Actually, Song Wen was right. In the past, Li Xuan thought Li Mingge was crazy, partly out of disgust. But now, in every way, Li Mingge was really behaving unusually.
Sometimes, he would set up obstacles from afar, arranging people to repeatedly attack the Nook servers. Other times, he would call Li Xuan from different numbers, repeatedly telling him how seriously Shu Xin was ill. His speech was becoming more and more confusing—sometimes saying, “You owe us, you need to repay,” other times acting as though he couldn’t even tell who Li Xuan was, “How could you not come to see your mom when she’s this sick? You’ve always been unfilial, born to bring death to Shu Xin…”
During this time, Zhao Jizhe’s case had been sentenced. He was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The whole process was fast. The judgment was unusually swift, and the sentence, from an objective standpoint, was quite severe. Li Mingge must have contributed a lot to it. However, Zhao Jizhe didn’t appeal.
This news was brought by Song Wen. Lawyer Liang didn’t really understand the relationship between Li Xuan and Zhao Jizhe, nor did he know if this outcome was what Li Xuan had hoped for. He could only trouble Song Wen to inform Li Xuan.
“By the way, I brought this for you too.” Song Wen casually handed him a file folder.
Li Xuan took it, quickly flipped through it.
“How is it?” Song Wen observed his expression but couldn’t figure out anything.
“You didn’t look at it?”
“Swear to heaven, I didn’t.”
Li Xuan didn’t answer. He looked seriously at it for a few seconds and then put it away in his drawer.
“I knew you would…” Song Wen shrugged and didn’t press further. “By the way, I noticed as I came upstairs, the person Li Mingge assigned to guard didn’t show up today.”
“Did he leave?” Chu Tianheng happened to come in to grab some materials and smiled wryly. “Maybe he went for dinner? I saw him here this morning.”
It was 4 p.m., “What should we have for dinner?” Song Wen glanced at his watch. “Now that you mention it, I’m getting a little hungry. I remember that fish place last time was good. Do you guys want to go? I’ll book a table…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Li Xuan’s phone suddenly rang again, from an unfamiliar number.
“Please don’t let it be him again…” Song Wen frowned. But Li Xuan couldn’t ignore it. The only strangers who called him every day were either Li Mingge or people looking to talk about business deals. He couldn’t refuse them all.
Li Xuan answered the call, and as soon as he heard Li Mingge’s voice, he hadn’t even had a chance to hang up when the other side urgently shouted, the tremor in their voice unmistakable: “Your mom… she’s missing. We can’t find her anywhere…”
Where could she go…? With Shu Xin so sick, could she really leave the hospital?
Li Xuan rushed downstairs and got in his car, driving out of the software park, but for a moment, he wasn’t sure where to go. The phone rang again.
“Hello.”
At that moment, when Li Xuan answered the phone, he hadn’t planned on telling Sheng Min about this.
He could have said he was working overtime, but when he heard Sheng Min gently ask if he was busy, he felt he couldn’t lie to him. On the contrary, at that moment, he missed him deeply and needed him.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Sheng Min asked. “Are you in a meeting?”
“No, I’m not in a meeting. I’m not busy…” Li Xuan paused, then said, “I’m coming to pick you up. I need to tell you something.”
He met Sheng Min at the theater entrance. Sheng Min opened the car door and got in, asking anxiously, “Where are we going?”
His clear eyes, like a lake under the winter sun, seemed to reach deep into the softest part of Li Xuan’s heart.
Li Xuan leaned in and kissed him lightly. “I don’t know either.”
He didn’t know much about Shu Xin, and there was no need to. Even in Shu Xin’s foggy state of mind, he was the most important person to her in the world.
“I really don’t know much about her. During those years at the Li family’s house, I tried to avoid too much contact with her,” Li Xuan muttered, aimlessly scrolling through the navigation app. “Her health is so poor, she probably couldn’t have gone too far…”
“Does Li Mingge have anyone at home?” Sheng Min asked after thinking for a moment.
