Chapter 204: The Black Heart

The courtyard fell silent.

Wang Gege’s legs suddenly gave way, and she crouched down on the ground as the emotions she had been holding back finally overwhelmed her. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, her shoulders trembling as she lowered her head.

She couldn’t stop thinking about Chuntao.

At that moment, Chuntao must have felt so hopeless.

She had been made to believe that the person she loved most was already dead. And while she was drowning in that despair, someone had stood before her and treated her grief as nothing more than a joke.

Wang Gege covered her face with both hands, but it did nothing to stop the tears.

She had only known her for a few days after arriving in this world. Chuntao was merely one of the servants who had stayed by her side, together with Qing’er. They had never had enough time to truly become close, yet somehow, the thought of what Chuntao must have felt in her final moments still tore at Wang Gege’s heart.

How hopeless must she have been?

To hear that her sister was dead.

To believe that she had lost the person closest to her.

And then to be left alone with that despair.

Wang Gege covered her face with both hands, but the tears continued to fall through her fingers.

She couldn’t imagine what kind of pain could drive someone to believe that death was the only way out.

"Furen..." Xie Rong immediately crouched beside her.

He reached out and gently placed a hand on her trembling shoulder, his expression filled with concern.

Wang Gege shook her head, unable to stop crying.

"I barely even knew her..." she whispered through her tears. "But why does it hurt so much?"

Xie Rong remained silent for a moment.

Perhaps because sometimes, a person doesn’t need to be important to you for their suffering to matter. And perhaps that was exactly what made Wang Gege unable to accept what had happened.

"What did you do...? Why? Why?!" Wang Gege raised her gaze, glaring at Xie An’an through her tears. "What did she do wrong to you?!"

Xie An’an’s lips trembled.

"She didn’t..." Her voice was barely audible.

Wang Gege’s hands tightened into fists. "Then why did you do it?"

"I..." Xie An’an lowered her head, biting her lip. After a moment, she finally whispered, "Because I hate you so much..."

The entire courtyard fell silent once again.

Xie An’an slowly raised her gaze. This time, the tears in her eyes were mixed with resentment, her expression no longer looking as helpless as before.

"It was not my fault that she took her own life!" she cried. "I merely told her that her sister was dead because I wanted her to hate you! I wanted her to believe that you were the reason she had lost her sister..."

Her breathing grew heavier, but the resentment in her eyes only intensified. "And then who knows? She would change her mind and tell Brother that the person who poisoned him was his own wife—you!"

The courtyard fell deathly silent.

"You should blame yourself!" Xie An’an shouted, her voice breaking. "All of this happened because of you! Why did you have to marry my brother in the first place?!"

Wang Gege stared at her, tears still streaming down her face.

For a moment, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

Even now, Xie An’an still blamed her.

After everything she had done, after Chuntao had lost her life because of a lie she deliberately told, An’an still believed that Wang Gege was the one who should bear the blame.

"You..." Wang Gege’s voice trembled as she wiped away her tears. "You really are..."

She couldn’t even finish the sentence.

Xie Rong’s expression had already turned completely cold.

"Enough." His voice was quiet. Yet the single word made the entire courtyard tense.

Xie An’an’s body stiffened as she looked toward him.

Xie Rong stepped forward, positioning himself between her and Wang Gege.

"You lied to Chuntao and deliberately pushed her into despair. You tried to make her hate my wife, then used that hatred to create a lie against her." His voice remained calm, but every word carried a frightening weight. "And now, after she is dead, you still have the audacity to say this was not your fault?"

"I didn’t kill her!" Xie An’an cried.

"No." Xie Rong looked at her coldly. "You didn’t put a blade to her neck. You didn’t strangle her. You simply said the words you knew would break her, then stood aside and let the consequences happen."

Xie An’an’s face turned pale.

"That is enough to make you responsible for what you did." He paused, his gaze growing colder. "And don’t ever say my wife is the cause of this again."

Wang Gege’s fingers slowly curled into her sleeves as she looked at his back.

For some reason, hearing those words made the tears she had been trying to hold back fall even harder.

Xie Rong’s gaze remained fixed on Xie An’an, his expression growing colder.

"This matter can no longer be hidden simply because Father wants to protect you." He paused, taking a deep breath. "This brother will report everything to the authorities and make sure you receive the punishment you deserve."

Xie An’an’s face instantly turned pale. "Brother..."

But Xie Rong did not soften.

"This is no longer about whether you are my younger sister or whether Father made a promise to your mother." His voice remained steady. "A life has been lost, and the truth deserves to be known."

He glanced at Wang Gege, who was still crouching on the ground, tears staining her cheeks.

"And this time, no one will be allowed to make her bear the blame for something she never did."

"Brother! No—no!" Xie An’an dragged herself forward on her knees and grabbed Xie Rong’s leg. "I’m sorry... I really am! I promise I won’t do it again. Please, please!"

Xie Rong pulled his leg away, causing Xie An’an to stumble backward and fall onto the ground.

"Your apologies wouldn’t fix that black heart of yours."