Chapter 65: The Death of Xu Yuan

Tears streaked across Xu Yuan’s parched face as she leafed through the old case files, each one bearing photographs of battered victims, suffering injuries of varying severity.

Most of the victims were in the prime of their youth, carrying their families’ hopes, their futures once bright and promising.

Xu Yuan could not even bring herself to open the letters from the victims’ families.

Some of these victims’ parents were from the countryside, completely illiterate. They had endured countless hardships to send their children to school, only for tragedy to strike. Now, hearing that the perpetrator had been caught, their hands trembled so violently they could not write a single word.

Xu Yuan did not open the letters. She simply placed the envelopes on the desk and said, “I am guilty of countless sins, but does that mean Xu Chuyin and Xu Yaochuan can escape responsibility? I wasn’t the only one who attacked these victims! Why can they remain free while I’m left to bear all the blame?”

Zhong Huayan lit a cigarette, a mocking smile tugging at her lips.

That smile startled Xu Yuan, who sat inside.

“If I may ask, why do you even smile so much like her?”

“Like whom? Zhong Huayan? Are you afraid now? You and your brother colluded, tipped her off, and caused her death.”

Xu Yuan, at this moment, still bore the air of a young lady. Her voice was hoarse from weeping as she dragged her fingers across the glass partition.

She did not want to answer the question; instead, a melancholy overtook her. Her eyes brimmed with sorrow for the passing of spring and autumn, but then she smiled, almost against her will.

That smile was one of surrender, of madness, of despair—and yet, within that despair, a final trace of joy.

“Li Yanyan, I’ve known Fu Yanyan since I was young. I’ve loved him for ten whole years—ten years! Back then, he was so young. Back then, he was nothing at all. Can you pass a message to him for me?”

“Of course. Go ahead.”

“I love him. I will love him forever and ever. Even knowing he was the one targeting the Xu family, I still love him!”

Xu Yuan’s eyes had never been so resolute. She tore off the mask she had worn for years as the Xu family’s young lady, and declared her love with wild abandon.

“From the moment I first saw him, I knew he was just a man without power or status, but I was drawn to him. All these years, he struggled in the shadows, fighting for survival, for fame and fortune, never willing to take shortcuts. He stood tall and unyielding, bowing to no one, conquering his demons one by one, finally claiming the place that was rightfully his! In my heart, no matter how ruthless, cold, or proud he becomes, I admire him. I respect him. I will always be willing—even to die by his hand! I love him... I love him...”

As Xu Yuan spoke of Fu Yanyan, the chill in her eyes melted away, as if her burning love slowly devoured every last trace of coldness within her. She uttered this confession over and over, lost in a trance.

She gently brushed away the tears trembling on her lips, her breath barely a whisper.

“I, Xu Yuan, was born with pride, and I shall die with pride. Tell Xu Chang, Xu Shun, Xu Yaochuan, and Xu Chuyin—tell them I am gone. In this life, I have committed every wicked deed; I am unworthy of heaven. I will be waiting for them in hell.”

She hung up the phone after she finished speaking, her smile as bleak and distant as ever.

People could curse Xu Yuan as a beast, deserving of hell and eternal torment, but her fearless love could not be denied.

Zhong Huayan felt a pang of emotion as she gazed at the unopened envelopes.

Xu Yuan’s easy surrender to death was the greatest mercy she could have received.

But would the families of those lost souls let her go so easily?

News of Xu Yuan’s death came two days later, spreading like wildfire across the capital.

She had not taken her life; stripped of her family’s protection, she got into a fight at the detention center and died after striking the back of her head in an accident.

That was how the news reported it. In truth, once word spread that the Xu family would no longer shield her, the victims’ families were dissatisfied with the verdict.

Desperate, even though justice had already taken its course, they still spent every last penny to buy connections, determined that Xu Yuan should be beaten to death.

Every debt has its debtor; the wheel of fate always turns. Those who deal cruelty will surely meet cruelty in return.

Zhong Huayan relayed Xu Yuan’s final words to Fu Yanyan.

He merely smoked in silence, then arranged for Xu Yuan’s body to be taken out and buried, granting her a proper grave.

He would not let her become a wandering, lonely spirit.

Fu Yanyan wore a violet overshirt, his bearing regal and imposing—whatever he wore, he radiated dominance, cold as the heights of winter.

He twisted a piece of black jade between his fingers, his pale hand snaking around her waist, eager to explain, afraid the woman in his arms might feel wronged.

“Ah Huan, I—”

“Fu Yanyan, there’s no need. Xu Yuan never wronged you.”

“Ah Huan, for all the pain the Xu family caused you, I will make them pay for every one of their crimes. No matter how many people were involved in that fire all those years ago, I will see justice done for you!

As long as I am here, the darkness of this world will never cover you. In all my life, the hardest thing to resist is a beauty’s favor, the hardest thing to forget is a beauty’s soul. You once showed me kindness, lifted me from my desolation, taught me what it meant to feel.

Ah Huan, I truly wish we could continue like this forever—till the end of time, just a simple, ordinary couple. The heavens are high, the seas are vast, through the changing seasons...”

Her heart was at peace, untouched by worldly entanglements.

But for Fu Yanyan and Xu Yuan, they were both bound by deep emotion, mortals forever ensnared by the dust of the world. In the end, those who love too deeply seldom last.

“That day, I saw you fall in the fire. I have suffered hardship since childhood, but I had never experienced true heartbreak. That day, I was shattered... Every day, I am wracked with gut-wrenching regret; I hardly dare to remember it. I thought I was invincible, yet in the end I could not save myself. I have fallen into the suffering sea of desire, unable to turn back. All I can do is become a Buddha in this world, to save all souls, to protect you, to fulfill your dream and live a new life.”

He held in his hand the phoenix jade pendant that hung around her neck.

He brushed a deep kiss onto her forehead.

She felt the tremor in his hand, yet still he held her gently.

With autumn setting in, she wrapped herself in a white coat, her hair loose about her shoulders. Before turning on the camera, she smoked a cigarette—her poise rivaled any film star, her aura artistic and gentle. Yet when she exhaled, the smoke tore apart that gentle image, unleashing a fated allure. Her eyes didn’t quite match her face, and yet, somehow, they harmonized.

Her finger danced across the screen, the light illuminating her face, pure and delicate, a return to innocence and ease.

Lately, she had been busy with performances at Hainai University, and had almost forgotten about her livestreams.

As soon as she logged in, she was astonished—her followers had jumped by three hundred thousand!

She started the stream. The screen was flooded with frenzied comments—on the day of her Hainai University performance, she hadn’t worn heavy makeup, and netizens had tracked down her account.

“My god! She knows how to appraise antiques too? Fairy sister, so you’re the Kunqu Opera fairy who went viral recently!”

“I heard her name is Li Yanyan, a sophomore at Jingfu University. So young, so impressive—I’m deeply in awe.”

“Will the world explode if there’s one more beautiful and talented person like you?”

“So, the beauty’s name is Li Yanyan! She really puts those doubters in their place. Incredible. But I’m here for your antique appraisals!”

“I’m a Kunqu fan, just stopping by. Your antique skills are amazing, and you’re a joy to watch!”

In just a minute, the comments were too numerous to count, and the screen was awash in vibrant gift effects—brilliant colors, festive and jubilant.