“Boom—”
Thunder exploded, and a silver-white bolt of lightning split the night sky.
Rain poured down in torrents, lashing violently at everything around.
The bitter wind howled mercilessly, snapping roadside trees clean in half.
On a desolate mountain road in the outskirts, a long-haired woman in thin clothing lay in the middle of the road. Rainwater washed over her body, yet spreading out from beneath her was nothing but red, bloody water.
A full half hour passed before the blood seeping from her body slowly began to fade.
“Screech—” The sound of brakes rang out.
A black sedan came to a stop not far from where the woman lay.
Headlights fell upon her frail, pallid face—a stunningly beautiful face utterly devoid of life.
The driver’s door opened, and a man stepped out, rushing toward the woman with urgent strides. His stumbling, unsteady gait made it clear that something was wrong with his right leg.
“Yanyan…” He fell to his knees in the mud, his voice trembling and choked with tears, yet his hands dared not touch the girl.
Tang Yan vaguely heard Sheng Yanyu’s voice.
She knew she was dying, so this must be an auditory hallucination before death.
Sheng Yanyu hated her so much. They had long since cut all ties and gone their separate ways—why would he appear here at a time like this?
“Yanyan…”
His voice sounded again by her ear, and her ice-cold body was pulled into a warm embrace.
Tang Yan forced her eyes open. Rain fell on her face, blurring her vision. In her daze, she saw his reddened eyes, filled with grief, panic, and utter helplessness. She couldn’t tell if what covered his face was tears or rain…
“Sheng Yanyu…” Tang Yan’s breath was faint, barely a whisper. She tried to raise her hand to touch him, but she couldn’t muster the strength.
“I’m here, Yanyan, I’m here…” He responded to her in a flustered, panicked voice, urgently lifting her into his arms and soothing her: “I’m taking you to the hospital right now. You’ll be fine.”
Tang Yan tugged at the corners of her mouth, wanting to smile, but even such a simple action required every ounce of strength she had left.
“Sheng Yanyu, I’m sorry…”
There were things she knew that if she didn’t say now, she would never have the chance again.
Her internal organs had long since been shattered. She wasn’t going to make it.
She was held tightly in his arms, then gently placed on the back seat of the car.
Sheng Yanyu released her to go start the car, but Tang Yan grabbed hold of his sleeve.
“Yanyan, let go of me. I need to drive.”
He coaxed her gently, but his trembling voice still betrayed the fear and dread he was feeling at that moment.
“Sheng Yanyu… let’s make up, okay?” Tang Yan smiled at him, hope shining in her eyes.
Sheng Yanyu met her gaze and nodded, his voice choked with emotion: “…Okay.”
Tang Yan smiled contentedly.
“Yanyan, let go of me first, I—”
“Sheng Yanyu, I feel a little cold. Will you hold me, please?”
Sheng Yanyu said nothing. He sat down beside her and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly.
Tang Yan leaned against his chest and slowly closed her eyes.
Tang Yan died.
She felt her soul detach from her body, floating nearby. She simply watched in silence as Sheng Yanyu held her corpse, unmoving for a long, long time.
The rain outside the window had stopped at some point.
Dawn broke.
Tang Yan quietly watched Sheng Yanyu, who sat in silence holding her body. Those eyes—once stubborn and brooding—were now buried beneath despair and grief.
In an instant, his jet-black hair turned grayish white!
She watched as he gently kissed her forehead, a tenderness and softness she had never seen before.
Tang Yan was shocked and utterly bewildered. He… liked her?
Before she could even deny it, something seemed to pull at her, and everything around her vanished. Soon, she found herself in a villa.
The familiar decor and layout—she recognized it at a glance.
This was Sheng Yanyu’s villa, the place where he had imprisoned her for a year.
Who would have thought that on the very night he let her go, she would be killed by someone?
But why was she here?
“Sheng Yanyu, what exactly are you trying to do?”
