Chapter 681: A Million Times for You (43)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
There was only a tiny and extremely narrow window and a concrete iron door.
In a corner, there was also a small door, presumably to a toilet.
She sat on a bed made of cement, which was laid with dirty bedding.
Everything before her felt like a hallucination.
Her head swayed; she closed and opened her eyes, but what she saw before her remained unchanged.
She had obviously been on her bed at home, but why was she here now?
Pinching her own face to check if these were all real, she felt a sudden pain overwhelming her.
Who had imprisoned her here then?
Xu Youran thought of Yuan Mingzhu’s death and was instantly gripped by fear.
She moved her hands to her stomach, which was bulging slightly. She got down from the bed and went to the door, calling out for someone. But nobody replied. She still did not give up and called out a few more times. Yet, there was still no answer, nor were there any sounds of footsteps.
Xu Youran was absolutely terrified. She was unsure of what she would be facing.
She continued to walk back and forth in the room until the sky outside the window had turned dark and the room had become pitch black.
Only then did she sit down by the bed, on tenterhooks.
She thought about it carefully and concluded that the person who captured her here could only be either Gu Beicheng or Jin Qingyan.
Between the two, it was difficult to tell which one it was.
But after analyzing it in detail, she could still guess which one of them had a higher likelihood of being the culprit.
It was more probable that it was Jin Qingyan rather than Gu Beicheng.
If it was Jin Qingyan, Xu Youran was all prepared. To save her own life, she could stoop to a low level by begging him to spare her on account of them being half-siblings and by insisting on her innocence regarding Mrs. Jin’s death.
That way, she should have a chance of keeping her own life, right?
But deep down, she was still not confident.
She was extremely unsure.
Just as she was being overwhelmed by all sorts of thoughts, there came the sound of footsteps approaching. There was more than one person.
Xu Youran listened carefully and had her hands gripping onto the sturdy bed. The lights suddenly came on.
Having grown accustomed to the dark, the sudden shine of the lights was glaring to her eyes.
She narrowed her eyes and looked toward the door.
The door was opened, and a few figures entered, one of them being Jin Qingyan indeed.
Xu Youran sat there and stared at him. She asked, “Why did you bring me here? What do you want?”
Jin Qingyan’s brows were furrowed tightly, and he looked at her in a frustrated manner, remarking, “You already know the answer, do you still have to ask me?”
Xu Youran said past clenched teeth, “I’ve done nothing against my conscience. I don’t know what exactly this is about.”
“You’re playing dumb?” He darted a cold glance at her. “I’ve long wanted to do something to you. I’ve waited this long because I wanted to find a suitable opportunity. Your husband’s gone overseas today and will only be back in a few days. I can make you suffer these few days, what do you think?”
Xu Youran stood up from the bed and simply kneeled down. “Brother, please spare me this once.”
This act of hers surprised Jin Qingyan. However, it was a pointless one. Toward this sister, the guilt and familial bond he had was completely destroyed and had turned into hatred.
“Before you harmed my mother, these words would have worked on me. But now, they’d no longer do.”
She raised her head, clearly realizing that denying it would be of no help to her.
Her eyes reddened and her voice was hysterical. “How did your mother treat my mother? Don’t you know what kind of life I led when I was young? I was blinded by hatred, can’t you just forgive me this once?”
“Hmph…” He sneered, treating her words as a joke. “You were blinded by hatred? Is your target just my mother alone? No, she’s just the first one you got rid of. Your next targets are the rest of the Jin family members. Back then, you tried many means and ways to harm Xiaoning as well. Rest assured, I won’t take your life away right now.”
She was taken aback. “Then, will you set me free?”
“I haven’t finished my words. I won’t take your life away right now, but I will make you suffer a fate worse than death.” His cold eyes were fixed on her. “I will make you truly understand this feeling of pain.”
Xu Youran sprawled onto the ground, terrified. The man before her was no longer human and was someone who was about to send her to a living hell.
She shook her head and went forward, hugging Jin Qingyan tightly as she choked on her tears. “No, spare me this once. I remember when you were nice to me. When we were young, you sent me food, I remember all that… The child in my stomach is only a few months old. Brother, please spare me this once. I won’t dare to do it ever again… please give me a way out…”
Jin Qingyan remained unmoved. He looked down at her and replied coldly, “A bug that leaps always thinks it’s able to leap very high. But in reality, in front of humans, they simply look ridiculous. I won’t give you a single chance.”
“We’re both Father’s children!!!” She released her hands from him and stood up unsteadily, her face as pale as a sheet. “How is it fair that we were treated so differently!!! I’m Father’s child, too, but since you were born, you were fed with a silver spoon. How about me? I was treated worse than a servant! What have I done wrong to receive such a treatment?! The Heavens were unfair to me. If I had the same kind of treatment as you when you were young, or even just a tinge of it, would I have resorted to this today? Your mother deserved to die, I don’t regret getting rid of her. I never will!”
Jin Qingyan just looked at her like that and turned silent for a few minutes before responding, “Don’t you deserve to die, then?”
With that, he turned to leave.
Xu Youran watched as the door was closed again. She backed off a few steps and rested against the bed, her face covered with cold sweat.
She did not know what awaited her, but she had a feeling that even if she could live on, there would not be good days ahead for her.
The lights were kept on for the whole night, and she kept her eyes wide open through the night as well.
Jin Qingyan did not know that she did not get any sleep the whole night. After leaving the place, he went home and lay down on his bed, staring at that old picture for a very long time.
It was the only picture he had with Xu Youran when they were young.
There were five of them in the picture: Long Tianze, Mo Li, Ling Ciye, Xu Youran, and him. Jin Qingyue was not inside.
At that time, he was about ten years old.
It was a rather young age.
The picture brought back many of the childhood memories he had with them.
Just thinking of it made Jin Qingyan full of emotion even now.
Everyone had their own destiny.
However, how one’s life turns out ultimately still depended on their character.
He gripped the picture tightly in his left hand while using a lighter in his other hand to burn it. With the flame engulfing the picture, he threw it into the rubbish bin, and watched a picture that he had preserved for years turn into ashes.
Knock, knock, knock. From outside the door came the sound of Fan Shixin. “Young Sir, I have something to report.”
Jin Qingyan went to open the door to let him enter.
“Speak.”
“For Tuoba Danxue’s wedding, it’s confirmed that Ms. An’s name is on the guest list. Those people who’ve followed Ms. An previously have suddenly vanished as well, I’m not sure why.”
“Aren’t those people working under Shi Xiaoyu? If they’ve vanished, it must mean there’ll be peace from now on. Where is she now?”
“Beijia Bay.”
“She’s so diligent, I must say, heading there every day.”