Chapter 49: The Sorrow of the Parrot

Wen Xishu was confident in his luck; after all, he had a luck value for this round and had even rolled the maximum "crazy dice" of 666.

A perfect opening; this momentum clearly signaled a "lucky emperor" round, and the six-level completion of the Tower of Desire speedrun would be achieved today.

How could he lose with such great fortune?

Dice roll: 2, 2.

"Looks like your luck isn't good. You drink first." Tang Rui tapped her finger lightly against the glass, her gaze fixed directly on Wen Xishu.

Wen Xishu was silent.

Well, a headwind start was fine; it fit his style—lose the first round to feign weakness, then go on a wild killing spree.

As the wine was poured into the glass, Wen Xishu saw that the originally wine-red liquid suddenly took on a subtle luster.

"It's so beautiful..." Tang Rui couldn't help but say.

It was her first time seeing such a magical reaction; those dim red hues had actually become vibrant.

Wen Xishu said softly:

"After I finish drinking, you can ask me one question, and I guarantee I will answer with the truth."

Tang Rui said "oh"; truth-telling seemed boring, but playing with this sudden stranger might be somewhat interesting.

There seemed to be something about Wen Xishu that gave her a sense of kinship.

"Is happiness just telling the truth?"

"It depends on who you're telling it to. If you're telling it to me, you might reap an unprecedented surprise," Wen Xishu said earnestly.

Tang Rui just assumed the other party was spouting nonsense, not realizing this was a massive turning point in fate.

Wen Xishu drank the wine in the glass directly.

[You have consumed the wine affected by the wine glass. From this moment on, for the other person holding the wine glass, you will speak the absolute truth in response to any questions they ask.]

This was the first prompt, which was originally the only prompt, meaning the function of the Truth-Telling Wine Glass had begun to take effect.

But interestingly, Wen Xishu received a second prompt.

[Under the influence of the Weird Sequence 99: Mixed Feelings, the Truth-Telling Wine Glass has begun to undergo slight changes. The other person holding the wine glass will gain an additional truth-listening experience.]

Wen Xishu felt a little surprised.

Weird Sequence 99: Mixed Feelings. Indeed, a Weird Sequence was hidden within Tang Rui.

It was just different from Jack; Jack had mutated one day, but Tang Rui was awakening gradually. At least at this moment, Tang Rui's sequence could already produce a slight resonance with his own.

On the other side, Tang Rui did not receive any prompts; these prompts could only be seen by bunker dwellers holding a black wristwatch.

However, Tang Rui did indeed feel the magical power of the wine glass.

She had a feeling that no matter how sensitive the topic she asked about now, or what level of secret it was, the other party would tell the truth.

This was dangerous, as the effect might be the same for her, yet it was very attractive to her.

Once someone drinks from the Truth-Telling Wine Glass, the other person is automatically influenced by the glass and participates in the game.

"Do you... have a girl you like?"

This was a very cliché truth-telling question, but it was suitable as a warm-up. Tang Rui thought she would ask something more secretive later.

"No," Wen Xishu answered decisively.

He loved these kinds of questions; he only needed to answer yes or no.

But at this moment, Tang Rui actually saw some images.

The city in the images was a place that felt somewhat familiar yet strange to Tang Rui, like Jiangcheng, but not quite.

The image of the city flashed by, and the next instant, the surroundings were filled with fire. A twelve or thirteen-year-old child stood outside the blaze, holding a phone that hadn't been dialed, talking to himself.

"It's enough to love yourself. Don't be deceived by them again in the future, and don't easily trust anyone again. Go do what you like, and go experience all the novelty and excitement of this world."

After the child finished saying these words, he dialed the phone—it was the police emergency number.

Tang Rui vaguely guessed that the child was the person drinking with her right now. She looked at the child's back and felt inexplicably lonely.

She suddenly had the desire to keep asking. So much so that she ignored the fact that she should have asked what exactly was going on with this wine glass.

