Chapter 49: The Lament of the Parrot

Wen Xishu was very confident in his luck. After all, in this round, he had the Fortune value and had also rolled the maximum mad dice of 666.

A heavenly start, this aura practically screamed favored by the gods, and achieving a speedrun completion of the Desire Tower level six would happen today.

How could he possibly lose with such immense fortune?

Dice numbers: 2, 2.

"It seems your luck isn't very good. You drink first." Tang Rui lightly tapped her cup, her gaze locked directly onto Wen Xishu.

Wen Xishu remained silent.

Ah, an adverse start was great—it fit his style. Lose one round first to lower the opponent's guard, and then go on a wild slaughter.

The wine was poured into the cup, and Wen Xishu noticed that the originally wine-red liquid suddenly acquired a subtle luster.

"How pretty..." Tang Rui couldn't help but say.

It was her first time seeing such a magical reaction; those dim reds had unexpectedly become vivid.

Wen Xishu said softly:

"After I finish drinking, you can ask me a question. I guarantee I will tell the truth."

Tang Rui let out an "oh." The truth seemed rather pointless, but playing along with this sudden stranger might turn out to be somewhat interesting.

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

"Is happiness just telling the truth?"

"That depends on who you're telling it to. If you're telling it to me, you might reap unprecedented surprises," Wen Xishu said seriously.

Tang Rui merely assumed the other person was spouting nonsense, failing to realize this was a monumental turning point of fate.

Wen Xishu drank the liquor in the cup directly.

[You have consumed the wine influenced by the cup. From this moment on, to the other person holding the cup, you will speak the absolute truth in response to any question they pose.]

This was the first prompt, originally the only prompt, which meant the function of the Truth-Telling Wine Cup was beginning to take effect.

Interestingly, however, Wen Xishu received a second prompt.

[Under the influence of the Eerie Sequence 99: A Hundred Emotions Stirring, the Truth-Telling Wine Cup has undergone slight changes. The other person holding the cup will gain an enhanced truth-listening experience.]

Wen Xishu felt a slight flutter of surprise in his heart.

Eerie Sequence 99: A Hundred Emotions Stirring. Hidden within Tang Rui's body was indeed an Eerie Sequence.

Unlike Jack, who had undergone a sudden mutation one day, Tang Rui was awakening gradually. At least at this moment, Tang Rui's sequence was capable of producing a slight resonance with his own.

On the other side, Tang Rui had not received any prompts; those were visible only to bunker dwellers holding black wristwatches.

Yet Tang Rui did indeed sense the magical power of the wine cup.

She had a feeling that no matter how sensitive the topic she asked about now, or what level of secret it might be, the other person would speak the truth.

This was dangerous, because the effect might apply to her as well, yet it was also deeply alluring.

The Truth-Telling Wine Cup: once one person drank, the other person would automatically be influenced by the cup and drawn into the game.

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

This was a very cliché question for a truth-telling game, but as an icebreaker, it was suitable enough. Tang Rui figured she could ask more covert questions later.

"No," Wen Xishu answered decisively.

He loved this kind of question; he only needed to answer yes or no.

Yet at that moment, Tang Rui unexpectedly caught sight of some imagery.

The city in the imagery was a place both familiar and somewhat unfamiliar to Tang Rui, resembling Jiangcheng, yet not quite Jiangcheng.

The cityscape flashed past in an instant, and the next second the surroundings were engulfed in a blaze of fire. A twelve- or thirteen-year-old child stood outside the raging flames, holding a phone that had not yet dialed through, talking to himself.

"Just loving yourself is enough. Don't let them deceive you ever again, and don't easily trust anyone ever again. Go do the things you love, and experience all the novelty and excitement this world has to offer."

After speaking those words, the child dialed the phone—it was a call to the police.

Tang Rui vaguely guessed that the child was the very person drinking with her right now. As she watched the back of that child, she felt an inexplicable sense of loneliness.

Instantly, she was seized by a desire to keep probing, so much so that she overlooked the fact that she should have been asking what on earth this wine cup was all about.

"What you've been through is..."

"Hush. This is the second question. Roll the dice first," Wen Xishu interrupted Tang Rui.

What Tang Rui had just seen, Wen Xishu had felt as well.

He realized the danger of this wine cup, but since it was already like this, he could use the cup to extract all the information.

