blood flowing down his fingers, his eyes blurred, and his ears buzzed, as if countless voices were echoing and cursing in his ears.

“When you forced her to jump off the building, did you ever think that she was your mother?” Chu Zhaoyi’s voice was like a sharp knife, cutting into Xie Haoran’s heart one knife at a time, “You scolded her for being a waste, said she was useless, said she was dragging you down. Do you know what her last words were?”

Xie Haoran’s body began to tremble violently, his breathing became rapid, and his chest heaved violently, as if something was pressing on his heart.

“She said, ‘Ranran, Mom is sorry for you.'” Chu Zhaoyi’s voice was low and cruel.

“She was thinking of you until her death, but what about you? You didn’t even go to her funeral.”

“Shut up!” Xie Haoran shouted hysterically, his voice sharp enough to pierce eardrums, his eyes bloodshot.

His fingers frantically tore at the photo, which turned into pieces in his hands, falling to the ground.

“I am Xie Haoran! I am the son of the Xie family! I… have nothing to do with Li Yurong! She is not my mother!” His voice stopped abruptly, as if something was strangling his throat. His body began to tremble violently, and suddenly he let out a crazy laugh, mixed with sobbing and roaring.

Chu Zhaoyi watched the person in front of him with great interest.

He had the guts to commit murder, how could he be stimulated like this with just a few words.

“But… it doesn’t matter.” Chu Zhaoyi changed the subject, placing the thing that Mo Jincheng’s man had given him on the table.

“Ranran doesn’t have to bear the crime of matricide anymore.”

“You are the child of the Xie family.”

On the table was a paternity test report.

The glaring result: According to the existing data and DNA analysis results, it supports that Xie Tingyun is Xie Haoran’s biological father.

Xie Haoran’s eyes were fixed on the paternity test report on the table, the paper was particularly dazzling under the pale light. His fingers trembled, as if guided by something, slowly reaching for the report. His fingertips had just touched the edge of the paper, and he recoiled as if burned.

His breathing became rapid, his chest heaved violently, as if something was pressing on his heart. His eyes were fixed on the conclusion on the report, his eyes almost bleeding.

“Impossible… this is impossible…” he murmured to himself, his voice hoarse like sandpaper rubbing, “I am the son of the Chu family… I am the Xie family’s…”

Chu Zhaoyi looked at him coldly, his eyes without a trace of fluctuation. His fingers tapped lightly on the table, making a rhythmic “da da” sound, as if accompanying Xie Haoran’s collapse.

“I’m sorry,” Chu Zhaoyi’s voice was as calm as if he was talking about the weather.

“The identity you are crazy about has been true from the beginning. In that hospital, Xie Tingyun’s illegitimate son was also born. Obviously, his mother’s idea was the same as Li Yurong’s.”

Xie Haoran made a beast-like wail in his throat. He frantically tore at the appraisal report, but saw Li Yurong’s face when she fell from the building appear on every piece of paper.