The Sorrow of the Parrot

Wen Xishu was very confident in his luck. After all, this round, he had Luck Value and had even rolled the maximum Mad Dice result of 666.

A heavenly opening. This momentum practically screamed lucky-player round. Speedrunning Desire Tower's Level Six Completion would happen today.

How could he possibly lose with such incredible luck?

Dice result: 2, 2.

"Looks like your luck is bad. You drink first." Tang Rui lightly tapped her cup with her index finger, staring straight at Wen Xishu.

Wen Xishu fell silent.

Well, starting at a disadvantage was good. It fit his style. Lose once to appear weak, then go on a rampage.

As the wine was poured into the cup, Wen Xishu saw the originally burgundy liquid suddenly acquire a faint sheen.

"So pretty..." Tang Rui could not help saying.

It was the first time she had seen such a magical reaction. The dim red liquid had actually become vivid.

Wen Xishu said softly:

"After I finish drinking, you can ask me one question. I guarantee I'll answer truthfully."

Tang Rui gave an oh. Truth-telling did not seem particularly interesting, but playing with this stranger who had suddenly appeared might be somewhat interesting.

There seemed to be something about Wen Xishu that gave her a sense of kinship.

"Does happiness mean telling the truth?"

"That depends on who you're telling it to. If you tell it to me, you might receive an unprecedented surprise," Wen Xishu said seriously.

Tang Rui merely took it as nonsense and did not realize that this was a major turning point in her fate.

Wen Xishu directly drank the wine in the cup.

You have consumed wine affected by the cup. From this moment onward, any question asked by the other person holding the wine cup must be answered with the absolute truth.

This was the first prompt, originally the only prompt. It meant the Truth Serum Wine Cups' effect had begun.

But interestingly, Wen Xishu received a second prompt.

Under the effect of Eerie Sequence 99 Feelings, the Truth Serum Wine Cups have undergone slight changes. The other person holding the wine cup will gain an additional truth-listening experience.

Wen Xishu was slightly surprised.

Eerie Sequence 99 Feelings. As expected, Tang Rui had an Eerie Sequence hidden within her.

But unlike Jack, whose mutation had occurred suddenly one day, Tang Rui was gradually awakening. At least at this moment, her sequence could already produce a faint resonance with his.

On the other side, Tang Rui did not receive any prompts. Only Bunker residents wearing black wristwatches could see these prompts.

However, Tang Rui truly did feel the wine cup's magical power.

She had the feeling that no matter how sensitive the topic she asked about now, no matter what level of secret it was, the other party would tell the truth.

It was dangerous, because the effect might work on her too, yet it was also deeply alluring.

Once someone drank from the Truth Serum Wine Cups, the other person would automatically be affected by the cups and join the game.

"Do you... have a girl you like?"

It was a very cliché truth question, but it was suitable for warming things up. Tang Rui thought she could ask more private questions afterward.

"No." Wen Xishu answered decisively.

He loved questions like this. He only needed to answer yes or no.

Yet at that moment, Tang Rui actually saw some images.

The city in the image was somewhere Tang Rui found both familiar and unfamiliar. It looked like Jiangcheng City, yet it was not Jiangcheng City.

The image of the city flashed past. The next instant, flames filled the surroundings. A child of twelve or thirteen stood outside the blaze, holding an unconnected phone and talking to himself.

"Just love yourself. Don't let them deceive you again in the future, and don't trust anyone so easily. Go do what you like. Go experience all the novelty and excitement this world has to offer."

After saying those words, the child made the call. It was an emergency call.

Tang Rui vaguely guessed that the child was the person drinking with her now. Looking at his back, she inexplicably felt lonely.

She immediately wanted to keep questioning him. So much so that she overlooked the fact that she should have asked what exactly was going on with this cup.

"You went through..."

"Stop. That's the second question. Roll the dice first." Wen Xishu interrupted Tang Rui.

Wen Xishu could feel what Tang Rui had just seen as well.

He realized the danger of this cup, but that also meant he could use it to obtain all the information.

However, Wen Xishu was not happy for long.

Because the result was 1, 5. Added together, it was six, which meant it was his turn to drink again.

"My luck is pretty good. You..."

Tang Rui suddenly stopped. She seemed to have become smarter and realized that she should not ask such a broad, vague question, because the other party could answer very generally.

So she changed the question:

"Then in the past, did anyone ever love you?"

Wen Xishu shook his head.

"No one."

His expression changed from calm and composed to serious. Or perhaps he did not know what expression to make, so he could only remain blank-faced, which made him look very serious.

Tang Rui wanted to speak but stopped herself. She already knew the cup's rule: only the truth could be spoken. This man sincerely believed that no one had ever loved him.

