Wang Yalin stared at the jade gourd in even greater horror, "How did this get in your hands? No! What did you just say? You found Xu Mengyao? You, it's you…"
"That's right, it's me." Lu Keqing looked closely at her pitiful appearance and said with a smile, "I've helped you find your biological parents, are you happy?"
"You! You bitch! You're the one who ruined me, you're the one who ruined me!" Wang Yalin lunged forward, her face contorted with rage as she tried to grab her.
The prison guard immediately pressed her back into the chair, banged his baton on the table, and shouted, "Quiet! Don't move!"
Lu Keqing leisurely enjoyed her pain and said softly, "Originally, Yanjing was a hundred and eight thousand miles away from Linhe Town. No one would have bothered to expose the fact that you were switched at birth. You could have continued to be a pampered young lady, growing up to be loved and married to a wealthy heir of a powerful family, becoming a woman that everyone envied."
It's a pity you insisted on harming others and only exposed yourself as an imposter. But you don't need to regret it. Maybe it was fate. What wasn't meant to be yours will eventually be returned to you. You're destined to go back to where you were and make up for all the years of life you missed.
At least you were reunited with your family before you were executed, right? I wonder if your cousins will even collect your body. I bet not, after all, you caused their family's ruin and disfigurement, so what will happen to your corpse? It's so pitiful, not even finding peace in death."
"Shut up! Shut up! Don't say anymore!" Wang Yalin covered her ears tightly, tears streaming down her face. Suddenly, she pointed at Lu Keqing and shouted at the prison guard, "Arrest her! She's the one who ruined me. She deliberately went to the Xu family to work as a maid, lying in wait for so long to destroy me step by step. She just wanted to take revenge on me. I'm in this situation because of her. Arrest her!"
"Quiet." The prison guard frowned and reprimanded, but also looked at Lu Keqing with a puzzled expression.
Lu Keqing smiled and said, "Wang Yalin, it seems your mental state is indeed a bit unstable; you can even believe things you imagine. You say I'm seeking revenge on you, so tell me, what revenge do I want?"
"You...you did it for your brother..."
Lu Keqing nodded, looking at her defiantly, "My brother? So what? What grudge do I have against you? Why would I want revenge?"
Wang Yalin stared intently at her, her mind filled with her words. She had ruined her life; she had been plotting against her all along; she had brought her to this state—how could she be living a carefree life outside?
Wang Yalin's mind went blank for a second, and she shouted, "Because I killed your brother! Everything you did was to get revenge on me! Officer, arrest her! She harmed me, we'll definitely find evidence, I'll make sure she gets away with it even if I die!"
Lu Keqing smiled and stood up, nodding to the prison guard. "If there's anything I can do to cooperate, I'll be there whenever you call. Of course, Ms. Wang's accusations against me have no evidence. If she continues to slander me, I may sue her for defamation."
Lu Keqing turned and left, ignoring Wang Yalin's shouts and screams behind her. She took a deep breath outside, her eyes suddenly welling up with tears. She had finally sent Wang Yalin to prison, forcing her to confess to harming her brother. She wondered if her brother had seen it.
"drop--"
Hearing the horn, Lu Keqing turned around and saw Xu Zifan waiting for her in his car by the roadside. She composed herself, smiled, and ran over.
Wang Yalin was sent back to her cell, where she continued to struggle and shout. She was hit several times by the prison guards and thrown into the cell.
Wang Yalin curled up on the ground, clutching her hair, muttering repeatedly, "I did nothing wrong, I did nothing wrong, how could this be my own fault? I was just scared, I just wanted to hide the truth. He was stupid, he was delusional to try and climb up to me, he was the one who didn't seize the opportunity to run away, how can you blame me? What did I do wrong? I didn't force him to drink, I didn't kill anyone... Why? Why do so many people have to oppose me when I just want to live my life peacefully? Why? Why?"
The police interrogated her again, but she refused to talk about the murder and insisted on seeing Qi Xiangheng.
The police helped her contact Qi Xiangheng. At first, Qi Xiangheng refused, but the police said that Wang Yalin seemed to be involved in another murder case, and if he was Wang Yalin's friend, they hoped he could help persuade her to confess. Only then did Qi Xiangheng agree to meet. He was too shocked and wanted to find out for himself what kind of person the girl he had liked all these years really was.
Upon seeing Qi Xiangheng, Wang Yalin immediately burst into tears, crying, "Xiangheng, Xiangheng, please save me! I know I've done many wrong things. I was vain, I deceived your feelings, I'm a bad person, but I wasn't like this before. We grew up together, you know best."
It's Xiao Qing, it's Xu Mengyao's maid. She deliberately leaked the news of the baby swap, she deliberately harmed me. I was forced into this by her! Please save me! As long as I'm not executed, I'm willing to go to jail. I will sincerely correct my mistakes, and my sentence will definitely be reduced later. Xiang Heng, I don't want to die, please save me…"
Seeing his former sweetheart in this state, Qi Xiangheng felt a pang of sorrow, but he wasn't overly moved. Instead, he rationally asked, "Why did Xiao Qing want to harm you? How did she do it? Do you have any evidence?"
