CH 95

When Wang Changlin arrived at the hospital, Shen Dehan was sleeping. Perhaps because of his mobility problems, he was becoming more and more lethargic, with little clarity during the day. As he slept, he was unaware of anything around him and did not look as irritable as he did when he was awake, but looked very peaceful. Wang Changlin stood there quietly, his gaze focused on Shen Dehan’s serene expression, and his face distorted a little, a flicker of madness in his eyes.

“Boss, it’s all done!” The man who had been following Wang Changlin gently pushed the door in and said in a low voice.

The madness in Wang Changlin’s eyes faded away and he turned back into the refined old man again. With a slight nod, Wang Changlin pointed at Shen Dehan, “Take him away!”

The man nodded in silence and walked towards the sleeping Shen Dehan. Shen Dehan was quickly awakened by the man’s movements and stared in surprise at the man in front of him, wondering how a stranger could have appeared in his ward. The man’s movements were so rude that Shen Dehan realised that something was wrong and struggled hard, shouting loudly and trying to get the attention of the bodyguards outside.

Wang Changlin stood indifferently to the side, watching Shen Dehan’s struggle with cold eyes and a mocking expression on his face, “Don’t bother, they won’t care about you even if they hear you.”

It was only then that Shen Dehan noticed Wang Changlin. As if some thought crossed his mind, he glared viciously at Wang Changlin, trying hard to express his anger.

Wang Changlin laughed contemptuously, his voice sinister, “You want to know why I did it? Don’t worry, you’ll soon find out.”

When those words were said, Shen Dehan’s eyes went black and he suddenly fainted. Behind Shen Dehan, the man indifferently lowered his hand and looked at Wang Changlin. Wang Changlin was not impressed by his behaviour and walked out, instructing as he went, “Inform Shen Ji and the others that I am waiting for them at Shen’s house.”

Wang Changlin’s order was quickly carried out, and the first to receive the notice was Shen Ji.

After he hung up the phone, Shen Ji’s face was very ugly. Earlier, in order to avoid stimulating Shen Dehan, he had concealed the fact that Wang Changlin had taken control of Shen Group. After learning Wang Changlin’s true identity from Li Mingxuan, he had even instructed the bodyguards around Shen Dehan to forbid Wang Changlin from appearing at the hospital. But what he did not expect was that Wang Changlin would take Shen Dehan surrounded by bodyguards away smoothly, and not only the bodyguards but also the hospital would not react in any way. Shen Ji’s eyes were full of gloom. There was no doubt that the bodyguards had been bribed by Wang Changlin. The most urgent task was not to hold them responsible, but to find out what exactly Wang Changlin wanted.

Shen Xi was also trying to figure out what Wang Changlin was going to do. If he hated Shen Dehan because of his identity and his act of taking Shen Dehan away from the hospital was full of malice, then his act of sending Shen Dehan back to the Shen family’s house clearly meant that he didn’t want things to get too big. Did he want to solve the matter within the Shen family? This contradictory behaviour made Shen Xi very puzzled as to what Wang Changlin’s true intentions were. If it was just about Shen Dehan, Shen Xi did not care much, but thinking about Wang Changlin’s past with the Han family, Shen Xi frowned and resolved to go there in person. He needed to know Wang Changlin’s true intentions.

“I’ll go with you.” Li Mingxuan didn’t say much about Shen Xi’s decision but insisted on going with him. Li Mingxuan was already very concerned about Shen Xi because of his previous dream, and he had met the man from his dream in front of Lu Gesen’s house last time. Although there was no proof that the man was related to Wang Changlin, his heart was vaguely wary and he couldn’t help but want to be by Shen Xi’s side at all times.

“It’s just going back to Shen’s house, I’ll be back soon. Cousin, don’t you want to wait for Ye Han’s news?” Regarding this clingy behaviour of Li Mingxuan, Shen Xi only thought that he was stimulated by their previous break-up. In order to avoid Li Mingxuan’s embarrassing attitude, he did not want to involve Li Mingxuan in this matter, so he tried hard to convince Li Mingxuan.

