226 TOUCH OF SCHADENFREUDE (1/2)
Hu Lei did not respond. She would not give the woman the satisfaction of knowing her insecurities. When she had been younger, as she travelled through the most dangerous parts of the world, she had dreamt that her mother would call her and tell her to come home to her.
But it had never happened.
And she had grown up.
Lu Liang did not seem to mind the lack of response. She looked at Hu Lei, but it seemed as if she was looking through her.
”When you were a small baby, I wanted so much to connect with you. I wanted you to be my little one. But I could not forget how you were created.” She spoke in a distant voice.
Hu Lei knew that she should stand up and walk out. However, her mind could not help but latch on the wording.
”What do you mean 'created'?”
Lu Liang did not answer the question directly.
”You might not believe it, but when we were younger, your father and I were crazy in love. We were attached to each other and shared everything. Your father would talk to me about his life, his work and his family. He was my soul mate.”
”His family?” Hu Lei was drawn in a little more.
”Oh, I forgot that he told you that he did not have any family. Actually, he came from a very prominent family in Herb Town. One can even say that the Huo family owns that town. It was probably named after their ancestors. The entire clan is known for their prowess in medicine.”
Hu Lei realised that she knew two people who were surnamed Huo, but she brushed the matter aside. She could not believe that there was yet another thing that her father had lied about.
”At that time, your father was the greatest prodigy that had been seen in a long time. He was brilliant and came up with new treatments like it was nothing. The entire family revered him. However, this meant nothing to Hu Ming. You know how he was. He always wanted to push the boundaries.”
”When we met, I knew that he was special. Some of his ideas were a little unorthodox. Even I, who had no medical knowledge, could see that he was pushing things a little far. But it was exciting, and I was crazy about him.”
”I encouraged him to pursue his crazy ideas, and he fell deeper and deeper into his research. His family was against us being together because they thought that I was the one pushing him to stray from their clan's teachings.”
Lu Liang paused and took a deep breath.
”In a fit of hunger after being scolded by his father, Hu Ming decided to leave the Huo family. When we came to Supreme City, he immediately changed his surname. He looked for work as a doctor and in no time, he became the divine doctor. Of course, he did not stay in that job for long. Eventually, he became a free agent who only took cases that interested him.”