Chapter 401: Chapter 401 Even If He Acts Personally
Lin Qi said, “I heard it from Mo Ke.”
Mo Ke had called her and told her everything that happened that afternoon.
Lin Qi knew that Huo Tingdong had had a major argument with the Song Family, so much so that their relationship had completely ruptured.
She sat by the bed and gently held his hand. “Are you feeling very upset?”
Huo Tingdong responded with a soft “Hmm,” and closed his eyes.
Lin Qi asked, “Huo Tingdong, let me ask you—would you advocate for Song Shuyan to receive the death penalty?”
Huo Tingdong responded, “Hmm.”
Lin Qi continued, “If… she died, would you feel sorrow?”
Huo Tingdong replied straightforwardly, “Yes.”
Lin Qi said, “If her death would cause you pain, then…”
Huo Tingdong interrupted, “There’s no ‘if.'”
This matter wasn’t one that was hard to decide.
Even if he had to do it with his own hands, he’d show no mercy toward her anymore.
Huo Tingdong said, “What saddens me is simply how everything has changed beyond recognition.”
Song Shuyan was no longer the innocent, untainted girl he remembered.
Lin Qi hugged him from behind.
She simply held him quietly.
Huo Tingdong, his emotions somewhat calmed, slowly said, “When I was a child, my mother passed away very early. After she died, I became withdrawn and didn’t want to go to school. My father was busy with work; he didn’t have the time or energy to look after me. So, he hired a private tutor for me. Song Shuyan’s older brother, Shuhao, became my study companion. We studied, grew up, and later joined the army together. Actually, he’s an incredibly talented person. If his family background were more like mine, he might now be in no worse a position than I.”
Lin Qi was a bit surprised.
It was the first time she had heard him talk about his childhood.
Lin Qi asked, “So, the three of you grew up together?”
Huo Tingdong responded, “Hmm.”
Lin Qi continued, “It’s the first time you’ve mentioned your childhood… I know your mother passed away when you were very young, but I never knew why she passed away at such an early age…”
Huo Tingdong explained, “Illness.”
Lin Qi furrowed her eyebrows. “What kind of illness?”
Huo Tingdong replied, “Uterine cancer.”
Lin Qi’s jaw dropped in surprise. “Uterine cancer?”
Huo Tingdong said, “When she was carrying me, she was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Originally, my father wanted her to terminate the pregnancy. But the doctor advised that if she wanted a chance at full recovery, she should terminate the pregnancy and immediately have surgery to remove a part of her uterus. She couldn’t bear to do that. So, she delayed treatment until after I was born, but by then, she had missed the optimal window for treatment.”
After giving birth to him, his mother underwent surgery to remove the affected areas.
But when he was two years old, the cancer returned and spread rapidly.
In the end, she didn’t get the chance to see him grow up. She succumbed to the disease and left the world.
Huo Tingdong said, “So, when I was very young, my father resented me for a time. If my mother hadn’t insisted on giving birth to me, she wouldn’t have died. My life was exchanged for hers.”
Lin Qi asked, “Your mother must have been very beautiful, wasn’t she?”
Huo Tingdong smiled faintly. “Hmm, very beautiful.”
Lin Qi asked again, “Do you have photo albums of her?”
Huo Tingdong replied, “I do.”
He got up and walked to the study.
Before long, Huo Tingdong returned to the room, bringing back an album.
Lin Qi sat beside him and opened the album.
The first page featured a photo of a beautiful woman holding a baby.
The woman’s gentle smile, accented by light makeup, exuded elegance and grace. The photo seemed to have been taken postpartum—perhaps due to her illness, her complexion wasn’t vibrant, but it was still easy to tell that his mother had been a stunning beauty in her youth!
Lin Qi said, “This is your mother.”
Huo Tingdong nodded, “Hmm.”
Lin Qi glanced at the album and then at him. “It turns out that your eyes resemble your mother’s.”
Huo Tingdong gazed at the album, his fingertips lightly brushing across the photo. “I miss her deeply.”
It was rare for him to flip through the album.
Perhaps it was because seeing these keepsakes brought back memories.
He stopped flipping after the first page.
Lin Qi said, “Let me take a look.”
She took the album from him and began flipping through the pages.
Inside the album were not only photos of Huo Tingdong’s mother throughout her life but also many of his childhood pictures.
Lin Qi suddenly came across a photo of Huo Tingdong from his first birthday.
She exclaimed with surprise, “Han looks exactly like you when you were little—like a carbon copy!”
Huo Tingdong said, “Don’t you think Han’s eyes also resemble my mother’s?”
Lin Qi responded, “You resemble your mother, so Han resembles you—and naturally, Han resembles his grandmother too!”
She turned another page and unexpectedly found a photo of Huo Tingdong dressed in a skirt.
At that time, Huo Tingdong was likely around two years old. He could already recite poetry and walk. He wore a pale pink dress, holding a Barbie doll in his arms, with a golden curly wig on his head, resembling a doll.
He clutched the doll but cried pitifully, his teary eyes red and his chubby baby face just as red, as if he had suffered an enormous grievance.
Lin Qi couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “Who is this?”
Huo Tingdong’s expression turned slightly unnatural. “My mom dressed me like this.”
Lin Qi was a bit astonished. “Why did she dress you this way?”
Huo Tingdong replied, “I heard her say that she had hoped for a daughter. She liked girls. Unfortunately, she ended up with a son. So, she often bought dresses meant for girls and dressed me in them.”
Lin Qi said, “Many mothers dream of having a daughter and dressing her up like a little princess.”
Seeing his childhood photos for the first time, Lin Qi found them fascinating. At just one year old, he looked delicate and lovely. Even dressed in a skirt, he didn’t appear odd at all—he really resembled a Barbie doll.
The album was mostly filled with photos of Huo Tingdong—some posed, but mostly moments from daily life.
There were pictures of him drinking milk;
Pictures of him learning to walk and falling on his face;
Pictures of him in a little suit, glaring at the camera with a pacifier in his mouth, an innocent sort of fierceness;
Lin Qi found them increasingly amusing.
Han looked so much like him. Looking at these pictures felt almost like looking at Han’s childhood photos.
Gradually, the album depicted Huo Tingdong growing up.
This growth was carefully documented, with annotations detailing his age—down to years and months—on each photo.
His mother had meticulously added these notes.
Perhaps even then, she knew her illness was terminal. She wanted to treasure every fleeting moment of life, using the album to bear witness to his growth.
She had been a gentle and loving mother. Even with an incurable illness, she maintained her passion for life.
The album ended abruptly when Huo Tingdong turned seven. From then onward, it was entirely blank.
Lin Qi understood instantly—his mother had passed away when he was seven. There was no one left to take photos of him anymore.