“Ye Han will notify me when he has news. What is important now is that none of us know what Wang Changlin really wants. In case something happens, Ah Ji with Ah Cheng will definitely protect Uncle. Xiao Xi, if you are alone, I will worry.”

Li Mingxuan’s attitude was so firm that Shen Xi had no choice but to compromise. Each of them took a step back. Li Mingxuan would accompany him, but would not enter Shen’s house and just keep watch outside. As the two went out, Shen Ji, who was the first to receive the news, had already rushed back to Shen’s house with Shen Cheng.

“What a touching father-son bond!” Wang Changlin looked admiringly at Shen Ji who pushed the door open, obviously surprised that Shen Ji could arrive in such a short time.

Shen Ji gave Wang Changlin an expressionless glance. Shen Cheng, who followed behind Shen Ji, said sharply, “Where is Father?”

Wang Changlin leaned back on the sofa with a relaxed expression, like a host looking at his guests, “Dehan is resting in his room. Ah Cheng, if you worry, you can go and check.”

Shen Cheng subconsciously looked at Shen Ji, who seemed not to have heard these words and sat down in front of Wang Changlin with a calm look.

“Should I address you as Lawyer Wang or should I call you Uncle?”

Wang Changlin raised his eyebrows in surprise, “You already know?”

Shen Ji nodded, “I just found out not long ago.”

Wang Changlin let out a faint “oh”, as if the two of them were just talking about something that couldn’t be more ordinary.

Shen Cheng did not react for a while and repeated in a low voice, “Uncle?” The next moment his face changed dramatically and he looked at Wang Changlin in shock, “You!”

Wang Changlin smiled amiably at Shen Cheng, “What, Ah Cheng doesn’t know yet?”

When Shen Cheng saw this smile, he felt an indescribable discomfort. The intimate “Ah Cheng” made him feel as uncomfortable as if he had eaten a fly, and he looked at Shen Ji for confirmation, “Big Brother?”

Shen Ji nodded, and Shen Cheng’s expression instantly collapsed. Then he thought of something and looked angrily at Wang Changlin, “What do you want?”

For a family like theirs, illegitimate children were an issue that could not be avoided. Although Shen Cheng’s character was straightforward but it did not mean he was stupid. Wang Changlin had been lurking in the Shen family for so many years, and now he even held a controlling stake in Shen Group. To say that he did not have malicious intent was simply unbelievable.

Shen Cheng’s reaction amused Wang Changlin, who laughed lightly and became more and more amiable in his attitude, saying affectionately, “Ah Cheng is still the same, he can’t be patient at all. You’ll know what I want in a moment, but for now, I have to wait for Xiao Xi.”

Wang Changlin’s attitude once again affected Shen Cheng. He couldn’t imagine how Wang Changlin could still act as if nothing had happened. If Shen Ji hadn’t been around, he felt that he would have been unable to control himself and would have attacked Wang Changlin. Shen Ji was satisfied with Shen Cheng’s restraint. Their father was still in Wang Changlin’s hands and he did not want to get into a conflict with Wang Changin too early.

No one spoke anymore, and the living room fell into silence for a while. As time passed, there was the faint sound of footsteps in the foyer. A strange look flashed in Wang Changlin’s eyes, “It should be Xiao Xi coming, everyone is finally together.”

Shen Ji gave Wang Changlin a wary look. He vaguely felt that Wang Changlin’s tone just now was odd, what did it mean that everyone was together? Before he could think about it, Shen Xi pushed the door and walked in. Wang Changlin looked over with a smile and a crazy glint in his eyes.

“Xiao Xi!” Wang Changlin’s tone was like that of a close elder.

