After My Death, I Became a Heartless Madman - Chapter 40

Tonight was destined to be an extraordinary night.

Mia stood at the door holding Mr. Bai’s handwritten letter. She was usually a composed person, but tonight, she was unusually restless.

Secretary Sun stopped her at the door. Mia said,

“The offense against Miss Song wasn’t committed by Miss Bai alone. All of us were involved. If punishment must be meted out, then I’m willing to take all the blame on Miss Bai’s behalf.”

She handed Secretary Sun the letter from Mr. Bai. Its contents roughly stated that even if Bai Ruowei had made a mistake, there was no reason for the Council to detain her.

In the past, Mr. Bai might not have gone to such lengths to rescue Bai Ruowei. But Chairman Chen’s return had filled him with an unprecedented sense of crisis and pressure. He and Chairman Chen were openly at odds, and now, he could not must not lose Bai Ruowei as his successor.

Secretary Sun hesitated. She instinctively wanted to block the way, but it seemed she had received orders from someone, so she stepped aside.

Mia quickly pushed the door open.

She had expected to witness a horrific scene. After all, she knew Chairman Chen’s methods well. Miss Song was her long-lost daughter, and there was no telling what she might do for her. If Chairman Chen had still restrained herself out of consideration for her status when facing the Lu family parents, then she would have no such reservations when dealing with Bai Ruowei, her subordinate.

Mia’s heart was in her throat. But the conference room was pitch black, with nothing inside except a messy table.

The proud scent of laurel and the fragrance of night-blooming cereus were tightly entwined, the pheromones so thick that even Mia could sense them.

Such intense pheromones meant their owners must be experiencing extreme emotional turmoil. Mia was nearly frantic with worry. Most of the Council’s conference rooms had adjoining bedrooms. A dark brown wooden door was slightly ajar, and she instinctively peeked inside.

After just one second, she swiftly shut the door again.

“…”

“…”

Her face burned crimson, her expression grave. She thought she must have seen wrong but then she seemed to hear a soft gasp. Mia was utterly stunned. Staggering, she rushed toward the exit, only to trip over the carpet in her haste.

The fall was hard. Hearing the commotion from inside the room, Li Ningzhi grew tense.

She grew even more worried.

Secretary Sun stood outside the door, as if she had anticipated this outcome all along.

She remarked idly,

“Why are you out so soon? Didn’t you just say you were willing to take all the punishment for Miss Bai? Or have you changed your mind now?”

Mia: “…”

Li Ningzhi stood at the door, anxiously chiming in,

“Yeah, why did you come out so fast? We were all involved in what Miss Bai did, don’t you remember? We should bear the Council’s punishment on her behalf…”

Mia clapped a hand over Li Ningzhi’s mouth.

“Don’t say those words…”

She carefully tucked away Mr. Bai’s letter again and left Secretary Sun with three words:

“…Excuse us.”

Secretary Sun couldn’t help but laugh.

Li Ningzhi, still completely clueless, chased after her, asking incessantly,

“Wait which words did you say I shouldn’t say?”

Through the thick night and the gleaming bulletproof glass, Song Shizhou could see everything below.

Three little dots Song Fengyu, Lu Qi, and Lu Dabao.

She thought she should go down and take a look.

But in the next moment, she felt there was nothing worth seeing.

The person in the room had collapsed onto the table like a puddle of water. Bai Ruowei had just tried to hurt herself again to grab her attention. Whether it had worked on Song Shizhou was debatable, but it had certainly left Miss Bai in a pitiable state.

Truly, she had woven her own trap.

But now, Song Shizhou had a way to deal with her.

She helped Bai Ruowei remove the collar and gently wiped her injured gland with a soft handkerchief.

She applied some medicine to Bai Ruowei’s gland. Though Bai Ruowei’s methods remained as obsessive and extreme as ever, Song Shizhou believed she could teach Miss Bai what love was in her own patient way.

On a misty, drizzly night, Song Shizhou stepped out of the warm Council hall, holding a black umbrella.

The first floor was lavishly decorated, though, given its status as a federal institution, it avoided overt extravagance. Instead, the luxury was subtle.

