Song Yi'an harbored hatred towards his biological father. The more hardships he saw his mother endure, the deeper his hatred for his father grew.
If he couldn't take responsibility for his wife and child, why did he get together with his mother in the first place and let her give birth to him? He always knew that if his mother hadn't given birth to him, with her talent and beauty, she would have had a wonderful life.
This was also the reason why he didn't get intimate with Li Xiyu after their marriage.
He knew that their marriage wouldn't last long. He would leave sooner or later. He didn't want his child to have the same wish as him, thinking, "It would be better if I had never been born."
Sensing that Song Yi'an was in a bad mood when talking about his father, Li Qiyu didn't dare to bring it up anymore. After saying good night, she was about to return to her room. She took two steps outside, then couldn't help but turn back and peeked inside through the glass door. Song Yi'an had his back to her, and his silhouette looked so forlorn.
The sight of Song Yi'an's back was engraved in Li Qiyu's mind, keeping her awake most of the night. She sat cross - legged on the bed, taking out Zhou Donglin's poetry collection and Li Xiyu's diary, laying them side by side. Finally, she picked up Li Xiyu's diary.
Simplified Chinese characters were quite a challenge for her, just like a modern person trying to read classical Chinese. Although she had a rough time reading it that night, she did gain something.
From Li Xiyu's notes, although she didn't explicitly say so, Li Qiyu could tell that she knew about something. Maybe it was such a great blow to her that she jumped into the river.
What puzzled Li Qiyu the most was the line Li Xiyu wrote on the last few pages of her diary: "I killed my child with my own hands. He shouldn't have left."
Why did Li Xiyu say that the child shouldn't have left? If they were half - siblings, she shouldn't have given birth to this child.
Could it be that Li Xiyu knew she and Song Yi'an were half - siblings? After having an abortion in despair, did something turn around?
Could it be said that Li Xiyu and Song Yi'an were actually not blood - related siblings?
It gave her a headache, a real headache.
Li Qiyu realized that she urgently needed a breakthrough to solve this matter.
At around one o'clock in the morning, Li Qiyu found that detective again.
This time, she didn't hesitate about the money and placed the order directly.
"I want you to help me find someone."
This detective was really a workaholic. He was still online late at night. As soon as he heard there was a job, he immediately replied, "Sure, boss. Who do you want me to investigate?"
"Zhang Lili."
"Zhang Lili?" The detective had some impression of this name. After all, he had made a fortune from this woman not long ago.
"Is it the Zhang Lili in the previous files?"
"No, she's Song Yi'an's biological mother. That is, the Zhang Lili who died of illness in the hospital when I first asked you to investigate."
...
Maybe the matter was too far back in time, or maybe because Zhang Lili and Jiang Yongfeng had switched identities. The usually efficient detective didn't give any news for several days.
Soon, the day that Li Qiyu and Song Yi'an had agreed on to pay respects at Zhang Lili's grave arrived.
When burying Zhang Lili, Song Yi'an didn't have much money. The cemetery he chose was very remote. It took them an hour to reach the cemetery after leaving the city. Li Qiyu was holding a bunch of chrysanthemums in her hands. She was afraid of violating any modern taboos, so she had specifically checked. She was wearing a solemn white dress and had no makeup on, showing that she attached great importance to this matter.
Although it was just a visit to the cemetery, Li Qiyu was quite nervous. She was even more nervous than the time when the former emperor summoned her to the palace after learning that Song Jiaye was going to marry her.
Song Yi'an's mother's tomb was far from the entrance. They were sweating slightly after the long walk. Li Qiyu asked, "Haven't you ever thought about choosing a closer place for her, making it more convenient to pay respects?"
"I considered it before, but when I thought that she was already at peace in the earth, I didn't want to disturb her anymore. Moreover, if I have the heart, no matter how far it is, I will come. If I don't, no matter how close it is, I won't."
In the past, when Song Yi'an was in a bad mood, he would come here once a month to pour out his troubles and have a heart - to - heart talk with his mother. At that time, he didn't think this road was so long. When leaving, he even wished the road could be longer so that he could stay with her a bit longer.
Although Li Xiyu was a delicate young lady with a weak constitution, Li Qiyu's exercise in the past few days had paid off. When they climbed to the highest point, she was only breathing slightly.
Song Yi'an was a bit disappointed. He had hoped that if Li Qiyu was tired, he could support her. In that way, he could hold her hand and introduce her to his mother, saying, "Look, Mom, this is the girl I've chosen."
But along the way, he waited and waited. By the time they reached their destination, Li Qiyu showed no sign of needing help. She even seemed to have better physical strength than him.
Song Yi'an could only disappointedly withdraw his eager hand. Just as he put his hand into his pocket, his wrist was grabbed.
Song Yi'an looked up in surprise.
"Let your mom be happy," Li Qiyu said with a smile and dragged him forward.
Song Yi'an's eyes turned red. His heart was filled with a multitude of emotions.
"Mom, look, this is the girl I've chosen. It's as if I've known her for many years. She can always easily touch my heart."
Song Yi'an led Li Qiyu to a black tombstone. Looking at the fresh flowers in front of the tombstone, Li Qiyu said, "The caretaker here is very responsible." The flowers in front of the tombstone looked as if they had just been placed there. There were even dewdrops on them.
Li Qiyu looked around.
"Hey? Something's not right. Why are there only flowers in front of Auntie's tomb?"
If it was the caretaker who placed the flowers, shouldn't they treat every tomb equally?
Song Yi'an also found it strange. Could it be that someone had just visited her? Besides him, the only other person in the world who might visit her was Jiang Yongfeng.
Thinking of this, Song Jiaye remembered the cold look he had given Jiang Yongfeng in the capital. A slight sense of unease welled up in his heart. It wasn't that he regretted pointing out Jiang Yongfeng's mistake, but he thought he should have done it in a more gentle way.
Li Qiyu also guessed who might have sent the flowers.
While making the guess, she was also a bit skeptical.
Jiang Yongfeng was now so troubled by Zhong Yuxiu. Did she really still have the heart to send flowers to Song Yi'an's mother?
Judging from the state of the flowers, the person should have left not long ago.
Song Yi'an looked around. The weather wasn't good today, so there weren't many people coming to pay respects. And since they were on a high place, they could see everyone below clearly.
They didn't find any familiar figures.