Yet the images she saw had been so warm.

It was the happiness she had dreamed of.

"Xiaoshu, Xiaoshu, look, look! What's this? It's the ROG handheld console Mommy bought for you. Are you happy?"

The woman's face seemed veiled in mist, but her brilliant smile could still be seen.

There was more than one warm scene like this.

"Xiaoshu, Xiaoshu, sorry for coming to school and bothering you, but today's lunch is really delicious. Happy birthday! After school, let's go to the amusement park together."

Though the woman's sunny smile was obscured by mist, Tang Rui still felt deeply moved.

Because she had begged for scenes like this countless times.

In the image, the woman stood at the classroom door and waved to the boy in front of the teacher and all his classmates. In her hand was a heart-shaped lunchbox that seemed to exist only in anime.

So even when schoolwork was demanding, there were parents who remembered their child's birthday.

Tang Rui did not understand. With a mother like that, why would he say he had never been loved?

She was getting carried away and could not be bothered to ask about the cup's secret anymore.

"Continue."

Dice result: 4, 4. Still even.

Now Wen Xishu realized how serious the problem was. If the next roll was even again, he would have to find a way to change games.

Tang Rui had never experienced truth-telling like this before. It was as novel as experiencing someone else's life.

Wen Xishu's memories filled her with yearning and envy.

"Then have you... ever felt, at some moment, that you were happy?"

She asked a similar question because she wanted to see more similar images.

Not at all.

Wen Xishu wanted to say that, but he could not. The Truth Serum Wine Cups only allowed the truth. At that moment, what came out of his mouth was:

"There were times when I was."

Tang Rui saw another scene.

"Son, come here. You're about to leave us for middle school, which means you're growing up. Starting today, Daddy is setting your level to one. Do you remember the games we played together?" The man's face was likewise covered in mist.

He gently held the child in his arms and lightly brushed the child's face with his beard. Though mist shrouded the man's face, Tang Rui felt...

That man's gaze must have been very gentle. This was the fatherly love she had never felt. In her life, her father had been a silent accomplice.

"I remember," the boy said.

"Very good. You have to keep leveling up, understand? Every problem in your new school is a monster. You need to learn knowledge, raise your level, and defeat those monsters. When you enter society in the future, even more monsters will be waiting for you to challenge them." The man gently patted the child's back.

"You'll become a real man who can stand on his own for this family."

The little boy said:

"Then are the teachers and classmates monsters too?"

"They aren't. They're high-level NPCs. As long as Xiaoshu masters knowledge, they'll help Xiaoshu. They'll follow you, just like in a game—once you become strong enough, more and more people will want to join your party."

"Then what about Daddy and Mommy? Are you high-level NPCs too?" the boy asked.

The man shook his head.

"To other people, Daddy and Mommy are very powerful NPCs. But whether you are poor or rich in the future, whether you become successful or not..."

"From the moment you were born, we were already part of your party. That will never change."

Tang Rui actually shed tears. She cried soundlessly. In twenty years, if she had ever once had a conversation like this with her parents... perhaps her life would have turned out differently.

"Continue."

Wen Xishu's voice had grown somewhat cold. Those unpleasant memories resurfacing had quietly changed his mood too.

Fortunately, this time... the result finally became odd. 4, 5.

The result was nine.

Tang Rui readily raised the cup and drained it in one gulp. She knew more of her secrets would be exposed as well.

"Ask."

"Something very unfortunate happened in your past. When the music from that music box played, what did that person with the greasy voice... do to you?"

Wen Xishu's first question was like an arrow released from a bow, piercing directly through Tang Rui.

Tang Rui's hand trembled.

Her first reaction should have been to question how Wen Xishu knew those things, but when those memories came flooding back, her mind buzzed and she panicked completely.

Wen Xishu knew that this question would very likely push her into an extreme emotional state.

And that was indeed the case.

No, don't do this. I don't want to answer. I don't want to answer...

He saw Tang Rui's Mental Barrage. But the Truth Serum Wine Cups forced Tang Rui to speak the truth.

"I was abused by that person..."

The words were brief. It was as though Wen Xishu himself had not wanted to describe the truth in detail. But Tang Rui's Eerie Sequence Feelings greatly supplemented those words.

Those unbearable memories surged forth.

"You think we made this whole table of food for whom?"

"You think we work so hard to earn money for whom?"

"You think we humbled ourselves and begged people to get you into a prestigious school for whom?"

"You're unhappy? What does being happy matter now? You need to work hard! Work hard! Did you see the mocking faces from other families? Did you see them? I'm embarrassed! Do you know what rankings children your age have achieved?"

"You need to work hard! Hard! I've already found the best teacher in Jiangcheng City. He said that no matter how stupid you are, he can turn you into a top student!"

