After midnight

Song Yu sat where Song Xin had just sat, leaning against the railing and looking at the devastation in the yard. His consciousness seemed to be split in two, one half indifferently watching the irreversible result in front of him, and the other half irresponsibly and casually thinking about the past.

Yes, it was Uncle Song who helped him get away with it and put aside the past that he had to forget. But back then... it was also he who killed Uncle Song with his own hands, right?

It was Song Bo and Song Yu who continued to have the nightmare after returning to the Song Mansion with malicious intent. That's right, it was all this deep mansion, it was all Song Hongtian, it was all their fault that he became what he is now.

When Song Hongtian got the confirmation form, he said nothing. He looked at Song Yu with a complicated expression for several days, but soon, that complicated expression disappeared, replaced by obvious care and love. Just when Song Yu was about to let down his guard, one morning, Song Hongtian called Song Yu to the ancestral hall.

When Song Yu went in, Song Bo was there, and even little Song Xin was held in Song Hongtian's arms.

"Come, Yuki. Meet your mother."

Song Yu was stunned. He didn't understand what this meant. He looked at Song Hongtian in confusion, just as Song Hongtian thought. "Oh, I forgot... Yu'er had a serious illness and forgot that your mother Lin Yue had passed away. Kneel down and pay respect to your mother's tablet."

Song Yu was shocked to see the many tablets placed in the ancestral hall. He saw Lin Yue's name at a glance. He pretended not to see it and looked around, but did not see the three words that he was more familiar with.

What does father mean by this? He subconsciously looked at Song Bo, who was standing behind Song Hongtian.

"I know this is very surprising and unimaginable to you, but you have grown up, become stronger, and become a man. You have to accept it bravely, right?"

Song Yu clenched his fists. At this moment, he really wanted to loudly ask Song Hongtian what he meant, but he just moved his mouth with difficulty, making a sound like a mosquito bite.

"What's wrong? Parenting?"

Song Yu shook his head and fell to his knees with a thud.

Song Hongtian was very satisfied. He said, "Good boy, you have to take good care of Xin'er in the future. After all, you two are the only siblings in the Song family."

"it is good."

Song Hongtian nodded, and at this time Song Xin started crying like a child, so Song Hongtian carried her away. When Song Hongtian walked away, Song Yu stood up immediately, his eyes full of anger and unwillingness, he was in so much pain, why was his heart so painful?

"Young Master." Uncle Song called him and wanted to come over to comfort him, but Song Yu suddenly avoided him and walked out, leaving Uncle Song alone in the ancestral hall sighing at the tablets.

That night, Song Yu found him. Song Bo probably couldn't have imagined that fate would find him so soon.

"Uncle Song, I want to ask you a favor." Song Yu said after the door opened.

"What is it, Master?"

"Please die."

"You'll be of use to me if you keep me."

"I know, but if you disappear, my secret will never be exposed again. I'm sure you've noticed that I still rely on you a lot in the ancestral hall today, but this won't work. Song Hongtian will see through it one day."

"I understand, Master. Please give me some time to arrange for my family."

Song Yu nodded and turned to walk out, then he took advantage of the cover of night to run away quickly. He ran, kept running, and then hid in the empty small garden and gasped for breath.

He felt pain, pain all over his body.

In a blink of an eye, three days passed. Just when he was hesitating and wanted to see Song Bo again, he heard the news of Song Bo's death from his father. His father said that Song Bo took leave to go back to his hometown to visit his parents, and was killed by a bad person on the way back.

"Uncle Song's body has been found and will be buried tomorrow. You can come with me," said Song Hongtian.

"Okay." Song Yu was extremely shocked and still hasn't come back to his senses, as if he had never said that sentence. In fact, he always thought that the time Song Bo said would be very far away, and he would live for a long time, so long that he would change his mind and ask him not to die, ask him to forgive him and stay with him.

Song Yu walked away numbly, and Song Hongtian didn't think much about it. Children don't always have a deep understanding of death.

The next day, when Song Yu saw Uncle Song lying in the coffin with his own eyes, the pain and sadness came back fiercely. Song Yu choked in his throat and tears fell down.

