Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Jin Qingyue turned to look at Shi Shaochuan and said, “Why don’t you seem excited at all? You won’t have to call her ‘Sister-in-law’ anymore, isn’t that great?”
“No, I just got reminded of when An Xiaoning and I got divorced. I actually prepared the divorce agreement way before, but I just couldn’t find an appropriate time to bring it up. She signed the papers immediately when I handed them to her that day. Very straightforward indeed. This would be her second time getting a divorce,” said Shi Shaochuan as he recalled the details of that night.
“It doesn’t matter how many times a guy gets divorced, there’ll be plenty of women waiting in line to marry him as long as he’s rich. However, it’d be hard for a woman to find a better man to marry once she’s divorced, regardless of how wealthy she may be,” said Jin Qingyue.
“What an accurate analysis you’ve given,” Shi Shaochuan scoffed.
“Didn’t you hear what my mother said earlier? She’s going to leave without a single cent from us. Hats off to her for being so courageous.”
“Didn’t she just receive 50 million dollars from me? Besides, she must be earning quite a bit from her clothing store too. It wouldn’t make much of a difference for her to leave with nothing, anyway.”
“That’s true. Given how greedy she is, she can easily earn a ton from providing fortune-telling services for wealthy people. Can’t believe I forgot about that. By the way, let’s bring more bodyguards with us, I’m still trying to recover from that traumatic experience,” Jin Qingyue said to Shi Shaochuan.
“Look behind.”
Jin Qingyue turned around to see a car following closely behind them. To her surprise, the car was full of bodyguards. She could not help but let out a satisfied smile and said, “How meticulous of you.”
Ye Xiaotian stood in front of the window and gazed out at the heavy snow, wrapping a blanket around himself, sipping from his cup every now and then.
A deafening silence filled the room as he was all by himself.
All of a sudden, the door opened with a loud thud. His forehead creased into a frown as he turned to face the door and chided, “Butler, why are you still as reckless as ever?”
“Young Sir, Ms. Bai has passed away.”
Upon hearing the piece of shocking news, Ye Xiaotian dropped the cup he was holding, which instantly shattered into pieces, the alcohol splattering all over the hem of his pants. “Ranran is dead?” he gasped in shock.
“Yes, we just received the news from the Bai family. They mentioned that Ms. Bai had just passed on five minutes ago due to heart failure. They asked if you’d like to make a trip down.”
“Obviously,” said Ye Xiaotian as he quickly strode towards the entrance.
A sullen and gloomy expression formed on his face. A sudden thought struck his mind as he recalled her decision to call off the wedding.
Without hesitation, he hurriedly drove towards the Bai family home.
He was greeted with the sounds of weeping as soon as he stepped foot into the living room. “She was fine just before, how did she pass away all of a sudden?” he asked with a look of austerity on his face.
Mr. Bai let out a sigh and handed him a letter. “Ranran wanted you to have this.”
Instead of reading the letter immediately, Ye Xiaotian asked, “Where’s Ranran?”
“She’s in her bedroom.”
Ye Xiaotian made his way towards her bedroom, only to see that her bed was in a complete mess, while she laid there, looking as pale as a sheet. Her eyes were closed, and she was completely motionless, with no signs of breathing at all.
He bent forward and held her in his arms. “Ranran…” he wailed with a deep sigh.
Gradually, her body began to lose its warmth, turning icy cold. “We found it strange that she decided to call off her engagement with you, so out of blue. Especially since we’re all aware of how much she adored you, so much so that she went ahead with donating her liver to your mother, despite our strong disapproval…” Bai Duocai said with swollen and bloodshot eyes.
Bai Duocai could not help but break down into tears as he continued, “She had loved you too much, which was why she didn’t want to marry you, knowing that she was already on the verge of death. It’s not your fault though, she’s just unlucky to have contracted such a virus.”
Ye Xiaotian looked up and asked coldly, “A virus?”
“Yes, she told us that she was infected with the SIA virus. She was told by the doctor that there would be no signs or symptoms at all in the initial stages of infection. After a certain period of time, the symptoms would begin to show from the abdominal area and spread upwards. Severe heart failure will then occur soon after.”
“How did she get infected?”
Shaking his head, Bai Duocai answered, “I don’t know, she didn’t know when she had gotten infected either.”
“SIA?” Ye Xiaotian’s eyes turned ice cold, and he did not continue to say much about it. “Have you started making the necessary preparations for the funeral?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Yes.”
Staring at the deceased Bai Ranran who looked like she was just sleeping, Ye Xiaotian was suddenly overwhelmed by a strong sense of guilt.
Ye Xiaotian left the letter unopened and finally read it, three days after her burial.
“Xiaotian, I may have already passed on, by the time you read this letter. If it weren’t for the fact that I had discovered by chance that my life would be ending soon, perhaps I would never have had the courage to let you go. I’d really like to thank An Xiaoning for her accurate readings. She was even spot-on about the cause of my death. If I hadn’t known about this, I would’ve died without even knowing that I’ll pass away before becoming your wife, which was something I was looking forward to very much. That would have really become my biggest regret. Xiaotian, to be honest, I’ve always known that you had felt differently about Mo Li, compared to me. I know she has a special place in your heart, I actually feel bad that she had to be forced to donate blood to me. I hope a woman whom you truly love can fill the position I’ve always wanted to and bring you the happiness you deserve.”
A single teardrop streamed down his face as he read the letter.
He then lit it on fire and stuck it out of the window of his car, watching it burn into ashes before lighting up a cigarette.
In fact, he was well aware that Bai Ranran had invested all her efforts and done a lot for him, all of which he had felt both grateful yet guilty towards her for. In order to express his gratitude, he had already prepared to marry her and dote on her as much as he could.
However, now that she’s already gone, he would no longer have to put up with such an act, just so he could repay her for everything she had done for him.
He would no longer have to be trapped in the shackles of marriage with someone he did not love. Although arranged marriages were common amongst wealthy families, he would much rather settle down with a woman he truly loved, given a choice.
It would have been a marriage based on guilt and gratitude, instead of true love.
Ye Xiaotian disposed of the cigarette before it was burnt ’til the end and began driving away.
He returned to his home in Ming Yuan Estate, only to see Sun Weiwei’s car parked at the entrance as he drove towards the backyard.
“Brother Xiaotian,” greeted Sun Weiwei as she hurriedly strode towards his car.
“Why are you here?” he asked calmly after alighting.
“I’m here to see you. Did you just return from visiting Sis Ranran’s grave?”
“Yeah.” Standing tall and straight, he grabbed his car keys and walked towards the living room.
Sun Weiwei hurriedly chased after him and said, “Brother Xiaotian, I’m thinking of taking a few days’ break from work. Why don’t we go on a short trip to relax our minds?”
“No thanks,” he rejected without hesitation.
Refusing to give up, Sun Weiwei continued to try her luck. “How about we visit Y Nation? I’ve been there once, the scenery is not bad, it’ll be great for a vacation.”
“I know you mean well, but I’m just not in the mood for that now, understand?” he said coldly with a straight face, placing one hand in his pocket while tucking a stray hair behind Sun Weiwei’s ear with the other.
Sun Weiwei watched as he entered the living room, unsure if she should tag along.
After a moment of hesitation, she decided to just follow suit.
She entered the living room, only to find that he had gone upstairs. She managed to curb the strong urge to look for him and decided to head home instead.
After getting into her car, she stretched her arms backwards while leaning her head against the headrest. Staring at the entrance of his house, she began to wonder to herself: Now that Bai Ranran is dead and Mo Li is married, were there still any women in his life who mattered a great deal to him?
It would seem there were none left.
