TRMLCM Chapter 83

Chapter 83: Conditions

The room was filled with smoke, not bright even with the high-wattage light on.

A strange male voice was somewhat Sang Sang and hoarse, carrying a bitter and pleading tone.

Cheng Yi stood at the corner, his footsteps hesitant.

Through the open door, he saw Shen Chang’an kneeling on a cushion. With just one glance, he felt as if his heart had been stabbed, sending waves of dull pain.

He hadn’t seen him for days, and that figure had become terribly thin.

But his back was straight, kneeling there tenaciously.

Beside him, a man in a black down jacket was bending over, his movements somewhat cautious.

The man’s down jacket was a generic brand, with patches all over the back, looking like the stuffing was coming out. He wore an old black baseball cap that obscured his face, and his chin was tucked into a rough brown scarf.

The whole person looked mysterious.

Cheng Yi had no intention of intruding on their conversation. He originally thought that Shen Chang’an would take this person to the inner room to talk, so he wanted to come in and offer incense to his grandmother first, but he didn’t expect that the two of them would be talking in front of the ancestral hall by the door.

As for inadvertently hearing this sentence, Cheng Yi lowered his eyes slightly, stopping the wild guesses in his mind.

He turned his footsteps and prepared to go to the old men and women to warm himself by the fire.

“I have no money.”

The familiar voice was icy cold.

Cheng Yi paused again, a trace of surprise flashed in his dark eyes. In the denial, he heard the uncontrollable disgust in Shen Chang’an’s voice.

It seemed that this person did not come with good intentions!

His eyes flickered, a little hesitant.

In the end, the thought of Shen Chang’an’s safety prevailed. A second later, he stood not far from the door, making sure he could clearly see the scene inside, ensuring that he could rush in directly in case of an accident.

The conversation inside continued, but Cheng Yi stood a little further away and could no longer hear their conversation clearly.

He stood in the darkness, only seeing the two people inside saying a few words, and then the man suddenly reached out and grabbed Shen Chang’an’s collar. Under the light, his dark hands were a bit rough, the man’s arms trembling, so angry that he couldn’t help himself, his expression excited, as if he was yelling.

Cheng Yi’s eyelids twitched, his dark eyes freezing over.

He strode into the room, grabbed the man’s wrist in the man’s surprised gaze, and pushed him away with force, not allowing any resistance.

Shen Chang’an looked at his face, his eyes widened, and the shock in his eyes flashed past.

He stood still obediently, but his eyes were red.

The man leaned back, losing his balance. Staggering, the old baseball cap fell off, his ear-length yellow-brown curly hair fell back, revealing a stubble-covered, somewhat 沪具 face that looked a bit old.

His head loosened, a flash of shock in the man’s eyes, his pupils shrinking. After he stabilized himself, he immediately lowered his head, covered half of his face with his hand, and turned around to run over, as if he was going to hit someone.

Seeing him coming over, Cheng Yi quickly stood in front to protect Shen Chang’an behind him.

Unexpectedly, the man brushed past them and ran outside.

“Wait!”

A clear, cold voice rang out, and Shen Chang’an suddenly called out to him.

The man paused, his leg that was about to step out of the door suddenly stopped in mid-air. He retracted his foot and casually put the baseball cap back on, glancing at the familiar but unfamiliar courtyard in front of him, the emotion in his eyes cold and dense.

He slowly turned to look at Shen Chang’an, his cloudy eyes penetrating through the brim of the hat, revealing a momentary surprise and smugness, which was then deeply hidden.

The man smiled at the corner of his mouth, his sharp eyes constantly rolling, the look in his eyes toward Shen Chang’an very kind, as if the person who had just been pressing forward, aggressively and rudely, had disappeared.

“Chang’an, have you thought it through?”

The man’s voice trembled, somewhat choked.

“I knew you would recognize me.”

As he said this, his heart was a little excited, little tears flickering in his small eyes, the veins on the back of his hand popping out, his clenched fist trembling. He smiled happily, the corners of his mouth rising uncontrollably, as if a long-cherished wish had finally been fulfilled.

This touching scene could earn the audience many tears on those family reunion programs.

But in Cheng Yi’s view, the vivid expression was too exaggerated, and the smile seemed a bit hypocritical.

“Heh…” Shen Chang’an chuckled softly, not commenting on his wishful thinking.

His eyes were indifferent as he looked at the man, the extremely disgusted emotion hanging directly on that delicate face.

“Money, I can give it.” Shen Chang’an looked away and said softly, “However, I have a condition.”

Sure enough, he knew this trip was the right one.

The man’s narrow eyes widened, shining brightly with surprise, and he couldn’t help but take two steps forward, stopping in front of the two of them. If Cheng Yi hadn’t been there, he probably would have rushed up to grab Shen Chang’an.

He hurriedly asked, “What conditions? Tell me, tell me quickly!”

Shen Chang’an turned to look at the ancestral hall. Not far from the candlestick, his grandmother’s photo was in the center of the table. The black and white photo was taken a few years ago, his grandmother looking calmly ahead, her eyes shining, touched up by the photographer, even the fine lines at the corners of her eyes were much less.

The man followed his gaze and looked over, his face showing a little respect, but his eyes were looking around arbitrarily, a trace of contempt flashing in his narrow eyes.

After a long while, Shen Chang’an turned his head to look at him with cold eyes, his voice slightly hoarse but not giving in at all.

“Kneel down and admit your mistakes…”

“As a criminal.” He said lightly.

Cheng Yi’s eyes darkened, his pupils constricting suddenly, his mind dizzy with the amount of information in this sentence.

Shen Chang’an did not turn to look at him, his cold gaze staring fixedly at the man who was obviously stunned.

The man grinned, trying to raise a gentle and honest smile, but his body was weak and cold for a moment, as if winter was enveloping him, his body trembling slightly, his expression ugly, trying to smile but not.

Rapid heartbeats seemed to be ringing in his ears, his eyes terrified, his voice trembling, his words stuttering, “Chang’an… what are you saying, I… I, I am your dad, how could I be…”

His words suddenly stopped.

The deliberately forgotten memories slowly returned, and the woman’s pale and weak face in that blood color appeared before his eyes.

Shen Jiacheng couldn’t help but widen his eyes, his mind as if being gnawed by something, his head hurting terribly. He couldn’t help but knock his head hard, strands of blood spreading from the corners of his eyes towards his pupils, his eyes about to split.

His frightened expression looked very painful.

Shen Chang’an’s eyes were filled with pleasure, a smile on his lips. He shook his head indifferently, smiling easily as he said:

“My dad died a long time ago, when I was eight years old.”

…