Su Ling had already understood the general situation from Rao Beichen. Combined with her own experiences with Shang Qi, she had guessed most of his secrets and deceptions.
Now, hearing his confession firsthand, she couldn't quite pinpoint her feelings.
Did she not care? That seemed unlikely.
In her past life, they had fought side-by-side in the apocalypse, risking their lives for five years.
Yet, he had kept it from her for five years, never once considering telling her the truth during that time.
In this life, the only reason he was confessing was because he knew he couldn't keep it hidden any longer.
Thinking about this, Su Ling's heart was a mixture of emotions. She said nothing, merely looking at the bright red tomatoes in front of her.
Shang Qi's narration continued without pause: "Before the apocalypse, my father held considerable status and position in the capital. He had many sons, and I was just one of them. Just before the apocalypse erupted, my eldest brother had a conflict with my father. In anger, my eldest brother killed our father, and then took his place."
"Because I was my father's favorite, my eldest brother feared I would return to avenge our father and contend for the position he held. Thus, he began hunting me. Coincidentally, I was on a business trip, far from the capital in Modu, and managed to escape."
"Despite my repeated assurances that I had no interest in anything he cared about, my eldest brother was determined to kill me. His mind wouldn't change because of a few words from me. I didn't want my father's corpse barely cold before his sons were killing each other, so I fled."
Recalling the past, Shang Qi's tone was as nonchalant as if he were recounting someone else's story. "Later, the apocalypse descended, and I thought everything could be put behind me. But my eldest brother and second brother relentlessly pursued me, even deploying elite troops and weapons to kill me."
Shang Qi's Adam's apple bobbed. He felt an urge to light a cigarette.
But the moment he remembered how much Su Ling disliked the smell of smoke, he suppressed the thought. "Perhaps for others, the apocalypse was hell on earth, a beginning and symbol of tragedy and farewells. But for me, it was a different kind of salvation and a new beginning."
"My abilities are different from other ability users; I can devour the abilities of any ability user and use them as my own," Shang Qi said, tilting his head slightly to look at Su Ling. "This ability is monstrous. To this day, I don't even know how many abilities I possess. I only know that I have a little bit of everything."
He looked at Su Ling and said slowly, "I heard your voice more than once, and saw your blurry figure. The last time I saw you, I was found by my second brother's men. Those weapons were aimed at me. Once they opened fire, I would have been dead."
Su Ling remembered that dream. She thought that not only would he have died, but he would have been blown into meat paste, leaving no trace.
Suddenly, she felt at ease. She suddenly understood Shang Qi and forgave his deception.
Before meeting her, he had already experienced fratricide and escaped death… If it were her, she would likely have lost all hope in people and humanity, held back, and dared not give her whole heart.
With her newfound peace, she forgave him.
Once Su Ling came to this realization, she turned around, approached Shang Qi, stood on her tiptoes, and hugged him. "It's all in the past."
Shang Qi bent down, his large hand embracing Su Ling's slender waist. He frowned slightly.
Then, he tilted his head, looking at her flushed earlobes. "Why did you eat so much, and still you're so thin? You don't gain weight?"
His Ah Ling, he preferred her plump and fair, soft and squishy to hold. She was too thin now, like a small, soft lump. He was truly afraid that if he used too much force, he would hurt her.