Chapter 179

Pei Du always suspected that Zhou Zhi's father, who had once worked as a steward in the Pei Family, was not dead.

From the moment this suspicion arose, he had people investigate all the servants from eighteen years ago who met a specific timeline condition, and after verifying their existence through clues, he tracked each one's later whereabouts, all of which turned out the same—unknown whereabouts.

Only Zhou Zhi's father.

From the onset of the heart attack, to calling emergency services, to the doctors' failed resuscitation and declaration that the patient's vital signs had disappeared, to the death certificate, every record was available for inspection.

It was complete and flawless, indicating that this person had indeed died.

But sometimes, having no flaw is itself a flaw, especially when all the other servants have lost trace, making this flaw stand out even more.

At that time, besides Pei Qian, there was no one else who had both the motive and the capability to pull off such a move.

Pei Qian consistently believed that the most dangerous place is the safest place.

If Zhou Zhi's father were truly still alive, he would very likely have kept the person under his own watch, so he could monitor and control them at any time.

Pei Du started directly from the sanatorium where Pei Qian resided.

However, despite his age, Pei Qian's eyes remained cautious and sharp; any new face introduced in an inconspicuous manner would inevitably be noticed, and outsiders unaccustomed to the place could not enter the building where he lived.

Moreover, Pei Qian's character was ruthless; once startled, it was hard to guarantee he wouldn't take some action.

Therefore, after a long period of surveillance and investigation, they first confirmed that Zhou Zhi's father had faked his death, then confirmed that the person was hidden in the sanatorium, and finally pinpointed the exact location.

Without delay, that very night, not long after Pei Qian had gone to sleep, the building erupted in a great fire.

The entire building's occupants fell into chaos, busy escaping and fighting the fire, coming and going, with no leisure to notice who had entered or left the building at any moment.

Jing Shi, a hospital ward.

When Pei Du entered, Zhou Zhi was patiently feeding an old man water.

The old man was none other than Zhou Shi Yi, the Pei Family steward who had supposedly died of a heart attack thirteen years earlier.

According to his age, Zhou Shi Yi should be just into his sixties, but his hair was completely white, his face bore deep wrinkles, and he looked exhausted and frail, appearing unusually aged.

"Director Pei."

Seeing Pei Du, Zhou Zhi hastily put down the water cup and stood up.

Zhou Shi Yi also followed his son's gaze; the instant his eyes met Pei Du, his expression froze, and then his voice trembled slightly.

"... Young, young master?"

How long had it been since they last saw each other? It had been over ten years; Zhou Shi Yi looked at the man before him, who had shed all the youthful air of his memory, his contours sharp and mature, and his eyes could not help but grow hot.

Indeed, it was the young master he had watched grow up.

Zhou Shi Yi saw Pei Du's excited expression, but the latter's eyes held only unfamiliar indifference, as if he did not know him at all.

"... You really still haven't recovered your memory."

Zhou Shi Yi was not surprised by Pei Du's unfamiliarity; his sigh carried the implication that he knew the full story behind Pei Du's amnesia.

Pei Du's eyes narrowed slightly, and without wasting time, he went straight to the point.

He asked Zhou Shi Yi whether he had a congenital heart condition and how he had originally entered the Pei Family to become a steward.

Zhou Shi Yi fell silent for two seconds: "Through my uncle, who originally worked as a steward in the Pei Family."

Zhou Zhi beside him was startled by his father's words and exclaimed in surprise, "Dad, aren't you an orphan? Where did an uncle come from?"

Zhou Shi Yi said, "I only learned later that I still had other relatives in this world."

When Zhou Shi Yi was very young, his parents told him he had an uncle only a few years older than him, rebellious and unwilling to be disciplined, who quarreled with his grandfather, stormed out, and never returned home.

Later, his parents, whose health was already poor, both passed away; Zhou Shi Yi was sent to a welfare institute, and the following year someone adopted him, claiming to be his biological uncle, and brought him to the Pei Family.

Zhou Zhi wondered, "Then why have I never heard you mention him before?"

