his mermaid

***

In this sumptuous room, elegant glass high cabinets and mahogany chests of drawers flank the sides.

In the glass cabinet, there are precious violins placed side by side. The craftsmanship of each violin looks exquisite and can be called a work of art.Carefully browse next to each piano, there is a business card holder made of a black iron box.It is enough to show that each one is a treasure.

In this room, in addition to the collection of violins, there are also collections of wine and piano scores, as well as various classical books.

If you want to find out some mystery here, you can't judge it with the naked eye, because the decoration and furniture here are so luxurious and amazing.

"What are you looking for?"

A smiling voice sounded behind him, and Yaochen turned his head immediately, the hand that was about to pull the glass cabinet away stopped in the air.

"Long time no see." The person who greeted him was Yaoxi, Yaochen's half-brother.He is short-sighted, and usually wears gold-rimmed glasses on his eyes, which is quite like a top student, and he will only take them off during performances.

He stood by the door and watched Yaochen for an unknown amount of time.

Surprisingly, Yaochen did not put on airs, but raised his head and replied: "Yes. Long time no see."

"I heard that you plan to take over the London branch of your mother's company." Yaoxi stepped into the room with a deeper but friendly smile on his face.

"This matter has been cancelled." Yaochen said.

"Aren't you going?" Yaoxi was stunned, "Why? Are you coming back to play the piano again?"

The calmness of the first few seconds has reached its limit.Unable to pretend anymore, Yaochen said with a straight face: "You seem to have too many questions. I don't need to answer."

"I thought you were no longer interested in the violin. If you didn't want to, why would you come to this room. Are you looking for something?"

Yaoxi looked around, but there was no change. He guessed that Yaochen hadn't been in for a long time.

"Only father will come to this room. It is usually locked, but when he heard that you were coming back, he ordered someone to lock it down."

"That's really thanks to him."

"Anyone in the industry who loves music will want to come to his collection room to see his dignity. And the only people who have such an opportunity are you and me, Yaochen."

He spoke as if it was such an honor, Yaochen walked towards the door.

"Come back to the world of the violin." Yaoxi called to stop him.

Yaochen turned his head to thank him.

"But sorry, that's your world."

"You are so talented in music, I am sorry to lose a rival and brother like you."

"I forgot to say congratulations. Your performance in the orchestra in Taipei was very successful, and the media reports praised it."

"It's just as stable as usual. By the way, I asked the servant to make dinner, and my father will also be there. You must come to eat."

It was snowing outside the window.

Due to the recent cold wave, the temperature continued to be a few degrees below zero.This year's Chinese New Year seems to be spent in S City. In previous years, the Chinese New Year abroad was particularly lonely. For a divorced and special family, Yaochen lived to be 30 years old, and he has never felt a real family atmosphere.

Originally, he would have thought that this year would be a little different.

On the rectangular dining table, Yaochen sat far away.Two servants had already prepared dinner.

Jiang Dewen appeared, and after he took his seat, he just greeted him lightly.It was hard to hide the surprise of seeing his son on his face, but there was also an indescribable strangeness.

Jiang Dewen and his servant asked about the ingredients used today.

After they finished speaking, Yaochen said in a cold voice:

"There was a suicide case recently, and the deceased was your student."

This question made Yaoxi and Jiang Dewen put down their spoons at the same time.

"You're talking about Xiao Che, Yaochen." Jiang Dewen replied with a smile, "He is really a hardworking kid."

"You can even attack your own students?"

"What kind of words are these? How could I attack my own students? Yaoxi, when I attended Ou Che's funeral, I remembered that I had a representative to give a speech."

Yaoxi smiled awkwardly, and then explained: "Yes, Yaochen. Everyone saw it at the time, and my father was very sad about his death. I never thought that he would choose this path."

Yaochen didn't pay attention to Yaoxi's words, he continued to stare at Jiang Dewen's face.

"Ou Che has the habit of going to bars for part-time performances. During this period of time, I investigated several bars and other places he visited before the incident, and found no secret drug transactions, which means that the drugs are not imported. This is the first doubtful point. .Doubt [-]. According to the autopsy report, Ou Che has been taking xxx for a long time. He was unaware of the arsenic substance in it, and he was defenseless. The third doubt, the period when he was addicted to drugs, after the secret testimony of many of his friends, happened to be after the period when you accepted him as a disciple. The fourth doubt, about The reason for the suicide, the police did not find the suicide note.”

