TFRLTOP Chapter 28 Part 1

Chapter 28: The Educated Youth’s Humble Wife

Final Chapter + A New World Begins

“What’s she been doing lately? Still delivering food late at night?”

“Yes, Fifth Master. She does it every day.”

“And the card?”

“No activity recorded.”

Master Huo frowned, clearly displeased. “Did I let her go so she could go back to living that miserable life?”

He couldn’t quite understand. He turned to Chen Si. “I gave her so much money. Why won’t she use it?”

Chen Si gave a dry laugh. “Maybe Miss Chu still prefers earning her own way.”

“Prefer? Hah.” Huo let out a cold snort. “That’s only because she never had the chance to live off someone before. Once she got a taste of it, she’d relax faster than anyone.”

“I spoiled her before—fed her well, pampered her daily. I gave her money so she could live comfortably for a couple of months, so she wouldn’t suffer going from luxury back to hardship. But no—she refuses to spend a cent, takes on two jobs, and deliberately stabs me in the heart!”

Looking down at the winery documents in his hand, Huo lost all interest and tossed them aside. “This one won’t do. Go back to the first one we looked at and sign it.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a pause, Huo added, “No need to rush the paperwork. When the time comes, transfer it straight to Chu Yun’s name.”

Something else occurred to him. “And the ice cellar at home—it’s never been used. This year, stock it up with ice cream for her. Buy the expensive ones. Most of them she’s probably never even tasted. Better that than her hugging a pint of Häagen-Dazs like it’s treasure later on.”

“If she can’t finish them, she can give them away or sell them if she wants. Doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, sir.”

Having given his orders, Huo glanced at the time. “Let’s head back to the country. It’s been over a month. No more waiting. I’m bringing her home.”

On the private jet, Huo was suddenly struck by a wave of heart palpitations, followed by a searing, bone-deep pain. Clutching his chest, he doubled over in agony. Chen Si jumped in alarm and quickly summoned the doctor.

Before long, the pain subsided. The examination showed nothing serious.

But Huo felt as though a piece of his heart had been ripped away.

A sense of dread gnawed at him.

When they landed, Wang Duo came running in a panic. For the first time, the usually cold subordinate’s face was filled with raw emotion.

What did he say?

…

It felt like the world was collapsing before Huo’s eyes.

He couldn’t remember how he made it to the hospital.

“Did you try to resuscitate her? Was the injury bad?” he pressed stubbornly. “If there’s no heartbeat, use the defibrillator! Whatever medicine or equipment you need, I’ll get it—just bring her back. That’s all I ask. Bring her back!”

For the first time, Fifth Master Huo completely lost control in public, his voice booming through the hall.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Huo,” the doctor said quietly. “She was hit and crushed by a truck. She died instantly. There was no chance to save her.”

Huo stared at the doctor in disbelief, struggling to process the words.

Died instantly.

No wonder.

No wonder Wang Duo’s first words to him weren’t that Chu Yun had been in an accident, but—

“Miss Chu… is dead.”

Dead.

Dead…

Huo shoved the doctor aside and stumbled into the room. A white sheet already covered her. Trembling, he reached out to lift it, his hands shaking uncontrollably.

He prayed it was some cruel joke, that she’d suddenly sit up, curse him, scream at him—anything.

I won’t ask for your love anymore.

Just… please, come back to life.

His subordinates stood solemnly in the hallway. Doctors and nurses slipped away in silence. After a long while, the sound of a beast’s anguished roar tore from the ward, followed by uncontrollable sobs.

Chen Si and Wang Duo had been with Fifth Master for over twenty years, growing up alongside him, following him since he took control of the Huo family at nineteen. In all those years, they had rarely seen anything stir his emotions—never had they seen him break down like this.

Since Chu Yun appeared, there had been a spark of life in him. Now, Chen Si didn’t dare think about what came next.

He called for people to begin preparing Miss Chu’s funeral.

“How should we arrange it?” someone asked.

Chen Si closed his eyes briefly. “The same as the mistress of the house. Everything else will be up to Fifth Master.”

Five days later, the Huo family held a grand funeral. The entire elite of S City turned up to pay respects to the lady of the house.

