Stabilizing Madness [Interstellar]

Chapter 23: The Academic Advancement Banquet

Chapter 23: The Academic Advancement Banquet
    Hearing Xu Qingran's words, Xu's father's face turned red with anger.
    Ignoring the many relatives, friends, and strangers around, he pointed at Xu Qingran and shouted furiously, "You little rascal, did you do this on purpose?!"
    Almost everyone present knew that Xu Qingran's beautiful stepmother had recently fallen from upstairs at home. Although she was rushed to the hospital, the child in her womb couldn't be saved.
    And the cause of her fall was a small Volterman model.
    No one knew how that toy ended up there. The speculation was that it fell out while they were moving a box of toys purchased for the baby upstairs, leading to this tragedy.
    It was the arm of that very model, broken in the fall, which still hadn't been found.
    The Xu family was already devastated by the loss of the child, and now Xu Qingran brought it up at this time. The gift he presented, whether intentional or not, was the very thing his stepmother least wanted to see.
    After learning the truth, Xu Qingran innocently retorted, "You can't blame me for this."
    "Everything was fine when I left home, and you all never reach out to me about anything, big or small. No one ever mentioned this to me, so how could I have known?"
    He looked genuinely regretful, then fixed his gaze on his stepmother's eyes, saying, "Auntie, I remember warning you long ago to accumulate good deeds for the baby in your belly. Otherwise, the sins of the past can rebound onto oneself."
    His stepmother met Xu Qingran's gaze, feeling fear and guilt under the weight of his deep brown eyes. She recalled her actions from years ago, but Xu Qingran was too young then, even unborn at the time of those old secrets!
    Xu's father couldn't stand Xu Qingran's cryptic accusations and burst out angrily, "You rascal, what nonsense are you spouting? On such a joyous occasion, do you have to upset everyone?"
    "Dad," Xu Qingran turned to him, his tone as cold as a stranger's, "I am also your child. Why did you only hold an academic advancement party for Qing'an?"
    "Not even holding one for me is one thing, but I didn't even receive an invitation."
    "What, with a new wife and stepson, the child from your first marriage is just disposable?"
    Xu Qingran was smiling, but his eyes sent chills down the spine.
    His lips curled sarcastically, "To the unaware, it would seem as though Xu Qing'an, your stepson, is your biological child."
    The surrounding guests at the banquet whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with surprise upon hearing Xu Qingran's words. His statements, upon reflection, indeed seemed reasonable.
    Even if Xu Qingran was rebellious, he was still his own flesh and blood. Moreover, Xu's father had publicly professed his deep love for his first wife for many years. If true, he should love her child as well.
    Now, observing the strained relationship between him and Xu Qingran, the differing attitudes towards Xu Qingran and Xu Qing'an over the years hinted at an underlying oddity.
    Upon hearing this, Lu Cheng turned to Xu Qing'an and asked, "Didn't you tell me it was your brother who refused your invitation?"
    Xu Qing'an, looking flustered, finally bit his lip and looked down, admitting, "My parents were worried that my brother would cause a scene like before, so they... blame me, I didn't insist on convincing them to change their mind."
    Xu's father, feeling a sting in his heart, barely managed to maintain his composure, diverting the topic in anger, "You were rejected by the school, so what's there to advance to?"
    Xu Qingran chuckled lightly, "How can you say there isn't? The school has already registered my information."
    "The military academy's confidentiality measures are top-notch, with not a single leak about it till now."
    Xu's father, thinking he had given up and randomly applied to a nondescript university, said disdainfully, "The university Qing'an is going to is the prestigious Grantis University's Medical School. How can that be the same?!"
    When Xu Qingran visited the military academy with Shen Tingyu, they were reminded that admission details were confidential until the start of the term.
    So, he didn't disclose this news, simply saying, "Qing'an's academic advancement is indeed a cause for celebration."
    "Therefore, to congratulate my stepbrother on his successful advancement, I took the trouble to prepare a special surprise gift for him."
    Just as he finished speaking, his phone received a notification.
    Xu Qingran raised an eyebrow: "What a coincidence, it just arrived as I mentioned it."
    The Xu family, hearing the word 'surprise', felt a sudden foreboding. Sure enough, when Xu Qingran led a group of people with gifts and flowers to the banquet hall, both the Xu family and Qing'an himself turned pale.