After all, the most precious things were those that went unnoticed.

Her black lambskin heels left faint ripples on the wet ground. Song Shizhou glanced at her soles, these shoes were delicate, and once they got wet, they were as good as ruined.

For some reason, a light rain had begun to fall tonight. Song Fengyu stood in the vast courtyard of the Council, feeling as though the world around her stretched endlessly, like a dream.

No, a nightmare.

Raindrops slid down her cheeks. Her hair was damp, her expression disheveled. Water had gotten into her eyes, forcing her to remove her glasses.

A faint redness crept into the corners of her eyes, but she ignored it. A couple of drops stung, making her blink hard.

She rubbed her eyes roughly.

Lu Dabao clutched her hand, shaking it timidly.

“Sis, were Mom and Dad taken away by those people?”

Yes, they had been. The confession was clear and detailed. Without Song Lanyi’s protection, the Lu couple had proven utterly incompetent, the lawyer barely had to ask a few questions before they were on their knees, begging for forgiveness. Song Fengyu’s face darkened as she helped Mother Lu up.

Father Lu and Mother Lu were a mess snot and tears streaming down their faces. Some unidentifiable liquid had stained Song Fengyu’s expensive tailored coat.

These two were her parents.

Her heart ached. Suppressing her discomfort, she wiped the tears from Mother Lu’s face.

Father Lu gripped her hand, muttering,

“Madam Song had already forgiven what happened back then. We were about to reunite as a family in the Inner City… Why did this have to happen?”

Song Fengyu froze, her fingers tightening instantly.

“How can you say that?”

If Song Shizhou had heard this, she would have found it eerily familiar because this was exactly what had happened in her past life. Back then, the Lu parents had been “graciously” pardoned by Madam Song Lanyi, allowing them not only to escape punishment but also to shamelessly move into the Inner City. From the way Song Lanyi acted, it seemed she even expected Song Shizhou to visit them during holidays, rekindling some long-lost familial warmth.

Officer Zhang, handling the case, was furious the moment he heard this. Who wouldn’t be? The Song family’s affairs were infuriating enough how could these people have the audacity to keep leeching off Miss Song, even daring to dream of a happy reunion?

He grew impatient and had someone escort Feng Yu out.

“No visits until the verdict is issued, Miss Song. You should hurry back.”

Feng Yu nodded and turned to leave. Just then, the Lu Family Couple, realizing no one could save them now, began wailing like ghosts again.

Officer Zhang was so annoyed he nearly slapped Father Lu to knock some sense into him.

And he did exactly that.

Even the Surveillance Institute, an institution of power, carried a whiff of feudalistic hierarchy, and the detention centers under its jurisdiction were even more oppressive, where authority crushed those beneath it. Opportunities to please Chairman Chen were rare, and Officer Zhang was eager to seize this one.

After all, sometimes it takes a villain to deal with villains, doesn’t it?

A sharp slap sent Father Lu’s head jerking to the side, his eye swelling instantly. Mother Lu let out a pig-like screech before being dragged away, followed by another kick deliberately aimed at a vulnerable spot. Feng Yu, near the door, thought she heard something and instinctively turned back, only for Lu Dabao to grab her hand.

Lu Dabao clutched Song Fengyu’s hand tightly.

“Sis, let’s just go. What if… what if those people come out and arrest us too?”

Spoiled rotten by his parents since childhood, the boy had always been fearless. He’d known full well about his parents’ abuse of Song Shizhou but never considered it a big deal. Now that the same treatment was turned on him, he finally tasted regret and panic.

Song Fengyu’s gaze flickered before she replied,

“You haven’t committed any crime. What reason would they have to arrest you?”

The detention center loomed darkly outside, right next to the towering Council building. Lu Dabao grew frightened and squeezed Fengyu’s hand harder.

“Sis, I’m your only family left. Before Mom and Dad were taken away, they said they entrusted me to you.”

Lu Qi was a girl, long neglected, so she didn’t count in Lu Dabao’s family hierarchy. Now that Father and Mother Lu were locked up, wasn’t he truly Song Fengyu’s only remaining relative?

