After My Death, I Became a Heartless Madman - Chapter 55
Song Shizhou paused, not answering her.
Madam Song carried an air of subtle, unyielding severity. Sensing Song Shizhou’s resistance, her expression shifted slightly.
“Song Shizhou, I’m talking to you.”
Song Shizhou suddenly raised her voice, sharp and decisive.
“So what if I did it? I have nothing to do with you now.”
Her words were crisp and final.
“Xiao Zhao, close the door. We’re leaving.”
Xiao Zhao looked bewilderedly between the two. Song Shizhou strode forward and yanked the door open.
“You get out.”
Madam Song scoffed.
“Wait.”
She stood motionless before the display case, the overhead light stretching her shadow long. The delicate porcelain lay quietly beneath it.
Song Lanyi stared into her eyes.
“Don’t lie to me.”
“This is Master Zhao’s masterpiece, he even flaunted it at the porcelain exhibition a few years back. Did you think I wouldn’t recognize it?”
“Nothing extraordinary about the craftsmanship. It’s just that the porcelain industry has been in decline these past years, letting this third-rate piece take the title of ‘Porcelain King.’”
Her tone dripped with disdain.
“How did you get connected with Master Zhao? Did Feng Yu help you?”
But Song Fengyu had never shown interest in porcelain, and that old man Zhao Xinglai was notoriously aloof and hard to approach.
So who had helped Song Shizhou secure this connection?
Song Shizhou stepped in front of her, shielding the porcelain.
“This isn’t Master Zhao’s work. It’s my replica.”
Her voice was hoarse, thick with revulsion.
Song Lanyi arched a slender brow.
“Your replica?”
“You have that level of skill?”
She seemed intent on examining the piece up close, but the overhead light blurred its finer details. Xiao Zhao instinctively moved to block Madam Song, only to be met with a sharp yell.
“Move!”
Song Shizhou snapped, stepping between them.
“This is between us. Why are you yelling at others? Do you really think you’re above everyone?”
Xiao Zhao flinched at the sudden outburst but quickly positioned herself as a buffer.
“Madam, we’re closed for the day. If you have business, please come back tomorrow.”
“Song Shizhou.”
Madam Song ignored the verbal attacks.
“You still haven’t told her who I am?”
Xiao Zhao faltered, glancing uncertainly at her boss.
That familiar helplessness surged again, no matter what, she couldn’t escape Madam Song’s entanglement. Did she hate her so much? Loathe her so deeply that even now, after she’d struck out on her own, she wouldn’t let her live in peace?
When Song Shizhou remained silent, Madam Song smirked.
She slapped her diamond-studded handbag against Xiao Zhao’s chest.
“Song Shizhou, whether you admit it or not, I am your mother.”
“I gave birth to you. No matter how much you deny it, no matter how much you protest or make a scene, that fact won’t change.”
Each word was a hammer blow to the already strained nerves of both Song Lanyi and Shi Zhou.
Xiao Zhao hesitated. “Boss.?”
Song Lanyi shot her a dismissive glance.
“Leave. This doesn’t concern you.”
Her tone was as haughty as ever.
Shi Zhou stood before the display, her face ashen. Xiao Zhao felt she shouldn’t leave but this was her boss’s family matter. She was an outsider. She shouldn’t interfere.
Song Shizhou looked at her wearily,
“Xiao Zhao, I’ll explain today’s matter to you in a few days. You should go back first.”
Xiao Zhao paused, then nodded.
The vast studio was now left with only the two of them, two people sharing the same bloodline. Despite having the closest biological connection, they stood opposed to each other like drawn swords.
Song Lanyi slowly walked toward her,
“This place isn’t bad. Where did you get the money?”
“Feng Yu gave it to me.”
Song Shizhou closed her eyes,
“It has nothing to do with Sister Yu.”
Madam Song let out an “Oh,”
“So it’s your friends helping you out then.”
“Su Ziqing, right?”
“What a pretentious name. I heard she’s a regular at nightclubs. What, do you like her?”
Madam Song chuckled lowly,
“Don’t you like your Miss Bai anymore?”
Song Shizhou still didn’t respond,
“She dumped you, didn’t she?”
Song Lanyi leisurely examined her newly done rose-red nails, her tone mocking and triumphant,
“I really can’t understand it. Whether it’s looks or talent, you don’t have much to offer. Why is Bai Ruowei so obsessed with chasing after you?”
