SES Chapter 95 Part 1

Chapter 95 – Epilogue

It was late at night. Luo Ren sat alone on the row of chairs in the hospital corridor.

There was so much to do, and everyone was busy. Yan Hongsha and Wan San had gone to the scene of the incident. Cao Yanhua returned to Lianyan, trying to track down Lianshu. Uncle Zhang kept questioning the doctors about Mu Dai’s condition and tried every possible way to contact Huo Zihong. Uncle Zheng was handling the police and the party responsible for the accident, while also looking after Pingting, who wouldn’t stop whining about being tired.

Only Luo Ren did nothing. His mind was a mess. Since the family wasn’t allowed to stay inside the ICU, he just wanted to wait outside the ward. He didn’t want to deal with any errands. Everything annoyed him—every face, every mouth that spoke to him.

The doctors said Mu Dai had fallen into a coma. There was trauma to the brain, but the CT scan showed no severe contusion or intracranial hemorrhage. For now, it was unclear whether surgery would be necessary. They’d observe her with medication and hope she woke up on her own.

They couldn’t give a definite answer. After all, it was the brain—the most complex and least understood organ of the human body. Some people could lose half their brain and still function normally. Others never woke up after the slightest knock.

It was like childbirth: for some women, it was as easy as laying an egg, while others could lose their lives giving birth.

Science had advanced to the point of exploring the skies and the seas, yet humanity still couldn’t fully understand itself.

The police suspected attempted murder. There were traces of drugs in Mu Dai’s system—drugs that could induce a coma—and deep strangulation marks on her neck.

But the drunken driver insisted it was suicide. He admitted he had been drinking, that his reflexes were slow, but denied being completely out of control. According to him, the girl had stepped into the road on her own.

…

So many voices, so many explanations, drifting in Luo Ren’s ears.

An hour earlier, Uncle Zhang had lashed out at him in anger:
“Luo Ren, what’s wrong with you? Why was Mu Dai following you, helping you, and now this happens?”

In truth, it wasn’t Luo Ren’s fault. Mu Dai had been busy with matters at Fenghuang Tower. It wasn’t as if she was helping him personally. But people are like that—when tragedy strikes, their anger doesn’t always fall on the real culprit, but on whoever is closest.

—If she hadn’t become your girlfriend…
—If she hadn’t gone to look for you that morning…

Tracing it all back, even meeting him in the first place, was a mistake.

Luo Ren didn’t offer a single defense. He just felt exhausted, annoyed. He couldn’t even recall who it was that eventually pulled Uncle Zhang away.

All he remembered was the doctor’s words: no brain contusion, no hemorrhage, wait for the patient to wake up. If she woke, there would be no serious problem. If she hadn’t, then it would have been impossible to say.

He only wanted to wait here.

Footsteps echoed in the corridor, mingled with Pingting’s impatient whining.

It was Uncle Zheng.

He scolded Pingting, telling her not to make a fuss, then sat down beside Luo Ren. He opened his mouth several times, unsure how to begin. The first words he finally spoke were, inevitably, an attempt to absolve himself.

“Luo Ren, I really didn’t know Miss Lianshu would do something like this…”

Luo Ren cut him off: “What are the police saying?”

Uncle Zheng steadied himself and replied, “They said they reconstructed the accident. If it really happened as the driver claimed—that Mu Dai stood up by herself and was then struck with such force—she could very well have died instantly. They think something doesn’t add up…”

There was a hidden meaning in his words. Luo Ren looked up. “What do you mean?”

“They speculate that Mu Dai must have had some kind of defense mechanism at the time. Even if it wasn’t conscious defense, she somehow cushioned herself…”

But such a maneuver, like twisting midair to absorb impact, was impossible for an ordinary person. Uncle Zheng had quickly explained that Mu Dai had practiced martial arts since childhood. The investigators had sighed in amazement—yes, martial artists were different. Even half-conscious, their reflexes far exceeded those of normal people.