Lu Dabao was old enough for high school did he really need someone to spoon-feed him? Fengyu was irritated but still said,

“I know.”

“Don’t worry about school. You used to live in District Fourteen, there’s no way you’d be allowed into the Inner City anytime soon. Besides…”

Besides, Chen Ting probably wouldn’t want to see these people in the Inner City again.

Why had Song Shizhou suddenly become Chen Ting’s daughter?

Song Fengyu blinked in disbelief.

How had things spiraled so far out of her control overnight?

Song Lanyi must have known about Shizhou and Chen Ting’s connection all along, why had she hidden even this from her?

All she wanted was to keep Shizhou by her side. Why did strange people always have to interfere?

Perhaps noticing Fengyu’s prolonged silence, Lu Dabao burst into loud sobs.

The noise grated on her nerves. She yanked him up by the collar and snapped, “Stop crying!”

“Your schooling isn’t an issue. I’ll send you to the Third District. And you!”

She turned to the girl behind her.

“Your name is Lu Qi, right?”

This girl, Xiao Qi, it was her first time seeing her.

Technically, they were blood sisters.

Lu Qi crouched on the ground, silent from start to finish. Whether it was her parents being taken into custody or seeing Song Shizhou and Chairman Chen moments ago, she seemed utterly devoid of reaction or emotion as if…

She had known all this would happen.

Song Fengyu didn’t speak. She found this entire family bizarre. The girl suddenly stood up after hearing Fengyu’s words,

but when Fengyu saw her face, she froze.

What a stunning face.

Yet, due to her youth and an uncharacteristic aura of cold detachment, Lu Qi’s spring-blossom beauty carried a shadow of gloom and menace.

“Where is Song Shizhou?”

She raised an eyebrow as she asked.

Fengyu was taken aback.

“I don’t know where she is.”

“Right now, I’m the one questioning you. I’ll arrange for you to attend school in the Third District soon. As for the relationship between Song Shizhou and Chairman Chen, you’ve all heard it just now.”

“Don’t breathe a word of it to anyone you meet.”

Lu Dabao nodded frantically, but Lu Qi shook her head with a faint smile.

Song Fengyu irritably grabbed her sleeve.

“Come on, I’ll get you both a hotel room first.”

Lu Qi shook off her hand.

“No.”

Fengyu paused, annoyed.

“Then what do you want?”

“I’m waiting for someone.”

“Waiting?”

Fengyu blinked.

“Who?”

Lu Qi let out a light, mocking laugh, her tone dripping with scorn.

“You really don’t know anything.”

A bizarre feeling surged in Fengyu’s chest. She had no patience for this nonsense and signaled for someone to drag Lu Qi into the car. But the next moment, an umbrella opened above her head.

The rain had stopped.

Song Fengyu’s lashes fluttered. Song Shizhou stood before her, eyes glistening, the corners tinged with an unnatural red.

“The rain’s been pouring so long. Why not talk inside?”

Fengyu fell silent.

She took the umbrella from Shizhou, then realized, it looked just like the one Lan Chi had held that day.

Fengyu had severe mysophobia. She wouldn’t touch anything handled by someone she disliked. Her faint aversion to Lan Chi made her reluctant to stand under this umbrella.

Yet, the thought that it was Shizhou holding it compelled her to stay beneath its shelter.

Fengyu’s eyes reddened as she gripped the umbrella.

“The Lu family couple’s sentencing should be finalized soon.”

She didn’t know what tone to use saying this. After all, they were her birth parents.

But they had undeniably hurt Shizhou.

Did Shizhou think of them, those who had harmed her every time she saw Fengyu? The thought terrified her, yet she couldn’t stop wondering.

Would Shizhou hate her because of this?

A droplet trailed down her cheek water sliding from the umbrella, landing cold and wretched against her skin, mirroring her current plight.

Her voice caught inexplicably.

She met Shizhou’s gaze, forcing a smile as she spoke.

“They made terrible mistakes back then. As their kin, I apologize to you.”

“I know you must resent them, but Shizhou, please.”

Don’t hate me.

Before Fengyu could finish, Shizhou pulled her into an embrace.

