Now I have completely severed ties with Su Wan. On the surface, Su Wan died accidentally, but that's not the case.
She died from the indifference of her own family.
If even one person had stood up to protect me, to care for me, after Lu Shiyan jilted me, perhaps I wouldn't have died alone by the river that night.
In my eyes, I have no further connection with my past relatives. I only have one mother now: Xu Lan.
Qin Zhenshu watched me link arms with Xu Lan, a sweet smile on my face. Her expression froze, and it was unclear what she was thinking.
Xu Lan's voice was gentle, "You child, still so clingy at your age. Mrs. Su, please don't mind her."
Qin Zhenshu looked at my face, tears simply rolling down. Her voice choked, "Before, my daughter also liked to lean on me like this... but... but I lost her."
She covered her face, weeping uncontrollably.
Yes, before Su Ning'an returned to the Su family, our relationship was always very good.
She doted on me the most. I was the princess she cherished in the palm of her hand. Every time she came home from work, she would cook my favorite dishes.
She knew I suffered from menstrual cramps, and during those days, she would specially brew ginger sugar water for me.
She remembered my preferences, spending time and effort on me for every birthday.
It was Su Ning'an who gradually drove a wedge between our feelings. I don't know when it started, but she stopped taking me for her beauty appointments, and when shopping, she would only pay attention to Su Ning'an's preferences.
Whatever Su Ning'an wanted, I had to hand over willingly just because she asked.
I couldn't show the slightest dissatisfaction, otherwise I was the ungrateful wretch, the heartless older sister.
I once thought that if I just endured the grievances in that family, my family would ultimately love me. 'The bone may break, but the tendons remain connected'—after all, we were family...
It wasn't until after death, witnessing everything, that I clearly saw their true colors.
Mom, you were the one who abandoned me first. What are you crying about now?
Xu Lan patted her shoulder, offering sincere consolation.
I felt this performance had lost its meaning and turned to leave.
Before, I was the person in the situation, unable to see clearly. Only after stepping out of that family did I realize how ridiculous it all was.
My eldest and second brothers looked melancholic, their eyes red, likely from crying.
As for my father, he stood before a cluster of white chrysanthemums.
Since childhood, his (back) seemed very tall and imposing in my heart.
At this moment, he was hunched over, clutching a chrysanthemum, his shoulders trembling slightly. Streaks of white were mixed into his black hair.
This was the first time I deeply felt that my father had aged.
I walked past him as if no one else was there, heading towards the center of the mourning hall.
Because kneeling in front of my large portrait was a person.
Lu Shiyan knelt on the icy, piercing cold tiles. Even dressed in a bespoke suit, he couldn't conceal the desolation surrounding him.
People in the crowd were whispering: "I heard Young Master Lu jilted her, so Miss Su, unable to cope, jumped into the river. They only just recovered her body."
"Really? It's been over a month. What state must the body be in?"
"Weren't they childhood sweethearts? Why did he jilt her?"
"Who knows? Maybe he got tired of her after being together for so long. It's just a pity Miss Su, 'a beautiful face often meets an unfortunate fate'."
"Tsk, dying for a man, how worthless."
The police were still investigating and hadn't announced the real cause of death. To outsiders, it seemed I was trapped by love, a suicide for love.
Hearing those rumors, the corners of my mouth quietly curved up.
The discussions around Lu Shiyan swirled like snowflakes.
In the future, I only need to guide and build momentum slightly, and it will form an avalanche, crashing down overwhelmingly.
It's just that now, the Lu and Su families are still reeling from the sudden news of my death, completely unaware of the hell awaiting them ahead!
I eagerly anticipate the spectacular scene when I expose his affair with Su Ning'an and my true cause of death to the public.
In this society, rumors can crush a person.
No rush, I've just been reborn. We have plenty of time!
I took three sticks of incense from the side and walked step by step towards the portrait.
Clearly, the girl in the photo was my past self. Looking at her felt like a lifetime ago.
I bowed and placed the incense into the burner.
Lu Shiyan seemed to sense something and looked towards me. "Wan... Wanwan?"
His pupils were unfocused, his face pale. Kneeling on the ground, he looked utterly wretched.
I leaned down slightly, looking down at him from above. In his turbid gaze, I lifted the veil, revealing the cinnabar dot between my eyebrows.
"Xiao Lu [Note: a form of address, can be condescending here], you've mistaken me again. I am your aunt, Jiang Wanwan."
Although I only wore a light layer of lip balm, I raised the most dazzling smile, enough to dazzle his eyes.
"Wanwan..." he muttered to himself, a helpless smile tugging at his lips. "Yes, you're not Wanwan."
I lowered my voice, speaking faintly, "That's right. Su Wan is already dead."
I viciously tore open his wound, then rubbed salt into it, repeatedly ripping it apart, causing him immense pain.
"What did you say!" Lu Shiyan glared at me, his eyes bloodshot, like a frenzied beast.
I feigned surprise. "What? Are you sad that she's dead? Could it be an act?"
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Old Master Lu looked at me with a dark expression. "They were childhood sweethearts, their feelings deep. Miss Jiang, this is a mourning hall. Mind your manners."
I tilted my head, a trace of confusion in my eyes. "Is that so? But how did I hear that Xiao Lu jilted her at the wedding? Forget childhood sweethearts; even strangers meeting through a blind date wouldn't abandon the bride and run away on such an occasion, right?"
"If you love someone, shouldn't you consider their feelings? How could you push them into the fire to be scorched? If my husband abandoned me at my wedding, I think I'd be so sad I'd want to die!"
"Imagine, at such a grand occasion, being abandoned by her childhood sweetheart husband. How helpless she must have felt then."
With every word I spoke, Lu Shiyan's pupils darkened further, his self-blame and guilt growing. So this is how effective emotional manipulation is, no wonder Su Ning'an used it relentlessly.
Although Old Master Lu was very displeased with my words, he couldn't find a rebuttal. He could only glare dryly—a most satisfying sight.
Coincidentally, Lu Yanchen was nearby, staring fixedly at the portrait. I abruptly linked my arm with his. "Brother Yanchen, in the future, at our wedding, you wouldn't run away, would you?"
He looked at me as if waking from a dream, and after a moment, uttered two words: "I won't."
I gave Lu Shiyan a sweet smile, delivering a final, vicious stab to his heart. "You see? What did I say? If you truly love someone, how could you jilt them?"