Chapter 32

Chen Mo looked at Father Chen and Mother Chen, their faces full of despair and numbness, and gently nodded. "Yes, I won't forgive him. Because I have no right to do that."

He had no right to forgive the perpetrator. The one who did have that right would never get another chance to speak.

The little restaurant fell silent again, with only Mother Chen's soft, unceasing sobs audible.

The restaurant door was suddenly pushed open, making the bells hanging from the frame jingle loudly. Their crisp sound seemed especially jarring in the quiet room. Chen Mo turned around instinctively and saw Yang Qindong walking in with a grave expression.

"They want an interview." Yang Qindong glanced at Father Chen and Mother Chen and spoke vaguely.

Chen Mo frowned and immediately objected. "No. Can't you see what state my family is in? How can they conduct an interview at a time like this?"

Yang Qindong nodded without saying anything.

Chen Mo also knew that reporters would never give up until they got what they wanted. After considering it, he stood up and said, "I'll go out and talk to them. Tell them not to harass my family."

"You..." Yang Qindong knew Chen Mo's temper and was afraid that Chen Mo would lose control at such a critical moment, creating a bad impression.

He hesitantly looked from Chen Mo to Father Chen and Mother Chen, then quietly suggested, "They've made such a fuss for no other reason than to plead for leniency for their son. I don't know the exact details, but they're the disadvantaged party. If this isn't handled properly—"

"Being weak doesn't mean he's right." Chen Mo cut Yang Qindong off. "I'll handle this. I'll face the reporters. All you need to do is warn them not to disturb my family again."

As Chen Mo spoke, he pushed open the door and walked out. He was instantly surrounded by camera flashes and microphones. All the reporters were asking for his opinion, while the people who had knelt before Father Chen and Mother Chen inside the restaurant knelt before Chen Mo again in front of the reporters, begging him to forgive their murderer son.

Chen Mo did not stop them from kneeling. There was barely any expression on his face, and he did not look at them. He simply stared quietly into the cameras and spoke into the microphones. "Not every mistake can be forgiven. The people you pity now—their son, their younger brother, their husband, and their father—was sentenced to seven years in prison for overloading his truck, drunk driving, and fleeing the scene after causing an accident. Those charges were determined on the basis of fair law. It isn't that he is innocent just because I didn't die."

"...After that murderer realized he had hit someone, not only did he fail to take the injured person to the hospital, he drove away in the vehicle that caused the accident. His only reason was that he was afraid he would have no money to pay for the victim's treatment if he took him to the hospital. His family could not afford the medical expenses, and he himself could not afford them either. So he fled without a shred of guilt. As a result, a boy only sixteen years old did not receive timely treatment after being hit. He fell into a coma from excessive blood loss and lay in the hospital for more than three months."

"This was murder! The judiciary was fair. He was sentenced to seven years because he overloaded his vehicle, drove drunk, fled the scene, and caused the victim to lose too much blood and miss timely treatment, resulting in a coma. It wasn't because I survived that the person responsible could be acquitted. There is no such absurdity in this world." Chen Mo looked coldly into the camera and stated firmly, "I will not forgive this. I will not forgive that perpetrator, and I will not pity his family."

Chen Mo firmly stated his position before the media, then said to the family in front of everyone, "Don't disturb me again, and don't disturb my family again. I will apply to the court for a restraining order."

After saying that, Chen Mo did not forget to warn the media. "I also hope everyone will stop disturbing my family. That experience is something we do not want brought up again. Especially my family—they finally managed to endure it. They should not be dragged back into those despairing memories."

Yang Qindong had remained behind Chen Mo the entire time. Once he saw that Chen Mo had said enough, he immediately stepped forward to placate the reporters and handle the final public relations work. As for Chen Mo, Assistant Xiao Ding escorted him and Father Chen and Mother Chen back home.

With no preparation at all, the deepest wounds hidden in their hearts had been torn open again, laid bare and bloody under the sunlight and before everyone's eyes. The pain was more agonizing than having one's bones scraped and flesh cut away, making sleep impossible.

That night, the lights in the Chen household remained on until dawn, and Mother Chen's crying never stopped.

Chen Mo sat quietly in front of Father Chen and Mother Chen, yet he had no idea how to comfort this elderly couple who had lost their son.

After handing Mother Chen another packet of tissues, Chen Mo suddenly said, "Maybe... your son isn't dead."

Those words successfully drew Father Chen and Mother Chen's attention. They both looked up at once, their bloodshot eyes frighteningly bright as they stared straight at Chen Mo.

Chen Mo swallowed instinctively and looked into their eyes. "You know I woke up suddenly too... Maybe his situation is the same as mine. Maybe after waking up, he ended up in my body."

"Really? Is that really what happened?" Mother Chen involuntarily grabbed Chen Mo's arm. Her grip was so tight that Chen Mo frowned slightly in discomfort.

But he nodded without hesitation and said in a deliberately relaxed tone, "It must be. That brat really got lucky. My father is the CEO of a listed company worth over a billion, my older brother is incredible too. He started his own financial company while studying at university in the United States. My mother is the executive president of a film and entertainment company. I was raised by my grandparents. Since I was the second child and didn't have to shoulder such heavy responsibilities, everyone in the family except my father spoiled me from childhood. I didn't even need to study to get things that many people might not be able to afford even after working their whole lives..."