"You have experienced..."

"Quiet, that's the second question. Roll the dice first," Wen Xishu interrupted Tang Rui.

Wen Xishu could also feel what Tang Rui had just seen.

He realized the danger of this wine glass, but this way, he could use the glass to obtain all the information.

However, Wen Xishu didn't stay happy for long.

Because the roll was 1, 5. Adding up to six, this meant it was his turn to drink again.

"My luck is not bad, you..."

Tang Rui suddenly stopped. She seemed to have become smarter, realizing she shouldn't ask such a broad and general question, because the other party could answer very vaguely.

So she changed the question:

"Then in the past, has anyone ever loved you?"

Wen Xishu shook his head:

"No one."

His expression changed from calm and composed to serious, or rather, he didn't know what expression to use, so he could only remain expressionless, which looked very serious.

Tang Rui hesitated. She already knew the rules of the wine glass: one could only tell the truth. This man genuinely believed he had never been loved.

Yet the images she saw were so warm.

That was the happiness she dreamed of.

"Xiaoshu, Xiaoshu, look, look! What is this? This is the ROG handheld console Mom bought for you. Are you happy?"

The woman's face seemed to be covered by fog, but one could still see she had a very bright smile.

Such warm scenes were not limited to this one.

"Xiaoshu, Xiaoshu, sorry to disturb you at school, but today's lunch is delicious. Happy birthday! Let's go to the amusement park together after school."

Although the woman's sunny smile was blocked by the mist, Tang Rui still felt very moved.

Because she had begged for such scenes countless times.

The woman in the image stood at the classroom door, waving at the boy in front of the teacher and his classmates, holding a heart-shaped bento box that one only sees in anime.

So, even when busy with studies, there were parents who remembered their child's birthday.

Tang Rui was puzzled; having a mother like this, why did he say he had never been loved?

She was already a bit tipsy and couldn't be bothered to ask about the secret of the wine glass:

"Continue."

The roll was 4, 4—still an even number.

Now Wen Xishu realized the severity of the problem. If it were an even number again, he would have to find a way to change the game.

Tang Rui had never experienced such truth-telling; it was as novel as feeling someone else's life.

Wen Xishu's memories made her yearn and envy:

"Then... have you ever felt that you were happy at any moment?"

She asked a similar question because she wanted to see more similar images.

Not at all.

Wen Xishu wanted to say that, but he couldn't get it out. The Truth-Telling Wine Glass could only speak the truth. At this moment, the words he spoke were:

"There was a time."

Tang Rui saw such a scene.

"Son, come here. You are about to leave us to go to middle school. This means you are growing up. From now on, Dad sets your level to Level 1. Remember the games we played together?" It was the face of a man whose features were also covered by mist.

He hugged the child in his arms gently, using his stubble to lightly prick the child's face. Although mist shrouded the man's face, Tang Rui felt...

The man's eyes must have been very gentle. This was the fatherly love she had never felt. In her life, her father was a silent accomplice.

"I remember," the boy said.

"Very good. You must keep leveling up, you know? All the questions in the new school are monsters. You must learn knowledge, increase your level, and defeat the monsters. When you go into society in the future, there will be more monsters waiting for you to challenge." The man patted the child's back gently.

"You will become the man of our family who can stand on his own."

The little boy said:

"Are the teachers and classmates monsters too?"

"They are not. They are high-level NPCs. As long as Xiaoshu masters knowledge, they will help Xiaoshu. They will follow you, just like how people will keep wanting to join your party once you are strong enough in the game."

"What about Mom and Dad? Are you high-level NPCs too?" the boy asked.

The man shook his head:

"To others, Mom and Dad are very powerful NPCs, but no matter if you are poor or rich in the future, no matter if you succeed or not..."

"From the moment you were born, we have already been in your party, and that will never change."