"No crying, no crying! You think you're tired? We're tired too! Do you know how hard work is? We work this hard, isn't it all for you?"

"We're doing this for your own good!"

Every sentence was a scene. And as the girl spoke of being abused, all those voices layered over one another, all those images stacked frame by frame, filling every corner of Wen Xishu's vision.

Until the echoes of "for whom," "for whom," "for whom" kept ringing in his ears.

He saw a child who was not particularly good at studying, forcing herself to learn under her parents' intense pressure, burdened by overwhelming guilt.

The memories continued—

"Then we'll leave her in your care, Professor Yan. Educate her however you like. You can hit her or scold her, as long as this child wins awards!"

The woman smiled at a fat man. The man smiled too as he looked toward the girl beside them.

"Don't worry. Look at her—she's just like a beautiful little bird. Here with me, she'll fly very high."

Stop! Stop it!

Tang Rui's Mental Barrage appeared, but the Truth Serum Wine Cups' effect was far too strong.

Wen Xishu watched the images constantly shift and saw the fat man's slap land on the girl's face.

"How can you not even solve such an easy problem? Are you mentally disabled?"

"You know, if you're too stupid, your father and mother will abandon you. If you want to return to their side, you can only win awards!"

"Certificates earned through school are the contract proving your parents love you! Children without certificates don't deserve their parents' love at all!"

"Your parents have done so much for you. Do you know how difficult it has been for them?"

Every word from the fat man was like a heavy hammer smashing into the girl's spine.

"I'm sorry... I'll definitely study hard. I'll make Daddy and Mommy love me."

No wonder...

Wen Xishu suddenly understood. No wonder this girl was so obsessed with those illusory memories from his past.

That sentence—"From the moment you were born, we were already part of your party. That will never change"—whether true or false, was something the girl had once desperately longed for.

Wen Xishu seemed to understand what kind of family the girl had lived in.

But he had still underestimated what Tang Rui had suffered.

"Hello, Xiaorui's mother. Here's the situation: your child has already taken seventh place in the math competition. That's an extraordinary achievement. I spent a great deal of time on it. I sent the certificate over. Did you receive it?"

"Thank you, thank you so much! We got it, we got it! You're truly amazing. My husband and I have had so much face recently!"

"Don't thank me yet. She truly has no desire to study. She resists learning far too much, and I can't teach her anymore. She's even slandering me, claiming that I did things that harmed children. Sigh, just so she won't have to study, she'll make up any lie now. How could I possibly do something like that?"

But the woman's voice on the other end of the phone became stern.

"That useless thing. Professor Yan, you've worked hard. Don't stoop to a child's level. You're such a respected person. As long as she can win awards, we'll only be grateful to you! Don't worry, we absolutely trust you. We'll help clear your name!"

The call ended.

When the fat man held the receiver to the girl's ear and made her listen to the busy tone after the call disconnected...

The man's smile was greasy and disgusting.

Bang!

The scenes suddenly shattered. Tang Rui, already crying uncontrollably, had viciously slammed the Truth Serum Wine Cups onto the table!

"Again! Drink! We're not leaving until we're drunk!"

Wen Xishu calmly nodded.

"Fine. Continue."

He himself had not noticed the absence of that teasing tone in his voice.

Wen Xishu, someone who had suffered misfortune himself and still bore immense guilt even after transmigrating, had always faced others' misfortunes with a teasing attitude.

But this time, he put away that teasing and mockery.

The dice clattered against the dice cup. Under the effects of alcohol, Tang Rui was starting to get tipsy.

Tearing open wounds was naturally something people resisted at first, because it hurt. But once the pain arrived, there seemed to be a twisted thrill in destroying oneself.

Six and three. Nine points. Wen Xishu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Tang Rui did not waste words. She picked up her glass and drained it in one gulp, utterly straightforward.

"Ask."

Wen Xishu said,

"The second thing. Tell me about the second thing that made you feel as awful as this."

Another question like a blade.

Her delicate nails pressed so hard into the bar table that they made a cracking sound. Tang Rui was furious at first, then helplessness replaced her anger.

"I had a dream when I was a student, but it was destroyed. I used to... really love singing."

The singer in the bar continued singing a gentle tune, and the voice was lovely.

"My voice used to be... much better than those bar singers."

Wen Xishu suddenly remembered something Ji Boda had once said—

She loved singing. Although her voice was not very good, Wen Renjing had still invited her to sing with him in an open-air park, drawing applause from quite a few tourists.

Now it seemed that Tang Rui's voice had not been unpleasant from the start.

"But my parents made sure I could never sing again."

"I was a... good girl who had to study hard, who had to pass the civil service exam." Tang Rui nearly gritted out those words.