When Ye Weiran learned that Chu Yun had left the Huo family to live independently, she felt both happy for her and worried. She’d had a vague sense that Chu Yun and Huo Xiao would remain entangled for many years. She never imagined that barely a month later, she’d hear of Chu Yun’s death.

At the time, Ye Weiran had just dealt with troublesome relatives and formally inherited her grandfather’s entire shareholdings. She’d even been planning to invite Chu Yun to join her company—after all, the Ye family was hers to command now.

But there would be no “later” for Chu Yun.

Much later, Ye Weiran visited with her husband, Jiang Ming. As they were leaving, Fifth Master suddenly asked her, “Since you’re here, would you like to see her?”

Ye Weiran froze. “What?”

He led her to the ice cellar.

It was surprisingly large, a hundred square meters or more, neatly arranged despite the piles of various items inside.

But the first thing Ye Weiran saw was at the center—a crystal coffin.

She walked forward in shock. Inside, Chu Yun lay with a serene expression, hands folded before her, looking as though she were only asleep. On her thumb was a thick jade ring she recognized—one that Fifth Master used to wear.

“She didn’t have many friends,” Huo said softly, as if afraid of disturbing her slumber. “She’d be happy you came to see her.”

Ye Weiran turned to him and saw the naked affection and tenderness in his eyes.

Tears streamed down her face, but she couldn’t say a word.

Fate was cruel. Life was merciless.

After she left, Huo sat with Chu Yun for a while. “Sorry… for using such an extreme way to keep you by my side.”

“All these years, I’ve wondered—if you never had any feelings for me at all, then being forced to return, forced to stay at the Huo family, must have been unbearable. I’m sorry for my selfishness, all I can say is sorry.”

“… I kind of miss you, Chu Yun.”

—

“So the hidden achievement is… the heroine carving her own path to success? And that counts as completing the mission?!” Ming Ming was stunned.

If the system had a mouth, it would have dropped open wider than hers.

“Why? How does that even make sense?!”

Ming Ming thought hard. “I get it. If Ye Weiran ended up with Huo Xiao, her rise to power at the Ye family could be attributed to his influence and status. But since she married Jiang Ming, who had no background, no power, no connections, she fought for it entirely on her own. That makes her a true leading heroine.”

“So because I became Huo Xiao’s lover, the heroine didn’t end up with the male lead, and I pass?!”

What the hell?!

All that worrying was for nothing?

She suspected the system was messing with her. “You seriously didn’t know any of this?”

The system was on the verge of collapse. “I didn’t! How would I know?!”

Ming Ming rubbed her chin, deep in thought.

What the hell kind of setup was this? If something this ridiculous still counted as a pass…

The system was so choked by the sudden turn of events it could barely breathe, but still swallowed its frustration and processed her admission into the second world. When it was done, Ming Ming was still lost in thought.

“What are you doing?” the system asked.

“I’m reviewing—uh, no, I’m meditating.”

Suspicious, the system eyed her.

Ming Ming covered her face. “Boo hoo hoo, I’ve been so cruelly tormented. Boo hoo hoo, my soul has been purified…”

“Cut the act!”

Ming Ming slipped in a touch of genuine emotion. “You know that feeling—when you grind and grind for gold coins in a game, then suddenly the servers shut down?”

The system: “I don’t know, and I don’t want to know. But if this counts as ‘tormenting’ you, I’ll give a standing ovation.”

“…So cruel!”

Brushing the system off, Ming Ming kept thinking. This world was too short. Clearly, a lot of hidden information hadn’t been uncovered. The system was useless too—it never had any answers.

If she could’ve stayed longer, maybe she could have figured out more about the male and female leads’ future development and uncovered some kind of pattern.

But there just wasn’t enough information.

Looking back, if she treated the whole thing as a game, it wasn’t such a big deal. Actually, it was kind of fun. And as for the “torment”—it was really just a mental game, keeping her in constant dread of what might happen next. She’d invested too much.

That mindset wouldn’t do. It had to change.

If she dropped that way of thinking, it was really just about experiencing a different life.