“Sister Yu, why dwell on such unhappy thoughts? All I know is that today I found another mother, and I’m so happy. I want to share this joy with you.”

“Sister Yu, the Lu Family Couple’s misdeeds are their own doing. What does that have to do with you?”

Song Shizhou smiled,

“Sister Yu, how could I possibly blame you?”

With that, she opened her arms and offered Feng Yu an embrace, a soft, warm hug.

Song Fengyu froze.

Shizhou wasn’t angry, disgusted, or resentful toward her because of her connection to the Lu Family Couple?

She had almost prepared herself to be hated by Song Shizhou.

In that warm embrace, the inexplicable bitterness in Feng Yu’s heart began to fade. Song Fengyu held her, feeling the moment their heartbeats synchronized.

Song Shizhou patted her back reassuringly,

“Feng Yu, how could I ever dislike you?”

After all, you’re the only one in the Song family who has ever genuinely cared for me.

For some reason, Shizhou had thought Feng Yu still had something to say, but during their embrace, Song Fengyu didn’t utter a single word.

The heartbeat of the person in her arms grew increasingly rapid, pounding like a drum. Startled, Song Shizhou instinctively pushed Feng Yu away.

“Sister Yu, is your heart alright?”

“Have you not been taking your medicine on time lately? It feels like it’s beating too fast.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Shizhou seemed to realize something, and her face instantly flushed red.

Yet Feng Yu still said nothing, standing there dazed, as if struck dumb.

After a long pause, she finally spoke softly,

“Alright.”

“I’ll take my medicine properly from now on.”

If only for you.

The atmosphere between them gradually settled into quiet. Only then did Song Shizhou have the chance to glance at the others nearby.

Lu Dabao trembled like a leaf at the sight of Shizhou. Without a word, she gave him a cold, indifferent look, one so devoid of warmth it seemed to appraise a dead man.

Lu Dabao’s legs immediately gave way.

Unaware of his reaction, Song Fengyu steadied herself for a moment before taking her younger siblings’ hands and saying,

“We’ll… be going now.”

Song Shizhou nodded.

Suddenly, a small hand clutched at Shizhou’s sleeve.

Lu Qi looked up,

“Elder Sister, I want to talk to you alone.”

Song Fengyu paused, instinctively turning back. She couldn’t understand why this younger sister was causing so much trouble. Weren’t the Lu Family Couple always saying how well-behaved she was? Yet now, there wasn’t a trace of that obedience.

Shizhou pried the little hand from her sleeve and said to Feng Yu,

“You go ahead. I’ll bring her over later.”

Song Fengyu nodded.

With the nuisance finally gone, Lu Qi clung to Song Shizhou’s clothes, still stubbornly refusing to get up from the ground.

Song Shizhou sighed in exasperation,

“What do you want?”

Lu Qi didn’t answer. She stared at Shizhou for a long time before pulling something small from her pocket.

With a soft click, a mechanical rose bloomed in her palm.

“For you.”

Lu Qi’s expression was earnest, though the so-called “eternal” rose paled in comparison to her flower-like face.

Shizhou took the rose, idly twirling it in her fingers.

“What’s this supposed to mean?”

Lu Qi let out a light laugh, her tone serious,

“You’re not my sister.”

Song Shizhou froze.

This expression seemed to be within Lu Qi’s expectations.

“My sister isn’t as saintly as you. She doesn’t easily forgive those who’ve hurt her.”

“Like me, like the Lu Family Couple, like…”

Song Fengyu.

To protect every senior Council official, specialists would create countless doubles for them. With Chen Ting’s overflowing maternal affection nowhere to direct, creating a double for Song Shizhou now might be somewhat rushed. But using disguise techniques to quickly produce someone with identical height and appearance was still simple enough.

The person before Lu Qi seemed surprised, completely disbelieving that a girl could see through the Council’s technology. The next moment, Lu Qi continued speaking as if to herself,

“I know she doesn’t want to see me, but could you tell her how much I want to stay by her side?”

Lu Qi’s voice caught unexpectedly,

“Let it be my atonement for how I hurt her before.”

The person before her chuckled lightly,

“I can answer that on Miss Song’s behalf.”

“She would never give you that chance to atone.”