At one in the morning, the cold wind howled as icy snowflakes danced through the air. Gu Ran had never felt colder than in this moment, lying discarded like trash in the snow.
Her clothes were soaked through by the rain and snow, yet the chill in her body was nothing compared to the freezing despair in her heart.
Under the eaves nearby, a man and woman embraced, their faces bearing mocking smiles that cut into her like sharp blades.
“Sister, can’t figure out why you’ve ended up like this?”
The woman’s voice pierced her ears like an ice dagger.
That once meek and timid girl now laughed wildly and viciously like a soul-reaping grim reaper.
“Han Muze, Gu Yao, how could you do this?”
In this moment, Gu Ran wished she could kill the despicable couple before her. She had prided herself on being clever, yet these two had played her for a fool.
For four whole years, these two had used their hypocritical masks to repeatedly manipulate her and drive a wedge between her and Fu Sijue.
It was her, Gu Ran, blind and foolish, who had betrayed the man who truly loved her and destroyed everything he had.
Gu Ran hated – hated her own stupidity, hated the despicable couple before her, but in this moment, she could do nothing.
Han Muze had personally severed the tendons in her wrists and ankles, while the cousin she had always protected had personally gouged out her left eye.
“Sister, don’t hate me. Who asked Fu Sijue to stand in Ze-gege’s way? For my Ze-gege, I had to use you to help me eliminate him. But don’t worry, sister – once Ze-gege completely replaces Fu Sijue, I’ll have him spare Fu Sijue’s life. After all, he’s just a paralyzed cripple now.”
“You… Gu Yao…”
Gu Ran gritted her teeth, watching the woman sheltered in the man’s embrace from afar, powerless to do anything.
“Sister, don’t get agitated. The poison in your body reacts badly to anger – it’ll only speed up the effects…”
“So my father’s death having something to do with the Fu family was also fabricated by you, wasn’t it?”
“Sister, it’s too bad you realized this too late. Uncle has been missing for almost sixteen years – who knows what happened to him back then… Ah, how could you be so stupid, sister? You were fooled by some evidence Muze-gege casually fabricated, and they call you Hai City’s number one beauty? What a pity – all looks and no brains.”
“Alright, Yaoyao, it’s cold outside. Don’t waste your breath on her. I’d hate to see you catch a chill.”
Han Muze held the woman in his arms tenderly, letting her lean against him limply.
Watching this scene, Gu Ran could only feel how ridiculous it was that after all these years, she had never discovered the true nature of their relationship.
“Oh, by the way, Gu Ran – that young man who saved you back then wasn’t me. I think you can guess who really saved you…”
The usual gentleness had vanished from Han Muze’s face. Those eyes that were typically filled with tenderness now looked like poisoned blades, inflicting deeper wounds on her already battered body.
As the two gradually walked away, Gu Ran felt her body growing colder and colder.
Staring into the pitch-black night, letting the rain and snow beat against her, Gu Ran gradually let go, waiting only for her life to reach its end.
Did she hate Gu Yao? Yes!
Did she hate Han Muze? Yes!
But what Gu Ran hated most was herself. If only she had trusted Fu Sijue, even just once, she wouldn’t have been used by these two people.
For two whole years, she, someone hailed as a heaven-sent prodigy, had actually been played for a fool by those two people. How blind must she have been to end up abandoned by all and dying alone!
Her vision gradually blurred. Gu Ran knew she was about to be freed, yet she still had regrets. She regretted that even in death, she couldn’t say sorry to Fu Sijue. She regretted that she could no longer respond to Fu Sijue’s love.
Yes, just how much had that man loved her to willingly endure being hurt by her time and again? It was she who had personally destroyed the man who loved her most.
“Fu Sijue, I’m sorry…”
“Ranran, Ah Ran, don’t fall asleep, don’t sleep, wake up… I’m sorry, I came too late…”
That familiar man’s voice reached her ears, still as tender and affectionate as ever.
“Ah Jue, is that you?”
Gu Ran’s consciousness grew increasingly hazy, her body colder and colder. The poison inside her had spread throughout her entire system. She knew there was no antidote for that toxin.
Gu Ran seemed to hear a loud commotion around her, the ground shaking and mountains quaking, followed by all sorts of chaotic noises. But she was too tired, in too much pain, and her remaining right eye could no longer open.
“Ranran, don’t be afraid. I told you, even in death, I will accompany you. Ah Jue will always be with Ranran.”
Gu Ran felt she was hallucinating. How could Fu Sijue still come? He must hate her to the core.
But perhaps it was for the best. To have such an illusion before dying meant that heaven still had some mercy on her.
“Heaven, if you truly pity my miserable twenty-three years, please bless me. Bless me to meet Fu Sijue in my next life. Next time, let me be the one to love and protect him…”
“Fu Sijue, if there is a next life, Ranran will definitely love you well. Ah Jue, goodbye…”
Boom…
The moment Gu Ran completely lost consciousness, she heard an explosion.
“Miss Gu…”
“Miss Gu…”
Someone seemed to be calling her. Gu Ran only felt an intense, splitting headache.
But that wasn’t right. She should be dead. Could the dead still feel pain? Yet her injuries were to her limbs and eyes, so why did her body hurt so much?
“She’s awake! Miss Gu is awake! Go inform the master quickly…”
The surrounding noises grew louder, making Gu Ran’s head throb unbearably. She felt as if she were floating in the deep sea, desperately trying to grasp onto something.
Gu Ran felt her eyelids were incredibly heavy, as if glued shut. She wanted to open her eyes, to see what the underworld was really like.
Were there the legendary Ox-Head and Horse-Face? Were there the Black and White Impermanence, the soul-summoning envoys?
Finally, she sensed a soft light. Her vision slowly focused, and the blurry, wavering shadows gradually became clear.
Gu Ran opened her eyes, yet it felt like a dream.
Why was she seeing familiar faces—Liu Ma, Zhang Sao, and Sister Xiao Ya? Had they come to fetch her?
Didn’t they hate her? After all, she was the one who had caused their deaths.
No, they must be here to seek revenge for their past lives.
“Miss Gu, you’re finally awake.”
As the familiar face drew closer, Gu Ran saw no trace of hatred or resentment on Liu Ma’s face, only deep concern and heartache.
A warm touch brushed her forehead. Could the dead still feel warmth?
No, why did this place feel so familiar—the familiar room, the familiar layout? She… she wasn’t dead.
With this realization, Gu Ran moved her limbs. There was no pre-death agony. She stretched out her hand—her wrist fair and delicate, completely unmarred.
Her heart pounded violently, breath quickening from excitement. Her already frail body grew paler from the turmoil.
Gu Ran parted her lips, but the words she wished to speak lodged in her throat. A dry, raw pain seized her, as if something had torn through it.
“Miss Gu, please don’t agitate yourself. You’ve had a fever for two days and only just recovered. Your throat must be very sore. Doctor Li said it’s best if you avoid speaking these days.”