CH 55

Ye Wei is dead.

No one would assume she was so daring to attack Hao Ge in his den! The person who had never fired a gun just shot Hao Ge in the chest, smearing his chest red. 

In the end, she was a novice and her aim was not 100% accurate. It was a few centimeters away from Hao Ge’s heart, but it only delayed his death.

“Kill her!”

Soon, she was shot into a sieve[1].  She died just like that. Until the very end, she didn’t get to wash her face. 

A person who loved cleanliness so much was tattered and dirty when she died. 

Hao Ge also died. His people lost their leader and were like chickens who lost their heads[2]. No one would work hard for a dead man. Moreover, because of Hao Ge’s death, Hao Ge’s territory was left unguarded. He only had one son who was around 6 years old under his knee. This was a great chance to seize his territory. Instantly, the people were scattered, fleeing and clashing with each other. A group of gangsters crumpled on their own.  

Mo Yuan’s people and the police swiftly struck and captured the remaining gangsters. 

The kidnapping case finally came to an end

Mo Yuan never envisioned his revenge would end up in this way.

On a grand and spectacular scale without requiring him to dirty his own hands.

He stood under the scorching sun and peered at Hao Ge’s corpse. The man was lying on the bloodied ground, with a big hole in his chest and his eyes wide open. 

He could see his fright and disbelief before his death on his face. He certainly didn’t die in peace. 

Yes ah. Who would guess a woman who was vain and brainless, even cruel enough to point a gun at her savior, would have the courage to kill people under everyone’s eyes. 

She would rather lose her life to drag Hao Ge down than to live.

She hated him so much? Because Hao Ge lied to her?

In fact, if traced back carefully, he seemed to be able to grasp her thoughts. She believed she could kill Mo Yu to relieve her hatred, but she failed because there was no bullet in it. Mo Yu didn’t die and escaped. Because of that, she couldn’t return even if she wanted to. She could only face legal sanctions should she return.

Mo Yu stumbled as he ran. 

He knelt beside Ye Wei. 

She was shot several times. Her clothes had long been stained red with blood. The tangy bloody smell wafted in the air, creating a nauseating smell.

The woman in red was lying quietly on the ground as if she was sleeping. 

He wanted to touch her, but he didn’t dare to touch her.

He noticed she was injured all over. Her clothes were torn by bullets.

She was in tatters. 

Her face was smudged with dirt and blood. She lay there with her eyes shut. 

Her original appearance couldn’t be seen.

“Ye Wei, Ye Wei… Wake up. Ye Wei, hold on, okay? The doctor will be here soon, you won’t die! You will not die!”

“Ye Wei! Ye Wei!”

“Where’s the doctor? Doctor! Please help her!”

Mo Yu never thought that Ye Wei would die, even die in front of him in this way.

Dou Lun couldn’t watch it anymore. He came forward, “Mo Yu, calm down. She has been shot so many times, even if an Immortal Doctor comes, she can’t be saved…”

Mo Yuan looked down at Ye Wei. His gloomy and pale face looked even paler and distorted. His eyes were obscure and there was no emotion on his face. His thought was unfathomable. “You might as well tell him frankly that Ye Wei is dead.”

Dou Lun, “…” Could you please not be so direct? Can’t you see that he is grieving?

Xue Zhao also peeked at his boss with a look that couldn’t be expressed in a few words.

His boss was worthy of his title as a cold-blooded and heartless man. He could spout cynical remarks even in this situation. 

Mo Yu was sluggish. His despair was visible for all to see. “Don’t talk nonsense, Ye Wei won’t die!”

Mo Yuan, “If she hadn’t died after being shot so many times. Then, she’s simply a living miracle.”

Dou Lun: “……”

Xue Zhao：“……”

Mo Yu：“……”

His rubbish talk was indeed the truth. 

Mo Yu trembled and set his finger near Ye Wei’s nose. He couldn’t sense any breath. He went to check the artery on her neck. There was a faint residual warmth, but there was no pulse. There was only blood left on his hand. He stared blankly at it for some time and ultimately closed his eyes in pain.

