At 5:30 PM, Tang Xiaowan was dismissed from school.
She had barely left the teaching building for a minute before someone threw her an envelope.
"Hey, classmate, you dropped something!"
Tang Xiaowan had intended to chase after them but then saw her own name, Tang Xiaowan, written on the envelope.
So, with a baffled expression, she opened it.
Her face gradually turned deathly pale, her almond eyes widened in shock, and finally, she covered her mouth with her hands.
Immediately after, Tang Xiaowan dashed towards the SUV like a madwoman, dropping her textbooks along the way, tears streaming down her face, overwhelmingly afraid.
"Miss, what happened?"
"To Li Garden, immediately."
Meanwhile, Cheng Shi also saw the beige envelope in Tang Xiaowan’s hand.
"Miss, is someone threatening you?"
"Lin Ping is dead, she’s dead!"
"She got what she deserved, Miss. You needn’t feel sorry for her. She’s harmed you so many times; her death is no loss, she deserved it!"
Cheng Shi didn’t respond further, hastily started the car, and headed straight for Li Garden.
Twenty minutes later, in the study at Li Garden.
Tang Xiaowan, just like before, barged in without knocking.
As soon as she entered, she threw the photos from the envelope onto Li Zishen’s desk, then retreated three steps, as if avoiding the plague.
Li Zishen frowned, glancing at the photos, all of Lin Ping after she had been admitted to the hospital, each one more shocking than the last.
To frighten a 20-year-old girl, they were certainly more than enough.
Damn, someone dared to take pictures secretly!
Better not let me find out who it was!
"Her death was an accident, caused by an overdose of sleeping pills."
"An accident, how could that be? You must have heard the conversation between me and Zihan, the one last Saturday when we went to Bie Yuan for dinner, right?"
"Yes, I heard, but it wasn’t me." Googlᴇ search novｅlfire.net
"Not you? Then is it someone else? Just now you said it was an accident. Are you lying so much that you’ve forgotten your own story?"
"Xiao Wan, I have never lied to you."
"Really? This bracelet wasn’t even from you. It has my initials on it, and you even said you proposed to me, and I accepted. Lies, actually this set of jewelry..."
In her anger, Tang Xiaowan accidentally revealed the secret of the bracelet.
She stopped abruptly, mid-sentence.
She couldn’t let Li Zishen know that she was secretly investigating; otherwise, he might intervene again, potentially even diverting the suspicion towards Leng Lingxiao, making things even more chaotic.
However, it was too late, Li Zishen quickly strode forward a few steps, reaching Tang Xiaowan in no time.
"How could it not be from me?"
He grabbed Tang Xiaowan’s hand, wanting to see what the so-called initials were all about.
"Don’t touch me, for the last time!"
Tang Xiaowan shook him off vigorously, looking at the photos: "Regardless, drowning is real, right? Lin Ping really is dead, isn’t she?"
"Who gave you the photo?"
When Li Zishen uttered these words, his eyes were gray and filled with murderous intent.
Tang Xiaowan shook her head, stepping back again.
"What are you trying to do, silence me?"
"I didn’t mean that, Xiao Wan, I was just... worried about your safety. Maybe this is someone playing a nasty prank, trying to scare you. Tell me, who gave this to you?"
Li Zishen’s gaze suddenly softened, and even his voice became much gentler.
This change made Tang Xiaowan even more frightened.
"Safety? Do you know? Actually, I really dislike Lin Ping. On the day you guys saved me, she made Fang Yun cut open my dress, leaving me exposed like that. I was so embarrassed, I felt like dying. But later, I thought maybe it was to check for wounds, until she... added something to the medicine. She hurt me time and again, but I didn’t really want her to die, at most just to let her suffer a little."
Tang Xiaowan’s thoughts were simple, like giving Lin Ping a taste of her own medicine, letting her experience the drugs she had tampered with, or perhaps making her lose her job.
Tang Xiaowan felt that these punishments were enough for someone who deemed themselves above others.
Indeed, Lin Ping had reined herself in.
Ever since she lost Li Zishen’s trust and went to the pharmaceutical factory as a temporary worker, she hadn’t done anything wrong again, only hoping that one day she could return to Li Garden, even if it was to be just a family doctor.
"Xiao Wan, it wasn’t me, really."
Li Zishen tried to approach again, stepping slowly and speaking softly.
But Tang Xiaowan still backed away, avoiding him.
She couldn’t trust Li Zishen, just like last night Li Zihan had also doubted her own brother.
"Suddenly, I find you terrifying. Lin Ping has followed you for so long. I’ve heard others say she studied medicine to please your mother, because she likes you, and you... always valued her, yet you were so ruthless."
Li Zishen’s lips curved slightly: "Are you sympathizing with her, or are you... jealous?"
The man misunderstood again!
"No, I’m not. I just feel that she did all those... bad things just to marry you, yet you’re so cold."
"So you think I’m cold?"
"Yes, not just cold, but terrifying."
Tang Xiaowan’s barely satisfactory assessment was sharp like a knife, deeply wounding the man’s heart and his innate pride.
In Li Zishen’s eyes, the death of Lin Ping wasn’t really a ruthless act.
He had seen cruelties far greater, but never expected that he would appear so despicable in Tang Xiaowan’s eyes.
Li Zishen had always believed that he would be seen as gentle, considerate, cultured, and modest.
"Xiao Wan, do you think I treat you poorly? I consider you in everything I do, and love is selfish by nature. My heart only has room for you, no one else. I might have been somewhat cold and heartless towards Lin Ping, but never towards you. I love you so much, can’t you feel it?"
He tried to approach again, but Tang Xiaowan still retreated, avoiding him.
Their distance was once more widened.
"But I don’t love you, and I never will."
"That’s not true, Xiao Wan. You’ve just temporarily forgotten, but no matter, I can pursue you anew, just like when we first met, you said the same thing, and even said..."
Li Zishen didn’t finish his words when Tang Xiaowan ran off like a startled child.
She left the room with tears streaking her face.
She didn’t even know why she was upset, why she was unwilling to listen to Li Zishen’s confession.
"Xiao Wan, wait for me!"
Li Zishen chased after her, reaching out to grab her, but she shook him off.
"Cheng Shi, let’s go."
Seeing Tang Xiaowan emerge with such an expression, Cheng Shi thought she had been mistreated and glared fiercely at Li Zishen.
With his response, Cheng Shi already stood behind Tang Xiaowan, directly blocking Li Zishen.
His fists clenched tightly, his gaze icy cold.
"Xiao Wan, you must believe me."
Tang Xiaowan kept her back to him, not turning around: "Stop following me, or I will cut ties with you. I mean what I say, Mr. Li, if you don’t believe me, you can try it."
With that said, Li Zishen could only watch helplessly as they left Li Garden.