    Batch after batch of pallid bouquets were brought out from the elevator, soon filling the space outside the hall. A troupe of actors in festive red robes, carrying gongs and drums, entered smilingly, clanging the gongs loudly.
    The day of the engagement party.
    Xu Qing'an had sent a funeral wreath in Xu Qingran's name; now, Xu Qingran ordered a truckload of white flowers, placing a black and white photo of Xu Qing'an amidst the flowers, outdoing the previous scene.
    He remarked, "I thought the pure white color, like a white lotus, suits you exceptionally well."
    Xu Qing'an had hired people to wail at his engagement party in Xu Qingran's name; today, he invited a professional opera troupe.
    He requested them to maintain a joyous expression and tone, with the theme being 'Failing the Imperial Examination'.
    He also hired a calligrapher to personally write a couplet as a gift for Xu Qing'an. Gift bearers, dressed in exquisite Tang attire, each holding a scroll, managed their expressions perfectly as they approached Xu Qingran.
    Then, they unrolled the scrolls, facing them towards Xu Qing'an and unfolded them in unison.
    The first line of the couplet,
    "—With flawed character, how can one heal with compassion?"
    The second line of the couplet:
    "—Without virtue or manners, how can one cure the world?"
    The horizontal inscription:
    "—Wishing you failure in graduation, may your dreams never come true."
    The room fell into complete silence.
    The relatives of the Xu family were equally dumbfounded.
    Only the opera performers and the musicians, still lively as if celebrating the New Year, broke the silence with their noise.
    The protagonist of the day, the center of the event, turned red-eyed with fury, his fists clenched, breathing becoming increasingly labored.
    Xu Qingran looked at him, eyes curving slightly.
    They accuse him of causing scenes, don't they? Today, he would show his stepbrother what a real scene looked like.
    "Last time, you accused me of sending a suicide note to Lu Cheng, causing a scene at your engagement party, right?"
    As Xu Qingran spoke, he approached one of the hired performers, taking a brand-new iron rod from his hands. He inspected it, tapped it to check its solidity, and then slowly walked towards Xu Qing'an, dragging the rod.
    When he looked up again to meet Xu Qing'an's gaze, there was no hint of a smile in his eyes: "You like to stage and stir up scenes so much? Want to experience it? Today, I'll let you have more than enough."
    Without warning, he swung the rod towards Xu Qing'an's abdomen. The heavy impact made onlookers' scalps tingle.
    The guests, not expecting him to actually strike, gasped and covered their mouths in shock. Some, frightened, instinctively tried to flee the scene, only to be startled again by the sound of Xu Qingran smashing a table as he turned around.
    "The table, draped with a pink-white silk cloth, instantly shattered into pieces."
    "As the dinnerware crashed to the ground, the chaotic escape of the guests was successfully halted."
    "Xu Qingran, with a customary ease, leaned on the top of the rod, lazily shifting his weight onto it: 'Today, before I say you can leave, no one dares to move.'"
    "His tone was cold and indifferent, with a reckless disregard for everyone's life, as if threatening to blow them up along with the entire building if they dared to leave."
    "Everyone stood frozen in place — despite knowing that he was merely an F-grade psychic with no real strength to speak of."
    "Lu Cheng, seeing Xu Qing'an clutching his waist and coughing violently in pain, rushed to support him."
    "Then glared at the weapon-wielding, arrogant figure: 'Xu Qingran!'"
    "'I knew you were always willful, but I never thought you'd become this terrifying! Qing'an is your brother, how could you actually hurt him?!'"
    "Xu Qingran sneered: 'Indeed, I should have acted sooner.'"
    "'I should have broken all three of your legs the moment I found out you two slept together behind my back on my birthday.'"
    "His voice, cold and detached, resonated with authority."
    "The worried crowd slowly began to relish the unfolding drama."
    "Lu Cheng, unprepared for Xu Qingran to reveal this in front of so many, couldn't hide the flush of shame and anger on his face. Surrounded by juniors, seniors, and familiar teachers, he felt his face burning."
    "Before he could respond, Xu Qingran turned to Xu Qing'an, catching the flash of hatred in his eyes."
