Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Perhaps this world had always been shaped by the mind.

Or perhaps some law of quantum mechanics had been triggered by accident.

My obsession erupted like a cosmic singularity.

Everywhere at once.

Never falling silent.

I continued to exist as a soul for some time.

I saw Mom holding me as she cried until she fainted.

I saw my younger brother and sister, their two tiny bodies clinging to each other, terrified and lost, not even daring to sob.

I saw Gu Huai. My lover, Gu Huai…

The man who, in my memories, had always loved to throw his head back and laugh, was crying like a child, grief-stricken, furious, and utterly helpless.

At my funeral, the Jiang Family parents came.

Dressed in expensive, elegant clothes, they wore haughty expressions as they placed a check in front of my mother. “The murderer has already been caught. There is no need for you to keep feeling wronged. Besides…”

Madam Jiang glanced at my portrait, then sighed and shook her head.

“If your daughter hadn’t behaved immorally first, she would never have stirred up public outrage and brought this disaster upon herself.

“This matter cannot be allowed to grow any bigger and damage my son’s reputation. Consider this money a fee for your silence. Know what’s good for you.”

I leaned over and took a look.

Two hundred thousand.

After deductions, Mom’s supermarket wages came to nineteen hundred a month. This money was nearly ten years of her salary.

It was enough to cover my brother’s and sister’s schooling and living expenses for a long time.

Take it. Take it.

I shouted anxiously from the side.

They owe you this!

Mom, take it!

Then I watched my mother, who had always been gentle and weak, silently pick up the check and tear it, piece by piece, into shreds before flinging it hard into the faces of the two people looking down on her.

This woman, who had been beaten down by more than forty years of hardship yet remained optimistic and soft-hearted, who was even slightly socially anxious around others, now stood tall and spoke with ringing force, every word clear and firm.

“My daughter was kind and obedient from the time she was little. She was sensible and understood right from wrong. All these years, she studied hard and treated everyone with sincerity and goodwill. She would never have done the filthy things you accuse her of.

“It was your son who lacked character. He fabricated lies and smeared her name!

“My daughter cannot die an innocent death while carrying these slanders. I may have no power or influence, but as long as I am alive, this matter will never end here.

“I will get justice for my daughter!”

The Jiang Family parents were shocked and furious. As they slapped paper scraps off their clothes, they shouted, “Don’t be ungrateful! If your daughter hadn’t lost her life, we wouldn’t have bothered with you at all! You refuse respect when it’s given to you! Go ahead and make trouble if you think you can. I’d like to see what kind of waves you can stir up!”

“Get out!”

A cold, heavy voice rang out.

Gu Huai stood in the doorway, holding a little child by each hand.

One adult and two children, all dressed in white.

He looked haggard and exhausted, stubble dotting his jaw. On his face was a cold severity I had never seen in my life.

Madam Jiang’s expression turned ugly. She still wanted to say something, but then Gu Huai carefully brought the two little ones to Mom’s side, walked straight behind the door, and picked up a wooden club. His gaze was vicious as he stared at the two people in the room. “I’ll say it one more time. Get out.”

Seeing that the situation had turned against them, Madam Jiang and her husband fled in a sorry state, rushing out and into the car parked outside.

My gaze followed them.

Through the car window, I saw a face.

Jiang Yubai.

He was staring straight at my funeral portrait.

His face was as pale as a ghost.