Dark Light Chaser.

Chapter 158 Video Recording
Like a puppet on a string, Ansien followed the doctor through the procedures in a daze and signed the consent form for cremation.

Perhaps he didn't want his daughter to have to worry about the funeral after his death.

When Ansien's mother was admitted to the hospital, she had already prepared the necessary procedures for her funeral.

From the moment she breathed her last, all the procedures began to run.

All Ansien needs to do is follow the doctor and sign the documents that require a family member's signature; the rest will be handled by them.

The mother and daughter, who had no relatives or friends, skipped the tedious mourning and insincere wailing, keeping the funeral simple.

Everything was settled in just one afternoon.

After a long journey of eight or nine hours, An Si'en sat in a taxi on her way home, holding the urn containing the ashes.

The caregiver beside her kept gently comforting her, but she didn't respond at all, just holding the urn and sobbing incessantly.

As for tears.

It's all gone.

The caregiver received a phone call and, upon hearing that another patient had passed away, dropped Ansien off at Zhenxing Road and left.

After a busy day, it's now night.

Ansien walked aimlessly down the street, clutching the urn containing the ashes.

After a day of scorching sun, the highway is still slightly warm at night.

But Ansien exuded a chilling aura that clashed with the surroundings.

Pale skin, lifeless pupils, bloodshot eyes, a white dress stained with blood, and an urn in her hand.

All of this seemed incredibly bizarre to outsiders.

Even the thugs who usually love to flirt with beautiful women chose to stay far away from this eerie atmosphere.

Ansien followed her habit and instincts and returned home.

She only came to her senses after smelling the familiar scents of her home.

Ansien closed the door, tightly hugged the urn with both hands, and slowly sat down on the ground with her back against the door.

She whispered in a hoarse voice, "Mom, we're home."

Ansien smiled and looked ahead: "How about making omelets tonight? I haven't had your omelets in ages..."

"Say something, please don't ignore me..."

Ansien chatted incessantly with the urn containing the ashes.

The tightly drawn curtains blocked out the outside light, and the pitch-black house was like an isolated dimension, with only Ansien's soliloquy echoing within.

I do not know how long it has been.

Ansien fell silent, staring blankly at the urn, as if she were gradually accepting the reality of her mother's death.

In the stillness of the night, the cicadas ceased their chirping, and the only sound left was her own breathing.

Ansien's phone lit up. She wanted to talk to someone, but she didn't have any friends.

Looking at the concise address book, Ansien dialed the messenger's number.

"What do you want from me? Those people shouldn't be bothering someone with a criminal record like you again."

The messenger's cold voice came from the phone.

An Sien covered the phone, cleared her throat, and then said in the same voice as before, "Can't I call you when there's nothing wrong? You're my benefactor."

“Benefactor? We are partners. You need money, I need intelligence, that’s all.”

"But my efforts and rewards are not commensurate. I just stayed there as usual and sent you two messages, and I got so much money."

"And... if it weren't for you, I might be in that kind of place..."

Ansien didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning she wanted to convey was already very clear.

Not only did the messenger help her financially, but he also helped her escape that hellhole. Without the messenger, her future would have been a desolate wasteland.

Although her mother still passed away, at least in her last few days, Ansien no longer had to worry about medical expenses and was able to stay by her mother's side in peace, accompanying her on her final journey.

This was all thanks to the messenger.

The two had known each other for less than half a month, but Anshen had indeed developed feelings for the man who had saved her.

"I just stomped on the bugs that were blocking my way."

"I knew you would say that."

Ansien smiled and said, "No matter what you say, it's a fact that you saved me, but I don't have anything to repay you with... How about I come work for you and do odd jobs?"

The other party quickly replied, "No need, I don't need it."

"Yeah... what nonsense am I talking about?"

Ansien quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I said something strange... It would be shameless for someone like me to insist on getting close to you..."

In his eyes, he must be a shameless scoundrel who took advantage of a favor once and dreamt of marrying into a wealthy family and turning a nobody into a phoenix...

Ansien mocked herself inwardly.

Even though the messenger didn't explicitly state his identity, his words and actions suggested he was definitely wealthy, while she was merely a hostess; their social statuses were worlds apart.

In society, any goodwill shown by the weak to the strong is seen as ingratiating.

Forcing someone to repay a debt of gratitude will only make them think you have ulterior motives.

Ansien's heart gradually grew cold.

Before graduating, An Sien wanted to pursue her dream and enter the entertainment industry.

