Chapter 381: Chapter 381: Dying Together

Jiang Chengxu and Xu Manman died in that fire.

The wind wasn’t strong that night, but the fire started and spread in the middle of the night. By that hour, every household was asleep, and by the time people were awakened, the fire had already spread.

Half the alley was affected.

The next day, the smell of burning still lingered in the air.

Shao Qiyun had waited all night but her son never returned. The next day, when she learned from Jiang Yulan that her son had already set himself on fire, she lifted her eyes to look at Jiang Yulan.

Her gaze was incredibly calm, which made Jiang Yulan afraid to meet her eyes.

“Yulan, Chengxu hated me until his death. I shouldn’t have helped him annul the engagement back then.” Shao Qiyun spoke about this matter with a smile uglier than crying, “I didn’t want the arranged marriage initially. It was you who persuaded me, saying it didn’t matter; we could marry her in and drive her away later.”

These were Jiang Yulan’s exact words. She also said that as long as Xu Qinghuan didn’t give birth to Jiang Chengxu’s child, no matter how deep the feelings were between husband and wife, they would fade. As Jiang Chengxu didn’t have any offspring to carry on the family line, how could he not resent?

“I took all of your words to heart. But later, when Xu Qinghuan came to annul the engagement, how could I not annul it? How?!” Shao Qiyun cried bitterly, covering her face.

Only then did Jiang Yulan sigh in relief, fearing that Shao Qiyun would become obsessed.

“Living like Chengxu did, he was in great pain too. My brother is already like this, but you’re still young, you need to move forward.”

Shao Qiyun cried for a long time, covering her face. Only when Jiang Yulan grew a bit impatient did she finally lift her head, “He’s turned to ash now, let him go with the wind to wherever he wishes to go!”

Two fires indeed!

“It’s time for me to move forward too. Yulan, will you walk with me?” Shao Qiyun stood up, holding a boning knife, her face suddenly twisted into fury, and lunged at Jiang Yulan.

Jiang Yulan had no time to react, the sound of a sharp object entering flesh reached her. She lay back on the sofa, eyes wide with disbelief, looking at Shao Qiyun, and asked with difficulty, “Why?”

“Why? To avenge my son!” Shao Qiyun cried out, “Don’t worry, I won’t live either. He ended up like this without Xu Qinghuan. I was wrong, Xu Manman was wrong, you were wrong too!”

“You, you, you are a madwoman!” Blood overflowed from Jiang Yulan’s mouth corners, she frowned in pain, her body convulsed violently when Shao Qiyun withdrew the knife. Blood spurted out, her head drooped, leaning against her legs, slowly tipping to the side.

Shao Qiyun gripped the boning knife, covered in blood all over, unable to describe her current feelings – exhilarated, without regret, as if this should have been done long ago.

Where was her son wrong, he was clearly a perfect match with Xu Qinghuan. Her dissatisfaction with Xu Qinghuan was largely because her son’s marriage wasn’t under her control.

It was Jiang Yulan who instigated her. It was Jiang Youliang who did all the bad things that gave Xu Qinghuan the opportunity to annul the engagement. It’s all their fault, they were the ones who harmed her son.

She too had harmed her son.

“Ah, murder!” The aunt of the Yue Family heard the commotion, ran out, and saw the bloody scene inside. She happened to see Shao Qiyun stabbing herself, screamed once, and fainted.

The ambulance arrived with a whir, Xu Qinghuan just came out from the hospital and quickly stepped aside upon seeing the stretchers being carried down.

Both people still had weak breaths in them, their faces not yet covered with white cloth. Xu Qinghuan clearly recognized these two people.

She paused briefly, then turned back and went to Lu Mingxu’s ward.

Lu Mingxu’s bed had been moved to the window side. There were only a few remaining flowers on the yulan tree, but new buds had sprouted on the branches, their tender green glowing in the sunlight.

Lu Mingxu leaned against the bedside, staring blankly outside, all external sounds, people, and objects were irrelevant to him. He had retreated into his own world.

Xu Qinghuan sat in the ward for a while, hearing nurses starting to move about, running towards the operating room.

After about half an hour, the outside atmosphere changed, a despondent mood spread over. Only then did she go out and look towards the operating room, overhearing the nurses’ discussions.

“Neither of them could be saved.”

“Jiang family people, sisters-in-law. All dead.”

“I heard the sister-in-law stabbed the aunt, one knife went straight through the lung, the liver was ruptured, another cut the main artery. How could they survive!”

“What’s going on with the Jiang family, my god, so tragic, in less than a year, several people are gone!”

Xu Qinghuan leaned on the doorframe and listened for a while. Jiang Yulan died, an unexpected person for her, though this person always manipulated Shao Qiyun. Jiang Chengxu died, and she was actually stabbed to death by Shao Qiyun.

Xu Qinghuan took a small kitten out of her bag and placed it in Lu Mingxu’s hand, letting him feel the soft fur.

Lu Mingxu’s hand trembled slightly, he lowered his eyes, wanting to withdraw his hand, but the kitten held onto his thumb. His hand seemed detached from his body’s control, nestled beneath the kitten’s bottom.

“Do you like it?” Xu Qinghuan asked.

Lu Mingxu raised his head to look at Xu Qinghuan, his gaze still blank, but his eyes moved. He didn’t speak.

Xu Qinghuan said, “If you like it, I’ll leave it with you. If not, I’ll take it away.”

The kitten licked his fingertip lightly, Lu Mingxu gently pinched the kitten’s paw with two fingers; its toes were sharp, not extended, pricking his fingertips, causing a slight pain.

He nodded, then shook his head, placing his other hand over the kitten’s back.

Xu Qinghuan stood up, “In this world, nobody is obligated to treat you well, nobody should inherently not harm you, be brave, be a man!”

She finished speaking and stuffed a pill into Lu Mingxu’s mouth, “There will be some pain, but your leg will get better, it’ll be your responsibility in the future!”

The door was closed, yet there was a sound in the ward, the kitten meowed once, kneading on his arm, revealing an impatience.

Lu Mingxu watched the tabby kitten, his lips moved slightly, “Sister!”

The corridor was quiet, guards stationed at both ends, prohibiting anyone from passing through.

This area was under lockdown.

Xu Qinghuan glanced around and walked down the stairs.

Separated by a wall, Shao Lizhong inserted a needle into Lu Zongsheng’s head point. Only then did his words become clear, “I have a foot already in the grave, the only request I have for the organization is to see my son.”

The person replied, “He has made mistakes, the organization is helping him to reform.”

“He made mistakes, great mistakes, but the true disaster bringer to the country wasn’t him, it was Jiang Zhenguo.” Lu Zongsheng spoke with difficulty,

“If I’m still alive, you could now execute him without a word from me. My grandson is still lying in the hospital bed, he no longer has a mother, he can’t lose his father as well.”

“Using my life in exchange for the organization’s… for one time forgiveness, please!” Lu Zongsheng said as he started to cough violently, seeming as if he might pass at any moment.

Shao Lizhong dared not delay, quickly pulling the needle from his head.

Lu Zongsheng closed his eyes, his face flushed red, appearing to have more breaths going out than coming in.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep