Chapter 156

Li Mingshi's words hit Lu Lingchuan like a sledgehammer, catching him completely off guard.

After confirming that Li Mingshi had been successfully resuscitated, he stumbled out of the hospital room, staggering with each step.

It was as if someone had poisoned him, rendering him mute, unable to utter a single word.

Yes...

Shen Nian didn't owe the Lu family anything; it was the Lu family that owed Shen Nian.

This included Lu Lingrui as well. Shen Nian had long since repaid her debt, yet because of Lu Lingrui's death, Shen Nian had been tormented for so many years.

Lu Lingchuan laughed, a laugh filled with bitterness, pain, reluctance, and... determination.

He was letting Shen Nian go.

There was truth in the saying that keeping Shen Nian in the Lu family would mean she could never escape the shadow of Lu Lingrui's death.

But away from the Lu family, Shen Nian could live her own life, a new life.

He chose to break up with her, to let her leave.

To ensure he wouldn't have a chance to regret his decision, he even chose to marry Liang Jinghe.

Now that he was married, he no longer had any right to be with her.

...

Lu Lingchen knew the reason behind Lu Lingchuan's decision to break up with Shen Nian and found it regrettable.

They had been slowly returning to how they were before, finally moving past their previous issues.

Breaking up now seemed such a waste.

But he couldn't refute a single word of what his mother had said.

Indeed, for Shen Nian, Lu Lingrui had been her salvation once, but she had also become the shackles binding her future.

"Have you really let go?" he asked.

Lu Lingchuan remained silent, then said, "She loves the sea. I never took her there."

After a pause, he added, "I suppose Xiao Mubai will take her in the future."

He had stepped aside, giving way to Xiao Mubai.

Lu Lingchen grew anxious: "If Shen Nian truly liked Xiao Mubai, she would have been with him long ago."

Then all this entanglement of love and grudges wouldn't have happened.

Lu Lingchuan fell into another endless silence before finally saying, "At least she'll be at ease with him."

Between Lu Lingchuan and Xiao Mubai, it was hard to say who was better. Xiao Mubai's only advantage over Lu Lingchuan was that he didn't have a sister, and his sister wouldn't die or be connected to Shen Nian in any way. So he didn't have to consider anything else and could wholeheartedly be good to Shen Nian.

As for Lu Lingchuan, his only advantage over Xiao Mubai was that Shen Nian loved him.

Lu Lingchuan researched famous beach resorts around the world and bought properties in each location.

He specially sent a timed package, including numerous property deeds with a "Happy Wedding" note underneath, every word handwritten by Lu Lingchuan.

Since he couldn't give her ease and happiness himself, he would let someone else do it.

...

No one had ever imagined that Shen Nian would commit suicide. The day Xiao Mubai came to the company, he broke the news to everyone.

Upon hearing this, Lu Lingchen immediately went to find Lu Lingchuan. As he passed by the employees' workstations, he could hear crying.

The atmosphere was heavy with grief.

Li Nan, with reddened eyes, was comforting Jiang Lingling, who was sobbing at her desk, clutching the notebook Shen Nian had left her.

As he passed by Shen Nian's workstation, Lu Lingchen paused and looked over.

There were still quite a few things on the desk, but all of Shen Nian's personal items had been taken away by Xiao Mubai.

Shen Nian loved sunflowers. To see them every day, she had bought fake sunflowers online to put in a vase, along with some cute sunflower decorations. Now, Xiao Mubai had thrown them all on the floor.

He didn't linger and entered Lu Lingchuan's office.

Inside, it was eerily quiet.

Lu Lingchuan sat in his chair, behind his desk which faced a large floor-to-ceiling window.

He had turned the chair to quietly look outside. His suit was dirty and disheveled from when he had fallen earlier.

He was holding something in his hand – a handmade doll. The doll wore a white dress with a single character written at the bottom.

Nian.

This was the doll he had made that time. They had bumped into each other at the mall, and she had smashed the original "Little Shen Nian" and thrown it in the trash. He had found that handmade doll shop and made an identical one.

