Chapter 95: Since She’s Ruled by Love, It Doesn’t Matter If Her Boyfriend Is Twisted (27)

Bai Yao felt suffocated, unable to breathe, her body pressed tightly beneath the earth, leaving not a single space to struggle. She truly believed she was on the verge of death.

But she could not die yet.

Lu Sheng was still waiting for her.

That child still needed her.

The lack of oxygen sent her mind spiraling into hallucinations amidst the darkness—her unfinished college life, the days spent fooling around with Lu Sheng, and that boy covered in wounds.

For a brief moment, the shadows of Lu Sheng and the boy overlapped.

Bai Yao opened her eyes. A hand reached out from the soil, pushing away the dirt above her head. Rain washed over her face as she gasped for air, hearing a cat’s meow nearby.

A black cat had appeared at some unknown time, its paws digging at the earth. Seeing a person emerge from below, it jumped back in fright, keeping its distance.

Bai Yao found a gap in the soil to struggle free, thanks in part to the cat. She climbed laboriously out of the pit, ignoring the scratches from flower thorns on her hands. She suspected her appearance must be terrifying—no wonder the cat stared at her in horror.

During her escape, her hand brushed against something cold and hard. She pulled it out, and after the rain rinsed away the dirt, lightning revealed it to be a piece of bone.

The black cat let out another cry.

Under the fierce flashes and thunder, Bai Yao sat at the center of the flower bed, realizing the soil was riddled with broken bones and even several skulls.

Small skulls, slender bones.

They were all children.

Bai Yao stared fixedly at the house, pushing herself up with trembling hands and staggered towards the door.

Only a warm lamp glowed in the living room; in contrast, the bathroom was brightly lit.

Chen Yan casually removed her raincoat, stained with mud and blood. Her clothes underneath were spotless, as if she were always the clean and orderly woman she appeared to be.

Just as Chen Yan stepped out of the bathroom, she frowned at the muddy footprints on the floor. Before she could react, an iron shovel came crashing down toward her.

Caught off guard, Chen Yan collapsed, blood quickly seeping from her scalp and trickling down her face.

She clutched her head, looking up at a shadow standing in the dim light.

Bai Yao’s white dress was stained beyond recognition; rain, mud, and blood from her head mixed together, making her appear like a vengeful spirit crawling from hell.

She was still alive!

If she hadn’t died, why didn’t she run?

She had come back!

Chen Yan cried out, “Why must you oppose me!”

Bai Yao raised the shovel high. “Because, from ancient times, mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law are natural enemies!”

With her words, Bai Yao brought the iron shovel down on Chen Yan’s head once more.

Chen Yan lay motionless on the floor.

The instant Chen Yan lost all strength, Bai Yao rushed into the bathroom. The scent of blood overwhelmed her, making her legs weak and nearly knocking her to the ground.

The water in the bathtub was stained red, still warm. The child submerged inside lay with closed eyes, as if peacefully sleeping.

The child who survived three years locked away, sustained only by the longing for his mother, now floated in this tiny bathtub, as if adrift in a silent sea.

Bai Yao dropped her weapon and tried to lift the child from the tub. But when she grasped his hand, she could only pull out his hand.

Bai Yao stood frozen for a long time. Slowly, she gently placed the hand back.

When drops of water fell onto the surface, rippling out circles of blood, she realized they were her own tears.

A black grim reaper doll was wedged behind the bathroom door, its strawberry pendant necklace broken and scattered across the cold floor.

Thunder rolled outside, lightning splitting the night in two.

Chen Yan regained some consciousness, her first reaction was to touch her belly. Even in such peril, her foremost concern was the child within.

Such noble maternal love.

Chen Yan tried to prop herself up and crawl away.

But behind her came the voice of a girl, unhinged, “Chen Yan, I will kill you!”

Bai Yao held a kitchen knife she’d found, stepped onto Chen Yan’s back, grabbed her hair, and pressed the blade to her throat. “I must kill you!”

Chen Yan screamed in terror.

But after a peal of thunder, her body collapsed to the floor, free from restraint.

Chen Yan opened her eyes, still startled.

In this empty house, there was not another soul in sight.

At two in the morning, as the forecast had said, the storm ceased.

The white house entwined with bougainvillea shone brightly; tonight’s tempest had not breached its walls. All seemed ordinary.

From the bed, a person opened bloodshot, tear-filled eyes. “I must kill you!”

The next moment, as she sat up, her raised hand was enveloped by a larger one, and a familiar embrace surrounded her.

Someone gently patted her back, whispering comfort. “Yao Yao, it’s all right now, everything’s fine…”

Bright lights, warm breath—her senses flooded with relief. Gradually, her dark eyes regained their focus, as if she had returned from a nightmare to reality. The surreal feeling took shape through the boy’s soothing presence.

Bai Yao slowly emerged from that taut, reactive state. She felt her own breath, heard her heartbeat, and regained control of her body.

She lifted her pale face and saw Lu Sheng.

He was just as she remembered, hair the color of sunset, handsome features, always with a radiant smile when he spoke to her—as if everything in the world was beautiful in his eyes.

Suddenly, she burst into sobs.

Lu Sheng’s gaze was flustered, his expression fraught with anxiety and guilt. “Yao Yao, don’t cry, please don’t cry. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have come home so late. I should have stayed by your side. It’s all my fault. I made you suffer all this… It’s my fault…”

As he spoke, his back bent lower, his voice choked, dark eyes misting over. The long-held fear finally dissolved into tears.

Bai Yao wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder, shaking as she cried. “I’m so useless. I couldn’t save you… I want to kill her, I have to kill her!”

A feeling of despair clawed at Bai Yao, demanding release. Merely recalling the child in the bathtub filled her with such a violent urge to kill, it seemed to tear her apart.

She could not express in words the sense of falling into an abyss, but Lu Sheng understood.

Because he had suffered under such feelings long ago.

Lu Sheng gently cupped her face and whispered, “Yao Yao, I know. I’ve taken care of everything.”

His soft kisses landed on her face, soothing her. “Relax, don’t hurt yourself. I’m right here. Open your eyes and you’ll see me. I won’t disappear. Relax, Yao Yao, relax…”

Bai Yao’s clenched hands loosened, her rigid body gradually relaxing. Through blurred tears, she gazed at him, her taut emotions finally soothed under his care.

The tall, orange-haired young man and the frail, black-haired boy—once again, their silhouettes seemed to merge.

Bai Yao sat upright, tilting her face up toward him.

He parted his lips, and in a kiss both urgent and fierce, they exchanged breath. Threads of affection flickered between their lips and teeth, only to be swallowed again, their tongues aching, yet neither cared.

In another house.

Xiao Xiong sat on the rooftop, cradling a black cat in the moonlight. He sensed a sudden surge of murderous intent from the house ahead and asked the cat curiously, “Meow meow?”

Why was someone’s killing intent so intense, yet he didn’t sense any delicious evil?

The little black cat replied lazily, “Meow meow.”

Because the desire to protect had already surpassed everything else.