Lu Shiyan clenched his fists, looking as if he had suffered a massive blow. "Yes... it's my fault..."
He seemed on the verge of shattering completely. My own heart, riddled with scars from their actions, felt just a tiny bit more mended.
Does he feel pain too? But what is this compared to the suffering I endured?
Bai Lan's slightly sharp voice cut through: "Sister-in-law, this is a mourning hall. Your expression and these words are rather inappropriate, aren't they?"
I met Bai Lan's gaze without flinching. "Eldest Sister-in-law, I just heard some stories about Xiao Lu and his wife. To be honest, I feel it's such a pity for that Miss Su. She gave everything for love, only to end up like this. I heard she died alone by the river. It was snowing heavily that night. What was Xiao Lu doing then?"
I deliberately guided the conversation. Lu Shiyan remembered: the sky was full of brilliant fireworks then, while he was sharing a deep kiss with his sister-in-law amidst the绚烂 (gorgeous) display.
I had made my final desperate call to him, only for him to hang up impatiently.
Thinking of this must feel like a knife twisting in Lu Shiyan's heart.
And I will be like a slow knife, grinding away slice by slice, making him wish for death!
As Bai Lan stood speechless, I continued, "By the way, Eldest Sister-in-law, I only heard that Xiao Lu took a call and then jilted her. Whose call was it? Why did he run away? What in the world could be more important than his own wedding? How could the person calling be more important than his wife of many years, his childhood sweetheart?"
"Enough!" Faced with my provocation, Old Master Lu interrupted impatiently.
Perhaps because I was a woman, he (found it inconvenient to say more). He looked at Lu Yanchen. "Control your woman. Mind the proprieties. Don't give people cause for gossip."
Lu Yanchen's deep, dark eyes fell on Old Master Lu's face. He said expressionlessly, "Did she say anything wrong?"
That one sentence left Old Master Lu with no retort.
I absolutely loved Lu Yanchen's character. With our (perfect cooperation), we were simply invincible!
I tugged at Lu Yanchen's sleeve and continued, "Brother Yanchen, it's really strange. If Xiao Lu seemed to have such good feelings for his wife, then why did he jilt her?"
Lu Yanchen gave a cold laugh. "His love was just perfunctory."
Exactly! Perfunctory towards me, and towards himself. He even deceived himself, mistakenly believing he truly loved me.
"Is that so? That Miss Su was truly pitiful then. She entrusted herself to the wrong person, trapped by love, ultimately dying with everlasting regret..."
With every word I spoke, Lu Shiyan's pupils grew dimmer, while Lu Yanchen gripped the armrests tightly, the veins on the back of his hands bulging.
Finally, I tossed out a light remark, "The person is already dead. Who are you crying for now?"
After saying that, I pushed Lu Yanchen away.
Leaving Old Master Lu and Bai Lan staring hatefully at my retreating back.
They aren't my real parents; I couldn't care less about their feelings.
Lu Yanchen spoke faintly, "You've just entered the Lu family, and your temper is already so fierce. Aren't you afraid they'll make things difficult for you?"
Having just confronted everyone, I was in a very good mood.
I said with a serious expression, "I'd heard about Lu Shiyan and Miss Su before. Years of feelings, and he jilted her just like that? Can that even be called a man? I'm just indignant on Miss Su's behalf. I have a straightforward personality and don't beat around the bush. Besides, I didn't say anything wrong. If they blame me, it's because they have a guilty conscience! Perhaps Miss Su's death is connected to them!"
Lu Yanchen looked at me, a hint of deep contemplation in his eyes. "Go on."
I pretended to be naive. "If Miss Su jumped into the river, why was her body impossible to find for so long? Who hid her body inside the sculpture and brazenly placed it at their new marital home?"
"I suspect Miss Su might have been murdered. Perhaps the killer was an acquaintance. Otherwise, it's hard to explain her dying by the river but her body being concealed in a sculpture."
"Brother Yanchen, who do you think hated Miss Su so much to make her die so tragically?"
Instead of answering, Lu Yanchen asked me, "What's your opinion?"
"Generally, murder only has a few motives. First, this was a planned, premeditated murder, directly ruling out random killing by a mentally ill person. The remaining motives are either for money or for gain. I heard Miss Su's custom wedding dress was recovered from the river, which rules out financial gain. That leaves emotion and interests. Whose interests did Miss Su threaten?"
I stopped there. Any more would arouse suspicion.
I remembered Huang Ying gave me a major clue before she died. Next, I need to follow that lead.
After that, Lu Yanchen fell silent for a long time. After the mourning ended, it was time for the burial.
What a rare sight—I actually witnessed my own burial.
Holding an umbrella, I walked step by step up the stone steps among the crowd.
Lu Shiyan held my urn. Su Ning'an, dressed in black with a small white flower in her hair, walked beside him.
Thankfully, I'm alive again. Otherwise, seeing this would have made my blood boil with rage.
To outsiders, they were affectionate siblings. Only Lu Yanchen and I knew what a disgusting pair they truly were.
And to let him hold my ashes? Aren't they afraid it will dirty my path to reincarnation?
During the burial, my mother broke free from my brother's grip and threw herself towards the urn. She knelt on the ground, crying out passionately, "My daughter! My poor daughter, come back!"
"Mom, don't be so sad. Sister's spirit in heaven won't feel good either," Su Ning'an consoled.
I sneered coldly. How could I not feel good? After holding in my grievances for so long, it's rare to see such a spectacular show.
Keep playing! Keep dancing! Don't stop!
Lu Yanchen looked at the tombstone prepared for me nearby. His fingers stroked the photo on it as he knelt before the grave, crying until his eyes were red.
Raindrops fell from the sky, mixed with snowflakes, casting a layer of cold over heaven and earth.
I held the black umbrella, watching everything from a distance.
Cry. It's good to get used to it early. After all, there are more exciting things to come.
After all the guests paid their final respects, they left. Only the close relatives of the Su and Lu families remained for the tombstone setting.
Huang Yu arrived dressed in black. "I knew Miss Su. I've come to see her off."
Lu Shiyan knelt there like a statue, blocking out all sounds around him.
Old Master Lu nodded. "Thank you."
After paying his respects, Huang Yu said, "By the way, there's some progress on the case. We've investigated those pornographic photos. Through technical analysis and comparison, they were taken after Miss Su's death."
Lu Shiyan's head turned mechanically towards him. "You mean... Wanwan didn't betray me? And that person... was desecrating a corpse?"