Chapter Twenty: The Splendor of Death

Qiao Yuan's cough came from behind, carrying a strong smell of blood.

Cheng Qing turned around and looked at him expressionlessly.

"Can you still walk?" Her voice was calmer than expected.

"What exactly do you want to do?" Qiao Yuan looked at her, confused and wary.

Cheng Qing suddenly smiled and said, "Come with me back to my old house in Hongkou. Then we'll call it even."

Qiao Yuan thought to himself: Let's see what she's up to! I'll kill her when she's not paying attention, and then go find Jin Tang and Chen Mo.

Qiao Yuan and Cheng Qing immediately went to the old residence in Hongkou.

Cheng Qing walked ahead alone, seemingly unguarded around Qiao Yuan behind her.

The iron gate of the old house in Hongkou creaked shrilly behind me.

Cheng Qing walked forward, stepping on the fallen sycamore leaves scattered on the ground, her high heels sinking into the soft, humus-rich soil.

The late autumn sun shines through the sparse branches, casting dappled light and shadow on the bluestone path.

Although Lin Tang didn't live in the house often during these five years, she cleaned it regularly, so the house was well maintained even during the war.

Cheng Qing looked around and couldn't help but recall the days when she and Lin Jintang played hopscotch here when they were little. Back then, they would always draw squares on the ground with chalk, and Lin Jintang always had a red ribbon tied in her braid, making her look like two fluttering butterflies when she ran.

"There used to be a pomegranate tree here," Cheng Qing suddenly said, her fingertips brushing against the peeling plaster on the courtyard wall. "Every Mid-Autumn Festival, it would be laden with fruit that looked like red lanterns. Jin Tang would always climb up to pick them, and ended up breaking her arm."

Qiao Yuan paused in his steps.

Cheng Qing stared at the empty spot, seemingly lost in thought. He couldn't be sure whether Cheng Qing was being sincere at that moment.

"Let's go! Let's go up and take a look."

Cheng Qing went up the ranks.

The door to my mother's room on the second floor was ajar, and the scent of sandalwood seeped out from the crack.

The moment Cheng Qing pushed open the door, she saw the blue-and-white porcelain vase on the dressing table still in its original place, with a long-dried white magnolia in it. Sunlight streamed through the diamond-shaped window lattice, shining on the dusty dressing mirror and casting fragmented patches of light on the wall.

Qiao Yuan's breathing was exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

Cheng Qing turned around and saw him looking at the family photo hanging on the wall. In the photo, a little girl with pigtails was nestled next to a woman in a cheongsam.

"Qiao Yuan, if I hadn't been abducted, and I had graduated from Mingde Middle School like Lin Jintang and gone to Tongji University, would you have liked me if you saw me?" she suddenly asked.

Qiao Yuan was taken aback when she asked such a question.

After a moment, he looked away, his voice a little hoarse: "There are no 'what ifs' in this world."

Cheng Qing smiled softly, a smile tinged with self-mockery and loneliness: "Yes, there are no ifs. From the moment I was abducted, my life has veered off course from what it could have been."

She walked to the window, looked at the bare sycamore tree outside, and continued, "I've done many wrong things. In order to survive and to prove myself, I hurt many people and lost myself. But just now, standing in this room, I suddenly realized that some things, once lost, can never be found again."

Qiao Yuan watched her retreating figure, a strange pang of sadness welling up in his heart. In his eyes, this woman had always been ruthless and cunning, but at this moment, she seemed so fragile, as if a gust of wind could blow her away.

"Cheng Qing, you..." Qiao Yuan hesitated, unsure of what to say to comfort her.

Cheng Qing turned around, her gaze falling on Qiao Yuan, her eyes filled with a resolute determination: "Qiao Yuan, after today, we are truly even. Go, go find Lin Jintang, and live the life you're meant to live."

Qiao Yuan frowned: "What exactly do you want? You brought me here and said so much, you didn't just bring me here to say goodbye, did you?"

Cheng Qing shook her head: "No, I just wanted to find a bit of myself again before I completely lost myself. Now that I have, it's time to let go."

After saying that, she slowly walked downstairs, her steps a little unsteady, but incredibly firm.

Qiao Yuan stood there, watching her gradually disappear from sight, his heart filled with mixed emotions. This woman, like a sudden storm, had entered his life and was about to quietly leave, leaving behind some indescribable feelings spreading in his heart.

The sycamore leaves rustled in the wind, much like the Suzhou folk tunes my mother hummed.

Cheng Qing looked back and saw Qiao Yuan standing in the shadows against the light. Even after suffering so much, his posture was still upright, just like when they first met.

