HNYWEF -Chapter 138 The Belated Apology

Zhou Yi and Li Lihua had already left.

Li Shimin lifted the curtain and walked inside.

The room was dim.

The windows were shut, and only a thin sliver of light seeped through the paper, falling onto the floor in a dull, gray haze.

Zhou Xiong sat in a chair by the window, his back to the door.

Li Shimin stood at the entrance, looking at that silhouette.

He didn’t speak. Only the faint breathing of the two men filled the room, intertwining, heavy enough to make it hard to breathe.

After a few moments, Zhou Xiong moved.

He slowly turned his head and glanced toward the door.

Then he spoke.

The words were forced out from deep in his throat, rough and raspy, but every syllable was clear.

“Li Er, why the hell are you here again?”

Li Shimin froze for a moment.

He stood there, his gaze locked tightly onto Zhou Xiong’s face.

That face—it was still the same face.

But those eyes… they weren’t muddled, weren’t empty. They were alive. Something was in them.

A familiar look.

A sudden “buzz” rang through Li Shimin’s mind.

He’s better?

No.

He remembered what Zhou Yi had said—“My father… he’s sometimes normal, sometimes not.”

He remembered Qin Qiong’s words—“Treating the symptoms, not the root.”

He remembered that Sun Simiao hadn’t arrived yet.

This moment of clarity didn’t mean he was cured.

It could be temporary.

It could change back into madness at any second.

Li Shimin stood there, a strange feeling rising in his chest.

Not joy.

Fear.

Fear that the next sentence would turn him back into that incoherent man.

Fear that the next moment he would fall into chaos again.

Fear that this “normal” was fake.

He took a step forward.

Then another.

He stopped three steps away from Zhou Xiong.

Zhou Xiong looked at him, frowning.

“What the hell are you standing there for? If you’ve got something to say, say it. If you’ve got gas, let it out.”

Li Shimin didn’t answer.

He looked at him for a long time.

Then he spoke.

His voice was lower and slower than usual.

“Brother Xiong.”

Zhou Xiong’s eyes flickered.

Li Shimin said, “About what happened that night… I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time.”

Zhou Xiong said nothing.

Li Shimin continued, “It was my suggestion to move the families. I took responsibility for it. I was the one who said, ‘The weather’s good today, good for travel.’”

He paused.

“I stood in the rain and watched you digging, over and over again. I wanted to walk over, to help you, to say something. But I did nothing.”

His voice grew a little hoarse.

“Later, you carried the child away. I stood there and watched you disappear into the rain. That night, I squatted in the mud, holding my head, for a long time.”

He lowered his head.

“For the past fourteen years, every time it rains, I remember that night.”

Zhou Xiong looked at him.

Something was surging in those eyes.

Li Shimin also looked at him.

They stared at each other.

A long time passed.

Then Zhou Xiong spoke.

“Li Er.”

Li Shimin waited for him to continue.

Zhou Xiong said, “You son of a—”

He paused.

“Now telling me all this nonsense… what’s the use?”

Li Shimin stood there, something stuck in his throat.

Zhou Xiong continued, “You specially came all the way here just to say this to me?”

He stood up.

Walked to the window, turning his back on Li Shimin.

Li Shimin looked at that figure.

That back looked exactly like it had fourteen years ago in the rain.

Only this time, there was no rain.

Zhou Xiong stood there, motionless.

After a long silence, he suddenly spoke again.

“Get out.”

Li Shimin didn’t move.

Zhou Xiong repeated.

“Get lost!”

Li Shimin opened his mouth.

He wanted to say something.

But nothing came out.

He turned and walked out.

At the doorway, he stopped.

Didn’t look back.

The room fell silent again.

Zhou Xiong stood by the window, staring at the gray sky outside.

Motionless.

Something was stirring in his eyes.

But even he couldn’t tell what it was.