Creak—
The iron door of the abandoned warehouse was pushed open, and the sound of high heels slowly echoed.
Covered in blood, Xiang Wanniao lay on the ground at her last gasp. Her hands and feet were shackled in iron chains, and her once exquisite and beautiful face had festered beyond recognition.
More ghost than human.
Lü Siwei walked up to Xiang Wanniao, looked down at her from above, and said with a triumphant expression, "Xiang Wanniao, how does it feel to be abandoned by everyone and have your family torn apart?"
Seeing that it was her, Xiang Wanniao seemed to instantly revive with full health, lunging at her like a madman in an attempt to tear this woman's face to shreds.
Pity that her hands and feet were tightly bound by iron chains, restricting her range of motion so that she could not even touch Lü Siwei's heels.
"Lü Siwei! You bitch! I'm going to kill you!" she roared.
"Hahaha—"
Lü Siwei looked up and laughed aloud, her laughter filled with mockery.
"Xiang Wanniao, with what you've got, you think you can kill me?" She let out a disdainful scoff. "Your Xiang Family are all already dead."
"Look at the ghost of a person you've become now. I'm afraid in this entire world, only Gu Jingzhan wouldn't mind you. But what a pity, Gu Jingzhan is dead too, and he died a most miserable death."
"Impossible! Impossible!" Xiang Wanniao retorted in disbelief. "Gu Jingzhan won't die, he won't die..."
Lü Siwei sighed with pity, unhurriedly took out her phone from her bag, and played a video on it for her to see.
"Don't believe it? Then take a good look at who that person in the video is."
Xiang Wanniao watched as Gu Jingzhan in the video drank poison, the toxicity took effect, and he was tortured to a fate worse than death until he finally vomited blood and died.
Seeing Gu Jingzhan die in such agony, Xiang Wanniao's eyes gradually reddened.
Seeing Xiang Wanniao's reaction after watching the video, Lü Siwei felt immensely gratified.
"Gu Jingzhan really went all out. To give you a way to survive, he drank poison and begged for death. If not for you, Gu Jingzhan would never have fallen from his pedestal, turning from a towering figure into a prisoner."
Xiang Wanniao shed tears of bitter remorse: "Gu Jingzhan, I'm sorry, it's all my fault that you ended up like this."
"Xiang Wanniao, why do you think someone like you even deserves to live in this world? Not only did you cause the deaths of your parents and younger sister, but you also made the man who loved you most die for you. Just thinking about it makes me feel pathetic for you."
"Ah—"
Xiang Wanniao cradled her head in agony, her eyes as red as bloody pits, filled with intense hatred and murderous intent.
"Lü Siwei, you're the one who killed them! This was all a plot by you and Xiao Xu'an!"
Lü Siwei slowly squatted down in front of her, reached out to pinch her horribly deformed face, and taunted, "So what if this was all our plot? What can you possibly do to us in the state you're in now?"
"Why? Why did you treat me like this? Why?"
Xiang Wanniao could never figure it out. She had treated Lü Siwei as her best friend and firmly believed she had never wronged her.
Yet why had this good friend of hers joined forces with Xiao Xu'an to betray her?
"Because you are the most foolish woman in this world. It's precisely because of your stupidity that you were played for a fool, until in the end, everyone who loved you left you one by one."
Clenching her fists tightly, Xiang Wanniao glared at her with a death stare and cursed, "You scumbag pair, I curse you, I curse you to die a horrible death!"
Lü Siwei, however, was unfazed and even laughed as she said, "Xiang Wanniao, not only are you the most foolish woman in this world, you are also the most pathetic and pitiful woman. You can only blame your own poor judgment of character."
She continuously provoked Xiang Wanniao with her words.
"Hahaha, Xiang Wanniao, you lost—and you lost thoroughly. For the rest of your life, you will only ever be my defeated foe!"
Hearing these words, Xiang Wanniao was not provoked into anger; instead, she calmed down.
