Susu thought Huo Zheng was like a child who hadn't grown up, always causing trouble. She'd have to tell Huo Jin to discipline Huo Zheng properly next time she saw her.
She walked down the street, thinking about what delicious food she should pack for Tianyi.
It was a shame Chen Ma was still in her hometown village. If only Chen Ma could cook Tianyi's favorite dishes in various ways, that would be wonderful.
She had learned a few dishes from Chen Ma, but buying fresh ingredients and cooking them now would be too late for dinner, and Tianyi would starve.
She happened to pass by a dessert shop and saw young couples queuing. It reminded her of Allen's dessert shop. She wondered if Allen was still in business.
Yang Sijie was gone. Had Allen heard the news? Would he still stay in Lancheng?
She remembered Allen opened the shop there because of Yang Sijie. Now that he didn't have a reason to open it here, had he returned abroad?
With her doubts, she arrived at Allen's dessert shop. She saw the "Open" sign hanging at the door and pushed it open. Inside, Allen and a server were standing at the counter.
"Welcome."
Allen was surprised to see Susu enter and froze for a moment.
Susu walked to the counter and smiled at him, saying, "Hello, aren't you welcoming?"
"Welcome, welcome, of course, we welcome you," Allen said, looking behind her and finding she was alone. He quickly asked, "When did you return to Lancheng? Didn't Frank come back with you?"
Susu saw his expression, as if he knew nothing about what had happened to Yang Sijie. She said nonchalantly, "We broke up."
Allen said, "Oh," without probing further. "Since you're gracing us with your presence, order any dessert you like. It's on me."
"No need for you to treat. When I come to your shop, I'm a customer, so I'll pay for myself." Susu looked at the menu, wondering what dessert to order.
"How about a bowl of Tremella and Peach Tears?" Allen suggested.
Susu's heart ached. This was the first dessert she and Yang Sijie ordered when they first came to this shop.
She shook her head and said, "A bowl of sesame tangyuan, and pack another portion."
"Certainly." Allen immediately placed her order.
Sesame tangyuan was Tianyi's favorite. She found a seat in a corner.
After instructing the kitchen, Allen sat opposite her. He couldn't help but ask, "Why did you break up? Was he not good to you?"
Susu lowered her head, unsure how to answer him.
Allen seemed to not need her answer and continued, "For so many years, he only had you in his heart. He never took any other woman seriously..."
"I know, but he, he changed, and I changed too. His so-called love was all his own imagination. Unfortunately, we can't live in imagination forever."
"He loved you..."
Susu didn't want to hear him say this. She interrupted him and asked, "You're his best friend. Do you know what kind of person he is? What happened to him after he was adopted abroad? Do you know all this?"
"His adoptive parents adopted him only because they wanted his kidney."
Susu asked in shock, "What do you mean?"
"They have a biological son who has a severe kidney disease and needs a transplant to survive."
Susu remembered that when the foreign couple came to the orphanage to adopt a child, each of them hoped to be chosen.
The couple provided a free physical examination for all the children in the orphanage, saying they wanted to select the healthiest children.
After the physical examination results came out, Yang Sijie was chosen.
She remembered that even the院长 was surprised by Yang Sijie's selection, because adoptive parents usually preferred younger children, those who were too young to remember much, as they were easier to raise.
But Yang Sijie, the oldest among them, was adopted that time, which was unprecedented in the orphanage.
Everyone thought Yang Sijie had struck it rich, but they didn't realize this was the reason.
"Was Yang Sijie's blood type matched with the couple's biological son?"
Allen nodded and said, "After he went to his adoptive parents' home, he didn't have even a year or two of good days before he was forced to have one kidney removed and given to the couple's biological son. On the surface, he was adopted by the wealthy, received the best education, and lived the most privileged life. But in reality, he was just a living organ donor they raised for their son."
Susu found it appalling and asked, "What about their biological son? Why did he inherit his adoptive parents' group?"
"After their biological son received Frank's kidney, his kidney problems recurred within a few years. To save their son, they wanted Frank's other kidney as well."
"A person can live without one kidney, but they will die if they lose both."
"Yes, that's why Frank escaped from that so-called home when they were preparing to take his life. At that time, he hadn't finished his studies and didn't have a formal diploma, so finding a job wasn't easy. To survive, he probably did anything. Coincidentally, I was studying in Europe during that time, so I wasn't with him."
Susu gasped and asked, "What happened later? What did he do to his adoptive parents' family?"
"Their biological son had congenital problems. No matter how many kidney transplants he had, it was just prolonging his life. I think Frank first got rid of that sickly child, and then controlled his insane adoptive parents. He didn't kill them, but made them experience what it was like to be an organ donor, bit by bit..."
Susu dared not imagine his revenge. She asked, "But they were wealthy and powerful. They must have had other relatives and friends. Wasn't he afraid of being discovered doing this?"
Allen said sadly, "I'm not entirely sure how he did it. He didn't involve me much in his affairs. But I overheard Mark say once that Frank's methods were very simple: if someone could be bought with money, he'd use money; if not, he'd make them disappear forever. Besides, he was their legal adopted son. Apart from their biological son, they had no other children, so in name, he was the most legitimate heir."
Hearing Mark's name, Susu thought of Mark's tragic death. The scene of blood everywhere seemed to be right before her eyes.
If Yang Sijie only wanted revenge and obtained everything from his adoptive parents, why did he continue to harm others?
Mark was the most loyal to him, yet he ended up being shot dead.
She asked, uncomprehending, "But he already got his revenge. Why didn't he stop?"
"From what Mark implied, they had come this far, and it was probably very difficult to stop."
Susu finally understood why the gentle and kind boy had become a demon crawling out of hell.
"But how do you know all this? Did you hear it from him and Mark?" Susu was unwilling to believe Yang Sijie's adoptive parents were so terrible, preferring to believe Yang Sijie was lying to Allen.
Allen said affirmatively, "He didn't lie about this, nor did he tell me. I found out by accident. He only told me the truth after I pressed him repeatedly."
Susu was heartbroken and speechless.