Shen Xi answered indifferently, surveying the surroundings in silence. As he expected, there were only a few people in the hall and none of the familiar servants could be seen. Thinking about the scenery all the way from the gate, it seemed that the entire house was empty apart from Wang Changlin’s people.

Shen Xi didn’t think much about it and naturally sat beside Shen Ji. Wang Changlin seemed to want to express some concern of an elder, but Shen Cheng impatiently said, “Didn’t you say you would tell us your purpose when Shen Xi came? Now that he’s here, you can tell us.”

Shen Cheng’s question was exactly what everyone wanted to know, and immediately everyone’s eyes focused on Wang Changlin.

Wang Changlin smiled and nodded. “Since Xiao Xi has arrived, it’s time for everyone to be together.” After saying that, he clapped his hands and soon, a few strange men pushed Shen Dehan and Shen Rong over from the side of the hall.

“Father!” Shen Cheng stood up and looked over eagerly, but Shen Ji gave Wang Changlin a covert glance. He noticed that Wang Changlin had mentioned twice that everyone was together, what exactly did it imply?

Shen Dehan was obviously very happy to see Shen Cheng, but he turned his head to Wang Changlin and became angry again, babbling something in fury. Unlike Shen Dehan’s anger, Shen Rong’s attitude was very abnormal; his expression was one of complete horror as he cringed and sneaked glances at Wang Chenglin every now and then, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Shen Xi did not look at the two men but stared dead on at one of the men behind Shen Dehan.

The rioting crowd, Fang Luowei standing in front of him, the knife that pierced his heart and the man’s grin, the last scene from his previous life came to his mind. Shen Xi seemed to feel that pain again as his life was draining from his body. Perhaps his gaze was too scorching; the man looked over keenly. Shen Xi lowered his eyes silently, avoiding the man’s gaze and hiding his hatred.

After pushing Shen Dehan and Shen Rong into the hall, the people quickly retreated, leaving only one of the men standing behind Wang Changlin. Wang Changlin’s expression relaxed even more as his eyes swept over the people present one by one, finally landing on Shen Dehan’s face.

“Now, everyone is finally together.”

His opening words were plain and uneventful, but Shen Xi and the others did not dare to be careless and all looked at Wang Changlin with solemn expressions. Wang Changlin smiled lightly, “Let me introduce myself first. I am Shen Shang, the eldest son of Shen Jiacheng and also Dehan’s elder brother.” These few words Wang Changlin had obviously deliberately said to Shen Dehan, whose expression instantly changed as he yelled angrily, expressing his disbelief.

The smile on Wang Changlin’s face deepened, “Whether you believe it or not, Dehan, I am your big brother. Our father knew that and, by the way, Ah Ji obviously knows it too.”

The words “our father” once again irritated Shen Dehan, who looked increasingly angry, but this time he turned his head and shouted at Shen Ji, clearly wanting him to come out and refute. Shen Ji was about to speak to calm Shen Dehan when the man behind Wang Changlin suddenly stepped forward and a knife was pointed at Shen Dehan’s neck. Shen Dehan’s voice stopped abruptly and his entire body froze in place.

“What do you want to do?” Shen Ji said angrily.

The man snorted, “I just want the old man to shut up.”

Shen Ji’s eyes moved to Wang Changlin, who shrugged, “I don’t like it when someone keeps babbling when I’m talking.”

Shen Ji gave Wang Changlin a deep look, “I see.”

After these words, the man quickly put away the knife in his hand and pushed Shen Dehan towards Shen Ji, then nodded to Wang Changlin and exited the hall. This time no one said anything; even Shen Dehan kept his mouth tightly shut, only expressing his anger with his eyes.

