Chapter 2

“What… what?” Ji Nuannuan stared in disbelief at the flamboyantly dressed woman in front of her.

“That old woman’s car accident? Yeah, we hired someone to do it.”

Hearing Ji Xinxin’s words, Ji Nuannuan’s eyes turned red as she instinctively refuted, “Impossible! The person in the photo is clearly Fu Jinghan!”

“Tut tut, sister, I remember you used to be pretty sharp, huh? Can’t you tell that photo was photoshopped by me?”

“Besides, in such a remote place, who else would have photos from the scene except the killer?”

Boom!

It was as if something exploded in Ji Nuannuan’s mind, her whole world spinning out of control.

If everything she was going through now was karma for having trusted the wrong people, then what did her grandmother or Fu Jinghan ever do wrong?

Her grandmother was the one who loved her most in the world, yet she had been killed so cruelly.

And she—she had treated the one responsible for her grandmother’s death as her savior.

Fu Jinghan had showered her with love and patience, but she treated him like a monster.

Even worse, she believed Ji Xinxin’s lies and blamed the car accident on him…

“Grandma… Fu Jinghan…” Ji Nuannuan’s body trembled violently, the chains around her hands and feet clinking heavily against the ground.

She hated them…

But more than that… she hated herself.

“I’ll never let you get away with this—not even if I die! You should all rot in hell!”

Ji Nuannuan screamed at the two of them, feeling like her heart was being crushed.

She never imagined Ji Xinxin would be so deranged as to harm her grandmother.

And Wei Yang—the man she loved, the man who claimed to love her—had actually teamed up with Ji Xinxin to destroy her.

“You pathetic wretch. Even on death’s door, you’re still threatening people?” Wei Yang spat contemptuously and kicked Ji Nuannuan hard.

Already battered and bruised, Ji Nuannuan coughed up blood from the blow, her body shaking as she struggled to speak: “Why? Why did you hurt my grandma?”

Ji Xinxin looked down at Ji Nuannuan’s suffering form, her voice trembling with excitement.

“Anyone who’s good to you deserves to die. Why is it that you were born the privileged eldest daughter, and I’m just a dirty little bastard?”

“When your short-lived mother died, I thought I’d finally get the upper hand, but that old hag actually brought you back into the family.”

“And even when you were in the countryside, I was still only the Ji family’s second daughter—you always outranked me!”

“Later, I gained more knowledge and saw more of the world. I thought I’d marry better than you. But Fu Jinghan—he actually chose to marry you!”

As Ji Xinxin spoke, her voice became more hysterical, filled with rage and resentment.

“That’s Fu Jinghan! Why should I be the background character the moment you show up? I won’t let you have anything good! I’ll steal everything and everyone who treats you well! If I can’t have it, it should burn!”

Her twisted face contorted even more in her madness.

Ji Nuannuan had never imagined Ji Xinxin hated her this much. Even though Ji Xinxin was the child of a mistress, she had always treated her like a true sister.

She never once blamed her for their parents’ mistakes or looked down on her.

But that kindness had turned into a death sentence. Because of this woman, her entire life had become a joke.

Ji Nuannuan simply stared at her, eyes filled with sorrow and despair.

“Let’s go. No point talking to her anymore. If someone finds us, we’ll be in trouble.”

Wei Yang, seeing Ji Xinxin spiraling into madness, reminded her.

Ji Xinxin, having vented her anger, quickly returned to her smug demeanor.

She spoke smugly, “But now, everything’s perfect. From now on, there’s only one Miss Ji, and the Fu Corporation is mine.”

“Dearest sister, enjoy your last moments alive.”

The two turned and walked away. Just as they stepped out of the room, a lighter was tossed in.

In an instant, the entire warehouse was engulfed in flames, and the fire spread rapidly.

Ji Xinxin looked back at the warehouse being devoured by fire and sneered coldly.

Ji Nuannuan felt herself growing weaker.

Her vision began to blur, and she thought she saw her deceased grandmother standing before her.

Her grandmother was still the same kind old lady, smiling and waving gently.

In the blink of an eye, she seemed to see Fu Jinghan as well.

She couldn’t bear to look at him—he had given her everything, yet she had repeatedly run away.

She had never once fulfilled the duties of his wife, and instead, had made him the subject of ridicule.

Her life… was ending like this.

“Nuannuan! Nuannuan!”

Just as Ji Nuannuan’s eyes were about to close, a familiar and frantic voice made her snap them open.

Through the roaring flames, a figure rushed in.

Ji Nuannuan looked at the man charging through the fire toward her, and tears instantly streamed down her face.

“Fu Jinghan? Why did you come? Leave! Get out of here!”

She had hurt him so deeply, over and over again, yet he still came.

He had already sacrificed his pride for her—sacrificed his company—and now, he was sacrificing his life.

“Nuannuan, I finally found you. Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

Fu Jinghan, drenched in sweat, looked at the woman surrounded by flames, his heart in turmoil.

He rushed to unchain her, trying to set her free, but Ji Xinxin and Wei Yang had made sure there was no way out for her.

He yanked at the chains with all his might, his hands burning and blistering from the searing hot metal.

But Fu Jinghan’s eyes never wavered from Ji Nuannuan’s bound figure. No matter how badly he was burned, he refused to let go.

But how could chains forged in iron be broken by bare hands? Fu Jinghan couldn’t free her.

“Leave! …”

“Just go already—you can’t break these chains! Fu Jinghan, I’m not worth dying for!”

Fu Jinghan froze, his hands still, and looked at Ji Nuannuan seriously.

“You’re worth it.”

“You know it—as long as it’s you, giving up everything is worth it.”

Seeing the chains wouldn’t budge and the fire surrounding them, Fu Jinghan lost all hope.

He sat beside her, pulled her into his arms, and gently wiped the ash from her face. His voice was firm and full of love.

“I’m sorry, Fu Jinghan. I wrongly blamed you. I let you down. I regret it so much… I regret not loving you sooner.”

“I regret being an unworthy wife. I regret listening to Ji Xinxin.”

“If there’s a next life, let me be the one to love you, to protect you, to give you a chi—”

Before she could finish, Fu Jinghan suddenly shoved her away with all his strength.

By the time Ji Nuannuan recovered from the shock and looked over, Fu Jinghan had been struck by a massive sheet of falling glass from the ceiling, blood streaming from his head.

“Fu Jinghan!!!”