She Died Once

Chapter 7: The Windfall

Sang Shuchen, as the head of the Sang family, had not made this decision of his own accord. Rather, he followed the expectations of the elder patriarch of the Sang family, stepping into the position of leadership within Gotham. Now, he sat at the helm of the second chair in Magic City's Gotham.

Despite the storm of controversy swirling online, he paid it little attention. While Sang Jiyue was caught in the center of this storm, he was preparing to leave the office, the perfume he had selected for her still lying on the desk—a gift she had always desired.

Just as he was about to shut down his computer, an anonymous email appeared in his inbox.

[Mr. Sang, I hope you're not off work yet. This email may be a bit bold, but if you don't see it now, I think you'll regret it for the rest of your life.]

Sang Shuchen’s initial reaction was to dismiss it as a prank from a random person. After securing the second chair, he had once made his email public for transparency, and since then, he occasionally received strange and threatening letters. He assumed this was just another of those messages.

He clicked on the email carelessly, only to find that it contained a video—eight minutes long.

This was the first video email Sang Shuchen had ever received. Something in his gut told him it might be crucial, so he decided to sit back, delay finishing his work, and watch the video.

What appeared on screen was an unfamiliar environment. After several seconds, Sang Jiyue's figure came into view.

She wore an elegantly crafted fishtail dress, the diamonds on the hem shimmering in the dim light. She was accompanied by two familiar figures—Yi Chuan, the youngest master of the Yi family, a close friend of the Sang family’s patriarch, and Ling Sicheng, a popular male star.

"Aren’t you going to help me deal with Sang Shu Evening?" Sang Jiyue turned to them, her expression tinged with feigned frustration. "Today is the perfect opportunity. My brother's business banquet is important, and I want to make Sang Shu Evening lose my brother’s trust completely, to make her the person he despises the most."

Yi Chuan, clearly captivated by her beauty, gazed at her with longing. "Yue Yue, I’ll do anything for you, just give me a chance to pursue you."

Ling Sicheng, still holding onto some semblance of reason, also looked at her with passion. "Yue Yue, as long as you ask, I’ll do anything—even give my life for you."

"Don’t exaggerate!" Sang Jiyue smiled charmingly, pouting slightly. "What I need from you is simple, Si Cheng. Just pretend to be drunk and do something a little over the top. As for Ah Chuan, you'll go and tell my brother that you saw Sang Shu Evening sneaking around and asking someone to get me drunk, then lure him into the room where you and I are."

Yi Chuan agreed without hesitation.

It was Ling Sicheng, however, who hesitated.

"Yue Yue, isn’t this a bit much?" he asked. "Sang Shu Evening clearly didn’t do anything. If we do this, aren’t we wronging her?"

Sang Jiyue’s expression turned cold at his refusal. "If you’re not going to help, then leave!" she snapped, her anger showing, though there was still a touch of ruthlessness in her eyes. "I deserve to be bullied by Sang Shu Evening? I’m just giving her a small lesson, and you’re still hesitating?"

Seeing the woman he loved upset, Ling Sicheng’s resolve shattered. He quickly grabbed Sang Jiyue’s hand and began apologizing, begging for her forgiveness.

The video abruptly ended, leaving Sang Shuchen alone in his office with only his breathing filling the silence.

He was in disbelief, rewinding and replaying the video over and over, his gaze fixed on Sang Jiyue’s familiar face.

He remembered the incident clearly. It was at a wine banquet shortly after he had ascended to the second chair. Sang Shu Evening had not yet distanced herself from the Sang family, and though she had become disillusioned with her family, she still accompanied him to social events.

Halfway through the banquet, Yi Chuan had approached him in a panic, claiming that he had seen Sang Shu Evening intentionally drugging Sang Jiyue and Ling Sicheng. Concerned for Sang Jiyue’s safety, Yi Chuan had come to him for help.

At first, Sang Shuchen hadn’t believed it. He hadn’t told anyone but quietly checked the wine that Sang Shu Evening had brought and discovered that it had been spiked. In the small bag, the word "enhancement" had been written in bold.

Sang Shuchen recalled his fury at the discovery. He had followed Yi Chuan to Room 1105 and found a drunken Sang Jiyue and Ling Sicheng. Suppressing his anger, he had sent Sang Jiyue to the hospital, then returned to the banquet hall, only to bump into Sang Shuchen, who was searching for him.

In his rage, he hadn’t even waited for Sang Shu Evening to explain. He had slapped her hard, dismissing her defense as nonsense. The more she insisted on her innocence, the more it disgusted him. He didn’t want to listen.

The argument quickly became public, and in front of the media, Sang Shuchen had publicly accused Sang Shu Evening, effectively destroying her reputation and leading to her first wave of public backlash.

From that point, they began to drift apart, their relationship ultimately breaking down.

Sang Shuchen sat in stunned silence, unable to shake the haunting memory. It wasn’t just the betrayal of his sister, but the realization of how easily he had believed Sang Jiyue’s manipulation, sealing his sister’s fate in the process.

As he grappled with the overwhelming guilt and remorse, the anonymous sender struck again.

[Mr. Sang, are you in pain right now? It’s a shame that Sang Shu Evening will never hear your apology. You’ll live the rest of your life burdened with this regret and guilt!]

The words struck him like a dagger, the guilt crashing over him like a tidal wave. His body trembled, and he collapsed over his desk, gasping for air.

"Evening... it’s big brother’s fault..." he choked out, his voice raw with grief. "Big brother shouldn’t have doubted you... I was wrong... How could I not trust you?"

How could he not trust her?

His sister, his Late Night, had always been gentle and kind, even accepting Sang Jiyue, a stranger, into their family with open arms. She had treated her better than anyone, and yet, he had believed Sang Jiyue's lies and wronged her.

But now, what could he do? The damage was already done.

Then, as if fate had not yet finished tormenting him, the next headline on his screen left him drowning in despair.

It turned out that, in addition to everything else, he had conspired with Sang Shujin to drive his sister to the edge once again.

"Evening, big brother regrets it..." Sang Shuchen clutched at his chest, as though trying to grasp onto some last bit of strength. "Big brother regrets it so much... Can you come back?"