Wang Changlin seemed satisfied with the status quo and smiled faintly, “What was I just talking about? Oh yes, I said that I was Shen Shang, Dehan’s elder brother, the son of Shen Jiacheng. Shen Jiacheng knew full well of my existence, but he always pretended to be refined and elegant in front of outsiders, his character flawless, so naturally he could not let my existence spoil the good image he had created. I didn’t care that he wouldn’t acknowledge me, and indeed I never intended him to. I would not have appeared before him at all had it not been for my mother being very ill and wanting to see him. He rejected me, and I resented him for being mean and cruel but I also understood. He had to maintain his good image to the public and not let the scandal of having an illegitimate child break. But he should have never arranged a car accident that almost killed me when I was planning to leave. Luckily, I survived, but my face was burnt. When I came home after all the difficulties, I found out that during the time I was recovering from my injuries, my mother had passed away and I didn’t even witness her last breath.”

Wang Changlin kept a smile on his face, and even when he spoke, his smile did not change in the slightest, as if he was telling about the affairs of someone unrelated. Shen Xi lowered his eyes. The information Li Mingxuan had found indicated that the person behind the car accident was Grandma Shen and not Grandpa Shen, but for Wang Changlin, no matter who was behind the car accident, it was a fact that his life was completely ruined.

As Wang Changlin told the story, the people present had different expressions. Shen Xi and Shen Ji were very calm as they already knew about it beforehand. Shen Cheng and Shen Rong were stunned, but Shen Dehan was the only one who looked angry, and although he did not dare to speak out anymore, he stared at Wang Changlin with hatred.

Wang Changlin smiled and scanned everyone’s reactions before continuing, “I swore in front of my mother’s grave that I would pay back a thousand times the harm that Shen Jiacheng inflicted on me. Whatever he valued, I will destroy. He valued Shen Group, so I will take over Shen Group and make it change hands. He valued the image of the Shen family to the outside world. I will make the Shen family fall into disrepute and thousands of people will point fingers at it. He valued the legacy of the Shen family, so I will make the Shen family extinct. Over the years, in order to achieve my goal, I have given up my face and my identity, choosing to become a complete stranger. And now, with everything going as I had hoped, I am about to succeed completely.”

It was clearly an extremely vicious statement but it was said by Wang Changlin with a gentle smile, a dissonance that made even Shen Xi feel a chill in his heart. “What are you going to do?”

Wang Changlin had just mentioned the words “succeed completely”, and Shen Xi was more wary of Wang Changlin’s so-called “extinction of the family” than the change of ownership of Shen Group and the loss of the family’s reputation.

Wang Changlin looked at Shen Xi appreciatively, his eyes eerie, “You will soon find out.”

Shen Xi’s heart clenched and he subconsciously turned towards the doorway, but unexpectedly Shen Rong suddenly exclaimed, “Fire, there’s a fire!”

Shen Xi looked over. The hall was suddenly surrounded by countless flames. No one knew what Wang Changlin had arranged, but the flames rose to a height of a man almost instantly, trapping everyone in the hall.

Shen Xi turned his head to look at Wang Changlin. Like them, Wang Changlin was also trapped inside.

“You’re crazy!” Shen Cheng exclaimed, “Aren’t you afraid of burning to death yourself?”

Wang Changlin laughed wildly, “Me, I will die with you all, so that the Shen family will truly be extinct.”

No one expected Wang Changlin to be this crazy. Shen Ji pushed Shen Dehan towards the door and shouted, “Shen Cheng, Shen Xi, follow.”

Wang Changlin looked at them with a twisted expression, “You won’t be able to run. The door has been sealed off. The whole house except for the hall has been covered with accelerants and now the outside is also in flames. Where can you go after leaving here?”

Wang Changlin was telling the truth; except for the hall, the whole Shen family mansion was burning. Even from the window, the courtyard was in flames, and the whole Shen family’s house was like a sea of fire billowing in the wind.

Shen Xi’s footsteps stopped as Shen Rong behind him cried out pitifully, “I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die.”

“Shut up!” Shen Xi said in a cold voice, retreating to the centre of the hall. As Wang Changlin had said, the entire house had been covered with accelerants. Compared to that, the hall was now the safest place.