However, Wen Xishu did not remain happy for long.

Because the numbers rolled were 1 and 5. Adding up to six, this meant it was his turn to drink again.

"My luck is pretty good, you..."

Tang Rui suddenly stopped herself. Growing smarter, she realized she shouldn't ask such a broad and general question, because the other person could answer in very vague terms.

So she changed her question:

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

Wen Xishu shook his head:

"No one."

His expression shifted from calm and composed to serious—or rather, not knowing what expression to wear, he could only remain expressionless, which made him look very grave.

Tang Rui opened her mouth to speak, then stopped. She already knew the rule of the wine cup: it could only tell the truth. This man genuinely believed he had never been loved.

Yet the imagery she had seen was so warm.

That was the happiness she had dreamed of all her lives.

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

The woman's face seemed obscured by mist, yet one could still see she wore a very radiant smile.

Such warm imagery was not limited to just this scene.

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

Even though the woman's sunny smiling face was obscured by mist, Tang Rui still found herself deeply moved.

Because she had begged for such a scene countless times.

The woman in the imagery stood at the doorway of the classroom, waving at the boy in front of the teacher and classmates, holding a bento box with a heart shape on it, the kind seen only in anime.

As it turned out, even amidst heavy academic burdens, there were parents who remembered their children's birthdays.

Tang Rui couldn't understand: with a mother like this, why would he still say he had never been loved?

She was already getting carried away and couldn't be bothered to ask about the secret of the wine cup:

"Let's continue."

Numbers: 4, 4. Still an even sum.

Now Wen Xishu realized the gravity of the problem. If the next roll was also an even sum, he would have to find a way to switch games.

Tang Rui had never experienced such a truth-telling session before; it was as novel as experiencing another person's life.

Wen Xishu's memories filled her with yearning and envy:

"Then... have you ever felt that at a certain moment, you were happy?"

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

Not at all.

Wen Xishu desperately wanted to say that, but the words wouldn't come out. The Truth-Telling Wine Cup allowed only the truth, and at this moment, the words escaping his lips were:

"There were times, once."

Tang Rui saw a scene unfold before her.

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

He gently hugged the child in his arms, lightly pricking the boy's face with his stubble. Although mist shrouded the man's face, Tang Rui felt...

The man's gaze must have been very gentle. This was paternal love she had never once experienced. In her life, her father had been a silent accomplice.

"I remember," the boy said.

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

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

The little boy asked:

"Are teachers and classmates monsters too?"

"No, they aren't. They are high-level NPCs. As long as Xiaoshu masters knowledge, they will help Xiaoshu; they will follow you, just like in a game when you become strong enough, people will constantly want to join your party."

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

The man shook his head:

"To others, Mom and Dad are very powerful NPCs. But no matter whether you are poor or wealthy in the future, no matter whether you amount to anything or not..."

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

Tang Rui actually shed tears, weeping silently. In twenty years, if she had ever had even a single conversation like this with her parents... perhaps her life would have turned out differently.

"Continue."

Wen Xishu's voice had turned somewhat cold. The surfacing of those unpleasant memories caused his own emotions to shift quietly.

Fortunately, this time... the numbers finally turned odd. 4 and 5.

The sum was nine.

Tang Rui was very bold, lifting her wine cup and draining it in one gulp. She knew her own secrets would be exposed further as well.

"Ask."

"In your past, something very unfortunate happened. When the music playing inside the music box sounded, what did that person with the greasy voice... do to you?"

Wen Xishu's first question was like an arrow shot straight through Tang Rui.

Tang Rui's hands were trembling.

Though her first reaction ought to have been to demand how Wen Xishu knew these things, when those memories rushed back, her mind went with a loud hum, and she fell into a panic.

Wen Xishu knew this question was likely to plunge the other person into extreme emotional turmoil.

And indeed, that was the case.

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

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

"I was abused by that person..."

The words were brief, just as Wen Xishu was unwilling to use detailed language to speak the truth. But Tang Rui's Eerie Sequence: A Hundred Emotions Stirring amplified those words immensely.

Those unspeakable past events surged forward.

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

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

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

"You're unhappy? What's the point of being happy now? You have to work hard! Work hard! Did you see the mocking sneers of other families? Did you see them! I lose face! Do you know what rankings children your age all got?"

