After My Death, I Became a Heartless Madman - Chapter 56

The surveillance footage from the studio captured everything that had just transpired. Faced with irrefutable evidence, Song Lanyi could no longer deny her actions.

Moreover, she had no desire to deny them anymore.

Song Shizhou dialed the police.

The cool night breeze drifted in through the window, and the overhead safety light burned brightly, casting a dizzying glow that inexplicably made Song Shizhou’s vision swim.

Standing amidst the wreckage, her fingers were stained with a faint trace of blood, a wound from the shattered porcelain shards.

The Inner City had excellent public security, and the police arrived swiftly. The sound of sirens drew the curious gazes of a few passersby strolling nearby, their eyes lingering on the studio.

Amidst the chaos, Song Shizhou remained eerily composed.

The police arrived promptly. Two officers stepped forward to assess the situation, and Song Shizhou calmly recounted the events that had unfolded.

There was also the surveillance footage.

The studio’s cameras were linked to her phone. She downloaded the relevant clip and sent it to the officer handling the case.

“The surveillance footage recorded everything.”

Along with the officers came Fengyu and Madam Song’s assistant.

Song Fengyu had a rough understanding of what had happened.

It was she who had hinted to Song Lanyi to meet with Shizhou, but she never imagined things would escalate to this extent.

How could Mother have smashed Master Zhao’s work? Didn’t she know how valuable that porcelain piece was, or the consequences it would bring?

Given the gravity of the situation, she had assumed Shizhou would at least inform Chen Ting. Yet Shizhou simply stood there, calmly cooperating with the officers alone from start to finish.

Song Fengyu shuddered abruptly.

She felt as though she had never truly known Song Shizhou.

Song Fengyu helped the collapsed Madam Song to her feet. A police officer stepped forward, taking hold of Madam Song’s other arm.

“This woman is suspected of intentionally damaging another’s property and will need to accompany us to the station for further questioning…”

Madam Song’s face was ashen. The shock of what had just happened left her unable to utter a single word, moving mechanically under the officer’s guidance.

Fengyu, her composure slipping, interrupted sharply,

“We’ll be there shortly.”

Her gaze shifted to Song Shizhou, and the person before her felt utterly unfamiliar.

Fengyu’s eyes darkened as a terrifying suspicion gripped her, lending a tremor to her voice.

“Shizhou, what exactly happened just now?”

Song Shizhou glanced at the wreckage strewn across the floor.

“The police have already made it clear. Song Lanyi is suspected of intentionally damaging another’s property. I called the police to have her arrested.”

Fengyu’s face instantly drained of color.

Thanks to the surveillance footage, the sequence of events was clear. News of the destruction of Master Zhao’s treasure quickly sent ripples through the porcelain community of the Inner City. The Song family’s stance was that they would do their utmost to compensate, but whether this compensation could spare Madam Song Lanyi from imprisonment depended on the wishes of Song Shizhou and Master Zhao.

The police station’s investigation area was spacious. Song Shizhou sat in a chair, facing two officers assigned to the case.

She gave a brief account of the incident and provided the studio’s surveillance footage.

The younger officer nodded.

“Understood, Miss Song. We have a general grasp of the situation.”

Noticing her gaze, the younger officer offered a faint smile.

“Deliberate damage to another’s property is generally considered a civil case. However, if the perpetrator’s attitude is particularly egregious or the damaged property exceeds a certain value threshold, criminal charges could apply.”

“But considering your relationship with the suspect, mediation would be preferable.”

“I decline mediation.”

The police station’s processing area was small, with cold, hard chairs. Song Shizhou still wore her black wool coat, her expression unreadable.

The junior officer faltered, his tone shifting, “You… refuse mediation?”

Song Shizhou nodded.

The senior officer handled it more professionally. Without pressing further, he took her statement after confirming her refusal to mediate, then issued a case acceptance notice and arranged for appraisal of the damaged porcelain’s value.

By the time everything was completed, it was already past midnight. Song Shizhou thanked both officers and stepped out of the processing area.

The station had just taken in a group brawl case some middle-aged men who’d gotten drunk during late-night snacks. While waiting for processing, they’d caught wind of Song Shizhou’s case.

“Why no mediation… was it the girl who refused?” “She’s her own mother after all. Just some broken porcelain, what’s the big deal? Does she really need her mom to apologize?” “How heartless, arresting her own mother over such a small matter. Unbelievable.” “Like some TV drama, who’d have thought such cold-hearted people exist in real life?” “Shut up! Do you even know how much that porcelain costs? Or who owns it? Stay out of it.”

Song Shizhou paused, glancing back at them.

Perhaps due to an Enigma’s natural authority, the group immediately fell silent, heads bowing like frightened quails.

The officer handling her case called out, “Enough chatter! You’re here for brawling yet have time to gossip? Get in here!”