Tang Rui actually shed tears; she cried silently. In twenty years, if she had ever had such a conversation with her parents even once... perhaps her life would have been different.

"Continue."

Wen Xishu's voice was already a bit cold. Those bad memories surfaced, causing his emotions to change quietly.

Fortunately, this time... the roll finally became an odd number. 4, 5.

The total was nine.

Tang Rui was very straightforward, lifting the wine glass and drinking it in one gulp. She knew her own secrets would also be exposed.

"Ask."

"In your past, a very unfortunate thing happened. When the music from that music box played, that person with the greasy voice... what did he do to you?"

Wen Xishu's first question was like a shot arrow, piercing directly through Tang Rui.

Tang Rui’s hands were trembling.

Although her first reaction should have been to demand why Wen Xishu knew these things, when those memories came flooding in, her brain let out a buzz, and she became flustered.

Wen Xishu knew that this question would likely plunge the other party into extreme emotions.

The facts were indeed so.

[No, don’t do this, I don’t want to answer, I don’t want to answer...]

He saw Tang Rui’s mental barrage. But the Truth-Telling Wine Cup forced Tang Rui to speak the truth:

"I was abused by that person..."

The words were brief. It was as if Wen Xishu also did not want to use detailed language to tell the truth. But Tang Rui’s Strange Sequence, "A Hundred Feelings Intertwined," caused this sentence to be greatly supplemented.

Those unbearable past events came surging forth.

"Who do you think we cooked this table of food for?"

"Who do you think we worked so hard to earn money for?"

"Who do you think we debased ourselves to beg others to get you into a prestigious school for?"

"You’re not happy? What’s the point of being happy now? You need to work hard! Work hard! Did you see the mocking faces of other families? Did you see them! I’m humiliated! Do you know what rank the children your age got?"

"You must work hard! Hard! I have already found the best teacher in Jiangcheng, they said that even if you are stupid, they can make you a top student!"

"Don’t you dare cry, don’t you dare cry! You’re tired? We’re tired too! Do you know how hard work is! We are so tired, isn’t it all for you!"

"We are all doing this for your own good!"

Every sentence was a scene, and when the girl said she had been abused, all these voices layered upon each other, all the images piled up frame by frame, filling every corner of Wen Xishu’s vision.

So much so that in Wen Xishu’s ears, the tail-end sound of "who is it for," "who is it for," "who is it for" appeared frequently.

What he saw was a child who was not very good at studying, under the high-intensity pressure of her parents, forcing herself to study while harboring immense guilt.

The memories continued—

"Then I will trouble you, Professor Yan, please educate her as you see fit, hit or scold her, as long as this child can win an award!"

The woman smiled at a fat man. The man also wore a smile as he looked at the girl beside him:

"Rest assured, look at her, she is truly like a beautiful little bird, she will fly very high here with me."

[Stop! Quickly stop!]

Tang Rui’s mental barrage appeared, but the effect of the Truth-Telling Wine Cup was too violent.

Wen Xishu saw the scenes constantly changing, saw the fat man’s palm land on the girl’s face.

"How can you not even do such a simple problem? Are you retarded?"

"Do you know, if you are too stupid, your mom and dad will abandon you. If you want to return to their side, you can only win awards!"

"Awards obtained in your studies are the contract of your parents' love for you! A child without awards is not worthy of parental love at all!"

"Your parents have done so many things for you, do you know how difficult it is?"

Each of the fat man’s sentences was like a heavy hammer, smashing onto the girl’s spine.

"I’m sorry... I will, I will definitely study hard, I will make Mom and Dad love me."

No wonder...

Wen Xishu suddenly understood; no wonder this girl was so obsessed with those illusory pasts in her memories.

That sentence, "From the moment you were born, we have already been on your team, and it will never change," regardless of whether it was true or false, was something the girl had once yearned for immensely.

Wen Xishu seemed to understand what kind of family the girl lived in.

But he still underestimated Tang Rui’s experiences.

