Even as Xia Qingshan lay dying, he was still thinking about his deceased wife. Little did he know that she had already betrayed him and died on her way to meet her lover.

Xia Wan felt a surge of hatred towards the woman. She hated her for betraying her father and abandoning her. Her family had treated her so well, so why did she choose a driver? Her death would have ended everything, but it had caused her father so much pain for so many years. She deserved to die, but she deserved to suffer a fate worse than death.

If only I had known that woman's true colors before I got sick, I wouldn't have been so hung up on her and living in a false sense of happiness.

Tears streamed down her face at the thought of it. Helplessly, she knelt down on the hospital bed, holding Xia Qingshan's hand above her head, just like when she was a child.

Xia Qingshan's fingertips twitched: "Wanwan, Daddy is tired and wants to rest. The treatment is so painful, and the medicine is so bitter... I don't want to be treated anymore. I don't want to end up not remembering anyone... I want to remember your mother and then go down to find her."

Xia Wan cried silently, her shoulders trembling. She wiped away her tears and forced a smile, saying, "Okay, we won't get treatment."

Xia Qingshan gave an ugly smile. When a person is about to die, they can feel it. They are very tired and sleepy. After giving up treatment, Xia Qingshan spent most of his time sleeping. Suddenly one day, he felt better and talked a lot with Xia Wan.

He said he wanted to take a bath and change into nice clothes, like a suit and bow tie. Xia Wan brought out a suit that Xia Qingshan used to wear. The suit, which used to be tailor-made, was now too big for him and was wrinkled. Xia Wan helped him change, put on a tie, and tidied his hair. She noticed he looked unwell and asked, "Dad, do you want me to do your makeup?"

"Why should a man wear makeup? Let me see in the mirror."

Since Xia Qingshan became paralyzed, he has never been allowed to look in a mirror. Before he got sick, Xia Qingshan was in high spirits. He was able to give birth to such a beautiful daughter as Xia Wan, so his own genes were not bad. He was a handsome uncle in his forties or fifties.

Now he's sick, he has no muscles, his skin is loose and pale with white spots, the bones in his face can't hold the flesh up and all the flesh is sunken, and his hair is completely white and sparse.

At Xia Qingshan's insistence, Xia Wan still handed over the mirror.

Xia Qingshan looked at the person in the mirror: "I almost didn't recognize me. It's pretty good."

It was a beautiful day, with sunshine everywhere. Xia Qingshan wanted to go out and bask in the sun, but being paralyzed, he couldn't move and couldn't even sit in a wheelchair.

Looking at Xia Wan, he said with difficulty, word by word, "Don't hold a grudge against anyone. Be happy in the future. Dad won't be able to be with you anymore. Take care of yourself, eat well, and sleep on time. I've been a burden to you in this life..."

"No, it was clearly me who ruined you..."

Xia Qingshan looked towards the window: "I want to bask in the sun."

"I'll go draw the curtains."

The sun would shine in as soon as the curtains were drawn. Xia Wan quickly got up to draw them, and with a whoosh, the blinding sunlight streamed in, a beam of light falling squarely on Xia Qingshan's face.

"Dad, can we get some sun?" Xia Wan turned around and saw Xia Qingshan with his eyes closed.

"Beep—" The heart monitor emitted a sharp sound, and the curved line finally became a straight line.

Xia Qingshan died at the age of 50. Did he bask in the sun just before he died? Nobody knows.

"Miss Xia, please accept my condolences."

Xia Wan seemed not to hear her and reached out to stroke Xia Qingshan's white hair: "Dad, now I can take you out to bask in the sun."

She took the white sheet from the medical staff and gently covered Xia Qingshan with it. Without hesitation, she contacted the crematorium after confirming Xia Qingshan's death.

Throughout the entire process, Xia Wan was organized and methodical, showing no sadness on her face, and she didn't even shed a tear.

...

After Xia Qingshan's death, Xia Wan learned the real reason for his illness: it wasn't because Zhuang Yan and Lu Yan got married, but because he knew Zhuang Yan was "Mr. Yan."

It was this "Mr. Yan" who initially drove up housing prices and then took the opportunity to short the market. He was largely responsible for the Xia family's bankruptcy. Afterward, the Xia family sold off their assets, and he acquired many of their businesses.

Upon learning that Zhuang Yan was "Mr. Yan," how could Xia Qingshan not be anxious? If he had known that Zhuang Yan had this ability, he wouldn't have made so many mistakes in the past, allowing people to cyberbully him and completely offend him.

Lu Yan alone was already too much for him, but he didn't expect Zhuang Yan to have such abilities. No wonder he suffered such a crushing defeat.

In the two days since Xia Qingshan died, no one has paid any attention to him; the internet is full of information about Zhuang Yan and Lu Yan getting their marriage certificate.

Xia Wan held the urn containing the ashes, staring blankly at the screen of her phone, her fingers scrolling rapidly through the comments section filled with blessings for the two of them. Xia Wan's eyes reddened.

"Did they go to Ireland to get a marriage certificate? It seems like you can't get a divorce there."

"It would be so romantic for couples to get their marriage certificate here."

"As soon as Zhuang Yan's identity was exposed, so many people came looking for him, but he actually took his fiancée abroad overnight to get their marriage certificate."

"This young couple is so happy to be on their honeymoon, wishing them a long and happy life together."

"This is the first time I've ever shipped a couple and they're already married! The Lu Zhuang couple is going to be a huge success!"

"Young Master Zhuang, you must take good care of Sister Yan from now on."

"Wishing the two lovers a long and happy life together."

There was no funeral or cemetery. Xia Wan placed Xia Qingshan's ashes in the rented room. At first, she was not used to it and would always call out "Dad". Looking at the bed her father had slept in, the quilt he had covered himself with, and the basin he had used, her life was filled with his presence.

When Xia Wan starts to miss him, she looks at the photos and videos saved on her phone. When she was little, her father would put her on his shoulders. She was such a big girl, and now she's just a box of ashes.

Most of the things that the dead have before they died are burned, but Xia Wan couldn't bear to burn them and left them as they were.

The week off she took passed quickly, and Xia Wan went back to work, standing in the elevator with a stiff smile on her face, moving like a machine.

She pretended not to hear the malicious teasing. After a busy day, she went home and started cooking. She accidentally made too much soup and poured a bowl of boiling soup. She subconsciously took it to the bedroom, but when she got to the door, she realized that no one was inside. Her father was dead.

The soup bowl in her hand fell to the ground with a thud, scattering soup and the bowl all over the floor. She stared blankly at the mess on the ground, took a small step back, and after a long while, squatted down to pick it up, tears streaming down her face as she did so.

She raised her arm and wiped her face; her heart, which had been numb for so long, finally ached at that moment.

From a continuous, mild ache to a suffocating pain that could drive a person mad, Xia Wan broke down in tears. At this moment, her sorrow was as pure and genuine as that of a young child.

Zhuang Yan's happy occasion, her funeral.

Xia Qingshan told Xia Wan not to hold a grudge against anyone, perhaps because he was thinking about this day.

Humans experience joy, anger, sorrow, and resentment; how can they not harbor resentment? But compared to resenting Zhuang Yan's ruthlessness, she hated herself.

I'm sorry, this isn't something that can be resolved with just a few words; it will come at a heavy price.

For example, Zhuang Yan died at the age of 55 in the previous life because of them, and those who lost Zhuang Yan in this life either died, were crippled, or were completely destitute, which was their deserved fate.