“Grandpa Edward really likes the painting in the study. I actually like it too.

“However, don’t you think the back image of the boy a little similar to you?”

…

Su Bai recalled the time when he was at Edward’s psychological research center in London, that loli, no, it was the words that darn brain pretending to be a loli said.

She knew him. She had mentioned when she was taking revenge that she received a lot of suffering at the hands of his father. She wanted to pay it back on the son.

So, that brain or she had relations with his father and it was very deep relations. Otherwise, his father would not have preserved that woman’s brain as a research subject for tens of years in that research center in London.

Even though Su Bai was not willing to admit it, his parents always had weird actions when he was younger. The wealth they had purposely arranged for him as well as the things in Edward’s research center were weirdly unexpected.

His parents of convenience definitely had some secrets.

On top of that… Litchi’s attitude towards him before she left, Litchi had mentioned that his mother had sponsored an orphanage and Litchi was one of the orphans. Su Bai had never believed this explanation.

“Heh heh, does it need to be so cliché?” Su Bai mumbled. Seeing the painting which might be his father’s work of art, Su Bai sigh deep in his heart, he became less impulsive to continue investigating.

In fact, his interest was waning.

He instigated an investigation towards Edward’s research center before he entered the story world and the results were already out. There was no need to doubt the abilities of the investigation teams and private investigators. What you pay is what you get.

Su Bai had received the notice once he returned to the real world but the report had been kept in the safe deposit in his house. Su Bai had not opened it.

There reason was simple yet absurd. The difference between this and soap operas was that Su Bai was an orphan. He wasn’t really longing for the affection of his parents, it was only natural instinct or more of a moral obligation.

Since young, Su Bai got used to sitting on a very large table eating exquisite dishes made by his servant all alone, this type of habit…

Continued on for ten years.

His mother put a lot of emphasis on etiquette of many sorts. She was like a graceful lady of Republic of China[1] era, just like Lin Huiyin[2] during that era.

Su Bai had been imbued with this type of etiquette since young and made it a habit. It might not be as tedious as western etiquette, but it was meticulous.

Every time he ate, he would place an additional two tablewares which were considered prepared for his parents.

To Su Bai, having a meal over those ten years were like a torture. When his parents left him, he was only a seven-year-old child. He at that time would keep on stubbornly assume his parents were still with him as his passed his days.

For ten years, he had to experience such mental tortures every day. Su Bai was upset all the time due to the longing for his parents, the influences of family ethics filled in this world at every corner of society.

It wasn’t until Su Bai decided to leave his old residence and studied outside all by himself did he manage to break away from his own cage. But after that, Su Bai realized something. His personality had become twisted by his own doing in those ten years.

Being in an oppressive environment for a long period of time, being meticulous for a long period of time, being in a stifling atmosphere for a long period of time triggered Su Bai to have a strong urge to rebel.

An impulse to overturn everything.

This had been ingrained deep in his bones over the period of ten years.

Other than enough wealth not to worry about clothing and food his parents left him, they had actually never taken up their responsibilities as parents they should have. At least currently in China, there were not many parents who would starve their children to death due to their inability.

As for the wealth his parents left him,

Heh heh,

Thinking about this point,

Su Bai revealed a thought-provoking smile.

Qin Yang had told Su Bai before he left Qinhuangdao, he was worried his family would face retribution if he earned money from the abilities of Dreadful Radio.

Then, the reason Su Bai joined Dreadful Radio means…

“Sir, the plane is about to land. Please fasten your seat belt,” An air stewardess said when she walked to the side of Su Bai, interrupting his thoughts.

“En, thank you,”

After getting down the plane, while Su Bai carried his backpack and headed to the car park, his phone rang.

It was Aroma on the caller ID.

A piece of rock was lifted from Su Bai’s heart. She had made it out alive. Yes, as an experiencer, her chances of survival was much higher as long as she stuck to the rules and did not act foolishly.

Pressing the answer button, it was silence from the other side of the phone, Su Bai also remained silent.

After about a minute,

A voice could be heard from the other side:

“Su Bai, did you experience that too?”

There wasn’t much emotion in Aroma’s voice; she didn’t sound terrified or was feeling unrest.

“En.” Su Bai replied with a grunt while hailing a cab.

