Chapter 55: The Tricky Hand of Fate

As a mother, Liu Huamei was unintentionally competent. She loved Chen Qianqing and was willing to sacrifice everything for him.

Chen Qianqing had an excellent relationship with Liu Huamei. This is why, after Liu Huamei and Chen Qingyang died in a car accident, Chen Qianqing harbored deep resentment toward Lu Zhengfei.

Liu Huamei’s death could be considered an accident, but Chen Qianqing still blamed Lu Zhengfei. If it hadn’t been for Lu Zhengfei imprisoning him, Liu Huamei and Chen Qianqing wouldn’t have been in such a rush to travel from A City to B City, only to end up dying on the highway just after leaving the airport.

Before leaving, Liu Huamei had prepared a large amount of local specialties for Chen Qianqing.

Parents are always the ones who want to leave all the good things at home for their children. Chen Qianqing couldn’t refuse, so he had no choice but to take them.

Finally, the snow stopped in B City, and the weather was sunny, perfect for travel. Chen Qingyang drove Chen Qianqing to the airport, and Liu Huamei gave him a final set of instructions.

Chen Qianqing agreed to everything Liu Huamei said with a smile.

Liu Huamei said, “Qianqing, you have to take good care of yourself over there. If you run out of money, call your dad and me. Don’t suffer in silence.”

Chen Qianqing nodded, casually hanging up the phone from Lu Zhengfei. Right now, he lacked everything except money.

Up until he boarded the plane, Liu Huamei kept nagging him, “Your parents are far away, you must take good care of yourself…”

Chen Qianqing nodded, gave Liu Huamei and Chen Qingyang a hug, and then went through security.

Liu Huamei watched Chen Qianqing’s figure from a distance, sighed, and said to Chen Qingyang, “Hubby, I feel so uneasy.”

Chen Qingyang hugged his wife and said, “Don’t be upset, Qianqing will be back in a while.”

A few hours later, Chen Qianqing arrived in A City.

Lu Zhengfei’s calls hadn’t stopped during the flight. He had been released a few days ago, and knowing that Chen Qianqing was coming back today, he drove to the airport early in the morning to wait for him.

As soon as Chen Qianqing stepped off the plane, he saw Lu Zhengfei waving at him from a distance.

After more than a month, Lu Zhengfei had lost weight, but his eyes and overall energy were full of excitement.

Chen Qianqing walked over to him.

Lu Zhengfei casually took the luggage from Chen Qianqing’s hands and asked, “Why didn’t you answer my calls?”

Chen Qianqing replied, “My parents were around, it wasn’t appropriate to pick up.”

Lu Zhengfei said, “We haven’t seen each other for months, don’t you miss me?”

Chen Qianqing looked up at Lu Zhengfei, smiled, and said, “If I say I miss you, would you believe it?”

Lu Zhengfei was taken aback. If Chen Qianqing said that, he probably wouldn’t believe it. Instead, he would think that something was wrong with him.

Chen Qianqing saw Lu Zhengfei’s expression and said calmly, “Then why ask if you already know the answer?”

Lu Zhengfei realized he was becoming more helpless when it came to Chen Qianqing. He couldn’t get angry, yet couldn’t let go. It was like a donkey being led by a carrot; wherever Chen Qianqing placed the carrot, he had to follow.

Lu Zhengfei put Chen Qianqing’s luggage in the trunk and then got into the driver’s seat.

After getting in the car, Chen Qianqing felt a bit uncomfortable. He couldn’t pinpoint the source of the discomfort, but it felt like his heart was being squeezed, making it hard for him to breathe.

Lu Zhengfei asked, “Why do you look so pale?”

Chen Qianqing replied, “Pale?” He lowered the mirror above him and realized his face was indeed ghostly pale, almost as white as a napkin soaked in water.

Lu Zhengfei reached out and touched Chen Qianqing’s hand, stunned. “Your hand… it’s freezing.”

For some reason, Chen Qianqing felt uneasy. He quickly jerked his hand away from Lu Zhengfei’s and said impatiently, “I’m always like this.”

Lu Zhengfei looked at him with some concern but didn’t want to provoke him, so he started the car and headed home.

After early spring, the temperature had started to warm up. Although it was still a bit chilly, it was much better than winter.

The car’s heater was turned up high, and as Lu Zhengfei drove, he kept glancing at Chen Qianqing in the passenger seat.

Chen Qianqing’s complexion didn’t improve at all. He still looked pale, without a hint of color, sitting motionlessly in the chair, his eyes cold as he stared out the window like a lifeless sculpture, which made anyone who looked at him feel uneasy.

Once they were off the highway and waiting at a red light, Lu Zhengfei reached over and took Chen Qianqing’s hand again. This time, he realized something was really wrong with him. He asked, “Qianqing, why are your hands so cold?”

Chen Qianqing’s gaze seemed unfocused, and he didn’t respond, letting Lu Zhengfei hold his hand.

“Qianqing?” Lu Zhengfei called again, quickly reaching to touch his forehead. He was alarmed to find that Chen Qianqing was covered in cold sweat, and his lips had turned a grayish color.

Lu Zhengfei panicked. “Qianqing, what’s wrong with you?”

After a long pause, Chen Qianqing finally said slowly, “I just… feel uncomfortable.”