“Probably not.”
The housekeeper was also at the hospital taking care of Shu Xin.
“Do you think she’s at home?”
“I’ve only met her once.” Sheng Min answered, avoiding the question. “Let’s go check.”
On the way, Li Xuan called Li Mingge several times, but the line was constantly busy. It seemed like he was contacting people far and wide, trying to find her.
The villa area had seasonal plants throughout the year. Even in late winter, the greenery remained lush. The fountain pool had started to freeze over, with a thin layer of ice crystals trembling, about to shatter.
“Do you have the key?”
“No.” Li Xuan was about to get out of the car when Sheng Min asked. He turned back and fumbled for a paperclip in the armrest box.
His lock-picking skills didn’t come in handy. The yard gate wasn’t locked, and the front door wasn’t either. They exchanged a quick glance and hurried inside.
“Aunt Shu?”
No one answered. The large, dark living room echoed with their calls.
“Let’s go to the second floor.”
While speaking, Sheng Min had already passed Li Xuan and was heading upstairs. Without hesitation, he stopped in front of a special storage room. On the carpet at the door’s gap, there were faint blood stains seeping through.
“It’s locked from the inside.”
Sheng Min tried the door, then turned to Li Xuan.
He waited for Li Xuan to pick the lock, but Li Xuan simply kicked the door open. The shattered wood splintered everywhere. In the darkness, Shu Xin lay on the floor, unconscious.
The planetary models covering the entire wall emitted a dim glow. There were no lights on, just like the Milky Way flowing through the dark night.
On the opposite wall, family portraits from each year were displayed, representing human wishes for beauty in the mundane world.
The universe is vast, and humans are tiny.
Many have fallen one after another, trying to explore the hand of God, but in the end, they couldn’t even control their own fate.
Li Xuan bent down to pick Shu Xin up from the ground. She was still wearing the hospital gown with a white coat over it, the buttons mismatched, swaying in the cold wind.
Li Xuan drove, while Sheng Min sat in the back, holding Shu Xin’s head on his lap.
On the way, Shu Xin briefly woke up and groaned in pain. She weakly opened her eyes and looked at the blurred figure in front of her.
“Son…” her breath weak, “Why haven’t you come to see mom? Are you still angry with me?”
She was weak, and her vision seemed to be failing. She called for Li Xuan and then grasped Sheng Min’s hand, weakly asking him.
“I’m not angry with you.” Sheng Min comforted her softly, “I’ve never been angry with you…”
“You’re lying to me… If I hadn’t gone, things would have been better…” Shu Xin shook her head.
Sheng Min gently comforted her: “You should have gone. That was your career. You’re more than just a mother. You don’t have to sacrifice yourself…”
Unfortunately, Shu Xin soon fell unconscious again and didn’t catch the words.
The car drove into the nearest hospital, where they had already called ahead. As soon as the car stopped, medical staff rushed to take her to the emergency room.
After nearly an hour, the doctor finally came out.
“The patient…”
Before Li Xuan could ask, the doctor took off his mask and shook his head. “We managed to save her today, but her condition is very poor. Where were you originally? You must have prepared yourselves. You need to contact a kidney donor as soon as possible. If you delay any longer, the surgery won’t be possible…”
In the hospital room, Shu Xin lay quietly, her brow furrowed in pain even in her sleep. Under the light, her white hair could not be hidden. This was the second time Sheng Min had seen her. The first time, despite her mental state, her beauty was still evident, but alas, beauty is always fleeting.
“Should we wait for Li Mingge to come?”
Li Xuan didn’t go in. He sat on the bench in the corridor and waved to Sheng Min when he came out.
“I called his secretary.” Li Xuan adjusted Sheng Min’s hat, “We’ll leave when Zhou Qi gets here.”
Sheng Min responded with a hum. It was best for Li Xuan to avoid meeting Li Mingge for now, but Li Mingge clearly didn’t think the same. He arrived together with Zhou Qi.