Chen Mo suddenly stopped. He stared blankly for a while before lowering his head and smiling. "Anyway, if that guy woke up in my body, he really struck it rich. My father would be happy too. After all, he studied so well, was so obedient, and knew so well how to make people happy..."

Unlike me. I'd make him angry after only a few words. Every time we met, he either lectured me or whipped me with his belt. He was never as proud or patient with me as he was with my older brother.

Old Chen, your second son studies so diligently. His exam results must be pretty good, right?

Not really. The second boy isn't very bright and learns things slowly. He's nothing like his brother, who understands everything after looking at it once.

Old Chen, your second son has quite a bad temper, doesn't he?

Yeah. His grandparents spoiled him rotten. He causes me trouble all day long and doesn't understand anything. I won't be able to count on him to take over the company in the future. Good thing I have his brother...

Old Chen, isn't your second son going abroad after graduation?

No, his English is terrible. How could I let him go abroad alone? It's fine for him to study in China. Though his grades aren't good, we can still get him a spot if we donate a library to a school. Thinking about it makes me angry. When has my eldest ever caused me this much worry?

Old Chen, your second son has been appearing in entertainment papers a lot lately. Does he want to enter the entertainment industry as a celebrity, or take over his mother's business?

Don't mention it. That brat does nothing but fool around all day. He'll be the death of me.

It wasn't like that!

Actually, he had tried. He had tried to go to school, tried to read, tried to learn those complicated and detestable social etiquette rules, but it was all useless.

Because the older brother standing in front of him had been a monster since childhood. No matter how difficult something was, as long as his brother wanted to do it, he could. No matter how complicated a business was, as long as his brother took it over, it would make money. His older brother, praised by the industry as a business genius, was like a mountain that could never be climbed over. No matter how hard he tried or how much he proved himself, he never heard words of praise or encouragement. No one even noticed his efforts.

So he simply stopped trying. After all, bad things always came true more readily than good ones. When he stopped striving to improve himself and instead dedicated himself to causing trouble, everyone finally noticed him.

So even though he was scolded more often, even though he occasionally felt unwilling to accept it, he was still willing to maintain the status quo. Unfortunately, even that could not last. This time, the world had abandoned him.

If the Chen Mo in this world had left because of a car accident, then what about him? He had merely gone to sleep at home. Why had the entire world changed when he woke up?

"...Xiao Mo? Xiao Mo?" Chen Mo came back to his senses and looked at Father Chen and Mother Chen, who were watching him carefully. "What?"

"We were saying... could you... call us Mom and Dad?" Mother Chen spoke with difficulty. She wrapped both hands around Chen Mo's hand and held it tightly, gazing at him with hopeful eyes. "I'll treat you like my own son. Because I believe that in another world, my son can also be loved as a son by your family. Our family doesn't have much money, and we can't give you much of what you want, but his father and I will do our best to take care of you..."

Father Chen sat beside Mother Chen and nodded repeatedly.

Seeing their expressions, Chen Mo understood at once. Perhaps his consolation had given them a reason to firmly believe that their son could live well in another world. That was why Father Chen and Mother Chen were willing to believe Chen Mo even without any evidence. After all, it was easier to accept than the reality that their son had truly died.

Because their son had been injured and fallen into a coma, they had once hated the perpetrator for fleeing. They had even hated themselves for being too occupied with business to realize sooner that their son coming home late was unusual. But whether they hated themselves or others, a life immersed in regret and hatred was painful.

If Chen Mo's wandering soul had not inexplicably attached itself to their son's body at the moment the monitor stopped responding, giving Father Chen and Mother Chen something to cling to emotionally, perhaps their son's death would have driven them both insane.

But now, out of sympathy and pity, Chen Mo had given them enough reason to deceive themselves. So they would rather transform hatred into love and place their longing for their son upon Chen Mo. They were also placing the hope of the rest of their lives upon him.

Such feelings were too heavy and desperate, but after believing that the Chen Mos from the two worlds had exchanged souls, this was the only thing Father Chen and Mother Chen could do.

Chen Mo could naturally sense what Father Chen and Mother Chen were thinking. He looked at them hesitantly. Images flashed through his mind of how meticulously they had cared for him after he woke up in this world. Then he remembered their frenzied despair when facing that family in the little restaurant. Looking at their expressions now, it seemed that if he did not say it, they really would cry.

Chen Mo gathered himself for a long time before softly and awkwardly calling, "...Dad... Mom..."

"Yes!" Father Chen and Mother Chen answered immediately. A hint of a smile appeared on their faces as they reached out and hugged Chen Mo, stroking his hair. "Good son, good son..."

Father Chen suddenly thought of something and sprang to his feet. "Right, Xiao Mo flew back from Hunan Province and hasn't eaten dinner yet. You must be hungry. Dad will make you a late-night snack."

When he asked Chen Mo what he wanted to eat, Chen Mo blurted out that he wanted spicy hot pot.

In the past, even if Father Chen and Mother Chen did not want him to eat it, they would not have said much. But Father Chen immediately said, "Why eat spicy hot pot so late at night? It's bad for your stomach too. I'll cook you some dumplings instead. How about three-delicacy filling?"