He had to admit that Ye Wei was dead, really dead.

Dou Lun patted Mo Yu on the shoulder with condolence. He thought about how to console him, “Don’t be too sad. Ye Wei tried to kill you. She is a heartless and ruthless woman. You…… Don’t grieve too much.”

Ye Wei’s move to kill him chilled Mo Yu’s heart, but now she was dead. People die like a lamp goes out[3]. Even if there were disputes or grudges before, it’s time to put it all down and let it go.

But, when all is said and done, he had been in love with Ye Wei for so many years. How could he just put all of it down? How could he just let it go?

The infuriating guilt and grief for Ye Wei’s death were dawdling.

In any case, Ye Wei died because of him. If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t suffer all of this. She could still be the healthy and alive Ye Wei.

————·————·————

“Mo Yuan, don’t you feel guilty?” Mo Yu stood up. He stared at Mo Yuan, who was pale but expressionless.

From the time of Ye Wei’s accident to the present, he had not seen the slightest look of guilt on Mo Yuan’s face. He remained expressionless. Now that Ye Wei’s body was in front of him, how could he still be indifferent?

Mo Yuan raised his eyebrow at Mo Yu.

Mo Yu blamed, “If you didn’t use her and deceive her, she wouldn’t be so desperate!”

Mo Yuan’s smile was without warmth, “I used her and deceived her, but if you love her enough, how could I get the chance to take advantage of her? And, don’t forget, Ye Wei had an accident at your house. If you could stop shilly-shallying between Miao Shuya and Ye Wei and were firm enough to figure out your mind, would Ye Wei be kidnapped?”

A stinging pain emerged in Mo Yu’s heart, “Yes. I’m to blame for it and I admit that I have my share of responsibility for Ye Wei’s death. But, all this started because of you. Because of your selfishness.  Because of your twisted mind. If you want to make me suffer, then you should deal with me openly. Don’t drag an innocent girl into the muddy water and got her to lose her life!”

Mo Yuan’s gaze skimmed at Mo Yu as if he was watching a joke, “You have Mo Shizong’s protection. Who can hurt you at will?”

Mo Yu choked, “Then you use an innocent girl so insidiously? Is this your justification for the bad things you have done? Mo Yuan, your character is too extreme. In any circumstances, you shouldn’t hurt others because of our personal affairs!”

“What wrong with using some harmless means to achieve the goal?”

“You!” Mo Yu was speechless with fury. “You are a lunatic!”

Mo Yuan, “Your wonderful father taught me this himself.”

Mo Yu: “…What did you say?”

Mo Yuan hated Mo Shizong deeply, not only because of Mo Shizong’s disregard and apathy for him but also because he had pursued Mo Shizong’s steps and learned those things in order to please him. Yet, when he learned all those skills, with the expectation that Mo Shizong would like a son like him, Mo Shizong still didn’t pay any attention to him, even hated him.

What Mo Shizong liked was Mo Yu.

What did Mo Yu have?

He’s stupid and ignorant. What’s there to like about him?

Mo Yu didn’t have to do anything to get what Mo Yuan couldn’t even ask for.

Mo Yuan left. He stepped on the ground with bloody footprints, and limped down the mountain.

He’s not wrong.

He couldn’t be wrong.

He couldn’t regret it!

Could not.

His nail pierced his palm from the pressure of his clenched fist, until the bright red blood dripped. He merely glanced at the blood with an empty gaze, as if he didn’t feel or know the pain.

————·————·————

After this incident, Mo Shizong arranged personal bodyguards for him despite Mo Yu’s objection. Furthermore, he also picked him out of his original residence. Mo Yu opposed it at first, but Yang Lingxi cried and persuaded him. After all, this accident almost killed Mo Yu. He had no choice but to move out for the safety and peace of mind of his mother.

Mo Shizong had already prepared a house for Yang Lingxi and him. They would live there for the time being. He would take them back to the main house after he and Yang Lingxi got married. In that way, no one could question Mo Yu’s identity.

