Silence.
In the hospital corridor, after learning the news that the rescue had failed and the injured had died, the scene fell into a deathly stillness.
After a long while, Yan Haikun let out a hoarse and heavy sigh and said to the doctor, "You've worked hard. It's not your fault."
In the cold morgue, Yan Haikun saw his grandson for the last time.
Due to excessive blood loss, his face was extremely pale. His eyes were closed, and he looked as peaceful as if he were sleeping. His long eyelashes cast a shadow on his face. Even in such a hasty and wretched departure, his features still retained the handsomeness typical of the Yan family.
But just 12 hours ago, he was still standing right in front of them, speaking grandly about his aspirations.
Although this grandson hadn't grown into the person he'd expected, and had done many foolish things, it didn't mean that he, as a grandfather, didn't love his grandson!
There came the sound of hasty footsteps and gasping breaths from outside. Liang Zuo, who had received the news, rushed over in a hurry. Seeing Yan Zhen lying there so coldly, his knees went weak, and he knelt heavily on the ground.
"Master..."
How... how could this happen?
This cry made Yan Haikun turn around. He grabbed his walking stick and lashed out at Liang Zuo without mercy:
"How on earth were you watching him! Why weren't you by his side all the time!"
"How could you let him go out alone!"
"Your duty was to watch over him and keep him safe!"
"If it weren't for you, how could this have happened! How could this have happened! Liang Zuo, how can you make up for this!"
With each hysterical roar and accusatory question that seemed to come from the depths of his soul, the old man who had been holding back his tears finally broke down. With each strike of the stick, a torrent of tears fell.
And Liang Zuo silently endured the old man's fury.
He knew that as Yan Zhen's assistant and bodyguard, he was undoubtedly responsible this time.
Afraid that Yan Haikun might hurt himself in his anger, Xu Zixi stepped forward in time to support his arm and said, "Uncle Yan, take care of yourself."
Yan Haikun stopped. He took a deep breath, and with eyes as sharp as a hawk's, he looked at Liang Zuo and asked, "Why weren't you with him tonight? Why did he go to the cemetery alone? What was there in that cemetery that made him stay there for so long?"
Liang Zuo was stunned for a moment. He glanced at Xu Zixi beside Yan Haikun and hesitated.
"Speak!" Yan Haikun rapped his walking stick on the ground.
Liang Zuo said, "Master said that he was leaving for Country L in two days, and he wanted to... to say goodbye to Miss Yuan Xi. In that cemetery, there's... there's a tombstone that Master erected for Miss Yuan Xi."
"What did you say?!" Yan Haikun thought he'd misheard. "A tombstone for Yuan Xi?"
He looked at Xu Zixi beside him, his eyes full of shock. Yuan Xi... wasn't she standing right beside him, safe and sound?
Xu Zixi was just as shocked as Yan Haikun. She never expected that Yan Zhen would...
Suddenly, self - blame filled her heart. It was she who had told Yan Zhen that Yuan Xi was dead, which was why he had done such a foolish thing. If it weren't for...
A hand landed on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Her panicked heart was instantly soothed.
"Now is not the time to delve into this. The most important thing now is to catch the murderer who hurt Yan Zhen and bring him to justice." Yan Yincheng said. "And to properly arrange Yan Zhen's funeral."
"Dad, pull yourself together."
Yan Haikun came to his senses and stopped dwelling on this question, which was completely useless in the current situation.
Liang Zuo volunteered, "Leave the matter of the murderer to me! I will definitely cooperate with the police to catch the culprit!"
The murderer wasn't difficult to catch. After stabbing someone, he was covered in blood and still carried the weapon. He was caught on the spot by the patrolling police on the way. Upon learning that the person he had stabbed was Yan Zhen, the eldest grandson of the Yan family, the murderer was immediately transferred to the Fengcheng Police Station.
Without a doubt, he would face the overwhelming anger of the Yan family.
...
After dawn, Yan Zhen's body was taken to the funeral home. The Yan family would hold his funeral there.
It had started snowing in the middle of the night, and the howling wind blew the snowflakes everywhere. The ground was already covered with a thick layer of snow.
