Chapter 687: Chapter 687 The Uses and Disuses of Money_1
For Qin Sisi, it was actually quite simple. She had already learned about the original owner’s deception from Mr. Zhao, and the immediate appearance of this man sobbing on the ground, then wrestling with the authenticity of love—it was clear he had been tricked by a woman.
However, judging by his age, which seemed to be around forty, one would assume he should already have a family. How could a woman deceive him then?
Qin Sisi saw the incredulous look on the man’s face and coldly said: "You don’t need to worry about how I know. Let me reiterate my perspective. I need Soul Power. Give me your Soul Power, and I’ll help you fulfill a wish. If you are not willing to offer your Soul Power, then your soul will disperse. Choose for yourself!"
To maintain the bigger picture, Qin Sisi suppressed her resentment for the man’s rude remarks, but that did not mean she wasn’t angry.
The man recoiled slightly, secretly peeking at the blue light wall that blocked the entrance and recalling his previous disgrace. He realized there seemed to be no third option for him.
Even though he felt dispirited after being deceived, he would not absolutely disregard the complete dispersal of his soul, let alone his death, which was, after all, an accident.
The man hesitated for a long time, carefully considering his forty-year life experience and Qin Sisi’s words. He was not a fool; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to amass such great wealth.
On the contrary, he was very intelligent.
In the end, he came up with a method, a method that would appeal to most people.
If Qin Sisi wasn’t among that small array of exceptions, he might be saved.
"I’ll give you something. Please let me go!" The man pleaded while looking at Qin Sisi.
Qin Sisi instinctively wanted to outright decline, but seeing the man’s serious demeanor piqued her curiosity, so she asked more: "What is it?"
The man lowered his voice and his expression became a bit more mysterious: "A painting, one by Zhang Daqian. It’s worth a lot of money."
Qin Sisi blinked, apparently he wanted to buy his freedom with his wealth, but unfortunately, he had chosen the wrong target.
She touched her lips lightly, spoke gently: "Very tempting, but now all I want is Soul Power."
The man’s expression froze, he continued insistently: "It really is worth a lot, can be sold for several million."
Qin Sisis nodded and said: "I believe you, but I don’t seem to have any use for that money."
The man began to lose patience, he implored hurriedly: "How could it be useless? Money is the most useful thing in this world, and you’re young. It’s time for you to spend money. You can buy beautiful clothes, expensive jewelry, the most luxurious bags, the latest mobile phones..."
The man stopped speaking abruptly because when he looked at her he felt like Qin Sisi was looking at him as if he were an idiot.
Lowering his head in silence, the man suddenly realized that he just sounded like someone else. His heart ached, and his eyes reddened even more.
"I’ll give you one more minute to consider." Qin Sisi’s cold voice echoed again, her tranquil eyes were filled with icy clarity and chill.
The man sighed and eventually made a choice in his best interest.
He raised his head to look at Qin Sisi and said: "I am willing to give you my Soul Power."
This answer was within Qin Sisi’s expectations. She nodded and said: "Very well, think carefully about what wish you want me to help you fulfill."
The man thought for a moment and mournfully replied: "Help me find her. I want to ask her if she had been deceiving me from the beginning. If she ever loved me at all..."
Locating someone, given enough information, is not a difficult task.
Qin Sisi thought for a moment and asked, "You know her real name and ID number, right?"
It was possible that if she was a scammer, she may have deliberately hidden her specific information.
"I know," the man replied swiftly, clearly indicating that they once had a close relationship.
Qin Sisi was suddenly intrigued by this man’s story. As the saying goes, "At forty, one should be no longer bewildered," which means that by the age of forty, people should have a clear understanding of the world, and not be easily confused.
The man in front of her, who was about forty, lived in such a mansion, which indicated that he was a very wealthy man and should possess decent business sense.
He was also a collector of fine artwork, demonstrating a certain level of intelligence and emotional intelligence.
So, what kind of woman could deceive a man like this so thoroughly?
Driven by curiosity, Qin Sisi moderated her tone and asked, "Do you have any family? Do you want to do anything else for them?"
Some warmth tinged with sorrow surfaced on the man’s face as he slowly said, "I have parents, a lovely daughter, and... a former wife."
He paused before continuing: "There’s no need to do anything anymore. The wealth I left them is enough for them to live comfortably. Besides, I don’t have the nerve to see them again..."
When Qin Sisi heard him speak of his ex-wife in a strange tone, she deliberately asked, "Is your ex-wife not good?"
The man was taken aback, and after a long silence, he finally said, "I once thought she was not good, but then I realized, she was."
The man lowered his head and stared blankly at the cold, hard ground for a while. Then he lifted his head and looked at the wallpaper on the walls.
The basement was still the same. She and he had discussed decorating style together and had chosen the color of the wallpaper together.
He, with his touch of an artist’s sensibility and delicateness, always felt her choices were not refined enough, even thinking her tastes too vulgar, and as such, occasionally couldn’t help but belittle her.
Back then, he never would have thought that what he perceived as a cage-like fortress was actually the most blissful time of his life.
"My name is Huang Mengchang. I’m the previous owner of this mansion. I bought this mansion five years ago. I was usually busy with work, so my then wife took care of the decorations. I would occasionally offer some advice.
After it was decorated, I felt it was too vulgar and her taste was very poor.
I don’t know why, but now it seems beautiful to me."
He had lived in this mansion for several years and had been alone in this cold, damp basement for half a year. Now, faced with the prospect of leaving, Huang Mengchang was feeling very reluctant.
Seeing his attachment, Qin Sisi asked out of curiosity: "What happened for your wife to eventually become your ex-wife?"
After another long silence, the man finally answered: "It was my fault. I always felt she was not good enough, so I fell in love with someone else."
A pearl is a pearl in the eyes of those who love it.
Even if it is a truly shining pearl, those who don’t love it may still regard it as a fish’s eye.