"Go home." She smiled, and the image of Gu Manqing from when she was fourteen years old suddenly emerged from the depths of her memory, with pigtails, wearing a blue school uniform, standing under the pomegranate tree waving at her.

Qiao Yuan's figure gradually blurred in sight.

Cheng Qing turned and walked into the alley. She didn't look back, but quickened her pace. The hem of her trench coat swept against the wild chrysanthemums in the corner, startling a few sparrows. In the distance, the faint sound of ship horns could be heard from the Huangpu River. The memories of the old houses in Hongkou, now new, would eventually be buried along with this autumn rain.

...

Cheng Qing returned to number 76.

A sense of oppression filled Sato's office. He sat in a large leather chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the desk, his gaze sharp as a hawk as he scrutinized Cheng Qing.

"You let Qiao Yuan go." Sato's voice was low and cold, as if it came from the depths of hell.

Cheng Qing smiled slightly, a smile that carried a hint of bewitching madness. She slowly walked up to Sato, knelt on one knee, raised her head, and said in an almost fawning tone, "Father, haven't you always said that I am your most satisfactory experimental subject? Isn't it interesting for an experimental subject to occasionally have some of its own little ideas?"

Sato's expression shifted slightly. He reached out and gently stroked Cheng Qing's cheek, as if caressing a precious artifact. "You are indeed special, Cheng Qing. However, you need to give me a reason for letting Qiao Yuan go."

Cheng Qing took Sato's hand and pressed her face against his palm, saying softly, "Father, Qiao Yuan is just a minor character. What difference would it make if we let him go? I'll stay by your side and do more for you. Isn't that much more valuable than Qiao Yuan? Besides, I can use him to do things that are more beneficial to us."

Sato's lips curled into a slight smile of satisfaction. "You're always so clever, Cheng Qing. But don't be so willful next time."

A sly glint flashed in Cheng Qing's eyes. She stood up, moved closer to Sato, and whispered in his ear, "Father, look, I've been so obedient, shouldn't I get a reward?"

Sato's eyes burned with passion, and he pulled Cheng Qing into his arms.

Just as he was getting excited, Cheng Qing's eyes suddenly turned cold and resolute. She pulled out a sharp dagger from her sleeve and slashed at Sato's neck with lightning speed.

Sato was caught off guard by Cheng Qing's sudden attack. His eyes widened as he tried to dodge, but it was too late. The dagger slashed fiercely at his neck, and blood gushed out instantly, splattering all over Cheng Qing's face.

Sato clutched his neck, staggering back a few steps, his eyes filled with disbelief and anger. "You...why did you..."

Cheng Qing stood there, looking at him coldly, her face expressionless. "Father, didn't you say that death is the most beautiful and magnificent thing? I'm giving it to you ahead of time!"

Sato's body slowly collapsed. Cheng Qing rushed over and delivered several more fatal blows until Sato was completely lifeless. Only then did she stand up, drops of blood from the dagger in her hand falling to the ground with a crisp sound in the silent room.

Kimura, Liang Zuo, and the others rushed over upon hearing the commotion. When they saw the bloody scene before them, they were all stunned. Kimura's eyes widened, and he shouted, "Sato Sakura, what are you doing?"

Cheng Qing stood up, smiled slightly, a smile carrying a sense of relief: "Mr. Kimura, I think you've called me by the wrong name. I am Chinese, and my name is Gu Manqing." With that, she pulled a gun from her bosom, her eyes hardening with determination. Driven by a power seemingly awakening within her bloodline, she lunged at Kimura, Liang Zuo, and the others.

Gunfire echoed through the room, bullets whistling through the air. Kimura and the others reacted quickly, launching a counterattack. In an instant, the room was filled with smoke, shouts of battle, and the sound of gunfire mingled together.

Despite her fearlessness, Cheng Qing was ultimately outnumbered and shot multiple times, her clothes stained with blood.

Finally, a bullet struck her hard in the chest, and Cheng Qing's body plummeted uncontrollably towards the ground.

During the fall, images from Cheng Qing's childhood flashed through her mind: the times she laughed with her family in the old house, and how she met Qiao Yuan—it all seemed so vivid in her mind.

She sighed, thinking to herself, "Perhaps this is just how life is." She knew perfectly well that everything she had done was wrong, but she had never dared to think about it, never dared to look back. Only when she saw that woman die did she realize that she too was an experiment, destined to die. Rather than die such a humiliating death, she thought, "I should turn back and be my true self."

I wonder if Lin Jintang and Qiao Yuan will shed tears when they find out he's dead?

But before she could think, a sharp pain struck, and her world turned completely dark.