Chapter 146: May We Never Cross Paths Again in Life or Death!

That day, Shi Runrun stayed in the cemetery, keeping her grandfather company for a long time.

She kept apologizing to her grandfather, murmuring her deep sorries to him.

What is more, she told her grandfather about her pregnancy.

She asked him to rest in peace, promising that she would carry on the bloodline of the Xiao family; even if it cost her life, she would protect the child.

Yet, only Shi Runrun knew within her heart that between her and Xiao Xuezheng, any possibility was now completely gone...

...

Ever since that day, having nowhere else to go, she had been staying in the apartment rented by Cen Huan.

She went to sleep early and woke up early every day, trying her best to keep her mind calm. For no other reason, she did it purely for the babies growing inside her belly.

Having experienced so much, she no longer asked for anything.

Her only hope was to be able to safely bring her babies into this world.

She had lost everything else, and now she had only the babies left...

Only the babies were there to accompany her...

At the same time, she was also waiting.

Waiting for that man to summon her, to tell her to come and sign those divorce papers.

She had originally thought she wouldn't have to wait for long, but to her surprise, time slipped away swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had already passed since her grandfather's burial.

On this morning, exactly half a month later, Shi Runrun, staying at Cen Huan's place, received a phone call from Sister Li.

Over the phone, Sister Li still respectfully addressed her as "Young Madam," but only Shi Runrun knew that she had long ceased to be one.

Sister Li told her to come over to the villa, saying that the Young Master was waiting for her there and had important matters to discuss with her.

Holding the phone in her hands, Shi Runrun felt a sudden wave of dizziness wash over her.

What did the important matter in Sister Li's words refer to?

In truth, without needing to ponder deeply, she already knew the answer instantly.

Shi Runrun pressed her lips together in silence for a long while before she softly uttered a single word of agreement.

After hanging up the phone, she sent a text message to Cen Huan, who was currently out, telling her that she needed to step out for a little while and would be back soon, asking her not to worry.

Then, she tidied herself up a bit—truly just a little bit, merely tying up her loose hair and washing her face—before heading out the door.

As it happened, she also had many things she wanted to say to him.

After all the entanglement and bitterness between them for so long, it was time to bring it to an end.

All the deeply-engraved love and hatred would come to an end today.

At half past ten in the morning, she took a taxi to the Xiao family's villa.

Paying the fare and getting out of the car, she looked at the familiar wrought-iron gates of the villa, feeling as though a lifetime had passed since she was last here.

The initial shock upon first arriving here, the joy of living here for so long, and the tears she had shed within these walls—at this moment, all of it turned into a myriad of swirling thoughts in her heart.

For a fleeting moment, she actually lacked the courage to step inside once more.

The sunlight outside was glaring and fiercely hot.

After all, the sweltering heat of summer had arrived.

To prevent herself from suffering a heatstroke, she finally reached out and pressed the doorbell.

This time, she did not view herself as the mistress of this house, but merely as a visitor, a simple visitor calling upon the residence.

Before long, the wrought-iron gate slowly swung open before her eyes.

Shi Runrun took a deep breath, and finally lifted her feet to walk inside.

Crossing the courtyard and approaching the front of the inner house, with every single step she took, fragments of memories from the past here flooded vividly back into her mind.

Yet Shi Runrun knew that after today, she would never again have the chance to set foot in this place.

And with him, she would never meet again, neither in this life nor in death...

With such thoughts in mind, she knocked on the golden-threaded wooden door of the inner house.

Shortly after, a domestic helper came to open the door.

Catching sight of her, the helper even smiled, warmly addressing her as Young Madam before welcoming her inside.

Shi Runrun managed a weak, bitter smile in return, and then followed the helper in.

In the spacious living room, Sister Li and the other servants were all present.

They cast complicated gazes in her direction.

Yes, extremely complicated gazes, carrying a faint trace of pity and reluctance to let go.

And the man seated on the living room sofa was none other than the one who had haunted her dreams night after night throughout these past few days.

Xiao Xuezheng...

Sunlight streamed in from the side window, falling upon him and casting a glow over his lean, pale face.

He had truly lost so much weight; his once sharp and resolute handsome features were now touched with a sickly pallor, and his jawline had grown significantly sharper. Yet, from Shi Runrun's angle, his profile remained exquisite and striking.

Before entering the house, Shi Runrun had told herself that no matter what happened, she must remain calm and keep herself under control.

For the sake of the babies in her belly, she could not allow her emotions to fluctuate.

However, however...

Just by taking a single glance at him, all her carefully made resolutions were instantly cast to the winds.

Her heart had promised not to hurt, but the blood throughout her entire body still surged and boiled in response...

This man whom she had loved for so long had already etched himself deep into her marrow...

Shi Runrun knew that it might take a very, very long time for her to ever forget him.

Flanking his sides stood several men dressed in tailored suits.

Among them was someone Shi Runrun recognized—the secretary, Qin Feng.

In Qin Feng's hands was a stack of documents, and with just a single glance, Shi Runrun's heart roughly guessed what those items were.

Divorce papers...

Then, hearing the commotion, the man seated on the sofa slowly opened his eyes.

Those once captivating, slender, phoenix-like eyes were now bloodshot and laden with exhaustion.

It was as if he hadn't rested properly for a very, very long time.

Following that, he shifted his gaze, his eyes landing firmly upon her, staring at her unblinkingly without a single flutter of his eyelids.

Shi Runrun was also looking at him, meeting his gaze head-on.

The two of them simply stared at each other like this, locked in a silent exchange.

Two people who had once loved each other deeply—for reasons unknown, they had somehow reached this present plight...

Shi Runrun thought that perhaps this was what they called being fated yet lacking destiny...

Chi Wanwan was right; she and he belonged to two entirely different worlds to begin with.

Entering a wealthy family and flying up the branches to transform into a phoenix was nothing more than a beautiful dream for her.

Now that the dream had awakened, and awakened at the cost of such agonizing pain, it was time for her to consciously take her leave.

Shi Runrun possessed this self-awareness, and she had already prepared herself for it.

Lying between the two of them was the life of her grandfather.

Just the life of her grandfather alone meant that there was no longer any possibility of reconciliation between them.

The man seated on the sofa watched her for quite a while, then closed his eyes briefly before letting out a soft cough. His thin lips parted, and he spoke to her, word by crystal-clear word:

"The divorce papers—sign them. This afternoon, have Qin Feng accompany you to the hospital to get rid of the child."

Shi Runrun: "..."

"You want to completely sever all ties with me? After getting rid of the child, never appear before me again. In this lifetime, no, including the next life, may we never lay eyes on each other in life or death."

These two brief sentences completely severed the very last shred of hope lingering in her heart.

Shi Runrun had anticipated that coming here today meant he intended to divorce her.

She simply hadn't expected him to be so cruel as to reject even the child...

Three babies, and he wanted not a single one of them...

They say even a fierce tiger will not devour its own cubs. Just how much did he hate her that he refused even the children she bore...

That he could actually bear to let her abort them...