Song Shizhou let out a faint laugh,
“I really don’t have much going for me. Nothing about me meets your standards. If that’s the case, why did you go out of your way to come here?”
Song Shizhou threw the exact same words back at her,
“Don’t you think it’s a waste of time?”
Song Lanyi froze.
Those amber eyes, somewhat similar to hers, swept over coldly. Though the gaze was calm and devoid of any emotion, the deepest anger in Song Lanyi’s heart was still provoked,
“Because I’m your mother!”
She slammed her emerald bracelet onto the display counter, causing a crack to appear in the decorative glass.
“Tell me, why must you insist on making ceramics?”
“If you want to start a business, there are countless industries you could choose. Why ceramics? Don’t you know the Song family’s roots are in ceramics?”
She coiled the bracelet back around her hand,
“Are you trying to compete with me?”
Song Shizhou paused, her lowered eyes carrying a hint of stubbornness.
As if too angry to speak, her nails dug deeply into her palms,
“What I do is my freedom. No matter what I choose, it has nothing to do with you.”
“Nothing to do with me?”
Song Lanyi laughed, banging the bracelet loudly against the counter,
“I’m your mother! Even if the bones are broken, the tendons remain connected. Denying it is useless no matter what, I’m still your mother!”
Madam Song was strikingly beautiful. Even nearing fifty, traces of her youthful charm remained. But her tone carried a hint of madness, twisting her lovely face into something almost ferocious.
Song Shizhou roared,
“I never asked you to give birth to me!”
“From the moment I was born, you abandoned me in District 14. Did you ever once care for me or even glance my way while I was growing up? If you gave birth to me just to make me suffer, then why did you have me at all?”
Song Lanyi was taken aback,
“If you hate me, you could’ve just said so. Why hide from me all the way out here?”
From the intensity of her emotions, Song Shizhou’s eyes reddened slightly,
“Mom, you keep saying Feng Yu is better than me, but have you ever considered that I’m your actual daughter?”
The glass casing surrounding the ceramics was now shattered beyond recognition, covered in a web of cracks. Song Shizhou hesitated, then finally removed the broken casing.
The delicate porcelain emitted a soft glow under the beige lighting. Though the details remained somewhat blurred by the light, its beauty was impossible to ignore. The ceramic radiated a pure white luster, as dazzling as moonlight.
“Feng Yu has no interest in porcelain, but I love it even have a talent for it. Have you ever wondered why?”
“Because we share the same blood. Just as you said, no matter how much I deny it, this is a gift you passed down to me.”
Song Lanyi’s expression stiffened.
“Mom, I’m not lying. I really made this piece. The Sun family has a spot this year to study under Master Zhao. Little Sun isn’t interested, so Old Master Sun said if I could replicate one of Master Zhao’s famous works within a month, he’d give the opportunity to me.”
“If this piece could fool even your eyes, then it must be quite successful. So, I might be leaving the Inner City soon heading to the Third District to study under Master Zhao in seclusion.”
“I heard the Song family’s porcelain company has relisted. Maybe this was your way of preparing for me or maybe I’m just overthinking it. Mom, I know you don’t like me, that you look down on me. I have self-awareness, and I’m saying this clearly now.”
“Let’s just stop seeing each other.”
Song Lanyi’s hands trembled faintly.
“You’re going to the Third District?”
Seeing her disbelief, Song Shizhou almost wanted to laugh. Wasn’t this the fate Song Lanyi had arranged for her in her past life? Even if Madam Song hadn’t been reborn, she must have long planned to make her leave.
Suddenly exhausted, Song Shizhou turned and walked back to the lounge.
The vast studio was now empty except for Madam Song. Her mind went blank, as if she’d forgotten why she’d come here in the first place.
As if possessed, only one thought remained:
She couldn’t let Song Shizhou leave.
She couldn’t let her go.
The protective casing around the porcelain was removed. The exquisite ceramic cast soft halos under the light faint, very faint hues.
Beautiful.
Song Shizhou answered a call, it was Little Sun. Their conversation drifted clearly into Song Lanyi’s ears, word for word.
“I’ve finished the piece according to Old Master Sun’s request.”
“I’ve handed the studio over to Xiao Zhao. I can leave the Inner City anytime.”