"You must work hard! Hard! I've already found the best teacher in Jiangcheng. They said even if you're dull, they can make you a top student!"

"You're not allowed to cry! Not allowed to cry! You think you're tired? We're tired too! Do you know how hard work is! We work this hard, isn't it all for your own good?!"

Every sentence was a scene, and when the girl uttered the word "abused," all these sounds overlapped layer upon layer, and all the imagery piled up frame by frame, filling every corner of Wen Xishu's field of vision.

So much so that in Wen Xishu's ears, the tail-end phrases echoed repeatedly: "Isn't it all for you," "Isn't it all for you," "Isn't it all for you."

What he saw was a child who was not particularly adept at studying, forced to study under the intense pressure of her parents while carrying a massive burden of guilt.

The memories continued—

"Sorry to trouble you, Professor Yan. Educate her however you see fit; beat her, scold her, whatever it takes, as long as this child wins awards!"

The woman flashed a smile toward a fat man. The man smiled as well, turning to look at the girl beside him:

"Rest assured. Look at her, she's just like a beautiful little bird. She will fly very high under my care."

[Stop! Stop right now!]

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

Wen Xishu watched the imagery shift constantly, seeing the fat man's slap land heavily on the girl's face.

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

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

"Certificates obtained in your studies are the contract of your parents' love for you! A child without certificates is simply unworthy of receiving their parents' love!"

"Your parents have done so much for you. Do you know how difficult it is?"

Every sentence from the fat man fell like a heavy hammer upon the girl's spine.

"I'm sorry... I will study hard, I really will. I'll make Mom and Dad love me." The girl clutched her cheek, reddened by the slap, and cried as she spoke.

No wonder...

Wen Xishu suddenly understood. No wonder this girl was so obsessed with those illusory pasts in her memory.

That line—"From the very moment you were born, we have already been in your party, and that will never change"—regardless of whether it was true or false, was something the girl had once longed for with all her heart.

Wen Xishu seemed to comprehend the kind of family the girl had lived in.

Yet he had still underestimated Tang Rui's ordeal.

"Hello, Xiao Rui's mom. Yes, your child has actually won seventh place in the mathematics competition! This is an extraordinary achievement. I spent a lot of time on this. I've 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 been feeling so proud lately!"

"Don't thank me just yet. She really doesn't want to study at all; she resists studying far too much, and I can't teach her anymore. She's even slandering me, claiming I did things to harm a child. Alas, she'll make up any lie she can just to avoid studying. How could I possibly do such a thing!"

From outside the phone came the girl's crying and wailing:

"Mom... Mom, save me! Save me! He's bullying me, he's bullying me..."

Yet on the other end of the line, the woman's voice grew stern:

"This ungrateful wretch! Professor Yan, you've been troubled. Don't lower yourself to the child's level; if she doesn't obey, beat her hard! Someone of your high standing, just educate her heavily! As long as she can win awards, we will only be grateful! Rest assured, we trust you completely, and we will help clear your name!"

The phone hung up.

When the fat man handed the receiver to the girl's ear, letting her hear the busy tone after the call ended...

The girl's gaze suddenly grew vacant.

Like a bird that had given up fluttering, quietly stepping onto the bars of its cage. The music box played songs full of youthful vitality.

The man's smile was greasy and disgusting.

Thud!

The imagery shattered all of a sudden, as Tang Rui—already bathed in tears—slammed the Truth-Telling Wine Cup hard onto the table!

"Again! Drink! We drink until we drop!"

Wen Xishu nodded calmly:

"Alright, let's continue."

Even he hadn't noticed the absence of that bantering tone in his voice.

Faced with the misfortunes of others, Wen Xishu—who had experienced misfortune himself and carried massive guilt even across worlds—had always maintained a cynical and mocking attitude.

Yet this time, he put away that mockery and banter.

The dice rattled inside the cup. Under the influence of alcohol, Tang Rui was getting drunk.

Tearing open wounds was something one naturally resisted at first because of the pain. Yet once the pain arrived, it seemed to bring a strange, destructive ecstasy.

Numbers: six and three. Sum: nine. Wen Xishu breathed a secret sigh of relief.

Tang Rui didn't waste words; she picked up her cup and drained it in another single gulp, exceptionally forthright.

"Ask!"

Wen Xishu said:

"The second matter: tell me about the second thing that you feel was bad enough to compare to that incident."

