143: The origin of godfather and godmother

Amidst everyone's speculation and shock, Yang Shengli took out a third photograph.

It was a photo full of the breath of life.

The background of the photo looked like an ordinary living room; a red cloth was spread on the floor, upon which were placed books, an abacus, a seal, writing brushes... all sorts of small objects.

A little girl wearing a pink princess dress and with her hair tied in an upright braid was crawling forward on the floor with great effort.

Three adults were gathered around her.

A man was squatting on the ground, seemingly encouraging the girl to crawl forward.

Meanwhile, two other women sat nearby—one clapping her hands and the other smiling with maternal love—both cheering for the little girl on the floor.

The scene was so heartwarming that it seemed as if it could overflow from the screen.

Yang Shengli's finger gently tapped on the photo.

"This was Zhi Xia's first birthday, the Zhuazhou ceremony."

His voice was tinged with a warmth and sadness that outsiders would find hard to grasp.

His finger first pointed to one of the ladies with a gentle smile.

"This one is my wife, Zeng Qifang, who is the one sitting beside me now."

He then pointed to another lady whose features bore some resemblance to Shen Zhixia.

"And this lady is Zhi Xia's biological mother."

Finally, he let out a heavy sigh.

"The one who took this photo for them was Zhi Xia's father, who was also my... best brother."

As his voice fell.

The entire livestream room fell into a dead silence.

Those previously frantically scrolling, vicious, and filthy insults seemed to be instantly wiped away by an invisible hand at this moment.

Completely clean.

Not a trace remained.

Dead silence.

Like the absolute quiet ten thousand meters under the deep sea.

In the livestream room, thousands of bullet comments that had been frantically scrolling just a moment ago were now frozen on the screen as if a pause button had been pressed.

Every word was like a silent slap across the face of every Keyboard Warrior who had spoken maliciously.

Yang Shengli did not give them much time to digest and react.

His finger lightly brushed over the album, and he pulled out a fourth photo.

Once again, he held the photo up to the camera.

In the photo, he and his wife Zeng Qifang sat side by side on two Grandmaster Chairs, their expressions solemn.

In front of them, a little girl as exquisite as carved jade with her hair in pigtails was kneeling on the ground, formally kowtowing to them.

The image was a bit blurry, with the characteristic graininess of old photos, yet it exuded a strong sense of ritual.

At this, the speculations that had just died down in the livestream room showed signs of rising again.

[Is this... a ceremony for acknowledging godparents?]

[Kowtowing... isn't this etiquette a bit too heavy?]

Yang Shengli seemed able to see through everyone's thoughts; his gaze fell on the photo, and the warmth and sadness in his eyes grew even more intense.

"This photo was taken when Zhi Xia was a little over two years old."

He spoke in a low voice, as if telling a story that had nothing to do with him, yet was etched into his heart.

"Because Zhi Xia... has suffered from a very serious congenital heart disease since birth."

Boom!

Another bombshell!

If the previous mystery of her background was just gossip, then this phrase "congenital heart disease" was like a sharp knife that instantly pierced everyone's hearts!

[What? Shen Zhixia has heart disease? For real?]

[Heavens, if it's true, then those leaks saying her "private life is a mess"... isn't that fucking trying to kill her?!]

[Damn those Marketing Accounts! Fuck you! Are you even human?!]

The direction of the bullet comments underwent an earth-shattering reversal at this moment!

The flames of anger were no longer aimed at Shen Zhixia, but instead turned their muzzles toward the whistleblower who had yet to show their face!

Yang Shengli ignored the uproar in the bullet comments and continued speaking.

"Back then, medical conditions weren't as good as they are now; the doctor said this child... would be hard to raise."

His voice held a trace of imperceptible trembling: "Zhi Xia's grandparents were quite superstitious. They heard some elders say that they needed to find a godfather and godmother with tough fates to suppress the calamity star on the child and keep her safe."

"And I, along with Zhi Xia's father, were comrades-in-arms who would take a bullet for each other on the battlefield; we were brothers who had shared life-and-death experiences."

"So, I agreed."

"The couple then brought Zhi Xia to kowtow to Qifang and me in all seriousness and served us this cup of tea."

Having said this, Yang Shengli slowly placed the photo back on the table.

When he looked up again, all the warmth and sadness in his eyes had completely faded away.

Replaced by a bone-chilling coldness!

An invisible, iron-blooded aura of slaughter belonging to a soldier seemed to spread through the screen!

Everyone in the livestream room felt a chill on the back of their necks, as if they were being stared down by a sleeping lion with cold eyes!

His voice also turned cold, each word distinct and resonant like iron.

"I don't know exactly who it is or what their intentions are to maliciously fabricate the relationship between Zhi Xia and me!"

"But today, I'm laying it out right here!"

"Zhi Xia and I are perfectly innocent! She is my daughter! If anyone dares to defile her even a fraction, I, Yang Shengli, will make them pay a hundredfold!"

"My wife and I have no daughters in this life, only three good-for-nothing sons!"

"We cherish and love Zhi Xia as our only Pearl in the Palm!"

"These maggots hiding in the gutters, living off fabricated rumors, are truly loathsome!"

"Damn them!"

He spoke those last two words with extreme weight.

Brimming with killing intent!

In the entire livestream room, one could hear a pin drop.

Yang Shengli's chest heaved violently a few times, as if he were calming his overwhelming rage.

Beside him, Zeng Qifang reached out and gently grasped her husband's hand, her eyes already red.

Yang Shengli took a deep breath, drawing strength from his wife's eyes, and pulled out another photo.

This time, his tone held only endless heartache.

In the photo, on a brilliant carousel, a young Zeng Qifang was carefully protecting the innocently smiling Shen Zhixia in front of her, her eyes filled with overflowing affection.

"Since she was a child, Zhi Xia envied other children who could go to the amusement park to play."

"But her body wouldn't allow it."

"Roller coasters, pirate ships—she couldn't touch any of the thrilling rides."

"So every time, my wife would just accompany her on the carousel, over and over again."

"Because that was the only ride in the entire amusement park she could go on."

Yang Shengli's voice choked up.

In the livestream room, countless people watching the broadcast also found their eyes turning red.

[I'm crying... I'm a grown man, and my tears are falling just listening to this.]

[So this is the truth... we all wronged her.]

[Chairman Yang, say no more, we believe you! We all believe you!]

Yang Shengli did not stop.

He wanted to hurl all the truths before the world.