Chapter 973: A Single Thought Between Heaven and Hell

Nianyin did not leave; she felt very uncomfortable.

She regretted not capturing Zhu Qingxiang immediately back then; otherwise, the two children would not have been abducted by him, leading to their current precarious situation.

Whatever one fears, that is what happens.

After the weather cleared up.

They had finally found someone willing to go out to sea, but bad news came from the ocean—everyone on that smuggling boat had perished!

Gu Zhihao was the first to faint.

Shi Yucheng pinched his philtrum and pressed hard; he woke up, but he began to wail loudly.

"Baobao, I have harmed you all. Baobao, let me go with you; if the two of you are gone, I don't want to live either..."

He frightened his wife.

Seeing her husband cry, Shi Yuke cried as well.

The couple held each other, crying until they were tear-stained.

Emotions are easily contagious, especially sadness; the Shi Family was shrouded in gloom, and although there was no chorus of wailing, there were sighs and groans everywhere.

Ji Yingjie looked down upon Gu Zhihao greatly, but this time she did not say much.

Jian Yixin hurried in at this moment: "Xuanxuan, there is news about Zhu Qingxiang. He took the two children to the hospital for treatment, and I have already had people monitor him."

"He didn't get on the boat?"

"Which hospital?"

Gu Zhihao immediately stopped crying, and everyone was overjoyed.

"Our family's hospital, Pediatrics Ward, 12th floor, Room 3."

Lao Qi and Nianyin rushed out immediately, and Gu Zhihao followed closely: "I'm going too."

He wanted to follow, but before anyone could stop him, Ji Yingjie had already grabbed him: "Just stay home honestly and don't go and cause trouble for them."

Jian Family Hospital.

Lao Qi and Nianyin arrived and captured Zhu Qingxiang without any effort.

It was unexpectedly smooth.

Zhu Qingxiang looked at the two of them coldly and said with disdain: "If it weren't for the children and for Brother Gu, you two would never have been able to catch me."

Nianyin was so angry she wanted to kick him: "Behave yourself, stop playing tricks in front of me. Do you believe I'll kill you right now?"

"Go ahead and kill me, I'll thank you."

There was not a trace of fear on his face; he was not afraid at all.

"You little brat actually dares to challenge me? Fine, then I'll grant your wish and send you down to see your parents."

Nianyin was about to deliver a lethal blow, but she was stopped by Lao Qi.

"Don't be impulsive, the Madam wants me to take him away."

Nianyin: "I have to hand him over to Mother; I cannot disobey Mother again this time."

Lao Qi: "What is the difference between handing him to that person and you killing him? The Madam has very important matters to discuss with him; let us not ruin the Madam's business."

Nianyin disagreed at first, but then she thought about how Zhu Qingxiang had indeed stayed behind because the two children were sick, so she agreed.

"But how are we going to explain this to Mother?"

"It's not like you're letting him go; you can just take him away after the Madam finishes asking her questions."

Only then did she agree.

Suburban Villa.

Zhu Qingxiang was brought in tied up with a rope and locked in a room.

There was no worry about him escaping here; Bai Lang was guarding outside with a fierce gaze. If he could escape under the watch of Bai Lang, then he would truly be formidable.

Shi Youxuan walked into the room, saw him tied up, and personally helped him untie the rope: "Stretch a little. Don't blame them for tying you up; it's really because you are too capable, and they were afraid you would run away."

Zhu Qingxiang said coldly: "I don't need your fake kindness. You women are the most cunning; if it weren't for you, my family wouldn't have been destroyed."

His hatred for Shi Youxuan was no less than his hatred for Ji Yingjie, perhaps even more.

"You must have a misunderstanding about me," she said calmly.

"There is no misunderstanding. I know you have a silver tongue and are especially good at talking, but no matter what you say today, it cannot change the fact that you destroyed my family." By the end, Zhu Qingxiang was almost roaring.

"How old are you this year?"

Shi Youxuan suddenly blurted out, and he was a bit stunned, subconsciously retorting: "What does that have to do with you?"

Shi Youxuan smiled slightly: "Of course it has to do with me. If I am not mistaken, you are twenty years old this year, and your younger brother is seventeen. You and your brother were not born to the same mother, and when you were born, I didn't even know your father."

"To be precise, it was only after I had left L Country that I learned of your existence!"

"Why you have such deep hatred for me, I don't know, but I don't like being misunderstood."

Shi Youxuan briefly recounted how she went to L Country, how she met Zhu Yiwen, and what happened later.

The more he listened, the more silent he became.

Rationally speaking, he felt that what Shi Youxuan said was correct, she wasn't lying, and every aspect matched up.

But emotionally, he could not accept such a fact!

If he accepted it, it meant he had hated the wrong person all along, and the worldview he had built for years would completely collapse. This was unacceptable; it was absolutely impossible.

"No, you are talking nonsense. I won't believe you."

Shi Youxuan: "I know you can't accept it in your heart, but these are all facts. If you don't believe me, I have a few diaries here that your mother wrote back then. Read them yourself when you have time."

She still kept Rong Huaying's diaries from back then. They were useless, but they didn't take up much space, so she had kept them where they were originally found in the Club. She hadn't expected them to be so useful now.

She handed the diaries to Zhu Qingxiang, but he didn't believe her at all.

"How could you have my mother's diaries? They must be forged. Shi Youxuan, you treacherous woman, what trick are you trying to play again?"

Shi Youxuan did not argue with him and also let her face turn cold: "Believe it or not, if it weren't for the fact that you sent the children to the hospital and Gu Zhihao pleaded for you, do you think I would want to deal with your mess?"

Shi Youxuan tossed the diary onto the floor and turned to leave.

However, she did not go far, but instead went to the Study.

"Madam, will this be useful?" Lao Qi asked, sounding skeptical.

"Whether it will be useful or not, we will know very soon."

She stared at the surveillance monitor.

Zhu Qingxiang hesitated for a moment, but still picked up the diary; he did not immediately read the contents, but instead carefully examined the paper.

Whether it was artificially aged and forged, or a genuine diary, he could tell the difference.

It was indeed genuine; the paper was yellowed from the inside out, not intentionally aged.

The handwriting inside was written with a Hallucinogenic Pen, and the ink had become blurred, but it was not difficult to read.

He had only read a few pages of the content, and his eyes were already brimming with tears!

After finishing all several volumes of the diary, Zhu Qingxiang was streaming with tears.

Rong Huaying had poured her heart into a love that was misplaced; from beginning to end, Zhu Yiwen had been deceiving her, never intending to marry her at all, but merely wanting a son.

That son was him.

Yet as a son, he was not the crystallization of his parents' love; what was he?

He was a tool used by his father.

For the first time in his life, Zhu Qingxiang began to consider this question, doubting that his father's original intentions had been pure.

Early the next morning.

With eyes bloodshot, he took the initiative to request to see Shi Youxuan.

"Where is Shi Youxuan? I want to talk to her."

The bodyguard guarding the door glanced at him: "Wait. Madam will come over once she finishes her housework."

Zhu Qingxiang:...

"Who are you trying to fool? Does she even need to do housework herself?"

It was no wonder he didn't believe it; with Sheng Hanyu being the richest man in Jiangzhou, no one would believe it if they were told that Shi Youxuan did housework herself.

"Don't look down on people; although our Madam is wealthy and capable, she has always been hands-on with her children's education and never leaves it to others..."