He initially thought Mo Yuan would object to it. But, Mo Yuan, in a rare situation, was calm. He didn’t oppose it nor did he find Mo Yu to cause trouble for him. It was not like him at all.

Mo Shizong understood that Mo Yuan must be angry with him because of Ye Wei’s matter, but he had compensated Ye Wei’s parents with a lot of money according to his previous statement. That was the wealth Ye Wei’s parents couldn’t even earn even if they exhausted all their life. The money was enough for them to live a carefree life. This was the only compensation he could do.

He tried to look for Mo Yuan a few times, but Mo Yuan’s attitude was lukewarm to him. His eyes were no longer like before, eager for him but also resisting him. On the contrary, he was perfunctory, more or less the same as treating a passerby on the side of the road.

Such an attitude chilled Mo Shizong’s heart. 

He realized later that in a place where he didn’t see, his son who had been following him and eager for his approval had grown up. He no longer needed him and regarded him as an insignificant stranger.

This cognition hit Mo Shizong hard.

He seemed to have lost his son.

————·————·————

These days, Mo Yu’s mood has been extremely low. After Ye Wei’s death, his heart was never at peace. Even in his dream, her appearance when she died kept haunting him. 

Miao Shuya was always on his side, hoping he could get out of the haze of the past.

She had heard of it. She truly was surprised that Ye Wei would be kidnapped, and so many things would happen in succession. Mo Yu risked his safety to save Ye Wei but was almost killed by Ye Wei. Luckily, she didn’t succeed. Else, she didn’t know what she would do. 

Mo Yu had returned safely, but she felt scared when she thought about how it could go wrong.

She couldn’t guess what things or stimulation made Ye Wei become so cruel. She couldn’t figure out what that beautiful girl had experienced, which made her choose to die with the enemy.

Now Ye Wei was no more, all this guessing was futile.

She didn’t have a good relationship with Ye Wei, but she still mourned her death. If she could, she hoped that Ye Wei could be saved instead of lingering as an eternal regret in Mo Yu’s heart. 

Mo Yu felt odd when Mo Yuan never came to trouble him again. Mo Yuan hated him so much that he could use every means to hurt him, even implicating Ye Wei to death. How could he remain silent after he returned?

It was really not like him at all.

One day, Xue Zhao found him and informed him that Mo Yuan was looking for him.

The doubts in his heart grew. What did Mo Yu want to do with him?

Nevertheless, he still followed Xue Zhao.

Xue Zhao brought him to the villa where Mo Yuan lived. While showing the way, he spoke, “Ye-xiaojie also lived here before. The room on the far right of the second floor is Ye-xiaojie‘s room. Ye-xiaojie has no hobbies, except for shopping, so she likes to sit by the pond to spend her time.”

Mo Yu inadvertently glanced at the pond in the backyard. A recliner lay under the shade of the tree. Next to the recliner was a big golden retriever. The big golden retriever perked up when it noticed there were guests at home. It raised its head and looked at them from a distance, then hung down its head and lay down again.

He imagined Ye Wei sitting there. She might fish on a whim, but give up halfway because she didn’t have enough patience, or lie down and bask in the sun and enjoy the wind, or play with the dog.

His heart stung. He quickly retracted his sight. Why did Xue Zhao tell him all this?

Xue Zhao opened the door of Mo Yuan’s study, “Go in, Mo-zong is waiting for you inside.”

Mo Yu entered the study. The study was enormous. The curtains were shut tight. In broad daylight, the study was as dim as late at night.

Only flickering light kept the study lit. He called out, “Mo Yuan?”

No one responded.

He took a few more steps to source of the light— what awaited him was a projected video!

It was not a movie nor was it a documentary, it was about Ye Wei!

On a huge wall, the memory he most wanted to forget was playing.

Ye Wei was tied up, sitting on the ground. She stared up at him with eagerness and excitement. He heard his voice, “I’ll remove the cloth. Don’t make any noise.”

Ye Wei nodded, extremely obedient. 

He saw her eyes dampened by her tears and complained to him in blame, “Why did you come here? I’m scared to death. I thought I would never be able to go back alive to see you again…”

“I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. I implicated you. Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

“They tied me up and locked me here. Every second is devastating like I could die at any moment! It’s really terrible! Let’s stop talking. Let’s get out of here. I don’t want to stay here anymore.”

