Chapter 2: Reborn with a Vengeance (2)
867 Words
A crisp white handkerchief appeared before Shen Zixuan. He took it without glancing up, dabbing his lips with calm indifference. Blood from where he had bitten Lin Qingyan’s skin stained the cloth, but his voice was colder than the winter wind.
“Someone, take her away. I don’t want to see her again.”
Before the guards could reach her, a delicate voice rang out.
“Brother Zixuan, wait. She is still my sister. Let me handle this.”
A figure glided forward, her every step graceful, her demeanor full of gentle sympathy. Lin Yuxi—Qingyan’s “sister,” though never truly so in her heart. She bent down, pulled up the zipper of Qingyan’s dress with careful fingers, and slipped her hand into Qingyan’s trembling palm.
“Come, sister,” she whispered sweetly, loud enough for others to hear. “I’ll take you out. You mustn’t cause more trouble for yourself.”
To the onlookers, the scene was touching. The fragile younger sister, patient and forgiving, helping the disgraced elder.
But Qingyan did not move. Her eyes were locked on the altar, on the black-and-white photo surrounded by chrysanthemums. Lin Hao. Her baby brother.
Her feet felt nailed to the ground. She wanted—needed—to look at him once more. To etch his smile, his bright eyes, into her soul before he was gone forever.
Yuxi leaned close, her lips brushing Qingyan’s ear. Her voice was soft as silk, but her words were poisoned blades.
“Sister… do you want to know how Hao really died?”
Qingyan froze.
“If you do,” Yuxi’s smile never wavered, her tone dripping honey, “then be a good girl and come with me.”
With practiced ease, Yuxi tugged her forward. To the crowd, she was the epitome of kindness. Heads nodded, eyes softened. “What a gentle girl,” they whispered. “Unlike that shameless Lin Qingyan.”
Qingyan’s nails dug into her palms.
Once they had reached the shadowed corridor outside the hall, Yuxi dropped her mask. The warmth in her eyes turned to venom.
“My dear sister,” she purred, tilting her head, “do you know why little Hao died?”
Qingyan’s breath caught.
Yuxi’s smile widened. “Because I told him you had prepared a surprise for him. He wanted to see it so badly that he followed my instructions and climbed into your car. He hid there, waiting for you. By the time anyone found him, it was already too late.”
The air in Qingyan’s lungs turned to ice.
Yuxi’s words kept flowing, smooth and merciless. “And those photos of you in another man’s arms? That wasn’t you, of course. Just a little actress I paid handsomely. Surgery can do wonders these days, don’t you think? She looked so much like you even Zixuan believed it.”
She leaned closer, whispering against Qingyan’s ear, her perfume suffocating. “How could I embarrass the Lin family by letting the world know the truth? Better for everyone to think you were faithless. After all, you already stole the man I loved. Why shouldn’t I destroy you?”
Qingyan’s eyes widened, her body rigid. She wanted to scream, but her throat constricted.
“I even have a video,” Yuxi continued lightly, as if discussing the weather. She pulled out her phone, tapping the screen. “Do you want to see it?”
She didn’t wait for an answer.
On the small display, Lin Hao’s terrified face filled the screen. He pounded on the car window with small fists, his mouth opening and closing in screams unheard. His hair stuck to his forehead with sweat. His voice cracked as he cried, “Jiejie… Mama…”
The sight pierced Qingyan’s heart like a blade. Her knees gave way, but she clutched the wall, forcing herself to stand.
Yuxi tilted her head, studying her like a scientist observing a specimen. “Do you hate me now, sister? You should. You see, from the moment I learned of your existence, I wished you gone. I prayed for your death every night. I tried so many times, but fate spared you. Not this time. Now you have nothing. Your brother is gone. Your fiancé despises you. Everyone in this world believes you are filth. Tell me—how does it feel?”
Her words were venom, dripping slowly into Qingyan’s veins.
Qingyan’s vision blurred red. Her chest heaved as hatred surged like a storm.
“Lin Yuxi…” Her voice was hoarse, trembling not with weakness but with fury. “I will kill you.”
Yuxi’s eyes glittered, satisfied. “Pitiful. Even now, you think you have power.”
From the end of the driveway, the roar of an engine grew louder. Headlights cut through the night. Yuxi glanced at her watch and smiled. Perfect timing.
She stepped back, releasing Qingyan’s hand as the black car sped toward them.
Qingyan turned at the blinding glare. For an instant, Hao’s face from the video flashed in her mind. His desperate eyes. His last cry.
Her rage ignited. Her grief ignited. Her life—ended.
The impact hit like thunder.
Then everything went dark.
- Writer