Li Xuan had no intention of arguing with Li Mingge here. He grabbed Sheng Min’s wrist, intending to leave, but Li Mingge refused to let him go.
“You saw her, you saw her!” Li Mingge pounced on him like a starving dog seeing meat, refusing to let go. “You saw how sick she is! And yet you still won’t save her—what are you thinking?”
He lunged forward, nearly colliding with Sheng Min. Li Xuan frowned and stepped in front of Sheng Min, no longer being polite. He forcefully shoved Li Mingge aside and continued walking without a word.
He had nothing left to say to Li Mingge.
“Stop right there!” Li Mingge, covered in dirt from who knows where, looked utterly disheveled. Suddenly, his tone changed to one of pleading. “You can save her. We’re already at the hospital. Just try, try it once… You have two kidneys, why can’t you give her one?”
“Sir, are you a family member of the patient?” The commotion had drawn the attention of a nurse. “Please do not make a scene in a public area. Other patients need rest. Please control your emotions.”
“President Li,” Sheng Min couldn’t help but speak up, “why don’t you go check on your wife first?”
Li Mingge had already clawed Li Xuan’s hand so hard that it bled. He kept repeating, “Just try it. Just one kidney. You won’t die, but she will. You saw it—she’s going to die…”
The hallway was in complete chaos. Zhou Qi couldn’t hold back Li Mingge. In his panic, he hurried off to find someone for help. The nurses, unaware of the full situation, assumed they were all together and advised Li Xuan to calm Li Mingge down; otherwise, they would have to call security to remove them all.
No one noticed when the door to the patient’s room opened.
Not until Shu Xin collapsed heavily to the ground.
“Shu Xin!” Li Mingge’s eyes widened. He scrambled forward, half-crawling, to catch her. “Are you okay? Are you okay?”
Shu Xin, however, glared at him with hatred. “Don’t touch me! Get away from me!”
She pointed at Li Mingge’s face, cursing, “It’s all your fault! Why are you forcing our son to give me his kidney? Why… No wonder he won’t come see me. It’s all your fault, all your fault!”
“I didn’t—”
“I heard everything!” Tears streamed down her face as she struggled to free herself and move toward Li Xuan.
“Son,” she called out to him pitifully, “don’t be afraid. Mom doesn’t want anything from you. Just look at me… Look at your mom…”
Even Sheng Min, who had no fondness for them, found the sight unbearable. He gently tugged on Li Xuan’s hand.
Seeing them about to leave, Shu Xin became even more agitated. She lashed out at Li Mingge, hitting and kicking him. “How could a father like you exist? I must have been blind to marry you! His health is already fragile—he had surgery! He only has one good kidney! If you take it, you’re killing him! You want my son dead, don’t you? You might as well kill me too! I might as well just die right now!”
“Shu Xin, listen to me—listen to me!” Li Mingge was so panicked that he couldn’t even form a proper sentence.
Shu Xin ignored him completely. She truly intended to smash her head against the wall. “You want my son dead? Then I’ll die first!”
As a sick woman, she had surprisingly strong willpower when she lost control. Li Mingge couldn’t restrain her, gripping her sleeves desperately, his eyes nearly bursting with veins. “He’s not our son!”
No one expected him to blurt out this long-buried truth in such a situation.
For a moment, time seemed to pause. Even Li Xuan, who had been about to stop Shu Xin, froze in place.
“What did you say?” Shu Xin suddenly went still.
“Are you insane?” After a long silence, she suddenly burst into laughter. She pointed at Li Xuan and asked Li Mingge, “Are you crazy? What are you talking about? If he’s not my son, then who is?”
“He’s not!”
After enduring so much stress for so long, Li Mingge had been teetering on the edge of collapse. Once he started speaking, he couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“Shu Xin,” his eyes looked hollow, “look at him properly. Does he look anything like our child? Look at him carefully…”
But Shu Xin didn’t look at Li Xuan—not even a glance. She only stared blankly at Li Mingge, like a stubborn child unwilling to accept reality. “How could he not be? You always said he was. You always brought him back to see me…”
“I lied to you.” Li Mingge sounded utterly exhausted.
