The words were calm, the voice gentle, yet each syllable slid like a knife's edge, leaving the air colder than before.
"The night before that incident happened," Fang Yuan began, his voice low, almost reflective, "both my parents told me they would be fine because you were his sworn brother."
He let the words hang for a moment, watching Gu Jian's eyes.
"But that night… turned out to be their last night with their child. That day ended up being the last moment I would ever hear their voices."
His gaze sharpened, though his tone remained almost tender. "Tell me, Gu Jian, what excuse have you got?"
Fang Yuan reached out, fingers cold and unhurried, and tilted Gu Jian's chin upward until their eyes met.
Seeing him kept his mouth shut and simply staring back at him, Fang Yuan sighed.
"I always used to believe," he said softly, "that the crime of the parents is not for the children to bear. Maybe I was wrong?"
