Volume One, Chapter Nine: She Is Speaking to the Air

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Chi Xingwan followed the four members of the Xiao family to an old, run-down apartment complex—this was where the girl who had died once lived.

It was clear that Xiao Duo was visiting for the first time. He, along with Xiao Peiyuan and Zhu Yaru, all wore expressions of undisguised distaste.

Only Grandma Xiao’s expression remained unchanged. “Where is the girl’s home?” she asked.

“Building 2, Apartment 1102,” Xiao Duo replied meekly.

It had taken him several friends and much effort to get this address.

After pressing the doorbell, the door was quickly opened.

A young woman stood there. When she saw Xiao Duo, her eyes flashed with rage. “You murderer, get out!” she spat.

She tried to close the door, but Xiao Peiyuan reacted swiftly, blocking the doorway with his body.

“Miss Yang, I’m Xiao Duo’s father. We’ve come to see you because we sincerely want to apologize.”

Zhu Yaru gave Xiao Duo a push, and he stepped forward. “Yes, I’m here to apologize,” he managed to say.

Yang Haifeng glared at him, her eyes fierce. “I said, get out!”

“Miss Yang, I’m Xiao Duo’s grandmother. I know that what Xiao Duo did to your sister can never be atoned for. As his family, we don’t expect you to forgive him.”

Perhaps because she was confronted by an elderly woman, Yang Haifeng hesitated to lash out further.

“I understand you never want to see Xiao Duo again, but I believe he needs to know the truth. Otherwise, he’ll never realize he took a life, never understand remorse. In the end, you’ll be the only one suffering. Isn’t that unfair?”

Yang Haifeng’s eyes reddened. “She’s already gone. What does it matter now if he repents or not?”

Although she said this, her attitude softened; she no longer seemed intent on driving them out.

The Yangs’ home was small, no more than fifty square meters. Once the Xiao family entered, the living room felt unbearably cramped.

With gentle persuasion from Grandma Xiao, Yang Haifeng finally agreed to tell the truth.

“After Haiyun got pregnant, she did consider asking Xiao Duo to marry her for the baby’s sake. Xiao Duo was very resistant and threatened her several times.”

Xiao Duo instinctively wanted to protest, but a glance from Grandma Xiao silenced him.

Yang Haifeng continued, “I tried to talk her out of it. I told her that, though neither of us sisters were rich, we both had jobs. Even without Xiao Duo, we could raise the child. Haiyun’s attitude gradually softened. She started to think that being an unwed mother wasn’t the end of the world.”

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She looked up at Xiao Duo, eyes burning with such fury it was as if her gaze could cut him to pieces.

“She had already decided not to entangle herself with you anymore. Why did you still force her to abort the child? It’s your fault she died.”

This time, Xiao Duo couldn’t hold back. He hurried to defend himself. “I was thinking of her! She’s only in her twenties—having a child would ruin her life. It would be better to abort, so that she’d have an easier time finding love and marriage in the future.”

Yang Haifeng’s face contorted with anger. She shouted, “You think you were doing her a favor? Why didn’t you care about her wishes? She said she would never bother you again, even said she’d leave Yanjing with the baby. Why did you insist on forcing her?”

The events had happened not long before; Xiao Duo still remembered. He recalled Yang Haiyun weeping, refusing to enter the operating room, and indeed, she’d said that even if she gave birth, she wouldn’t cling to him.

But how could he believe that? He was convinced she was lying, and once the child was born, she’d show her true colors and come looking for him.

“If you hadn’t forced her, she wouldn’t have had that surgery. There wouldn’t have been that unexpected hemorrhage. She was so young—she’d never even seen so much of life…”

Yang Haifeng buried her face in her hands, sobbing bitterly.

“She was greedy for money, vain, and dreamed of marrying into wealth, but she never did anything truly wicked. Why did she deserve such an end?”

“Come back, Yang Haiyun! Come back!”

The resentment that had clung to Xiao Duo began to dissipate, and a young girl’s form gradually appeared.

A soul almost consumed by hatred found clarity at the call of a loved one.

At this moment, Xiao Duo cried out, “No! I didn’t know there would be an accident during the operation! I didn’t mean to hurt her. It was just bad luck.”

He had given Yang Haiyun some money, watched her walk into the surgery, and then left. Since she never contacted him again, he had simply forgotten about her.

It was supposed to be a minor procedure—how could she have died?

With one sentence, the resentment around Yang Haiyun surged anew.

Black mist turned to blades, slashing toward Xiao Duo, narrowly missing his neck.

Yet Yang Haiyun could not move another step closer.

Her blood-red eyes fixed on Chi Xingwan. “You—why would you save such scum?”

Chi Xingwan replied coolly, “I’m not here to save him. I’m here to save you.”

Everyone stared at Chi Xingwan in horror—she was speaking to thin air.

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Chi Xingwan was undisturbed and continued speaking to Yang Haiyun, “If you stain your hands with blood, you’ll become a vengeful spirit, hunted by the underworld. You’ll never enter the cycle of reincarnation.”

Yang Haiyun was unmoved. “I don’t care. I just want him to pay the price.”

Yang Haifeng seemed to sense something. Trembling, she asked, “Master, are you speaking to my sister?”

Chi Xingwan ignored her, still addressing Yang Haiyun: “It’s not just about reincarnation. If you’re captured by the underworld, you’ll face torment. Why not ask your sister if she can bear that?”

“What torment? Master, are you talking about my sister? No—she can’t suffer that! If reincarnation truly exists, I hope she forgets this life, is reborn into a good family, and lives happily.”

Yang Haiyun stiffly turned her head, looking at Yang Haifeng.

“Sister, I’m not worth it…”

Yang Haifeng paused, startled—she seemed to have heard her sister’s voice.

“Sister, don’t grieve for me. I brought this on myself. Even if I must be cut to pieces in the future, I don’t mind.”

Yang Haifeng was sure—she really had heard her sister. But before she could rejoice, her sister’s words frightened her.

“Haiyun, is that you? Are you here?”

“Listen to your sister. Don’t do something foolish. You’ve already lost your life because of that bastard—are you really willing to lose your chance at reincarnation over him?”

Yang Haiyun’s voice was filled with bitterness. “Sister, I can’t let it go. He killed me—he killed my child.”

Yang Haifeng kept trying to persuade her. “The wicked will get what they deserve. Don’t dirty your hands for him. You must live well. Perhaps one day, we sisters will be reunited.”

Yang Haiyun finally wavered.

Her parents had died young, and she and her sister had relied on each other all their lives. Much of the bitterness she carried after death was because she hated Xiao Duo for causing her death and leaving her sister alone in the world.

If there was really a day when the sisters could meet again…

In that moment, all the darkness around Yang Haiyun dispersed completely.