“You lied to me?”
She fell silent for a long time. When she finally spoke again, it was as if she had effortlessly accepted the truth. Clutching Li Mingge’s sleeve, she asked, “Then where is my son? Where did he go? His health is weak… He needs his mother to take care of him.”
“Get up first. I’ll take you to find him.” Li Mingge tried to help her up, but Shu Xin pushed him away.
“I won’t get up,” she shook her head. “Let him come see me! Let him come see me!”
In her struggle, she slapped Li Mingge hard across the face. The crisp sound echoed, leaving a long, red scratch on his cheek.
“He’s been dead for years!” Li Mingge roared.
Li Xuan couldn’t listen anymore.
“Let’s go,” he said softly to Sheng Min. Without waiting for a response, he grabbed Sheng Min’s wrist and quickly walked toward the elevator.
“Dead?”
The moment the word left his lips, Li Mingge regretted it. But at the same time, he felt like everything had finally settled.
He was like a balloon, inflated with one lie after another, growing more and more transparent. He had been floating on the verge of bursting for too long—it should have happened sooner.
“Dead?” Shu Xin repeated the word, as if it were some kind of magical incantation that suddenly cleared her mind. She stared at her husband, then at the spot where her “son” had just stood—only to find it empty.
“Dead.” She murmured, dazed. In an instant, countless fragmented memories surged into her mind, but none were clear.
She tried to push herself up against the wall, but failed several times. Li Mingge reached out to support her, and this time, she didn’t resist. She even obediently let him help her back to the bed.
She sat there for a long time before finally speaking to Li Mingge.
“Then take me to see him.”
“Alright.” Li Mingge was momentarily stunned but quickly understood. He let out a sigh of relief—this reaction was far better than he had expected.
“Let’s go now.” Shu Xin said, her expression calm, her gaze suddenly sharp and clear—completely different from just a few minutes ago. In the nearly ten years that had passed, there had never been a moment when she appeared as clear-headed as she did now. “I want to go now.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll make arrangements. Sit down first.” As Li Mingge spoke, he helped Shu Xin lie back down.
Of course, he had no intention of taking Shu Xin anywhere. He just wanted to take advantage of her current calmness to quickly get the doctor to administer a sedative. After tucking her in, he walked to the door, glanced back at her uneasily, and said, “Wait for me, okay?”
“Okay.” Shu Xin responded softly, even giving him a weak smile. “Go ahead.”
….
Night had already fallen. The streetlights in the hospital garden flickered on.
Li Xuan remained silent, walking hurriedly. He was so distracted that he nearly ran into a tree beside a flower bed. Sheng Min quickly reached out and pulled him back. “Li Xuan!”
“Sorry.” Li Xuan stopped, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
Sheng Min sighed and pressed his lips together lightly. “Do you want to go back and check on her?”
“No.” His answer was firm this time. He lowered his eyes and exhaled softly. “Sheng Min, I…”
“Hmm?”
The words he was about to say never made it out.
Because from the direction of the hospital building behind them, a loud, heavy crash suddenly echoed through the air.
Sheng Min gasped and instinctively turned around—but he saw nothing. Li Xuan was a step ahead of him, covering his eyes for him.
Time stretched endlessly, as if an entire century had passed.
The air was filled with horrified screams. Someone had jumped. Someone had died. Voices overlapped chaotically, mixed with the terrified cries of children. Within seconds, the hospital had turned into a scene of pure chaos—like a slaughterhouse.
The hand covering his eyes was trembling. Sheng Min gently raised his own hand, covering it with warmth. Then he heard his own voice ask:
“…Shu Xin?”
There was no answer. Or maybe the answer had already been given.
Li Xuan pulled him into a tight embrace.
Oh no…