102 Ch. 102 Ling Mengâs Reason
âQiao Qiao, I have something to talk about.â
âHmm. Just say it.â
âI decided to die.â
âWh... What? Arenât you all right? Why do you want to die?â Anxia couldnât help but fret over her friendâs sudden remark. âThe Cerberus saved you, and youâre here, talking with me! Why do you want to throw your life away just like that!?â
Although Anxia couldnât see Ling Mengâs smile behind the bandage, she knew her friend gave her a guilty smile.
âQiao Qiao, listen to me first. Thatâs not what I mean.â
âThen?â Anxia was no longer happy after hearing her best friendâs shocking words.
Anxia folded her arms in front of her chest and then looked at Ling Meng with eyes demanding an answer. Anxia would sail the seas to track Ling Meng if that womanâs response didnât satisfy her.
âThe people here are very kind to me, and they know that I am their fan and recognize my potential. So they offered me to join them.â
.....
âThen what does it have to do with you wanting to die in the world?â
âThere are special regulations here. In order to become a member of the Cerberus team, they must sever all ties in this world. Family, friends, husband or wife; one must âdieâ for those who know him.â
â...â
âI shouldnât have told you about this either. You know Master Yuâs true nature more than anyone else. As you can see, I should have died. But a client wanted me to live, and that client was you. I heard you would go rampage if you heard I was dead. So they allowed me to tell you.â
âHold on a second. Are you telling me that youâre faking your death?â
âSomething like that. To the world, Iâm dead, but Iâm still alive and well.
âDoes that mean we wonât see each other again after this?â
âIâm afraid so. This will be our last conversation.â that was the answer that came out of Ling Mengâs mouth, leaving Anxia speechless.
Why would Ling Meng sacrifice her freedom just to become a member of Cerberus?
She knew Ling Meng wanted to meet Cerberus, but she had never expressed her intention of becoming one of their members. Moreover, she was willing to throw away her life to be bound by an organization that only lived in the shadows.
Ling Meng liked sitting for hours in front of the computer, but she wanted to avoid being tied down by contracts with her work.
Even when working under Master Yu, Ling Meng deliberately postponed her work for a week so he could have fun without worrying about work pressure.
Anxia didnât understand why her best friend made a decision she had never thought of.
There must be something that made Ling Meng change, but Anxia couldnât figure out what the reason was.
âMeng Meng, are you really okay? Did they threaten you? Since you already know where their base is, they threaten you to join, or they will kill you. Isnât that right?â that was the most logical answer.
âQiao Qiao, donât misunderstand them. They are good people, and believe me; they gave me everything but an ultimatum. They just offered it, and I accepted. Is my decision hard to believe?â
âHmm. Itâs so hard to believe. I just canât get it. Why do you want to cut ties with everyone? With me? Donât you want to meet Lori?â
Ling Mengâs eyes gleamed when she heard the name of the child she and Anxia had cared for for the past three years.
âI can still see you from here.â
âWhat about Lori? What if she wishes to meet you?â
âShe doesnât like me. Iâve created a bad impression for your daughter to dislike me.â
âI know you did it on purpose. Why? You love her just as much as I do.â
âSo that she wouldnât remember me when we part. I know sooner or later you will find your own life, and I have to get away from you.â
âMeng Meng, you....â
âQiao Qiao, you have a new life now. Arenât you happy now?â
Happy? Itâs a strange word for her as she had never felt genuinely happy before she met Richard. But now...
âYou look happy now. At least, thatâs what I see from your expression.â
Anxia shook her head sadly. âI still havenât found my mother.â
As long as Anxia doesnât get reassurance from her mother, Anxia wonât be able to feel happy truly.
âI will tell you a secret.â Ling Meng suddenly spoke in a whisper-like voice. âYour husband has asked the Cerberus team to help track down your mother.â
Anxiaâs widened upon hearing this. Why did Richard say nothing about this?
Richard always did not tell her what he had done for her. Just like when he found out master Yu had captured Ling Meng, that man had not told her that Cerberus had saved Ling Meng.
Why did he keep quiet?
âQiao Qiao, how lucky you are. I didnât expect you to meet a man who loves you like this.â
âHe... love me? Thatâs insane. He was nice to me because I gave birth to his child.â
âDid he ask for a child from you? Didnât you say Lori was the result of you trapping the wrong man?â
âThat...â Anxia couldnât refute it as it was the truth.
âQiao Qiao, one of the reasons I accepted their offer is because I also want to help you find your mother. Your mother is still alive, but itâs obvious that your mother is far away from master Yuâs clutches. So you donât have to worry.â
âWhat do you mean?â
âThe Cerberus team confessed; they couldnât find your mother as if someone else was protecting your mother. I donât know who your mother is, but from their conversation, I can tell that she is not what we think she is. Why donât you ask your husband if you want to know more about it? Your husband often communicates with team members here to discuss it.â
â...â
âQiao Qiao, I know you prefer to solve problems by yourself. You are trained to handle all matters with your hands. But every time you insist on doing it, your life is always in danger. This time some people sincerely want to help you. Try relying on him and let him take some of the brunts of your pressure.â
âI want you to rely on me more.â
Anxia remembered her husbandâs words that night. The man wanted her to rely on him, but at that time, Anxia couldnât believe in his ability. Anxia kept herself secretive and didnât want to trust that man completely.
Now...
After hearing all the explanations of what Richard had done for her and the encouragement of her friend who told her to try relying on other people, it could be a good start to change how she views Richard.
She knew Richard was not an easy opponent to beat, but she never thought that her husband would be able to get close to the Cerberus team members and save her friend and track down her motherâs whereabouts.
Without her noticing it, her feelings for Richard that had just grown in her heart had now grown to the point where they took root in her heart. She admired Richard more and more, replacing her hatred as if she had never hated her husband.
For the next few minutes, Anxia and Ling Meng talked about trivial things and gossiped happily because this would be the last time for them to speak.
Once Ling Meng became an official member of the Cerberus team, Ling Meng was not allowed to contact her acquaintances in any form. Because of that, the two of them satisfactorily talked to each other at length.
The friends ended the connection with a heavy heart just as dinner time arrived.
Ling Meng had to go back to rest to recover, while Anxia couldnât wait to meet her husband to ask about her mother.
As soon as the connection ended, Ling Meng tiredly leaned her back against the head of the bed. She felt someoneâs presence nearby, but Ling Meng didnât move from her position.
Even if she wanted to move, she wouldnât be able to either.
âYou didnât tell her?â
âI donât want to make her worry.â
There was no sound between them for a moment before Ling Meng finally spoke again. âIs there really no hope for me?â
The man standing not too far from her bed hesitated before answering, âWe can try therapy, but I canât promise youâll get back to walking.â
â...â
Ling Meng looked away as she closed her eyes, trying to suppress the miserable feeling that filled her heart.
Master Yu never gave traitors light punishments. That vile man always took something from them. Master Yu didnât remove her limbs, but the man took her ability to walk.
A tear escaped from the corner of Ling Mengâs eye as she did not know if she would be able to walk again for the rest of her life.