When Luò Wǎn came out of the police station after giving her statement, it was already late into the night. Shàngguān Liúyún, Xiǎomù, and Lǐ Dàlù were all waiting for her on a bench. As she was the last person to have seen the deceased, the police had questioned her very thoroughly.
"Miss Luò, please think carefully. What did the deceased look like at the time?” The questioning seemed to still be ringing in her ears. Luò Wǎn covered her ears, unwilling to think about it or answer. The scene was too shocking—she knew better than anyone that the person in the car hadn't crashed into the rock due to loss of control. The woman had already been dead before the car hit the rock.
The woman was holding a Swiss Army knife in her left hand, very sharp. She had cut her own artery, and blood sprayed everywhere, even onto her own face. The woman was beautiful, with grayish-white eyes filled with hatred and despair, left open. Her head rested against the back of the seat, her hand on the steering wheel, but the knife was still dripping blood.
Luò Wǎn couldn’t help but shiver. How much strength must a woman have to inflict such violence upon herself?
In the same place where fireflies danced, one woman saw it as heaven, while another woman saw it as hell and rushed towards death. This is truly an incredible thing.
After Luò Wǎn came out, she trembled for a long time. Shàngguān Liúyún stepped forward, trying to hold her hand, but she recoiled. Xiǎomù comforted her, saying, "It's alright. We just had bad luck. As soon as we went outside, we encountered a woman who had committed suicide. You should go home and get a good night´s sleep.”
As Xiǎomù was speaking, his phone suddenly rang. A sharp female voice came from the other end, "Xiǎomù, where have you been? I can’t find you anywhere.”
All four of them heard it clearly—it was Shěn Jì's voice. Her cold yet urgent tone was frightening even through the phone. When Xiǎomù hung up, Shàngguān Liúyún couldn’t help but remark, "Your girlfriend seems to be getting more and more tactless.”
Luò Wǎn noticed a glint in Xiǎomù's eyes, as if a trace of murderous intent had leaked out. But she quickly thought it must be her imagination. How could there be any murderous intent? Xiǎomù was such a kind-hearted man.
Luò Wǎn walked at the back. Not far ahead, Li Dalü watched the two brothers go into the parking lot to retrieve the car. Suddenly, he turned around and faced Luò Wǎn. The two of them locked eyes, but Luò Wǎn lowered her head.
She didn’t know how to explain the scene that Li Dalü had just witnessed, where she and Shàngguān Liúyún were embracing. She knew that the scene had hurt Li Dalü, but she didn´t know how to clarify it.
Li Dalü didn’t ask such questions. He only said, "Don't associate with Xiǎomù anymore.”
Luò Wǎn frowned, thinking that Li Dalü misunderstood that she was involved with Xiǎomù. She turned to leave, not expecting that Li Dalü would misunderstand her character so much.
But Lǐ Dàlù held her arm tightly, with a firm grip. Although his expression was calm, his tone cold, and his gaze contemptuous, the trembling fingertips of Luò Wǎn that he held betrayed his worry
"Xiǎomù is not what you think; he is very dangerous. You shouldn’t associate with him." Luò Wǎn turned around abruptly, her eyes filled with disbelief. "Impossible, Xiǎomù is not that kind of person."
"Trust me. You asked me why my sight was restored. I´ll tell you; that day you left, I waited at home for your return. I heard footsteps, and one set came straight through the door to stand before me. An old voice told me that if I did a favor for her, she would restore my sight."
Lǐ Dàlù finally revealed the truth about the restoration of his sight for Luò Wǎn's safety. "Who is that person?" Luò Wǎn asked. "It's Shàngguān Qīng, Shàngguān Liúyún's grandmother."
"Ah!" Luò Wǎn covered her mouth in disbelief. Grandma had just passed away that day—why would she seek out Lǐ Dàlù? "She wanted me to help save her grandson's soul. I was puzzled because I didn't know her grandson. It wasn´t until I went to the mourning hall and heard Shàngguān Qīng´s recordings that I realized it was her who sought me out."
Luò Wǎn countered, "It could be Shàngguān Liúyún or another grandson." Lǐ Dàlù coldly asked, "Would you doubt Shàngguān Liúyún?"
Luò Wǎn fell silent, as she couldn't bring herself to doubt that man. Yet, she was unwilling to accept that Xiǎomù could be dangerous. It was impossible—how could Xiǎomù be dangerous?
The character "莫" (Mò; which can mean "do not" or "nothing) suddenly flashed in her mind. If you add a "日" below it (rì; which can mean ``sun´´, ``sunshine," or ``day`), it becomes "暮," right? (mù; which can mean ``twilight, dusk, evening, or gloaming``).
Could it be that Chu Ying's boyfriend back then was Shàngguān Xiǎomù? If it wasn't Xiǎomù, why had she never let her know and kept it a secret? Perhaps it was because Xiǎomù's status at the time wasn't suitable for publicly acknowledging a girlfriend.
But this can't be true. Luò Wǎn clutched her head in agony, insisting, "It's not possible! Xiǎomù isn´t a bad person—definitely not Xiǎomù! Everything must be a mistake."
Luò Wǎn pushed away Lǐ Dàlù's support and walked aimlessly down the street. The blow was too overwhelming; she needed a moment to process it all.
Shàngguān Liúyún watched as Lǐ Dàlù and Luò Wǎn walked down the street and, gritting his teeth, drove off in another direction. Meanwhile, Xiǎomù stared ahead coldly, driving while picking up his phone and saying, "I want to paint. Come to my studio; I´ll pick you up now."
