Chapter 83: No Need
Translator: _Min_
Not far away, in an open space, a family was gathered. The source of the flames was their cooking fire.
Gu Dai looked at the scene, then turned her head to the pale-faced Song Ling, sighing helplessly. She nudged him to turn away from the flames, saying, “Let’s go over there. I never thought that, after all these years, you would still be afraid of fire.”
Song Ling took a while to recover, his mind clouded with images of raging flames.
He had been rescued by Jiang Yue from a fire in his childhood, but the trauma had left a lingering shadow. Whenever he saw fire, he would feel fear.
Once Song Ling had composed himself, he recalled what Gu Dai had just said and looked at her, puzzled, asking, “How did you know I’m afraid of fire?”
Gu Dai glanced at Song Ling and answered nonchalantly, “After all, back then…”
She stopped mid-sentence, rephrasing her words, “Every time you see fire, your expression changes. I’m not stupid; isn’t it something that can be guessed with a little thought?”
In reality, Song Ling’s fear was not so apparent. Gu Dai knew because she had seen him as a child when she had rushed into the house to save him.
If it weren’t for the events of the past three years, Gu Dai would have told Song Ling about this. However, now, she didn’t want to become too entangled with him, so there was no need to mention it.
Song Ling heard the pause in Gu Dai’s speech, and he questioned, “What did you mean by ‘back then’?”
Gu Dai’s face remained impassive as she replied, “Nothing. Was this all you wanted to talk to me about? Since we’ve finished, I’ll leave now.”
“Wait!” Song Ling called out to Gu Dai, stating his real purpose, “Gu Dai, did you trick my mother into selling her paintings and even made her sign a contract?”
Gu Dai was somewhat surprised, not expecting Song Ling to learn about this so quickly.
Only tricking…
Gu Dai raised her downcast eyes and looked at Song Ling seriously, “I indeed asked someone to buy the paintings, but there was no deception. After all, Mrs. Wang Lan didn’t hesitate to sign the contract once we explained our intentions. If you don’t believe me, I can get the coffee shop to show you the surveillance video.”
Song Ling coldly refused, “There is no need.”
He had already seen the video and was more aware of Wang Lan’s behavior than anyone else. This understanding only fueled his anger, and he had cursed Wang Lan for her stupidity more than once.
Song Ling continued, “My mother signing the contract quickly is not an excuse for your malicious intentions. She was once so nice to you, and you tricked her with these deceitful tactics. Can you live with your conscience?”
Gu Dai wondered if she had misheard as stared at Song Ling in shock, “You think Wang Lan was nice to me?”
Without waiting for Song Ling to respond, she continued, “Wang Lan ordered me to wash the family’s clothes in cold water in the winter, to run for hours in the summer to buy her favorite food, and verbally abused me, among other things. If you say she acted behind my back when you didn’t see, didn’t you see how she treated me at the art exhibition? You think she was nice to me?”
Song Ling recalled the scenes from the exhibition. The arrogance of Wang Lan and Song Yu floated before his eyes.
His face showed guilt, but he still insisted, “Maybe my mother’s behavior was extreme at times, but I don’t believe she bullied you all these years. There must have been good times too, or why didn’t you tell me about her bullying?”
Gu Dai scoffed and looked at Song Ling for a moment before answering, her voice tinged with irony, “Wang Lan has indeed bullied me all these three years and never treated me well. As for not telling you, you never gave me the chance to speak! Even if I had, you wouldn’t have believed me, always thinking 1 was playing tricks, trying to gain your sympathy.”
Song Ling’s figure trembled, images flooding his mind. Gu Dai had indeed told him, but he had been particularly impatient at the time, brushing her off and hanging up the phone..