“Lù Zhíhóng now lives alone in Haicheng.”

He eats and drinks without worry, but compared to before, he has truly become a recluse.

The other branches of the Lu family have all moved abroad, and he feels too ashamed to face them after causing the downfall of the Lu family.

Qin Si provided him with good conditions; his residence was excellent, and he still received monthly dividends from Lu Industries.

He lived a carefree life, but without the adoration he once enjoyed.

His house was installed with surveillance, and Qin Si’s people in Hai City would often come to check.

This was one of the prices he paid for the treatment he received now.

He had to accept constant monitoring, somewhat similar to how he used to monitor Lu Nian before.

However, nothing unusual had happened for a long time, and Qin Si’s surveillance of him seemed to have relaxed recently.

He could occasionally go out and enjoy himself.

He had made some acquaintances in Hai City’s social circle and would sometimes go out to have fun, enjoying himself.

Born as a young master, he had a graceful and elegant demeanor, and he never lacked female companionship.

Until one day, at a dinner party, a friend introduced him to a young woman.

She had a gentle and elegant appearance and was well-spoken.

Lu Zhihong got along well with her.

He was used to being flirtatious.

After they entered the room, everything went well until the woman removed her wig and makeup, revealing a serene and peaceful face.

Lu Zhihong was immediately stunned, and then his expression turned extremely ugly.

Seeing this face now, he felt no trace of goodwill. “What are you doing in Hai City?” he asked, his tone unfriendly.

As he thought about it carefully, he felt that this woman had a strange kind of power.

If he hadn’t listened to her instigation back then, been bewitched by her, and tried to take back Lu Industries, he might not have offended Qin Si and ended up exiled from the Lu family, living alone in this small city.

“How much did you tell Qin Si about our cooperation?” Su Qingyou asked.

Lu Zhihong didn’t want to answer that question and said impatiently, “I don’t know how you found me. Let me tell you, I’m being monitored by him now. I’ve just come out temporarily to hide. His people may come looking for me at any time.”

Su Qingyou raised her eyebrows slightly. “Is that so?”

Did Qin Si really not know?

He allowed Lu Zhihong to meet her?

Her disguise was not to avoid Qin Si’s surveillance but to deceive Lu Zhihong.

And now, being able to easily lure Lu Zhihong out confirmed her suspicions even more.

This was her deal with Qin Si.

For Qin Si, he had always wanted to get rid of Lu Zhihong.

This way, the last uncertain factor between him and Lu Nian could disappear.

Besides, Su Qingyou didn’t believe that Qin Si, with his strong desire for revenge, would completely forget about the way Lu Zhihong and the Lu family treated him in the past.

Because of Lu Nian, he couldn’t act himself, but being able to use someone else to do it for him was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

Lu Zhihong had completely lost interest in her.

He turned around to leave, but after a few steps, he found that his limbs had begun to weaken.

Su Qingyou was still sitting at the table, smiling gently, playing with her teacup.

“What did you give me?” Lu Zhihong’s lips trembled, his voice hoarse.

He staggered a few steps and fell onto the bed.

“Answer my question first,” Su Qingyou said, “if you want to stay alive.”

“I didn’t say anything, but he must have found out. Xiao Honghe has told him everything about you and your sister,” Lu Zhihong said, his face pale.

Su Qingyou had expected this.

Even Zhao Yayuan might already know, as she hadn’t exactly kept her actions a secret.

But what concerned Su Qingyou was something else. “What about Tingyuan?”

Lu Zhihong felt as though he had grasped a lifeline. “Nothing, I didn’t say anything. As you instructed, I destroyed all the evidence. This matter has nothing to do with Zhao Tingyuan. As long as I don’t say anything, no one can find out anything.”

Su Qingyou’s lips curled slightly.

She even felt slightly pleased compared to before.

“I didn’t tell Qin Si anything,” Lu Zhihong pleaded. “Can you let me go? I promise I won’t say anything to him.”

“Okay.”

Lu Zhihong’s eyes lit up, and he struggled to stand up.

In the corner of the room, there was a suitcase.

Su Qingyou dragged it out, and when Lu Zhihong saw its contents, his face turned deathly pale. “What are you planning to do?”

Lu Zhihong cried out for help. “Help, help!”

“If you kill me, you won’t have a good ending either,” he cursed. “You witch! If you kill me, do you think you won’t be found out? Will you be able to get away unscathed?”

Su Qingyou replied calmly, “I don’t need to get away unscathed.”

With everything she had done, any connection between her and Lu Zhihong would be erased.

Her connection with the Su family had probably already been discovered by Qin Si.

However, Zhao Tingyuan had also been involved in this matter, and only Lu Zhihong knew about it.

What she had done to Zhao Yayuan before had all been her doing.