"Yaochen, the police have closed the case. It was he who was too frustrated in his own music path, so he used such an extreme method. He is such a child who loves music. His suicide note may already be in his personal performance video gone."

"It is true that Ou Che's performance records have decreased frequently in the past year, but the police found that he has collected many travel magazines and English brochures in the past six months, and he has also frequently checked the forum information of several music universities on the website. It seems that he has plans to go abroad. , the reason for the frequent reduction of performances may be that he is preparing for studying abroad." Yaochen said, "However, his family should not be rich enough to allow him to study abroad, and he has no personal savings. The only person who can provide opportunities to study abroad is probably The mentor behind him can be recommended and cultivated by you, and there is no problem entering a foreign university, and the initial funds are a trivial matter for you."

"Since this is the case, his future should be bright. How could he think of committing suicide?"

"Maybe, he discovered your secret."

"Oh? What secret?"

Because he—discovered the secret that you hired people to murder Gao Yuehui's family.

The air froze slightly, Yaochen did not express his inference.

The wavering at this moment may be due to the fear that the Yue Kingdom will encounter danger again. It is these obstacles that make them always unhappy.

Obviously broke up, why, why worry?

Gao Yuehui's death must be related to Ou Che's death, as well as Chu Quan's father's suicide after the accident. Maybe the truth is not what he thought, but he is already one step closer to the truth in the process of investigating.

"Yaochen, when did you become so talkative? I remember teaching you since childhood that talking at dinner is the behavior of poor people." Jiang Dewen smiled, and he picked up the tableware again.

The vegetable soup is already a little cold.

Yaoxi asked: "Yaochen, you are not suspecting that your father killed someone, are you? Ou Che sucked it himself..."

Just as he was speaking, Yaochen got up decisively and left the table.

His back quickly disappeared behind the door.

"Let him go." Jiang Dewen laughed, "I never dreamed that Yaochen would come back to this house again, hehe..."

"Father...you have nothing to do with that incident, right?" Yaoxi knew that this question would not be answered.

Jiang Dewen's face gradually darkened.

"If people don't have desires, they won't be hooked. Yaoxi, go to practice after dinner. Next month is the Vienna tour, there is no reason to stop."

"Yes."

***

The surrounding white light was bright, but the corridor was as quiet as if there was no one there.

Back then, when Yue Guo's thoughts came back, he was already in the hospital.

If the doctor hadn't said there was no serious problem, he would almost have thought that he had accidentally hurt someone, fell down at that angle, and had nosebleeds, if the back of his head was injured...

In desperation, Yueguo called the police, and the ambulance personnel also came.It turned out that Shijie was just in a coma after drinking, but just in case, he was still sent to the hospital for medical treatment according to the procedure.After the police looked at the situation, they handed it over to the ambulance personnel for handling, and they didn't even need to make a record.

Right now, Shijie is receiving an infusion in the ward, and Yueguo dare not tell Shijie's friends that he will probably wake up safe and sound tomorrow.I really don’t know if the doctor in the emergency department insisted on sending him to the hospital because he wanted to earn a fortune for the emergency treatment. When Yueguo went to pay the fee, he realized that it was very expensive to dispatch the emergency car at night, so the doctor prescribed a new stomach medicine.

After this happened, Yueguo no longer had a reason to live with Shijie.

He was determined to move back to his own home.Now that the house is empty, everything has changed.

This is the first time I have officially come back to live after the accident, and the home furnishings have not changed as before.

There are many relics of my father and sister in the family that have not been disposed of, and only part of them were burned when they were buried.

Speaking of which, if it is a relic, the whole house is full of relics, how can it be possible to dispose of them all?Dad used to sleep in the living room, and his and Xiaohui's rooms were only separated by a curtain.Now he asks the domestic helper to organize things in the bedroom, and then covers everything with a tarpaulin, leaving only a table outside, putting the portraits of his father and sister and candles, and moving to the living room by himself.In this way, the space for activities becomes smaller, which is more convenient for him.