Really? Luo Ren felt the faintest thread of comfort in his heart.

Uncle Zheng hesitated, not knowing what more to say. “Xiaodao, maybe you should rest. The doctors are here anyway. I heard Old Zhang already snapped at you, so when visitation comes, they might not let you in first…”

“I’m staying here,” Luo Ren interrupted.

Uncle Zheng sighed. Pingting began fussing again, near tears, desperate for sleep.

“You should take Pingting home,” Luo Ren told him.

By dawn, Luo Ren’s phone rang urgently—again and again—until a passing nurse pointed at his pocket. He finally realized it was his phone.

Cao Yanhua’s voice shouted down the line:
“Brother Luo, get over here quick—we found Lianshu!”

Lianshu?

Luo Ren’s eyes sharpened instantly, and he leapt to his feet.

Cao Yanhua had stumbled onto her by sheer luck. He reasoned that if Lianshu had been influenced by the third cursed slip of bamboo during her morning visit to Uncle Zheng, then all her subsequent scheming must have been rushed.

Uncle Zheng had mentioned that Mu Dai had gone to see Lianshu not long after Lianshu herself left.

Anyone trying to flee still needed time to prepare. Lianshu had assets and businesses; she was unlikely to abandon everything outright—especially not her beloved treasure, priced at 188,000 yuan. Could she really toss it away?

So, Cao Yanhua bet she would return to her shop. He patrolled the alleys leading there, loitering until just before dawn. The ancient town was utterly silent. At last, Lianshu appeared, staggering like she was drunk.

Nerves taut, Cao Yanhua grabbed a brick and struck her down. The dull thud terrified him—he thought his heart might stop. Luckily, no one was around. He dragged her through the back door of Fenghuang Tower.

The shop wasn’t open yet, the air heavy with the smell of fresh renovations. Once inside, Cao Yanhua started trembling. He’d stolen before, but only small, non-violent thefts. Hurting someone? This was his first time.

He felt overwhelmed. The police would surely catch her soon. But then what about what he’d just done? Interfering with an investigation? Illegal detention?

So he called Wan San and Yan Hongsha for help, planning to ask a few questions before involving Luo Ren. But things had escalated…

“She won’t talk?” Luo Ren asked.

“No,” Cao Yanhua admitted, gripping the phone with shaking hands as daylight seeped in, making him panic even more. “She just keeps saying she doesn’t remember. I’ve asked again and again, tried to scare her, but she won’t budge.”

Luo Ren sneered. “Then I’ll help her remember.”

That tone—

Cao Yanhua shivered.

Luo Ren arrived quickly. He entered through the front, slammed the door shut, and bolted it, all while staring at Lianshu.

She wasn’t exactly sitting—she was strapped to a chair with plastic ties. They had threatened her earlier, but only half-heartedly. She didn’t take them seriously.

Luo Ren tore the tape from her mouth roughly. She winced.

“Luo Ren, you have no right to do this! If someone wants to question me, it should be the police. I’ll sue you for this!”

Wan San fidgeted, peeking through the bamboo blinds nervously, afraid her shouting would attract passersby.

Ignoring her, Luo Ren reached for her neck. She tried to shrink away, but he tugged at the silk cord around her throat, pulling out the rouge-colored amber pendant. Then he yanked it hard.

Yan Hongsha guessed what he meant to do and rushed to the kitchen, returning with a basin of water. Luo Ren dropped the amber into it; it sank to the bottom.

Only then did he speak. “You knew Mu Dai was my girlfriend, didn’t you?”

“I’ve told you a hundred times—I really don’t remember!”

“Then remember again.”

His voice was calm, deceptively gentle. Lianshu dismissed it: “Don’t get yourself in trouble, Luo Ren. This is illegal detention—”

Before she could finish, he suddenly kicked the chair. It toppled backward, slamming her against the wall before crashing to the ground.