RIACMET chapter 153

 

“Woof woof!”

“Woof, woof, woof, woof—”

“Ugh! Still no good…”

Jiang Nian withdrew his superpower, half-kneeling on the ground in discomfort while wearing a straw hat. Sweat drenched his face, and his vision was blurry—not from anything serious, just the oppressive heat causing his exhaustion from overusing his powers to worsen.

He was so close. He could feel his crystal core changing. The heat and swelling inside his body from repeatedly using his power were very noticeable, yet it still wasn’t working!

“Woof woof woof——”

“Don’t bark, Xiaoqi. I’m fine.”

Worried that the little guy would dash to the gate and call for help, Jiang Nian reached out and stroked his head to calm him down.

“Whine, whine…”

Xiaoqi restlessly nudged him and moved closer to lick his face.

“I’m fine, really… Don’t lick me… It’s too hot…”

Jiang Nian had no choice but to drag himself back into the living room. After drinking a bottle of water, he flopped onto a folding bed with one leg hanging off the edge.

Xiaoqi trotted over to the small table, grabbed a mini fan with his mouth, and sat next to the bed, staring up at Jiang Nian.

“Good boy!”

Jiang Nian praised him. This little guy was so thoughtful and such a fast learner.

After more than ten minutes, Jiang Nian finally recovered. The discomfort from expending too much energy faded. As long as he didn’t overexert himself to the point of nosebleeds or unconsciousness, he recovered pretty quickly.

He suddenly recalled how he’d broken through a bottleneck in his previous life.

That damn doctor had increased the dosage of his medication, and the pain had been so intense that it felt like his entire body was being torn apart.

Riiing, riiing, riiing—

Jiang Nian’s mind had been drifting when his phone rang with its monotonous ringtone. He thought it was Brother Jing, but when he checked, the call was from an unknown number.

His heart skipped a beat. What if something had happened and someone was calling from a stranger’s phone?

These random worries were hard to control. He stared at the screen for a moment, then picked up.

“Hello?”

A familiar voice came through the speaker:

“Niannian, it’s Dad.”

“… ”

It wasn’t Brother Jing or his team. Jiang Nian sighed in relief.

Then, for a moment, he thought he had misheard. A few seconds later, however, he suddenly sat up. The mini fan slipped from his hand, hit Xiaoqi, and spun on the ground, blowing its breeze into the dog’s blinking eyes.

Jiang Nian picked up the fan and patted Xiaoqi’s head to reassure him. Then, hearing the voice on the phone ask again, he said,

“You’ve got the wrong number. My father died before I was born.”

Having lived a relatively stable life in this apocalyptic world, Jiang Nian had imagined countless scenarios of “reunion” with the family of his “enemy” from his previous life, including revenge, and even something like this phone call.

Now, it had finally happened.

“…”

Chen Shanmin choked on his words. Based on what Jiang Nian knew of him, he should have exploded in anger. Instead, after a pause, the man’s voice came through softly.

“Jiang Nian, I was wrong. Can’t you stop being angry? I’ve been looking for you since the apocalypse started, but I couldn’t reach you. I was so worried. The world’s falling apart, and you didn’t come to us. If I’d known you were that serious, I wouldn’t have—hey!”

“You wouldn’t have what?”

Jiang Nian sneered and shot back.

“You mean you wouldn’t have demanded that I return 20,000 yuan just because you couldn’t keep the house? Would you have arrogantly cut off our father-son ties?”

“Jiang Nian, I was just angry at the time. You made a huge decision without discussing it with me. I was also scared that you’d suffer because of it…”

Chen Shanmin tried to sound sincere. He didn’t raise his voice; he only sighed.

But Jiang Nian didn’t give him the reaction he was probably hoping for.

“What are you saying? That I would have been better off selling it to you at the same price? That you would actually give me the money? Who are you trying to fool—me or yourself?”

Back then, right after his mother passed away, everything was chaotic. He remembered how his relatives had quietly warned him that if Chen Shanmin got involved, he would never see all the money from the sale.

In hindsight, he was truly grateful to those relatives who never contacted him again after he returned the money.

“Jiang Nian!”

Chen Shanmin couldn’t help but raise his voice.

“I’m your father! Who do you think I am?!”

“Chen Shanmin, do you even know who you are? Have you ever taken on any responsibilities as my father? What right do you have to act like one now?”

Jiang Nian shouted into the phone. Startled by his voice, Xiaoqi perked up and barked twice, as if to ask, ‘What’s wrong?’

“… ”

There was silence on the other end. The person seemed stunned.

Jiang Nian’s eyes stung slightly. He blinked hard, patted Xiaoqi, and released the pent-up anger inside him:

“Chen Shanmin, you only had any hold on me because of my mother. She said your divorce was mutual, and that I shouldn’t hold grudges. That’s the only reason she asked me to acknowledge you. But that was one of her biggest mistakes.”

“I had no say in your divorce. I never asked you for a single cent over the years. But what did you do after she died?”

“If you had even a shred of dignity, if you remembered your past as her husband, you wouldn’t have schemed against me like that. Ask yourself: Are you even worthy?”

“…”

Jiang Nian hadn’t wanted to cry; he was just furious. But the emotions surged up from his chest. He hated that man so much it made him feel sick inside.

When his mother was dying, he stayed by her side. He kept thinking that if it hadn’t been for him, maybe she wouldn’t have had to work so hard and wouldn’t have become terminally ill at such a young age.

He was nothing more than an accident in his parents’ perfect plans. A burden. But he hadn’t wanted to be.

“…”

After a long silence, Chen Shanmin finally said hoarsely,

“I just wanted to scare you back then. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m sorry, Niannian. Come to me. I’ll get down on my knees and apologize in person. I promise I’ll take care of you from now on.”

“Shut up! I don’t need your care!”

Jiang Nian cut him off sharply. He clenched his jaw, wiped his face, lifted his head, and exhaled deeply, forcing himself to rein in his emotions.

After a pause, his voice turned cold.

“Who gave you my number?”

He had his guesses, but now he needed confirmation.

Chen Shanmin sighed and answered in a helpless tone:

“Weiwei gave it to me. You should know her—she’s Xiaoyue’s girlfriend. She’s done a lot for our family: Niannian, your Aunt Xiaoyue, Linlin, and I have all been so worried about you. Weiwei helped us find you and reconnect.”

His voice sounded stiff, as if he were forcing himself to say nice things. But to Jiang Nian—who carried the pain and experience of two lifetimes—this sounded like a pathetic joke full of holes.

“That’s your family’s business. It has nothing to do with me. Can you stop pretending? If you won’t tell me your real reason for calling, then I’m hanging up.”

Jiang Nian had no interest in continuing the conversation. He was afraid he might actually throw up from hearing any more. There was no room for soft feelings. If they wanted to meet, fine—but it depended on how they planned to meet. Go to hell with all of it!

Calling him at a time like this? Not even Xiaoqi would believe that there wasn’t a ghost behind it.

Clearly, Xia Weiwei didn’t leave the base only to reunite with her father. She must have split into two groups on purpose. She predicted that Brother Jing would leave because of his family and that Jiang Nian would stay at the base.

“…”

Someone must have been pushing Chen Shanmin from behind. Seeing that Jiang Nian wasn’t falling for it, he stopped with the empty pleasantries.

“Niannian, we were planning to go to Nancheng Base to find you, but that’s not possible now. We’re in a private residence outside the base. Can you come meet us?”

“…”

Jiang Nian said nothing. After a moment, Chen Shanmin added sadly,

“Xiaoyue’s infected. He wants to see you. You’re his brother. He said you might be able to save him.”

“…”