"You know how to play the piano? Brother." The cleaning housekeeper wiped the piano in the living room and asked him. "I have a relative's son who can also play the piano, which is really good."

When the domestic helper came to clean, he talked endlessly and told Yueguo the process of going to the government to apply for relief funds.Yue Guo has nothing to talk about with such an aunt, so she can only answer her simply. She must have no one to talk to at ordinary times, thinking that her life is already miserable, relying on housekeeping services to earn unstable wages, and to provide for her son My daughter was studying, but she never expected to see such a desolate person like Yue Guo on this day. She must have been comforted, and there was sympathy in her words.

When the domestic worker left, the atmosphere in the room became extremely quiet.

It’s really different from before——Yue Guo kept thinking.

The surface of the upright piano was wiped clean, but it couldn't cover the dust in the keys.This was bought by my father when I was in junior high school, and it has a history of more than ten years.Just before the car accident, Yueguo was still playing the piano every day.

How long has it been?It seemed like centuries, and it felt so strange.

When touching the keys, there is an unexpectedly unfamiliar sound, as if to remind: the music no longer belongs to him, and he has to leave him.

Yueguo didn't have the time to think about music anymore. The most important thing right now is to check the job openings on the website. This is the most convenient way. However, finding a suitable job among these jobs is like looking for a needle in a haystack. He is busy until late at night. Just realized that the recruiting call was gone and it was bedtime.

It's so quiet in the house.

Suddenly, he had the idea of ​​suicide, and this idea really lingered.Since the car accident in July last year, it has been with me and never left.That fall into the river was like someone who understood his inner thoughts and deliberately fulfilled him.

Whether to find another way to die, or just leave this world quietly like this, no one knows.

hum-

This timely call interrupted the thoughts.I have to say, what a coincidence.Because of this call, he certainly didn't think much about it, it must be a call for recruitment.However, is there any work contact at this late hour?

"...Hello? Hello." Yue Guo cheered up.

"Hello." The other party let out a long sigh of relief, and then said, "I am Yaochen's mother."

Yueguo wanted to hang up the phone, but his aunt's voice sounded sad, so he didn't do it.

"can I help you?"

"Something happened." The aunt's voice was choked up. "Originally at the end of this month, Yaochen would go to London to take over the branch office. Now he refuses to take over the company's affairs no matter what."

"I know it's because of you, you separated from Yaochen, right? You transferred all the money he spent for you, does this mean that you don't accept his feelings for you? No wonder he changed so suddenly, He must have been hit hard."

Hearing this, Yue Guo was at a loss.

"Auntie, I'm sorry... how is he doing now? Does he go to work every day?"

"I hope you can persuade this kid. It's good to see him, only you can persuade him, he likes you so much. No matter what the reason is, he must get on the right track quickly. "

What Yue Guo didn't know was that it was because Yaochen returned to his father's house and gave up his job in the company that his mother felt pain.Although Yaochen didn't say that he would give up everything, but said that he didn't plan to think about it for the time being, his mother still doubted that Yaochen would give up inheriting the Shu family's business. What she was most worried about was this matter, even if Yaochen took another path, or Obedience to his father, the future is also bright, when the time comes, her mother will definitely be abandoned by Yaochen.

"Yaochen...is he there?" Yue Guo asked nervously.

"He went to live with his father these two days. He has always hated his father. Something must have happened. He doesn't want to hold the current job. Go and see him, please. Persuade him to come back ..."

Auntie's voice was full of tears, but Yueguo seemed much calmer.

"aunt……"

"Please promise me. Yaochen will definitely listen to you. If you can reconcile with him, he will definitely return to his previous state. Please..."

He seemed unable to bear to hear his aunt's begging.Perhaps behind these words, something happened to Yaochen, and he might even have quarreled with his mother.He brought too much trouble to Yaochen, and he couldn't refuse.

"I will go. Please tell me the address of Yaochen's house."

Yue Guo hurriedly opened the drawer, and took out a pen and paper that could be recorded.

***

"It's here, No. 12, Yuntai Mountain."