"Her brother was pursuing me and insisted on drinking contests with others to show off. Later, I rejected him, but he still challenged others to drinking contests and got alcohol poisoning. Xiao Qing insisted that I killed her brother and even went so far as to hide her identity and work as a maid in the Xu family, just to get revenge on me. She's a venomous snake, so terrifying. I've gotten to where I am now because of her."
Xiang Heng, the Wang family has been coming to me time and time again. It must be them tipping me off. They want to kill me; I was forced into this situation!
Qi Xiangheng frowned and shook his head, "You have no evidence to prove anything."
"I will tell Zifan about this and have him investigate his maid. I won't interfere. Wang Yalin, Feng Donghui did many of your things. Even without Xiao Qing, what difference would it make? Zifan's mother won't let you off the hook. If Xiao Qing's brother's death is related to you, I hope you will confess before your execution, so that the deceased may rest in peace."
Wang Yalin pleaded again, but Qi Xiangheng refused to listen. He felt that coming to see Wang Yalin was a mistake. How could she repent? How could she tell him the truth? If that Xiao Qing had really been plotting revenge for so many years, then he thought it was most likely that Wang Yalin was the one who killed her brother.
Hearing that the incident happened when Wang Yalin was fourteen years old, he couldn't help but shudder. He suddenly felt that Wang Yalin was the real venomous snake. They had grown up together for so many years, yet he felt as if he had never really known Wang Yalin. It was terrifying.
After returning home, Qi Xiangheng sent Xu Zifan an email informing him of the incident. Xu Zifan replied: "I know about this, thank you."
Qi Xiangheng stared at the email for a long time, then smiled bitterly and realized that he was the only one who knew nothing. These things would probably affect him for the rest of his life. He found that he could no longer trust anyone. Was this his own fault?
Wang Yalin still wanted to see Feng Xiangjun, Xu Zhenhua, and even Xu Mengyao. Her execution was imminent, and she was desperately clinging to a last glimmer of hope. But this time, she couldn't even contact anyone. Her assistant refused to see her; no one was coming to visit. She had lost all hope.
Wang Yalin's mental state is deteriorating, and her memory is starting to become distorted. Sometimes she thinks she is still the eldest daughter of the Xu family, and other times she is terrified that the cripple will beat her. She really seems to be on the verge of going crazy.
The police questioned her every day, asking if she had any unaccounted crimes.
One day, Wang Yalin actually confessed, detailing how she seduced Lu Keqing's brother, made him fall head over heels in love with her, and then publicly humiliated and mocked him while her friends forced him to drink. She explained how she discovered his alcohol poisoning, sent the others away, and then, without offering any help, bribed someone to take the blame.
However, the police found no evidence to support her claim that Lu Keqing had harmed her. On the other hand, the friends who had been drinking with Wang Yalin were all in bad shape and had all met with accidents. There were no suspicious points in the case, as if they had all suffered retribution.
Some in the police station speculated that it might be Lu Keqing seeking revenge, but they couldn't speculate without evidence. Even in the case of Lu Keqing's brother's death, there was little evidence, only Wang Yalin's side of the story. The matter could only be left unresolved, at most increasing Wang Yalin's despicable nature.
Wang Yalin was still executed by firing squad!
In her final moments, she finally regretted it. She regretted not being a dutiful adopted daughter of the Xu family. Even as an adopted daughter, she had been good to Xu Mengyao and the Xu family. Given how much Feng Xiangjun doted on her, how could she possibly have had a bad life?
She shouldn't have fallen down the stairs. She wished she could turn back time and go back to that period. She would never have caused trouble and would never have lost her wealth.
In her last moments of consciousness, the thought that flashed through her mind was: why weren't all the Lu family members dead? If it weren't for Lu Keqing, none of this would have happened.
On the day Wang Yalin was executed, a spring rain fell. Xu Zifan, holding a black umbrella, walked slowly with Lu Keqing to the cemetery and to her brother's grave.
Lu Keqing cleaned the tombstone, swept the surrounding ground, and then arranged the flowers and fruits she had brought one by one. Xu Zifan wanted to help, but she said she wanted to do it herself this time.
She remained silent until everything was arranged and three incense sticks were lit, then she choked out, "Brother, I've avenged you."
"Brother, are you doing well over there? Are you lonely? Do you still harbor resentment? Wang Yalin died today. Before she died, she confessed to all her crimes and admitted how she hurt you. These are all her sins, and she will go down to the eighteenth level of hell with these sins and continue to suffer there."
"So brother, if you're still alive, let go of your hatred. I hope you'll be reincarnated and become a happy and joyful person in your next life. May you be safe and healthy, have smooth studies, a successful career, meet a wife who loves you and is compatible with you, have two smart and lovely children, and live a happy and peaceful life. What do you say?"
"Brother, I am your only family in this world, but don't worry about me. I'm fine. I've grown up and am no longer the little sister who needs your protection. Look, I've done so much on my own. Aren't I amazing? I will continue my studies, find a job I like, and be with the person I love. I will live happily and joyfully. You don't need to worry about me anymore. Believe me, I can take care of myself."
"Brother, can you hear me? I hope you're well, I hope you'll be well in your next life..."
"Brother...I miss you so much..."