Yan Xia's eyelashes fluttered slightly, as if she had thought of something. But other than that, she showed no other reaction.
She curled herself up like a living corpse, completely oblivious to what he was saying.
Lu Qianzhou coaxed her patiently, "Cheng Yanxia, what on earth do you want to do now? Give me a reaction. Don't scare people like this, okay? She's your daughter. You care about her, but have you ever thought about the people around you? How worried we are about your state."
Yan Xia sat there numbly, unmoved.
"As long as you're willing, all those who have offended you and those you dislike can disappear from this world. But the prerequisite is that you have to cheer up. Even if you want to join hands with Shangguanyao to kill me, I'll offer my life with both hands after my long - cherished wish is fulfilled."
Lu Qianzhou stayed in the room and talked to her for a long time. Whether it was gentle persuasion, overbearing threats, or sincere attempts to soothe her emotions, Yan Xia ignored him.
He was originally full of confidence, thinking that he could easily win her over. Now he realized that he had been overly confident.
Helpless, he got up and opened the door. With a gloomy face, he said to Mu Rui waiting outside, "Come in."
Fang Jiangyi frowned and was about to step forward to check on Yan Xia's situation when he was stopped by the bodyguards.
"Lu Qianzhou, this isn't just your business. You can't..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the door was closed again.
To Lu Qianzhou's great surprise, Mu Rui was actually holding a doll of Elsa, Lan Mengfan's favorite when she was alive. The doll still carried her scent.
Mu Rui squatted on the ground and placed the doll on Yan Xia's instep. The doll stood for only a moment before falling to the ground. As if electrocuted, Yan Xia flinched violently. Finally, a look of grief appeared on her face. She wanted to cry but had no tears. When a person is extremely sad, there are no tears.
"You miss her very much, don't you? You feel that you didn't protect her well and that it was because of you that she got involved," Mu Rui paused for a moment and then continued, "You even think that you're the one who killed her."
Yan Xia's breathing began to tremble. She stared at the doll on the ground. Perhaps because the pressure on her heart was too great and it hurt too much, she tightly grasped the clothes over her heart.
"If you hadn't adopted her back then, or if you hadn't taken her back to the capital and had given her back to her biological father completely, as long as one of these possibilities had existed, she wouldn't have been killed. Do you feel so guilty that you think life is meaningless?"
Yan Xia's lips trembled. Suddenly, she reached out and covered her mouth, sobbing uncontrollably.
Yes, in the past few days, she had been immersed in self - blame. Why was she so easily swayed? Why didn't she stick to her original decision? Coming back was a mistake in the first place.
She could never forget the scene where the child held her hand at the last moment, stared at her in horror with wide - open eyes, and said that she didn't want to die.
Lu Qianzhou was a bit impatient. "Can you do it or not?"
Asking him, a psychiatrist, to persuade someone, and he actually made the person cry.
Mu Rui knew that he was anxious, but he still felt a bit helpless about Lu Qianzhou interrupting him.
Mu Rui's words didn't have much effect either. After all, all he could do was some psychological counseling. Finally, Lan Yuzhou carried Lan Mengfan's urn into the room. He came in front of Yan Xia and slowly placed the urn on the carpet in front of her.
Seeing the urn with Lan Mengfan's black - and - white photo on it, smiling at her, Yan Xia's emotions suddenly collapsed. Tears gushed out like a flood breaking through a dam.
"Miss Cheng, you don't have to blame yourself. This isn't your fault. On the contrary, I don't regret giving Mengfan to you back then. I've always been grateful for your care and love for her. I believe it's the same in Mengfan's heart. A child's mind is the purest. She can tell who is really good to her."
Yan Xia hugged the urn in her arms. Her tears fell on the urn. She lowered her head and didn't look at Lan Yuzhou.
"You don't have to pursue anyone's responsibility for Mengfan anymore. Let this matter pass. Let's leave the last bit of dignity for the child. She had a fulfilling and happy life by your side in the past few years. Having such a beautiful memory is enough."
Yan Xia cried and said, "I'm sorry..."
She had promised to take good care of the child for him, but she hadn't fulfilled her promise. In the end, she had broken her word.
She had let an eight - year - old child face such a dirty circle and be involved in such a despicable and dangerous situation. She had let the child die with her eyes still open!
"You haven't let anyone down. Mengfan always hoped that you would be happy. Now she's in your arms. If she knew that you were so sad after her death, she would be sad too."
Yan Xia suddenly remembered that every time she was sad and every time she shed tears, Lan Mengfan would hug her with her chubby little hands, wipe away her tears, and say to her.
"Mommy, don't cry. Don't be sad. Mengfan will definitely be a good girl and listen to Mommy."
Her sad gaze gradually focused on the urn in her arms. As if holding her breath for a long time, she suddenly opened her mouth and gasped for air.
She really couldn't just sink into sadness like this. The great revenge was yet to be avenged. Her enemies were still alive and well. She would never allow them to continue living a carefree life.
Probably knowing that his words had taken effect, Lan Yuzhou whispered, "I'm going to take the child back to our hometown. I'll never leave there again. After all, fallen leaves return to their roots. I'm sorry, Miss Cheng. The promise I made to serve you like a beast for the rest of my life may not come true."
Yan Xia reached out and wiped the tears off the urn. She returned the urn to him and gently stroked Lan Mengfan's photo on the urn.
"You can go. Take her to a quiet place without any plots or schemes."
Lan Yuzhou repeated, "I'm sorry, Miss Cheng."
There is no greater sorrow than a dead heart. He really couldn't stay here any longer.
...
When Yuan Qiuping received the call from Jiang Yue, she wasn't surprised. After all, some words would reach her ears sooner or later, so she responded calmly.
"Xiaoyue."
Jiang Yue asked anxiously, "Sister Ping, have you heard that Peng Shiyi has been arrested and that Cheng Yanxia's adopted daughter died in an accident?"
Yuan Qiuping lifted her chin slightly. "Of course I've heard. So what? What do you want to ask me?"
Jiang Yue didn't expect her intention to be so obvious. She hesitated for a moment before saying.
"The matter of Peng Shiyi was your design, but she was caught red - handed by Cheng Yanxia. But she wouldn't be so despicable as to harm a child, would she? Sister Ping, is the matter of that child... related to you?"
Jiang Yue was a very smart person. She had always thought that Yuan Qiuping was very considerate and really regarded her as a friend. Moreover, she admired Yuan Qiuping's methods very much, so she would adopt her suggestions on many things.
But if this matter was really related to her, it would be enough to show how vicious this woman was.