Captain Lu was aloof again today.

Chapter 104 Darkness
In the height of summer, sweltering heat swirls in the air, and the incessant chirping of cicadas outside the window only adds to the oppressive heat.

Wei Qingsong subconsciously sat up straighter, said nothing, and just looked at him with curious eyes.

Lu Jingming picked up his water glass, drank the rest of the water in one gulp, then suddenly got up, walked to his desk, opened the bottom drawer, and took out a booklet.

When he came over with the booklet, Wei Qingsong realized that it was a photo album.

The album has an old-fashioned style, with yellowed corners and signs of damage, indicating that it has been frequently browsed.

Lu Jingming expertly flipped to a page in the album: "What you just saw should be this photo."

Wei Qingsong glanced down at it, nodded, then gently shook her head: "There are words on the photo in your room."

"Hmm." Lu Jingming's fingers traced the photo album. "These two photos were taken in quick succession. The one you see has writing on the backing; it was written by my mother herself."

Wei Qingsong didn't know what to say, and after a long while, she managed to say, "Your mother's handwriting is really beautiful."

Lu Jingming remained silent for a long time, as if he had made a great decision, and then said slowly, "Actually, my mother died not long after giving birth to me. She committed suicide."

Wei Qingsong opened her mouth in surprise, then slowly pursed her lips and gently took his hand: "You, you shouldn't be sad."

She's actually not very good at comforting people; having been pampered growing up, she's always the one being comforted by others.

“I can’t really explain how sad I am. After all, she passed away before I could remember. I never met her and can only imagine what she looked like through photos.” Lu Jingming’s smile was somewhat bitter as he ran his fingers back and forth along the edge of the photo album. “This photo is the only one I have with my mother.”

At least she left with a glimmer of hope, and wasn't completely heartless and resolute in her departure.

Wei Qingsong bit her lip. Although she was just a high school student and lacked experience, she had heard her parents talk about the secrets of wealthy families quite a bit.

Suddenly, she seemed to understand many things.

She asked softly, "Did your mother commit suicide because of Aunt Jiang?"

She regretted it as soon as she finished speaking.

Not everything should automatically have an answer.

Sometimes, revealing the truth is like tearing open a bloody wound.

Wei Qingsong patted his head, wishing he could shake the mush from his brain.

Just as she was feeling annoyed, she heard Lu Jingming reply calmly, "Yes."

Wei Qingsong quickly waved his hand: "If these things make you sad, then don't talk about them or think about them anymore."

“It’s alright.” Lu Jingming smiled, looking up at her with clear eyes. “I should have told you these things. I wanted you to know all of me.”

"Huh?" Wei Qingsong stood there dumbfounded, like a dazed kitten.

“I’m not as perfect as you imagine. My family structure is complicated, and I don’t get along with my family members. I’m even dark inside and think about taking revenge on them all the time. I think the whole world has wronged me. I hate my father and I hate my mother even more.”

He spoke calmly, but this only made Wei Qingsong more uneasy.

“Well…” Wei Qingsong’s mind went blank. She blinked a few times and said incoherently, “So what? Nobody is perfect. No, in my heart you are perfect! I don’t care what happened before. Those things are in the past, aren’t they?”

"You're great, incredibly great! You're upright and kind, cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and you've always wanted to be a detective to uphold justice. You're not a dark person at all!"

Wei Qingsong counted on his fingers, racking his brains for adjectives, but since he didn't study hard enough, he could only offer a few dry compliments.

Lu Jingming laughed out loud, then calmed himself down before saying, "Isn't it a sign of a dark heart that I hate my own parents?"

"What...what's wrong with that? People's emotions are inherently uncontrollable. When I was little, my dad wouldn't let me build snowmen, and I hated him for it."

Lu Jingming smiled again: "This is different, Songsong."

Wei Sihua didn't let her build a snowman in winter because she was worried that she would catch a cold and get sick; ultimately, it showed that she loved her.

But Lu Changbai's betrayal of their marriage and Wen Manqing's suicide showed him no love whatsoever.

“What’s the difference? Relationships between people are inherently complex. Liking, disliking, loving or hating are all human instincts. Don’t overcomplicate things. Sometimes, it’s best to just let things take their natural course.” Wei Qingsong racked his brains before finally saying these words.

Lu Jingming remained silent for a long time, as if he was seriously considering what she had said.

“Yes, so I’ve gradually started to accept myself as I am.” He paused, his gaze softening. “You changed me, Songsong. You seem happy every day. Nothing can bother you for more than two hours. You’re always so positive and cheerful.”

"You made me realize that this world is actually beautiful, and we shouldn't let hatred destroy everything."

Wei Qingsong finally breathed a sigh of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders: "That's good!"

“I’m just worried that if I lay all my cards bare for you, it will scare you and make you stay away from me.” Lu Jingming looked at her, his eyes full of determination. “But I don’t want to hide anything from you.”

Wei Qingsong shook her head hastily: "I'm not afraid, I'm the bravest person."

Lu Jingming seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly lowered his head and chuckled: "That's right, you are Wei Qingsong who is not afraid of anything. When you first transferred schools, everyone thought I had a bad temper and dared not sit next to me, but only you dared."

Wei Qingsong raised an eyebrow smugly: "That's because they're short-sighted and don't know how to see through appearances to the essence. I'm just clever. I became your deskmate, and my math and English improved rapidly. I even managed to settle down on a major life event along the way."

She deliberately cracked a joke to ease the slightly heavy atmosphere.

Lu Jingming nodded in deep agreement: "Yes, you are the smartest. However, there is no need to change the subject so deliberately. I am really okay. I just wanted to tell you my story."

Wei Qingsong had no choice but to sit up straight obediently, adopting an attitude of listening attentively: "Okay, don't worry, your loyal number one listener is ready."

Lu Jingming chuckled softly and ruffled her messy hair.

“When I was very young, I wanted to be a good policeman like my dad. Later, when I learned about the bad things he did, I was conflicted and wavered. Gradually, I realized that he was not a good husband or a good father, but he was a good detective. I want to be a policeman, not because of him, but because this is the direction of my life.”

He flipped through the album a few pages; it was full of photos of his mother.

She seems to really like wearing cheongsams; in most of the photos, she's wearing all sorts of cheongsams, looking like a refined lady straight out of a genre painting.

Lu Jingming lowered his voice, tinged with a faint sigh: "Perhaps, my mother and I are the same kind of people."

Wei Qingsong listened attentively, then suddenly asked, "So, what kind of person is your mother?"

Lu Jingming, however, kept him in suspense, asking instead, "What do you think?"

Wei Qingsong rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment, then grinned and said, "Beautiful, beautiful, still beautiful."

(End of this chapter)