Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Prison Visits

Before meeting his aunt Meng Yu, Meng Fu had always been grateful to her. However, after his parents were imprisoned, Meng Yu severed all contact with their family. Since then, Meng Fu and his younger brother, Xiao Yi, had been living off the money their parents had left behind. Unexpectedly, when they, too, were imprisoned, it was Meng Yu who extended a helping hand.

After all, family ties run deep.

“Meng Fu, Xiao Yi is staying with us, so you don’t need to worry,” Meng Yu said with a look of concern. However, after speaking, a visible discomfort settled on her face. She hesitated, as though there was something difficult to express. Her brow furrowed slightly.

“Auntie, I’m already grateful that you’re taking care of Xiao Yi. If there’s something on your mind, please feel free to say it,” Meng Fu responded.

“You know, your aunt’s family isn’t very well off. Your cousin is going to college, which costs a lot, and your other cousin is still in school. Your uncle has a simple job, so…” Meng Yu trailed off, knowing Meng Fu would understand the implication.

"Simple job?" Meng Fu thought to himself. His uncle was actually an executive at a small company, which was a far cry from a “simple” job. Yet, seeing the awkward expression on Meng Yu’s face, he simply said, “My parents left some money for Xiao Yi and me. The bank card is hidden in Xiao Yi’s pillow, and the password is my father’s birthday.”

"Oh, I see," Meng Yu sighed in relief. She knew that while Meng Fu’s parents had been convicted of corruption and much of their wealth had been confiscated, they had managed to leave a considerable amount for their children. “Meng Fu, then I’ll be off now. Don’t worry about anything in prison. I’ll take good care of Xiao Yi.”

“Thank you, Auntie,” Meng Fu replied with a smile. Just as she stood up to leave, he remembered something. “Auntie, Xiao Yi is allergic to pollen.”

“Yes, I know,” Meng Yu replied, but she was already halfway out the door.

As he watched her leave, a thought crossed Meng Fu’s mind: Isn’t it too early for the visiting hours to be over?

When Gu Ze appeared, Meng Fu’s instinct was to turn and run. He always felt a deep sense of guilt towards the man standing in front of him, and that guilt made him uneasy in Gu Ze’s presence.

Meng Fu’s legs tensed, his fingers nervously pinching the edge of the table.

“Mr. Gu,” he muttered quietly.

“How’s prison life treating you?” Gu Ze leaned back in his chair, looking down at him with cold detachment.

Meng Fu couldn’t say it was going well, nor could he say it was tolerable. Either answer would anger Gu Ze. After all, Gu Ze wanted nothing more than for Meng Fu to suffer.

Silence hung between them.

Gu Ze scrutinized him—his thinner frame, the paler lips—assessing Meng Fu’s misery in the most direct way possible. His condition seemed to satisfy Gu Ze, even bringing a faint smile to his lips.

“Seven years like this. If it becomes unbearable, just end it. It’s easy enough to die in prison,” Gu Ze whispered menacingly, leaning forward.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Gu.”

“Those same three words,” Gu Ze sneered. “Do you think ‘sorry’ can bring two lives back?”

“I…”

Meng Fu had nothing more to say. No amount of apology or remorse could undo the loss of two lives.

“Tell me about your time in prison. Maybe your suffering will cheer me up,” Gu Ze pressed, his voice laced with venom.

“Nothing much has happened,” Meng Fu answered honestly. Aside from a few rough days at the start, the other inmates now treated him with respect, largely due to Di Jun, the prison boss, who had taken a liking to him.

He lowered his head, unable to fabricate a tragic lie to satisfy Gu Ze’s desire for his pain.

Silence again. Even the particles in the air seemed to stand still.

“I heard you have a mentally handicapped brother?” Gu Ze’s casual question sent a jolt through Meng Fu. He immediately raised his head, his voice growing firm, “Don’t hurt my brother.”

“I’m not that despicable. The only person I want to hurt is you, a murderer. I won’t involve the innocent, much less a fool,” Gu Ze said, lifting his chin slightly in disdain.

“That’s a relief,” Meng Fu sighed, momentarily relaxing his tense nerves.

“Your brother, was he born that way?” Gu Ze asked suddenly.

Meng Fu froze for a moment, unsure why Gu Ze had brought up Xiao Yi. His worry for his brother flared up again, and he hurriedly explained, “No, he wasn’t born that way. He had meningitis as a child. My parents were always busy and didn’t seek timely treatment, so his intelligence got stuck at the level of a five-year-old. Please, Mr. Gu, my brother doesn’t understand anything. Don’t do anything to him.”

“As I said, I won’t harm him. But if someone else does, that’s out of my hands.”

“What do you mean?” Meng Fu’s eyes widened in fear. Someone else? Who?

“That woman in court last time, she’s your aunt, right?”

“Hm,” Meng Fu nodded, his fingers trembling. He had a bad feeling about where this conversation was headed.

Gu Ze, seeing the nervousness and fear on Meng Fu’s face, smirked, satisfied. “I saw your aunt walking ahead, and your brother trailing behind her, carrying shopping bags with a bouquet of flowers in his arms. Your brother kept sneezing, but your aunt seemed in a hurry. She turned back, said something, and rushed him along.”

Meng Fu’s face paled further, a drop of sweat rolling down his cheek. Gu Ze continued with sadistic pleasure, “Your brother cried a lot, probably because he’s allergic to pollen. Did you forget to tell your aunt, or did she know and still make him hold the flowers?”

“I didn’t forget. I told her,” Meng Fu whispered, weakly forcing a smile, trying to convince himself.

Didn’t I tell her before she left?

“Do you know how my brother is doing now?” Meng Fu asked, though he didn’t expect Gu Ze to give him a real answer. He was desperate for any news of Xiao Yi.

“What? Your aunt didn’t tell you?” Gu Ze asked mockingly, leaning forward to observe Meng Fu’s expression. A triumphant smile played on his lips.

“No.”

Gu Ze chuckled, “Let’s keep it this way, Meng Fu. You’re far more entertaining like this.”

With those words, Gu Ze walked out, leaving behind the cold thrill of his revenge.

Outside the prison, the sky was a vibrant blue. Inside, it remained a dull, oppressive gray.

As Gu Ze returned to his car, he felt less burdened. His secretary handed him a photo album, and he casually flipped through the pages.

The photographs captured ordinary moments: Meng Yi carrying his aunt’s shopping bags, his innocent expression unchanging, or following his cousin, Ye Yan, smiling brightly as if all his troubles had disappeared. There were also images of Xie Zhenzhen attending her piano lessons as usual.

Though these were just ordinary snapshots, Gu Ze knew they were powerful weapons. They would be devastating to Meng Fu. Seeing the two people he cared for most—one neglected by his aunt, the other seemingly forgotten by his lover—would break him.

“Mr. Gu, everything is set up in the prison,” the secretary reported.

“How’s he doing in there?” Gu Ze asked.

“He’s being protected by Di Jun, the gang leader. No one dares to touch him.”

Gu Ze’s mood darkened instantly. The photo album in his hand fell to the car floor as he cursed angrily, “Damn it! Does he really think someone can protect him? It won’t be that easy. Drive.”

END OF THE CHAPTER