Such criticism wasn’t unusual in today’s society, someone would always find fault regardless of one’s actions. The words left no lasting impression; heard then forgotten as the officers led the noisy group away.

Yet certain phrases clung to her ears as she walked alone: “Heartless.” “Her own mother.” “Does she really want her mother to apologize?” “Cold-hearted.”

The office and waiting area were adjacent. Lost in thought, she was stopped by a voice: “Miss Song, please wait.”

It was Secretary Sun.

Though Madam Chen wasn’t in the Inner City, she’d immediately dispatched Secretary Sun upon hearing the news.

Secretary Sun guided her toward the lounge with a hand on her shoulder. “Miss Song, how do you intend to proceed with this matter?”

Song Shizhou hesitated. “Just follow standard police procedure.”

Secretary Sun nodded understandingly. “So no settlement then?” “Regardless of your decision, you should know Madam Chen fully supports your position…”

Chen Ting also despised Song Lanyi.

Because of Song Shizhou, she had initially wanted to force herself to let go of this hatred. After all, they had been entangled for half a lifetime and even had a child together. For the sake of that child, she didn’t necessarily have to take Song Lanyi’s life.

But recently, she had come to understand more and more about what Song Lanyi had done to Song Shizhou over the years, how she had abandoned her at the Lu family without a second thought, how she had oppressed and abused her after bringing her home. It made Chen Ting unwilling to simply let those past grievances go.

What Chen Ting chose to do was her own business. Song Shizhou had no interest in Chen Ting’s plans. Breaking free from Secretary Sun’s grip, she said indifferently,

“Please thank Chairman Chen for me.”

The police station was in the suburbs, and at this late hour, hailing a cab would be nearly impossible. After leaving the station, she stood by the roadside waiting. After a while, someone approached and stood beside her on the curb.

The woman looked exhausted, her long hair blending into the darkness, her entire figure shrouded in the dim night.

It was Fengyu.

Neither of them spoke.

The quiet night carried a quiet mood. Song Shizhou opened the ride-hailing app on her phone, watching the waiting time tick down slowly. Just before the timer ran out, Fengyu suddenly spoke.

“Was it intentional?”

Song Shizhou turned to look at her.

“What do you mean?”

Silence again.

In the stark darkness, Fengyu let out a soft sigh.

“Why bother?”

She smiled, her gaze fixed on Shizhou not as a question, but as a lament.

“Today’s matter, it could have been very simple. Mother is willing to compensate you for any losses. Even if she weren’t, I would be.”

“As long as you agreed to settle.”

“But you refused.”

A harsh beam of light cut through the night, the high beams of an approaching car. Song Fengyu squinted toward the source, her usually composed face now strangely alluring. The night wind lifted her long hair, so black it seemed she might be swallowed whole by the oppressive darkness at any moment.

The color was as stifling as her icy mood, suffocating her.

“Mother made a mistake. She’ll apologize to you. You should know, the revival of the Song family’s porcelain business was meant for you. Even the position I hold now, she’s considering whether to pass it to you.”

“Shizhou, we’re family. Do we really have to scheme against each other?”

“Why does it have to come to this?”

Fengyu turned to face her, the redness at the corners of her eyes trembling, her voice cracking with unprecedented despair.

“You say Mother treated you poorly. Yes, I understand that. But did you have to go this far? Or is it me you’re dissatisfied with? Did I do something wrong? Is it because of me that things turned out this way? If I hadn’t existed, would you and Mother still be at each other’s throats like this?”

A broken sob escaped her. In all her memories, Fengyu had never cried so uncontrollably. She was always restrained her heart condition demanded it. Too much emotion, and the expensive medication she took three times a week would lose its effect. Each pill cost thirty thousand yuan.

While she was taking expensive Western medicine for her congenital heart disease at the Song residence, Song Shizhou was scrubbing a basin of winter clothes with her tender hands. The tap water in winter was icy cold, like frozen pillars, yet she couldn’t use the washing machine, it saved more water this way.

When she first returned to the Song family, she felt that even a speck of dust beneath Fengyu’s feet could sustain her for a lifetime.

Song Shizhou paused.

Her heart felt a little cold, yet also a little resigned.

Fengyu claimed to understand her, but in this world, who could truly empathize with another’s suffering?

Her gaze met those desolate eyes.

“Sister Yu, you didn’t seem happy when Madam Chen recognized me last time.”

Fengyu hesitated before denying it.

“I wasn’t.”

Song Shizhou cut her off.

“Whether you were or not doesn’t matter.”

“All these years, haven’t you seen how Song Lanyi treated me?”

A single reproach, spoken softly, yet it fell like a boulder into water, sending ripples cascading.

Fengyu’s eyes widened abruptly.

“You say we’re family, that there’s no need for schemes between us.”

“So all the things Song Lanyi did to me should just be forgiven?”

“And I’m not allowed to fight back, is that it?”