"After leaving home he changed his name and didn't like people mentioning his former identity." Zhou Shi Yi's expression darkened: "He also didn't allow me to reveal our relationship to outsiders."

Zhou Zhi: "Who is he?"

Without waiting for Zhou Shi Yi to answer, Pei Du bluntly uttered two words: "A De."

A De, the most loyal chief steward beside Pei Qian.

Zhou Shi Yi acknowledged, seeming to understand why Pei Du had gone to such lengths to rescue him from the sanatorium, and without needing Pei Du to ask further, he spoke up voluntarily:

"Young master, my uncle A De has a son who has never been made public, living abroad all along, a highly skilled hypnotist; find him, and you should get all the answers you seek."

In country D, it was summer, yet the weather was not hot but rather mild and cool.

In the parking lot, a gentle‑looking middle‑aged man carried a paper bag with a cartoon pattern while answering a phone call.

"Carter, did you buy the glowing fairy wings? Your daughter said this morning that if you didn't buy them, she won't go out the school gate with you."

"Of course, how could I forget something so important?" the man laughed, glanced at the paper bag in his hand, and said, "I've just parked; I'll be at the school right away."

"Hmm, let's talk about that when we get home."

After hanging up, before he could put his phone back in his pocket, the light ahead suddenly dimmed, and several burly men stepped into his path; the leader spoke coldly.

"Are you Lin Tai Liang? Please come with us for a moment."

Even after being forced to land in China, Lin Tai Liang remained shocked and angry.

"This is kidnapping! It's illegal!"

But no one heeded his struggle; they grabbed him like a chick and shoved him into a sedan.

"Carter, Chinese name Lin Tai Liang, graduated from D Country University, thirteen years ago changed his nationality to become a D Country citizen, a well‑known psychology professor in the field."

After Lin Tai Liang had just settled in, the person beside him announced his personal information in a report‑like tone, then asked:

"I've heard you're quite skilled at hypnosis?"

If the first half of the sentence left Lin Tai Liang bewildered, the second half made him instantly realize why he had been abducted.

"You've got it wrong; my psychology clinic has been closed for over a decade." Lin Tai Liang's expression tightened as he strove to distance himself: "I've long stopped taking consultations of this sort."

Then he heard the other side say: "No mistake; speaking of which, we actually share a blood relation—by generation I should call you—uncle (from the same paternal line)."

Lin Tai Liang froze, staring in astonishment: "You are…?"

I am Zhou Zhi, but you probably don't know me; your father Lin Dehou nominally counts as my grand-uncle.

As soon as the three words 'Lin Houde' were spoken, Lin Tailiang's complexion grew even uglier; he gritted his teeth, the resentment and hostility in his voice not seeming like he was speaking to his own father:

"Is it him who had you bring me here? What does he want me to do for him this time! A person who goes back on his word! He clearly said he wouldn't disturb my life again!"

Zhou Zhi corrected: "It's not him looking for you."

"Who is that?"

Zhou Zhi did not answer the question of this uncle he had never met.

The sedan drove out all the way from the airport's underground parking lot.

Approximately forty minutes later, Lin Tai-liang met the person he was looking for; Zhou Zhi brought Lin Tai-liang to a reception room and gestured for him to please enter.

Lin Tai-liang walked in suspiciously.

Bright, clear light poured in from outside the circular floor-to-ceiling window, casting the tall, slender figure of the man before the window in stark relief.

Meeting Pei Du's cold, dark eyes, Lin Tai-liang was stunned for a few seconds, then scrutinized Pei Du closely, and involuntarily widened his eyes.

"Is-is it you?!"

Obviously, without Zhou Zhi's introduction, he himself had already realized—

Lin Tai-liang is forty-four years old; since childhood he has been especially interested in psychology, so when choosing his major in university he unhesitatingly selected psychology.

In his youth he harbored a child's heart, aspiring to use his knowledge to help patients tormented by mental illness to the point of collapse escape their suffering.

Most people's suffering stems from experience; to a large extent, altering suffering can be a means of happiness.

