Chapter 291: Chapter 291: The Son of the Mother’s Murderer

Translator: 549690339

“Shen Chi! Don’t move! If you move again, I’ll kill this girl!” Zhou Peitian warned.

Shen Chi stopped in his tracks, no longer moving forward, as he wouldn’t joke about Xu Chaomu’s life.

Bai Man laughed, laugh unrestrained, indeed, Shen Chi had known this secret for a long time.

She looked at Xu Chaomu and chuckled, “Xu Chaomu, do you really like your fourth brother? Are you so in love that you can’t help yourself? Are you in love to the point where you would give your life for him?”

“Bai Man… what do you want to say?” Xu Chaomu asked, blinking her large eyes.

With each blink, droplets fell from her lashes, indistinguishable from tears or rainwater.

Her whole body was trembling, trembling violently.

“Bai Man! If you dare say…” Shen Chi shouted fiercely.

“Shen Chi!” Bai Man cut him off immediately, “What am I afraid to say? Do I still care? Let me tell you, if today only one person can be saved, it must be me!”

“Bai Man, tell me, what happened to my mother? Tell me!” Xu Chaomu screamed hysterically.

Her voice soared through the air, hovered, landed on Shen Chi’s heart like countless sharp knives plunging down.

“Xu Chaomu, listen well, your most beloved fourth brother, Shen Chi, is the son of the enemy who killed your mother. Don’t understand? It’s okay, let me explain to you. Eight years ago, Shen Chi’s mother, Zhou Ran, tampered with the gas tank, which directly led to the explosion of the gas, causing your mother to die in a sea of flames.”

Upon reaching this point in her revelation, Shen Chi’s face was filled with despair.

In the rain, a tear slid down from the corner of his eye…

He had hidden this from her for so many years, and he had originally planned to keep it from her for a lifetime.

Never to let her know this secret, to always watch her smile carefree.

She was the treasured piece of candy in his palm that he feared would melt; he loved to see her smile, her antics, but he never wanted to see her sad, despairing.

He liked it when she chased after him calling “Fourth Brother;” he liked to see her rest her chin in her hands and smile sweetly, sweetly wrapping her arms around his neck.

He liked when she hid in his embrace like a little kitten. He also liked to stroke her hair and call her “Mumu.”

However, all of that was gone…

It would never be again…

As expected, Xu Chaomu was stunned, frozen in place as if she were petrified. Her dull, large eyes showed no spark of life, filled instead with nothing but despair…

Bai Man was proud, continuing, “Still don’t understand? Then I’ll keep telling you. Shen Chi’s father, Shen Cexian, was fond of your mother, Xu Mengxi. So, Zhou Ran became jealous, which is more frightening than anything when a woman is consumed by it. To extinguish all of Shen Cexian’s lingering thoughts, Zhou Ran executed this murder in silence, causing your mother to perish in the fire.”

“Consumed by the fire, not even a corpse was left clean. Xu Chaomu, wouldn’t you say a woman’s jealousy is frightening?” Bai Man gloated.

Xu Chaomu covered her head, rocking it painfully, “No… it wasn’t… it was an accident… please, stop talking… stop…”

How could Bai Man not continue? She smugly curved the corners of her lips, eager to witness Xu Chaomu’s agony.

“Xu Chaomu, stop deluding yourself. Zhou Ran killed your mother. Shen Chi is the son of the enemy who murdered your mother! Look at yourself, how foolish you became, loving Shen Chi for so many years. Do you still love Zhou Ran? If so, wouldn’t your mother be heartbroken? She might think, how could she give birth to such an unfilial daughter…”

“Xu Chaomu, tell me, am I right or not?”

“No… it’s not… I love my mother, I love her… I won’t make her sad…” Xu Chaomu shook her head in agony, her head felt as if it were about to split open.

Her entire head felt like it was about to explode, countless sentences swirling in her mind: Shen Chi is the son of your mother’s killer… you’ve loved Shen Chi for so many years…

She covered her head, gritted her teeth, as her nerves completely collapsed in an instant!

“It isn’t… why is it like this… why… why have you all been lying to me…”

“Mumu!” Across the crowd, Shen Chi cried out in grief.

Bai Man laughed loudly, “Can’t accept it? Nobody can. It’s normal. Xu Chaomu, don’t blame me. If you must blame someone, blame Shen Chi. He knew this secret for a long time, yet he never told you. He’s been deceiving you!”

“That’s right, do you know why Shen Chi has been so kind to you? Because he is atoning for sins, atoning for his mother’s sins!” Bai Man emphasized the last two words intentionally.

Atonement…

Atonement…

Bai Man’s shrill voice swirled through the air.

So, that was it.

Xu Chaomu understood, she finally understood. He had pampered her for eight years, been so kind to her, all just to atone.

He would tie her shoelaces, serve her soup, peel shrimp for her… everything, everything was just to atone.

Atonement and love are two different things: the former is endlessly kind to you, kind to the point of numbness, yet it never delivers the heart; it never will for a lifetime.

Just like when she wanted to kiss him, he would avoid it, simply because he distinguished atonement from love very clearly.

He always knew; he didn’t love her.

“Shen Chi… why… why did you deceive me… even you betrayed me, even you…” Xu Chaomu shook her head in pain.

That was her most beloved mother, her mother who doted on her, who left her all that was good. Why… why was she actually murdered?

And it was by Zhou Ran.

She had called Zhou Ran “Aunt” so many times; she had called Shen Chi “Fourth Brother” countless times…

Isn’t it ironic?

“Mumu, Mumu. Listen to me…” Shen Chi’s voice was deep and hoarse, his whole heart pounding violently.

His pain was not one bit less than Xu Chaomu’s.

“Enough! Shen Chi, I just want to ask you one question: did your mother kill mine? Did she?” Xu Chaomu’s lips trembled.

For the first time, she addressed Shen Chi with such a cold and despairing tone.

Her whole body was ice-cold, even her shoulders couldn’t stop shivering.

“Mumu…” he wanted to explain.

He wanted to tell her that he hadn’t intentionally kept it from her, he just wanted her to be happy.

He wanted to tell her that he loved her, and it wasn’t about so-called atonement!

He had never considered his kindness to her as atoning; he was kind to her simply because he wanted to be, he loved her, he cared for her.

“Shen Chi, I just want to ask you, is it or isn’t it?” Xu Chaomu looked at him with red-rimmed eyes.

“Mumu…”

“Answer me, is it or isn’t it!”

“It is.” As the word escaped, tears flowed down Shen Chi’s face.

Even though he was cold and ruthless, cunning and relentless, at this moment, he was utterly devastated.

“Heh… you really have been lying to me, haven’t you? You’ve lied to me for eight years, haven’t you? Why have you been kind to me, why didn’t you just set me on fire and burn me to death as well? Shen Chi, I hate you, I will hate you for the rest of my life!”