The taxi was parked in front of a majestic stone brick wall, with a black iron gate in the middle, filled with many trees, vaguely revealing flower beds and sculptures.

The scenery at the foot of the mountain is a vast expanse of whiteness, which is probably the case in winter.

"This is a villa. Do you live here?" The driver looked out the window. The dead branches of the trees had already protruded from the wall, and thin snow was piled up.The detached villas seem to have been there for many years. In short, people without some skills will not be able to build villas here.

"I'm here to find someone." Yue Guo was about to get out of the car.

"130 yuan." The driver said.

"Why are there so many? I took a taxi from Pine Forest Road."

The meter of the taxi has been reset by the driver. It is obviously only going up the mountain, which is too expensive.Yueguo complained that he didn't see clearly just now. He sat in the back seat and didn't want the driver in the front seat to see his unnatural legs.

"The mountain road here is difficult to climb up. How many people do you think live on it? Surely no one will go down the mountain again. The gas fee for this section of the road is not cheap."

Yue Guo handed out the banknote helplessly: "By the way, driver, how can I go back later?"

"I don't know about that. I'm sorry. You might as well leave my phone number. If you want to go down the mountain, I'll come up to pick you up when I'm free."

The driver knew that Yueguo was handicapped and had crutches, so he wanted to sympathize with him, but also wanted to blackmail him.Yueguo's attitude of giving money was very straightforward, he hadn't met such a stupid guest for a long time.Then Yueguo took down the driver's phone number on his mobile phone, and he doesn't know how long he will stay here.

Living here is Yaochen's family, his father, and the brother of the violinist.Yueguo has never been here before, and Yaochen has never heard of his family's villa, which turned out to be so big.

Moss and withered vines are entwined on this ancient imitation European-style villa, and a rose forest is planted below, but it is not in flowering season, and with no one to take care of it, it is already barren, with half-melted snow on it.It looks like a vampire's house in a film and television drama, with a gloomy atmosphere.

On the fence next to the gate of the villa, the house number is marked.This is indeed the residence of the Jiang family.

Yue Guo supported the crutches while ringing the doorbell.

He didn't know if the ringtone had reached the house, but he waited for a long time, his hands and feet were already very cold.Finally, one of his uniformed maids came and opened the door, like a white doll.She kept silent and welcomed Yue Guo into the villa.

Unexpectedly, the atmosphere inside the house was even more gloomy and cold than outside. It was obviously winter, and it still exuded a humid atmosphere.

"Master usually stays in the lounge, so it's a bit cold in the living room." The servant saw that Yueguo needed crutches to walk, and she walked quite slowly.

"Well, I'm here to find Jiang Yaochen. I'm his...friend."

"Sir, the master has ordered that no matter who comes looking for someone, as long as he is at home, he must be seen first."

"Is Yaochen at home?"

She ignored Yue Guo's question, went straight upstairs, brought Yue Guo to the lounge on the second floor, and Yue Guo followed her closely.

A stove was lit in the lounge, and the dry and warm air made Yueguo dizzy, and he was also shocked by the luxurious interior decoration along the way.

In the lounge - that should be the owner of the villa, he seems to have been sitting on an armchair with a fringed blanket for a long time.

"I'm Yaochen's friend..." Yue Guo greeted, "Uncle, hello."

He stood up, looking like a middle-aged man who was older than his father.That is Yaochen's father, Yueguo has seen him on TV, and it is the first time to see a real person face to face. He is younger than his actual age, and his figure is not out of shape at all. He exudes a kind of old man. Charm.But he always felt that Uncle Jiang and Yaochen didn't look alike.

"Do you have something to do with Yaochen?"

"I...actually..."

Entrusted by Yaochen's mother.He promised that his aunt would come to visit Yaochen, and by the way, persuade him to continue to go abroad to work as the administrative director of the branch company, and don't mention that she asked him to come.Since both she and Yuhan were at odds with Yaochen's father, Yueguo was the only one left.Yueguo regretted agreeing to this matter a bit, but last night his aunt cried very sadly, and urged him again the next day, so Yueguo had no choice but to fulfill the agreement.

"It's okay, you don't have to be so formal." Jiang Dewen laughed, "You are welcome, Gao Yueguo."