“You’re so insincere,” Aroma said suddenly. “There’s such a fun place and yet you never told me and played in secret.”

“Even if you told others about this, they wouldn’t believe it. Furthermore, it isn’t something you could tell even if you wanted to. You will understand in the future.”

Su Bai had expected Aroma’s reaction and emotions. When the four of them started up the Murder Club, Su Bai joined because he was a psychopath, he had a craving to kill. Chu Zhao joined because he was rebellious against his family. Gu Fan joined to pursue Aroma.

Aroma…

Joined purely for the excitement.

She looked like a beautiful and delicate eastern lady and yet she had an identity of a military attaché. Other than that, she was someone who had always pursued stimulation of her senses.

Perhaps, she was the same as himself. Dreadful Radio’s story world might be a huge torture for others, but for him and Aroma, there basically wasn’t any meaning to continue fighting on in the real world. He did not need to worry about money. Aroma, as a woman, had no ambitions for authority and position.

Perhaps they could only find a meaning to live through Dreadful Radio.

Aroma was actually interested in him. Su Bai was well aware about that. He however had only treated Aroma as a friend. It wasn’t because of Gu Fan. In fact, he wasn’t a pedantic man who would push the girl he liked to his bro all because his bro was in love with her. It was just that he never had any thoughts to treat Aroma as his lover.

“Where are you right now?” Aroma asked.

“Just got off the plane, ready to head home,”

“Should I come pick you up?”

“No need. I’ll take a cab back,”

“You are really weird. You don’t act like you are rich.”

“It doesn’t mean much right now being rich or not. Alright, I’m in the cab right now. Drop by my place afterwards. Now that we are on the same boat, we need to communicate.”

“Nah, I have something on today. How about tomorrow?” Aroma thought for a while and rejected Su Bai’s invitation. She had just called Chu Zhao but nobody answered. She called Chu Zhao’s parents and they said Chu Zhao went travelling to clear his mind.

Su Bai did not know Chu Zhao had received Dreadful Radio’s broadcast after talking to him on the phone last time.

“Up to you,” Su Bai ended the call. He then placed one palm on the cab window.

The cab arrived at Su Bai’s house about twenty minutes later. Su Bai got down from the car, swiped his card, pushed the door and entered.

The little fella was playing happily on the carpet under Lucky’s care. Ultraman was being aired on the television and the floor was filled with toys.

The little fella was distracted seeing Su Bai had returned. He revealed a smile and directly crawled towards Su Bai.

Su Bai threw his backpack towards Lucky and then walked over, he lifted the little fella up and spun in a few circles.

Perhaps the chubby little guy in his hands was his only reluctance to leave.

“Papa… Papa…”

“Heh heh, son.”

Listening to the little fella calling him papa in a non-standard manner, Su Bai suddenly recalled something. If he continued to take pleasure from the assets his parents left him, would the little fella be tangled up by karma?

Su Bai carried Su Bai’s backpack with its mouth and walked to the corner of the living room. However, it still looked over from time to time. It was still not at ease with Su Bai being a father.

“Come, time to give you a name.” Su Bai had a sudden whim as he carried the little fella towards a bookshelf in the living room. There were a few ornaments on the bookshelf. Su Bai took out a Chinese dictionary and placed it in front of the little fella, “Flip through it yourself,”

The little fella bit his own finger and then nodded his head, his chubby hands started flipping through.

Su Bai immediately shook his head when the first word the little fella flipped was ‘Zhao[1]’. The little fella must be surname ‘Su’.

The little fella was addicted to flipping through, he flipped to the word ‘Tie’ followed by the word ‘Zhu’.

Zhao Tiezhu[3]?

Or,

Su Tiezhu?

Su Bai gave up the idea of letting the little fella flip through the dictionary. His balls would ache is the little fella chose ‘Su Weiguo[4]’, ‘Su Jianshe[5]’ or ‘Su Bayi[6]’.

“Forget about it son, tomorrow your dad will take you to the temple to request a good name.”

Su Bai kissed the little fella’s rosy cheeks. He had not shaven for a long period of time; the little fella was tickled by his beard and giggled happily.

However, Su Bai suddenly had a heavy heart.

Tomorrow…

How many tomorrows do I have left?