One Life, One Incarnation, Beautiful Bones

55

Chapter 17.3 - The Moon Shines Upon Home (3)

Nobody knew what had actually happened on the third level. They only heard gunshots being fired and saw Second Young Master and Eldest Young Madam plummeting from the upper level of the building, crashing into a table and its chairs. Onstage, offstage, as well as the second level all instantly became still.

Fortunately, Uncle Lin had been standing watch on the main level and immediately rushed forward to check on Shi Yi and Zhou Wenchuan.

"Uncle Lin." Zhousheng Ren stepped out from the southeast corner of the first level. He was only a teenager, yet the expression on his face was much calmer than any other person. "You head upstairs. Leave the matters down here to me."

He did not say what had happened upstairs.

Big Brother's gun had had a silencer on it. He was not certain whether Zhou Wenchuan had fired a shot or not.

But he had veritably heard two distinct gunshots. Besides his own... His gaze fell on Du Feng, whose gun was still gripped in his hand. No one would have expected that, in the crucial moment, it would actually be an outsider who made a move.

The entire Zhou family was thrown into chaos.

Regardless of whether it was because of Zhousheng Chen and Shi Yi, who were both undergoing emergency medical treatment, or Zhou Wenchuan, who was already confirmed to be dead, everything had happened too abruptly. The unsleeping lights of the old manor were no longer lit through the entire night for a birthday banquet but rather, for this series of incidents.

No one, including Madam Zhou, Uncle Zhousheng Heng, and even Zhousheng Ren, was allowed near the two people who were being revived.

Finally, in the latter part of the night, Uncle appeared, hurriedly organizing Zhou Wenchuan's after-death arrangments and instructing his trusted attendants to bring Madam Zhou back to the large manor at the foot of the mountain. Madam Zhou's eyes were utterly unfocused, and tears ceaselessly flowed from them.

Zhou Wenchuan's body had been struck by two bullets, so regardless of whether Zhousheng Ren's shot had been fatal or not, he had still fired the gun.

Inside the car, Zhousheng Ren sat in the front seat.

Zhousheng Heng closed the soundproof glass partition, then heaved a heavy sigh. "Wanniang, I don't know how I should console you."

Madam Zhou's eyes were completely red, and slowly, she turned her head to look at him. "My children. My two children... If you had been willing to help Wenchuan, he would not have risked his life in a last attempt..."

"Zhousheng Chen will hand over the Zhou family to Xiao Ren in ten years. That is the best outcome."

"Wenchuan is your son, too." Madam Zhou choked on her sobs, unable to speak. "He's your son, too..."

Zhousheng Heng allowed his eyelids to come together lightly, not looking at Madam Zhou any longer. "Even if everyone knows Wenxing and Wenchuan's true identities, I still cannot acknowledge them. After so many years in the Zhou family, you still do not understand this? Just like, no matter how unwilling Eldest Brother had been, he still married you, to give his firstborn son - the son he loved most - a legitimate mother, for only you were worthy of that position."

That year, Wanniang had married into the Zhou family under rumours of a premarital pregnancy, for the sole reason of giving Zhousheng Chen, this Eldest Young Master who had been born premature and had also lost his birth mother, a legitimate status. He and Wanniang had known each other since they were young, but for the sake of the Zhou family, they had had no choice but to give up their relationship. However, their closeness day in and day out had culminated in their feelings taking control of their actions, and they conceived this brother-sister pair that they never should have had...