Xiang Jingchen looked up at Yao Wanqi. Yao Wanqi suddenly tore off a page from the picture book.
Xiang Jingchen looked up at Yao Wanqi. Yao Wanqi stuffed the torn picture paper into her mouth and swallowed it.
After eating the paper, Yao Wanqi even cried to Xiang Jingchen and said, "Brother, I can't draw well. I don't want to draw anymore. I want you to play with me."
Xiang Jingchen originally wanted to ask Yao Wanqi if she was faking madness, but when he heard her words and saw her reaction, Xiang Jingchen felt that he had overthought everything.
Helpless, Xiang Jingchen had no choice but to get up and go out to play with Yao Wanqi.
But after going out, Yao Wanqi suddenly leaned close to Xiang Jingchen's ear and whispered something. Xiang Jingchen looked at Yao Wanqi, and Yao Wanqi gave him a look that said "don't speak."
Xiang Jingchen understood and no longer pressed for an answer.
Yao Wanqi playfully pushed and shoved Xiang Jingchen. When Xiang Jingchen reacted, he realized that Yao Wanqi was pushing him outside. When Xiang Jingchen reached the door, Yao Wanqi suddenly turned her back to him and mumbled, "You're bad. I don't want to play with you anymore. I want to go play with mud."
Xiang Jingchen stood stunned. Thinking of Yao Wanqi's actions in his room just now, Xiang Jingchen quickly understood that Yao Wanqi wanted him to save Yan Xi, but was afraid of being discovered, which was why she acted this way.
But why would Yao Wanqi do this?
This was her home.
Why was she so cautious? What was she afraid of?
Xiang Jingchen's mother died in an accident when he was very young. He grew up by Yao Wanqi's side. Although Yao Wanqi was not his biological mother, she treated him extremely well.
Now, seeing Yao Wanqi like this, Xiang Jingchen felt an indescribable emotion.
He looked at Yao Wanqi's retreating figure. Whether Yao Wanqi was truly mad or faking it, he decided to go find Yan Xi and bring her to Yao Wanqi's side.
After Xiang Jingchen left the Yao family, Yao Wanqi returned to her room and continued to act erratically.
All the servants looked at Yao Wanqi with displeasure, but Yao Wanqi didn't care.
Yao Wanqi was utterly disappointed with this family. If she had endured for so many years, it was because she couldn't let go of her child and wanted to find her child.
Now that she had found her, and knew Yan Xi was being protected, Yao Wanqi could rest easy.
Yao Wanqi returned to her room and found Mr. Yao sitting by the bed, seemingly waiting for her.
Yao Wanqi started acting erratically again. Mr. Yao snorted and said, "You don't have to pretend anymore. I know you've found the antidote for that drug, and it's no longer effective on you."
Upon hearing Mr. Yao's words, Yao Wanqi instantly quieted down. She stood there, motionless.
Mr. Yao snorted again and said, "Wanqi, you are much more astute than your sister. You know how to disguise yourself, but there's no airtight wall in this world. Since you're pretending, I'll eventually see your true colors."
Faced with Mr. Yao's questioning, Yao Wanqi didn't seem concerned.
Yao Wanqi seemed to have foreseen this day, but it had arrived a little earlier than she had expected.
Yao Wanqi stood there, awaiting her sentence of death.
Mr. Yao sized up Yao Wanqi. Yao Wanqi was indeed much smarter than he had imagined.
He truly hadn't expected that Yao Wanqi could research such a drug under his surveillance.
If Yao Wanqi were willing to work for him, she would undoubtedly be more outstanding than anyone else.
"Since you already know, tell me, how do you want me to die?"
Yao Wanqi spoke with a calm tone, devoid of any emotion.
"Wanqi, I don't have to kill you, but you have to listen to me and do as I command. Can you do that?"
After all, she was his biological daughter. Mr. Yao had already lost one daughter, so he was relatively lenient with Yao Wanqi. As long as Yao Wanqi lived according to his wishes, he wouldn't kill her.
"I can't."
Yao Wanqi's answer was resolute.
Mr. Yao narrowed his eyes. He truly loved and hated this daughter.
She was truly rare, possessing both beauty and talent. In public, she had always been Mr. Yao's pride.
If only she had been more obedient, Mr. Yao wouldn't have been so cruel to her.