Since then, it had been kept in a drawer in his office.

Lu Lingchuan gripped "Little Shen Nian," saying nothing, eerily calm.

Lu Lingchen was worried and couldn't help but speak: "Brother..."

Lu Lingchuan's body just swayed slightly.

"Has the house been transferred?"

When he spoke, his voice was extremely hoarse.

Lu Lingchen nodded: "Shen Nian had Xiao Mubai find professionals to handle it earlier. The contract has been completed now."

Those two houses of Shen Nian's... were and weren't bought by Lu Lingchuan.

When those two houses were first listed, Lu Lingchuan knew about it. He didn't buy them himself but asked a friend of Lu Lingchen to handle it.

This way, it couldn't be traced back to him.

Both Lu Lingchuan and Lu Lingchen had originally thought Shen Nian was selling the houses because she was leaving Beijing to develop her career elsewhere. That's what the real estate agent had said at the time.

Lu Lingchuan remained silent for a long time before saying, "Let's go take a look."

Lu Lingchen drove. This was his first time visiting the home where Lu Lingchuan and Shen Nian had lived together.

The door had a keypad lock. Lu Lingchuan personally entered the password and opened it.

The house still looked the same as when Shen Nian had left.

Lu Lingchuan walked to the living room, looking at the sofa where he and Shen Nian had sat for many years.

He didn't sit down but lifted the cushion and took something from underneath.

It was a photo – Lu Lingrui and Shen Nian's high school graduation picture.

Shen Nian had always thought she had hidden it well, that Lu Lingchuan didn't know she had hidden the photo there.

In fact, Lu Lingchuan knew. He knew everything.

Holding that photo, Lu Lingchuan said nothing, just turned and walked towards the TV cabinet, looking at the "Little Lingrui" placed on top.

He took out "Little Shen Nian" and placed it next to "Little Lingrui."

He crouched there, quietly looking.

"Mom, happy birthday to you. —Shen Nian."

Li Mingshi felt there was something else in the envelope. She tipped it out to find a bank card with six digits written on the back.

It was Lu Lingchuan's birthday.

Lu Lingchen recognized the card. When Li Mingshi was first diagnosed with cancer, she had hastily given him this very card after her initial shock. The account number for transferring funds for the two houses they bought was also from this card.

"Why would this child... send me a bank card?" Li Mingshi still didn't know that Shen Nian was gone.

Placing the card aside, she took the vase from the dining table, removed the flowers inside and tossed them on the table. She then carefully unwrapped the sunflowers Shen Nian had sent her, about to place them in the vase.

"Shen Nian is no longer with us," Lu Lingchen suddenly spoke.

"..." Li Mingshi paused for a moment.

"On the last day of last year, she committed suicide by jumping from a building."

"..." Li Mingshi stared blankly at the sunflowers in her hand, then gently set them down.

She turned her head and picked up the greeting card again.

"Mom, happy birthday to you. —Shen Nian."

She just looked at it, staring intently.

Suddenly, she lay her head on the table, her shoulders shaking more and more violently.

...

Lu Lingchuan received a call from Liang Jinghe asking him to come home. He hung up without saying a word.

Lu Lingchen, worried, went along with him.

Liang Jinghe hadn't seen Lu Lingchuan for a long time, or rather... he had left right after the wedding ceremony without even toasting the guests.

Knowing Lu Lingchuan was busy with Lu Lingrui's case, she didn't throw a tantrum. Instead, she patiently explained the situation to her parents and their relatives and friends on Lu Lingchuan's behalf.

But now, even though Lu Lingrui's case had been closed for many days, Lu Lingchuan still hadn't come home.

Liang Jinghe, who was cooking, heard the doorbell and immediately smiled, hurrying to the door with a spatula in hand.

"Lingchuan!"

When she opened the door and saw Lu Lingchuan with his now white hair, she was completely stunned.

"Lingchuan, your hair..."

They hadn't seen each other for just over ten days, yet his hair had become like this, and he looked so much more haggard.

