Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Following the public outrage that day, Nan Zhi took the initiative and got up to leave the funeral hall. She did not want to put Mu Sihan in an awkward position, and she did not want to let the Old Madam leave uneasy and not be able to rest in peace.
When the Old Madam was buried, it started to drizzle lightly.
Xue’er fainted once again from crying, and the guests left one by one. Mu Sihan and Yi Fan were the only ones left standing in front of the tombstone.
Yi Fan held a large black umbrella over Mu Sihan’s head, standing quietly behind him.
Mu Sihan had buried the Old Madam with his adopted father.
Self-blame, regret, hate… and many more emotions surfaced within him as he stared at the two black-and-white photos on the tombstones. However, the strongest emotions he felt was a heavy sense of helplessness and blankness.
All the people that were nice to him never seemed to have a good ending.
There was a sentence written in Ye Qing’s diary once, that when the two of them were born, Ye Qing had been deemed the blessed child, while he was deemed as the jinx. That was why his biological parents never liked him since he was young.
They had always nurtured him as Ye Qing’s shadow.
Yi Fan answered a call, and he said softly to the man in front of him when he finished the call, “Young Master, there’s a new revelation to the thing that you’re investigating. The Old Madam’s death was indeed as you had suspected. There are similarities with Miss Nan’s uncle’s death back then.”
Mu Sihan froze.
He had seen the entire video of the Old Madam meeting Nan Zhi, then having a heart attack.
No one had appeared to assassinate her, nor was she poisoned. Her emotions only spiked after Nan Zhi left, as if something had aggravated her badly, before she collapsed.
What was this sort of murdering method that was so silent and unsuspecting that no one could notice?
“You leave first. I want to accompany Father and Grandma for a while longer.”
Mu Sihan did not take the umbrella. Dressed in full black, he knelt in the rain. His hair and shoulders were eventually drenched by the rain.
…
Nan Zhi came alone not too long after Yi Fan left.
She stood not too far away from the man. Her heart was soft and sad as she stared at the man’s handsome but slim side profile.
She picked up the big umbrella that was thrown behind him, and held it over him.
He did not turn back, probably knowing that it was her behind him. Instead, he said, “There was a problem with the Old Madam’s heart. I had already found a suitable heart for her, and she may have lived another ten years if the operation had been successful.”
He stared at the Old Madam’s photo on the tombstone. His voice was extremely low with dejection and heaviness, as if it was projected from the depths of his throat.
He had never been afraid of anything in the business industry, eliminating anyone that did not accept him.
However, in front of those that were close to his heart, it hadn’t been enough.
He wasn’t able to protect them.
Nan Zhi crouched down, kneeling beside him. A thin layer of moisture covered her almond-shaped eyes as she stared at his tensed expression, “You’ve already knelt here for a very long time. I’m sure Grandma and your father won’t want to see you like this. Come on, let’s go back. You should take a shower, eat something then have a good rest.”
Mu Sihan finally turned towards her. He did not say anything, as he got up slowly.
He took the large umbrella from her and held it above their heads.
As they were about to leave, he noticed a figure moving in the dense woods not too far away.
He had been kneeling in front of the tombstone for almost two hours, yet he did not notice anyone hiding around. If that person did not move accidentally, he might not have noticed it either.
It was most probably a professional.
He thought about Grandma’s death…
Mu Sihan’s expression darkened, as he grabbed Nan Zhi’s wrist, as she was ready to walk ahead.
Nan Zhi froze. She felt the stiffness in his grip on her wrist. His grip was like an iron vice.
It was completely quiet around them, and they could only hear the sound of raindrops falling on the big umbrella, and their heavy breathing.
A chilly wind blew over, and goosebumps rose on Nan Zhi’s arms.
Nan Zhi’s heart beat faster, having guessed what he was about to say. Her heart was beating so fast that it was about to jump out of her chest, though it was so stuffy that it made it hard to breath as well.
Nevertheless, she was not someone who had not experience hardships. She had considered the consequences of any decision he could make.
He pursed his lips tightly, as he kept quiet. He was silent for so long that Nan Zhi thought that he would not say anything again.
He looked up, as his eyes gazed directly into hers. Redness and coldness was reflected from his eyes. “Nan Zhi, I intend to follow Grandma’s final request.”
Even though she had already prepared herself for it, Nan Zhi’s heart still trembled badly when she heard him say the words.
Her eyes turned red immediately, though she still squeezed out a smile. “I’ll respect your decision.” She paused, forcing herself to use a carefree tone, “Actually, the Old Madam met me that day to ask me to let Xue’er and you get together. I rejected her then… I didn’t think that it would lead to that type of consequence. I’m sorry.”
She sniffled, taking a few times to finish her words as she paused in between several times. However, she still suppressed the sadness surging within her, acting like she did not really care. “Maybe, our meeting from the start was a mistake. It’s good that you’re marrying Xue’er. You can end all unnecessary thoughts in the future.”
His pupils constricted, as his grip on her wrist tightened. His thin lips were pursed so tightly it appeared as a thin line.
She could tell that he was not happy either.
Love and family would always be the hardest choice to make. Especially when they didn’t align.
Besides, there would always be the issue of Grandma’s death and her final requestbetween the two of them, like a wall that could never be crossed.
Nan Zhi’s gaze had turned blurry from the moisture in her eyes.
This man in front of her was actually so close to her, yet he felt so very far.
From now on, he would no longer belong to her…
But had he ever? Apart from their strange connection that had led to Xiaojie, they had never truly began.
Her morality stopped her from being tangled with a ‘married man’ again.
Taking a deep breath, she wanted to retract her wrist, but he continued to grip her tightly, not wanting to let go.
Nan Zhi looked up at him. He was staring at her with a complicated expression, as a heavy pain, conflict, struggle and suppression was in his eyes.
Nan Zhi’s lips trembled slightly, as the urge to cry got harder to suppress. “We’ve already settled everything. Why aren’t you letting go?”
She did not blame him, neither was she unhappy with him.
All she felt was the stinging ache inside her heart, threatening to overwhelm her.
Her heart was aching for him.
She did not want him to continue blaming himself, to be so guilty and sad about what happened, as it would only worsen his condition.
If it was fated to have one party let go first, then it was fine to let go of her.
Mu Sihan closed his completely red eyes, “Bring Xiaojie away first. Xue’er might not want to be a step-mother.”
Nan Zhi’s heart tightened.
Although she said that she could understand all of his decisions, the blood in her still froze a little at his words.
When the heaviness in her got a bit more bearable, Nan Zhi nodded slowly. “Alright, Xiaojie and I will not go to the manor again in the future.”
She sniffled heavily, as she used her strength to retract her hand, “Let’s treat each other as strangers when we meet each other again in the future! You don’t have to send me a wedding invite, and I won’t give you two a wedding gift.”
With that said, she left first.
After taking a few steps, she could not hold the urge back, and she turned back to look at him once more.
His dark eyes were stuck on her, an unreadable expression on his handsome face.
She did not know why, but the feeling he gave her now felt like he was the one being abandoned.
He had thrown away the black umbrella once she turned away. He was so tall, but he looked so pitiful and lonely as he stood under the pouring rain.