The hatred in the depths of her eyes gradually transformed into pity, and she slowly spoke, "Lü Siwei, you are the most pitiful and pathetic woman in this world."
With just those words, Lü Siwei's defenses were instantly shattered.
Flying into a rage, she slapped Xiang Wanniao across the face and warned her with a vicious glare, "You bitch, shut your mouth!"
Xiang Wanniao burst into loud laughter, turning the tables to provoke her instead.
"Lü Siwei, you are the most, most, most pitiful person in this world!"
"I am not! I am not!" Lü Siwei turned pale with anger and said viciously, "Xiang Wanniao, you bitch, shut your mouth!"
Having gone completely mad, she fiercely grabbed Xiang Wanniao by the neck and began to choke her.
"Xiang Wanniao, why is it that the moment you were born you had such a wonderful family? Why does everyone like you? Why does everyone revolve around you?"
"Why! Why?!"
"It's not fair! It's not fair!"
Though Xiang Wanniao was being choked to the point of breathlessness by Lü Siwei, she put up no struggle whatsoever.
Now, in this world, there was nothing left for her to care about or hold on to.
Rather than continuing to live this life, more ghost than human, she might as well just die.
"Weiwei!"
Catching sight of this scene as he walked in from outside, Xiao Xu'an hurried over to pull Lü Siwei away, then kicked Xiang Wanniao aside with a look of utter disgust.
Xiang Wanniao was knocked to the ground, clutching her chest in pain as fresh blood spilled from the corners of her mouth.
"Weiwei, calm down!"
With a look of profound worry, Xiao Xu'an gripped Lü Siwei's shoulders, shaking her slightly in an attempt to bring her to her senses.
Lü Siwei snapped back to reality, gasping for breath as her chest heaved violently up and down.
Seeing that Lü Siwei seemed terrified, Xiao Xu'an pulled her directly into his arms and gently patted her back.
He comforted her repeatedly: "It's alright, it's alright, don't be scared."
Soothed by Xiao Xu'an, Lü Siwei gradually calmed down and instantly put on a fragile facade.
She let out a couple of feigned sobs and whimpered weakly, "Brother An, just now I didn't know what came over me..."
"Alright, alright, I'm here, it's fine."
Lying on the ground and watching the scumbag pair before her, Xiang Wanniao suddenly burst into loud, desolate laughter.
One was the man she had once loved deeply, and the other was her former best friend. She had treated them with all her heart, and what had she gotten in return?
In return, she got their betrayal, the misery of being abandoned by everyone, and the tragic destruction of her family...
How ridiculous!
How pathetic!
Listening to this chilling laughter, Xiao Xu'an knitted his brows tightly.
He cast a look of utter disdain at Xiang Wanniao, then said softly to Lü Siwei, "Let's go. Don't dirty your hands."
"Mhm."
Lü Siwei pretended to wipe away her tears. Before leaving, she even turned back to shoot Xiang Wanniao a playful arch of her brow, her eyes brimming with triumph.
Xiang Wanniao twitched the corners of her lips, returning a bizarre, eerie smile.
Xiao Xu'an, Lü Siwei, the two of you destroyed my family. Even as a ghost, I will never let you go in this lifetime!
If there is an afterlife, I will surely make you pay for your crimes in blood!
The warehouse was flooded with gasoline, and before long, raging flames ignited.
The fire engulfed Xiang Wanniao, leaving her nowhere to run.
Yet Xiang Wanniao had long since lost any desire to live. She lay there with no worldly attachments, closing her eyes as she quietly awaited the arrival of death.
The moment her eyes closed, a single tear slipped from the corner of her eye.
What flashed through her mind were all her memories with Gu Jingzhan, though sadly, those memories had not been pleasant.
The hatred, revulsion, and curses she once harbored toward him surfaced frame by frame.
Gu Jingzhan, I'm sorry. In this lifetime, I ultimately failed you.
If there is a next life, let it be my turn to love you.
...