“Next Wednesday works. I’ll book the flight.”
A loud crash.
The world seemed to pause for a second.
The crisp, unmistakable sound of shattering porcelain.
Song Shizhou froze, dropped the phone, and stumbled out of the lounge.
Amid the wreckage, Song Lanyi stood weakly among the broken shards.
She had smashed the porcelain.
She had smashed it!
Song Shizhou stopped, disbelief written across her face.
“You broke it?”
Song Lanyi nodded, her expression trembling.
“That’s right.”
Her eyes flickered uncontrollably as she slumped onto the sofa, her hysteria making her seem almost pitiful.
“You want to leave but I won’t let you. I won’t let you walk out of the Inner City so easily.”
Song Shizhou crouched down and suddenly smiled.
She wasn’t someone who openly expressed her emotions, so even her smiles were always somewhat subdued. But this particular smile was uncharacteristically unrestrained. A sudden chill ran down Madam Song’s spine, raising goosebumps all over her body.
She heard Shi Zhou say,
“Mom, I lied to you.”
Song Lanyi froze. “What?”
The next second, Shi Zhou lunged forward, gripping her shoulders with force.
“Mom, I said I lied to you. This porcelain piece is genuine.”
The floor was littered with shattered porcelain, its edges gleaming dangerously. Song Lanyi stumbled back in panic, while Song Shizhou casually picked up a shard. The sharp edge cut her hand, blood trickling down her fingers.
She said, blood is thicker than water,
“This was Master Zhao’s proud masterpiece completed at fifty, an invaluable treasure. Master Zhao holds an unparalleled position in the porcelain world. You smashed it.”
Song Shizhou beamed, her tone eerily light as if discussing something trivial rather than a tragedy,
“You’re finished. Your career is over.”
Unprecedented panic gripped Madam Song’s heart. She stared in disbelief at the scene before her, retreating several steps in haste. For a moment, she couldn’t decide whether to panic over destroying Master Zhao’s work or over the unprecedented aggression her daughter was displaying before her.
Had her earlier helplessness, that show of struggle and grievance, all been an act to lower her guard?
It was as if Song Shizhou could read her thoughts.
“Before telling a lie, you must first convince yourself.”
“You set me up?”
Song Shizhou smiled.
“I set you up.”
“You smashed the porcelain. You committed the offense. It has nothing to do with me.”
“But you were right about one thing, Mom. I am indeed your child. I’ll return your flesh and blood to you, just in a different way.” She leaned close to Song Lanyi, whispering words only the two of them could hear,
“Mom, I want to devour you. I’ve wanted to for so long.”
Song Lanyi was terrified beyond measure.
“What? What did you say?”
Shi Zhou advanced toward her step by step.
“There were countless ways I could have made you smash that porcelain, even if you didn’t want to. But I never expected you to choose the stupidest one.”
“Do you know how I met Master Zhao?”
She closed in on Song Lanyi, those few meters stretching endlessly in Song Lanyi’s eyes, as if it would take a lifetime to cross.
Her gaze swept over Song Lanyi from head to toe, smiling.
“Mom, did you know? Chen Ting found me.”
A deafening explosion went off in Song Lanyi’s mind. The string that had been taut for over twenty years finally snapped.
“Twenty years ago, to secure custody of me, you abandoned me with the Lu family couple in District Fourteen, leaving me to fend for myself. You thought that would be revenge on Chen Ting, that it would make me acknowledge only you as my mother. You were wrong.”
“She still found me. She still claimed me. She said it was all her fault. She treats me so much better than you ever did. She invested in my studio. She introduced me to Master Zhao.”
“She said she wants to make it up to me. And you?”
“Mom, what have you ever done for me? How can you compare to her?”
Song Lanyi was on the verge of hysteria.
“Shut up! Shut up, Shi Zhou, stop talking.”
“All these years, I was abused by the Lu Family Couple, and you pretended not to know even though you were aware, afraid my identity would be exposed. After you brought me back to the Inner City, you despised me for not being as good as Feng Yu. You neglected me for years, belittled me endlessly.”
“Today, I’m returning all that pain to you.”
“The two things you least wanted to see in this world happened on the same day. Whether it’s your daughter or your career, the two things you cared about most, they’re both gone.”
“Mom.”
“Are you happy?”
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