After My Death, I Became a Heartless Madman - Chapter 65.1

She said, “Who wants to die with you?”

Assistant Zheng acted swiftly. Song Fengyu was surrounded by the people she had brought, pinned to the ground in a rather disheveled state.

The controller was smashed to the ground by Song Shizhou, its intricate data board shattering into two halves instantly. Her hand was cut during the struggle, a streak of crimson winding down her palm. Under the flickering candlelight, it was a mesmerizingly beautiful and sweet hue.

Those usually gentle amber eyes were now chillingly cold.

Song Shizhou’s voice was faint, but the emotion laced within sent shivers down the spine.

“Sister Yu, since you already know everything I’ve done, where did you find the audacity and courage to dare die with me?”

As soon as the words fell, the room erupted in uproar.

Song Fengyu slumped on the ground, her hands twisted behind her back, her eyes filled with utter disbelief.

The oppressive aura of enigma rendered her momentarily immobile. Perhaps at some unnoticed moment, Song Shizhou had already transformed into someone she could never manipulate or control again.

Outside the temple, hurried footsteps approached.

The mountain path, battered by the storm, was treacherously slippery. The sudden downpour had soaked Bai Ruowei’s coat, rainwater dripping steadily from her long hair.

A warm hand grasped Song Shizhou’s palm without reason, simply holding it. The crisp fragrance of osmanthus enveloped her, familiar and reassuring, making her fingers tremble slightly.

In this cold, maddening Baoxia Temple, Miss Bai’s warmth was the only solace she had felt all day.

Song Shizhou’s voice carried a hint of hesitation. “Miss Bai… why are you here?”

How did Bai Ruowei know she had been entangled with a lunatic? Shouldn’t she be in a meeting at the Surveillance Institute? Why had she come here?

The woman smiled faintly but said nothing, only tightening her grip on Song Shizhou’s hand.

Bai Ruowei’s palm always seemed scorching, warm and soft. She held that hand tightly, and before they knew it, their fingers had interlaced.

A look of despair flashed across Song Fengyu’s face.

“You came,” she said, staring at Bai Ruowei.

“Shouldn’t you be at the Surveillance Institute? What, you’d abandon everything just to be with Song Shizhou? You must really love her.”

The battle was already lost. Saying more would only make her appear more pathetic, and Song Fengyu knew this well.

But the next second, a despairing crash echoed before the altar. The lone unburned incense stick toppled in the chaotic wind, its flickering flame instantly igniting the prayer flags. In less than ten seconds, the entire temple was engulfed in a sea of flames.

The wooden structure was swiftly consumed by fire. Amid the inferno, Song Fengyu felt a mix of confusion and relief.

She hadn’t expected the incense to topple in the wind.

Even Heaven was helping her!

A dazzling smile curled on her lips.

“Shizhou, you can’t escape.”

Because this was a curse.

A curse brought by fate, one that had been destined for Song Shizhou from the moment she was born.

No one could change it.

From the moment she entered this world, from the moment Song Lanyi left her with the Lu family, she was doomed to be entangled with these people for the rest of her life.

The moment the flames erupted, everyone in the temple rushed outside, but the fire spread too quickly. The plastic casing of the explosives couldn’t withstand such an intense blaze for even half a minute.

Yet Bai Ruowei refused to believe in fate or curses.

Her voice rang in everyone’s ears:

“Get down!”

Before the deafening explosion, she tackled Song Shizhou to the ground.

Bai Ruowei wrapped her arms tightly around Shizhou’s waist, her eyes shimmering with what seemed like mist. Against the raging fire, they shone brilliantly, as if the flames themselves had ignited in her gaze.

“Don’t be afraid.”

Shizhou’s throat tightened inexplicably.

“I’m not afraid.”

She had never been afraid.

Because fear was useless, a lesson Shizhou had learned early in life. No matter what happened, she could accept it calmly. Life had to go on, and surely nothing could be worse than this.

The blast’s shockwave shook the mountain cliffs. Bai Ruowei held her waist and whispered words only they could hear:

“Hold me tight.”

Three trembling yet resolute words, shaken by both the force and emotion.

In this perilous moment, Miss Bai’s smile was fragile yet serene.