At that moment, everything changed. Song Yu cried loudly, as if mourning the past he had buried with his own hands.

One afternoon after Song Bo was buried, Song Yu went to visit Song Xin. She was still so young that she would not know what was going on. When he walked to the small garden, he ran into his father, who was squatting with a boy about his age in his arms.

His father was talking to him with a kind face. Song Yu looked in the direction of his father's finger and saw a purple rose.

Are they talking about flowers? So they are talking about flowers? Song Yu turned and hurried away. But half a day later, the boy's name reached Song Yu's ears. His name is Zhao Yunqi, and he is his father's new adopted son.

Oh, what is this? What is Song Yu, who has experienced so much pain and torture? Mother, Xiaoshui and Song Bo, Song Hongtian, please give them back to me!

Song Yu covered his face and cried again. He had nothing left. He had lost everything a long time ago.

One day, Song Hongtian, I will make you lose everything you have!

Ah, that's right, that's what I thought at the beginning. Song Yu leaned on the railing, covering his face with his hands tiredly. He smiled self-deprecatingly, wondering if he had realized his original idea. It turned out that he was going to take this path after all.

Nearly twenty years have passed but have not been able to wash away the scars in Song Yu's heart, even though Song Yu loves his father.

Song Yu wiped away his tears, stood up and walked towards his next destination. He still had one thing to do.

He came to Song Hongda's yard. The gate was wide open, but the house was unusually dark. Song Hongda was in darkness. In fact, he had always been in darkness, but today he was a little anxious. After Song Xin left, he walked around the house, his steps were hurried and messy.

He hesitated for a long time, took a few quick steps towards the door, then suddenly stopped and walked back. He walked back and forth, but never stepped out of the door. It was not until it was dark and he could no longer hear any movement outside that he sat down dejectedly with a blank look in his eyes.

Song Yu walked in and pressed the light switch. White light instantly illuminated every corner of the room like a ghost. Song Hongda was awakened by this action. He looked at Song Yu, who looked very decadent and painful.

He stretched out his hand to hold the chair and sat down slowly. He sat opposite Song Hongda.

"Zhao Yunqi is dead, and Xin'er...is gone too."

They sat in silence for a while, and finally, under Song Hongda's silent gaze, Song Yu spoke.

"What does it mean that Xin'er left too?" With a pang in his heart, Song Hongda stood up suddenly, took half a step forward and questioned him.

"She left the Song Mansion with Zhang Dong and will never come back."

"With Zhang Dong?"

Song Yu nodded but obviously didn't intend to continue. Song Hongda stared at his face for a long time before retreating and sitting down. At this moment, Song Yu took out a stone from his pocket.

He put it on the coffee table, and it made a loud noise, forcing Song Hongda to go and look at the stone.

Song Hongda also secretly kept that inconspicuous black stone more than a decade ago. He had thought about it countless times, but as time went by, it lost its meaning to him. What was the point of him going to the new world now? Did his wife and children leave a place for him in their lives? Could the world that was completely strange and unknown to him accommodate him?

He had no answer and no choice.

"Song Yu, what do you mean?"

"Father is gone, Xin'er is gone, I just need you to disappear now."

After hearing this, Song Hongda stared at the black stone and licked his dry lips.

"What, you don't want to?"

This was not a matter of whether he was willing or not, Song Yu would not tolerate him. Song Hongda rubbed his index finger and reached out to grab it.

"Aren't you in pain?"

"what?"

"Zhao Yunqi is dead, aren't you in pain?" Song Yu suddenly stood up, pressing forward with burning eyes, as if he wanted to eat him alive.

"This... I had expected it a long time ago." Song Hongda sighed.

"Uncle, do you know what I hate most about you? Hypocrisy. Zhao Yunqi was so close to you, but you never crossed the threshold, right? Song Hongtian is dead, what are you afraid of? You are afraid of me, right? You are afraid of the head of the Song family, afraid that you will lose your current peaceful life. You are selfish, heartless, and still pretend to be self-righteous. You are a complete bastard! Coward!"

