1895 Hands Stained of Sin

'Go ahead and cry; go ahead and shout! Your mommy isn't home right now, so who can help you?! Who can protect you?!'

'You're letting her off lightly by throwing her into a pond!

'Chop her into pieces and feed her to the sharks. She won't be missed!

'I'll give you the money, so settle this business for me, alright?

'Agent Li, pass him the money.'

'Youyou, don't be blinded by revenge.'

…

In the deepest recesses of the boy's mind, a memory of a bawling Yun Na, who was kneeling before him as she begged for mercy, burst forth like a spurting fountain…

'Youyou, Youyou… It's this aunt of yours' fault; I know it's my fault! I was dumb in the past. I'm sorry! I promise never to bully you again; I won't bully your mommy, too!

'Are you really gonna get rid of us? Y-You're just giving us a scare, right?! We know our mistakes now! At least, for the sake of your grandfather, please let us go! This is murder; it's against the law and against your conscience!

'Woo… woo… woo… I don't want to die, please… Just let me off this once…'

Her sharp, shrill cries kept echoing, making his head pound painfully.

His fists were tightly clenched as he sat ridiculously rigid on the sofa.

The older boy, upon realizing that the other seemed out of sorts, could not help reaching out. Alas, the moment his fingers touched his brother's skin, he realized with a start that the latter was sweating profusely.

"Brother?"

The little fellow, alas, did not respond to his call.

"What's wrong?"

Just then, Youyou suddenly regained his senses. His eyes bulged wide in shock as he stared at his twin's face.

"What's the matter? You're looking awful."

Only then did he realize that his limbs had gone icy-cold and his breathing was short and fast. His back especially was damp with cold sweat.

"I-I think… I might've killed someone…"

The younger boy hugged his body as he locked his brows tightly.

The freed-up memories played on a loop in his mind, telling him clearly that he had once issued such a cruel order.

'This is murder; it's against the law and against your conscience!'

He shot to his feet suddenly, startling his older twin into following suit.

"Come again?" Little Yichen felt somewhat baffled. "Are you saying that you… killed someone?"

"I have to go out and settle something!"

With that, the younger boy pulled out his phone and made a call to his man. "Agent Li, come pick me up."

"Yes, sir."

He then made his way to the front porch, where he took his coat and put it on, before heading outside with his brother chasing after him.

"Hey, where are you going?"

He turned around and instructed his older twin. "Stay here and cover for me if our parents ask about me."

…

Feeling quite gobsmacked, Little Yichen crossed his arms with a huff as he fumed. "Absolutely ridiculous! What is this?! How could he leave me alone at home while he went out to play?! I hate lil' brother!"

…

On the journey home, Yun Yecheng would, from time to time, shake his head and sigh at the thought of his poor yet hateful wife. He found it quite hard to calm his tumultuous emotions. He seemed to have recalled plenty of memories of their past together.