Lin Tai-liang also specialized in hypnotherapy; all patients who came to him received effective treatment, and he originally thought the first half of his life would be blameless.

However, more than ten years ago he did something that went against his conscience.

Under the pretense of helping the other party recover memories, he hypnotized a young man and made him forget that period of memory.

During Lin Tai-liang's daze, Pei Du's dark eyes narrowed slightly; relying on his good memory, he also recognized Lin Tai-liang.

After that car accident years ago, Pei Du suffered amnesia and had actively tried to recover his memory, from cooperating with various doctors' plans to undergoing psychological treatment.

The first psychological therapist he consulted was renowned and authoritative, came from D country, was ethnic Chinese, and named Carter.

Unfortunately, after the therapy ended, the therapist regretfully informed him that his amnesia was due to pathological causes, unrelated to psychological disorder, and thus he could not help him.

"……"

Probably out of guilty conscience, Lin Tai-liang dared not meet Pei Du's gaze, instinctively stepping back two paces: "I-I still have to go pick up my daughter from school!"

Obviously nonsensical; it had been nearly ten hours since arriving from D country to Hua country, and the school had long been closed.

Zhou Zhi said calmly: "Professor Lin, you need not worry; we have notified your wife and daughter."

These words sounded to Lin Tai-liang no different from a threat, as if he'd been struck in a soft spot; the middle-aged man, reacting with panic, shouted: "Don't make things difficult for them! Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it!"

"Professor Lin has misunderstood." Zhou Zhi frowned and explained: "Notification is literal; your wife only knows you came to Hua country on urgent business."

"Really?"

"Naturally." Zhou Zhi gestured with his hand, inviting him: "You can simply call now to verify."

Lin Tai-liang instinctively reached into his pocket, felt his phone, and then realized that, due to his nervousness, he had forgotten that his phone had not actually been confiscated.

A flicker of embarrassment crossed the man's face; it's no wonder he was suspicious, given his terrible impression of the Pei family.

Lin Tai-liang immediately walked aside and made a phone call.

He wasn't deceived; on the other end his wife chided him for the sudden business trip, ordering him not to do so again and worry her, while his seven-year-old daughter sweetly called him Daddy, urging him to come home soon.

Lin Tai-liang responded gently to each sentence.

After the call ended, a brief silence passed; he walked toward Pei Du, without further ado, getting straight to the point: "I can help you recover your memory."

…

Lin Tai-liang had once attended a lecture in university where a highly respected professor said—

Excluding congenital factors, ninety percent of people with mental illness are actually kind-hearted; although the events are past, they remain stuck in that moment, unable to get over that mental hurdle, subsequently developing either major or minor psychological disorders, which for severe cases accompany them for life.

Near the end of the lecture, the professor, in a teasing tone, uttered an internet saying: "So classmates, being human, please strive as much as possible to stay kind."

Lin Tai-liang always remembered those words; he too remained trapped in that moment.

A room completely soundproofed.

The man's eyes were covered by a blindfold, his hands placed at his sides, lying still and quiet on the recliner.

Lin Tai-liang again picked up the small pendulum; in a daze, he felt as if time had reversed back to the past.

Because back then it was exactly this scene.

That year, his pregnant wife lost contact, and he was forced to take on a "mission": to make this young man forget the past—completely.

Lin Tai-liang learned that the young man, due to the car accident, was still amnesiac, and his primary motive for wanting to recover his memories was his daughter; thus, for him, the daughter was an extremely important presence.

Lin Tai-liang then came up with a multiple-choice question.

It's simple: implant a notion in his subconscious that recalling the past equals harming his daughter; so, do you want your daughter to be hurt? If not, then simply never think of it again, forever, and you'll protect your daughter.

Like a demon's whisper, repeated over and over.

At that time Lin Tai-liang was about thirty; the honors he had garnered in academia were not undeserved—he truly possessed this ability, to the extent that magazines critiqued him, saying he was one step away from being an angel, one step away from being a demon.

But the hypnosis process was not easy.

Lin Tai-liang described it as "tragic."

