Chapter 15

I once tried to overturn my brother’s conviction and have his case retried.

It was not an easy thing to do.

Fortunately, I still had Fu Ziyi by my side. He helped me gather evidence, used his connections to hire the best lawyers for me, and pulled strings on my behalf.

We almost succeeded, just barely.

But in the end, in court, the opposing lawyer confidently produced the letter of forgiveness my mother had signed.

To this day, when I recall that moment, I still feel terrified.

It was even more frightening than being stabbed.

Before that, I had always believed my mother was the closest person in the world to me, someone I could rely on for a lifetime.

But reality slapped me hard across the face.

She had signed the letter of forgiveness.

The reason was simply that, if the investigation went all the way, He Yu would not be able to escape responsibility either.

My mother said, “Xiao Yu is my only daughter now. Can you let her go?”

I was speechless. The words “I am also your daughter” mixed with the metallic taste of blood in my throat, and I swallowed them down.

How cruel reality is – we are not related by blood.

My brother had been my brother for eighteen years, but in the eyes of the law, I was still not considered his family.

My abusive father had died years ago. So in this world, my brother’s only family left were my mother and He Yu.

If they refused to pursue the matter, there was nothing I could do.

Later, in front of my brother’s grave, my mother finally stopped hating me. She said to me, “Let’s end it here. The living still have to go on living.”

I stared at her blankly, as if I was meeting her for the first time.

End it here?

What a laughable phrase.

My brother’s life was so vivid, he had such a radiant future ahead of him, and in the end, it was all reduced to just those words – end it here?

What a selfish excuse.

Why is it my brother’s life that has to end here?