“Okay…”

Mo Yu averted his gaze. He couldn’t continue watching it, because, the next second, Ye Wei hoisted a gun at him.

He was about to hold her up to the window. She drew out a gun from behind and sneered at him, attempting to kill him. 

The scene was vivid even in his dream. He couldn’t forget it. The ache in his heart was unbearable.

In this study, his wounds were dug up once again. 

“Mo Yuan, Mo Yuan, come out! Did you just want to show me this when you asked me to come over?!” He shouted loudly, “Do you think this will be enough to strike me down? Dream on!”

“Mo Yuan——”

“Why did you stop watching?”

The abrupt sound floated from the corner. Mo Yu snapped his head over. Mo Yuan sat in the corner because it was dark, he could only see his vague shadow and the light reflected from his dark eyes.

Mo Yu was startled. “What are you doing there?”

Mo Yuan’s voice was without fluctuation, like an evil spirit crawling out of hell, “These days, I’ve been watching this video.”

Mo Yu wrinkled his brows. He couldn’t grasp Mo Yuan’s thoughts. Why did Mo Yuan watch this video? Why keep watching it? Not only did he watch it, but now he dragged him to watch it together?

This was something he didn’t want to recall. He didn’t want to face Ye Wei’s cruelty or Ye Wei’s death, “Sorry, if you have nothing else to do, then I’ll leave.”

“Say, what kind of woman do you think Ye Wei is?”

“???”

“Greedy? Cowardly? Frivolous? Beauty with no brain?”

Mo Yu didn’t wish to face the past, but he couldn’t condone Mo Yuan insulting Ye Wei in front of him, “Ye Wei is dead, can’t you let her go? Why don’t you feel any guilt about Ye Wei’s death…”

Mo Yu’s words seemed to touch Mo Yuan’s button. Mo Yuan suddenly stood up from the ground. He strode towards him. His leg limped from the speed but it didn’t deter him from reaching Mo Yu. He gripped Mo Yu’s collar, “Why should I feel guilty? Ye Wei died for you, why should I feel guilty?”

He flung Mo Yu away. In contrast to his thin and weak appearance, his strength was quite great and Mo Yu was thrown to the ground by him. 

Mo Yu was stupefied, “What are you talking about? Ye Wei died for me?”

He only discovered at this time that Mo Yuan, standing under the dim light, had a pale face and bloodshot eyes with huge dark circles under his eyes. He was haggard and evidently hadn’t slept for God knew how long. 

Mo Yuan gnashed his teeth, glaring with hatred at him, “Are you deaf? Let me repeat it then. I said, Ye Wei died for you!”

Mo Yu’s mind buzzed, “What are you talking about? I don’t understand…”

He genuinely didn’t understand. Ye Wei clearly tried to kill him. How did it become that she died for him in Mo Yuan’s mouth?

Mo Yuan grabbed the remote control and adjusted the playback. He set it back to the time when Ye Wei shot Mo Yu, “Look, here.”

Mo Yu stared at it, “Ye Wei shot at me but found there was no bullet in the gun.”

Mo Yuan, “And then?”

Then, Ye Wei in the video panicked. She staggered back to the wall and looked at him with wide eyes. Her eyes displayed her disbelief. A man outside the window shouted, “Come out! Give me your hand!”

Mo Yu climbed up the window and left. 

Ye Wei was out of the camera, but her voice shouting for help could be heard 

Then, Mo Yu escaped and Ye Wei stayed.

That was precisely how the event unfolded. No matter how many times it was replayed, it couldn’t be changed.

Mo Yu took a deep breath, “What exactly do you want to show me?”

“Did you drop your brain on the dumpster? Ye Wei was discovered and she should fear your retaliation. Shouldn’t she run to the door as soon as she could to escape? Why did she stay leaning on the wall when you ran?” Mo Yuan was furious. He always appeared calm and composed. His haggard appearance was enough to shock Mo Yu and his fury shocked him even more.