This discomfort felt inexplicable, as though something suddenly swept over him, pulling his soul out of his body. Everything around him seemed distant, like there was a thick glass separating him from the world, and even Lu Zhengfei’s words sounded faint and blurry.

Suddenly, his phone rang, snapping him back to reality for a moment.

As the red light turned green, Lu Zhengfei didn’t hesitate and made a turn to head toward the hospital.

Chen Qianqing slowly answered the call. A cold, unfamiliar voice came through the phone, asking, “Is this Chen Qianqing?”

Chen Qianqing responded with a soft “Mm.”

The voice continued, “Your parents have been in a serious car accident. They are in the hospital, and they’re in critical condition. You should come quickly.”

The news hit Chen Qianqing like a thunderclap. His mouth opened, but no words came out.

The voice on the other end repeated, “Hello? Hello?” After a moment, as though noticing his heavy breathing, the voice sighed and said, “Hurry up and come.”

Lu Zhengfei had been watching Chen Qianqing closely. After the call, he noticed that it seemed as if Chen Qianqing couldn’t breathe. Panicking, he quickly found a place to pull over, unbuckled his seatbelt, and turned to hug Chen Qianqing.

Chen Qianqing truly couldn’t breathe. His vision blurred, and all he could hear was the faint sound of his heartbeat. He couldn’t see Lu Zhengfei, nor could he understand what he was saying.

Lu Zhengfei, terrified, held Chen Qianqing tighter. “Qianqing, Qianqing, breathe, breathe!”

After what seemed like an eternity, Chen Qianqing let out a muffled sound from his throat. Then, in a barely audible voice, he said, “Book me a flight back to A City…”

Lu Zhengfei immediately realized that something must have happened at home. He didn’t waste time asking questions. He immediately arranged for the fastest flight back to A City and said, “Qianqing, don’t worry. I’m here with you.”

Chen Qianqing seemed to have regained a little composure. He said, “Take me to the airport.”

Lu Zhengfei knew that there was nothing more to say at that moment, so he fastened Chen Qianqing’s seatbelt and drove straight to the airport.

Chen Qianqing sat in the passenger seat, silently lowering his head. It wasn’t until they were almost at the airport that Lu Zhengfei heard him speak. He said, “Lu Zhengfei, why?”

Lu Zhengfei didn’t know how to respond to this question.

Chen Qianqing didn’t say anything more, and even after getting on the plane, he remained in a daze.

While waiting at the airport, Chen Qianqing really wanted to call and ask about what was happening, but he didn’t dare. He truly didn’t dare. He was afraid of hearing the words, “Chen Qianqing, please accept my condolences.” He didn’t know how he would react if he heard those two words.

This wasn’t his emotion; he didn’t have that much feeling for Liu Huamei. These feelings belonged to the body he was in, to the real Chen Qianqing.

When the original Chen Qianqing heard the news of his parents’ death, his reaction was the same as the current Chen Qianqing’s. It felt like floating in the sky, with everything around him becoming blurry and silent.

Lu Zhengfei didn’t know how to comfort Chen Qianqing. The person beside him seemed like their soul had already left their body. The silence made it impossible for him to say anything comforting.

Neither Lu Zhengfei nor Chen Qianqing spoke. Until they returned to B City, there was no communication between them.

Chen Qianqing numbly inquired about which hospital his parents were in, then hurried to the hospital with Lu Zhengfei.

He had already mentally prepared for this. When he made the call earlier, the person on the other end seemed to hesitate, but before they could finish, Chen Qianqing had hung up.

As Lu Zhengfei had guessed, something had happened at Chen Qianqing’s home, but it was far worse than he had imagined because it was Chen Qianqing’s parents who were involved.

When they reached the hospital, Chen Qianqing turned to Lu Zhengfei and said, “Who are you? Am I dreaming?”

Lu Zhengfei looked at Chen Qianqing’s pale, silent figure, his eyes filled with panic. He said, “Qianqing, don’t scare me.”

Chen Qianqing stared at him for a long time, then turned and entered the hospital without saying another word.

The emergency room light had already been turned off. Chen Qianqing didn’t ask the nurse anything but instead wandered through the entire hospital, searching room by room.

Lu Zhengfei knew Chen Qianqing didn’t want to know the truth. He said, “Qianqing, I’m here. Don’t be afraid.”

Chen Qianqing replied, “There’s no one in the ICU.”

Lu Zhengfei paused, unsure of how to respond.

Chen Qianqing sighed heavily, “Should I go to the morgue to find them?”

Lu Zhengfei could only stretch out his arms and hold Chen Qianqing tightly.

Later, Lu Zhengfei found a nurse and asked about the situation.

The nurse, assuming they were family, spoke with a tone of sympathy. She said, “Neither of the couple survived… are you their…?”

“Son,” Chen Qianqing answered blankly. “I’m their son.”

The nurse expressed her condolences and hurriedly left.

Lu Zhengfei didn’t know what to say. He said, “Qianqing, cry. It’ll be better once you cry…”

Chen Qianqing asked, “Is this what it feels like?”

Lu Zhengfei didn’t understand what Chen Qianqing meant.

Chen Qianqing said, “I didn’t know this… until now.”

Lu Zhengfei asked, “Qianqing, what are you talking about?”

Chen Qianqing glanced at him coldly and asked, “Are you Lu Zhengfei?”

After asking, he actually smiled. “Then, who am I?”