Chapter 006 – Birthday

Translator: Helliot

Editor: Isalee

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His aunt finally visited a week later. Meng Fu almost came under the misconception that it was Gu Ze who helped persuade his aunt to come. But he quickly shook his head inside his mind. How could he possibly help him?

“Meng Fu, Auntie has been busy these past few months, so please don’t blame me for not visiting you.” Meng Yu looked apologetic.

“It’s alright, I’m happy enough that Auntie could come today. But…Could you bring Xiao Yi with you next time as well?”

Meng Yu was visibly troubled. “Meng Yu, you know as well as us that mentally, Meng Yi is only five years old. We’ve been telling him that you’ve been studying overseas and can’t come home to see him. If I bring him here to prison, he’ll definitely feel sad. It wouldn’t be good if he told the world that his brother was in prison either. You understand what I mean, right?”

“I understand, Auntie.”

Loss filled his eyes. He knew his aunt was keeping him from seeing Xiao Yi. When he thought of what Gu Ze told him about Xiao Yi’s pollen allergy, he tried to test her. “Auntie, about Xiao Yi’s pollen allergy…Please be careful about that.”

“Xiao Yi is allergic to pollen? Why didn’t I know that? No wonder he developed rashes all over his body when I asked him to hold some flowers for me. Luckily, we were able to seek medical attention in time. Now Auntie definitely won’t let Xiao Yi touch flowers anymore.” Xiao Yu looked surprised and explained apologetically to Meng Fu when she recalled what happened last time.

Her face looked completely clueless. Meng Fu wondered, should he really believe in his aunt? Maybe what Gu Ze told him was all false?

He could not distinguish truth from falsehood. Even if he found out that Meng Yu was trying to cover something up, there was still nothing he could do. Xiao Yi needed someone to take care of him. “Auntie, the money in that card is completely sufficient to take care of Xiao Yi. You can also use it to buy something you like occasionally.”

“How could I take your money?” Even though she was clearly refusing, it was hard to conceal the pleasure in her eyes.

“Auntie, you have to take good care of Xiao Yi. I’ll definitely make it up to you once I’m out.”

Meng Yu did not care about receiving repayment from Meng Fu at all. What could an ex-convict offer her? But she knew very well that Meng Yi was Meng Fu’s soft spot.

Five years later.

He had no idea how time went by. Going out for air, mining, painting the walls…Five years went by just like that. He had grown taller when he least noticed it and the law books by his bed have also become worn from use.

It had been a very long time since his aunt came to see him. At first, Gu Ze would come and try to get a reaction from him with all sorts of hurtful words, but he stopped after that. He came by every so often just to stare quietly at him, saying nothing until time was up.

He had lost count of the passing days. He didn’t even know when his birthday was anymore.

That was until he received a birthday gift.

It was the first time he had received a gift in five years, but he didn’t want it.

“It’s your birthday today. Here’s a present for you.” Watching him, Gu Ze opened up the cake box. The candles wrote 23. He was twenty-three years old now. How quickly time passed.

“Why are you celebrating my birthday?” He watched as the man lit the birthday candles, in a slight daze as he watched the weak flames flicker before his eyes, emotions unclear.

“Because I have good news for you. Your sentence might be reduced for good behavior.” After a pause, he went on, “But who knows? Even a guy like you can have his sentence reduced? A guy who won’t even spare an unborn child? I’m celebrating your birthday so that I can congratulate you on the reduced sentence, but who knows what will happen once you get out of prison? Why don’t you take a guess, Meng Fu? What’s going to happen to you once you get out of prison?”

“I don’t know.”

Bit by bit the candle burned away, like tears dripping down onto the cake.

But even the heat of the candle could not melt the frostiness of Gu Ze’s face.

Meng Fu did not know whether what Gu Ze said was true or false. He had no idea if he could get out or what he would encounter if he did. But, no matter what, he was much too eager to get out of here.

He yearned for freedom; he thirsted to breathe the air outside.

Yet he could not give himself too much hope. He was even more afraid of the endless disappointment he would feel if his hopes were crushed.

