"Hao'er..." Du Qingmiao said in a trembling voice, tears streaming down her face. Tang Yu had already told her when she entered the courtyard that Song Zihe had explained everything to Song Hao last night.
Song Hao gazed at his mother with overwhelming emotion. He desperately wanted to rush over and shout, "Mom!" But he suppressed the urge to burst forth. He said calmly, "Aunt Du, can we go outside and talk for a bit?"
Du Qingmiao was taken aback; the scene of mother and son embracing and weeping that she had imagined was replaced by Song Hao's indifference.
“Song Hao, she is your mother!” Song Zihe came out and scolded.
"Grandpa, can I handle this myself?" Song Hao said, turning around.
"Mr. Song, please let us go outside and talk for a while." Du Qingmiao wiped away her tears and gave a helpless bitter smile.
"Then please wait for me outside for a while, Aunt Du." After saying that, Song Hao turned around and went back into the house. He then came out after retrieving something and walked straight towards the courtyard gate.
Volume Two: Traditional Chinese Medicine Under Heaven - Tianyi Hall, Chapter Thirteen: Parents (3)
"It's too sudden, the child may not be able to adjust for a while," Song Zihe said apologetically.
"It's alright, let me talk to him first," Du Qingmiao said with a bitter smile, then chased after him.
"Grandpa, let them talk alone for a while." Tang Yu helped Song Zihe back into the house.
A Lincoln sedan was parked outside the gate, with a driver inside. At the alley entrance, a Mercedes-Benz was parked, and several smartly dressed young men in suits stood there, clearly security personnel.
"Hao'er!" Du Qingmiao chased after him and saw Song Hao standing motionless beside the car. She didn't understand why Song Hao was like this.
"Aunt Du! Can I borrow your car to go to the beach? We need to talk there," Song Hao said coldly.
"Alright! Get in the car." Du Qingmiao personally stepped forward and opened the car door for Song Hao.
"Thank you!" Song Hao said casually and sat down.
Du Yumiao then sat down next to Song Hao and said to the driver, "Old Wang, take us to the beach."
"Yes, Madam!" the driver replied respectfully, starting the car and driving away.
"Hao'er, your father will be here soon, and our family will be reunited," Du Qingmiao said excitedly.
The driver in front, Old Wang, looked on in astonishment.
"Aunt Du, please call me Song Hao," Song Hao said indifferently.
"Please don't say that! It hurts my heart. I know I'm sorry, but your father and I will spend the rest of our lives making it up to you," Du Qingmiao said, shaking her head and crying.
Song Hao sighed inwardly, closed his eyes, and remained silent. At this moment, Song Hao desperately wanted to embrace his mother, but he knew he couldn't. He was a victim of the conspiracy orchestrated by the Qi family of the Heavenly Medicine Sect, and he had lost fifteen years of his parents' love. More importantly, he had to prove whether Uncle Song Gang's death was related to the Heavenly Medicine Sect and this conspiracy. Song Hao was forcing himself to refuse to acknowledge his mother using this reason.
We arrived at the seaside. The sea breeze was salty and cold, the waves were surging, and the sky was overcast, all seemingly indicating the unusual atmosphere of the day.
Song Hao got out of the car and walked ahead.
Du Qingmiao shook her head and followed behind.
Song Hao's emotions were as turbulent as the ocean waves. There was no doubt that this noble and beautiful Aunt Du was his mother. Although he felt a surge of unexpected excitement and surprise, Song Hao did not have the courage to acknowledge her.
Song Hao felt his mother approach him. Gazing at the horizon where the sky met the water, he sighed and said, "Can you tell me why you abandoned me for fifteen years? Please tell me the truth."
"Hao'er, fifteen years ago, your father and I encountered an emergency and couldn't take you with us. We went overseas alone..."
"Stop talking!" Song Hao shouted, indignantly saying, "You abandoned me for fifteen years for your own purposes, and you are still deceiving me and my grandfather today. I don't have parents like you."
"Hao'er, what... what are you saying?" A hint of panic appeared in Du Qingmiao's eyes.
"Over the past fifteen years, I have learned all the medical skills of the Song family, including the Nine Needles for Rejuvenation. But I must tell you, it belongs to the Song family, and the Qi family of the Heavenly Medicine Sect will never be able to obtain it," Song Hao said coldly.
Upon hearing this, Du Qingmiao trembled and froze in shock. The thing she had feared had finally come to pass.
"You... how do you know all this? Who told you?" Du Qingmiao asked in a panic.
"Don't worry about that. I have another question for you, and please tell me the truth. Did Grandpa's only son, Uncle Song Gang, die at your hands? Please don't tell me it had nothing to do with you and was just an accidental car accident." Song Hao said, his sharp gaze fixed on the unprepared Du Qingmiao.
"Hao'er... how could you... you..." Du Qingmiao was momentarily panicked.
"It really was you who did it!" Song Hao gritted his teeth and took a step forward, shouting angrily, "Why are you so cruel? You've ruined families and cut off their lineage! All just to steal that one kind of acupuncture technique. You hypocrites have done such a heinous thing. What face do you have to be my parents?"
"Hao'er..." Du Qingmiao cried out in grief and knelt down on the beach in great pain.
The attendants watching from a distance saw Song Hao daring to shout at Du Qingmiao and wanted to stop him for such impolite behavior. However, they were stopped by the driver, Lao Wang.
Song Hao threw the bank card with one million yuan in cash that Qi Yannian had given him in front of Du Qingmiao, and said angrily, "Here's your stuff back. Remember, from now on, I have nothing to do with your Qi family of the Tianyi Sect, and please don't come to my house to disturb my grandfather and me's normal life anymore. I don't want to see you again." After saying that, Song Hao ran away quickly into the distance with tears in his eyes.
"Hao'er!" Du Qingmiao cried out in anguish and then fainted.
The attendants were shocked to see this and rushed over.
The sea, the beach, the sky, the cold wind—everything in the world seemed gray to Song Hao. He ran and roared, plunging into the sea and desperately splashing the water, unable to vent the bitterness in his heart. In a daze, everything had changed overnight; fate had altered his identity, forcing him to bear the consequences of his parents' actions. The current situation stemmed from a conspiracy fifteen years ago, a conspiracy rooted in a medical incident from over half a century ago. It had drawn a young child into a meticulously planned conspiracy spanning fifteen years.
"I'm not Qi Hao, I'm Song Hao!" Song Hao was in unbearable pain. His grandfather had raised him with great difficulty, only to have him become the child of their enemy. And he couldn't avenge the Song family because their parents were his own. The Qi family of the Heavenly Medicine Sect had brought disaster to the Song family, and to make matters worse, they had sent him, a young boy, to steal their skills, deceiving the Song family for fifteen years.
At this moment, Song Hao realized that the culprit behind all of this was not Qi's parents, but himself. He had essentially deceived his kind grandfather for fifteen years. This invisible guilt and sense of remorse tormented Song Hao intensely, making him feel utterly ashamed.
"I am a descendant of the Song family, not a member of the Qi family!" Song Hao shouted loudly.
As evening fell and the sun set, a distraught Song Hao slowly walked home.
Tang Yu opened the courtyard gate for him.
"Song Hao, where did you go? You didn't even take your phone. I couldn't find you anywhere," Tang Yu scolded.
Then, Tang Yu noticed Song Hao's listless appearance and asked in surprise, "What's wrong with you?"