"Yinyin, Yinyin…"

In the quiet room, the young man murmured a name with longing and pain, over and over; his hand at his side clenched into a fist, veins bulging on his arm and neck, the blindfold covering his eyes completely soaked.

Soaked with tears.

Even in such deep hypnosis, being able to perform this series of bodily actions translates to consciousness as knowing how heart-rending and devastating it is.

Even Lin Tai-liang, rich in hypnosis experience, was stunned.

Although he did not know the exact content of those memories, he could clearly know how precious they were to that young man, and forgetting them would be immensely painful for him.

——He simply didn't want to forget.

Lin Tai-liang realized he was destroying what served as the spiritual pillar of young men, and this act was no different from killing.

Lin Tai-liang felt he was committing murder.

When the hypnosis ended, he, as the leader, was instead drenched in sweat.

And perhaps a person really cannot do wrong; he finished the task, took his wife away, and not long after, she miscarried.

Yes, before his daughter he should have had another child; after that, he shut down his psychology practice, because he felt he no longer deserved to be a doctor who claimed to help others for joy.

This is the heart ailment that plagues Lin Tai-liang.

More than ten years ago he made a mistake, and more than ten years later it was time for him to make amends.

…

Separated by a wall.

Zhou Shi-yi insisted on coming along; Zhou Zhi couldn't refuse, accompanied his father while waiting, and he asked his father what the phrase 'all answers' that Director Pei said meant.

He thought Director Pei was looking for his father's whereabouts to investigate the Eldest Young Lady's background; then he could simply ask his father, who surely knew, so why go to such trouble to find Lin Tai-liang?

"Miss Mu Yin's background, I suppose the young master already had a rough idea when he came looking for me." Zhou Shi-yi said: "As for why he seeks Lin Tai-liang, it's because… he wants to remember someone."

"Who?" Zhou Zhi asked: "Is it very important?"

"Very important." Not knowing what distant thing he was recalling, Zhou Shi-yi's sighing tone carried a sadness his son couldn't understand: "She is the birth mother of Miss Mu Yin, a very, very good child."

"If it weren't for her, I think… the young master would probably be forever trapped dead in that villa."

…

Pei Du saw that familiar mist again.

He raised his hand without hesitation to wave.

I thought it would be the same as before—no matter what, it was futile, couldn't be waved away—but this time, unexpectedly, the hazy mist easily dispersed, and the shadow hidden behind became clear.

In an instant, many, many images came flying at him like scattered pages.

A pair of fair, beautiful hands appeared before him, palms lightly turning, making some gesture toward him that he couldn't understand.

It was sign language.

"Handsome wood."

She called him.

"Handsome wood, your dark circles have finally faded a little."

She helped him twist the Rubik's cube.

"Pei Du, pretending to sleepwalk was my fault; sorry, I won't do it again, please forgive me."

She taught him to apologize to her.

"Pei Du, what does basking in the sun feel like?"

She asked him.

"Again, again, again on a business trip?"

She saw through him but didn't expose him.

"You little rascal, go tell fortunes—you'll surely get rich."

She teased him.

"Pei Du, you care about me so much—are you… especially fond of me?"

She saw through his thoughts.

"You want to say you didn't hug me on purpose? Sorry, I never said not to let you hug me."

She kissed him.

"Let's call this our first day, boyfriend."

They kissed.

"Pei Du, be good and watch the meteor shower."

They became a couple; it was their first day together.

"Got you, Xiao Du!"

Their relationship was very good.

"……"

Pei Du only felt he had had a very, very beautiful dream, so beautiful he didn't want to wake, the corners of his mouth turned up the whole time.

Their relationship was very good.

He hoped they would always be like this.

Suddenly, the scene shifted, the surroundings darkened, Pei Du lowered his head, and before him was a fan-shaped password door.

His whole body stiffened, his arms too heavy to lift to push the door.

He remembered.

This scene was just after he left the Pei family main residence, when he heard in his ears the mocking voice of Pei Qianwei:

"Ah Du, your mother and her mother have such a grudge; from now on, when she sees you she'll recall the past—do you still dare to see her?"