“Blow out the candles. Hurry up.” Seeing that Meng Fu was unmoving, he pretended to have a sudden realization. “Oh yes, I forgot. You have to make a wish before you blow out the candles.”

“Mr. Gu.”

Things like wishes have always been nothing more than mere illusions, and he was tired of them.

“What, don’t you have any wishes at all?”

He shook his head.

“What a waste of my cake, then. Toss it out if you’re not going to eat it. I’ll be looking forward to your good news.” Gu Ze smiled. Then, he turned to leave.

Put a murderer out of prison just like that? Not gonna happen.

Things would always happen beyond one’s imaginations, especially if he really did get a reduction in his sentence or if something went wrong.

Everyone in prison congratulated him on his imminent release, yet a prosecutor accused him of bad behavior and stealing, even being able to produce concrete evidence to support his claims.

It was a man in his fifties that he did not know who accused him, describing the event with vivid detail and even bringing out physical evidence. The man’s wallet did in fact have his fingerprints on it.

“It wasn’t me, I’ve been framed!” he shouted, shaken.

But nobody would believe him.

His commutation was unsuccessful.

It was Gu Ze. He knew it had to be him.

“Meng Fu, someone’s trying to screw you over, I’m sure of it. You can talk to me about it, I can get my boys outside to return the deed,” Di Jun comforted him. He thought to himself that even his own trafficking sentence of eleven years could be reduced to seven by pulling some strings. This kid probably messed with someone he shouldn’t have.

He shook his head. Gu Ze won’t let him go.

He admits that he was originally filled with guilt towards him, but that had now morphed completely into hatred.

This man destroyed his hopes. He doomed him to stay in prison for two more years.

“I do hate him quite a bit right now, but I know I don’t have the right to hate him, because I deserve all this.” He stared blankly into the distance as if his thoughts had been released or taken away to a distant place.

Or perhaps he just wanted to free his mind from this world to get a moment of relief.

His eyes slowly closed shut and many fragments of memories flashed past his mind. He saw the woman lying down in a pool of blood in that recording, saw the hate in Gu Ze’s face, and the two burned-out candles.

He deserved this. Those were two lives he took. He deserved all of this.

“Mr. Gu, Meng Fu’s sentence commutation has been overruled.”

“Is that so? Good.” A pleased look emerged in Gu Ze’s eyes. He picked up his coffee and swiveled his chair around to look out the window. How could a guy like that come out so quickly?

“Mr. Gu, I’m not sure if I should say this, but…” The young secretary was hesitant.

“Speak.”

“Miss He has passed away for five years now, and you have been single for five years. You should be able to find another partner now.”

Gu Ze put his cup down and swiveled his chair back around, raising a brow. “My father put you up to this, didn’t he?”

“Yes. But I personally hope that Mr. Gu will be able to find someone you like as well.” He had been with Gu Ze for so many years. Other than He Manyu, women came and went from Gu Ze’s side, but he had never regarded any of them seriously.

Though it was true that nobody could replace He Manyu’s position in Gu Ze’s heart, Gu Ze would not have wanted to marry back then if she had not become pregnant.

He could not understand Gu Ze. Or rather, he could not understand his obsession with He Manyu.

“These matters are none of your business. I’m in a good mood today so you can get off early.” Gu Ze did not seem to be affected by his secretary’s words.

Seeing the faint smile on Gu Ze’s lips, the secretary knew why he was awarded a rare chance to leave work early. It was because of Meng Fu, the man that Gu Ze hated so much.

In five years, he collected far too much information regarding Meng Fu and the people around him. Sometimes he would even take photos of Meng Fu while he was taking a break on the upper floors of the factory next to the prison.

Gu Ze would spend long hours staring at the man inside the photos as if he wanted to burn a hole through him with his gaze.

There were several photo albums on his desk, all related to Meng Fu. There was a vicious hatred in Gu Ze’s eyes, just like the fangs of a viper biting down on his neck and injecting its slow-acting venom. He wanted to watch Meng Fu teeter to his death little by little.

The words he repeated most to Meng Fu were, “Just kill yourself.”

But he was sure that even if he said that, Meng Fu would never kill himself.

If he really did take his life, that would be no fun.