"Hello, Mother of Xiao Rui, it’s like this, your child has already taken seventh place in the math competition. This is an incredible achievement. I spent a lot of time on it. I sent the certificate over, did you receive it?"

"Thank you, thank you so much, we received it, we received it! You are truly amazing, my husband and I have so much face recently!"

"Don’t thank me yet, she really doesn’t want to study at all, she is too resistant to studying, I can’t teach her anymore, she is even slandering me, slandering me for doing things that hurt children. Sigh, in order not to study, she makes up all sorts of lies now. How could I possibly do such a thing!"

But on the other end of the phone, the woman’s voice became stern:

"This unpromising thing, Professor Yan, I’m sorry for the trouble, don’t lower yourself to the child’s level. You are such a virtuous and respected person, as long as she can win an award, we will only be grateful to you! Rest assured, we absolutely trust you, we will help you clarify!"

The phone hung up.

When the fat man handed the receiver to the girl’s ear, letting her hear the busy signal after the hang-up...

The man’s smile was greasy and disgusting.

Bang!

The scenes suddenly shattered; it turned out that Tang Rui, already covered in tears, had slammed the Truth-Telling Wine Cup hard onto the table!

"Again! Drink! We won't stop until we're drunk!"

Wen Xishu nodded calmly:

"Alright, continue."

He didn't even notice the absence of that playfulness in his own tone.

Wen Xishu, who had experienced misfortune himself and carried immense guilt even after transmigrating, had always maintained a playful attitude when facing the misfortunes of others.

But this time, he put away that playfulness and mockery.

The dice rattled in the cup. Under the influence of alcohol, Tang Rui began to feel the effects.

Tearing open a wound is naturally resisted at first because of the pain. But once the pain arrives, there seems to be a kind of pleasure in destroying oneself.

The points, six, three. Nine points. Wen Xishu breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

Tang Rui didn't waste words, picked up the cup, and downed it in one gulp, very crisply.

"Ask!"

Wen Xishu said:

"The second thing, tell me about the second thing you feel is just as bad as this one."

Another blade-like question.

Her exquisite nails made a cracking sound from pressing too hard on the wine table; Tang Rui was first angry, then turned to helplessness:

"I had a dream during my student days, but it was destroyed. I actually... used to love singing very much."

In the bar, the singer was still singing a light, slow tune, and the voice was very pleasant.

"I used to... my voice was much better than these bar singers."

Wen Xishu suddenly remembered that Ji Boda had said such a sentence—

She loved to sing, and although her voice wasn't very good, Wen Renjing still invited her to sing together in the open-air park, attracting applause from many tourists.

Now it seemed that Tang Rui’s voice wasn't unpleasant from the beginning.

"But my mom and dad made it so I could never sing again."

"I am a good girl... who must study hard and must pass the civil service exam." Tang Rui said these words almost through gritted teeth.

The hatred in those eyes had not dissipated to this day.

If there was anything that could compare to the devastation of her childhood, it was probably the dream shattered during her youth.

Under the effect of "A Hundred Feelings Intertwined," Wen Xishu saw Tang Rui’s past again.

"Look, Tang, what kind of messy things your daughter wrote in her diary!"

"It’s because of this that her studies dropped! She had won awards back in middle school!"

"And now! She is idle and refuses to learn, going off to play music! Look at her grades!"

"Learning to sing? Is that something a decent person touches? Look at Xiao Lei next door, he’s just idle, wanting to play soccer, does that thing add points to the college entrance exam?"

"Don’t you dare learn! If you learn again, I’ll send you to Teacher Yan!"

A series of memories came rushing in.

Tang Rui, who had been told since childhood to develop the good habit of keeping a diary, had always listened and followed suit. Because she really hoped her mom and dad would love her.

All along, she had tried hard to do everything that could please her parents.

Keeping a diary was the same.

It’s just that she didn't know, her parents didn't have her keep a diary to improve her writing skills; they just wanted to know... what she did at school every day.

