Sharing One Life with My Nemesis - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Lu Xingzhou handed over his heart’s blood of his own accord.

Not out of remorse.

He was afraid of pain.

In the Ministry of Justice prison, the moment he saw the Gu Manual and the silver needles, his face went white as paper.

“I’ll give it to you.”

He said, “After I do, let me die quickly.”

I stood outside the cell.

Xie Huaiyan wouldn’t let me go in. He said extracting the Gu would be bloody.

This time, I didn’t argue with him.

Because Mother was waiting for me outside.

She had lost so much weight. When she held me, her hands kept trembling.

“Tingyun, I thought I would never see you again.”

I buried my face in her shoulder, and my tears quickly soaked through the fabric.

“Mother, I’m back.”

My little brother, Jiang Yu’an, stood beside us, his eyes red, not daring to cry.

I beckoned to him.

He threw himself at me so hard I nearly stumbled back.

“Sister.”

I ruffled his hair.

“You’ve grown taller.”

“You’re lying. I was only locked up for a dozen days.”

“You still grew.”

At last, he burst into tears.

When Xie Huaiyan extracted the Gu, my chest hurt too.

It hurt so badly that, by the end, I was kneeling on the ground, almost unable to breathe.

Mother was so frightened she called for the imperial physician.

I waved her off.

“I’m fine.”

“Someone else is in more pain than I am.”

When the cell door opened, Xie Huaiyan came out supported by Gu Heng.

There was not a trace of color on his lips, and his robes were soaked through with cold sweat.

But the red line over my heart had vanished.

The Soulbound Gu had been undone.

I should have breathed a sigh of relief.

But the first thing Xie Huaiyan did after letting go of Gu Heng’s arm was look at me.

That look seemed so distant.

Like a man who could finally settle an old debt and was preparing to retreat back to where he belonged.

I didn’t like it.

I didn’t like it at all.

Xie Huaiyan walked up to me.

“Miss Jiang.”

My brow twitched.

“What did you just call me?”

He lowered his eyes.

“The Jiang Family has been cleared, and the Gu has been undone. From now on, you won’t feel pain again.”

“So?”

“I should go accept my punishment.”

I stared at him.

“What punishment?”

“I presented evidence before His Majesty and helped bring about a wrongful conviction. Whatever the reason, I am guilty.”

He spoke very slowly.

“Your father has chosen not to pursue it because he is magnanimous. But I cannot pretend it never happened.”

I looked at him, then suddenly laughed in anger.

“Xie Huaiyan, you really know how to pick your moments.”

He looked up.

“What?”

“The Gu has barely been undone, and you’re already trying to draw a line between us.”

“That is not what I’m doing.”

“Then what is it?”

He fell silent.

I took a step forward.

“Xie Huaiyan, do you think that without the Soulbound Gu, I won’t care what happens to you anymore?”

He said quietly, “You don’t have to.”

“What if I insist?”

He froze.

I saw the restraint in his eyes finally crack.

Like a hint of fire about to blaze up beneath deep snow.

Mother gave a soft cough beside us.

Only then did I remember there were other people around.

Gu Heng lifted his head to study the sky. Jiang Yu’an’s eyes were wide. Father had arrived at some point, and his expression was even more complicated than when he had first come out of prison.

My face heated.

Xie Huaiyan also looked away.

Father said in a deep voice, “Xie Huaiyan.”

Xie Huaiyan immediately dropped to his knees.

My heart tightened.

Father looked at him for a long while.

“In the Jiang Family Case, you were at fault.”

Xie Huaiyan bowed his head.

“Yes.”

“But you also rendered service.”

Father said, “Whether you are punished is a matter for His Majesty and the law. As for whether Tingyun cares what happens to you, that is her own decision.”

The tip of my nose stung.

Father looked at me.

“A daughter of the Jiang Family chooses for herself.”