The Byoukidere Is Her Sweetie

Chapter 182: 182: Luo Family Fire Flashback (Three More Updates

“Girl or boy?”

Mr. Fang looked up, his gaze unflinching, “It’s a girl.”

The fire at the Luo Family was fierce.

At the time, Mr. Fang was the captain of the second firefighting team, and the entire team had been deployed for the massive fire at the Luo Family.

When he found the child in the greenhouse, she was already gasping for life, blood everywhere on the trellis and the ground. Despite the raging fire, the child’s body was ice-cold, devoid of any warmth.

He had injured a hand then and could only manage to carry her on his back. It didn’t take long before his entire back was soaked with blood.

It was said that she was the adopted child of the Luo Family, already fourteen years old. But how could a child from such a prominent family be so frail and tiny, so light that he felt almost no weight on his back?

Her breath was as thin as silk, muttering under her breath as she spoke.

Mr. Fang couldn’t make it out, “What are you saying?”

“Jiang Zhi…”

Her voice was coarse and hoarse, her throat smoked from the fire, barely able to make a sound, but she kept repeating that name over and over.

Whose name was it that this dying child couldn’t forget?

Mr. Fang couldn’t bear it, “Do you have something to say to Jiang Zhi?”

She nodded, still calling out that name.

Mr. Fang, who wore his firefighting helmet, spoke loudly, “Listen to uncle, don’t talk now. Wait till you get better, then you can talk to him slowly.”

The child shook her head, insisting these were her last words, “Won’t get better.” Each word she spoke required a long pause; she was weak and her words intermittent, “He said… he said girls must die.”

It was a girl.

Mr. Fang had thought all girls in the world were like the one at his home, who would laugh wildly, act spoiled, make a fuss when scared, and cry when hurt.

This one on his back was different; she neither cried nor made noise, just quietly letting her blood run dry.

“Who says girls must die? Who said it?”

She might have already been delirious, clutching at Mr. Fang’s clothes, shouting, “Jiang Zhi,” her voice growing weaker and weaker, as if she was about to fall asleep, “Don’t be sad, I’m just going to heaven.”

Mr. Fang’s eyes turned red as he carried her outside.

Blood dripped onto the ground, the child had a hole in her body, and it was unclear what had been used to make it.

She said, “There are no bad people in heaven, heaven is nice, don’t be sad…”

Those were her last words, spoken to someone named ‘Jiang Zhi.’

“What happened after that?” Jiang Zhi asked.

After that…

Mr. Fang’s eyes grew sore; he sniffled.

Suddenly, Gui Fei barked, “Woof!”

“There was no after,” Mr. Fang wiped his eyes, looked down at the ground, and said, “By the time I found her, she had already stopped breathing.”

Gui Fei barked again, “Woof!”

It was Fang Lixiang who came running. She glanced at Mr. Fang and asked Jiang Zhi, “You already have Zhou Xufang, why are you still inquiring about Luo San?”

She didn’t want Zhou Xufang to be involved with the Luo family again.

“Because murder deserves retribution,” Jiang Zhi spoke slowly, his tone light, “Because besides me, no one will seek justice for that child.”

That child, unloved, her parentage unknown.

Only he cared.

Fang Lixiang’s eyes reddened, words bursting out, “She didn’t stop breathing.”

Mr. Fang immediately stopped her, “Fang Lixiang!”

But she couldn’t control herself, “She’s still alive.”

The dark ink in Jiang Zhi’s eyes intensified, his voice trembling, “Where is she?”

Is she still alive?

As long as she is alive, that’s all that matters.

“She has a necklace with her name engraved on it.” This part, Mr. Fang had drunkenly told her countless times, each time with tears streaming down, tearing his heart apart, yet when he actually spoke, it was unexpectedly calm, “Her name is Zhou Xufang.”

Jiang Zhi’s eyes instantly reddened, “What did you say her name was?”

Fang Lixiang repeated, “Her name is Zhou Xufang.”

Zhou Xufang…

He staggered two steps, nearly unable to stand.

A thought of heaven, a thought of Hell, it was as if he had died once, sweat drenching him; he gasped in cold air, choking and coughing as if he was about to cough out his lungs.

Why was it Zhou Xufang?

Why was it her? She was born to undergo trials, enduring all the suffering possible.

Jiang Zhi stood for a long time before he moved his feet towards Zhou Xufang’s home, his steps uneven and shaky.

He stood downstairs, head tilted back, tears in his eyes reflecting light, “Zhou Xufang.”

“Zhou Xufang.”

No one answered him.

She probably wasn’t home, and he kept mumbling ‘Zhou Xufang’ like a fool, for a long time, until the wind dried his eyes. Then he finally made a call.

“Hello.”

Jiang Zhi said, “I’m waiting for you at the porridge shop.”

It was Tang Xiang. She asked, “Is something the matter?”

Jiang Zhi had no patience for games, “Don’t pretend you don’t know.”

Having said that, Tang Xiang was forthright, “You figured it out?” she admitted, “I did indeed intend for you to overhear.”

Jiang Zhi didn’t want to waste words, succinctly, “In forty minutes, meet me at the porridge shop.”

“It seems you’ve already met Fang Dashun,” she surmised correctly; the Fang family, father and daughter, didn’t trust her, but they trusted Jiang Zhi, and so did she. His capabilities and resourcefulness were unmatched in the Imperial City, she thought, and in just half a day, he had uncovered everything.

Jiang Zhi didn’t deny it, and hung up the phone.

At 10:40, the clouds obscured the moonlight.

When Tang Xiang arrived, Jiang Zhi was already there. The porridge shop was empty, and she sat down directly opposite him, “Last time it was also in this porridge shop, my mom recognized Zhou Xufang, and kept calling her Luo San.”

In front of Jiang Zhi was a cup of plain water, already cold, “Since then, you suspected her?”

Tang Xiang shook her head, “After my mom went insane, she forgot many things. Sometimes she doesn’t even recognize me, but she remembers everything about Luo San.”

Tang Xiang had only discovered then that Luo San had another name.

Indeed, Luo San was raised single-handedly by Ms. He – fed by her, her hair cut by her, clothed by her, taught to read by her, and taught how to barely survive in the Luo Family. Ms. He understood Luo San better than her own daughter.

“I saw Zhou Xufang at an outdoor filming location. She seemed to have a phobia of roses just like Luo San. At first, it was just a suspicion, but today I am certain.” Tang Xiang took out the necklace and placed it on the table, “Zhou Xufang left it in the dressing room, it’s Luo San’s necklace.”