She thought: she hadn’t always been this determined. In her past life, she hadn’t been. Back then, she hadn’t firmly chosen Shizhou’s love. Now, she would spend every moment making up for it.

If asked what she feared, Bai Ruowei might honestly say “nothing” before realizing:

There was one thing she feared.

Something that kept her awake at night, tossing and turning.

She feared Song Shizhou’s death.

Bai Ruowei didn’t know what had transpired in the temple, nor the enmity between Shizhou and Song Fengyu. She only knew she couldn’t let the past repeat itself.

The rain-softened earth was cold and sticky, unpleasant to roll across. Sharp stones cut their exposed skin, yet one pair of hands never loosened their grip around Shizhou’s waist.

Shizhou could hear Bai Ruowei’s heartbeat.

Loud. Strong.

The dizzying spin made her nauseous, yet her mind flashed to Bai Ruowei presenting the Lu family couple’s confession, saying with unwavering certainty under Shizhou’s disbelieving gaze:

“It should’ve been obtained long ago.”

To the warm snow path where Miss Bai told her not to let go, their embrace tumbling down just like now.

To that suppressed yet heart-fluttering kiss they shared in the dim parking lot.

To countless interlaced fingers, that elegant face lost in passion, and their first meeting Bai Ruowei at the bar counter, her dazzling eyes glancing over casually.

As consciousness faded, a pair of pale green eyes filled her world. The color felt familiar hadn’t this same vivid green been the first thing she saw after rebirth?

“At approximately 12:30 PM today, an explosion occurred at Baoxia Temple on Dongheng Mountain. The cause is currently under investigation…”

“The explosion is reported to be of a severe nature, resulting in one serious injury, one minor injury, and multiple slight injuries.”

“The case is still under investigation. This institution reminds all citizens of the Inner City to pay attention to personal safety.”

Whether it was her perception or something else, Bai Ruowei felt the hospital room was particularly cold.

Reporters in the Inner City were always swift. Within just three hours, news of the explosion had already spread. However, this news likely wouldn’t remain for long Chairman Chen had flown into a rage upon learning of Shizhou’s injury, vowing to uproot the entire Song family from the Inner City.

The familiar scent of disinfectant lingered around Bai Ruowei. The person on the hospital bed lay with tightly closed eyes. Because she had been marked by Shizhou, Bai Ruowei was highly sensitive to her pheromones. The faint trace of night-blooming cereus fragrance was already very weak so faint that it was barely noticeable unless one paid close attention.

Bai Ruowei wore a thick, dark green blazer, her white hair cascading over her shoulders. The mud and grime had been washed away, but a slight dampness still clung to the ends.

The room held only the two of them. Under normal circumstances, she would have cherished this rare moment alone with Song Shizhou. But now, her heart felt numb.

Yet the scent of night-blooming cereus was already so faint. As if it were on the verge of dissipating, unbearably faint.

Miss Bai’s refined face appeared calm, but a closer look at her eyes revealed the obsessive trembling within.

After what felt like an eternity, she slowly, slowly pressed her cheek against Song Shizhou’s chest.

This was the scene Li Ningzhi walked in on.

The woman’s back looked heartbreakingly fragile, her usually upright posture trembling slightly. Hearing Li Ningzhi’s footsteps, Bai Ruowei slowly lifted herself from Shizhou. Even with damp hair and a few minor scratches on her face, her noble beauty remained undiminished.

Li Ningzhi spoke softly,
“Miss Bai, the incident at Baoxia Temple has been investigated. Miss Sun, who accompanied Miss Song to offer incense, said—”

Bai Ruowei closed her eyes, cutting her off.
“Don’t say it.”

Her voice trembled, fingers gripping the bedsheet so tightly her knuckles turned white.
“I never want to see Song Fengyu again.”

“Let her die.”

The fury and resentment in her words were almost palpable. The sharp surge of osmanthus pheromones struck with such intensity that Li Ningzhi froze in place.

It had been a long time since Miss Bai had lost her composure like this.

Li Ningzhi offered quiet reassurance,
“Miss Bai, Miss Song’s injuries are minor. There’s no need for such worry.”

This wasn’t a lie. The explosion had looked terrifying, but thirty seconds had been enough for them to distance themselves from the blast. Moreover, Bai Ruowei had shielded Song Shizhou, so she hadn’t suffered serious harm.