One car after another arrived at the funeral home. Those who had known Yan Zhen and those who hadn't all came to attend this funeral.
Yan Zhen's body had been re - prepared. He was wearing his favorite clothes and lying peacefully in a circle of white chrysanthemums, looking as if he were sleeping.
Xuanxuan and Xuxu were wearing small black suits. They followed Xu Zixi and Yan Yincheng to the mourning hall and tossed the small white flowers on their chests into the flower trough.
Seeing the black - and - white photo hanging there, Xuanxuan seemed to realize something. He looked up at Xu Zixi and asked, "Mommy, is Brother Yan Zhen never going to play with us or draw with us again?"
Xu Zixi stroked his hair and said, "Yes. Brother Yan Zhen sacrificed himself heroically to save a girl. It's different from an ordinary death. He died with honor."
Xuxu said, "Wow, then he's so amazing! Even more amazing than Spider - Man, right, Mommy?"
Xu Zixi looked at Yan Zhen's black - and - white photo and said, "Yes."
At Yan Zhen's funeral, Xu Zixi finally met his mother. His mother had remarried and now had her own family and a new child. She had brought that child to the funeral.
The child looked about 18 years old, and there was a bit of Yan Zhen's resemblance in his features. He was quite handsome.
In front of the mourning hall, after presenting the small white flower, he said to Yan Zhen lying there peacefully, "Brother, rest in peace."
After seeing off Yan Zhen's mother, an unexpected guest arrived at the funeral.
Yuan Ya'er was dressed in black. Her hands were covered by a piece of clothing, hiding the handcuffs on her wrists. Beside her were two plain - clothes female policemen.
The moment she stepped into the mourning hall, her legs began to tremble. Her eyes were extremely fragile, and her thin body seemed on the verge of collapse, as if she would faint on the spot at any moment.
Because of her arrival, the whispering that had been going on at the scene stopped.
Countless pairs of eyes stared at her, speculating about her next move.
To everyone's disappointment, Yuan Ya'er didn't do anything or say a word. She just stood in front of the black - and - white photo, silently gazing at her former lover, as if saying goodbye to him.
After a while, people at the scene started talking about her again.
"Come to think of it, Yuan Ya'er is quite pitiful."
"Tell me about it. She was switched at birth when she was a child. After finally being recognized as a member of the family when she grew up, she did something wrong out of jealousy and ended up in this situation. I wonder if she regrets it."
"Since she came to see Yan Zhen for the last time, I think she should have realized her mistake, right?"
"Let's just hope that she can be a good person after she gets out and stop hurting others."
Xu Zixi heard these words and squinted slightly at Yuan Ya'er.
As if sensing her gaze, Yuan Ya'er looked over. Their eyes met in the air, and there was a faint hint of hostility. The female policeman beside Yuan Ya'er said, "Time's up, 7056. It's time for you to go."
7056 was Yuan Ya'er's prison number. Her being on parole didn't stop the police from referring to her by this number.
There seemed to be a flash of embarrassment on her face, but she quickly covered it up and obediently let the police take her away. After she left, the voices of discussion at the scene became clearer.
Zai Zai asked Xu Zixi, "Mommy, who was that aunt just now? Why did she seem to hate Mommy?"
Who was that person just now? In the previous life, she was very likely the culprit who had truly pushed you into the abyss of pain.
But Xu Zixi only said, "Coincidentally, Mommy hates her too. It was her who made Mommy and your daddy separate back then, who made Mommy lose her family, and who forced us to live in hiding in Haicheng."
The two children were terrified. They each hugged Xu Zixi's neck tightly and said, "Then she's a big bad guy! Mommy, let's ignore her!"
"Mommy, we will definitely study martial arts hard in the future and become very powerful people! We won't let her bully Mommy and Daddy anymore!"
Zai Zai promised solemnly.
Xu Zixi hugged them tightly and said, "Good. My babies will surely become very powerful people in the future and give her a good lesson. Let her know that in this world, you are the protagonists."
Xuanxuan repeated Xu Zixi's words, "We are the protagonists!"
The words were deafening.