Jun Jiuli shoved him into the sea, her foot pressing down firmly on his head. As he was about to drown, she lifted him up to catch his breath, repeating the torture.
Lu Yunnan was discovered the next morning, his body swollen and pale from being submerged, the seawater barely reaching below his neck. He was alive, merely unconscious.
Less than three days after being discharged, he was back in the hospital. When he woke up again, he was bordering on madness.
"Uncle Lin, am I still alive?" He clutched his neck, shrinking further into the covers in fear.
"Young Master, what nonsense are you spouting? Of course, you're fine. The doctor said you just need a few days of observation before you can be discharged."
Steward Lin helped Lu Yunnan sit up, thoughtfully propping a pillow behind his back.
"Young Master, why did you go there so late at night?" Lu Yunnan tightly gripped his hand.
"Uncle Lin, Xia Xilin is dead. She dragged me into the sea, Uncle Lin, she wanted to kill me. It was too terrifying, too terrifying. I definitely didn't mistake her, Uncle Lin, you have to believe me."
"Yes, yes, Young Master, everything you say is right. The important thing now is to recover your health."
"Uncle Lin, do you think I'm lying to you?"
"Not at all. I'll go to the冥店 (underworld shop) to buy some things to burn for Madam later. To ask her not to bother you anymore, alright?"
"Yes, go do it now. Hire a well-known Taoist priest to perform an exorcism at home. I'm afraid she'll resent Yuanyuan and go find trouble with Yuanyuan."
"Understood."
Recalling Jun Jiuli's terrifying face and the ruthlessness of her actions, Lu Yunnan felt a chill crawl up his spine.
Why did that woman hate him so much? Everything was her own doing. If she had been honest from the start, none of the subsequent events would have happened.
With worries weighing on his mind, he couldn't rest. His phone was ruined by the seawater from the previous day, so Butler Li got him a new one. He turned on the new phone and dialed his personal assistant.
"Go and find out which hospital Xia Xilin had her abortion at."
"Boss, this... this..."
"Why are you hesitating? Is there some inside story that I'm not privy to?"
"Madam did not go to the hospital."
"She induced the abortion herself with medication?" Lu Yunnan scoffed.
"It's impossible to imagine. Medical abortion causes so much damage to the body. If there's no one around, there's a high chance of problems. A selfish woman like her, how could she possibly harm her own body like that?"
"Boss, it was Miss Yuanyuan who accidentally pushed Madam down the stairs, and the child was lost just like that."
"You're talking nonsense! How could Yuanyuan be that kind of person? Are you colluding with Xia Xilin to slander my Yuanyuan?"
The assistant knew he would react this way. Better him than me. With a hardened heart, he sent over the video of Qiao Yuanyuan pushing.
Lu Yunnan was utterly shocked after watching it. He had never seen such a fierce and venomous expression on Qiao Yuanyuan before. After the shock, he immediately blamed the assistant.
"Why didn't you tell me before?"
"Miss Yuanyuan has an unusual relationship with you, and Madam's importance in your heart... even if I told you, Boss, you wouldn't have believed it. Fortunately, Boss, you don't care about Madam, so I didn't mention it to cause you any more trouble."
Lu Yunnan angrily smashed everything within reach to the ground.
"Bastard, you're lying! Who said I don't care about her? Why? Why is it like this? Go, investigate the doctors who examined Xia Xilin and Qiao Yuanyuan back then. Contact me immediately when you have the results."
"Understood, Boss."
After hanging up, the assistant let out a long sigh. This yandere CEO is truly difficult to serve. He also felt very sorry for Madam, but he was on the Lu family's payroll and had to watch his words.
Lu Yunnan immediately called Qiao Yuanyuan after hanging up.
"Yuanyuan, where are you? Can you come to the hospital to accompany me now?"
"I'm at home making soup for Brother Yunnan, and I was just thinking of coming to the hospital to see you later."
"No need to make soup. Have the driver send you over now."
"What's wrong? Why are you so anxious, Brother Yunnan?"
"Just come over." With that, he hung up abruptly, his heart wracked with pain.
If he had misunderstood Xia Xilin all along, how much pain must she have suffered then?
She had endured so much hardship, and he deserved to die. No, Qiao Yuanyuan was the one who deserved to die the most.
A moment later, the information arrived on his phone. It turned out that everything had been fabricated by Qiao Yuanyuan.
She had found that necklace by chance. After learning the true owner of the necklace, her family planned all of this.
She had never had any scar removal surgery on her waist. He had been played for a fool from beginning to end, toyed with by her entire family.
That doctor had also been bribed by the Qiao family. Xia Xilin was his savior, the woman he loved, the person he should have compensated and cared for his entire life.
But that person was already dead, dead in the cold, unforgiving sea. Lu Yunnan's eyes, red from crying, blazed with intense hatred.
He would make Qiao Yuanyuan regret her actions. He would retaliate a hundredfold, a thousandfold.
He made another call. The Qiao family had profited greatly by clinging to him over the years. It was time to bring down the Qiao family's empire.
When Qiao Yuanyuan entered the room, she saw Lu Yunnan staring at her blankly. This made her feel a bit nervous. She touched her face and said,
"Brother Yunnan, is there something on my face? Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Qiao Yuanyuan, you are truly an actress, damn it."
Large teardrops immediately welled up and streamed down her face like pearls. Her nose turned red, and she spoke with a wronged tone,
"Brother Yunnan, what are you talking about? Yuanyuan doesn't understand. Has someone been badmouthing me to you? Brother Yunnan, don't easily believe others' gossip. I love you so much, can't you feel it?"
As she spoke, she sat by the hospital bed, reaching out to grab Lu Yunnan's wrist.
Lu Yunnan directly slapped her across the face. Her left cheek rapidly swelled and reddened. Qiao Yuanyuan felt a ringing in her ears, indicating the force of the blow.
Qiao Yuanyuan looked incredulous, her voice broken and tragic as she said, "Brother Yunnan, you hit me? You actually hit me. I even gave up a kidney for you."
"Don't use that to morally blackmail me. You donated a kidney, and my gratitude and the benefits to your Qiao family are worth how many kidneys? Why did you lie to me? Why?"
"Brother Yunnan, I didn't lie to you. Yuanyuan has never lied to you. Has someone been gossiping to you? Those people just can't stand to see us together. Brother Yunnan, please don't believe them."
"I think you won't shed tears until you see the coffin."
He said this, pinched her face, and took out his phone. He scrolled through the evidence, including that video.
"Paper can never wrap fire, hahaha, Qiao Yuanyuan, I'll make your entire Qiao family pay for this!"