    "He laughed: 'You sent me photos of you and Lu Cheng in bed on your engagement day, had me captured in the South 13th District while I was out, sent a letter to Lu Cheng in my name, and staged that whole drama. Isn't this chaos what you wanted?'"
    "'How about it? The scene I arranged today, isn't it much more sophisticated than your previous little schemes?'"
    "Lu Cheng, taken aback, furrowed his brows deeply: 'What are you talking about?'"
    "Xu Qingran's eyes shifted slightly, casting a sidelong glance at him: 'Do you really think you, Lu Cheng, are someone significant?'"
    "'A used, dirty thing like you, did I really need to cry, make a scene, and attempt suicide on your engagement day?'"
    "'And to think you're the top colonel of the Silver Dragon Corps, yet lacking even basic judgment.' His lips curled silently as he stared intensely into Lu Cheng's eyes, deliberately pricking his sore spot, 'You're not even comparable to Shen Tingyu of the Golden Wing Corps.'"
    "As expected, Lu Cheng's lips turned a shade paler at these words."
    "But what pained him most was Xu Qingran's look of disdain and unfamiliarity, silently piercing his heart. It was then he truly realized the deep rift that had formed between them, seemingly irreparable."
    "Xu Qingran declared, 'Let me make this clear today, I had nothing to do with the events at the engagement party.'"
    "'But from now on, any banquet you, Xu Qing'an, organize, I will be involved to the end.'"
    "Saying this, he again turned to Xu Qing'an, who had straightened up, grasping his jaw to force eye contact: 'All those infamies you made me bear, I must now fully embrace to feel justified, right?'"
    "His grip was so strong it seemed as if he might dislocate his jaw."
    "Despite his intense anger, Xu Qing'an involuntarily shuddered under those abyss-like eyes. Before he could struggle, Xu Qingran released him first."
    "This time, Lu Cheng didn't immediately support him, instead asking in a low voice, '...Qing'an, what exactly is going on?'"
    "Xu Qing'an's nails dug deep into his flesh, quickly releasing, his expression a mix of fragility and innocence: 'I don't know, I didn't do what he's accusing me of...'"
    "Hearing this, Xu Qingran pulled out a stack of developed photos from his pocket and flung them into the air, scattering them like petals. Those close enough could clearly see in the photos Xu Qing'an and Lu Cheng intimately together on the bed."
    "Not wearing a single piece of clothing."
    "The last photo in Xu Qingran's hand showed the nightstand clock, clearly displaying the date of that night."
    "It was indeed on Xu Qingran's birthday!"
    "Oh? So you're saying there was a third person in the room during your tryst, acting as your cameraman? Otherwise, where did these photos come from?"
    Xu Qing'an's pupils constricted upon seeing them.
    "The photos he had anonymously sent to Xu Qingran were meant to self-destruct upon viewing. How did he manage to print them?!"
    "The system declared this task within its capabilities."
    "Decoding any non-intelligent system was a minor issue for it!"
    "Lies, nothing but lies," Xu Qingran articulated each word, his gaze restless and itching to continue the altercation.
    But he was restrained by Lu Cheng.
    Pain of an unknown origin flickered in Lu Cheng's eyes: "...Stop it, if you cause a death, you'll be sent back to the Evil Tower."
    It sounded more like he was considering Xu Qingran's welfare.
    Yet Xu Qingran coldly sneered, unappreciative of the sentiment: "Forget him, if you really irritate me, I'll take you down too."
    Lu Cheng, lips pursed, retorted: "You can't beat me."
    Though he said so, the shock in his heart hadn't subsided.
    When he had shielded Xu Qing'an from the attack, he felt a resonance of psychic energy from Xu Qingran's weapon. From his experience in combat and training, such power indicated a psychic pool between B and A grade.
    "...But this is Xu Qingran."
    "He knew his weakness more than anyone, which is why he always felt the need to protect him."
    Lu Cheng shook his head, as if to clear it.
    Suddenly, it dawned on him that in just a few short months, Xu Qingran, who used to follow him around in need of protection, had silently grown up. No longer did he look at him with admiring, loving eyes. Those beautiful eyes now only held merciless contempt.
    "Do I care about whether I can beat you or not?" Xu Qingran suddenly smiled at him.
    For a moment, it was as if they had returned to the days of yore.
    But then, his next words brutally shoved him into an icy abyss: "As long as I can take a bite out of you, I don't care if I die."
