"How do you know that? Don't you know how resolute your father is? Once he decides on something, he never turns back!" she said, tears dripping down her cheeks.

  Bai Ye Qing pulled her back. "Trust me. He will not do it. I will not let him."

  From inside the room, Bai Yu heard these words. He didn't know if the officers heard it, too, but he knew Bai Ye Qing would be taking action before the lawyers were called to solidify his claims.

  And that was the opportunity he needed.

  Looking at the time, it was way past working hours, so Bai Ye Qing thought he had until tomorrow morning for the plan to succeed. He didn't need that much time. He would coax his mother and sleep on the couch in her room. He would wait patiently until she fell asleep and slip into his father's room to inject him with the drug.

  When he would slip back into his room, he would casually make sure his mother thought he had approached the bed to get a glass of water for himself. His alibi would be airtight.

  That was the plan. So, he waited for the right time.

  In the dead of the night, Bai Ye Qing crawled out of the room, making sure not to take a single loud breath. As he walked down the hallway, the people outside waited with bated breaths.

  Bai Ye Qing paused in front of the guestroom door where he knew his father was sleeping.

  He turned the knob and entered. His father was on the bed, his eyes closed. He padded over and hovered over Bai Yu's body. A flurry of thoughts passed his mind but he pressed them down.

  This was it. This was the end of it.

  As he inched forward, Bai Yu rolled over in the end.

  'Is he awake?' Bai Ye Qing thought in a panic, taking a step away.

  "Do you want to talk about something?" Bai Yu spoke up. In the darkness, his voice was piercing.

  Bai Ye Qing stiffened as he watched his father's eyes pop open. He looked wildly in the room before his eyes settled on Bai Ye Qing. He didn't even move to switch on the lights, lest his son attacked him.

  "Why are you awake so late?" he asked. His voice held no anger. Instead, there was panic.

  "I was thinking…" Bai Yu trailed off. "You didn't answer me. Why did you come here?" he asked again.

  "Nothing," Bai Ye Qing gritted through his teeth. "You didn't answer me either. Why are you really awake?" He had his suspicions.

  "I was waiting for you to come," Bai Yu said ominously. "I was wondering how long you would pretend." He was point-blank about the conversation. He knew his son the best. He had seen the line and knew that provocation could get a reaction far more than calculation. Bai Ye Qing wasn't a very intelligent boy… never had been. And most of the time, he was impulsive. If not for the girlfriend supporting him, he wouldn't have gotten away with murdering Wenxi.

  "What does that mean?" he asked, his voice rising. In the dead of the night, it sounded loud.

  "I remember how you insisted on Wenxi's body being burned," Bai Yu whispered. "Why did you insist that?"

  Bai Ye Qing gritted his jaw. "Big brother told me that it was his religious belief. He wanted his ashes to be spread over water," he explained.

  Bai Yu hummed, having expected such a response. "Wenxi was an atheist. He didn't believe in such things. As far as I know, he wanted to be left in the wild or something quirky like that…" he sighed.

  "He lied to you. Who would want that sort of ending? He was just saying it." Bai Ye Qing never understood his brother. He did joke about being left in the forest for the animals to eat him. Something about letting the energy of the universe be given back.

  "Wenxi never lied," was all Bai Yu said. "But you are lying. Why did you want to burn him, Ye Qing?" he pressed.

  Bai Ye Qing inched forward. "You look like you know something," he said slowly. "What do you know, father?" he asked.

  "I… I don't know anything. But I do suspect it." Bai Yu wondered where his calmness came from. "Wenxi's heart just stopped, they said. Is that true?"

  Bai Ye Qing shrugged. "It did stop. That's not a lie." He closed in a little more.

  "Did you help with it? What did you use?" There was silence. "Tell me. You're going to do the same to me, aren't you?" Bai Yu whispered, pain evident in his voice.

  "You already know… why are you asking then?" Bai Ye Qing said. "I just gave it a little nudge. It doesn't hurt, I have been told. It's a peaceful passing," he admitted.

  Bai Yu sucked in a deep breath. A part of him hadn't wanted to believe his son capable of it. Once hit with the truth, he didn't know how to process it.

  "What did you do?" he asked again.

  "Researched. Got the drug. Pushed it in." Such a casual tone. Worthy of a cold-blooded murderer.

  Bai Yu finally felt anger. For the first time. He felt unending anger. "You stupid piece of shit," he found himself cursing. "And you wonder why you never did well in life."

  Bai Ye Qing's eyes cooled. "You're going to regret that!" he hissed as he pounced.

  A jolt of adrenaline went through Bai Yu's body as he struggled under Bai Ye Qing's grip. The codeword was said but he felt a sharp pinch in his arm. He groaned as he shook Bai Ye Qing away.

  He grabbed onto the arm and watched in horror as the syringe clattered to the floor. The needle was trapped in his hand and didn't move.

  Bai Yu didn't hear much, but he saw Bai Ye Qing swivel towards the door in a panic.