The diagnosis was a mild concussion. The doctor said she would wake soon.

Bai Ruowei slowly raised her head, meeting Li Ningzhi’s gaze.
“I know her injuries are minor.”

Her slender fingers traced Song Shizhou’s face, leaving a faint red mark on the pale skin.
“If they’re minor, why hasn’t she woken up yet?”

The steady beep of the heart monitor confirmed the other’s stable pulse. She glanced at it, a tear glistening at the corner of her eye. Then Shizhou should wake soon, shouldn’t she?

Bai Ruowei’s breath hitched.

At this critical moment, she shouldn’t be drowning in useless sorrow.

Everyone at the Surveillance Institute knew just how important Song Shizhou was to Bai Ruowei. Mia had already prepared to cancel all her work commitments, yet Bai Ruowei’s expression remained eerily calm. Biting her lip, she showed not a trace of excess emotion.

She proceeded to hold a press conference as scheduled, announcing Mr. Bai’s death, then met with department heads of the Surveillance Institute, impassively restructuring the power hierarchy. Everything seemed to be proceeding in an orderly fashion.

Until Mia touched Bai Ruowei’s fingers.

Her expression changed in alarm. “Miss Bai, why are your fingertips so cold?”

Bai Ruowei’s body temperature was usually higher than average even in subzero temperatures at a snowfield, her fingers would remain warm. But now, while Song Shizhou lay unconscious in a hospital bed, Bai Ruowei’s lips were pressed tightly together.

Receiving no response, Mia asked again, “Miss Bai, why are your fingers so… cold?”

Because she was dying inside.

The journey from the Surveillance Institute to the hospital wasn’t far. Upon returning to the ward, Bai Ruowei saw Secretary Sun keeping watch.

“Chairman Chen came by earlier to see Miss Song. I can keep watch here, Miss Bai should attend to your own matters first.”

Bai Ruowei effortlessly masked the turmoil on her face. Her tone was indifferent, no different from the composed Chief Inspector moments ago. “It’s fine. I bear responsibility for Shizhou’s injuries… I’ll stay with her.”

The familiar pressure in her voice left Secretary Sun no room for refusal. She could only shake her head and leave.

Bai Ruowei sat back down in the chair by the bed.

With clinical detachment, she dabbed the wounded corner of Song Shizhou’s eye with medical gauze. The abrasion from the struggle had left a vivid red mark on her skin.

Evening had fallen, the last rays of sunlight fading. Bai Ruowei’s expression was bathed in cold backlight when a sudden smile appeared at her lips, a heartbreaking, bitter smile.

The gauze slipped from her fingers. Biting her lip, her voice fractured with restraint. “Song Shizhou… did I handle today’s events very poorly?”

She could hold back no longer.

Composure, suppression, self-control, all dissolved from her face. Seeing the unconscious figure before her, icy memories from their past life flooded her mind. How could she not care? How dare she not care?

Mia had asked why her fingertips were so cold. Because the agony was killing her.

A woman’s shattered voice echoed through the hospital room, every word laced with self-reproach and torment.

“If I’d paid more attention to Mr. Bai’s movements, would he not have conspired with Song Fengyu? If I’d cared for you better, would today never have happened?”

Even as she demanded calm from herself, her trembling heart defied control. Was this heaven’s punishment for having obtained Song Shizhou’s forgiveness too easily?

But why was the one injured and unconscious not her, but Song Shizhou?

The woman’s cool fingertips traced the side of the person’s face once more. The figure on the hospital bed furrowed their brows tightly, as if trapped in a nightmare, compelling Bai Ruowei to lean down and, like an offering, use her soft lips to smooth the crease between those brows.

Song Shizhou was indeed reliving a nightmare.

“Song Shizhou, why didn’t you come to see me on my birthday? I hate you, I hate you! Why don’t you just die? You’re the person I despise most in this world!”

“I’m your mother. I gave birth to you. If you hate me, just say it outright. Why come here and put on this act?”

“Shizhou, the bond between us runs the deepest. Since we have no fate in this lifetime, why don’t we just die together.”

“Does it seem strange? But Shizhou, hasn’t love always been a war? A struggle, a torment, a game where the victor reigns and the loser suffers?”

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