The hatred in her eyes had never faded.

If anything could compare to the devastation of her childhood experiences, it was probably the dream shattered during her teenage years.

Under the effect of Mixed Feelings, Wen Xishu saw Tang Rui's past once again.

"Look, Tang! What kind of nonsense has your daughter been writing in her diary?"

"This is why her grades have dropped! She used to win certificates in middle school!"

"And now? She's neglecting her studies to play around with music! Look at her grades!"

"What singing? Is that something respectable people get involved in? Look at Xiao Lei next door. He's wasting his life wanting to play football. Does that crap even add points to the college entrance exam?"

"You're not allowed to learn it! If you keep at it, I'll send you to Teacher Yan!"

A torrent of memories came flooding in.

Tang Rui had been told from childhood that keeping a diary was a good habit, and she had obediently done so. Because she dearly hoped her father and mother would love her.

All along, she had tried her best to do every single thing that might please her parents.

Keeping a diary was no exception.

She simply did not know that her parents did not make her keep a diary to improve her writing. They did it only so they could find out... what she did at school every day.

Whenever her recent grades plummeted, her parents would read through her diary to find the reason.

Wen Xishu gave a silent, hoarse laugh.

He kept a diary too, but his experience was completely different from Tang Rui's. It was another kind of experience altogether.

Yet he suddenly felt that he and Tang Rui were so alike.

The effect of the Truth Serum Wine Cups had not ended. Because the greatest pain had yet to emerge.

Though her parents had forced her to give up music, the girl in those memories had never truly compromised.

She still secretly sang during her spare time, and still hummed songs she liked whenever she felt troubled.

Until one morning, she woke up as usual. When she tried to say something, she felt a stabbing pain in her throat.

The ethereal quality she once possessed had vanished completely. In its place was a loathsome hoarseness. Her vocal cords trembled like rusted metal grinding together.

In an instant, mist had already filled the girl's eyes.

Silence crashed over her like ocean waves, wrapping her soul in a layer of salt.

Drip. The sound of tears staining the dust was so deafening as great drops began to fall from the girl's eyes.

A man and a woman stood before the girl, like two pitch-black walls, like two silent stone statues.

"Be good. Mom did this for your own good. Don't worry, that medicine only damages your voice, not your brain. You just need to study hard. Get into a good university, find a good job, and think of how much the neighbors will envy our family!"

"What use is it for a girl to learn those things? It's better to find a good job, then marry into a good family."

"Don't cry! What are you crying for? So what if you can't sing anymore?"

"What do you mean I control your life? I gave birth to you. Do you know how hard it was for me to carry you? Do you know who I did all this for?"

"Go study! Otherwise, I'll send you to Teacher Yan!"

The words Teacher Yan seemed to be the deepest terror in the girl's heart. She had once written that memory in her diary.

But one day, that page was torn out. She did not know who had torn it out, and she searched for a long time without finding it.

After that, whenever she tried to resist her parents' arrangements, they would say, "If you keep being disobedient, we'll send you to Teacher Yan."

It was like a curse, turning teenage Tang Rui more and more into a parrot.

The parrot had often gazed from afar at Jiangcheng City's Children's Palace, where so many children happily painted, sang, and danced.

But she could not enter. It was clearly not far away. Perhaps the birds there chirped and chattered, full of the scent of the forest.

And she was a parrot.

A parrot could not make the sounds of birds. That would not be a good parrot. A good parrot should mimic speech—whatever its keeper said, it should say...

(Don't worry, there's still one more big chapter. The two chapters together are nearly twelve thousand words, but let me patch something in first to avoid reports. Not long ago, Chapter 43 was reported, and the reviewers cut part of its content. Today's chapter has a rather serious tone. The material for this part of the story came from what a friend in Sichuan who taught musical instruments told me about her experiences back in 2019, about being forced into tutoring and being harmed by a teacher during her student years. By an odd coincidence, this summer, another friend I had known for many years and often ate with suddenly talked to me late at night. Her parents had been pressuring her to marry, but she did not want intimate contact with the opposite sex, so she came to confide in me. It turned out that something similar had happened to her in middle school. That really shocked me for a long time, because it happened to someone close to me.

Actually, an earlier chapter hinted at the age when Tang Rui experienced this, then readers reported it, and the reviewers ultimately cut that part.

But no strange fiction is more terrifying than reality. The distortion in Desire Tower is far more exaggerated than in Strange Tower. If you do not write about these things, does that mean they do not happen in reality? Whether they are written about is not the key. The key is the author's attitude toward these matters. As long as the author opposes them, that is enough. So please, readers, be merciful. I truly do not want the story to be chopped apart, affecting the reading experience.)