Chapter 194

Chapter 194: Maybe in the Next Life Just then, Yang Xuelian pushed the door open, carrying a thermos bucket. Catching sight of the Peace Amulet in Lu Shuci's hand, Yang Xuelian's gaze paused. She recognized this Peace Amulet. It could only be obtained by kneeling and prostrating oneself at every step at Puji Temple. Back then, when Chu Tang's mother, Su Qingyun, was gravely ill, Ruan Shaodong had gone to Puji Temple to seek such a Peace Amulet for her. Unfortunately, Qingyun hadn't been saved in the end. At the thought of this, Yang Xuelian's eyelashes trembled, and her heart ached. "Xiao Lu." Yang Xuelian called out to Lu Shuci, her expression slightly dazed. "Did you go to seek this Peace Amulet yourself?" She stared blankly at the amulet, her eyes unfocused, as if looking through it into the past. Lu Shuci's deep gaze remained fixed on Chu Tang as he hummed in affirmation. Yang Xuelian was surprised. After a long moment, she snapped back to reality. Her look at Lu Shuci deepened by several degrees. Lu Shuci had brought Gu Tian to the Ruan family a few times before. So Yang Xuelian recognized him. At the time, Yang Xuelian had already noticed something off. She always felt that the way Lu Shuci looked at Chu Tang was anything but ordinary. But Chu Tang said they were just friends, so Yang Xuelian didn't feel it was her place to ask. Seeing this Peace Amulet now, she understood everything. Lu Shuci's feelings for her Tangtang went far beyond friendship—he was utterly devoted to her. Regardless, it was a sincere gesture. Chu Tang didn't refuse it. She accepted the Peace Amulet, averted her gaze from Lu Shuci's eyes, and whispered, "Thank you." Zhou Xueluo and Chen Yuanyuan exchanged a glance. Their expressions differed. Even Chen Yuanyuan, who was always quick to joke, fell silent now. She had said before that Lu Shuci and Tangtang made a good match. But now wasn't the time for jokes. Tangtang had just narrowly escaped death's door. Jiang Shixu and Tangtang were probably truly impossible now. As Tangtang's close friend of many years, Chen Yuanyuan could still tell that Tangtang hadn't completely let go of Jiang Shixu. Now that things had developed between them like this, Tangtang must be feeling awful inside. What a cruel twist of fate. Chen Yuanyuan and Zhou Xueluo let out silent sighs from the bottom of their hearts. ... Another ten or so days passed. Jiang Yi's health deteriorated day by day. He was visibly haggard, his hair nearly all fallen out, his entire body reduced to skin and bones—nothing but a skeleton frame. Elder Mrs. Jiang was advanced in age. Faced with such a situation, grief weighed heavily on her heart. She was depressed and sorrowful all day long, and with her pre-existing heart condition, she seemed to have aged many more years in just half a month. Old Mrs. Jiang was now barely holding on by a thread. Perhaps the day Jiang Yi died, she would follow right after. The Jiang family was now shrouded in dark clouds, the atmosphere heavy and oppressive. The maids and servants dared not speak loudly, afraid that one careless mistake would cost them their jobs. Elder Jiang had stayed in Jiangcheng for three days this time before returning to the capital. The day after returning, he went abroad for an official visit. Such major affairs had been arranged months in advance. They couldn't be changed at the last minute, nor could someone else be substituted. Elder Jiang, being in that position, had no choice but to comply. Even with his wife and son on the verge of death, Elder Jiang couldn't stay by their side every day. At the hospital. The nanny laid out lunch. It was a very light nutritional meal. But Jiang Yi had no appetite at all. He knew his own body best. Jiang Shixu stood by the window with his back to Jiang Yi, on the phone. It was news from the police again. Because Fu Yuanzhou had personally confessed to instigating Xu Jingxuan to commit poisoning, and with Jiang Shixu's assistance, the poisoning case was quickly concluded. With conclusive evidence, the police transferred the case to the procuratorate, which filed a public prosecution. In this poisoning case, the facts were clear and the evidence was solid and sufficient. Fu Yuanzhou was the instigator, and Xu Jingxuan was the perpetrator. The procuratorate filed a public prosecution against Fu Yuanzhou and Xu Jingxuan for intentional homicide. At the same time, after Jiang Shixu submitted the evidence he held regarding Fu Yuanzhou's multiple other crimes to the police, the procuratorate would file a joint public prosecution for all of Fu Yuanzhou's crimes committed in China. The sentencing recommendation given by the prosecution when filing the indictment was immediate execution of the death penalty. Jiang Shixu hung up the phone and turned around. The food laid out before Jiang Yi remained untouched. "Is it about the prosecution of Fu Yuanzhou and Xu Jingxuan?" Jiang Yi asked weakly. Jiang Shixu hummed coldly in affirmation. "What did the police say?" "The poisoning is intentional homicide," Jiang Shixu replied in a calm, unhurried tone. "In addition, Fu Yuanzhou is also suspected of kidnapping, organized crime under the mafia-style gang, illegal possession of firearms, and several other charges. The procuratorate's sentencing recommendation is immediate execution of the death penalty. As for Xu Jingxuan, attempted murder, to be served concurrently with her previous sentence—it should be life imprisonment." Jiang Yi lowered his eyes, silent. Jiang Shixu cast a brief, light glance at him but said nothing. After a moment, Jiang Yi spoke hesitantly: "I want to see Fu Yuanzhou." Jiang Shixu's heart trembled, and his gaze turned cold. After everything Fu Yuanzhou had done to him, he still longed to see him? He truly loved that illegitimate son. Jiang Shixu's face hardened, a flicker of mockery flashing in his eyes. At this moment, he desperately wanted to ask Jiang Yi—after all these years, had he ever, even once, valued him as a son? Had he ever loved him even a little? In the end, Jiang Shixu never voiced the question. "Can't meet." He coldly dropped those three words and turned to leave. Jiang Yi watched Jiang Shixu's retreating figure and suddenly called out, "Shixu, I'm begging you as your father—let me see Fu Yuanzhou!" Jiang Shixu's body halted abruptly. His hands, hanging at his sides, clenched into tight fists. "It's your father who wronged you, wronged your mother." Jiang Yi's eyes reddened, and the sobbing he couldn't suppress made Jiang Shixu's chest ache with a dull, suffocating pain. "Your father doesn't have many days left to live—this must be my retribution..." Jiang Yi wept. "Before I die, there are things I want to say to Fu Yuanzhou. Let me see him." Jiang Shixu stood at the door, his back to Jiang Yi, his ink-black eyes gleaming with a terrifying, chilling light. "Next life." The man spoke slowly, his voice icy and sinister. ... After finishing lunch, Chu Tang sat in the hospital room chatting with Zhou Xueluo and Chen Yuanyuan. Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside the door. Screams rose one after another. "What's happening out there?" Chen Yuanyuan frowned. Chu Tang looked toward the door of the hospital room. "That's quite a racket—something must have happened." "I'll go check." Chen Yuanyuan stood up. "Xueluo, stay here with Tangtang." Zhou Xueluo nodded. "Mm." Chen Yuanyuan left. Chu Tang felt a sense of unease. She had a feeling something terrible had happened. Soon, the hospital room door was slammed open with a loud "bang," and Chen Yuanyuan came running back, gasping for breath. She stood at the doorway, her face deathly pale, her eyes wide with terror, her lips trembling—unable to speak for a long moment. Seeing how strange she looked, Zhou Xueluo and Ruan Chutang exchanged a glance, both their expressions darkening. Chu Tang asked, "What happened?"