    In his past life, Xu Qingran had faced all kinds of ruthless opponents.
    Whether it was one-on-one or a group fight, whether his opponent was weaker or stronger than him, his dictionary never included the word 'retreat'.
    It was either march towards victory over bloodshed or fight until the last moment of life.
    Amidst the tense standoff, the stepmother who had been psychologically jarred since Xu Qingran's entrance suddenly rushed over to them.
    Standing in front of Xu Qing'an, she burst into tears: "Stop arguing and fighting!"
    "It's not Qingran's fault, it's all mine!"
    At forty, she looked like a beautiful woman in her twenties or thirties, crying pitifully, her tearful appearance garnering widespread sympathy.
    Clasping her hands over her chest, her expression sorrowful, she said, "It was my fault for bringing An'an into the Xu family and disrupting it. Qingran had just lost his mother, and I shouldn't have heedlessly agreed to his father's request to marry into the family."
    "Don't blame this child, who lost everything. The fault lies with me!" Saying so, she knelt down tremblingly, eliciting gasps from the crowd. Some of the older onlookers looked at Xu Qingran with critical eyes.
    Seeing this, Xu's father quickly went to help her up: "Ah, Ailian, how can you say that! It's also my fault for not considering Qingran's feelings and insisting you join the Xu family early to help look after this child!"
    The couple seemed to be harmonizing their act, clearly attempting to salvage their own and the Xu family's image by diverting attention.
    Xu Qingran, observing the almost kneeling pair, not only showed no signs of guilt or panic but bore a righteous and unflinching demeanor, his gaze cold and detached like a deity judging sinners.
    After a moment, he spoke with a light chuckle: "Auntie, are you sure this is what you want to apologize to me for?"
    "Or is it for climbing into my father's bed while my mother was pregnant with me, and years later brazenly entering the Xu family with your child from my father? Or for drugging my mother during her pregnancy, leading to my congenital psychic pool impairment and her deteriorating health until she lost her job?"
    "Or perhaps, for arranging someone to break into our home and murder my mother while you were out with my father?"
    The stepmother suddenly looked up, her fleeting expression of terror revealing her true feelings.
    Xu Qingran smiled faintly, looking down as if observing an insignificant insect: "Let me think, you have quite a few things to apologize for, but none of them are what you just mentioned, are they?"
    At that moment, even Xu's father's face showed a hint of guilt, and the other Xu family members listening in were visibly shaken.
    Unsure whether they were more shocked by the family's dark secrets or worried about the Xu family's reputation.
    Lu Cheng, equally stunned, glanced at Xu Qing'an, who was staring blankly at Xu Qingran and his parents, showing little surprise.
    As if he had known the truth all along.
    Lu Cheng, looking at the unspeakable photos at his feet, felt relieved that his busy parents couldn't attend today's banquet, yet also felt lost. He began to doubt his feelings, his decision to part with Xu Qingran, and whether his fiancée, Xu Qing'an, was as perfect as he had thought.
    On the other side, the stepmother's voice, usually sweet and delicate, now trembled: "Qingran, I know you're upset about me and Qing'an entering your world, but you can't wrongly accuse us like this..."
    "How about a DNA test right here?" Xu Qingran scoffed, as a girl carrying a toolbox, who had followed the hired crowd, quietly approached.
    She was Lin Xiao, the nurse from Silver Dragon United Hospital, whom Xu Qingran had met before.
    Under numerous gazes, Lin Xiao, her nerves taut, announced, "All the necessary equipment is here, we can get the results immediately."
    She was someone with social anxiety, regretting being on duty during Xu Qingran's consultation that day, and even more so for handing him the gloves that made him remember her. Now, to her dismay, he had specifically requested her presence.
    The only silver lining, perhaps, was getting to witness and be part of this unfolding drama live.
    Xu's father and the others then realized that Xu Qingran had come fully prepared.
    He was determined to smash this setup completely, leaving no room for them to manipulate or fabricate excuses.
    "Well, how about it? Dare to take the test?" Xu Qingran asked them with a smile.
    Xu's father and stepmother remained silent.
    This silence seemed more like an admission, leaving the onlookers gasping in shock.
    He added, "And about the drugs you gave my mother, and instigating her murder, there's evidence in someone's hands."
