Chapter 66

Murder Paradise 1: A Sense of Impending Crisis

Angler and Mo Fei arrived at the sanatorium to meet Emma.

Emma was reading and drinking tea when she saw Anger arrive, greeting him with a smile, "Anger."

Angler approached Emma with a smile and embraced her.

Emma kissed Angler and then stepped back, observing his expression and furrowing her brows slightly, "Angler, dear, you seem troubled."

Anger obediently sat next to Emma and said, "Emma, there's something I want to ask you."

"Hmm," Emma nodded, asking, "What is it?"

"It's about father," Anger began as he sat down. "And mother's signature emblem."

Emma frowned slightly, "Angler... why are you suddenly asking these questions?"

Anger glanced at Mo Fei, then said, "Oh, Emma! I forgot to tell you the most important thing in my letter."

"What?" Emma inquired.

"Oh, Mo Fei and I are now lovers," Anger declared.

Mo Fei was surprised and a bit worried, wondering if Emma would be upset or shocked, especially since it was about two men. He was both embarrassed and surprised by Anger's blunt revelation.

Emma, initially stunned, looked at Mo Fei and then at Anger, and began to smile, saying, "Mo Fei, take good care of Anger, his health isn't the best."

Mo Fei was taken aback, not expecting Emma to agree so readily... He quickly nodded and said, "Uh, yes, I will."

Emma nodded with satisfaction, "That's good then, it puts my mind at ease."

Anger also smiled, accepting Emma's kiss as a blessing. Mo Fei stood by, somewhat overwhelmed by the unique dynamics of their relationship.

"By the way," Emma turned to Anger, "You were saying, there was something you wanted to ask me? About your parents?"

"Right." Angler, not wanting to worry Emma, didn't disclose the entire case to her, merely inquiring about her father's cause of death and the events of that year.

After listening to Anger's questions, Emma said, "Anger, you've seen your father's diaries. He was a very intelligent man, even more so than you."

Mo Fei listened, intrigued; he couldn't imagine someone more intelligent than Anger.

"Why would he die?" Anger asked, puzzled.

"Although I told you he was dead, we never actually found his body," Emma said softly. "I believe he just left to seek out a truth."

"A truth?" Anger asked, "The mistakes he made?"

"There was a mystery, a mistake that haunted him," Emma explained. "It kept him awake at night, and he became... Then one day, he told me he had to go and uncover the truth. And then, he really did leave."

Anger nodded and asked, "Did he tell you where he was going?"

"No," Emma shook her head. "When your mother had you, she sent people to look for him, but they never found him... I remember when you were two, he came back once to see you."

"Really?" Anger was surprised. "I don't remember that."

"You were too young to remember," Emma said. "He held you in the garden for a while, talked to you, and then left again. He never returned after that."

Anger nodded, his brow furrowed... If only he could remember what his father had said.

This thought prompted Anger to ponder; maybe that memory was somewhere in his brain, waiting to be discovered. He began to search his mind, sifting through fragmented memories for a glimpse of his father, whom he had met only once.

"Emma, do you have a photo of him?" Anger asked.

Emma stood up and returned to her room, soon bringing back a photograph. "You never asked before. I thought you disliked your father, so I never showed you his picture."

Anger took the photograph and looked at it... The man in the photo was young and handsome, but Mo Fei noticed that he didn't resemble Anger.

"Anger, apart from your detective's mind and quirky temperament, you're almost a complete copy of your mother... I'm glad you don't resemble your father," Emma said.

"What about him?" Anger asked, puzzled. "I heard he was an incredible detective."

"Yes, but he was aloof, indifferent, arrogant, and unfriendly," Emma sighed. "Anger, he wasn't nearly as likable as you."

Anger almost laughed; Emma saying he was likable would probably make Oss faint.

"By the way," Emma brought them hot cocoa, asking, "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"Oh, there's a case similar to one my father worked on. It made me think of him, so I came to ask," Anger said. "And to see how you are."

Emma smiled and nodded, "Anger, if you want to know more about your father, you could visit his old friend."

"A friend?" Anger was surprised. "I've never heard of him."

"I never mentioned it because you didn't ask," Emma said, writing an address on a piece of paper. "Go to this church, and find Father Fong Ya. He was your father's best friend."

