The sudden wind and rain seemed like a punishment from heaven for the Cheng family, and the entire Cheng mansion was shrouded in a deathly silence.
The raindrops, like angry fists, pounded hard on the roof, window frames, and ground, making a loud "pitter-patter" sound.
Lightning ripped through the night sky, illuminating every corner of the Cheng Mansion and reflecting the terrified and anxious expression on Xu Zhuohua's face.
Xu Zhuohua used all the first aid techniques she had learned in her university first aid practice class: chest compressions, artificial respiration, checking her pulse...
She knew that Cheng Wenyun was already dead, but even the slightest possibility was the last hope for the Cheng family.
Her heart was filled with despair, a despair that overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.
She knew it was all too late. Cheng Wenyun's body was already cold, and she felt cold all over herself.
Separated by only a wall, while she was being intimate with Cheng Muyun, Cheng Wenyun had already begun planning her suicide.
Xu Zhuohua couldn't imagine what kind of mentality Cheng Wenyun had when she chose this dead end at the moment when she was closest to the light.
What hung from the roof beams was not white silk, but white gauze curtains for the windows, used to block out the light.
No one knows how Cheng Wenyun managed to stand on the chair, take down the window screen, and then how this frail woman managed to tie the window screen to the roof beam.
It takes immense courage and utter despair to make such a decision.
On the table were clean paper and pens.
A suicide note was held down by a paperweight; a gust of wind blew in and lifted a corner of the page.
The three members of the Cheng family were devastated and didn't even have the strength to move a finger.
Xu Zhuohua picked up the letter with trembling hands. She knew that this letter contained Cheng Wenyun's last words and the reason for her death.
———
Father, Mother, Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law:
Seeing this letter is like meeting you in person.
Wen Yun is unfilial, ignorant of etiquette, shameless, and behaves improperly.
For many years, I have failed to fulfill my filial duties and repay the kindness of being born and raised. My heart is filled with sorrow.
My dear grandfather, how could he be so ignorant of propriety and shame, being too intimate with me, and committing a grave mistake, a terrible mistake.
I have no sense of shame. What the old woman said today has enlightened me. My actions have brought shame to the Cheng family, chilled my mother's heart, and made my grandfather the subject of gossip.
I have no shame. I swear to God that it was not what I wanted back then. I was only half-heartedly complying. I was young and immature, and I made a terrible mistake.
I am shameless, with my broken body, yet I dare to dream of flying wing to wing. How shameful!
I admire Shaozun, but I cannot implicate him.
My journey to the Yellow Springs is truly a last resort.
I am an unfilial daughter, and I hope my dearest relatives and loved ones will forgive me.
The road ahead is long, and I have no heart to move forward.
The light shines brightly, but I am shrouded in darkness.
——
Xu Zhuohua's fingertips trembled violently, like withered leaves swaying precariously on branches in late autumn.
She tried to open her parched lips, but her throat felt as if it were being constricted by invisible threads, and she could only let out broken sobs.
The nanny who raised Cheng Wenyun from childhood became the sharpest dagger, piercing her life with countless holes.
She closed her eyes, and Cheng Wenyun's gentle smile appeared before her.
The old woman must have used the most vicious words to force him to submit to Old Master Cheng's shameful past.
In Cheng Wenjun's eyes, this was a poison more deadly than arsenic.
How could that well-bred young lady, sculpted to perfection by feudal ethics, tolerate having "shameless" blood flowing in her veins?
Tears streamed down Xu Zhuohua's cheeks and dripped onto her clenched fists.
She knew all too well the old man's methods—if he couldn't have it, he would destroy it completely.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Zhuohua dug her nails into her palm, finally managing to steady her trembling wrist.
She carefully handed over the tear-soaked farewell letter, the handwriting on the paper sometimes wild and chaotic like a raging storm, sometimes so blurred that it was difficult to recognize.
Mrs. Cheng's fingers convulsed the moment they touched the letter, and tears streamed down her face as they fell onto her daughter's last words.
Cheng Yuguang hurriedly supported Madam Cheng's trembling shoulders, barely managing to steady himself by pressing his palm against the letter.
The delicate and neat small regular script that Cheng Wenjun used to write now resembles willow catkins scattered by a strong wind, and the ink stains clearly form a tearful accusation.
"Wenyun!" Madam Cheng suddenly collapsed to the ground, her shrill cries shaking the windowpanes.
The pain of losing her son a year ago has not yet healed, and now she has to endure the heart-wrenching pain of a parent outliving their child.
Cheng Muyun received the farewell letter from Madam Cheng.
Cheng Muyun's knuckles turned white as he almost crushed the farewell letter.
The creases of the Xuan paper still bore traces of Cheng Wenyun's undried tears, which now pierced his palm with a sharp pain.
Xu Zhuohua hurriedly reached out and wrapped her arms around his taut, bowstring-like arms, but felt the pulse throbbing beneath his skin—the rumble of thunder before a storm.
As the man read his sister's final words aloud, Xu Zhuohua felt as if he had transformed into a volcano about to erupt.
Suddenly, Cheng Muyun sprang up like an arrow released from a bow.
Cheng Yuguang shouted angrily, "Come back! What were you doing there?"
"I'll go find out." His throat felt like it was boiling magma, each word dripping with poison. Cheng Muyun stopped but didn't turn around. "To the old house."
After saying that, Cheng Muyun rushed out of the room and bumped into the confused servants outside the door.
Xu Zhuohua grabbed a coat haphazardly and hurriedly followed them out.
Cheng Muyun had already started the car. Xu Zhuohua stood in front of the car in the heavy rain, raising her arms, the glaring headlights shining on her.
Cheng Muyun opened the car door, his roaring voice carrying through the heavy rain: "Are you going to stop me?" Xu Zhuohua shoved Cheng Muyun's coat into his hand and said loudly, "I won't stop you, I'll go with you."
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