Shen Ji pushed Shen Dehan back to Shen Xi’s side and said, “What should we do?”

Shen Xi looked around, “Going out is impossible for now, we can only wait for help from outside. Cousin is outside right now, he should be able to think of something.”

Shen Ji breathed a sigh of relief. The fire started so suddenly and they were trapped inside before they could react. With his heart temporarily relaxed, Shen Ji looked coldly at Wang Changlin, who met Shen Ji’s gaze with a smile.

“Give up, no one can get in with this kind of fire. By the time they come in, we’ll all be burnt to ashes.”

Wang Changlin deliberately emphasised the words “burnt to ashes”, and Shen Xi keenly felt a tremor in the body of Shen Cheng beside him. Perhaps it was because he had died once, or perhaps because he was convinced that Li Mingxuan would definitely save him, even though he was trapped in the fire, Shen Xi’s heart was unexpectedly calm. Instead of huddling with Shen Ji and the others, Shen Xi walked towards Wang Changlin.

As the saying goes, when a man is about to die, his words are true. Shen Xi didn’t know if this was the case with Wang Changlin, but he needed an answer from Wang Changlin about his mother and the past of the Han family.

Shen Ji looked at Shen Xi’s movements with surprise and said in a low voice, “Shen Xi, come back.”

Wang Changlin was already crazy; Shen Xi didn’t care what the other party could do. Shen Xi turned a deaf ear to Shen Ji’s call and just calmly stood in front of Wang Changlin.

In the roaring fire, Shen Xi’s figure seemed to distort for a moment. Wang Changlin looked at Shen Xi with fascination, as if in a trance. He seemed to see Han Rou standing in front of him.

“Xiao Rou, you’re back?”

Wang Changlin’s voice was full of surprise, and Shen Xi lowered his eyes, “Did you approach Mother back then just to use her?”

“Use,” Wang Changli muttered and suddenly laughed loudly, “Yes, I was using her. I approached her in order to marry her so that I could use the Han family’s power to take revenge, but she fell in love with Shen Dehan. What’s so great about Shen Dehan? Just a liar pretending to be in love. You see, I just found Zhou Mingmei and easily tested his true nature. It’s a pity that Xiao Rou refused to get a divorce. I obviously convinced Han Yu to stand up for Xiao Rou, but Xiao Rou refused to leave Shen Dehan. What’s so great about Shen Dehan? What do you think is so great about Shen Dehan?”

“Hahahaha!” Wang Changlin laughed nervously, “Shen Dehan didn’t know that Xiao Rou was already depressed when she was pregnant with Shen Xi. Every time she went back to Han’s house I watched from the sidelines, carefully guiding her and using Zhou Mingmei to stimulate her. Telling her that Shen Dehan didn’t like her at all and definitely did not want her baby either unless Shen Cheng and Shen Ji disappeared, leaving only the child in her belly. I watched Xiao Rou become more and more anxious every day, watched her getting jittery from Zhou Mingmei’s stimulation, watched her unable to rest easy day and night because of Shen Dehan’s coldness, worried that someone might harm the child in her belly. I watched her getting wound up tighter and tighter until finally one day she completely broke.”

Wang Changlin’s smile faded, “I’ve never seen a woman as stupid as her. That stupid woman actually loved Shen Dehan.”

Shen Xi’s fists clenched in restraint, “What happened after that? Why did Mother jump out of the window?”

Wang Changlin looked at Shen Xi in a daze, “Yes, why did Xiao Rou jump? Because she found out about me, found out that I was Shen Shang, found out that I had been using her.” A hint of pain flashed across Wang Changlin’s face, “She thought I didn’t love her? How could I not love her? It took me six whole years to move her heart and make her forget Shen Dehan and love me, how could I not love her? She thought I was lying to her, but after six whole years of lying, I didn’t even know if what I said to her was true or not. She jumped out of the window like that, taking my child with her, why did Shen Xi survive while my child died there, why?”

