0071 071 A fleeting moment, a spark in a stone, a dream within a dream.
Early in the morning, Qingqing quietly entered the house, first picking up the doll that had been kicked to the ground. Then, she pulled back the curtains a little and turned to look at the bed. Qi Shuyao, who was dressed, had already opened her eyes, propped herself up on her arms, and lifted her long hair, which was covered with sweat.
"Could you run some water for me? I'm going to take a bath."
"Yes, miss."
Qingqing was the little maid who always cried anxiously by her side. She was assigned by her grandmother to take care of her personally. Qingqing ran out, and Qi Shuyao got off the bed. Her wide nightgown covered her protruding belly.
I don't even know where this villa is. It's already March, and I break out in a sweat with the slightest movement.
Her belly had stopped moving long ago, but she pretended to be uncomfortable for two more months. There was nothing else to it, except that her grandfather's eyes were too frightening.
Just like when she was little and would always pretend to be sick for fear of being scolded, whenever she said she wasn't feeling well, Qi Yu would always hold her and forget all the trouble he had caused.
Thinking of Qi Yu, her already flat lips drooped even further.
Refusing Qingqing's request to stay with her inside, Qi Shuyao stepped into the bathtub alone. The bathroom in her grandfather's house was particularly high-ceilinged. As she soaked in the sunken bathtub, she touched the button next to her. The huge showerhead above her head sprayed water down from a distance of four or five meters, all of it hitting her upturned face.
She seemed to be jolted awake by the impact; after a few deep breaths, she opened her wet eyes again.
Being locked up here, she can only break down the past into pieces and chew it over again. Fortunately, they spent a long time together, but even a long time has a fixed length, and there will always be a day when all the memories are gone.
Will they have a future?
After soaking for a long time, Qingqing was getting increasingly anxious outside. Finally, she was able to get out unharmed.
“Miss, you can’t do that again. I also can’t agree to you taking a bath as soon as you get up in the morning. It’s so hot in the bathroom, and you haven’t eaten anything. You could easily faint.”
Am I that fragile?
"Of course not, Miss, you are my precious darling, you mustn't be hurt in the slightest."
"What kind of spell did they cast on you?"
Qi Shuyao walked back to her bedroom muttering to herself, and found her phone on the bed. They hadn't interfered with her freedom, but she hadn't contacted Qi Yu either.
Today she called Qin Zhuohan and told him something.
"...Yes, tonight, after 10 PM, across the river from Kaijiang, preferably on the river itself, it has to be high up, above the top floor...Send me the video later, I'll pay you then...No, let's keep things separate, thanks, bye..."
"Yaoyao, come down for dinner."
"good."
She had already heard her grandmother's footsteps, and they tacitly avoided mentioning the phone call. After a harmonious breakfast with no conversation, her grandfather called her over again.
"Yaoyao, come and see the news."
"Someone of your level still believes in the news?"
"When you know the whole truth, and then look at which aspects the public reports emphasize, it's easy to guess who is controlling public opinion behind the scenes. Take this case, for example."
The morning news was reporting that a construction site in Linxian District, Jingyang, collapsed due to heavy rain, killing two construction workers. The footage taken by the reporter was blurred, but even through the blurry lens, the muddy ground at the scene could be seen, with the black soil mixed with red.
"Why are you showing Yao Yao such gory stuff? Turn it off now."
"Wait, wait, wait," Grandpa said, pushing aside Grandma's hand as she tried to grab the remote, still looking at Qi Shuyao.
"Yaoyao, do you think there's anything wrong with this news?"
"……have no idea."
She went over the idea in her mind several times, but in the end she kept quiet and said nothing. Grandpa chuckled and silently changed the channel.
At the construction site, out of the camera's view, Qi Yu and Lao He stood side by side in the building behind, watching the scene of bloodshed.
"Is everything arranged?"
"It's all arranged."
"We must ensure that all aspects are running smoothly. This is the last chance we have. Let's seize this opportunity and make a final move."
Old He excitedly cocked his wrists, but Qi Yu remained expressionless. Old He bumped his shoulder at him, and Qi Yu, unusually, cracked a joke.
"Why are you looking so gloomy lately? Getting rid of him is also revenge for yourself. After that, you can relax. As for Yao Yao, once you've calmed down, bring her out to play. It's been so long since I've seen her."
"No need, let's deal with the important matters first."
"Okay, let's get down to business."
In the afternoon, the weather was calm and the breeze was pleasant, with private cars driving orderly on the road.
Suddenly, the black sedan at the front started spinning wildly in circles on the road, forcing all the surrounding vehicles to stop. However, the truck following behind couldn't withstand the braking due to its own weight and crashed into the rear of a jeep, skidding and overturning, landing on another vehicle whose driver had managed to jump out and escape.
The surrounding drivers and pedestrians gathered around, chattering amongst themselves. The truck driver was stuck in the cab and couldn't get out; his face had turned pale. A man claiming to be a doctor was running to get to him, but as he passed the back of the truck, he was so frightened that he sat down on the ground.
The carriage door was smashed open. It was a refrigerated carriage. As the white smoke dissipated, countless, incomplete pieces of corpses rolled out.
Plainclothes police officers who were lying in ambush quickly stepped forward and brought the situation under control, but the scene was still filmed by the surrounding crowd and posted online. In less than five minutes, Qi Yu, who was waiting in front, saw the video.
