Chapter Twenty-Five: If You Do Not Leave, I Will Never Forsake You!

The newcomer held a curved blade in hand, blood still dripping from its edge. The murderous aura emanating from him was so intense that Chen Xiong and the old lady felt only terror, as though they were face to face with the most dreadful harbinger of death.

He was young, yet the killing intent around him was palpable. Especially those eyes—cold and ruthless. His hair was cut close to the scalp, streaked with gray, and he wore all white.

In a blink, he appeared before Chen Xiong, pressing the icy blade against his throat. “Money, or death!”

Chen Xiong was so frightened he wanted to scream, but dared not for fear of provoking this man further. He trembled violently, unable to move.

“Stop! What are you trying to do? Let my son go—if you have any business, take it up with this old woman instead!” The old matriarch rose shakily, voice trying to sound stern but betraying her fear.

“Sixth Brother, please, wait! Let me talk to her,” Shen Qingqiang, too, was unnerved by Old Six’s murderous presence. Worried he might actually kill Chen Xiong, he hurried to intervene.

Then, turning to the old lady, he adopted a cold, businesslike manner. “Don’t say I’m unreasonable. Originally, two million eight hundred thousand would have settled this. But since you’ve offended Sister Lan, I’m afraid the sum has doubled—five million six hundred thousand, and quickly. This is an order from Lady Lan of Longevity Pavilion. Don’t be ungrateful.”

“What? Why?” The old lady’s spirit deflated all at once. Only now did she realize why Shen Qingqiang had suddenly doubled the demand: the owner of Longevity Pavilion herself had decreed it.

A thin line of blood now marked Chen Xiong’s neck from the blade. Upon hearing that the owner herself was involved, he fell into utter despair.

“Mother… let’s just pay,” he whispered, softly reminding the old lady.

She collapsed into her chair in silence.

Who in Qingyang didn’t know the name Qiao Lan from the Longevity Pavilion? Who dared stand against her? Those who tried never even knew how they had died.

The sum was painful, but compared to the lives of her family, the choice was clear.

“Enough. I accept defeat this time. Please inform President Qiao that our Chen family has always respected her rules. If we have offended in any way, I beg her forgiveness,” the old lady said, deflated and spiritless, coughing weakly.

She then asked, after transferring the money to Shen Qingqiang, “Still, I must ask—how is it that through our cooperation, the Chen family now owes you so much?”

“You’d best ask Chen Xiong. Your good son surely knows more. I, as an outsider, have no interest in explaining,” Shen Qingqiang said, pocketed the money, signaled Old Six to release Chen Xiong, and left with his companion.

“Speak! What is going on?” the old lady demanded as soon as they were alone, her tone furious, having caught the implication in Shen Qingqiang’s words.

“Mother, don’t listen to his nonsense. The contract was signed by Chen Muxue. How would I know what’s happened? Why don’t we call her here and ask?” Chen Xiong, naturally, dared not admit his own scheming, and used Chen Muxue as a scapegoat.

“This must be investigated. If that wretched girl Chen Muxue dared to play tricks behind our backs, I… I will not forgive her!” The old lady’s face was ashen, shaken by both fright and anger, and the loss of so much money wounded her deeply.

“Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll look into it right away and give you a full account!” Chen Xiong replied, his face severe but inwardly relieved to have shifted the blame onto Chen Muxue once again.

That very night, the old lady felt unwell and called for a doctor to administer an IV.

Chen Xiong’s daughter, Chen Wenli, accompanied her father to visit her grandmother.

“Grandma, Muxue has gone too far. After my dad’s investigation, it turns out she made a lot of money off that project with Shen Qingqiang. Otherwise, where do you think her car came from? She’s the only one in her family with a job, yet they live in comfort—all thanks to her embezzling company funds,” Chen Wenli said, sitting by her grandmother’s bedside, her cunning inherited from her father.

“Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!” The old lady trembled with rage, wishing she could summon Chen Muxue at once and slap her a few times to vent her anger.

“When I recover, I’ll announce it immediately—they and their whole family are expelled from the Chen clan. They’re not worthy to stay!” the old lady declared, her anger flaring anew and bringing on another bout of coughs.

Chen Xiong and his daughter exchanged a furtive, satisfied glance.

Everything was going just as they had planned. The Chen family fortune would be theirs, and no one would take a penny from them.

…

Time passed swiftly.

Every day, Su Zheng helped Chen Muxue with acupuncture and medicinal poultices. On the third evening, when the treatment was finished, Su Zheng gently began to remove the bandages from her face.

The medicine’s effects had all been absorbed, and Chen Muxue’s heart was filled with anxious anticipation.

Though she believed she didn’t have many days left, what woman would wish to leave the world bearing hideous scars?

Especially when, over these three days, Su Zheng had constantly encouraged her. With his treatments, she herself had felt faint changes within, and the dizziness she once suffered had disappeared. She dared to hope—perhaps Su Zheng could cure her mysterious illness.

Su Zheng’s hands were gentle as he unwound the bandages. When the last layer was removed, he gazed with satisfaction at Chen Muxue’s exquisite face.

“Muxue, you can open your eyes now.”

Her lashes fluttered at his words, and she slowly opened her eyes, a tumult of emotions whirling within.

But when she saw her reflection in the mirror—her flawless beauty restored—she froze.

She had expected, at best, that the scars might fade but would leave some residual marks or pigmentation. Instead, it was as though her face had been reborn; there was not a trace of injury to be seen.

She didn’t speak. Instead, she clapped a hand over her mouth as tears welled in her eyes, her voice choked with emotion.

It was nothing short of miraculous!

Not only was there no sign of her old scars, but her fair skin was now even more delicate and luminous than before, with a soft blush—perhaps even softer than a baby’s.

“I… Am I dreaming? Is this real?” she murmured, incredulous.

With her beauty restored, so too did her confidence return, little by little. Bathed in the glow of the lamp, her face, though still streaked with tears, was radiant and breathtaking—like a dewdrop on a begonia blossom, dazzling and incomparable.

“This is only the beginning. I will heal the hidden ailments in your body too. For the rest of your life, I will always be by your side, never letting you suffer again,” Su Zheng said with deep feeling, unconsciously taking her delicate hand in his.

Chen Muxue gazed at him, her beautiful eyes unblinking, allowing him to hold her hand, profoundly moved by his words.

“Yes. If you never leave me, I will never forsake you.”