Chapter 100: Li Chen’s Story — Better to Die
Li Xiaonan has been dead for five days. The man has been holding her body for five days straight, without eating or drinking. If it weren’t for the occasional tremor of his eyelashes, perhaps no one would have thought he was still alive.
His eyes were dull and empty, yet his gaze remained fixed on the corpse in his arms—a corpse that had long since lost its warmth.
If you look at him for a long time, a hint of tenderness will occasionally flash across his empty eyes; this is when he is most energetic during the day.
Aside from the cold corpse in his arms, he seemed to have forgotten everything else. This was his everything, his treasure, and he wouldn’t allow anyone to touch it.
“Li Chen,” Old Master Li called softly.
However, the person did not give any response.
After this incident, the old man looked much older. He looked at Li Chen, who was like a walking corpse, and sighed deeply.
Li Xiaonan was someone he doted on since she was a child; in his eyes, she was his own granddaughter. But compared to Li Chen, his affection for her suddenly seemed insignificant.
Li Chen cherished Li Xiaonan like his own heart and soul; he would probably try to get the stars and the moon from the sky for her if she wanted them.
He loved her more than his own life.
And this person, who was more important than Li Chen’s lifeblood, died, and she died taking a bullet for him. He watched with his own eyes as she rushed towards him, disregarding everything, without the slightest hesitation, and blocked the bullet that was supposed to pierce his chest.
Blood gushed from the girl’s mouth, and she only had time to call his name one last time before she breathed her last, right in front of Li Chen.
Ordinary people would be shocked, feel guilty, and grateful, but for Li Chen, witnessing this scene firsthand would only cause him to collapse.
Li Xiaonan did save Li Chen’s life, but for Li Chen, it was not salvation, but punishment.
He would rather die himself than let Li Xiaonan die, or rather, he wanted to die with Li Xiaonan.
He went five days and five nights without eating or drinking, and soon he would be going to be with her.
Li Chen, standing before Old Master Li, had become emaciated and pale, completely devoid of his former vigor.
He was a man who never showed his emotions; nothing could make him panic. He was a hunter; when he suffered a loss, he would calmly and slowly cast his net, luring his prey into the cage before tearing it apart.
Only Li Xiaonan drove him completely mad.
Old Master Li patted his shoulder gently, but he didn’t dare to use too much force, afraid that he might accidentally knock the man unconscious.
“Li Chen, if Nan Nan saw you like this, she would be heartbroken. Can you bear to see her sad and upset?”
Li Chen’s eyelashes didn’t even tremble.
Old Master Li said angrily, “Do you want Nan Nan to sacrifice herself for you in vain? Li Chen, if you continue to refuse to eat or drink, you will die, you really will die! Look at the state you are in now. Nan Nan always says that her father is more handsome than celebrities and has more temperament than models, but look at the coward you have become!”
Li Chen remained unmoved, his gaze fixed silently on the corpse in his arms, as if he were immersed in his own world and could no longer hear the sounds outside.
Old Master Li took two deep breaths. “Fine, I’ll say a few more words. If you want to humiliate yourself and die with Nan Nan, fine, I’ll pretend I never had a son like you! But even if you’re going to die, shouldn’t you avenge Nan Nan before you die? I’ve already caught the traitor who leaked your whereabouts. You can decide whether to kill him or torture him!”
These words seemed to reach Li Chen’s ears, and his lifeless eyes finally twitched slightly.
“Where?” he asked, his throat dry and hoarse from not having water for several days, making his voice sound rather unpleasant.
Old Master Li breathed a slight sigh of relief and quickly replied, “That traitor is currently being held in the basement of the Li family villa.”
Li Chen moved his arm and slowly placed the body he had been holding back onto the bed, carefully tucking the blanket around her.
He touched the girl’s cold face, then leaned down and kissed her forehead, gently whispering in her ear, “Baby, you sleep for a while. Daddy has something to do, but it won’t take long. Daddy will be back soon. Be good by yourself and don’t run around anymore.”
Looking at the gentle Li Chen, Old Master Li suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
It seemed like he was seeing this side of Li Chen for the first time. It was as if a demon had always resided within Li Chen’s heart, and that this demon was only released from Li Chen’s heart at the moment of Li Xiaonan’s death. Or perhaps, Li Chen’s soul had long been devoured by the demon, but that demon had been dormant and had finally awakened…
Old Master Li’s words finally roused Li Chen. Instead of irrationally demanding to see the traitor immediately, he slowly began to eat and drink, and even tidied himself up. Apart from his somewhat thin face, he had returned to the decisive and ruthless Master Li he once was.
After that, he went to the basement.
Old Master Li did not go with them, but he vaguely heard screams coming from inside, each one more shrill than the last. The bodyguards who went in and came out with Li Chen afterwards were all as pale as paper, with extreme fear on their faces.
The screams continued for seven days, and apart from the bodyguards, no one knew what was happening inside.
On the eighth day, two pale-faced bodyguards came out carrying a bulging sack and finally couldn’t hold it in, vomiting all over the place.
The bodyguards threw the sack somewhere, and from the next day onwards, the screams from the basement ceased.
After that, Li Chen returned to normal. He no longer clung to Li Xiaonan’s body, but watched her being cremated with Old Master Li and then buried the urn containing her ashes.
Grandpa Li was very pleased. This was his son, someone who could overcome any obstacle, no matter how big.
But the day after Li Xiaonan’s burial, Old Master Li suddenly noticed something was wrong: Li Chen, who never slept in, had not gotten up yet.
Old Master Li, along with his old partner Butler Wang, knocked on Li Chen’s door—the bedroom where Li Xiaonan and Li Chen had once lived together.
The knocking continued for a long time, but no one answered from inside.
Old Master Li staggered and almost lost his balance.
Butler Wang quickly helped him up and shakily reached out to turn the handle.
The room was rather dim, with the curtains drawn tightly. It had been a long time since the room had been this dark. Li Chen used to prefer darkness, but ever since Li Xiaonan entered his life, the room had been bathed in sunlight year-round. Every morning, the first thing Li Xiaonan did upon waking was to draw back the curtains and let the sunlight stream into the room, and Li Chen had also developed this habit under her influence.
Old Master Li looked at the man lying quietly on the bed and cautiously called out, “Li Chen?”
The person on the bed did not respond. His face was peaceful, and he looked like he was fast asleep. However, when Butler Wang put his finger to the tip of his nose, he could no longer feel his breathing.
Li Chen is dead.
He had no wounds on his body and showed no signs of having taken any medication.
No one knows how he died; it was as if his soul had suddenly been ripped from his body, leaving it as a soulless shell.
Old Master Li thought he would be so heartbroken that he would faint, but when the time came, he found himself to be much calmer than he had imagined.
Perhaps he had foreseen this day long ago, and he had prepared for it long ago.
He couldn’t help but reflect on whether he had ever given Li Chen fatherly love throughout his life. From the moment Li Chen was born, he had treated him as his successor. This child had no childhood, no motherly love, and he himself was not a good father.
Therefore, when Li Xiaonan appeared, she not only gave Li Chen family affection, but also the simplest and purest love, and naturally entered the softest place in Li Chen’s heart.
Li Xiaonan is Li Chen’s whole world.
When his world collapses, he’ll be nothing more than a walking corpse if he continues to live.
It would be better to just die like this.