He told the driver to drive forward, observing the tall buildings along the road. There was only one road ahead, with three buildings on it: Minghui Plaza and Yue Wan Building. Each of them had expanded into a small commercial area. At the end of the road was the Jingyang branch of Mingren Hospital.
So where are they going to take this truckload of corpses?
Qi Shuyao and her grandfather also received the news at home. Everything seemed to be ready, and soon they saw related reports on TV.
"At 3 PM this afternoon, at the intersection of Pinghui Street and Yuetan West Street, a car driver suddenly suffered an epileptic seizure, causing the car to go out of control and disrupting traffic. However, this incident also inadvertently saved the day, as a large truck that had been stopped could not brake in time due to inertia and overturned. What rolled out of the cargo box were a large number of frozen and mutilated bodies. After expedited forensic examination, it was confirmed that they were all construction workers who went missing after the construction site collapsed in Linxian District early this morning..."
"Yaoyao, does this technique look familiar?"
"Grandpa, sometimes I really don't understand. Do you want me to forget him, or what?"
After spending several months together, she had figured out her grandfather's preferences. He might like to speak in riddles to others, but he also liked it when others were completely open with him. Or rather, she couldn't hide her little thoughts from him at all, so she might as well just ask him directly. Even if he didn't tell her, what could he do about it?
"Haha, as expected of my granddaughter, so straightforward. That's why Grandpa said that things are too chaotic outside, and he can't control them all by himself."
The whole society rushed to pay attention to this case. Qi Yu was busy until nine o'clock at night before he got off work. He touched his stomach, which had gone on strike, and dragged his tired legs back to the nearest Kaijiang Building.
He bought this place because Qi Shuyao said she liked looking out over the river from a high vantage point, but she had only been here twice.
Now that the furniture is covered in dust, he's too lazy to clean it up. He simply lies down on the sofa fully clothed, raising one arm to cover his eyes.
The phone was pressed under his body, emitting a faint notification sound. He stared at the flashing numbers on the screen and suddenly smiled.
It seems like today is his birthday.
The once sparkling clean glass is now covered in dust, washed by rain and mixed with mud, reflecting on his numb face, his eyes unfocused, when suddenly a huge firework explodes.
Qi Yu sat up abruptly, staring at the fireworks that seemed so close at hand.
The sky was pitch black, with silvery-white flames and huge halos. Fireworks rose from the shimmering river, overlapping among the tall buildings and blooming overhead. He looked around the four transparent floor-to-ceiling windows and felt as if he were surrounded by fireworks. He was the only one left in the world, watching the flames fall from the sky.
Pedestrians on the street and residents in the building all looked up at the sky at this moment. They didn't know who set it off or what it was for. They only knew that her love was hidden in the fireworks, blooming in the night and scattering to the world. It never even touched his shoulder. It was fleeting, yet it was eternal in the world.
Even the most beautiful fireworks eventually come to an end. The crowd of onlookers dispersed instantly, without even thinking of taking a picture. Qi Yu, on the top floor, raised his hand and touched his face, finding his palm covered in tears.
In the south of the city, the Guan family's old and huge mansion was in complete chaos. The steward gathered all the women in the family together, took stock of them one by one, and kicked out all the useless ones and those who knew nothing.
In the end, Guan Xiang was left with only his first wife, his second wife, and Guan Kang's wife, Li Xing.
The old steward, wearing his reading glasses, flipped through the roster again and again, then walked over to Guan Xiang and whispered...
"Sir, we're still missing Miss Yang. Where is she?"
The first wife chimed in sarcastically from the side.
"And your eldest son, he doesn't come out either."
Guan Xiang turned to look at Li Xing, his tone still relatively gentle.
Where is Guan Kang?
"I...he, he..."
"Master, Master!"
The elderly woman in charge of the back rushed over anxiously, her face full of panic.
"Master, please go and check the back. Young Master, please... please get Miss Yang..."
A group of people ran to the backyard. From the slightly ajar door, they could hear a woman's suppressed sobs. The housekeeper stopped outside the door, but the second wife squeezed in first.
The torn white dress lay scattered on the floor, and the bedsheets were tangled and messy. The woman on the bed, her face streaked with tears, was none other than Yang Pingping, whom she had disliked for a long time. But now, seeing her brutally pinned down by Guan Kang, covered in wounds, the Second Madam felt a pang of sympathy.
Guan Xiang, who followed in, was furious at the scene before him. He pushed aside his second wife, pulled Guan Kang up, and slapped him hard across the face.
"What are you doing!"
Guan Kang's mouth was bleeding from the beating, but he still smiled nonchalantly.
"Dad, I still call you Dad, but I never expected you to be so incompetent. Old He's nephew was detained on the spot on the gambling boat, and the casinos below were shut down one by one, but you didn't do anything to remedy the situation. It turns out your backing isn't that effective after all. It's alright, since I'm your son, I'll help you. I'll help you deal with this Yang family. Then our two families can be united by marriage, and the Yang family can't just stand by and watch them die..."
Guan Kang, naked, was thrown out. Guan Xiang was so angry he could barely stand. He pointed at his son, who was lying on the ground, and spoke with difficulty.
"You good-for-nothing! What good are you besides being a burden! She's not a member of the Yang family at all!"
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