If You Could Hear My Heart

Chapter 165: I Caused Xu Mengxi’s Death

Sliding past herself, they slowly moved towards the far right.

The man on the far right was young, handsome, and gentlemanly, with an indescribable depth and serenity on his face. Back then, he too was the male deity pursued by the entire university.

Zhou Ran looked at his face, her index finger brushing across it. There was a moment of distraction, but soon, she moved her finger away.

She repressed all expressions and coolly lifted her head, only to realize Shen Cexian was staring at her.

“Shen Cexian, you’re willing to give me this photo now, after I’ve been asking you for so many years. Spill it, what do you want in exchange?” Zhou Ran scoffed.

Warm yellow light shone on her face, softening her expression, but not by much.

Shen Cexian watched her quietly, smiling faintly, “Do I always appear so despicable in your eyes?”

“In business, we trade fame for profit, something I understand well. How could I let an old fox like you suffer a loss?” Zhou Ran’s tone was truly not the least bit polite.

“If you really think that way, then may I ask you, what do you want with this photo?”

Shen Cexian’s tone was muted, likely dulled by poor health, making many things seem less significant to him.

Things that used to seem very important now seemed dispensable.

To live another day was to lose one less day.

“It’s none of your business.” Zhou Ran still refused to say.

She tucked the photo into her wallet, then placed the wallet back into her purse.

“Mengxi has been dead for eight years now, things that should be over ought to be over…” Shen Cexian sighed.

“Don’t try guessing my thoughts with your ideas, Shen Cexian, and don’t forget, I have no connection with you anymore.”

“I know.” A thin frost of indifference glazed Shen Cexian’s eyes.

“Is there anything else? If not, I need to get going. I drove here, and it wasn’t easy.”

“I have one more question to ask you. Mengxi’s death eight years ago… was it related to you?” Shen Cexian looked at her.

Zhou Ran’s complexion changed drastically, her entire face falling, like the sky in June turning suddenly overcast, blanketed with dark clouds.

Outside the window, a heavy rain was falling, with the roar of the ocean waves deafening, and Zhou Ran’s lips grew colder.

“Ha, Shen Cexian, what’s with that tone? An interrogation? Suspicion? Contempt? Right, Xu Mengxi was killed by me, the gas explosion was my doing. Go ahead and sue me, let me rot in jail for life!”

Zhou Ran yelled hysterically at Shen Cexian, her emotions somewhat unbridled.

She rarely lost control, but now she truly couldn’t restrain her feelings.

Shen Cexian’s own face changed as he clutched the arm of the sofa, his hand trembling violently.

Back then, Xu Mengxi’s death was sudden, a fire obliterated everything… He hadn’t even had the chance to see her one last time.

Of course, it wasn’t until that day that he learned Xu Mengxi had always been

m C City.

“You… lied to me, didn’t you?” Shen Cexian’s hand was still shaking.

“What do I gain from lying to you? There’s nobody else here, why should I lie to you? There’s no need for that. Does it hurt to hear? Actually, Xu Chaomu has been living in our house every day for the past eight years, it mustn’t be easy for you either, right? Xu Chaomu, the illegitimate daughter Xu Mengxi had with another man.”

Zhou Ran paused, a cold smile like blood spreading across her lips: “See, even when Xu Mengxi was fooling around with other men and had an illegitimate daughter, she still didn’t like you. How does it feel to see Xu Mengxi’s daughter with another man every day?”

“You! Cough cough…” Indeed, Shen Cexian was furious, breathless and coughing nonstop.

“Cough cough…”

In the spacious house, this sound was particularly grating.

“Seeing you in misery makes me feel at peace.”

Zhou Ran’s words were like a sharp knife, plunging into the core of Shen Cexian’s heart, mercilessly.

“Cough cough…” Shen Cexian couldn’t speak, just kept coughing relentlessly.

He clutched his chest, nearly gasping for breath.

“Of course, you could also throw me in jail, making sure I’d definitely be worse off than you,” Zhou Ran watched him, “With your abilities Shen Cexian, it wouldn’t be an issue to keep me in prison for life.”

“Zhou Ran, you may leave, cough cough… I don’t want to see you anymore.”

Shen Cexian clung to the sofa tightly. He feared he’d lose consciousness if he let go.

“Don’t regret it. Today, you let me go. Tomorrow, I’ll still make your life miserable,” Zhou Ran said as she stood above Shen Cexian in her high heels.

Her eyes were also deep and dark, as if peering into an abyss.

“Get out,” Shen Cexian burst out in anger.

He truly feared that another word from her would be his death.

Zhou Ran said nothing more, giving Shen Cexian a cold stare. She put on her scarf and walked toward the door in her high heels.

Outside, the storm raged on, winds howling past, stirring the ocean into tumultuous waves and tossing branches chaotically about.

In the villa’s courtyard stood a tall begonia tree, its newly bloomed flowers scattered in the strong wind and rain.

Petals littered the ground.

Bai Man heard footsteps and quickly ran off, hiding in a dark corner. She held her breath, daring not to make a sound.

Shortly after, Zhou Ran turned the doorknob.

Standing in the hallway, she looked up at the sky, stretching her hand out to catch the rain.

The rain fell on her palm, ice-cold to the bone.

Without an umbrella, she braved the downpour, walking towards her car. The wind lifted her hair and scarf as she stepped firmly, one foot in front of the other.

Her heart felt less burdened, because, when many words were spoken, the discomfort wouldn’t be as severe.

Soon, she switched on the car lights, started the engine, and drove away from the villa without looking back.

She followed the coastline, driving on.

The sea, deep and endless, looked menacing at night, like a black hole that could swallow everything, even a mere glance might pull one in.

Zhou Ran left, but Shen Cexian did not leave.

He clutched his chest, coughing severely.

When he barely caught his breath, a piercing pain hit him to the core.

“Cough cough, cough cough…”

He took out a handkerchief, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

Bright crimson stained the white fabric as his heart quivered.

He looked up, his vision blurring, the window curtains no longer curtains, the lights glaring and painful. Everything became so harsh to the eye.

Finally, he slowly lowered his hand, leaning on the sofa cushion, and closed his eyes slightly.

He was so tired…

He wanted to rest well, if possible, to dream a dream where he could go back to his youth, over twenty years ago…

The days of his youth were wonderful, carefree and untroubled.

It seemed as though the sky was always this blue, as clear as a vast, boundless lake with no end in sight…

The downpour outside tapped against the window pane, droplet by droplet..