You are Toyokawa Shoko, then who am I?

That alone is enough.

Just this small affirmation is enough.

However, even this tiny hope did not come true.

His father had been a complete scumbag from the very beginning.

When he was about to graduate from high school and his career was gradually getting on track, he learned all the truth from Xian Juanxin.

Why did the Toyokawa family exile them? What kind of person was his father before? How many horrific things did he do over the years by using the power of the Toyokawa family?

He knew everything.

He dragged his tired body back home, wanting to confirm with his father himself that these were not true.

But when he got home, he saw that guy took out the bank card he used to save money, and he was unconscious, talking to himself crazily in the air.

[This is the money you and your band earned, right? You've been saving it for three years, just waiting for that big payday, right?... I know the passwords to all your cards are my birthday. You came back too late, so I spent it all for you.]

"I've been holding you back for three years. Three years. I've been holding you back, deliberately buying you cigarettes and alcohol so you could support me. I want you to die in hell with me...but why haven't you collapsed yet?"

I can't accept this, son.

The heart-wrenching words turned into a sharp weapon that pierced into the heart.

The future that had been built collapsed at this moment.

You are crazy...

Is this how you've viewed me for the past three years...?

Toyokawa Sho's pupils were shattered, and a deep scar that could never be healed was left in his heart.

He couldn't accept this kind of thing.

He couldn't accept that his biological father was a complete scum, couldn't accept that his three years of persistence and hard work in high school were all in vain, and that his vision for the future was nothing but a delusion.

He has lost his mother.

His father is his only and last relative he can rely on.

He had fantasized countless times that one day he could return to the past, but the beautiful dream was ultimately just a bubble. When the bubble disappeared, what was revealed before his eyes was the extremely piercing truth.

Neither debt nor pressure has ever knocked Toyokawa Sho down. No matter how great the pressure, how much debt there is, or how shaky his life is, Toyokawa Sho has always gritted his teeth and persevered.

But the truth that his biological father was such a scum was like an overwhelming flood that completely crushed Toyokawa Sho.

Going back to reality.

Toyokawa Sho stared at the scumbag on the bed, and the emotions rising in his heart were extremely complicated.

Shoko Toyokawa has no debts and can return to the Toyokawa family.

That means this person...maybe he's different from the scumbag, maybe he's not an irredeemable villain.

But this is ultimately just a possibility.

Looking at this face that is almost exactly the same as in my memory.

No matter what, Toyokawa Sho could not completely trust him, and he even dared not to trust him.

Just touching him makes me feel sick.

Talking to him makes me feel sick.

Better leave early...

Toyokawa Sho stood up, shook his head to get rid of the bad memories, and prepared to go back to the kitchen to cook.

But just as he was about to stand up, he found that his wrist was firmly grasped by the scumbag.

"open."

Toyokawa Sho turned around and looked down at the scumbag.

However, the scumbag seemed not to hear it and just pulled Toyokawa Sho's wrist hard without moving.

Toyokawa Sho took a few deep breaths, suppressed the anger in his heart, and planned to pry off the fingers that were holding him one by one.

However, at this moment, he heard the scumbag speak.

"Xiangzi..."

This whisper was like a spell that froze Toyokawa Sho's body and even his confused mind.

As far as he could remember, the scumbag had never called his name since he lost power, not even once.

Even when he frantically took out his bank card that day, he still called him "son" instead of his name.

Toyokawa Sho has a life corridor. He can clearly recall all his memories, even down to every minute and every second. However, even so, he has no memory of the scumbag ever calling his name.

So when he heard the other party calling Xiangzi.

He just stood there stupidly.

Confused and lost.

I don't know what to say.

"...Dad went drinking again, Dad...I'm sorry..."

The drunk man whispered.

His voice was unstable and his sentences were disorganized, almost like talking in a sleep.

But for Toyokawa Sho, who remembered every breath the scumbag took clearly, just because he wanted to hear his name from his mouth once.

These sounds couldn't be clearer.

"Yesterday I promised you that I would never... no, I wouldn't drink again. I would work hard to let you live... the same life as before, but... you did it again today... Dad is sorry for you... Xiangzi, but listen to your father... Dad didn't drink because he was addicted..."

"I... went to find my old connections. I used them to find a job... you know?"

"Originally, I didn't want to look for them—in the past, they were nothing compared to your father! But now... I have no choice but to look for them... I have to bow my head and smile apologetically to these people I look down upon... Only then can I find a job..."

