Chapter 57: I Will Destroy You

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Chapter 57: I Will Destroy You
"Brother, you are truly blessed to have such a filial son." The man on the hospital bed, connected to an oxygen tube, weakly said to Tian Zhiqiang in the adjacent bed. "I wish you the best of luck with your surgery tomorrow."
Tian Zhiqiang tightly grasped his son's hand, his hoarse voice filled with pride. "Raising children is for security in old age. This boy used to get bullied all the time when he was little and would often come home crying in secret. I never expected him to grow up to be so successful."
Tian Hu pulled his hand away with some embarrassment. "Dad, why are you bringing all that up? That's all in the past."
"Your mother left us early. I remember back then, my only wish was for you to become a real man, instead of coming home every day and crying while nursing your injuries." Tian Zhiqiang spoke as if he hadn't heard, raising his arm slightly and pointing a trembling finger at Tian Hu as he continued, "Do you remember the time you asked me to teach that junior high school classmate of yours a lesson? I refused to get involved, so you secretly went to my old war buddy instead. And what happened? The kid who bullied you got scared so badly he cried, and yet you ended up complaining that my buddy was too fierce. Tell me, son, were you actually asking someone to stand up for you, or were you..."
"Oh, alright, alright, Dad. You should rest for a bit, stop talking so much all at once." Tian Hu tucked the blanket around his father, then turned back to the patient in the adjacent bed. "Sorry about that, Uncle. My dad is just like this, once he gets started he never stops. I hope he hasn't disturbed your rest."
"It's nothing. I've lived for most of my life, with no children of my own, so I actually enjoy hearing stories about kids." The patient in the adjacent bed gently waved his hand. "Your father is just showing off, saying what a kind-hearted person you are..."
Just then, Roland walked over carrying a fruit basket. "Tiger."
"Mengli? How did you find me here?"
"I came to check on your father. The surgery is tomorrow, right? I was afraid you wouldn't be able to handle everything on your own." Roland placed the fruit basket to one side. "Hello, Uncle. I am Tiger's friend."
"Oh! Wonderful, sit down, quick!" Tian Zhiqiang suddenly perked up as if he had been given a shot of adrenaline. He looked Roland up and down and asked, "Oh, young lady, what is your name?"
"My name is Li Mengli, and I'm currently a senior at Canglan No. 6 High School." Roland smiled and sat down on the stool, intentionally clasping her hands together on her lap to make herself look a bit nervous. "Uncle, seeing your energetic state, you don't look like a sick man at all."
"You hit the nail on the head, child! Once a person is happy, all illnesses vanish!" Tian Zhiqiang reached out and tugged at Tian Hu's trousers. "You rascal really are blessed to be able to find such a pretty girlfriend."
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"Dad! Don't talk nonsense." Tian Hu hurriedly leaned down to whisper in his ear. "She is our benefactor! For this medical procedure, Mengli and her younger sister pitched in one hundred and twenty thousand!"
"Hahaha, cough, cough, cough..." Hearing this, Tian Zhiqiang became even more excited. To be able to pull out one hundred and twenty thousand at this age meant her family background was certainly extraordinary. He couldn't help laughing, but it quickly turned to sorrow as he choked on a fit of coughs, after which the sense of weakness seemed to instantly reclaim his body.
Observing the changes on Tian Zhiqiang's face and knowing he was uncomfortable, Roland immediately stood up and said, "Uncle, get some good rest. I won't disturb you any longer. Seeing you in such high spirits has set my mind at ease. Tiger has been worrying about you constantly these past few days."
After exchanging a few simple farewells, Roland intended to leave, but the very second she turned around, her entire body suddenly froze in place.
Thinking she was being possessed again, Tian Hu asked with genuine concern, "Mengli, are you alright?"
Looking at the man lying in the adjacent bed, Roland felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. Tears surged forth uncontrollably, sliding down her cheeks to land on her trembling lips. "Dad..."
The man in the adjacent bed was stunned. Confirming that the young lady before him was indeed speaking to him, he smiled awkwardly, "Young lady, you've mistaken me for someone else. I am not your father."
"Mengli, you..."
Just as Tian Hu was about to comfort her, he saw Li Mengli suddenly throw herself over the edge of the hospital bed, weeping as she said, "Dad, what happened to you? Your hair has turned completely white, what kind of illness do you have? Where is Mom? Why didn't she come to stay with you?"
"This..." The man was at a loss.
Tian Hu stepped forward to gently stroke Roland's back, explaining to the man, "I'm sorry, Uncle. Her father passed away just a few days ago, so she probably hasn't been able to accept it yet. Perhaps you look a bit like him, which is why..."
"I understand. It's fine, just let her cry here for a while." Looking with sympathy at the sobbing girl, the man sighed, "Sigh... This child is quite pitiful too..."
After a moment, Roland abruptly lifted her head, wiping away her tears as she said, "Dad, don't worry. I will arrange the best doctors for you. We'll go to the absolute best hospital in the world for treatment, you're going to be fine."
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A lump caught in the man's throat for a split second. He thought to himself how wonderful it would be if he truly had a daughter like this, but he knew he lacked such fortune. "Good child, I appreciate the thought, but take another good look at me, I'm really not your father."
By this point, Roland's mind had virtually crashed. Disregarding everything else, she spoke with reddened eyes, "Dad, it's me, Roland, I'm Xiao Lan..."
"Ro... land." Upon hearing this name, the man suddenly felt a sense of trance. It felt as though he had heard the name before, yet his memory failed to recall where. Was it perhaps in a dream?
Tian Hu subconsciously took a few steps back. Had he not overheard all of this, he never would have noticed anything unusual about her; Li Mengli's tone of voice and demeanor were basically indistinguishable from before, and yet this person was somehow not Mengli? This was terrifying... He quietly observed the patient information card hanging at the head of the bed. The older gentleman's name was Luo Yinhui, and his surname was also "Luo", which only added to his mounting creepiness. What kind of world was this, anyway...
Struggling to recall for a moment, the man ultimately shook his head. He even felt that his deliberate attempt to remember was somewhat foolish; would making an effort to recall change anything about his life? It seemed his illness truly had befuddled his brain.
"Child, I know your father passed away just a few days ago and your heart is heavy. If you don't mind, I can take you as my goddaughter."
"Goddaughter?" Roland stared at her father with a shattered heart. In that instant, an unprecedented fury ignited within her soul—not because her father failed to recognize her, but because of the mastermind behind all these events, the entity known as the Tower...
The words Fang Xiaoling had spoken in the coffee shop earlier that morning resurfaced in Roland's mind: "This world is not a fictional construct, but rather a parallel world akin to our true-reality world. And the Roland and Fang Xiaoling of this world had their traces erased by the Tower before our crossing."
In other words, in this parallel world, the tragedy of that sixteenth year never occurred, and she and her parents were living happily together. Yet, the Tower had wiped away every single trace of her existence?
The more Roland dwelled on it, the more fiercely the rage burned in her chest. Clenching her fists so tightly that her entire body trembled involuntarily, she realized that whereas previously she had wanted to uncover the truth behind everything, the truth no longer mattered to her now.
Lifting her head as if addressing the white ceiling, Roland spoke in a tone that was entirely calm, yet laden with the biting chill of a wind carrying dead branches and dust.
"I will destroy you."
(End of Chapter)
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