The voice from the living room downstairs made Tang Yan frown. She walked toward the stairs.
In the living room, Sheng Yanyu was pushing her—seated in a wheelchair—in from outside.
She in the wheelchair wore a down jacket, a fuzzy scarf wrapped around her neck, and a blanket draped over her, bundled up quite thoroughly.
Sheng Yanyu walked in and turned on the heating, then crouched gently beside her, taking her hand in his: “It won’t be cold in a moment.”
Tang Yan watched quietly, a dull ache pressing in her chest.
She was already dead—she couldn’t feel any cold at all. Why did he bother?
Sheng Yanyu’s hands were warm, but no matter how he held Tang Yan’s hand, he couldn’t warm the girl’s fingers. His expression grew increasingly gloomy.
“Just wait a little longer—it’ll warm up soon,” he coaxed softly, his voice gentle yet laced with a sick, obsessive fixation.
Tang Yan furrowed her brow. His emotional state felt off to her.
“Sheng Yanyu, you madman!” The furious shout made Tang Yan turn to the second person in the living room.
Shen Ze, bound hand and foot and thrown to the ground, had his face beaten black and blue, completely unrecognizable from his former gentle, refined appearance.
Beside him lay Song Wan, already unconscious. Her clothes were soaked through with blood, and she seemed to be clinging to life by a thread.
Seeing these two, a furious hatred flared in Tang Yan’s eyes.
Song Wan had cut out her heart, injected her with drugs that made all her organs fail rapidly, and then thrown her from a speeding car onto the road.
And the accomplice in all of this—Shen Ze!
The man she had once believed was the best and closest person in the world… had turned around and dealt her the most fatal blow!
Sheng Yanyu’s indifference twisted Shen Ze’s face with rage. Especially watching Sheng Yanyu calmly breathe warm air onto Tang Yan’s hands while Song Wan lay dying beside him—he was completely provoked.
“Sheng Yanyu, Tang Yan is dead! No matter how many clothes you put on her, she’ll never be warm again. No matter how good you are to her, she’ll never see it!”
“Even your affection disgusted her and made her feel it was vile! No matter what you do, she knows nothing!”
“Shut up!” Sheng Yanyu barked sharply.
Tang Yan stood frozen in place, staring at Sheng Yanyu in shock.
He… liked her?
He had never told her. Even when he imprisoned her, she had only seen it as his revenge against her.
“Sheng Yanyu, you’d better let us go, or else you won’t live to see another day either!” Shen Ze threatened.
“Hah!” Sheng Yanyu let out a cold laugh, staring at Shen Ze like he was filth: “Yan Yan is dead. You should all be buried with her!”
“Sheng Yanyu, what are you going to do?” Panic crept into Shen Ze’s voice.
“Sheng Yanyu, you lunatic, you psycho!!”
Especially when she noticed the madness and gloom lurking in the depths of Sheng Yanyu’s eyes, Shen Ze couldn’t hold back any longer and began to struggle desperately.
Sheng Yanyu paid no attention to Shen Ze’s shouts and curses. He turned his head to look at Tang Yan, his gaze tender, the corners of his lips curving up into a faint smile. “Yanyan, aren’t you lonely all by yourself? Don’t be afraid, I’ll keep you company.”
Tang Yan realized what was happening. She crouched down frantically beside Sheng Yanyu, reaching out to touch him, but her hand grasped only empty air.
“Sheng Yanyu, don’t…” Tang Yan cried out in urgent protest.
Sheng Yanyu raised his hand and gently caressed Tang Yan’s cheek. Slowly leaning in, he pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her lips, his voice low and gentle: “Yanyan, from now on, we will never be apart again.”
The moment Sheng Yanyu’s words faded, there came a thunderous roar—”BOOM!”
The entire villa exploded, engulfed in raging flames, reduced to ashes…
Provided by the esteemed author, Nine Four: Rebirth: That Obsessive, Deranged Tycoon Insists on Marrying Me.