"I know they're trying to get me drunk on purpose. They just want to see how much a former No. 1 High student has fallen for a few bucks. I don't want to do something so undignified, but, but Daddy can't bear to see you... you looked so sad this morning. If it were before, you would have definitely told Daddy... but now, no matter how I ask you, you keep it a secret."

"Dad knows, it's because of Dad's incompetence... Dad has been avoiding life for the past month, making you suffer and tired... You must hate your father in your heart... That's why you won't tell me-"

The man's voice now had a hint of tears in it.

Excessive alcohol consumption made him unable to distinguish reality, so he mistook someone for his daughter.

Ever since he was woken up that day, he clearly realized what he had done in the past month.

Guilt.

pain.

A man's self-blame.

And his failure as a father.

These extremely heavy and complex emotions were suppressed in his heart.

These days, whenever he thought about how his daughter managed to survive on her own despite his indifference, he felt heartbroken and tears welled up.

How on earth did she learn to cook?

How did you find a good house?

How did she know to pay the water, electricity and property fees?

Did you feel scared on your first day here?

Are you afraid of a burglar breaking into your home when you sleep at night?

How many times did you bow your head to get a job that supports your family?

A pile of questions piled up in my heart.

The more I think about it, the more painful it becomes.

The more I think about it, the more painful it becomes.

And now, he finally used the alcohol to say out loud these words that he felt guilty about to his own daughter.

however.

What he didn't realize was that he was grabbing the wrong person.

And for the person who was listening to him vent.

These words, these sincerity.

It is more painful and suffocating than having your heart cut into thin slices or your bones smashed by a huge hammer.

"Xiangzi... I'm sorry, I really am, Xiangzi... If I had tried harder, been more careful... maybe you wouldn't have to live this kind of life with me..."

"Listen to Dad. Dad knows... You must be feeling very uncomfortable right now, so Dad went out for a drink today... I got a job. Don't worry, it must be a serious one, otherwise your dad wouldn't be so concerned..."

"Do you remember when I was little, I told you about the watch your grandfather left me? The one I always showed off to you. Yes, it's a Patek Philippe. Don't scold me after hearing that... Dad sold it. Ahaha, I used connections, so it's inevitable that I'll lose a little..."

"This watch has been with your father for over thirty years. To be honest, I really can't bear to part with it. It's the only thing he left me. But you said you don't want to sell it... How should Dad take care of you now?"

The man sobbed a few times, his eyes were red, and he took several deep breaths before he recovered.

"As a parent, nothing is bigger than your own children. As long as it's for you, I'm willing to kill someone and go to jail for you. If someone wants to hurt you, I'll stand in front of them even if I die."

"Xiangzi... your father isn't saying this to make you feel miserable. He just wants you to be happy. When I came back, I bought you some gifts."

"As for skirts, you love wearing them the most. I don't really understand why, but I bought you some based on the ones you used to wear... Don't worry, one day, Daddy will take you back to your old life. Until then... just hold on a little longer."

talking.

The man hugged his child tightly.

Tears fell like rain, and the feelings were sincere and heartfelt.

Anyone can hear it.

These words are not lies.

"Dad swears to you, everything will be fine."

"Xiangzi, Dad loves you."

"..."

silence.

silence.

Still silence.

Toyokawa Sho was hugged tightly and couldn't say anything.

To be more precise, from the moment the man called out "Xiangzi", he was unable to say anything.

Every word that comes out of the man's mouth is so warm and carries the heavy fatherly love. Even if it is just written in black and white on a book, you can feel the power.

But these voices fell into Toyokawa Sho's heart, like heavy-fire missiles dropped from an airplane. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they plowed his heart through and through.

The more a man confides.

The more his mind echoed, the more the scumbag's emotionless eyes, which even wanted to drag him into the abyss, would echo.

Interlacing, interlacing continuously.

Flashbacks, constant flashbacks.

The two identical faces switched back and forth before his eyes, sometimes representing the warm orange light, sometimes representing the despairing silent night.

His pupils shrank to the smallest degree, and the heart beating in his chest seemed to be compressed to the extreme, and it was possible to burst into blood and flesh at any time. He felt as if he had become a stinking ditch rat sunburned by other people's happiness, and there were countless voices laughing wildly in his ears.

He found.

Whether the debt is owed.

Is it possible to return to the Toyokawa family?

A third point of disagreement also appeared between him and Shoko Toyokawa.

Her father is a great father.

And his father is a complete scumbag.

He was speechless.