Contract Over: Heiress Unmasked

Chapter 13: Shattered

The night before the court hearing.

Ruan Chutang was in the shower when a sharp, explosive crash echoed from the bedroom. She scrambled to rinse off the soap, threw on her robe, and rushed out to investigate.

The bedroom was empty, but a pile of ceramic shards littered the floor.

Her heart dropped. It was the ceramic doll her mother had left her. She remembered being twelve, sitting in a DIY shop with her mom, meticulously painting that light blue Cinnamoroll. Their names were still etched into the back of it.

Seeing it in pieces, a wave of pure, blinding fury surged through her. "Who did this!" she roared, charging out of the room.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

She slammed her fist against Gu Zechuan’s bedroom door. "Gu Zechuan! Chen Wan! Which one of you went into my room?"

The door swung open, and Zechuan stood there, looking utterly annoyed. "What is your problem? It’s the middle of the night. People are trying to sleep."

Chutang’s chest heaved with rage, her eyes burning with a murderous intensity. "Gu Zechuan, were you just in my room?"

"Why the hell would I be in your room?" He frowned. "Stop acting crazy. I’ve been in here reviewing contracts all night. I haven't stepped foot out that door."

"If it wasn't you, it was Chen Wan." Chutang didn't waste another second on him. She spun around and marched toward Chen Wan’s room at the end of the hall.

Zechuan, seeing her in such a state and fearing a confrontation, followed close behind.

"Chen Wan! Open this door!" Chutang didn't wait. She kicked the door hard.

Zechuan stared, stunned. This wasn't the soft, submissive girl he knew. What could possibly have pushed her to this breaking point?

Chen Wan opened the door slowly, looking bored. "Ruan Chutang, have you finally lost your mind?"

Chutang didn't answer. She grabbed Chen Wan’s wrist and dragged her toward her bedroom. Chen Wan stumbled, struggling against the grip. "Let go of me! Ruan Chutang, get your hands off me!"

Once they reached the room, Chutang threw her inside. Chen Wan lost her balance, her knee slamming hard against a cabinet.

"What is wrong with you?" Chen Wan shrieked, clutching her leg.

"Did you break my ceramic doll?" Chutang stepped into her space, her presence suffocating. "What were you doing in my room?"

Chen Wan’s eyes darted away, her guilt written all over her face. "I... I didn't do anything. I stayed in my room the whole time. You’re delusional."

Chutang stared her down, her voice dropping to a deadly chill. "Is that so? Because when I stepped out of the bathroom, I saw the hem of a beige skirt through the c***k in the door."

"Liar! I was wearing the gray one when I went in—" Chen Wan’s mouth moved faster than her brain. She froze, her face turning pale. "You... you tricked me! You didn't see anything!"

"Is that right?" Chutang’s gaze was like ice. "So you just changed into that beige dress, didn't you? Tell me, what the hell were you doing in my room?"

Terrified by the look in Chutang’s eyes, Chen Wan stammered, "I was just... looking around..."

"Looking around for what?"

"That’s enough!" Zechuan stepped between them, shielding Chen Wan. "Ruan Chutang, stop looking for trouble. It’s just a stupid ceramic doll. It’s broken. Buy another one. Stop harassing Chen Wan over a piece of junk!"

*Slap!*

The sound of the strike was deafening.

Chutang had put every ounce of her strength into the blow. Zechuan and Chen Wan both stood there, paralyzed with shock.

"Get out!" Chutang screamed at him. "This has nothing to do with you! Who gave you the right to tell me what’s important?"

Seeing Zechuan get hit, Chen Wan snapped. She pushed past him, raising her voice to confront Chutang. "How dare you hit him!"

*Slap!*

Another strike, just as loud.

"You get out too!"

A bright red handprint blossomed on Chen Wan’s cheek. Furious and humiliated, Chen Wan lunged forward to strike back, but Chutang caught her wrist and shoved her aside. Chen Wan tumbled to the floor, her palms landing squarely on the sharp ceramic shards.

"Ah! My hand! My hand!" she screamed. Blood began to pool on the floor.

Zechuan rushed to her side. "Wanwan! Are you okay?"

"She deserved it," Chutang said coldly, watching them. "If she hadn't broken it, she wouldn't have been cut."

"Ruan Chutang, you’ve gone too far!" Zechuan glared at her, his voice trembling with anger. "Apologize to her. Now!"

"She’s the one who owes me an apology," Chutang replied, her eyes dark. "She destroyed the only thing I had left."

"Zechuan, it hurts so much," Chen Wan sobbed into his chest, tears streaming down her face. "Please, take me to the hospital. Please."

"I’ve got you. Hang on." Zechuan lifted her into his arms. As he walked past Chutang, he shot her a look of pure loathing. "Get out. I never want to see your face again."

"Fine," Chutang said. Her voice was flat, devoid of emotion.

Zechuan paused for a split second. Something about her reaction felt wrong, but he couldn't dwell on it. Chen Wan’s hand was dripping blood onto the floor. He took one last, deep look at Chutang before rushing downstairs.

When the front door finally slammed shut, the house fell into a heavy, suffocating silence.

Chutang slowly sank to her knees beside the shards. Her hands shook as she reached out, unable to bring herself to touch the jagged edges. Tears began to fall, splashing onto the broken pieces of the doll.

"Mom... I’m sorry... I couldn't protect your gift... I’m so sorry..." She curled into herself, her sobs echoing through the empty room.

When Chutang was twelve, her mother, Su Qingyun, had fallen gravely ill. The gentle, smiling woman had been withered away by sickness until she was nothing but skin and bone. Back then, Chutang would run straight from school to the hospital every single day.

She would sit by her mother’s bed, telling her stories about school and singing the new songs her teacher had taught her.

"Mom, when are you coming home?" the young Chutang had asked, her bright eyes clouded with a sadness she couldn't quite name.

Her mother had been sick for over six months, and each day she seemed a little smaller, a little weaker. Su Qingyun reached out, stroking Chutang’s hair with a trembling hand, a soft, weary smile on her lips. "The doctor says I can leave soon."

"Really?" Chutang’s face lit up.

"Mhm." Su Qingyun’s face was ashen, but her gaze remained steady and full of love. "In a few days, I’ll be out. We’ll celebrate your birthday together."

"I can't wait!" Chutang had believed her. She truly thought her mother was getting better.

She didn't find out until later that "leaving the hospital" didn't mean recovery. It meant the doctors had given up, and they were sending her home to spend her final days saying goodbye.