Another blade-like question.

Her delicate nails pressed into the wooden table with such force that they made a cracking sound. Tang Rui was furious at first, but her anger quickly turned into resignation:

"I had a dream during my student days, but it was destroyed. Actually... I used to really like singing."

The singer in the bar was still crooning a gentle tune, the sound quite melodious.

"In the past... my voice sounded much better than these bar singers."

Wen Xishu suddenly remembered something Ji Boda had once said—

*She loves singing. Although her voice wasn't very good, Wen Renjing still invited her to sing together in the open-air park, attracting applause from quite a few tourists.*

Now it seemed Tang Rui's voice hadn't sounded bad from the beginning.

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

"I was a... 'good girl' who had to study hard and pass the civil service exams." Tang Rui spoke those words almost through gritted teeth.

The hatred in her eyes had never dissipated to this day.

If there was anything that could compare to the trauma of her childhood, it was probably the shattered dreams of her youth.

Under the influence of A Hundred Emotions Stirring, Wen Xishu once again witnessed Tang Rui's past.

"Look at this, Mr. Tang! What kind of messy, unorganized garbage is your daughter writing in her diary?!"

"Her grades dropped precisely because of this! Back in middle school, she used to win certificates!"

"And look at her now! She doesn't apply herself to her studies; she's off playing at music! Look at her grades!"

"Learning to sing?! Is that something decent people get into?! Look at Xiao Lei next door—he wouldn't apply himself either and wanted to play soccer. Does that count for extra points on the college entrance exam?!"

"You are not allowed to study music! If you study it again, I'll send you to Teacher Yan's place!"

A barrage of memories assaulted him.

Having been taught since childhood to keep a diary and build good habits, Tang Rui had always obediently followed suit, because she desperately wanted her parents to love her.

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

Keeping a diary was no exception.

Only she hadn't known that her parents weren't having her keep a diary to improve her writing skills; they merely wanted to know what she did at school every day.

When her recent grades plummeted, her parents would inspect her diary to find out why.

Wen Xishu let out a silent, bitter laugh.

He kept a diary too, but his experience was the exact opposite—a completely different kind of journey.

Yet he suddenly felt how similar he and Tang Rui were.

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

Even though she had been forced by her parents to give up music, the girl in her memories had never truly compromised.

She would still quietly sing during her spare time, still hum her favorite tunes when she felt stifled.

Until one morning, when she woke up as usual and tried to speak, she felt a sharp pain in her throat.

That ethereal quality she once possessed was completely gone, replaced by a hateful hoarseness. Her vocal cords vibrated like rusted metal scraping against metal.

In a single instant, mist welled up in the girl's eyes.

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

*Pitter-patter.* The sound of tears staining the dust was deafening as large drops of tears began to fall from the girl's eyes.

She wanted to speak, but it took her a long time before she managed to force out a hoarse, grating sound:

"N-no, you can't treat me like this... How can you treat me this way? I'm your daughter, how could you do this to me..."

The man and woman stood across from the girl like two dark walls, or two silent stone statues.

"Be good. Mom is doing this all for your own good. Don't worry, that medicine only hurts your vocal cords; it doesn't hurt your brain. Just 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 a girl learning those things? None of it compares to finding a good job and marrying a good man later on."

"Stop crying! What are you crying for? It's not like you can't sing anymore!"

"What do you mean I control your life? I gave birth to you! Do you know how hard it was for me to carry you? Do you know who I'm doing all this for?!"

"Go study! Or I'll send you to Teacher Yan's place!"

The name "Teacher Yan" seemed to be the deepest terror in the girl's heart. She had once written that experience 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 had searched for it for a long time without finding it.

Yet ever since then, whenever she tried to resist her parents' arrangements, they would say: *If you don't behave, we'll send you to Teacher Yan's place.*

It was like a spell, making Tang Rui in her youth resemble a parrot more and more.

The parrot had gazed longingly at the Jiangcheng Children's Palace many times, where countless children happily drew pictures, sang, and danced.

Yet she could not walk inside. It was clearly not far away—perhaps the birds there chirped merrily, filled with the breath of the forest.

And she was a parrot.

A parrot could not make the sounds of other birds; that wasn't a good parrot. A good parrot learned to mimic speech, repeating whatever its keeper said...