Feng Zhixian was truly a worthless man, unfit to stand in the spotlight.
Had he possessed even a sliver of courage, he could have used Chi Yu's desire for information as leverage to bargain for his life.
But Chi Yu's few words had frightened him out of his wits, and without resistance, he confessed immediately.
"Your mother grew dissatisfied with merely meeting her lover in secret and began considering divorcing your father."
"Your father must have sensed something, for one night, he followed your mother and caught her in the act."
"They quarreled fiercely, and in the ensuing chase, her lover drove away with your mother, your father giving pursuit. In the chaos, both cars plunged off the winding mountain road."
Feng Zhixian, like a rat lurking in the shadows, knew perfectly well that Wen Rui would never rekindle anything with him, but still, he watched her every day from the dark corners.
He remembered clearly how often she would meet her lover each month, where they went, and how long they stayed.
Chi Yu had originally wanted the psychiatrist to pry into Feng Zhixian's past, tormenting him both mentally and physically.
Unexpectedly, she gained a surprise revelation.
Chi He had never fully explained to Chi Yu the details of her parents' death.
The long-serving servants in the household might have known, but Chi He had forbidden them from speaking about it.
To this day, Chi Yu was ironically the one who knew the least about her own parents' tragic end.
Though she was aware that the deceased couple wasn't her biological parents, a mysterious feeling told her that her own origin was inextricably linked to their deaths.
She asked Feng Zhixian, "Who was that lover?"
Feng Zhixian mumbled a surname, "Bai. I heard your mother call him Mr. Bai more than once. They drove luxurious cars and frequented high-end places."
It seemed this lover must have been a figure of some standing.
Chi Yu combed through her memory of the Bai family in Donghai City, but no familiar face surfaced.
Just as she was about to ask whether the lover was from another city, Qi Zhao, standing behind her, reminded, "The Bai family, once the leading force in the home furnishings market, monopolized the southern cities' market around the time of your birth. However, they began declining more than a decade ago and have since faded into obscurity."
Chi Yu glanced back at him, and Qi Zhao smiled without any hint of seeking credit.
He's more useful than Qi Hui, Chi Yu mused to herself.
Chi Yu continued her interrogation of Feng Zhixian, extracting every sordid detail about her mother's affair with the lover.
Feng Zhixian, believing that his honesty would earn him leniency, became especially cooperative.
From the number of meetings between Wen Rui and the lover to the hotels they frequented, he revealed it all in exhaustive detail.
Chi Yu held the recorder in her hand, noting down the information for over an hour.
When Feng Zhixian, parched and exhausted, finally stopped speaking and begged for a drink, Chi Yu smiled.
Clapping her hands, she summoned a group of burly men into the room, surrounding Feng Zhixian.
The previously peaceful atmosphere instantly shifted.
Startled, Feng Zhixian leapt from his seat, his voice hoarse with rage as he shouted at Chi Yu, "I did everything you asked! You can't go back on your word!"
He believed Chi Yu would honor her promise to go easy on him.
Chi Yu, calm and unbothered, enjoyed his panic. "Do you know why my mother chose you back then?"
With his mind consumed by the fear of being beaten to death, Feng Zhixian could hardly focus on her question.
He didn't answer, but Chi Yu was ready to give him the truth.
"You're unremarkable, with no real abilities, but you are 'loyal and kind,'" she said, emphasizing the very words Feng Zhixian had used earlier to describe himself with a mocking tone.
Feng Zhixian flinched, alarmed by her repetition of those familiar words.
Chi Yu sneered.
"When she cheated on you and broke up, you didn't even have the courage to make a fuss. You 'graciously' allowed her to be with her lover without any protest. I imagine she wasn't at all surprised by your reaction—she likely anticipated it from the moment she chose you as her boyfriend, knowing that one day she'd leave you."
Feng Zhixian looked as though he had been struck by lightning, his face drained of color as he stammered, "No! It's not true! Wen Rui never… What do you mean by that?"
What do I mean?
Chi Yu coldly shattered the illusions he'd clung to all these years. "What I mean is that she chose you because you're weak, pathetic, and like a dog, begging for scraps, happy to give without ever expecting anything in return."
She paused, ignoring the pallor creeping over Feng Zhixian's face, and twisted the knife deeper into his already rotten heart.
"And when one day she got bored, she knew that even if she kicked you to the curb, you wouldn't fight back. You'd probably wag your tail, begging not to be cast aside, offering whatever was left of yourself to be used up."
A clown, masking his cowardice with madness.
Chi Yu had long since seen through him, ever since five years ago.
There was no way she'd let him go so easily this time.
She wanted him dead, but not before his soul was tortured beyond endurance, his body ravaged by relentless suffering.
She would make sure he died slowly, unable to live, yet unable to die.
Feng Zhixian, who had deceived himself for nearly two decades, was now forced to confront the ugly truth by a mere girl.
Humiliation and fury boiled inside him. He pulled out a knife he had been hiding, lunging at Chi Yu with all his might, aiming for her chest.
But Qi Zhao's swift kick sent him flying, crashing to the floor with a pained grunt, his face turning pale as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Chi Yu's gaze drifted from Feng Zhixian's bloodstained chin to Qi Zhao's strikingly handsome face.
Sensing her inquisitive look, Qi Zhao's eyelid twitched slightly. "Did I overdo it?"
Chi Yu shook her head, a satisfied smile playing at her lips. "No, you did well."
Agile, quick-witted, and handsome.
Truly, there was nothing about him that wasn't perfect.
She pondered why she had ever chosen Qi Hui as her personal bodyguard over him.
Staring at the now motionless Feng Zhixian, Qi Zhao reminded her, "Miss, we should deal with this one quickly. You have other matters to attend to tonight."
Chi Yu snapped out of her thoughts, nodding towards the men her brother Chi He had assigned to her.
"I'll leave this to you. As for compensation, add three thousand yuan to this month's salary for everyone. Also, enjoy the best private room at Night's Charm tonight, and charge all expenses to me."
One of the burly men stepped forward, his attitude respectful. "Thank you, Miss Chi. Don't worry, we'll take care of it to your satisfaction."
Chi Yu gestured for Qi Zhao to drag Feng Zhixian from the ground.
She knew he was feigning unconsciousness and whispered something in his ear, her soft words cutting like a blade.
Feng Zhixian visibly trembled.
With a light heart, Chi Yu left the room.
As she walked out, she said, "You know calcium pills, don't you? The more extreme the flavor, the higher the price on the black market. In life, you may have been a loser, but in death, you could make quite a name for yourself."
The door shut behind her, muffled screams echoing faintly from inside.
What could be more satisfying than utterly destroying a man's innate dignity?
And if that wasn't enough, there was always the option of desecrating his corpse.
After all, she wasn't about to tire herself out dealing with a filthy, worthless piece of trash.
That was a task best left to others—she had just undergone surgery, after all.
No point wasting energy on someone so despicable.
(End of Chapter)