Chapter 223: Learning the Truth

Ka'er's fingers gripped Qiao Suisui's clothing tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, as if he wanted to embed her into his own body and never let her leave again. His breathing was rapid and ragged, and tears rolled down like broken strings of pearls, one by one, dampening Qiao Suisui's shoulder.

"Sui Sui," his voice was low and hoarse, carrying endless longing and pain, "are you really back? I'm not dreaming, am I?"

Qiao Suisui gently stroked his back, soothing him tenderly, "Ka'er, I really am back. This isn't a dream, I'm right here."

After confirming it with him over a dozen times, Ka'er finally let her go a little. But he still held onto Qiao Suisui, as if only this could confirm her existence.

"I thought I would never see you again," Ka'er's voice was almost drowned out by tears, "I thought I could only reunite with you in hallucinations."

Although Qiao Suisui had guessed that he used hallucinogens because of her, hearing him say it himself at this moment still made her heart ache.

Her own tears also fell continuously, and she whispered, "Fool."

Ka'er took a deep breath, struggling to calm the agitation in his heart; he gently let go of Qiao Suisui and cupped her face in his hands, his eyes filled with deep love and anxiety, "I won't let you leave me again; don't even think about shaking me off from now on."

The Warden had been keeping an eye on the situation here, and seeing Ka'er now was like seeing a completely different person from before. His face had expressions, his whole being had vitality, and he secretly exclaimed at the wonder of it.

Zongfang breathed a slight sigh of relief, only hoping that Ka'er could temporarily hold Qiaoqiao's attention; as for the matter of Xikesaisi and Laiboli, they would delay it as long as they could.

Seeing the scene of the two embracing, Sang Yan quietly turned his head away.

Qiao Suisui did not want to keep Ka'er in the prison cell; he was not a prisoner, after all. Although he had not fully detoxed from the hallucinogens yet, she believed Ka'er would be fine.

So she said to Zongfang, "Let's take Ka'er back to the Huangting; if he can't help but inject himself again, I won't see him anymore."

Ka'er, standing to the side, heard this and with a serious face, gripped her hand tightly and said, "There won't be a next time. Don't you think about leaving me behind."

Qiao Suisui knew she had to show resolve in this matter, so she deliberately provoked him, "What if you can't help it again?"

"There is no 'if'. With you here, I don't need hallucinogens."

Having received his assurance, her heart eased slightly, and she smiled at him. Ka'er had not yet fully steadied his mind from the fact that she had returned; he was afraid she would leave silently again, so his eyes never left her. Consequently, he did not receive the look Zongfang was signaling him.

Qiao Suisui saw that Zongfang didn't speak and asked, "What's wrong?"

Zongfang was still thinking about what excuse to find to keep her from returning to the Huangting when Sang Yan, standing to the side, let out a heavy sigh and said, "This can't go on like this."

"What?" Qiao Suisui looked at the two of them, asking with her eyes what on earth was going on.

Zongfang pursed his lips and remained silent.

Ka'er only just reacted at this moment and immediately realized something; he gripped Qiao Suisui's hand again and shot a lightning-fast glance at the two men opposite.

Qiao Suisui watched the three of them playing charades and made a move to leave, saying, "If you won't tell me, I'll go ask and find out for myself."

Ka'er couldn't possibly let go of her hand and coaxed, "Sweetheart, let's go back and talk, okay?"

Qiao Suisui frowned at the silent Zongfang; he rarely avoided her like this, something must have happened that they were hiding from her. She turned her gaze to Sang Yan and attacked his resolve, "Are you going to hide it from me just like the two of them?"

Sure enough, Sang Yan could not withstand her asking like that.

Or rather, Sang Yan had always felt she had the right to know everything.

"Colonel Xikesaisi, he..."

"Sang Yan!" Zongfang interrupted him sternly. Qiao Suisui's heart was immediately pulled taut, and she asked, "What on earth happened!"

Zongfang walked up and hugged her, shielding her head with his hand, and said softly, "The thing I am about to say, you must remember, it has nothing to do with you; this was Xikesaisi's own choice."

The reason he had been dragging his feet and not telling her, more than fearing she would be sad, was the fear that she would blame herself and feel guilty. That feeling was the most unbearable, because he had experienced it, and for thirteen years at that.

Qiao Suisui felt all the blood in her body run cold, her heart skipped a beat, and the cross drawn by Lan Ze appeared in her mind; she suddenly dared not let herself think any further.

Ka'er felt it was too cruel to tell her this directly and interrupted, "Can we talk about it when we get back? She just woke up, you guys..."

"I want to hear it," Qiao Suisui's teeth had already begun to chatter.

Zongfang tightened his embrace a little more, giving her a sense of complete security.

"Xikesaisi committed suicide."

Qiao Suisui stood where she was, as if frozen in place. The tragic news reached her ears, and her brain was momentarily unable to process this sudden information. Her eyes were vacant, staring blankly ahead, as if the world had stopped at this moment.

Her breathing became light and shallow, as if it would stop in the next second.

Seeing this, Ka'er was frightened into pushing Zongfang away, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and gently stroking her cheek.

"Sui Sui, don't scare me, breathe..."

Her mind was a blank slate; a few seconds later, the weight of reality began to press upon her consciousness. Her gaze gradually focused, her pupils slightly contracting, as if she had finally understood the meaning of those words. The voices of the three men were right around her, and she heard them, yet it was as if she hadn't heard them at all. Her heart felt as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, yet the pain failed to reach her perception immediately.

Qiao Suisui's lips parted slightly, her fingers hanging stiffly at her sides, and she asked, "Suicide... why..."

As soon as she asked, her mind recalled Luka's words—

"Sui Sui... I really cannot lose you."

"Sui Sui, promise me, the day you don't love me, just kill me."

"Have I ever told you, I cannot be without you..."

Suddenly, tears welled up silently in her eyes, blurring her vision. Her legs seemed to have lost their support, her body swaying slightly, almost unable to stand steady. Her fingers began to tremble, unconsciously grabbing onto something beside her, as if only then could she find a shred of comfort and support.

Zongfang immediately caught her crumbling body, his eyes filled with heartache.

"It's because of me... it's all because of me..."

Qiao Suisui knelt powerlessly on the ground, covering her face with her hands, tears gushing out through her fingers. Her body curled into a ball, as if only then could she slightly alleviate the pain in her heart. Her heart felt as if it were being torn apart at this moment, hurting so much she couldn't breathe. She could only cry silently, letting the tears soak her cheeks and drench her heart.

Ka'er couldn't bear to see her cry like this, his eyes already red; Zongfang felt even more like his heart was being cut by a knife, and Sang Yan stood blankly where he was, feeling only that it was hard to breathe.

Qiao Suisui lifted her face from her palms, seemingly thinking of something, a glimmer of light flashing in her eyes.

Her gaze became a bit calmer, and she asked in a hoarse voice, "Then what about Ashi?"

Zongfang was silent for a long while, then said, "He was killed by the heads of several member states working together."

(End of chapter)