Wen Tingxue gently caressed his back, about to ask something, when he spoke in a muffled, hoarse voice.
"Yiyi, brother has a secret to tell you."
It was a secret buried deep in his heart for a long time, one he probably would have kept until the end of time if nothing had happened.
Wen Tingxue's hand didn't stop, she just nodded gently.
"You speak, I'll listen, and then I'll keep it to myself."
"Okay."
Yu Wenli nuzzled into her shoulder, agreeing obediently, his voice even sounding a little childlike.
Wen Tingxue's heart sank, intuitively feeling that the secret he was about to share was related to his maternal grandparents.
As expected, after the driver got out of the car, he fell silent for a long, long time.
Then he slowly spoke.
"Yiyi, do you know? I caused Grandpa and Grandma's death..."
His voice was slow and soft, as if it could dissipate with a gust of wind.
Wen Tingxue's chest tightened, and she held him even tighter.
The story began with the death of Shang Ziqian's grandparents.
At that time, just like Yu Wenli, Shang Ziqian's grandparents were also worried about Shang Ziqian's mental state.
They were kind-hearted people. Although they didn't interact much with Shang Ziqian, they saw him as a child, alone and vulnerable, prone to hunger and cold.
Therefore, they repeatedly asked Shang Ziqian's neighbors to bring him meals under various pretexts.
They also asked them to observe Shang Ziqian's mental state.
The reason they didn't go themselves was entirely because Shang Ziqian's dislike for Yu Wenli had, over time, developed into a dislike for the Wen family.
If they had gone to deliver food themselves, Shang Ziqian might have thrown the bowls and chopsticks.
Fortunately, Shang Ziqian had always treated his neighbors well.
Shang Ziqian also gave them face, and he ate all the meals they brought.
He just didn't eat much.
During that period, the elderly couple worried a lot about this matter. They even used Yu Wenli and Chi Zerui as test subjects to see if the stews were flavorful and nutritious enough.
The three of them would get headaches at the mere mention of soup.
If things had ended there, it would have been fine. But Shang Ziqian had already made up his mind to die.
After Yu Wenli took him to the hospital, the elderly couple secretly went to visit him.
Yu Wenli didn't know about this until days later, when Shang Ziqian told him.
It was on the first day he moved to Moxiangyaju with his parents. Shang Ziqian suddenly found him.
He said he had something very important to tell him.
At that time, Yu Wenli was consumed by the grief of his maternal grandparents' sudden passing.
He had no intention of dealing with Shang Ziqian and was about to refuse when Shang Ziqian said, "It's about your maternal grandparents. If you want to know, come over."
"If you miss this chance today, I will never speak of it again."
Only then did Yu Wenli go.
And then, he finally learned the truth behind his maternal grandparents' sudden death—
It turned out that when his maternal grandparents secretly went to pay Shang Ziqian's medical bills, they were spotted by Shang Ziqian.
Shang Ziqian was an extremely proud person. Yu Wenli saving him and taking care of him already made him unhappy.
Now, the person he hated the most was coming to pay his bills?!
He was very angry at the time.
Due to being abandoned as a child, he deeply resented being pitied or having things given to him.
It was as if he were a stray dog, destined to starve if no one fed him.
He hated that feeling intensely.
So, when the elderly couple smilingly asked him, "Child, do you know where the best roast duck is?
'My children want to eat it, so they asked us to bring one back.'"
Shang Ziqian knew the elderly couple wanted to get closer to him.
But he simply detested this kind of self-righteous kindness.
It was as if they were so noble, and he was so pathetic, needing them to save him.
So, he deliberately mentioned the farthest roast duck shop in the south of the city.
Not only was it far, but its taste was also not good.
At that time, he just wanted to teach them a lesson, to let them know that not all kindness is appreciated.
He wanted to die, and for them to prevent him from dying was the cruelest punishment of all!
He never expected that it would suddenly rain heavily that day, and the elderly couple, filled with anticipation, would embark on a path of no return.
When the devastating news arrived, Shang Ziqian was in a daze in the hospital room for a long time.
Until several nurses lamented with regret, saying that the elderly couple often visited him secretly and had been paying his bills.
They said good people don't live long, while villains thrive for millennia.
Shang Ziqian knew he wasn't likable and didn't care about others' opinions.
But that day, lying on the hospital bed he hated the most, he cried profusely and miserably.
Because he knew he had done something that could never be compensated or redeemed in this lifetime.
After hiding for a few days, he finally appeared at the funeral.
With the most expensive wreath and the deepest apology.
He even accepted the thanks of Yu Wenli's parents.
Shang Ziqian couldn't describe his feelings at that moment, only that he felt ridiculous, like an out-of-place clown.
So, after bowing, he left quickly.
On the way back, he learned from the neighbors that the meals and soups he had been eating all those days were carefully prepared by the elderly couple.
At that moment, Shang Ziqian truly wished to die to atone for his sins, yet he felt unworthy to see them.
So, after waiting a few days, he found Yu Wenli.
He confessed everything, hoping Yu Wenli would take his life, seeing it as a form of atonement.
At least it would make him feel a little better.
The moment Yu Wenli learned the truth, he indeed wanted Shang Ziqian to pay with his life.
He never imagined that the person he kindly saved would become the murderer who pushed his maternal grandparents to the underworld!
In other words, if he hadn't saved Shang Ziqian, his maternal grandparents wouldn't have died!
Therefore, he was the one who caused his maternal grandparents' death!
The secret, buried in his heart for many years, having been revealed, Yu Wenli collapsed into her arms as if all strength had been drained from him.
His usually upright and straight back now seemed devoid of bones, fragile to the point of breaking.
As if he could shatter with a single touch.
Wen Tingxue held him tenderly, her embrace strong yet cautious.
By the end, she was sweating profusely, her arms feeling weak and unfamiliar.
But she didn't dare to let go, fearing he couldn't bear it.
He had finally unveiled the deepest scar in his heart, and it hadn't healed yet. How could she bear to let him be hurt again?
"Brother Yu, I don't think Grandpa and Grandma will blame you..."
Wen Tingxue stared at his vacant, unfocused eyes and said softly, "They were so kind."
"How could they accept that the child they raised was someone who watched others die and did nothing?
"Although Shang Ziqian was detestable, he was still a living human life. I believe that at that time, no one could have stood by and done nothing.
"Therefore, Grandpa and Grandma must not regret that you saved him. It can only be blamed on fate, as no one expected such a heavy rain that day..."
Yu Wenli stared blankly into the void, not speaking.
After a moment, as if he had absorbed a little of what she said, he closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.
His sleeping posture was one of extreme unease.
Wen Tingxue asked the driver to get a blanket from the trunk and covered him with it.