“Qi Wu!” Seeing him enter, Ru Feng called out happily. Every time she faced him with a smile, she couldn’t help but feel good.
Qi Wu’s gaze softened, “You’re about to be discharged?”
“Yes!” Ru Feng raised her hand, “Except for my right hand being a bit inconvenient, everything else is almost fine. I’ll go home to recover slowly.”
“As the wind thought he was apologizing for the previous incident in this house, he immediately waved his hand, ‘Everyone has their own stance. You didn’t do anything unforgivable, so why are you being so serious? If it’s Qi Wu, I forgive everything.’
Qi Wu turned away, not meeting her eyes. ‘Thank you, Ru Feng, and take care.’
‘Will we meet again in the future?’ she asked.
His footsteps paused at the doorway. After a long while, he said, ‘I was born in this house and will also die here. Perhaps there won’t be another chance. But no matter where I am, I will always bless you.’
He left, and Ru Feng did not see him off.
‘At that time, I didn’t want to see you leave, and now, I don’t want you to see me leave. If you watch my back, you’ll be reluctant too, right?’
His gaze was filled with anticipation and reluctance.
Ru Feng nodded, ‘Yes, I am reluctant.’
‘So, don’t see each other off, just like me.’
‘Qi Wu, I will miss you.’
As the door closed, the long-hidden tears slid down quickly. Qi Wu wiped them away, and when he raised his head again, the previous fragility had left no trace.”
Some things, some people, can never be as one wishes.
Fortunately, everyone is alive, still able to breathe the fragrance under the same sky.
After leaving the courtyard, Ru Feng’s first stop was the prison. She could accept Ning Yuan’s death, but she could not easily let it go. She realized that without their repeated indulgence, things would not have reached such an irreparable point.
Sui Feng did not understand reflection and letting go, allowing persistence to turn into obsession.
The verdict had been passed: intentional arson and murder, two dead, four injured. Sui Feng was destined to escape the punishment of the law. But what could be done? Those lost lives could never be brought back.
In the visiting room, Ru Feng and Sui Feng were left alone. Qi Feng didn’t even look at Sui Feng, telling Ru Feng “it’s over” before walking out without looking back.
Sui Feng sat there, lifeless but with sharp hatred in her eyes, “You’re lucky to be alive.”
Ru Feng said nothing, just stared at her steadily.
Sui Feng snorted, “How did you seduce Ning Yuan that he would die saving you?”
Ru Feng lowered her eyes, “I wanted you to leave more peacefully.”
“Peacefully? How can I be peaceful? You’re still alive, and I can’t rest in peace.”
Ru Feng laughed softly, tears in her eyes, “Do you know how Ning Yuan died?”
“How? Didn’t he rush into the fire to save you and get burned to death?”
Ru Feng shook her head, “When Ning Yuan rushed into the fire, he held a water-soaked handkerchief over my mouth and nose. He realized we couldn’t escape and completely covered me with his body, cutting his femoral artery to soak my clothes with his blood. He died from blood loss, burned bit by bit, while I was only choked by smoke. Sui Feng, as his blood flowed out and flames consumed him, do you think he felt pain?”
“Stop, don’t say anymore!” Sui Feng stood up, wanting to pounce on her but was stopped by the cold iron bars, unable to touch her. “You wretched woman, stop talking!”
Ru Feng’s words were clear. “No matter how much pain he was in, he lay on top of me without moving. Sui Feng, he was burned to death by you!”
Like a curse, Ru Feng’s words echoed in Sui Feng’s ears.
Sui Feng hit the bars, “It’s not me, it’s you, it’s not my fault, not…”
Biting her lips until they bled, Ru Feng took out an envelope and passed it over, “You should understand this before you die.”
Sui Feng’s hand trembled. After a moment, she calmed down and opened the envelope.
But after a glance, she was stunned, her eyes wide, her face pale, “No, impossible, this must be a dream.”
Ru Feng held back tears, “You always say the Si Tu family didn’t treat you fairly, so you hate them. But what do you have to be dissatisfied about? You were never a Si Tu family member. Your biological father was just a nightclub gigolo. The Si Tu family pitied your background and raised you out of guilt toward your mother. Ask yourself, who has ever wronged you? Materially, you could take whatever you wanted. Spiritually, besides your second brother, how did your father or eldest brother mistreat you?”
Sui Feng finally looked up, her face gray, “Who are you?”
“I am Situ Rufeng!”
Sui Feng’s eyes widened, “You…?”
Rufeng gently said, “Didn’t you always want me to die?”
Actually, I died long ago, on the day you and Ning Yuan held hands and left. My current life is something my second brother exchanged at a huge cost.
“You died, and then came back to life!” Today’s shock was too much, and Suifeng felt dizzy, unable to think clearly.
“Yes, Situ Rufeng has long been dead. The Suifeng who is alive now has nothing to do with your love and hate. Yet you insist on holding onto it, which is why you killed Ning Yuan and yourself.”
“Situ Suifeng, I came to tell you that no one in the Situ family owes you anything. You owe us. You owe me a life, my father twenty years of nurturing, and our eldest brother twenty years of love. Ning Yuan betrayed you; he was wrong, so he has paid with his life. He no longer owes anyone. Suifeng, no one owes you anymore.”
Suifeng stared blankly, unable to shed a single tear.
The man she loved was burned alive in the flames she ignited; the family she resented was her benefactors; the sister she was jealous of had already died once.
Her hand fell weakly. “The person I wanted to die is alive, and the person I wanted to accompany died by my hand. No one is wrong; no one owes me—so who was wrong?”
“Ah!” She clutched her head and began to scream loudly, tears streaming down her face.
Rufeng took out her phone, “Second brother, I’m leaving.”
Qifeng pushed open the door, bent down to pick up Rufeng, and they left without looking at Suifeng again.
“Rufeng, aren’t you afraid I’ll reveal your identity’s secret?” Suifeng asked expressionlessly.
Rufeng closed her eyes, “Even if you tell me something unbelievable, I wouldn’t believe it.”
After they left, Suifeng returned to her cell, feeling as if her life had drained away. She placed a hand on her chest but couldn’t even feel pain. After a long time, she whispered, “Sister, you still care about me, that’s why you came to enlighten me, right?” She leaned against the cold wall, realizing how deeply he could love Rufeng.
Back in the car, Qifeng didn’t start driving immediately. Rufeng lay in his arms, crying uncontrollably. He stroked her hair, “Okay, don’t cry anymore. What’s past is past.”
The more he spoke, the harder she cried. Qifeng sighed, “Alright, cry as much as you want. From now on, you’re only allowed to laugh, not cry.”
“Second brother, I’m already fine; I can even run now.”
“…” Qifeng chose silence.
“I don’t want to take the car.”
Qifeng looked at her, “Why?”
“I get carsick.”
“When did you ever get carsick before?”
“I just started getting carsick recently.”
Qifeng pursed his lips. “You’ve just recovered. Walking so much will hurt you. Let’s go home first, and I’ll accompany you for a walk tomorrow?”
Rufeng shook her head. “Second brother, you’re treating me like a pig. It’s less than two kilometers from home, and you still want me to take a car?”
“But our eldest brother said you’ve been walking all afternoon!” Qifeng was frustrated. He had just gotten off work and heard from his eldest brother that Rufeng had been out walking alone all afternoon.
Rufeng felt even more wronged; she had finally been able to walk freely and enjoy it.
