Chapter 162 Funeral

Zhu Jin's eyes were filled with complex emotions, containing a hint of hurt.

"Are you really that worried about him?"

His voice lowered, "After he hurt you like that, you still went to see him alone? Shen Shuangmiao, do you have feelings for him?"

He misunderstood.

He actually thought she couldn't forget her old feelings for Zhao Mobai.

Shen Shuangmiao felt a surge of anxiety. For some reason, she hated being misunderstood by Zhu Jin like this.

She didn't have time to think about why she cared so much about Zhu Jin's opinion.

It's not what you think!

Shen Shuangmiao hurriedly explained, her voice rising slightly, "Zhao Mobai called me. He was very agitated, saying that his grandmother had passed away and that we had driven her to her death. I just wanted to go and see what was going on and comfort him, because I was afraid he might do something extreme."

"We drove him to his death?"

Zhu Jin caught the message in her words, and his eyes suddenly turned cold. "So, you went there because you were worried about him, afraid he would do something foolish?"

Shen Shuangmiao felt powerless for a moment.

“Zhu Jin, Old Madam Zhao has passed away. Isn’t this a major event? Regardless of past grievances, it’s a human life lost, and Zhao Mobai is blaming us for everything. He’s in a very dangerous state right now! I…”

“Snowy Frost”.

Zhu Jin interrupted her, taking a step closer, "Are you in such a hurry to explain to me because you're afraid I'll misunderstand? Afraid I'll think you still have feelings for him?"

Shen Shuangmiao was speechless at his question, her mouth open but unable to utter a sound.

Yes, why was she in such a hurry to explain? Why was she so afraid that he would misunderstand?

He's about to leave, and there's so much hurt between them, does his opinion even matter?

But the heart doesn't lie.

At that moment, seeing the possible disappointment and hurt in Zhu Jin's eyes, her first reaction was to clarify, to prevent him from thinking that way.

Shen Shuangmiao didn't know what to say.

Seeing her like this, Zhu Jin tacitly acknowledged that she cared about his opinion.

Zhu Jin's expression relaxed, and a corner of his heart was gently touched.

He didn't press further, but instead gave Shen Shuangmiao a deep look.

"Alright, since we've already gone, let's try to avoid contact with people from there in the future; it's not safe."

Shen Shuangmiao was somewhat confused.

She gave a soft "hmm," turned around, and quickly went upstairs, her mind in turmoil.

She couldn't see through him. She never would.

He seemed angry just now, how come he's so gentle in the blink of an eye?

Lost in thought, Shen Shuangmiao returned to her room.

The next afternoon.

The Zhu family received the obituary and funeral invitation sent by the Zhao family.

The funeral for Madam Zhao is scheduled for two days from now.

Looking at the plain white invitation, Shen Shuangmiao's feelings were complicated.

Both out of courtesy and reason, she should have gone to see Madam Zhao off on her final journey, after all, the old woman had once been somewhat kind to her.

But thinking about Zhao Mobai's condition yesterday and the Zhao family's possible attitude, she felt uneasy again.

“I’ll go with you.” Zhu Jin picked up the invitation, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Isn't it inappropriate for you to go?"

Shen Shuangmiao subconsciously objected.

Zhu Jin is one of the main culprits behind the current state of the Zhao family. His attendance at the funeral is tantamount to adding fuel to the fire.

"It's precisely because it's not suitable that I'm even more determined to go."

Zhu Jin looked at her, his eyes calm yet resolute.

"I won't let you face the Zhao family alone."

Shen Shuangmiao hesitated for a moment, but in the end she couldn't go against his wishes.

The funeral of Madam Zhao was held in the cemetery.

The cemetery was filled with Zhao's relatives, friends, and business partners, all of whom wore expressions of grief.

When Shen Shuangmiao and Zhu Jin appeared together, almost all eyes were instantly focused on them.

Those gazes were filled with undisguised disgust and hostility.

The Zhao family is no exception.

When Zhao Mobai's father, Zhao Hongyuan, saw them, his face instantly turned ashen, and his eyes were so dark they seemed to drip water.

But he held back his temper, giving them only a cold glance before turning away.

Most of the other members of the Zhao family ignored them or cast resentful glances at them.

Throughout the entire funeral process, Shen Shuangmiao felt like she was being pricked by thorns.

She stood at the edge of the crowd, watching as Madam Zhao's coffin was slowly lowered into the ground, her heart filled with unease.

Zhu Jin stood half a step to her side, expressionless, exuding a cold aura that shielded her from most of the malicious gazes.

After the funeral ceremony, the guests began to leave.

Shen Shuangmiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to leave this place.

However, Zhao Hongyuan suddenly walked over and blocked their way.

His gaze passed over Zhu Jin and landed on Shen Shuangmiao.

“Miss Shen, please wait a moment. There are some things I'd like to discuss with you privately regarding Mo Bai and his grandmother.”

Shen Shuangmiao's heart tightened, and she subconsciously looked at Zhu Jin.

Zhu Jin frowned, clearly uneasy.

Zhao Hongyuan seemed to sense their concerns and forced a bitter smile.

"Don't worry, Mr. Zhu, this is a cemetery. I wouldn't be so disrespectful to my deceased mother. It's just that there are some things that are inconvenient to say in front of too many people. There's a lounge next door. Please have a cup of tea with Miss Chen and say a few words."

His attitude seemed sincere, as if he were just a poor man who had lost his mother and was concerned about his son.

Shen Shuangmiao felt a pang of pity for Old Madam Zhao's death, yet she also thought that this might be an opportunity to resolve the feud.

She hesitated for a moment, then whispered to Zhu Jin, "I'll go with him for a bit, I'll be right back, you wait for me here."

Zhu Jin gave Zhao Hongyuan a deep look, his eyes carrying a warning, and nodded to Shen Shuangmiao.

"Call me if you need anything."

Shen Shuangmiao followed Zhao Hongyuan to a secluded rest room next to the cemetery.

Two cups of tea have already been brewed in the room.

Zhao Hongyuan gestured for Shen Shuangmiao to sit down, while he sat opposite her.

He looked much older, and his face was full of sorrow.

“Miss Shen,” he sighed, his voice low, “I know that Mo Bai has done many wrong things in the past. I’m sorry to you, and I apologize on his behalf.”

Shen Shuangmiao was surprised by his words and quickly said, "Uncle Zhao, please don't say that. What's past is past."

"It's over?" Zhao Hongyuan raised his cloudy eyes to look at her, a sudden surge of hatred erupting within him.

Shen Shuangmiao's heart skipped a beat.

"If it were really over, how come my mother is lying here? How come Mo Bai is in prison!"

Zhao's father suddenly became agitated and slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup rattle loudly.

Shen Shuangmiao was startled by him and subconsciously tried to get up: "Uncle Zhao, please calm down."

"Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down?!"

Zhao Hongyuan stood up, his face contorted with rage and hatred. "It was you and that madman Zhu Jin who conspired to kill my mother! You ruined Mo Bai and the Zhao family!"

He approached Shen Shuangmiao step by step, his eyes crazed: "Weren't you two in love? Didn't you even have a child? What right do you have to be happy over our corpses?"

Shen Shuangmiao realized something was wrong, turned around and tried to run outside, while simultaneously calling out to Zhu Jin.

However, she had only taken one step when a sharp pain suddenly shot through the back of her neck, her vision went black, and she lost consciousness.