A_Ray_of_Light

Years later, the people of Yucheng still regard the bygone scandal of the aristocratic family as an after-dinner topic.
A cunning woman of the streets ascended to the summit of society, becoming the esteemed lady of a high-priced aristocratic family. 
She was addicted to gambling, once accumulating millions in debts.
Her demeanor was worldly and vulgar, known as a prominent socialite.
Yet, Gu Hansheng still favored her.
Until, this femme fatale of the century dug her own grave, causing the demise of Mr. Gu's beloved, the White Moonlight.
Henceforth, she vanished from Yucheng without a trace.
People say: "Blood debts must be repaid with blood, and death settles it all."
No one knew that night became a thorn in Gu Hansheng's heart.
On the snowy streets, a woman wrapped in a coat stood trembling beneath neon lights, delicately reaching for the car door.
The window lowered, a man gazed at her, softly laughing: "Madam Gu, there is no one in this world more cold-hearted and ruthless than you."
She grasped the door handle, lips pallid, face filled with grievance, "Hansheng, I'm cold."

The dead are colder than you.

The black silhouette departed into the night.

In the rearview mirror, snowflakes fluttered like tattered fragments, nearly engulfing the woman's shoulders.

In later recollections, in the midnight reveries, Mr. Gu could always hear her saying, "Hansheng, I'm cold."

The most missed when departing

The dial of Liang Shu's ladies' watch was now covered in a thick layer of white mist, a result of the recent commotion. After such treatment, it seemed destined for the scrap heap.

Originally not a particularly precious item, with average waterproofing capabilities and bearing the marks of time, it was hardly surprising that it couldn't withstand such abuse.

She watched her wrist with anguish, a fog beginning to gather before her eyes. Her nose tingled slightly, and everything around her seemed to be gradually slipping away. She couldn't hear the sound of water flowing, nor feel the frosty breath of those around her.

Lu Jinsheng was a lunatic, a fact Liang Shu had known since the moment she first laid eyes on him.

It was her first time setting foot in the Lu family home, filled with trepidation and panic. While she hadn't garnered everyone's kindness, hardly anyone had displayed such hostility towards her, except Lu Jinsheng.

On her first night at the Lu residence, she found a dead rat on her bed. Silently, she threw away the sheets along with the rodent, opting to sleep directly on the mattress.

A week later, an entire bottle of ink spilled into her schoolbag, turning everything inside into a chaotic mess.

On one particular morning, she was forced to stand for an entire day in class because she told the teacher she had forgotten her schoolbag.

Along the way, Liang Shu had lost count of how many similar incidents had occurred. Sometimes, she couldn't even remember her own expression at the time.

But how could one endure being bullied forever?

Finally, Lu Jinsheng released her hand. Liang Shu's fingers trembled uncontrollably as she met his still sullen face with a slow smile. Raising her hand, she slapped him across the face.

She wasn't sure how much force she used, but her right hand now felt numb, as if it no longer belonged to her.

Someone outside needed to use the restroom, but Lu Jinsheng had already locked the door.

Liang Shu wanted to open the door, but she saw a sly smile flicker at the corner of Lu Jinsheng's eyes.

Could she open the door in her current state?

This society was always harsh on women. If she appeared disheveled, staying with a man in the ladies' restroom, the consequences were self-evident.

But Lu Jinsheng's ability to evade responsibility was all too easy.

Liang Shu backed away, her back against the door just before she would have fallen. Smiling grimly at him, she said, "Lu Jinsheng, if you have the guts, just kill me. After all these years, what else can you do besides these petty tricks? Blood debts must be repaid with blood. If you can't take a life, what are you?"

The smile on Liang Shu's lips gradually widened, almost without any pretense. The provocative words spilled out, "Even without dying or getting hurt, I'm still living just fine."

Lu Jinsheng stared at her intently, his excessively handsome face clouded with darkness. Veins stood out near his temples, yet his eyes remained particularly cold.

He took two steps forward, reaching out towards her in a deliberate manner. Liang Shu had nowhere to hide, so she could only stare back at him defiantly.

But Lu Jinsheng didn't look at her. Instead, he calmly straightened her dress and tidied her hair before leaning in to whisper in her ear, "Living just fine?"

Liang Shu's pupils contracted instantly, but after a while, she smiled again, resigned. "Not dying is still considered living, isn't it?"

She chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Right, it's not that easy to die. If I really died, wouldn't Mr. Lu have to pay off my debts? Even though it's a drop in the bucket for you, who could swallow the pride of repaying a debt to an enemy?"

"If you ever do die, swallowing that pride would be the least of my concerns," Lu Jinsheng sneered coldly.

Chapter 26: Provocation