Yue Guo showed a surprised expression, and even had a bad premonition.

"How do you know my name..."

"Yaochen mentioned you many times." Jiang Dewen laughed, "I am Yaochen's father."

Is it because I think too much?Will Yaochen mention himself to his father?After all, they have known each other for so many years and have dated.This is not unreasonable, Yue Guo nodded.

"I've seen you on TV. You're a violinist."

"Hehe...that's what was reported on TV, but in reality he is just an ordinary person, an ordinary father. Sit down, just sit there."

Jiang Dewen pointed to the leather couch in the lounge, and Yueguo sat down carefully.The light in the room was relatively dark, but fortunately, there was a floor lamp on—the style was also very retro, and the diamonds on the lamps looked valuable, like classical works of art.

The servant brought in a cup of black tea, but Yue Guo didn't want to touch it, he just wanted to see Yaochen soon.Jiang Dewen also started to drink tea, but Yue Guo didn't dare to speak if he didn't speak.until he puts down the glass.

"Uncle, is Yaochen at home?"

"What's the matter with you coming to him? Just now, you didn't answer me. "

"I'd like to see him...and say it myself. So sorry, Uncle..."

"It's the same for telling me, and I'll pass it on to him."

Yue Guo showed a troubled expression.

Jiang Dewen walked towards the Moon Kingdom.He is tall and thin, and his powerful and elegant aura is exactly the same as that of Yaochen.

It's just that the oppressive feeling made Yueguo unable to breathe, even when facing Yaochen, he never felt it.

"Could it be that you want to tell him some love words that I don't know?"

"No, it's not..." Yue Guo's eyes flustered.

"It seems that you forgot. I warned you that you are not allowed to approach Yaochen again."

Yue Guo opened his mouth in surprise, but was unable to make a sound.

Why did uncle say this?What does the warning mean?

The sense of fear that he felt spontaneously from the moment he entered the house deepened. Could it be that his uncle was the one who sent him the prank letter back then.

"I said this when you were in college. It's normal for you to forget." Jiang Dewen raised the corner of his mouth.

What?University period?Yue Guo couldn't think of anything.

He couldn't think anymore, his body was much warmer than outside, but he also started to feel hot.

"Uncle, is Yaochen at home?" Yue Guo finally squeezed out a word, it was still the question just now.

"Who knows? He'll never come back to this family."

"That is to say, isn't he here?"

Yue Guo lowered his head.

"What if he's not there?"

Yue Guo quietly picked up the crutches and stood up, but every movement was difficult.

"Sorry, Uncle, I thought I interrupted..."

"I send you."

Jiang Dewen approached suddenly, and seemed to come to help Yueguo, Yueguo exclaimed reflexively: "No need! Uncle, I can go by myself."

So, Jiang Dewen opened the door for him.

"You look a little uncomfortable, don't you stay and rest for a while?"

"No, I'm not sick."

Yue Guo smiled wryly, and moved forward as if fleeing from the desert, unable to run, this was already his maximum walking speed.The bottom end of the walking stick thumped, thumped, against the wooden floor.

Because of the too fast movement, the crutches slipped and mercilessly made him roll down the stairs.If it weren't for the carpet on the floor, and he desperately grabbed the handrail of the stairs, he might have fallen even worse.

"Hehe, be careful." There was a smile on the corner of Jiang Dewen's mouth. This was something more chilling than this villa. "In the past, some people rolled down here."

In the second half of the sentence, Jiang Dewen lowered his volume, but Yueguo couldn't hear clearly.

"It's okay, I'm okay..." Yue Guo got up and panted, he almost twisted his right foot, and his prosthetic limb almost fell off, feeling like he had been hit in many places all over his body.

At this time, Jiang Dewen walked down the steps.

"I thought you came here on a special trip to deliver that thing."

He stared straight at Yue Guo.

"Uh? What is it?" Yue Guo couldn't understand what his uncle said.

"Since it's not. I hope you can understand what I mean and stay away from Yaochen. I don't want my son to get too close to you."

He didn't dare to look into his uncle's eyes, which were deep and filled with endless sadness.What is he talking about?

☆、Chapter 37