"Song Yu! You killed Zhao Yunqi with your own hands!" Song Hongda slammed the table and stood up, "You also killed your father..."

"Yes, it was me, it was all me, I will never forget! Zhao Yunqi died because he betrayed me! As for my father, oh, how serious his sins are, don't you know it, uncle? It was he who killed my biological mother Gao Yulan, it was he who killed Xiaoshui, and it was he who killed Song Bo!"

"You..." Song Hongda pointed at him in horror.

"Yes, I remember everything. I don't have amnesia at all. I haven't forgotten anything!"

"Uncle... why don't you help me? Do you know how desperate I was when I first came back to the Song Mansion and learned about all this? I walked to the gate of your yard that day, and you knew who I was, but you drove me out without even seeing me... Uncle, how could you be so cruel!"

"I...you?"

"Yes, it was when I was six years old and had just returned to the Song Mansion. It was the darkest time of my life."

"I'm sorry, Song Yu, I..." Song Hongda apologized subconsciously, but Song Yu refused to listen anymore.

"I never want to see you again, and you should never appear in this Song Mansion again." Song Yu said and walked out with big strides.

Song Yu did not let others know that he did not intend to kill his father. If his father had not mentioned the past in a crazy way and said those words that made him angry and embarrassed. He would not have easily exposed himself in front of Song Xin if the ancestral hall had not placed the tablet that made him recognize the thief as his mother for twenty years.

Once a person has made an unforgivable mistake, it is simply a lie to turn back. He can only make more mistakes, and he can only carry the sins alone until he reaches the end of his fate.

Until Song Yu completely disappeared and the whole courtyard returned to silence, Song Hongda was still immersed in shock. Twenty years ago was also the darkest time in his life. If we trace back from Song Hongda, the time will move forward five or six years, that is, before Song Yu was born.

Twenty-five years ago, Song Hongda was only in his twenties, and married and had children only one year earlier than his second brother. At that time, he was immersed in the simplest happiness in life, his parents were still alive, his wife loved him, and his newborn son was healthy and cute.

The first time that life changed was when Song Hongtian married Gao Yulan. It was during that period that their parents both died unexpectedly. After that, Song Hongda gradually saw Song Hongtian's evil ambitions.

As the eldest son of the Song family and the father of a young son, he should have inherited the position of the head of the Song family and led the entire Song family. However, his parents suddenly met with an accident, which caught him off guard. In addition, Song Hongtian had already made plans, so the Song family quickly split into two factions. One faction supported him, and the other naturally supported Song Hongtian.

Soon after this, Song Yu was born. The first few years after Song Yu was born were a chaotic period. He gradually lost the upper hand in the open and secret struggles during this period. In order to protect his family, he finally resolutely sent his wife and children to that world, while he stayed in Song Hongtian's imprisonment for the rest of his life.

His third brother was luckier, being alone, so he immediately left the Song family and joined the revolutionary army for his own ideals. Although he did not escape the clutches of Song Hongtian in the end.

Therefore, the time when Song Yu left home and returned home was also the most frustrated time in his life. At that time, Song Hongda was down and out, self-pitying, and unable to extricate himself from failure and pain all day long. How could he have the extra energy to take care of the younger generation? There were even many things that he only heard and knew later.

But what's the use of this? Can this be called a reason or an excuse?

He really didn't expect that Song Yu didn't lose his memory, but instead swallowed the bitter fruit secretly, growing up from such a small child until today when all the emotions burst out.

Song Hongda closed his eyes in melancholy. He was wrong. He was indeed wrong. He had blamed Song Yu's depression on him because he had such a father. He should feel guilty towards Song Yu because he, as his uncle, knew his situation and not only did he not help him, but also threw him into the abyss.

He didn't just stand by and watch indifferently the day Song Yu came to find him, but he ignored it for twenty years!

The Song family has come to this point today, and everyone of them bears an unshirkable responsibility, including Song Xin. Song Xin ran away from home, go, go, and never come back.

Once he left, could Song Yu completely become just Song Yu? Yes, this might be the freedom and liberation for Song Yu.

Where is the freedom and liberation?