Wang Changlin looked at Shen Xi in a trance, repeating over and over again, “Why did you live and my child died, why?”

Why? Shen Xi could not give him an answer, and for a moment he almost wanted to answer: would he rather live? His mother’s early death, the Han family’s downfall, his father’s indifference, the alienation of his relatives, and finally his tragic death in prison, if he hadn’t been reborn, he wouldn’t even know what he was living for. Who should he blame for all this? Blame Wang Changlin for using the Han family to take revenge? Blame his mother for not wanting to live? Blame his father for being too biassed? Or should he blame himself for being born?

The conversation between the two was heard by Shen Ji and the others and they all had different expressions. With a sigh, Shen Ji stepped forward and was about to call Shen Xi over when he suddenly heard the sound of breaking glass coming from a corner of the hall.

“Xiao Xi, Ah Ji!” Li Mingxuan’s voice came in, full of indescribable anxiety.

Shen Xi turned around in surprise, and Shen Cheng had already shouted out first, “Cousin, we are all here.”

Shen Cheng barely said that when he started coughing violently. Although the fire in the hall was large, there was not much smoke. However, as Li Mingxuan smashed the glass of the hall, the smoke in the courtyard surged in and filled the whole hall almost instantly. The figures of Shen Xi and the others were soon covered by the thick smoke and could not be seen clearly in the shadows.

“Quick, hurry up, go in and save the people.”

“Water guns! Water guns!”

“Xiao Xi?”

A jumble of voices rang out at the window, but Shen Xi only heard the call of “Xiao Xi”.

“Cousin!”

Loudly indicating his location, Shen Xi was about to move towards the window by memory, but unexpectedly Wang Changlin pulled him from behind.

“I remember now, you are the child of me and Xiao Rou, yes, you are the child of me and Xiao Rou.”

Shen Xi turned back in shock, and all he could see in the smoke was Wang Changlin’s insane eyes, but his face had a loving expression as he smiled at him gently.

“Let go!” Shen Xi tried hard to break free, but to his surprise, Wang Changlin’s hands were like iron pliers, gripping his clothes in a death grip, making him unable to break free.

“Xiao Xi?” Li Mingxuan’s voice sounded once again, seemingly not far from him.

“Cousin!”

Shen Xi replied loudly, then turned his attention to Wang Changlin once again, not noticing that Shen Rong had taken advantage of the confusion to come behind him.

Through the cover of the thick smoke, Shen Rong looked at Wang Changlin with a sinister expression instead of his previous cowering. As soon as Li Mingxuan appeared, Shen Rong took advantage of the chaos to set eyes on Wang Changlin. Seeing Wang Changlin holding Shen Xi, Shen Rong curved his lips in a vicious smile. He reached out towards Shen Xi and pushed him hard. Shen Xi momentarily lost his balance and fell towards Wang Changlin. Wang Changlin pulled Shen Xi to the floor and the flames quickly wrapped Wang Changlin’s body. 

Shen Rong looked at the two fallen men with satisfaction. The smile on his face had not yet receded when the crystal lamp, whose base had melted due to the fire, came crashing down from above his head, straight onto his back.

“Ah!” A miserable scream rang out.

Shen Xi was about to get up from the floor, but his body shook because the scream behind him was too shrill, and he almost fell on Wang Changlin’s body again. Familiar arms swept over from the side and Shen Xi was held tightly in Li Mingxuan’s arms.

“Xiao Xi! Xiao Xi!” Li Mingxuan repeated Shen Xi’s name frantically.  At the moment when Shen Xi fell, Li Mingxuan felt that his heart almost stopped.

Feeling the trembling in Li Mingxuan’s voice, Shen Xi said soothingly, “I’m fine!”

“Mingxuan, Xiao Xi, come out quickly, the hall is going to collapse.” Ye Han’s anxious voice came through.

