After five bigwigs in Beijing's elite circle fell into their trap, I fled.

Chapter 214 Funeral
A few minutes later, Ning Yunzhan, who was carrying Jiang Shu's coat, met Feng Li, who was coming out of the laboratory, in the corridor, and then went downstairs together.

Feng Li said dejectedly, "Tsk, Ning, be good for the rest of the time and help my baby get through this low period."

Ning Yunzhan gave a soft "hmm".

Feng Li looked at him suspiciously again: "You've been holding these clothes for quite a while!"

"I'll wait for you in the corridor," Ning Yunzhan said softly. "Unfortunately, I didn't get to hear any good news from you."

"..." Feng Li was annoyed. "I'm not a judge. How can I just change Madam Jiang's Book of Life and Death?"

Ning Yunzhan's eyes flickered slightly, but he remained silent.

In the ward.

Jiang Liuyun opened his eyes again, still groggy, and gently touched his neck, where there was a fresh scar about the width of a grain of rice.

Sitting by the bed, Guan Muyun, with red and swollen eyes, quietly gazed at her from his wheelchair.

Jiang Liuyun's chaotic thoughts flashed through her mind. She felt as if something had happened just moments before, but she couldn't remember anything. In a hoarse voice, she asked Guan Muyun, "Besides you, was anyone else here just now?"

“Many people have come. As someone who is ‘completely unrelated,’ I am the last one who is barely qualified to say goodbye to you.” Guan Muyun did not cry, but her tone was very resentful. “Even Li Yubai and those other future sons-in-law who are still far from being confirmed are ahead of me.”

"After Shubao and the others left, did anyone else come in?" Jiang Liuyun paused for a moment. "Or rather, did you encounter anything strange?"

"The moment I pushed the door open, I thought I saw a figure dart out of the window like the wind," Guan Muyun said casually. "Or maybe I was mistaken. It just flashed by like that, faster than a ghost."

"..." Jiang Liuyun thought for a moment, and since he didn't have anything that anyone could covet, he stopped worrying about it.

She looked at Guan Muyun, feeling the life force gradually draining from her body, and said, "I didn't want to see you. But... it's fine if you see me die with your own eyes, so you won't dig up my grave later."

“I’m not digging anymore. This time, I’ll lie down with you.” Guan Muyun said calmly. “Before coming here, I had already dealt with my elder brother and his mistress and daughter. I also wrote up a distribution agreement for the family property. Don’t worry, most of it will be given to the little miracle doctor. Whether she is my daughter or not, you can leave in peace as long as she is doing well.”

"Don't make trouble."

“I’m not making a scene. Look, I didn’t even cry this time. Anyway, I’ve been bothering you for half my life, and I haven’t had enough yet. It’s not bad to continue bothering you in a different environment.” Guan Muyun said gently, “Go in peace. I’ll be with you. Don’t be afraid.”

Jiang Liuyun glared at him, wanting to say something more, but his blood surged, countless needle-like sensations pierced his body, and his black blood vessels seemed to suddenly burst open!
"Doctor!" In his dazed state, Jiang Liuyun's last conscious thought was of Guan Muyun's sudden, frantic cry, "Please treat my wife; she likes to be presentable!"

Two days later, a simple funeral was held in the western suburbs of the capital.

A group of people came from Xinghua Village. Li Erniang took out a large wooden box: "According to the village custom, this is her burial item. The apricot tree in front of the village was originally going to be cut down to make a coffin. Since the Nie family has already prepared one for her, we'll cut down the tree and burn it for her later."

Jiang Shu opened the wooden box, inside which was a neatly folded black cloak and a box of red silk ribbons.

She picked up the black cloak, casually flipped through it, and found an embroidered spider lily on the lapel, along with a... suicide note.

She rubbed her swollen eyes, took out the black cloak, and her gaze fell on the suicide note—the paper was snow-white and very neat, with a cute, chibi-style Jiang Shu drawn on it.

Below, in smaller print: 【Take good care of my baby】

My heart feels like it's being gnawed by a million ants, a dense and unbearable pain.

"Second Aunt, I've been thinking about a lot of things these past few days." Jiang Shu's voice was hoarse, her eyes indifferent. "What exactly does our village do? You're always on missions, and the village holds funerals all the time. What kind of missions always involve risking lives?"

Li Erniang coughed nervously, "Doing nothing, just loafing around waiting to die."

Jiang Shu's gaze fell on her face: "Oh? Second Aunt, you have a piece of skin peeled off your forehead."

Li Erniang instinctively tried to fix the fake skin on her forehead, but after pressing it for a while, she awkwardly withdrew her hand: "What skin? Erniang is old enough to have wrinkles all over her face, that's perfectly normal!" Jiang Shu looked at her quietly for a while: "Just keep pretending. Once I'm done with this busy period, I'll go back to Xinghua Village and settle accounts with you one by one."

Li Erniang's eyes darted around, not daring to meet her gaze. She obediently joined a group of villagers in bowing their heads and offering incense to Jiang Liuyun.

Nie Zheng, dressed in a black overcoat, stood indifferently to the side, his eyes dark and empty.

Jiang Shu asked him, "...Should we inform the Jiang family?"

“No need.” Nie Zheng shook his head slightly. “In the Jiang family’s hearts, she died twenty years ago.”

"After all, blood is thicker than water..."

“There’s something you might not know,” Nie Zheng said in a deep voice. “Her brother has a very serious sister complex. Your mother’s teenage years were very repressed, and it was only after she left that the entire Jiang family became normal again.”

A simple sentence.

Jiang Shu thought of Jiang Liufeng, who was still single and rumored to be a doting brother, and then of Jiang Liuyun, who was carefree and loved freedom. She nodded thoughtfully.
"Then, I won't bother the Jiang family."

"Don't be too sad." Nie Zheng glanced at her. "You've lost your mother, but you still have me as your father."

Jiang Shu: "...Oh. Speaking of Dad, there's this guy surnamed Guan who gave me half of his assets. Could you help me return them to him later?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Nie Zheng's phone rang suddenly!

After finishing the call, he looked at Jiang Shu with a complicated expression: "No need to pay it back. I just received news that he cut his wrists. His last words were that his ashes should be buried with your mother."

Jiang Shu was taken aback: "Is he serious?"

"It's true." Nie Zheng's voice lowered slightly. "At this moment, I've lost..."

It started to drizzle on the afternoon of the funeral.

The cold rain hit Jiang Shu's face. She sat silently in front of the tombstone. After an unknown amount of time, Li Yubai came up behind her with an umbrella and stood beside her.

"I won't try to persuade you," he said gently. "I'll just stay with you."

Jiang Shu looked back with misty eyes. Li Yubai's eyes were gentle yet firm, gazing at her intently, filled with tenderness, understanding, and doting affection.

“Sometimes…” Jiang Shu blurted out reflexively, “I really feel like you’re my real dad.”

Li Yubai's usually cold and reserved expression stiffened slightly, and his body trembled violently in a disheveled manner.

A few steps away, Feng Li, Ning Yunzhan, Rong Jingchen, Yan Yu, and the others looked at Li Yubai with sympathy.

"So, sometimes being too virtuous... isn't a good thing," Yan Yu sighed softly.

Ignoring their sarcasm, Jiang Shu said softly, "Starting tomorrow, I plan to live at school and lick my wounds alone. Please don't bother me."

A strange feeling crept over them. But... no one lies at a grave, so no one wanted to think too deeply and they all nodded in understanding.

Night falls, inside the eerie, secret room.

Jiang Liuyun's body lay still.

A tall figure walked in lightly, his voice ethereal: "Has the backup arrived?"