That tone lacked its usual public disdain and coldness, carrying instead a hint of warmth.
Was it an illusion?
I looked at Fu Hanyi in astonishment.
Though that excessively handsome face remained as cold as frost, his gaze was clearly less frigid than usual.
Did he genuinely worry for my safety?
My eyes suddenly grew moist, and a warmth welled up in my chest—an unwanted warmth that I could not suppress.
He must still retain a shred of conscience toward me, after all!
"Hanyi," Liang Xinwei's cheerful voice rang out suddenly from behind.
The slight ripples of emotion in my heart instantly turned to nausea.
It was like being about to enjoy a delicious pastry only to find a fly stuck to it.
I turned around, glaring with bitter hatred at the woman who fluttered over like a butterfly.
This murderer!
The phone call the killer received must have been made by her.
She killed me.
Yet at this moment, I had no way to bring her to justice.
Liang Xinwei walked straight to Fu Hanyi's side, a happy smile blooming on her face. "Hanyi, let me tell you some good news. My mother's surgery was a success; she has already been moved from the intensive care unit to a regular ward."
Feng Xishu was sick?
No wonder she was nowhere to be seen at Grandfather's birthday banquet.
Being in a bad mood, Fu Hanyi replied with extreme indifference, "Good for her."
Liang Xinwei froze slightly.
Fu Hanyi's coldness caught her off guard. With a quick shift of her eyes, she caught sight of the Longevity Lock in his hand. A trace of chilliness flashed deep within the woman's eyes, though her expression remained one of concern.
"Hanyi, is there still no new news about older sister?"
Fu Hanyi's jaw tightened, making it impossible to tell whether mentioning me displeased him or if he was simply annoyed by the lack of news.
Liang Xinwei lowered her eyelids. When she raised them again, her eyes were red, and her voice choked with emotion. "Hanyi, you still miss older sister so deeply. I truly cannot understand why she had to do something so treacherous to you!"
I was stunned.
When on earth had I ever done anything treacherous to Fu Hanyi?
Fu Hanyi's expression darkened instantly. His grip on the Longevity Lock visibly tightened.
The muscles in his jaw hardened coldly, as though a long-buried hatred were finally breaking through its shell.
Pretending not to see Fu Hanyi's darkened expression, Liang Xinwei continued on her own accord. "But Hanyi, you mustn't blame older sister either. Whatever she did, she must have done it to scrape together the money for your medicine.
It's just that, out of all the ways to make money, she had to choose the one a man finds hardest to accept. It's no wonder that after you received the medicine, you were so anxi—"
"Shut up!" Fu Hanyi barked in a stern, harsh voice, cutting Liang Xinwei off abruptly. "Never mention this matter again!"
Color drained from Liang Xinwei's face, and she quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, Hanyi."
Fu Hanyi remained silent, his complexion terrifyingly grim. With a fierce squeeze of the Longevity Lock, he casually tossed it aside.
My heart ached viciously.
The self-righteous ripples of warmth I had felt moments earlier froze into bitter cold once more.
Wen Yuan, why are you still so blind? How could a man so heartless and devoid of feeling ever have a conscience toward you?
He was not dwelling on the past through an object, nor was he worrying about your safety; he was simply casting your heartfelt devotion aside like worthless dirt.
Without even glancing at where the Longevity Lock had landed, Fu Hanyi strode toward the main doors. Liang Xinwei, still putting on the act of someone who had done wrong, apologized to the man's rigid, retreating back. "Hanyi, I didn't mean to bring it up. Please don't be angry, and don't be angry with older sister either. She was driven to it..."
Bang!
The heavy slam of the door made even my soul tremble.
Liang Xinwei stopped speaking right on cue, the gentle benevolence on her face instantly replaced by a sinister chill.
Fu Hanyi was gone, so she no longer needed to act.
The Longevity Lock had fallen beneath the desk. Liang Xinwei walked over, bent down to pick it up, pinched it between her fingers, and gave it a look of utter contempt before releasing her grip, letting the lock drop straight into the nearby trash can.
"Wen Yuan, you're already dead—how could I ever let you make a comeback? Dead or alive, you must remain trampled beneath my feet!"
Her tone was light, yet filled with a bone-chilling malice.
Hearing this, I shuddered with dread.
Since Liang Xinwei kept insisting that I was dead, it seemed my death truly had everything to do with her.
And what on earth was the betrayal against Fu Hanyi that she had just mentioned, the one that made him so furious to hear about?
What kind of schemes was this woman playing behind my back?
Liang Xinwei had already opened the office door. I tried floating toward her, and to my surprise, I succeeded.
I followed her all the way to Mingde Private Hospital, situated atop the mountain.
She was there to visit her mother, Feng Xishu.
In a VIP single ward, Feng Xishu lay in the hospital bed. Having just undergone surgery, she was still weak, but her pale complexion could not conceal her beauty. Though already in her forties, her appearance showed no signs of aging; she retained her full charm and elegance.
Born with a seductive allure that naturally invited a man's pity.
No wonder my father had betrayed the wife of his youth back then and allowed himself to be seduced by her.
And right now, that same man was accompanying Feng Xishu by her side, holding her hand with a face full of tender heartbreak. "Shushu, you've suffered."
The tone of deep distress made it sound as though Feng Xishu had just returned from surviving eighteen layers of hell.
"It's so good to be able to see you while I'm still alive." Tears streamed down Feng Xishu's face as she gazed lovingly at Wen Honggang. "I was so afraid I would die on the operating table and never be able to spend the rest of my life with you."
"Nonsense." Wen Honggang reached out and gently covered Feng Xishu's mouth. "You are going to stay by my side for the rest of your life. I can bear to part with anything, but never with you."
With that, he picked up Feng Xishu's hand and kissed it.
Though I had long since stopped needing food, my stomach churned violently at the sight.
Even as a ghost, the heavens still punished me by making me watch such a sickening scene.
"Dad, Mum, after all these years, you two are still so in love. It makes me so happy to see it." Liang Xinwei chimed in from the side, expressing her happiness.
"You two are the apple of my eye." Wen Honggang took Liang Xinwei's hand and placed it together with Feng Xishu's, holding them both. "The three of us will be a family forever."
A family of three...
Ha!
So in this man's heart, my mother and I truly meant nothing at all.
Recalling how much Wen Honggang used to dote on me when I was a child, sorrow and grief washed over me. Love does not vanish; it merely shifts. Affection between family members is no different.
He had transferred all the paternal love he once had for me entirely onto Liang Xinwei.
If one day he discovered that this darling he was now pampering was actually a venomous scorpion through and through, would he feel even a shred of guilt toward me and my mother?
Wen Honggang had to return to the company and left first, leaving Liang Xinwei behind to keep Feng Xishu company.
The moment Wen Honggang departed, both mother and daughter simultaneously dropped their hypocritical smiles.
"The doctor said the surgery was very successful." Liang Xinwei said in a low voice, laced with a sense of cunning.
Feng Xishu twitched the corners of her mouth. Though clearly weak, her eyes flashed with a cold light. "If it weren't successful, we wouldn't have taken such a huge risk."
Liang Xinwei wore a sinister smirk.
Floating in mid-air, I stared down at the two of them, feeling that their conversation was deeply mysterious.
What kind of surgery had Feng Xishu even undergone that required taking a risk?