Li Mingxuan calmed down and pulled Shen Xi back out in the direction he had entered.

The fire in the courtyard had been brought under control and a large number of firefighters were anxiously guarding them. Li Mingxuan pulled Shen Xi to the ambulance first and nervously examined the burns on his body. There was nothing wrong with Shen Xi, only minor burns on his palms. Because of Li Mingxuan’s cold face, the nurse had the sense to wrap Shen Xi’s hands carefully in layer after layer of gauze until Li Mingxuan nodded in satisfaction.

After confirming that Shen Xi was fine, Li Mingxuan did not stay long and took Shen Xi away, leaving all the follow-up to Shen Ji.

Back at home, Li Mingxuan carefully helped Shen Xi sit on the bed, put the pillow behind him and placed him in a comfortable position.

Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan speechlessly, “I only have minor burns on both hands, why do I feel like I can’t move my whole body now?”

Li Mingxuan grimaced and said in a low voice, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

Shen Xi originally wanted to make a joke, but he did not expect Li Mingxuan’s reaction to be so strong. Hearing the faint trembling in his voice, Shen Xi’s heart softened, “Cousin, I’m fine.”

“I know!” Li Mingxuan reached out and hugged Shen Xi, whispering, “I know! I know!”

Li Mingxuan couldn’t describe the terror of the afternoon. When the fire at Shen’s house initially started, he had just received a call from Ye Han stating that he had found Lu Gesen’s whereabouts. At that moment, Li Mingxuan was trying to inform Shen Xi, but unexpectedly he saw the house getting enveloped in flames in the blink of an eye. He subconsciously rushed over and the courtyard was already burning. Calling the police, asking the Ye family for help, he forced himself to calm down. When he had done all he could do and the rest of the time he could only wait helplessly for help to arrive, his heart was overwhelmed with regret; he should have insisted on staying with Shen Xi, he should not have left him alone in danger. When help finally arrived, Li Mingxuan insisted on going in himself, despite everyone’s resistance, afraid that Shen Xi would not be able to hold on till his arrival. During the long wait from the time the fire started until help arrived, Li Mingxuan felt like a walking dead. Only when he heard Shen Xi’s voice, when he held Shen Xi in his arms did Li Mingxuan feel like he had come to life.

“Xiao Xi.”

“En?”

“Wherever you go from now on, I must be by your side.”

“Good!”

The fire in the Shen family’s house burned for three hours before it was completely extinguished. Fortunately, Li Mingxuan called the police in time, and although the fire caused heavy damage to Shen’s house, the surrounding houses were not damaged in any way.

When Li Mingxuan accompanied Shen Xi to the Shen family’s house the next day, all he saw was a charred ruin.

Shen Xi stood there in silence, listening to Li Mingxuan say that Wang Changlin was not rescued in the end. By the time the rescuers found him, he had no heartbeat, but there was a strange smile on his face. Apart from Wang Changlin, the most seriously injured person was Shen Rong. In the car accident, only Shen Rong’s lower legs were injured and the doctor said that if he recovered well, there was the possibility of getting back on his feet. However, yesterday, smashed by the crystal chandelier, Shen Rong lost all sensation down from his waist, and he would likely never be able to stand up again in his life. Shen Xi thought of Shen Rong pushing him from behind and sighed. If it wasn’t for Shen Rong, he would have been the one hit by the chandelier. Shen Xi didn’t know if he should thank Shen Rong, who had originally acted out of malice, but by mistake saved his life. The cycle of karma, the flow of the world, perhaps there really was retribution in this world.

Shen Xi breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He didn’t know why he insisted on coming here again. Maybe subconsciously, he regarded it as a kind of saying farewell to the past. Shen Xi had to admit that Wang Changlin’s final madness had given him a great shock, and for the first time he truly understood the words that Fang Luowei said once, “When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” A trace of fear flashed through Shen Xi’s heart. Fortunately, he was not as crazy as Wang Changlin. He still had time to leave the abyss and walk under the sun.