Silence fell.

“Shizhou.”

Song Fengyu called her name.

Just like years ago, when Song Shizhou first returned to the Song family, Song Lanyi had pulled her before Fengyu and introduced her,

“Fengyu, this is your younger sister. Her name is Shizhou.”

The sudden memory left her feeling desolate. Song Fengyu’s voice was slightly hoarse, the kind of rasp that follows hysterics.

“I suddenly feel. I don’t quite recognize you anymore.”

Her figure trembled. Song Fengyu’s steps were unsteady, almost pitiful.

She left behind a trembling whisper in her ear.

“Don’t hate me.”

Fengyu’s figure soon vanished into the thick night. Song Shizhou stood alone by the roadside, staring into the oppressive darkness.

Strangely, just moments ago, she couldn’t hail a single cab, but now the street was suddenly bustling with cars. The passing vehicles let out crisp honks, filling the air with noise.

Her mood was heavy, but she had lived like this for so many years.

It was spring now, so the nights weren’t as cold as they used to be. Unconsciously, she found herself back at the studio.

The previously chaotic scene had been cleaned up, the shattered porcelain long gone. As if nothing had happened, she sat down on the sofa.

The room was unlit, the darkness almost terrifying. She used to fear such thick nights the most because darkness always brought nightmares and pain.

She thought about turning on the light but decided sitting like this for a while wasn’t so bad. Perhaps it had been a long time since she last felt this kind of fear, and now she needed it to distract her.

Fengyu’s words were exactly as she had expected.

As cold and indifferent as ever just maintaining the status quo, never caring about her feelings.

But she was used to it, wasn’t she?

The roar of an engine sounded nearby. A familiar black Maybach slowly pulled up in front of the door.

Someone pushed open the car door and stepped out. The signature white hair was the only bright spot in the darkness.

The neon lights cast their glow on Miss Bai’s face, the vivid red diluting her expression. Her detached demeanor, bathed in the crimson light, appeared eerie yet mesmerizing.

Song Shizhou froze.

“What are you doing here?”

“Didn’t you say you were going on a business trip? Did the Surveillance Institute’s matters get resolved so quickly?”

Bai Ruowei nodded, as if oblivious to the resistance in her tone.

“All settled.”

The white roses Mia had delivered a week ago still sat by the door. Bai Ruowei casually plucked a handful, the lingering blooms unfurling in her palm.

Outside, rain had begun to fall, a torrential downpour. Yet Miss Bai’s exquisite emerald-green suit remained untouched, pristine as if untouched by dust, a stark contrast to the rain-drenched pedestrians scrambling for shelter. A diamond stud in her ear caught the darkness, flashing an almost eerie light like an eye watching.

She held a black umbrella, a bouquet of white roses pressed close to her chest, their fragrance brushing against her pale neck as if blooming from her very veins.

Song Shizhou removed her coat, folding it neatly as if nothing had happened.

“You already know.”

Bai Ruowei nodded.

“Yes.”

Perhaps nothing in the Inner City escaped her eyes and ears. Yet Song Shizhou suddenly felt weary. Her gaze lowered, lips parting slightly before she spoke softly.

“Madam Song insisted on compensation, but I refused mediation.”

“Don’t you think I’m cruel?”

To speak of cruelty before Bai Ruowei seemed like telling a joke that wasn’t funny.

She smiled.

“No.”

“Seeking revenge against those who hurt you, how could that be cruel?”

“You did well.”

She said, how could she be cruel?

Song Shizhou’s eyes slowly lowered.

“What if I said, I did it on purpose?”

“That I deliberately harmed her, set her up, made sure she went to prison?”

Deliberately lured Madam Song into shattering that priceless vase. Even if she hadn’t, the moment she stepped into the studio, Song Shizhou would have found another way to make her pay.

Suddenly, she wanted Bai Ruowei to know, I’m not what you imagine. Not some resilient, tragic heroine of virtue.

Would Miss Bai wear the same shocked, unaccepting expression as Song Fengyu then?

“You say you did it on purpose?”

Song Shizhou nodded.

In the darkness, Bai Ruowei’s voice seemed almost indistinct.

“Isn’t that even better?”

Song Shizhou paused.

On the bustling night streets, producing a bottle of champagne would seem bizarre to anyone yet with Bai Ruowei, nothing felt out of place. The bottle gleamed, its contents shimmering richly under the lights.

“I came today to celebrate.”

Her tone was light, eyes curved in a smile.

“Celebrate?”

Song Shizhou felt suddenly adrift.

The expensive champagne was popped open without ceremony, its cool spray drenching them both. The tart liquid left them looking equally disheveled. Bai Ruowei’s long hair clung damply to her chest like a bud waiting to bloom.

Her gaze was wild and beautiful, mirroring their first meeting at that banquet.

“A celebration of your rebirth.”

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