Thinking of this, Mr. Yao couldn't help but sigh.
Yao Wanqi's temperament, he didn't know who she took after.
So disobedient and rebellious. If she had been a little more obedient, Mr. Yao wouldn't have been so cruel to her.
"Wanqi, think carefully. If you oppose me, your fate will be like this cup in my hand." As Mr. Yao spoke, he released the glass he was holding, and it fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.
"Living precariously for over twenty years is enough for me."
Yao Wanqi's attitude was clear. She would rather choose death than be complicit with Mr. Yao.
Mr. Yao gazed at Yao Wanqi for a moment, then said indifferently, "Wanqi, if I told you that you gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, not just Yan Xi, but another child, would you cooperate with me for the safety of that other child?"
"What did you say?"
Yan Xi had always believed that Yao Wanqi was insane, so she hadn't specifically told Yao Wanqi that she had given birth to twins. She actually had another son, named Yan Yi.
When Yan Yi and Yan Xi lived in the capital, Yan Yi had always been at school and rarely returned to the Yao family. Moreover, at that time, Yan Xiao was arrogant and domineering at the Yao family and falsely accused Yan Yi of stealing her things. Yan Yi resented the Yao family, so he didn't return.
Therefore, Yao Wanqi had never known about Yan Yi's existence.
It wasn't until now, when Mr. Yao said these words to Yao Wanqi, that Yao Wanqi learned the truth.
To make Yao Wanqi believe him, Mr. Yao directly showed a photo of Yan Xi and Yan Yi. Yan Yi and Yan Xi looked almost identical. The only difference was that Yan Yi was slightly taller than Yan Xi. Yan Yi had short hair, while Yan Xi had long hair.
Upon seeing the photo, Yao Wanqi could no longer hold back her tears, which streamed down her cheeks.
She glared fiercely at Mr. Yao and demanded, "What do you want? You monster!"
"Wanqi, I only want the drug you created. I am not greedy. As long as you obediently follow my instructions, I will not make things difficult for you or harm your children."
"You monster, don't think I don't know what you want this drug for. I won't give it to you, and I won't believe what you say."
Having lived in the Yao family for so many years, Yao Wanqi knew everything.
For his own benefit, Mr. Yao would even harm his own daughter. How innocent were the common people outside? He actually wanted to give them a drug that would cause madness and confusion, help them kill, and then give them a drug to restore them to normal after it was over.
For years, they had been trying to create a drug that could restore normalcy, but they had not succeeded.
So now, knowing that Yao Wanqi had succeeded, Mr. Yao was so impatient to have Yao Wanqi hand over the formula for the drug she had created.
Having such a father, Yao Wanqi felt deeply disheartened.
"Wanqi, I gave you a chance."
Mr. Yao said this with extreme indifference.
Although his tone was calm, Yao Wanqi knew all too well how venomous he was.
"You can leave. I want to be alone for a while to calm down."
Mr. Yao looked at Yao Wanqi thoughtfully and then called his hidden guards. He instructed, "Watch the young lady closely. Don't let her have any slip-ups."
"Wait."
As Mr. Yao turned to leave, Yao Wanqi suddenly called out to him.
Mr. Yao stopped and turned to look at Yao Wanqi, waiting for her to speak.
Yao Wanqi was silent for a moment before saying, "Don't you want the formula for the drug I created? I can consider it, but you have to let them all leave. I want to be alone to think whether or not to give you the formula."
Mr. Yao was silent for a moment, then said, "Alright."
This was the Yao family, and Yao Wanqi couldn't escape anyway.
Mr. Yao decided to trust Yao Wanqi for the time being and gave the guards a look.
The guards withdrew.
After the guards had all withdrawn, Yao Wanqi sat alone by the bed. She took out her phone, wanting to send a message to Yan Xi, but she was worried about cameras in the room. If she sent a message so openly, she was afraid Mr. Yao would threaten Yan Xi, which would undoubtedly put Yan Xi in danger.
Yao Wanqi had to think of a way to protect Yan Xi completely.
Her pretty little face scrunched up in thought.
How could she give the drug formula to Yan Xi without Mr. Yao noticing?
Yao Wanqi encountered such a difficult problem for the first time.
