"Fu Shirui, your mother is here."
A young police officer in uniform pushed the door open and announced the news with some impatience, looking at the man handcuffed to the table.
As the footsteps drew closer.
The man cuffed to his seat slowly raised his head.
Looking at that familiar figure, he instinctively called out, "M-Mom..."
Shang Muxue glanced at the visibly haggard man and gave a casual acknowledgment.
The two sat quietly like that, the atmosphere falling into silence.
Until Fu Shirui suddenly spoke, his voice dry, carrying a barely perceptible plea. "Mom, do you love me... or have you ever loved me?"
The man simply gazed silently at the woman before him.
Determined to get an answer.
But Shang Muxue merely lowered her eyes slightly. Only after a long while did she slowly say, "No, I don't love you. I never have."
At her answer, the light in Fu Shirui's eyes went out completely.
"Hahahaha, you don't love me, so why did you give birth to me, Mom? Hahaha, all this time, I've just been a joke to you, haven't I? Hahaha."
"Watching me wag my tail and beg for your affection like a dog, Mom, did that make you happy? Hahahaha."
The man laughed wildly as tears spilled endlessly from his eyes.
His anguish and pain fell with those tears onto the cold floor.
Watching this, a flicker stirred in Shang Muxue's eyes, but in the end, she said nothing.
At her reaction, the thread of reason in Fu Shirui's mind snapped.
He struggled to his feet, roaring through near-sobs, "I'm going to die! I'm about to die! Couldn't you just lie to me? All I want is to hear you say you love me before I die!!"
Shang Muxue swept an expressionless glance over him and