Mo Yu was dazed. Yes, Ye Wei didn’t run directly to the door. Instead, she leaned against the wall and stayed there. He thought that she had been tied for too long and was out of strength. She was frightened of the disclosure of the matter, so she staggered back in fear and leaned against the wall.……

Mo Yuan tugged the corners of his mouth, “Do you want to know the reason?”

Mo Yu felt a phantom hand clutching his heart, “Why? Do you know the reason?”

Mo Yuan smiled. He didn’t know of it at first and honestly, he never plan to search for the reason. After Ye Wei’s death, he watched the video of Ye Wei before she died. He watched it every day, from day until night, and night until day. He watched it for so long that he could write down how many times Ye Wei blinked. 

He began to ponder, what was she thinking at that time?

Until one day, he saw a hole in the wall behind Ye Wei.

It was a dilapidated house, so it’s normal to have holes in it. However, that hole was weird.

He enlarged and kept enlarging it. He eventually could see it clearly. It was not just a hole, but a hole with a muzzle!

“Take a good look. If Ye Wei didn’t lean here, you would be dead.” Mo Yuan laughed. “So, you say, did Ye Wei save you or not?”

Mo Yu was nailed on the spot.

He stared blankly at the inconspicuous hole in the video. He couldn’t believe Mo Yuan’s words. Ye Wei leaned there to block the muzzle of the gun and facilitate his escape?

He thought of another possibility. If Ye Wei didn’t defect and honestly went with him, he would certainly send Ye Wei out first and himself second. The window was too high. Ye Wei couldn’t climb up alone if there was no support below.

If there was a gun hidden behind the wall, he would undoubtedly die!

Because that position was facing the window!

But……

How could it be?

Mo Yuan’s voice was equivalent to a whisper of a demon. “You don’t believe it, do you? I don’t believe it either. How could Ye Wei be so magnanimous? She was selfish, greedy, lazy, fragile, and stupid… How could she do such a thing? In order to deny my guess, I especially sent someone to go back there to take a look. There are traces of people in the next room where Ye Wei was detained. The hole does exist, it should be created by humans. There is dust residue on the ground so it is by no means natural. I also ordered them to take videos and photos of it from the same angle and location. The hole is still visible, but there is no muzzle anymore. So, tell me, what does it mean? ”

Mo Yu’s face blanched.

His feet softened and he nearly sank to the ground.

That possibility… He dared not think of it. 

So Ye Wei had no choice. She couldn’t leave with him. If she left, both of them would die. 

Because behind the wall, the black muzzle was facing him. He could be killed at any moment!

She could only stay.

That was her only choice.

If she left, she may end up alive or die, but he would surely die. However, she blocked the hole, so he survived.

It turned out to be a misunderstanding. 

He misunderstood Ye Wei. Ye Wei never thought about killing him. She was trying to save him!

His gaze was focused on Ye Wei in the video, who had a blazing determination in her eyes.

The ruthless words she spoke now turned into a sharp knife that stabbed him in the heart.

Even when she died, he still misunderstood her.

He remembered Ye Wei, who was lying on the ground in blood. He could almost smell the pungent smell of the blood again.

Ye Wei.

Turned out, she hadn’t changed. 

Until the end, she was still who she used to be. 

Footnotes

[1] 被打筛子 – bèi dǎ shāizi. A sieve has holes all over its body. Often used to describe someone who was shot to death with many bullets. Died tragically.↵

[2] When you chop off a chicken’s head, the chicken appears to flap its wings and run around even though it’s already dead. A saying for panicked, a mess, chaotic. ↵

[3] 人死如灯灭 – rén sǐ rú dēng miè. After death, everything disappears. Huantan (~23 BC-50 AD) proposed that “the spirit resides in the body, just like a candle burning with fire, … without a candle, fire can’t thread alone in the void.” Later, Wang Chong further elaborated, and thus formed the ancient view that “People die like a lamp goes out.” Just like a lamp extinguished when the oil runs out, the aura of life will no longer exist. It will return to nothingness, to the boundless silence and darkness.