Shao Yiping said, “Xu Ke, after facing life and death this time, I’ve also learned a lot. We must seize the moment, let go of what should be let go, and hold on to what should be cherished, because we never know when life might end. Don’t leave any regrets.” Throughout the day, Xu Ke was in a daze, hoping it was all just a dream. Huo Ming’s face and laughter kept echoing in her mind. Memories of their youthful antics and pranks surfaced, making the pain even more acute. After dinner, Shao Yiping urged Xu Ke to go home and rest, but Xu Ke insisted on staying to look after her. Shao Yiping got a bit annoyed, “Child, there are two professional nurses here, aren’t you at ease? If you stay here, sleeping on that small sofa bed, how can you rest well? I know you’re filial, but life is long, you don’t have to exhaust yourself to prove your filial piety. Go back, both of you, and come back tomorrow.” Unable to argue with Shao Yiping, Yin Wancheng and Xu Ke left around 8 PM after Shao Yiping had fallen asleep, driving back to Rongdi. As they passed by Yu Lu, Xu Ke noticed the lights were off, suggesting no one was home. Rongrong must have gone to the Huo family, right? She should definitely go to say her last goodbyes to Huo Ming.
Upon arriving home, Yin Wancheng, concerned, said, “Xu Ke, you seem down today, why don’t you take a hot bath?” Xu Ke was about to take his advice when her phone rang with an unknown number. She answered, and it was Rongrong. “Shen Mu isn’t answering my calls. Is he with you?” “No.” “Where is he?” “I don’t know, probably at the Huo family.” “Call him and tell him I need to see him immediately. If he doesn’t come, he’ll regret it for the rest of his life.” After saying this, she hung up. Xu Ke was stunned for a moment, feeling something was off. Just moments ago, when they passed Yu Lu, the entire place was dark. Where was she? She quickly called back, “Where are you now?” “I’m at Yu Lu, tell him to come immediately!” Rongrong’s voice was hoarse, with a hint of desperation and impatience, then she hung up again. Sensing something was wrong, Xu Ke immediately called Shen Mu, but his phone went unanswered. Was it on silent because he was at the Huo family? She hesitated, sent him a text, and then called Rongrong back. The phone kept ringing, but Rongrong didn’t answer. Xu Ke started to feel anxious. Memories of what Rongrong had said about ending the relationship in six months came back to her. Xu Ke had only listened at the time, but now, this unusual call had her worried. What would Rongrong do? After Huo Ming’s incident, would she resort to extreme measures? She hurried downstairs, calling, “Wancheng, come with me, we need to go out.”
Yin Wancheng came out of his room, “Where to?” Xu Ke quickly changed into her shoes, “Just nearby. Hurry up and drive.” After getting into the car, Xu Ke briefly explained the situation, and Yin Wancheng took a sharp breath, “It does sound like something’s wrong, we should go check.” From Rongdi to Yu Lu was just a minute’s drive, but Xu Ke’s heart was pounding. People often lose their rationality after a shock, and Huo Ming’s death was partly her fault. Shen Mu was someone who valued loyalty, and knowing Rongrong was actually Dou Yuan, their relationship seemed hopeless, and with Huo Ming’s death, it was truly over. Would she do something irrational? As soon as Yin Wancheng stopped the car, Xu Ke didn’t wait and rushed to Yu Lu’s door, pressing the doorbell. The door opened quickly, as if Rongrong was waiting right by it. However, the room was pitch black, and with only the streetlight outside, Xu Ke could barely make out Rongrong’s silhouette by the door. “Where is he?” Xu Ke asked, relieved to see Rongrong was okay.
Rongrong didn’t speak, just handed something over. In the dark, Xu Ke couldn’t see her expression or eyes, but her intuition was sharp; she could feel that Rongrong’s movements were somewhat slow and stiff tonight. Xu Ke instinctively took what Rongrong offered and was startled to find it was a clump of hair. By the faint light, Xu Ke realized Rongrong had cut her hair. “Give this to him as a keepsake. Actually, I’ve never liked having long hair. Since I was three, I always had short hair, but then, I heard he liked women with long hair, so I grew it out and never cut it short again.” After saying this, she slammed the door shut.
Xu Ke stood there, holding the hair, suddenly feeling a chill down her spine. Indeed, Rongrong was acting very strange tonight, urging Shen Mu to come just to give him a clump of hair? Yin Wancheng approached from behind, whispering, “What’s going on?” Xu Ke turned around, and suddenly, she felt something sticky on her index finger. She rubbed it unconsciously, and it was wet and slippery. Her heart skipped a beat as she hurried under the streetlight to see her finger was covered in blood. Her heart leaped, nearly dropping the hair in shock. “Wancheng, quick, knock on the door!” Yin Wancheng, seeing the blood, changed color and hurried to knock on the door. The room was pitch black and eerily silent. Xu Ke was frantic and hurriedly said, “Quick, see if you can get in through the window.” Yin Wancheng found the window and climbed onto the windowsill. Xu Ke, while pounding on the door, dialed Rongrong’s phone repeatedly, but she wouldn’t answer. Xu Ke was beside herself with worry, shouting, “Dou Yuan, Dou Yuan, don’t do anything stupid, open the door!” Yin Wancheng, standing on the windowsill, kicked at the glass several times until it finally shattered with a loud crash. Xu Ke’s heart jolted with the sound, and she abandoned the door to rush under the window. Yin Wancheng jumped into the room and turned on the light. He then reached out to pull Xu Ke inside through the window.
This was the back kitchen of the Yulu restaurant; it was filled with cooking utensils, clean and tidy, as if it had been deserted for a while. Yin Wancheng pulled Xu Ke towards Rongrong, who was lying on a sofa covered with rose petals, wearing a white dress. Some petals had fallen onto her dress, looking like bloodstains at first glance, stark under the bright light. Yin Wancheng quickly approached, lifting Rongrong up and checking her wrist which had been hidden under her waist. Indeed, her left wrist was covered in blood. Xu Ke rushed over, grabbed a lace cushion cover from the sofa arm, and handed it to Yin Wancheng, who swiftly wrapped it around Rongrong’s wrist.
“Don’t bother with me! Leave me alone!” Rongrong struggled, her voice hoarse from shouting. Xu Ke quickly helped Yin Wancheng hold her down. With his strength, he easily tore another piece of lace from the sofa backrest and bound Rongrong’s arms together. Then he scooped her up and rushed outside, placing her in the back seat of the car. As soon as the car started, Rongrong tried to open the door. Xu Ke was sweating with fear and quickly shouted, “Wancheng, lock the doors!”
Rongrong glared at her fiercely, “Xu Ke, don’t pretend to care about me. You wish I was dead, right? Everyone wishes I was dead now, don’t they? I’ll fulfill your wish!”
Xu Ke was exasperated, “Dou Yuan, you’re going too far. No one wishes for your death. You indirectly caused Huo Ming’s death, did you know that? If you have any conscience left, you should be comforting his family now, not harming yourself here.”
“Yes, I killed him. Isn’t my life for his life enough?”
“Does doing this have any meaning? Have you thought about your family?”
“It’s my business how I act. My life is mine, I don’t need you to care.” Yin Wancheng suddenly slammed on the brakes and coldly turned to look at Rongrong. “Fine, if you don’t want us to care, Xu Ke, open the door, let her out.”
Rongrong froze, looking at him. Xu Ke whispered, “Just drive.”
“It’s okay, she won’t die. I saw it; the wound isn’t deep, and she was pressing it against her waist.”