I don't seek fame or fortune; I only wish for a peaceful and happy life for myself and my mother.

After graduation, Ansien faced illness and reality.

She only wanted to work hard to earn money to treat her mother's illness and prolong her mother's life as much as possible, and for this she gave up her own dreams and dignity.

With her mother's death, Ansien lost her faith and support, and her heart was shattered.

The only remaining feeling was the recently sprouted gratitude towards the messenger.

Now that the messenger had rejected her kindness, the last embers of her heart began to flicker.

The two fell into a long silence.

Ansien forced herself to stay awake: "Sorry to bother you so late, I'll hang up now..."

I don't care about your identity.

Just as Ansien was about to hang up, the messenger spoke.

"My rejection of you is for my personal reasons, not because I care about your identity."

“I don’t look down on you. On the contrary, I admire you. Not everyone has the courage to step into the den of iniquity and become a prostitute for the sake of their family.”

The messenger paid no attention to the word and spoke very directly.

"I was just... kidnapped... Even if I didn't want to stay there, they wouldn't let me go..."

Ansien's voice began to choke.

She thought she had become completely numb, but the messenger's words brought tears to her eyes again.

"Whether you were forced to stay there or not, you should know very well the consequences of betraying them."

But in order to pay for your mother's medical treatment, you still chose to betray them without hesitation.

That's really amazing, you don't need to feel inferior about it.

The messenger's tone was as cold as ever, but Ansien felt a touch of warmth.

"Thank you... thank you..."

Ansien wiped away her tears: "My mother passed away today, and I can't use that money anymore. Tell me your bank card number, and I'll pay you back..."

“I’ve said before, that’s compensation. Maybe 150,000 is a huge sum of money in your eyes, but it’s nothing to me.”

The messenger immediately refused Ansene's request to return the payment: "Is there anything else?"

"Gone."

"Ansin said softly."

As soon as he finished speaking, the messenger hung up the phone without hesitation, just like always.

'Thanks……'

Hearing the dial tone on her phone, An Si'en thanked them again in her heart, then slowly got up and turned on the living room light.

She placed the urn on the table, went to the television, and gently took down the photo of herself and her mother from the wall, following her dying wish.

The photo frame was nothing special, but when she turned it over, she saw a savings book taped to its side.

Ansien was struck dumb.

She opened her passbook with trembling hands. Her name was written on the account, and the deposit amount was 42,628 yuan.

The account was set up five years ago, meaning that Ansien's mother started secretly saving money when she was still in high school.

pat.

The passbook fell to the ground and sprang up like a small tent.

"why why……"

Anshen knelt on the floor, protecting her savings book with her arms.

The tears that had just dried up started flowing again, dripping onto the outside of the savings book.

Ansien kept asking why, but deep down she knew very well why her mother did it.

"Waaaaaaahhhhhh..."

This time, she didn't suppress her sobs and burst into tears.

The mournful cries were especially heart-wrenching in the quiet night.

As she burst into tears like a child, a memory card fell out from the crevice of her savings book.

Ansien's eyes were fixed on the passbook, so naturally she wouldn't miss this little gadget.

She picked up the memory card, walked to the TV, and inserted it into the card reader.

Press the remote control, and the TV starts playing the video from the memory card.

The background in the video was very familiar to Anssen; it was her mother's bedroom.

"...Filming should have already started, right?"

The video feed shook for a moment, and then Anma appeared in the frame, constantly adjusting her posture to face the camera directly.

“Sien… Although this sounds like I’m cursing myself, I should already be dead by the time you see this video.”

"Mother."

There was only a video in front of her, but when she saw her mother again, Ansi En couldn't help but call out.

"You have the same personality as me. You seem easy to talk to, but you're actually incredibly stubborn."

In the video, An's mother sighed, a helpless, bitter smile on her face.

“After you went to college, you never asked me for a single penny again. It’s a good thing that the child has learned to be independent, but it also makes me a little lonely.”

Sometimes I wonder, does my daughter not need me anymore?

No! I want you to stay with me forever!

Ansien unknowingly walked up to the television.

"Right now you're probably saying I should stay with you forever, but if I'm wrong... sigh, I'm already dead, why should I care about that?"

At this point, Aunt An's face suddenly flushed slightly, and she coughed violently twice.

"Although I should have apologized to you when the illness was exposed in the future, I haven't yet... I'm sorry, Si'en, for keeping it from you for so long."

Ansien stroked her mother's face on the television screen: "Why didn't you say so sooner..."

