Shen Zichen had been driving for over an hour, going around the capital, wherever he thought he could find Li Chuntao. From the high school campus they both attended, to the private gallery where Ying worked, and even their favorite restaurants and cafes, he couldn"t see a glimpse of her. "Where could she possibly be?" He asked himself.
Li Chuntao had been away from the capital for seven long years and only visited once during Li Xiuying"s wedding before departing abroad again the next day. There had been a lot of changes and structures built in the capital that she wouldn"t dare go to.
Unlike Ying, Chuntao likes her peace and prefered to be left alone. So she probably went somewhere familiar.
His phone rang for the umpteenth time that day. Shen Zichen immediately answered the call, knowing it was Hou Chen. He unlocked his car and settled in the driver"s seat ready to go to the next possible place to look for Chuntao.
"Young Master Shen, Miss Chuntao was spotted going out of the capital, heading east. Do you have an idea where she might be going?" She updated him.
The Li family had immediately tried to track her car but Li Chuntao made it hard for them as she disabled her phone and the installed GPS function wasn"t working in the car she had taken.
"Did you say she"s heading east?"
"Y-yes. Is there something wrong, Master Shen?" Hou Chen asked.
Shen Zichen remained silent for a while before answering her. He could only think of one place that Li Chuntao would go in the eastern direction.
"I think I know where she is now but let me confirm it first," he told her before hanging up.
He hurriedly maneuvered the steering wheel and drove towards the only possible place Li Chuntao might be in the eastern direction. If he"s not wrong, Li Chuntao must have visited the place she and Ying had gone during their last trip together.
"Chuntao, don"t do anything stupid."
Because he was in a rush, the usual one hour drive was shortened to forty minutes. He kept his focus on the road making sure he wouldn"t miss the car Li Chuntao took with her.
After half an hour of through the area, Shen Zichen finally reached the road leading to the huge lake several miles away from the nearest suburb. He found the car parked at one side but Li Chuntao was nowhere to be found.
His s.h.i.+ny black shoes left footprints on the ground as he walked near the pier where he saw the glimpse of a person standing on the edge. Just the back view and the long hair flowing behind that person, he could tell it was the woman he"d been looking for.
Shen Zichen released a sigh he didn"t know he was holding ever since he found out Li Chuntao was missing.
He didn"t call out after her, knowing that she must have needed some s.p.a.ce to think alone, given that she hadn"t made a single move since he arrived. However, shock engulfed his entirety the moment Li Chuntao threw herself into the lake, which made him sprint towards her in panic.
"Chuntao!"
Shen Zichen reached the spot and tried to find signs of where Li Chuntao was, but she never emerged on the surface for air. He was aware that she could swim unlike her twin sister and it was easy for her to get out of the water if she wanted to.
But what if she had no intention at all?
Fear crept into Shen Zichen"s heart at the thought of Li Chuntao killing herself because of intense grief. He removed his outer coat, took a deep breath, and dived straight into the water without hesitation. It didn"t take him long to find Li Chuntao, who was still sinking and not moving.
He didn"t waste time pulling her wrist, pressing her body against his, and swam back to the surface, both gasping for much-needed air. They were both dripping wet from head to toe. The s.h.i.+rt Shen Zichen was wearing clung to his chest while Li Chuntao felt her clothes were too heavy against her lithe form.
Shen Zichen wrapped his discarded coat around her shoulders as Li Chuntao burst into another round of crying. She hit Shen Zichen"s chest for rescuing and ruining her plan.
"Why?! Why did you do that?! You should have let me die!"
"Li Chuntao! Are you crazy? Do you think Ying would approve of what you"ve done? Do you not value your life anymore?" He countered.
He was mad at her but he was also angry at himself. He was mad at her for hurting herself, angry at himself for almost losing her if he hadn"t arrived sooner. He knew that the guilt of losing Ying and Chuntao would eat him alive if it actually happened.
"Why did they leave me behind? What"s the point of living if I"ve lost everything close to my heart?" Li Chuntao didn"t have the strength to hit him anymore, instead, she rested her head on his shoulder and continued to cry.
"Shen Zichen, I have no reason to continue living anymore,"
Shen Zichen hardened his jaws and placed a hand behind her head, holding her close against him. He couldn"t let Li Chuntao die like this. He wouldn"t allow her to surrender like this.
If she didn"t have a reason to live, then he would gladly give her one. Even if it meant she would be living with a grudge in her heart. Shen Zichen wasn"t sure if this was the right thing to do but he would rather do this than lose Li Chuntao too.
He would have to plant a seed of hatred and revenge instead of love to keep her going. At least, with it, Li Chuntao would have a reason to continue living even without Ying by her side.
"Ying, forgive me for doing this to Chuntao" he said deep in his heart.
"Li Chuntao, you aren"t allowed to die yet," he whispered into her ear. His breath caused the woman in his arms to involuntarily s.h.i.+ver. "You can"t die yet," he continued. "Not when the person who caused Ying"s death is still alive and celebrating your downfall."
Li Chuntao pushed herself away from him to look at his face with wide eyes. There were still hints of tears in her misty eyes but her confusion over his words was undeniable.
"Shen Zichen, you mean…"
She covered her mouth with one hand as she tried to digest what he said to her. Did he mean her sister didn"t die from an accident? That, someone, had plotted against her ever gentle and kind twin sister?
"I"m not sure about the details yet. You have to talk to your Uncle Yuren to find out more." Shen Zichen told her.
Li Chuntao lowered her head as several thoughts crossed her mind. The emptiness in her eyes slowly replaced with a menacing and murderous glint which was incomparable to what she had previously.
Meanwhile, Shen Zichen could only watch as the woman in front of him slowly engulfed by the hatred he nurtured in her. He"d always known that he was a selfish person but for the first time in his life, he couldn"t find it in himself to regret what he"d done to Li Chuntao.