She could take the blame for everything, while Zhao Tingyuan could absolve himself of all responsibility just because he had married an unfaithful wife.

And there was Xiu Yi.

After all, they were family.

The Zhao family wouldn’t be too harsh on them. Zhao Tingyuan wouldn’t have to live in constant anxiety anymore.

…..

The dinner between Lu Nian and Qiao Li was held in a high-end Chinese restaurant, decorated in a retro style, with a quiet and elegant atmosphere.

The three of them were very quiet. Occasionally, Lu Nian and Qiao Li exchanged a few words, but Lu Nian felt as if the words she had wanted to say were stuck in her heart for some reason.

She had a vague sense of unease, without knowing the reason.

Zhao Yayuan didn’t show up.

Qiao Li glanced at the man sitting across from him and said softly, “Yayuan originally said she would come.”

Zhao Yayuan’s call came at this moment.

He spoke particularly fast. “That woman surnamed Su has gone crazy.”

“She went to Hai City. Now everyone in my family is going crazy, and my brother is on the verge of collapse.”

“Hai City?” Qiu Liang glanced at Lu Nian sitting across from him.

Lu Nian remembered that Lu Zhihong was currently living in Hai City.

Zhao Yayuan said, “Tell Qin Si to warn Lu Zhihong to be careful.”

He was almost one hundred percent sure that Su Qingyou had gone to Hai City this time to find Lu Zhihong.

“Dad?” Lu Nian was surprised, and her expression changed as she listened to Qiao Li’s description.

Although Lu Nian had completely given up on Lu Zhihong and didn’t expect anything from him anymore, after all these years of pretending to be father and daughter, she didn’t want Lu Zhihong to die.

The Zhao family’s lights were on, and chaos reigned both upstairs and downstairs.

Zhao Tingyuan was on the verge of collapse. “Why would that crazy woman do such a thing?”

He couldn’t believe it. “Murder is a crime. She’ll go to jail. What should I do?”

His mind was in chaos.

Zhao Tingyuan had always been indecisive and submissive, accustomed to obeying Su Qingyou in recent years.

Now he was suddenly faced with this situation.

Zhao Yayuan’s expression was solemn. “Stay home and rest.”

“You guys watch over brother,” he instructed the servants.

The Su family had been suppressed severely during this period.

Their foundation was unstable to begin with, and after Zhao Quan reclaimed power, all cooperation with the Su family was terminated.

Su Xiaoqin’s extramarital affair with Xiao Honghe had been exposed, and Zhao Yayuan had been inexplicably weak before.

There were also many rumors outside.

Since Su Qingyou was Zhao Yayuan’s wife, causing such a disturbance would damage both their reputations, so the Zhao family had been trying to suppress these rumors.

However, none of them had expected Su Qingyou to make such a crazy choice.

Lu Nian also felt panicked.

She said to Qin Si, “I want to go to Hai City to see my father.”

Although Lu Zhihong had done many outrageous things, Lu Nian didn’t want him to die.

She was afraid Su Qingyou would really harm him.

Her hands were ice-cold.

The man’s long, slender hand held hers, warming her with his body heat.

“It’s okay,” he said.

“You stay home and rest. I’ll go to Hai City,” he said to Lu Nian. “If you want to go, you can go later.”

Lu Nian had never seen Qin Si so flustered before, and he was now.

His features were still gentle and composed as usual.

When he heard the news, he showed no signs of surprise or astonishment.

Lu Nian was not in good health, and Ancheng was some distance from Hai City.

He was reluctant to have her rush over by plane in the dead of night.

Lu Nian didn’t say anything.

Her lips were tightly pressed together, and she didn’t immediately agree.

Her gaze seemed a bit dazed, as if she were thinking about something.

When she met his gaze, it didn’t seem like she was looking at him.

His mind was incredibly sensitive, especially to any changes in her emotions.

If there was even the slightest change, it would affect his mood.

“…Do you not trust me?” He slowly released his grip on her hand.

He lowered his eyes, and his expression couldn’t be discerned.

His voice was a bit hoarse. “Do you think I planned all of this? Do you think I want Lu Zhihong to die? Is that why I didn’t let you go?”

Lu Nian was stunned. “How could you think that?”

He was her Qin Si now, her childhood sweetheart and future husband.

He was the person she should trust and rely on the most in this world.

She held his hand, preventing him from pulling away. “I’m just… so surprised.”

She was still in shock.

The situation had completely spiraled out of control.

Su Qingyou actually wanted to harm Lu Zhihong, something Lu Nian had never expected.

In that moment just now, she had thought of many things, and indeed, she had thought of the original Qin Si, the one who could do such things.

But not the present him.

What she hadn’t expected was that he would be so sensitive to her emotions, even though it was just a momentary thing.

Qin Si didn’t say anything.