"To be honest, I was shocked when I went to the hospital for a check-up at the beginning of last year. I don't smoke, so how could I have lung cancer? And it turned out to be stage three lung cancer."

Aunt An clapped her hands and laughed, "Lung cancer at this stage is too troublesome to treat, and even if it is treated, it may not be cured, so I simply gave up."

"I don't know if God took pity on me, but over the past year, apart from occasional headaches, my health has been fine. I even thought that diagnosis was a misdiagnosis at one point."

"Unfortunately, it finally started to flare up this year... Although I won't see you in your wedding dress, I'm content to see you in your graduation gown. My only regret is that I won't be able to see my grandchildren in the future..."

Aunt An started talking about everyday things, and as she spoke, tears began to stream down her face.

"This is clearly the third time we've had to re-record this..."

Mom wiped away her tears with a tissue: "I originally wanted to finish recording with a smile... Just bear with it, you're crying now anyway."

“I have done many things in my life that I regret, such as marrying your father against my family’s wishes, severing ties with my parents, and not visiting your maternal grandparents even once.”

"But the only thing that brings me comfort is... thank you for letting me give birth to you."

At this point, An's mother also began to break down emotionally.

Ansien hugged the TV and cried bitterly: "Waaaaah...waaaah..."

"I'm sorry for making you go through so much hardship with me. In the future... even after I'm gone, you must continue to live with a smile, okay?"

"This savings book is the last gift I'm leaving you. Promise me... you're not allowed to keep it. Spend it all properly, or I won't die in peace..."

"You are a graduate of the Arts University, and you will surely live a happy and fulfilling life in the future. I hope you can try to forget this sadness... and embrace... the new life that belongs only to you."

After saying this, An's mother got up and turned off the recording.

Ansien forced a poignant smile at the now-blacked-out television screen.

Encouraged by the video of his mother's last words.

Ansien, who had initially given up hope, began to experience a change in her mindset.

The last flickering flame, called hope, was extinguished completely.

replaced by.

She sank into even deeper despair...

…………

the next day.

Ansien changed into her most frequently worn outfit from her university days.

She wore a mesh shirt on top and shorts on the bottom, with light makeup on her face to highlight her vitality.

She looked at herself in the mirror and gave a satisfied smile.

No matter how you look at it, she is a vibrant and energetic female college student.

Ansien picked up her handbag and said to the urn on the table, "Mom, I'm going out. See you later."

An Si'en hailed a taxi to the criminal investigation team, and as soon as she got out of the car, she ran into Jin Ping'an, who had come to inquire about the progress of the case.

"Excuse me, young man, is Officer Tian Hao here?"

An Si'en stopped Jin Ping'an, put her hands together, and asked softly.

Because of his fairytale-like best friend Cheng Lejia, no one had ever spoken to Jin Ping'an like this before, and he had almost never interacted with women.

Having been single since birth, he blushed immediately upon seeing a beautiful older woman like An Si'en.

He stammered, "Old Tian... Tian, ​​he's been... suspended from his duties."

"Suspended from duty?" An Si'en raised an eyebrow slightly. "What about Officer Jiang Kaiji and Officer Mei Jianbai?"

"Do you need to see them for something?"

Despite his shyness, Jin Ping'an immediately became highly vigilant when he heard An Si'en inquiring about the three of them.

Ansien pulled an envelope out of her bag and waved it around: "It's nothing, I just wanted to ask them to help me deliver this letter to someone called a messenger."

Jin Ping'an looked astonished: "The messenger? How do you know him?"

Ansien also looked surprised: "Huh? You know the messenger too?"

The two of them took out their phones at the same time.

"Could we verify your phone number?" ×2
Faced with this mysterious synchronization, An Si'en laughed first, and her laughter made Jin Ping'an blush deeply.

The two exchanged phones and checked the numbers.

After confirming that everything was correct, An Si'en directly handed the envelope to Jin Ping'an.

"Since you know him too, could you please help me deliver this letter to the messenger? Please!"

Ansien bowed solemnly to the King of Jin.

Faced with this situation, Jin Ping'an waved his hands repeatedly: "No...it's alright, it's a small matter. However, since you know the messenger, why don't you hand it to him yourself?"

"Oh, he rejected me when I asked him out yesterday."

Ansien said a little shyly, "Then I'll leave it to you. Bye-bye."

After saying that, she disappeared in a flash.

I finished writing this chapter around 9 PM, but I was never satisfied with it, so I kept putting it off until now…

Still not quite satisfied _(`」∠)__
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(End of this chapter)