Anger looked at the paper and then at Emma, saying, "Emma, I'll go see him soon. Would you like to come with us?"

Emma pondered for a moment, then shook her head, "No, I prefer to stay here."

Anger nodded, and the three of them had dinner together at the sanatorium. Afterwards, Anger and Mo Fei left together.

Once they were gone, Emma returned to her room, where someone was standing at the window.

"Is this decision really wise?" Emma asked the person at the window.

The person, still facing away from the door, watched Anger and Mo Fei departing in the distance, responded somewhat irrelevantly, "I never expected him to fall in love with a man."

"You have no right to question anything about him," Emma said. "You’re an irresponsible father."

The man turned around, tall and slender, strikingly handsome, appearing in his forties, but his eyes were too sharp, his arrogance almost written on his face, making people instinctively keep their distance.

"Mother," the man said, "Seeing Anger reminds me of Anfi, they're so alike."

Emma shook her head, "Don’t change the subject. Although I followed through with your decision, I really doubt its correctness. Could it harm Anger?"

"I will protect him... Of course, he has his own wisdom, and his knight and friends... In that, he far surpasses me."

"I hope both you and Anger find peace," Emma said, sitting at the edge of the bed. "I wish for Anger to live a happy life."

The man nodded, "I know, I wish for Anger's happiness too. As for myself... I miss Anfi more."

Emma, becoming melancholic, saw the man putting on his coat, and asked, "Are you planning to leave?"

"Yes," the man nodded. "In the end, everything needs a conclusion." After saying this, he took Emma's hand, gently kissed it, and said, "Goodbye, Emma."

Emma nodded slowly, leaned in, and kissed his forehead gently, "Goodbye."

Anger and Mo Fei returned to the gallery first. It was late, and after taking a bath, Anger sat alone in a rocking chair in his bedroom, lost in thought, holding the address.

"What's wrong, Anger?" Mo Fei, drying his hair, came in and asked upon seeing Anger's expression.

"Emma seems to be hiding something," Anger suddenly said.

Mo Fei walked over and sat beside him, saying, "It's not good to doubt your grandmother, is it?"

Anger turned to look at him, "No, I'm not talking about her hiding information or clues... but rather, she's hiding her unease."

Mo Fei, taken aback, reflected for a moment and then slightly frowned, "Now that you mention it, Emma did seem a bit off today."

Anger leaned back in his chair, gently playing with Mo Fei's hair, "Mo Fei... Emma has undergone several major surgeries, some life-threatening."

"Really?" Mo Fei was surprised. "I always thought she was in good health."

Anger shook his head, "That's not the case... Her health is fragile, very weak, but she's optimistic. She worries about nothing anymore... except for me."

"Anger, you mean Emma is worried about you?" Mo Fei asked.

Anger nodded, "Either me or someone close to her."

Mo Fei took the address from Anger's hand, asking, "This address..."

"It's true," Angler confirmed, "I've made inquiries. There indeed was a Father Feng Ya at the church, who also knew my father. We've arranged to visit him tomorrow."

"But... Emma wouldn't want you to do anything dangerous, right?" Mo Fei asked, concerned. "Should we invite Oss and the others?"

Anger pondered for a moment, then shook his head, "That won't be necessary."

Mo Fei pulled Anger to his feet, "It's okay, I'll accompany you. There won't be any trouble."

Anger looked at Mo Fei and smiled, "Mo Fei... why did you come into my gallery that day?"

Mo Fei paused, then looked up, reminiscing, and laughed, "Some coincidence... I just wandered in by chance."

"Fate is a curious thing," Anger mused. "Sometimes, one encounter can change a life... Our meeting was fortunate, improving our lives. But some encounters are unfortunate, destroying a person's happiness... I wonder if my father experienced such misfortune?"

Mo Fei frowned, pulled Anger to bed, and covered him with a blanket, "Anger, I think this might be dangerous."

"Hmm?" Anger asked, puzzled. "Why do you feel that way?"

Mo Fei shook his head, "I don't know... I just feel uneasy."

Anger chuckled, "What a coincidence. So do I."

"Should we still go?" Mo Fei worried.

"Of course," Anger reassured, touching Mo Fei's cheek. "Doubts need to be addressed with action, not avoided, as evasion only magnifies them."