He let her hold onto him, then gently pulled her closer, holding her fingertips in his hands, and embracing her.

His lips, slightly parted, slowly curved into a smile.

He gently brushed her lips and whispered, “Lu Zhihong will be fine.”

“Don’t worry.”

The fire in Hai City never ignited.

Before Su Qingyou could ignite the gasoline, Fang Deng broke into the room with his men.

He was panting, sweat dripping from his back and forehead, shouting at her, “You, don’t move. The police are already here.”

Su Qingyou was restrained.

She couldn’t believe it.

Had she made the wrong bet?

She had thought that she and Qin Si were exactly the same kind of person.

She believed she had his tacit approval to find Lu Zhihong, so why was he now obstructing her?

Fang Deng had rushed over yesterday after hearing that Su Qingyou had come to Hai City.

Qin Si had told him to come immediately.

They had already installed surveillance in Lu Zhihong’s house, and a device had been installed on his phone as well.

He watched Lu Zhihong’s movements tonight, and the more he watched, the more he felt something was wrong.

Originally, seeing no unusual activity for so long, they had relaxed their vigilance and were preparing to leave Ancheng.

But unexpectedly, that woman had gone crazy to this extent.

Now it seemed that everything was still in time, just as the boss had said.

Lu Zhihong had been rescued.

She had been used.

Even more thoroughly used, she still hadn’t turned against that man.

Suddenly, Su Qingyou understood everything.

She laughed bitterly a few times, but before the police could act, her lips turned pale, and suddenly, she collapsed to the ground.

She was also taken to the hospital.

“This lady has taken in advance,” the doctor said. “Rescue arrangements have already begun, but…”

Fang Deng knew what he meant.

Su Qingyou really didn’t want to live anymore and had prepared herself for death.

Lu Zhihong was in good condition because he had been rescued in time and hadn’t suffered any external injuries, but he was terrified.

Lu Nian went to Hai City to see him and talked to him by his bedside.

Qiao Li looked at the man in the hospital bed, his expression unusually complicated.

He had aged completely, unlike the market-savvy, cold-blooded man he used to be.

Lu Nian left the ward and gently closed the door behind her.

She noticed that Qin Si had been unusually silent.

Outside the window, the stars were brilliant.

Hai City was a mining city, and the night sky was rarely so clear.

Lu Nian held his hand, sensing that he had something to say.

Sure enough.

The man looked out at the night sky through the window, his voice very low.

“Since I was young, I’ve always had a premonition,” he said softly. “I won’t live long, and I’ve even had dreams like that.”

In his dreams, there was no Lu Nian, just the previous Miss Lu.

His situation in the Lu family had gotten worse and worse.

He had been beaten, starved, frozen, humiliated, and even once, in winter, forced under the ice of a frozen lake, almost losing his legs…

For a child, the most terrifying things had all happened.

In the end, he had taken revenge on all of them, and not one of those people had escaped.

Then, he died before his twenty-ninth birthday.

It was suicide.

Because his heart had already become empty, he felt like he was soulless, a walking corpse.

Living felt no different from yesterday, today, or tomorrow.

After seeking revenge, his heart had completely emptied, like a heart that had long rotted away.

So, he chose to return everything to peace.

When he died, no one would be saddened.

He would soon disappear from everyone’s memory.

He came into this world once, leaving no trace.

He had not enjoyed anything.

No family, no friends, no love. All he had ever felt was the taste of hatred.

Lu Nian’s little face was wet with tears.

She hugged him tightly around the waist and suddenly had a terrifying thought.

She asked him, “You’re not still thinking about suicide, are you?”

He chuckled, withdrawing his gaze. “No.”

How could he even think of it now?

Having her, he only wanted to live well and long, together with her.

Lu Nian held him tightly in her arms and nuzzled against him. “You’re not allowed to leave, and you’re not allowed to have such thoughts.”

They hadn’t married yet, hadn’t been intimate enough, and not long ago, she had almost misunderstood him once.

He still hadn’t completely let go of his worries, unable to fully enjoy her love with peace of mind.

She hadn’t even given birth to a cute little baby for him yet.

There was still so much left unfinished.

Taking care of Lu Zhihong for so long had exhausted Lu Nian.

She had been too tense before, but now, everything was over.

Lu Nian leaned against his shoulder and fell asleep, deeply asleep.

He gently kissed her cheek, picked her up, and wanted to take her home.

Life is unpredictable.

Sometimes, just a change in perspective or position can lead you to a completely different future, thousands of miles away from folly.

He lowered his head, suddenly cherishingly biting her lips.

Lu Nian didn’t wake up.

She was familiar with his taste and didn’t resist.

He greedily absorbed her breath, their tongues intertwined, his actions more unrestrained than usual.

She was the gift fate had given him. No matter whether she still wanted to love him in the future, he would never let go.