If You Could Hear My Heart

Before long, Xu Chaomu arrived, almost running as she got out of the car.

Under the sunlight, Bai Man saw Xu Chaomu.

Xu Chaomu was dressed in a gray trench coat, with a patterned silk scarf tied around her neck. As she ran over, the scarf fluttered along with her hair—young and beautiful.

Bai Man glanced at Xu Chaomu with jealousy. Years ago, she had been far more dazzling than Xu Chaomu.

And now? Xu Chaomu had grown into someone more mature, alluring, while she herself was in utter disgrace.

She knew Xu Chaomu shared a portion of the same blood that ran through her veins.

Xu Chaomu stood beside Shen Chi, lightly shaking his arm. "Where's Xiaobao?"

"Don't worry, he's in the car." Shen Chi held onto her hand.

He realized Xu Chaomu's hand was ice-cold.

Xu Chaomu still wore a face of desperation. "Something so serious happened, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Before Shen Chi could reply, Bai Man chuckled, her laughter dripping with malice. "Xu Chaomu, do you even know that the man beside you is a vicious tiger? But even venomous tigers don't harm their cubs, yet he used your son as bait to lure me out."

"Xu Chaomu, you sleep beside a tiger every night. Aren't you afraid that one day, he'll sacrifice you for his own interests and kill you?" Bai Man sneered. "A man like him—don't you fear him?"

Xu Chaomu squinted and silently looked at Bai Man. "I no longer believe a single word you say."

Bai Man burst into laughter. "So, you won't believe the truth you see with your own eyes? This man probably doesn't even truly believe that this Xiaobao is his real son, right? Otherwise, how could he gamble his biological child's life away like this?"

"There's no need for your provocation," Xu Chaomu said lightly. "You should worry about your own fate instead."

"I'm just kindly advising you. You trust this man's words completely, but if one day you discover he's lied to you, you'll wish you were dead." Bai Man bit back stubbornly. "He once whispered sweet nothings to me in bed, promising me he would love only me in his lifetime. And what happened in the end? When the Bai Family was no longer of use to him, he discarded me."

"Bai Man, can't you come up with new lies instead of recycling the ones from seven years ago?" Xu Chaomu's expression didn't change.

Shen Chi remained silent. He believed in his woman.

Likewise, Xu Chaomu trusted him.

"I used to be as stubborn as you. But look at where that got me now." Bai Man sneered, casting a glance at Shen Chi.

"That's your own doing," Xu Chaomu said indifferently. She felt no pity for Bai Man in the slightest.

Ayu didn't quite understand the history between them. Quietly, she retreated behind Shen Chi and Xu Chaomu, keeping watch over their safety.

Miao Xiu, worried Ayu would feel left out, walked up to her side and nudged her with his elbow. "Hey, Senior Sister, this mission's over—how about grabbing a bite together?"

"...," Ayu remained silent, gazing coolly ahead.

"Don't stay quiet like that. Girls should be lively—it's more charming."

Ayu didn't respond and walked away from Miao Xiu without a word.

"...," Miao Xiu broke into a cold sweat.

The late autumn wind blew through Xu Chaomu's long hair. Her gaze fell upon Bai Man, as if she were watching a bird struggling in its final throes.

"Bai Man, Fourth Brother gave you so many chances, yet you didn't cherish them," Xu Chaomu said. "If you had lived well with Gu Xiuting in the past, you'd still have a bright future today. Even if it wasn't Gu Xiuting, there were plenty of others pursuing you. Why insist on being so obstinate?"

"Stubborn? If we switched roles, would you still say such things?" Bai Man sneered.

"I know what it is. You're simply filled with resentment," Xu Chaomu said.

"Yes, without you, I wouldn't have ended up like this. I've already lost everything."

"That's because you gave up on yourself."

"It's clearly you—a thief—who stole everything from me. If you hadn't suddenly appeared in the Shen Family, Shen Chi and I would have been childhood sweethearts. Did you know we were about to get engaged?" Bai Man screamed hysterically at Xu Chaomu.

"If it was yours, I couldn't have taken it away," Xu Chaomu replied, her tone calm.

Shen Chi said nothing; his gaze was filled with tenderness as he looked at Xu Chaomu.

Xu Chaomu never imagined she'd one day be able to talk to Bai Man like this, in such a way.

Bai Man fell silent, her eyes landing on the point where Shen Chi and Xu Chaomu's fingers were interlocked.

In all these years, not even a kiss—Shen Chi had never held her hand like this.

Looking back on those so-called "romantic" years, they seemed laughable now.

What had he given her, aside from shopping trips, meals, and press conferences?

She had been so deeply entranced, believing herself to be his girlfriend, his fiancée, thinking his aloof personality was to blame. Now, with hindsight, how could someone who loved you be so cold?

In the end, he simply hadn't loved her.

"Cold?" Shen Chi asked softly, looking down at Xu Chaomu.

Xu Chaomu moved closer to him, pressing against his body.

The autumn wind was chilly, and though it was afternoon, there was still a biting coolness.

Bai Man's legs had completely lost sensation. Her face grew paler by the second, blood continued to trickle down, and she thought perhaps she might die of blood loss...

The silence stretched on.

"Bai Man, do you not know that debts must eventually be repaid?" Xu Chaomu quietly said.

She looked at Bai Man with detachment. It had been some time since they last met. Bai Man had grown so thin, so frail—it was as if she had aged ten years.

Looking at her now, no one would believe that she had once been the dazzling leading lady of C City.

If she hadn't stubbornly sought vengeance against Shen Chi, she wouldn't have met such an end today.

The autumn wind swirled, shaking loose the yellowed leaves on the branches. A few lifeless leaves drifted across the ground, their faint rustling audible.

The area had been quickly sealed off by the police, leaving it eerily silent.

Sometimes, it felt like an illusion, but Xu Chaomu thought she could hear Bai Man sighing faintly.

A pool of blood spread across the ground—gruesome and jarring.

"Shen Chi, do you have nothing to say to me?" Bai Man turned her gaze to the man.

"What do you want me to say?" Shen Chi countered, his eyes landing on her.

Bai Man gave a bitter laugh. What was there for him to say? The words she longed for—he would never speak them to her.

This man's heart was cruel.

This return to C City hadn't been laden with grand plans. She had only wanted revenge on Xu Chaomu and Shen Chi.

She thought it would be easy. Yet, she had still underestimated Shen Chi.

Bai Man fell silent again. She stared at the place where Shen Chi and Xu Chaomu stood, her lips curving into a grim, tragic smile.

A smile so cold, so vengeful, it sent a tremor through Xu Chaomu's chest, her fingers trembling slightly.

Shen Chi quickly took her hand, pulling her closer into his arms.

Bai Man's lips were now completely bloodless. She said nothing, her haunting glare fixed on Xu Chaomu, her eyes terrifyingly cold and sinister.

Xu Chaomu's heart raced; she didn't want to meet such a chilling gaze.

It was at this moment that Bai Man's fingers twitched ever so slightly.