Chapter 456: Fate's Cruel Jest |
Before father and son could react, they heard commotion from downstairs.
In that instant, both seemed to realize something.
Liu Zhiyue reacted first, rushing to the window and pressing his hands against the glass to peer down.
But he saw nothing.
Meanwhile, Liu Changqing left the hospital room directly, sprinting toward the stairwell.
He remained silent the entire way. Though his mind raced with terrible suspicions, based on his understanding of her character, she would never...
She had endured five years of suffering already. How could she...
How...
Breathless from the frantic dash downstairs, Liu Changqing's heart pounded violently in his chest.
his footsteps gradually slowed...
until stopping completely.
Soon after, Liu Zhiyue caught up and stood beside his father. Upon seeing the distant crowd, he ignored his father entirely and bolted toward them.
This left Liu Changqing standing alone, staring in disbelief at the gathering.
His mind flashed back to Li Wanran's eyes when he'd visited her hospital room earlier—
those utterly lifeless eyes.
A woman so proud...
How could she choose this path?
——————————————
Approaching evening.
An Yuanyao, wearing an apron, carefully ladled soup into a thermos before sealing it tightly.
Just as she finished, her three children burst into the kitchen simultaneously as if prearranged, swarming around her.
Startled, An Yuanyao abandoned her task to steady the children.
"We're hungry!" they chorused.
"Starving!"
"Super hungry!"
Smiling gently, she patted Chun Nuan's head—the loudest complainer—and soothed,
"Just wait a little longer. Mommy hasn't started cooking yet."
"Mommy's lying! You said you were making soup!"
"Soup!"
"Yeah yeah, liar~"
Before she could console them, the front door opened.
An Yuanyao immediately recognized the sound—
her husband was home.
Abandoning the children, she rushed from the kitchen.
"Changqing, how's Wanran? Is she awake? I called you all morning but you never answered."
"......"
Seeing her husband frozen in the doorway, An Yuanyao's expression gradually stiffened.
She stepped closer.
"What's wrong? Hasn't she woken up?"
"......"
Instead of answering, Liu Changqing's complexion appeared drastically worse than when he'd left that morning—
exhausted...
and profoundly sorrowful.
"Changqing..."
"She killed herself."
"......"
His head lowered slightly as he spoke, then lifted to meet his wife's gaze—
her widened eyes.
His voice dropped to a terrifying whisper.
"She jumped... from the hospital."
"......"
An Yuanyao staggered backward as if her legs had failed, nearly collapsing before Liu Changqing caught and embraced her tightly.
"No... that's impossible..." she mumbled, her entire weight leaning into him.
Her eyes overflowed with disbelief.
"She'd never... someone like her would never..."
"I'm sorry."
"No..."
Hearing his wife's broken voice, Liu Changqing's heart ached with guilt.
His arms tightened around her.
The three children watched silently from a distance.
Liu Chunnuan had initially beamed upon seeing her father, preparing to run to him, but Liu Zhi'an grabbed her arm to stop her.
None approached.
They simply observed.
Though the Liu boys didn't fully understand, they recognized their mother's anguish—
her palpable pain.
Feeling his wife begin to sob against his chest, Liu Changqing said nothing, simply holding her closer.
Holding this grieving woman...
The woman Li Wanran had once hurt so deeply, yet who had somehow forgiven her over the years.
Just that morning, she'd reminded him she'd visit Wanran that evening—
bringing homemade soup.
Two childhood friends.
Elementary school together.
Middle school.
High school.
Such a bond...
Such companions...
"I'm sorry... truly sorry..."
At these words, An Yuanyao could no longer contain herself.
Tears she'd suppressed for years erupted in unrestrained wails as she clutched Liu Changqing's clothes desperately.
The children, affected by their mother's cries, soon joined in—Liu Chunnuan first, followed by the others.
Soon the entire house echoed with weeping,
drowning in...
sorrow.
Surveying the scene,
listening to the chorus of grief,
Liu Changqing lacked words to describe his emotions.
As a transmigrator who'd replaced the alcoholic Liu Changqing after his suicide,
he now witnessed another suicide—Li Wanran's.
In some twisted way, their fates mirrored each other.
Had Li Wanran not obeyed Ye Rong so blindly...
Had Li Zhengmao shown his daughter more warmth...
Perhaps she and the original Liu Changqing might have found happiness.
Perhaps he'd never have arrived in this world.
Embracing An Yuanyao,
Liu Changqing inhaled deeply...
and released
a soundless sigh.
——————————
After evening self-study, Liu Xiazhi returned home as usual, bracing for her younger brother's pranks.
But upon entering, she found no Liu Zhiyun waiting to ambush her—
only her older brother lying on the sofa.
Her college-attending brother, inexplicably home.
Dropping her backpack onto the sofa, she crouched beside him.
"Brother... why are you back?"
"......"
Only at her question did Liu Zhiyue remove the arm covering his eyes and sit up.
When Liu Xiazhi saw his bloodshot eyes—
as if he'd been crying—
panic gripped her.
"Brother! What happened?!"
"......"
For a long moment, Liu Zhiyue simply stared at her.
Finally, he answered in a hoarse whisper:
"She's dead."
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