Chapter 3: Take Action!
Zen wisdom says: The reason people suffer is because they pursue the wrong things.
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Xue Zui Ning looked at him and calmly asked, “Life—have you ever cared about it?” If he had truly considered the sanctity of life, then what right did he have to forcibly change her fate, to hold her mother’s life in his palm?
Lu Huai Ning was stunned. Had he cared? Yes or no—any answer would be wrong in this woman’s eyes.
Xue Zui Ning caught every nuance of his expression; she watched his furrowed brow and the shifting emotions in his eyes—anger, desolation. Should she be satisfied with this result? So, he too could feel pain. She swallowed the bitterness and gazed at him. “Lu Huai Ning, do you care about this child, or are you simply furious about my revenge?”
“If I told you I care?” Lu Huai Ning’s voice suddenly choked.
Her heart was filled with complex feelings, yet Xue Zui Ning forced herself into a ruthless stance, the corners of her lips curving faintly as she softly spoke three words, “That’s just right.”
Lu Huai Ning felt as if something within him was shattered by her cruel words; all the blood in his body seemed to lose its warmth in an instant. He stared at her, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, his voice grim and low, repeating, “Say that again?”
His gaze was icy cold, but it lacked the usual haughty dominance he wielded over the world; instead, it was like shards of ice in midwinter, yet at the same time, burning hot as if from the fires of hell. Xue Zui Ning was no longer afraid as she once was—this man had lost the leverage to threaten her, so why should she fear him now? She bravely met his predatory eyes, enunciating each word, “Does it hurt? Is your heart aching? The taste of ‘loss’ is hard to swallow, isn’t it?”
Lu Huai Ning, belatedly and incredulously, asked, “Does this revenge bring you joy?”
“When you used such despicable means to retaliate against me, taking away everything I had, did you feel joy? Did you revel in conquering others? If you found happiness in that, why can’t I?”
“Xue Zui Ning, you lunatic! So your mother died, and now you’re determined to make everyone accompany her in death before you’re satisfied?” Lu Huai Ning roared, gripping her shoulders and yanking her up from the sofa.
“Shut up! What right do you have to mention my mother?” She cut him off, then suddenly laughed. “Didn’t you always want justice for your pitiful mother? Aren’t you eager to avenge your child? Go ahead—”
She placed his hand on her delicate neck. “Do it. Then we’ll both be free.”
“Want to die?” Lu Huai Ning returned her strange smile, his loosened fingers brushing her skin as he gently stroked her pale cheek. “How could I bear to let you die? Do you know, your beloved mother specifically told me to treat you well. So, since you insist on this path, how could I let you face loneliness alone?”
He really met her mother! Xue Zui Ning, fueled by some unknown strength, suddenly pushed him off guard onto the carpet and, like someone possessed, wrapped her slender wrist around his neck, strangling him. “It was you! You killed my mother! Murderer! Murderer—”
Lu Huai Ning merely coldly grasped her shoulders, giving a measured push, and Xue Zui Ning fell heavily backward, her head hitting the edge of the coffee table with a dull thud. He gave her no time to catch her breath, hauling her onto the sofa, his powerful legs pinning down her struggling body like lightning. “Xue Zui Ning, I advise you to curb your self-destructive behavior, or you’ll have no idea how many people will end up buried with you!” He seized her chin, forcing her to look up. “Do you want to know how your beloved mother died? It was suicide! Damn it, I’m telling you—the mother you praise so highly repaid your filial devotion like this! So, be good. Don’t let her spirit remain restless in the afterlife.”
Suicide! In her shock, Xue Zui Ning’s eyes lost all color, then slowly regained focus. The light above shone on the man’s cold face, and though she was in the pose of the weak, it gave her the courage to meet his gaze, every word resisting. “Why should I believe you?”
Lu Huai Ning, furious to the point of laughter, his hawk-like eyes icy, replied, “Xue Zui Ning, do you not believe, or do you not dare to believe? How does it feel to be a killer? From now on, when you dream, you’ll see yourself strangling your own flesh and blood—I bet you’ll scream in terror. Or, shall I build you a tomb? You can spend the rest of your days tending it, tormented by your conscience. Do you like that?”
“Lu Huai Ning, you devil!” Xue Zui Ning looked at the man’s cold smile and threats, knowing she had provoked all his rage, so he would punish and torment her in his own way.
“Devil? Perhaps I truly am.” Lu Huai Ning no longer cared how she judged him. Since she could not love him, let her hate him instead. Perhaps hatred, deep enough to reach the bone, could erase her love for any other man.
Xue Zui Ning watched as he reached out and picked up the gleaming fruit knife. She saw the sharp blade inch toward her, and just as she wondered if he intended to torture her, he gently turned the knife’s tip, pointing it at his own heart.