“Xiao Xi!” Lu Gesen’s voice came from behind him, and Shen Xi turned around in surprise to meet Lu Gesen’s hesitant eyes.

“Cousin.”

In just a few days, Lu Gesen looked a lot haggard. Hearing Shen Xi call him “Cousin”, Lu Gesen smiled slightly and walked up to him.

Li Mingxuan let go of Shen Xi’s hand, lowered his head and kissed him on the forehead, and walked to the other side of the ruins, thoughtfully leaving space for the two to talk.

Lu Gesen said with concern, “Xiao Xi, are you alright?”

Shen Xi nodded. “What about you?”

Lu Gesen smiled bitterly, “I’m fine, I just couldn’t get in touch with the outside world.” In just one day, his world had been turned upside down. His foster father, who he had admired with all his heart, was the murderer who had caused the Han family’s destruction, and the so-called adoption was only to use him as a pawn. If Wang Changlin had just used him thoroughly, Lu Gesen might not be in such pain as he was now. But Wang Changlin’s using had a rare touch of warmth in it.

A trace of pain flashed across his face as Lu Gesen whispered, “What happened to him in the end?”

Shen Xi didn’t know how to describe it and softly told what happened yesterday.

Lu Gesen smiled bitterly, “He was always good to me, I regarded him as a real father. Even in the end, he was still good to me.”

Shen Xi listened quietly to Lu Gesen’s words. Perhaps Lu Gesen needed his listening more than his empty comfort.

Lu Gesen’s eyes fell on the ruins in front of him, and he said softly, “He had already signed the Shen Group split agreement earlier, splitting off the business that originally belonged to the Han family and transferring it to my name. Xiao Xi, I plan to leave the country next week and will settle abroad in the future. I will not come back if nothing happens. The Han family business doesn’t mean anything to me, and I want to leave it to you.” Lu Gesen said with a forced smile, “I originally planned to take you with me, but I didn’t expect you to be with Li Mingxuan. This is good, Li Mingxuan is a good person, I can rest assured in the future.”

Shen Xi refused Lu Gesen’s offer. He had no notion about the Han family’s business. In fact, it should have belonged to Lu Gesen.

Lu Gesen could not convince Shen Xi, so he had to accept Shen Xi’s goodwill. Patting Shen Xi’s shoulder hard, Lu Gesen smiled and left.

“Xiao Xi, no matter what, you’re the only family I have.”

“I know!”

As he watched Lu Gesen walk away, Shen Xi let out a silent sigh. He did not know how long it would take for Lu Gesen to get out of Wang Changlin’s shadow. He only hoped that Lu Gesen would be able to completely let go of his past and be happy in the near future.

With Lu Gesen leaving, Li Mingxuan returned to Shen Xi’s side and said softly, “Let’s go back, it’s time for you to change your bandages.”

Shen Xi nodded but did not act, instead turning to face Li Mingxuan and meeting his eyes openly.

“Li Mingxuan?”

“En?” Li Mingxuan’s tone was puzzled.

Shen Xi looked serious, “Have I told you that when I was trapped in the fire yesterday, I regretted only one thing?”

“What was it?”

Shen Xi smiled faintly, “I regretted that I never told you that I love you.”

Surprise flashed in Li Mingxuan’s eyes as Shen Xi stepped forward and intimately dropped a kiss on his lips.

“Li Mingxuan, I love you!”

“Shen Xi, I love you too!”

Translator’s note: This is the end of the main story. Next are the extras.

As I promised, I’m giving a warning: Chapters 96-98 contain incest, Ah Ji x Ah Cheng, with some bondage/dominance themes. If it bothers you, you can skip them no problem.

Chapter 99-101 are Xiao Xi and Li Mingxuan’s wedding and Fang Luowei. I do not recommend to skip them.