Turning Antagonist to Protagonist: He is Both Soft and Fierce-Chapter 369 - 364: The Villain Is Both Pitiful and Terrifying
Upon hearing this, Li Guifen said nothing more, "Sigh, you should comfort Tingfan a bit more, he’s probably not feeling well inside."
Of course, the antagonist wasn’t feeling well, as Song Qin and Song Rong were the people he cared about the most right now.
Lin Qiao nodded, thinking Song Tingfan would find a quiet place to be alone, but he didn’t. He went about preparing things for the nightly meal as usual, even giving red envelopes to Lin Ping and Lin An after the small New Year’s Eve dinner.
This was even more frightening.
Lin Qiao had planned to comfort him with a few words that night, but he didn’t come inside the house. Mrs. Fan mentioned that he had already gone out.
At that moment, she had a bad premonition, fearing that Song Liu and Song Ming might be meeting their ends.
Alas, it’s just deserts.
It was very late when Song Tingfan finally returned. Lin Qiao sat up upon hearing the noise, "Where did you go?"
"Nowhere, go to sleep."
After the man’s deep voice sounded, the wardrobe was opened and, after a while, closed again, and he quickly left the room.
His reaction was enough to prove what he had done. Lin Qiao felt suffocated inside, but what right did she have to persuade him to be kind?
No one had the right to be kind to him.
After all, not a single person had been kind to him throughout everything he suffered.
Sigh, she wondered if he would ever take a normal path in this life.
After a long while, Song Tingfan returned and lay down on the other side. Suddenly, a hand reached over and tugged at the quilt, "Cover up, don’t catch a cold."
Even though these words were quite normal, he froze, and a warmth stirred in his heart.
Don’t catch a cold...
"Okay."
He suddenly reached out and hugged her, and after a long time, he asked, "Why are you good to me?"
Why be good to him, why be good to him...
Lin Qiao stiffened for a moment, understanding what he meant, questioning why she was good to him in this lifetime.
It was the plot that made her good to him.
No, later on, she genuinely was good to him. Even without the plot, she would have been good to him. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
Because he only had her, his sister-in-law, left.
He genuinely was good to her.
Even when the antagonistic figure returned later, she was scared, but she never wavered in her determination to be good to him.
It’s not that she couldn’t distinguish between the antagonist and the former Song Tingfan, but because it was simply Song Tingfan, not two different people.
If the antagonist were to rebirth at twelve years old, he would still be good to her, still greet everyone with kindness; it was others who changed him, forcing him to grow.
Forced him to become the person he despised the most.
He was both pitiful and terrifying.
She sincerely said, "We are family."
Song Tingfan, live well, don’t waste this life on the hatred of the past.
The man did not answer for a long time, and the room quieted down. Lin Qiao’s expression gradually became one of disappointment; she’d given him the opportunity.
And given herself one too.
She was never someone to drag things out, and she’d lingered long enough on the antagonist.
If there’s no future to be seen, then it’s better to end it early rather than having a miserable conclusion later.
The two had different thoughts, and they only fell asleep after a long time.
...
The next day, after 9 a.m.
Lin Qiao was in the courtyard talking with Song Rong, when suddenly there was a commotion outside, vaguely hearing the name Song Ming. Supporting her belly, she got up to go outside, where many women gathered around by the bridge.
Seeing her approach, Mrs. Wang Zhu quickly took her hand, "Tingfan’s wife, your uncle and aunt jumped off a cliff and died."
Although she had already guessed it, hearing it spoken by others made Lin Qiao panic a bit, unsure if she herself would meet such an end.
Seeing her not respond, thinking she was frightened, Mrs. Wang Zhu changed the topic, "What did you have for breakfast?"
"Vegetable pancakes," Lin Qiao replied stiffly.
When she returned to the courtyard, Song Qin was rubbing Song Rong’s hands and asked, "Qiao’er, what were they talking about with so many people gathered?"
Just as Lin Qiao was about to speak, the man chopping firewood interjected, "Nothing."
Lin Qiao glanced at him and agreed, "Nothing, just talking about holiday matters."
Song Qin had no suspicion, glancing at Song Tingfan, "This year is lively, everyone’s here."
As she spoke, she secretly looked at Song Rong, hoping they could celebrate the holiday together.
Her eyes suddenly reddened. Lin Qiao naturally noticed, but she felt uneasy inside, "Grandma, shall we go dig some wild herbs later? I’m craving a bit."
"Okay." Song Qin nodded.
It’s deemed inauspicious for people to die around the New Year. Zhou Ping wanted to find someone to collect the bodies, but no one was willing to go, not even for silver coin.
The sight of the faces was horrifying, easily inducing nightmares.
Song An had gone hunting in the mountains and wouldn’t return for seven or eight days. Zhou Ping, unable to find him, had no choice but to approach Song Tingfan, without mentioning it in front of the Song Family couple.
Calling out to Song Tingfan outside, feeling awkward, he said, "Tingfan, could you collect your uncle and aunt’s bodies? It’s unlucky to leave them during the New Year."
"Okay," Song Tingfan nodded.
Seeing his agreeable nature, Zhou Ping felt embarrassed, "You’ve got a good heart, no wonder you’re lucky."
"Qiao’s belly is five months along, right? Your Grandma Zhou says it must be a boy."
"Thank you, Grandma Zhou." Song Tingfan’s expression softened a little.
"No need to thank, you should thank Qiao’er. We used to worry about you, but now you seem quite good together; treat Qiao’er well, she’s been good to you."
Zhou Ping smiled, patted his shoulder, and added, "I didn’t want to tell you this, but I felt I should."
"Two years ago, she was on her way back to the village at night and got stopped by hooligans. If we hadn’t just returned from town, it would have been trouble."
"She asked us not to mention it to you, as she didn’t want to worry you."
Upon hearing this, Song Tingfan was momentarily stunned.
Seeing him silent, Zhou Ping patted his shoulder again, "Live well, things will get better."
After Zhou Ping walked away, Song Tingfan regained his senses and turned to see the woman coming out to dump something. Her eyes were as gentle as always.
The same eyes, yet so different.
The antagonist’s unwavering gaze made Lin Qiao feel apprehensive. What bad intentions could he be harboring this time, was it her turn for punishment?
Nervously, she entered the courtyard and sat obediently beside Song Rong.
...
At the bottom of the cliff, two corpses lay askew on the ground, eyes wide open, seemingly in terror.
Zhou Ping couldn’t bear to look, turned, and said, "Tingfan, close their eyes."
"I can’t." Song Tingfan didn’t extend a hand; they should remain open, witnessing the wrongs they committed.
They shouldn’t pass away without remorse.
He randomly found a piece of land nearby, dug a hole, burying them, forming a small mound. The overwhelming hatred within Song Tingfan began to subside; it was what they owed him.
And owed his grandparents.
He had done them no wrong; their downfall was of their own making...
As he passed by the ridge, he squatted to wash his hands, washing them again and again, as if the bloodstains could never be cleansed.
Thinking of the woman’s faint fragrance, he scrubbed vigorously, yet couldn’t get clean; finally, he slammed his hands into the paddy field.
The man’s eyes were bloodshot, quite unsettling.