"Jinghe," Lu Lingchuan looked at her, his voice frighteningly hoarse.

He said,

"Let's get a divorce."

After all, they had never truly been husband and wife.

Initially, to cut off any thoughts of seeking out Shen Nian, Lu Lingchuan and Liang Jinghe only held a wedding ceremony without officially registering their marriage.

After saying this, without waiting for Liang Jinghe to speak, Lu Lingchuan turned and left.

Just then, Lu Lingchen hurriedly followed, passing by Lu Lingchuan. He stopped in his tracks, glancing at Liang Jinghe at the doorway, then turned to look at the departing Lu Lingchuan.

Taking a deep breath, he still walked towards Liang Jinghe.

"Why..." Liang Jinghe stood in place, mumbling, unable to accept it.

She turned her head, looking at Lu Lingchen, "Is it because the person in his heart has returned, so he wants me to give up my position?"

"..." Faced with this question, Lu Lingchen didn't know how to answer. After a few seconds of silence, he said, "She can never come back."

"What?"

"Shen Nian committed suicide," he said.

"..." Liang Jinghe's figure swayed, and she asked uncertainly, "Shen Nian?"

"Yes." Lu Lingchen nodded, "You should know that Shen Nian was the one who accompanied my brother from nothing to something."

Liang Jinghe's throat felt dry as she nodded stiffly, "I know."

"Actually, besides that role, she was also Lingrui's best friend when she was alive, and my brother's first love—a first love he never forgot."

"..."

"Back then, it was her and Lingrui who went to find my brother. When they took a shortcut, they were cornered by those two beasts. Lingrui pushed Shen Nian to run, holding off those two beasts alone, and that's when the incident happened."

Seeing Liang Jinghe's shocked gaze, Lu Lingchen said, "I thought you knew this long ago."

Hearing this, a bitter smile flashed in Liang Jinghe's eyes, "I had my suspicions before..."

"..."

"So, I deliberately tried to get information from your brother. I asked him what the woman in his heart was like, and he said she was a gentle person. That's why I thought my suspicions were wrong."

Because every time Liang Jinghe saw Shen Nian, she was always aloof. She was an excellent employee, a meticulous assistant, and Lu Lingchuan was very strict with her. That Shen Nian showed no trace of gentleness.

Their interaction pattern gave no indication that they were once a loving couple.

"I understand now." She gripped the spatula, her smile growing more bitter: "Tomorrow, I'll announce to everyone that I've changed my mind and I'm unilaterally ending the marriage."

Lu Lingchen was surprised: "It's our Lu family that has wronged you. We should be the ones to announce it."

Although it hadn't been made public yet, the outcome was already known. If Liang Jinghe spoke up, all the rumors and public opinion would be dumped on her.

"It's alright," she forced a smile. "It's my fault. I took something that belonged to someone else, something that wasn't mine to take."

When Lu Lingchuan had proposed marriage, he had clearly stated that he didn't love her. Whether to accept the marriage or refuse, Lu Lingchuan would respect her decision and wouldn't force her.

And she... knowing full well that Lu Lingchuan didn't love her, knowing he had someone else in his heart, she still plunged headfirst into it.

"This is my retribution... I'm paying the price for my thoughtless choice back then..."

She mumbled, turning around and staggering step by step into the house, her silhouette desolate.

Price...

Hearing these words, Lu Lingchen was momentarily dazed.

Yes, everyone has to pay the price for their past actions.

Those two beasts who ruined Lingrui back then paid their price; they were sentenced to death.

His mother, who transferred the pain of losing her daughter onto Shen Nian, also paid her price; she got cancer.

Liang Jinghe, who took something that didn't belong to her, also received her retribution.

Shen Nian, who had abandoned Lingrui back then, couldn't escape karmic retribution either; she left this world in the same way Lingrui had years ago.

Now only Lu Lingchuan was left, and his retribution had come too.

The Lu family couldn't bear the pain of losing another child.

Even if life ahead was unbearable, he had to endure it.

Destined to be alone for life.

The End