    "Auntie, sending you to court would only take a minute."
    Hearing this, his stepmother, the white lotus, fainted, her eyes rolling back.
    Perhaps overwhelmed by the pressure, or maybe it was an attempt to escape.
    The guests, initially joyful participants in the advancement banquet, were now completely engrossed in the drama.
    What a grand family scandal!
    The Xu family's extended relatives, enraged, their faces dark as the bottom of a pot, were frustrated they couldn't reprimand Xu's father and stepmother on the spot, and resented Xu Qingran for airing such dirty laundry in front of so many outsiders.
    Xu Qingran, having achieved his goal, was unconcerned with their thoughts.
    He reminded his father, "By the way, Dad, in a couple of years, I'll reach the age mentioned in my mother's will. For a smooth division of property then, I suggest you start preparing now."
    "I think I should be able to live well enough to inherit, right?" He emphasized 'well enough' deliberately, leaving an impression on the audience.
    Now the Xu family would have to watch over him carefully. If anything happened to him, various conspiracy theories and accusations would fall upon them.
    Having done all this, Xu Qingran casually dropped the rod in his hand and calmly announced to everyone, "That's all for my blessings. I won't be joining the meal. Eating with these people would make me sick."
    With those words, he turned and left the banquet hall.
    "Behind him, the noise grew louder. The elder patriarch of the Xu family, his hair white with age, was so angry he felt heart pain, and everyone rushed to check on him. The guests were left bewildered, discussing the unfolding drama while uncertain whether the evening's banquet would continue."
    "Xu Qingran stepped out of the hotel into a night adorned with a high-hanging crescent moon. In the front courtyard, hotel guests strolled leisurely, and inside a brightly lit, vintage Western-style gazebo, several elegant ladies chatted and laughed, a stark contrast to the chaotic atmosphere in the banquet hall above."
    "He walked straight to his flyer and, after getting in, didn't start it immediately but sat lost in thought at the driver's seat."
    "The scene almost overlapped with the day he first arrived through time travel."
    "He had finally brought all these hidden troubles to light."
    "Xu Qingran thought to himself."
    "He had been preparing for many days, and the expressions of the Xu family tonight had satisfied him."
    "It was their vanity that led them to invite as many guests as possible. Now, indeed, the more the merrier – the more who knew about tonight's drama."
    "The Xu family, a somewhat famous household in the Silver Dragon area with many collaborations with official Silver Dragon construction groups, surely had old hands capable of managing the fallout."
    "But he never intended to obliterate them with just this one move tonight. His main goal was to disgust his father, stepmother, and his stepbrother Xu Qing'an. Even if they managed to wriggle out this time, he had planted seeds of doubt in the public eye, especially in Lu Cheng, whom they cared about."
    "In their panic, they would start to slip up more."
    "The more they slipped, the easier it would be for him to repay them in their own coin."
    "Xu Qingran rested in the car for a while."
    "It wasn't until a group of elegantly dressed people, their faces carrying the grief and resentment of an unsatisfied meal, started leaving the hotel that he started the flyer and disappeared into a corner of the night sky."
    "The journey back to Shen Tingyu's home from the Fairy Series spanned several star systems and numerous checkpoints."
    "It took Xu Qingran about two days to finally reach the territory of the Tienlang system. As he was passing through a checkpoint on a certain planet, preparing to find a place to rest and eat, a gunshot-like attack suddenly surged from below."
    "Striking precisely at the engine of his flyer, it brought him down like a bird shot from the sky."
    "Fortunately, he had been flying at a low altitude to conserve psychic energy. Coupled with the automatic protection inside the cabin, the crash damaged the vehicle but left him relatively unharmed."
    "The landing site was in a secluded area outside the city, surrounded by undeveloped woods and land."
    "The vehicle crashed atop a small hill in the region."
    "As he grimly stepped out of the cabin, a cold blade was suddenly pressed against his neck. The moonlight revealed the psychic energy flowing along the edge of the blade in his peripheral vision."
    "The familiar aura of bloodlust and the scent of blood seemed to transport him back to that afternoon some time ago."
    "Xu Qingran paused, and a slightly moist voice followed from behind."
    "The voice, mocking and playful, asked him, 'You noticed it that day, didn't you?'"
    "'The scent of blood left on me.'"