When her recent grades plummeted, her parents would check the diary to figure out the reason.

Wen Xishu gave a silent, dry laugh.

He also kept a diary, but it was the exact opposite of Tang Rui’s. It was a completely different kind of experience.

But he suddenly felt that he and Tang Rui were so similar.

The effect of the Truth-Telling Wine Cup had not ended. Because the greatest pain had not yet appeared.

Although forced by her parents to give up music, the girl in the memories had never truly compromised.

She would still sing quietly in her spare time, and would still hum her favorite songs when she was frustrated.

Until one morning, when she woke up as usual and tried to open her mouth to say something, she felt a stinging pain in her throat.

The original ethereal quality was gone, replaced by a disgusting hoarseness; her vocal cords trembled like rusted metal rubbing together.

In just an instant, mist had already risen in the girl’s eyes.

Silence hit her like a tidal wave, wrapping her soul in a layer of salt.

Pat, the sound of tears staining the dust was so clamorous, and the tears in the girl’s eyes began to drip down in large drops.

The man and woman stood opposite the girl, like two pitch-black walls, and also like two silent stone statues.

"Be good, Mom is doing this for your own good. Don't worry, that medicine only hurts your throat, but it doesn't hurt your brain. You just need to study hard, get into a good university in the future, and find a good job. The neighbors will be so envious of our family!"

"What’s the use of girls learning those things? It’s not as good as finding a good job and marrying into a good family later."

"Don’t you dare cry! What are you crying for? Isn't it just that you can't sing anymore!"

"What do you mean I’m controlling your life? You were born by me, do you know how hard it was for me to carry you? Do you know who I’m doing all this for?"

"Go study! Otherwise, I'll send you to Teacher Yan!"

The three words "Teacher Yan" seemed to be the deepest terror in the young girl's heart. She had once written that memory down in her diary.

But one day, that page of the diary was torn out. She didn't know who had torn it out, and she searched for a long time but never found it.

Only after that, whenever she tried to resist her parents' arrangements, her parents would say: If you don't listen, we'll send you to Teacher Yan.

It was like a spell, making Tang Rui, during her girlhood, become more and more like a parrot.

The parrot had often gazed from afar at the Children's Palace in Jiangcheng, where many children were happily drawing, singing, and dancing.

But she could not walk inside; even though the distance was not far, perhaps the birds there chirped and twittered, filled with the aura of the forest.

And she was a parrot.

A parrot cannot make the sounds of birds; that would not be a good parrot. A good parrot should mimic speech—whatever the person who keeps it says, it says the same...

(Don't panic, there is still one big chapter left. Two chapters total nearly 12,000 words, but allow me to first apply a patch to prevent reporting, because not long ago Chapter 43 was reported, and the censors cut out a portion of the content. The tone of today's chapter is relatively serious. The material for this story comes from a friend of mine in Sichuan who teaches musical instruments, who told me about her experiences back in 2019 regarding being tutored and harmed by a teacher during her student days. Coincidentally, just this summer, a friend I have known for many years and often eat with, suddenly started chatting late one night. Because they were being pressured by their parents to get married, but did not want to have intimate contact with the opposite sex, they came to me to vent. It turned out that something similar had happened to them in middle school. This matter truly shocked me for a long time, because it happened right around me.)

(Actually, there was a previous chapter in the book that hinted at the age when Tang Rui encountered this, and then it was reported by readers, and in the end, that part of the content was cut by the censors.)

(But all weird fiction is far less terrifying than reality; the distortion of the Desire Tower is far more exaggerated than the Weird Tower. If you don't write it, does that mean these things don't happen in reality? Whether to write it or not is not the key; the key is the author's attitude toward these things, as long as it is one of resistance. Therefore, I ask the readers to show mercy; I really do not want the story to be cut to pieces, affecting the readers' experience.)

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(End of this chapter)