After much deliberation, Yao Wanqi was silent for a moment, then decided to write the drug formula on star paper. Each star paper was written on with invisible ink. The invisible ink could only be seen at night when it was dark, the lights were off, and the stars were unfolded. Moreover, she wrote in medical script, so even if Mr. Yao found it, he wouldn't be able to recognize the characters.
Yao Wanqi began folding stars. She folded 1314 stars in one night and placed them in a very large star jar, sealed it, and put it in the cellar of her room.
After completing all these tasks, Yao Wanqi's lips curved into a slight smile.
She went to the bathroom, took a bath, applied light makeup, and put on her favorite white dress.
Yao Wanqi gave a bitter smile. She hadn't expected that after cautiously pretending for over twenty years, she would eventually have to take this path.
She hoped her death would awaken Mr. Yao and stop him from doing such wicked deeds.
When Yao Wanqi was with He Xuefeng in the past, He Xuefeng loved seeing her in a white dress the most.
Now, wearing his favorite dress and with light makeup, Yao Wanqi gracefully bid farewell to the world.
She had experienced life and discovered that it wasn't all that beautiful, but she didn't regret it, because she had given birth to a son and a daughter. Although they were not He Xuefeng's children, the children were Yao Wanqi's pride.
Yao Wanqi went to the bathroom again, turned on the faucet, and then sliced her artery with a sharp fruit knife.
Yao Wanqi's lips remained curved upwards. For Yao Wanqi, death was a release.
She could finally be herself again, finally be a normal person, no longer having to be cautious or act mad.
For Yao Wanqi, this was such a blissful thing.
Yao Wanqi leaned against the bathroom wall, watching the blood flow from her wrist. Her lips curved upwards.
She did not feel fear of death, but a sense of relaxed relief.
Yao Wanqi slowly closed her eyes. Her head began to feel dizzy, and then, as if her brain was lacking oxygen, she lost consciousness and fainted.
Yao Wanqi gradually lost consciousness, and her entire body felt light and airy. She thought, perhaps, this was death.
She was sorry to Yan Xi. In the past, because she wasn't strong enough, she couldn't protect Yan Xi well.
Now, Yan Xi was protected by Fu Yanting and didn't need her to become strong. Yet, she was leaving Yan Xi once again.
This time, Yan Xi would never be able to find her again.
There was pain in Yao Wanqi's eyes, but more so, there was relief.
No one could understand how painful her life had been.
Pretending to be mad every day, enduring the strange looks from those around her. Such a life was truly torture for her.
Now it was all over. She was only sorry to Yan Xi, but she no longer had to bear so much pain.
The housekeeper brought food for Yao Wanqi and knocked on the door, but there was no response. At first, the housekeeper didn't pay much attention. She was just a madwoman, and apart from Mr. Yao, no one else took Yao Wanqi seriously.
In the evening, the housekeeper brought food for Yao Wanqi again, but there was still no response from Yao Wanqi's room. The housekeeper could have ignored it, but to avoid taking responsibility, she reported the situation to Mr. Yao.
Upon hearing the housekeeper's words, Mr. Yao frowned. He got up and went to Yao Wanqi's room, only to find the door locked from the inside.
Mr. Yao said coldly, "Go get the spare key to open the room door."
The housekeeper dared not delay and went to get the key. A moment later, the door to Yao Wanqi's room was opened.
Mr. Yao walked in and heard the sound of water flowing from the bathroom. He quickly ordered a maid to go in and investigate.
The maid pushed open the bathroom door and saw Yao Wanqi leaning against the wall. There was a pool of blood on the floor, and the blood had stained her white dress red. The water from the faucet had smudged the light makeup on Yao Wanqi's face. The scene looked particularly eerie.
The housekeeper screamed in shock.
Mr. Yao's face turned extremely grim as he walked over and said irritably, "What are you screaming about? You ill-mannered creature."
"Old master, the young lady has committed suicide."
As the maid said this, Mr. Yao looked into the bathroom and saw Yao Wanqi lying there quietly.
Mr. Yao couldn't help but frown and coldly ordered, "Go get the family doctor. Keep your mouths shut about what happened to the young lady. Don't let a single word leak out."
These people all worked for the Yao family, how could they dare to spread the word?
Mr. Yao walked into the bathroom, turned off the faucet, and placed his hand on Yao Wanqi's wrist to check if she was still breathing.