Chapter 980 - 980 966 A Tragedy (1)

Chapter 980: 966, A Tragedy (1) Chapter 980: 966, A Tragedy (1) “Jian Qing, I know my brother has done many wrong things, but he really is a good brother,” Shen Yan said quietly.

It’s just that his obsession with Awei was too deep; it nearly drove him mad.

Jian Qing remained silent, her gaze sweeping over the full courtyard of rose flowers, where one could almost see every variety of rose in the world.

“Jian Qing, if it’s possible in the end, please spare my brother,” Shen Yan stopped in his tracks and looked at her, earnestly requesting.

Jian Qing’s gaze was indifferent as she looked at him, “Spare him? Heh, because of his obsession, we were led to believe that my mother had passed away, forcing Luoluo and me to grow up without a mother, causing my grandpa and grandma to weep daily, just because of one man’s obsession. It made my father nearly die of heartbreak when he heard the news of my mom’s death. Now, unrepentant, he’s forced me to leap off a cliff and kidnap my child. How can I possibly spare him?”

She wasn’t a saint; she didn’t have such a compassionate heart to forgive someone who had torn their family apart.

Facing her accusation, Shen Yan had no words to rebut.

His eyes became dim, “Jian Qing, I know the sins my brother has committed are too deep, and I am willing to use all I have to help him atone. If you truly need my brother’s life to compensate, then I am willing to take his place, to use my life for his.”

Jian Qing averted her gaze, her lips pressed lightly together, “Shen Yan, even if you take his place, how would that change anything? Do you think if I stop troubling him, he would be willing to leave me alone?”

“I will try hard to persuade him. I won’t let them hurt you. I promise.”

“How long can your promise last?” Jian Qing bluntly asked. “As long as Shen Hua wants to make a move, he has plenty of opportunities. Can you guarantee you’ll be able to protect us every time?”

Shen Yan fell silent, and they did not speak again on their way.

Separated by a door, deep tension pierced through Jian Qing’s eyes.

In the end, it was still Shen Yan who pushed the door open.

“Come in.”

“Second Young Master.”

The caregiver in the room, seeing Shen Yan, called out respectfully and obligingly.

“You all can leave now.”

“Yes.”

Jian Qing put down Seventeen, her eyes landing on the person lying in the bed, stirring up tumultuous waves at the bottom of her heart, her expression flashing with excitement.

Her spine stiffened, and for a moment, her mind went blank.

Shen Yan stood to the side, watching her stunned and excited state, his moist lips lifting into a satisfied smile.

After a while, Jian Qing came back to her senses and rushed to the bedside.

She reached out to touch the person lying unconscious on the bed, her fingertips trembling imperceptibly.

Even with the passage of time, the woman’s beautiful face had hardly changed, still reminiscent of the beauty from her memories.

“Mom!” she found her voice again and called out softly.

In an instant, tears fell like a string of broken pearls, pouring down.

She grasped Jian Wei’s hand, its warmth reminding her that Jian Wei was indeed still alive; the feeling of regaining what was lost filled her heart.

Shen Yan stood opposite her, watching her tearfully excited state, then shifted his gaze toward Jian Wei, “Awei, I’ve brought your daughter to see you, though it’s a bit late.”

Calming her emotions, Jian Qing held onto Jian Wei’s hand without letting go, “Mom, do you know, I found Dad. When he heard of your death, he almost followed you in a lover’s suicide. He loves you so much. You need to wake up soon. When you do, our family can be reunited.”

The only response was silence.

And faint breaths.

“Sit down first,” Shen Yan pulled a chair over for her.

Jian Qing looked at him, then sat down.

“Has my mom been in a coma for seventeen years without ever waking up?”

Shen Yan’s gaze returned to Jian Wei, “No, when my brother brought her back that year, she almost didn’t make it through. It was Dr. Kesen who saved her several times, pulling her back from Ghost Gate. After that, her condition remained very unstable, which is why my brother often stayed on the island.”

“Can you tell me about what happened that year?” Jian Qing asked.

Shen Yan hummed in affirmation, “You should know about our relationship with your mom, right?”

“Mmm, Grandpa told me.”

“My brother and I watched Awei grow from birth to adulthood; our relationship with her was always very close. Awei was clever and lively, loved traveling around the world with my brother, but she liked to share her little secrets with me. We often got into trouble together, scolded together by my brother, who was always indulgent with both of us. I always thought my brother cared for Awei just like he did for me, treating her only as a sister.” Speaking of that past time, Shen Yan’s eyes showed a trace of nostalgia, and as he remembered something, a bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“Until one time, I realized I was wrong. My brother’s care for Awei wasn’t the simple love of a brother for his sister; it was the affection of a man for a woman. He had fallen for Awei.”

Back then, he wondered how he could be so oblivious. If he had realized it sooner, maybe he could have persuaded his brother to give up his obsession with Awei earlier.

If it hadn’t been for an acquaintance confessing his feelings to Awei, he might have never realized the depth of his brother’s feelings for her.

He once sought out his brother privately to inquire about his feelings for Jian Wei. He asked sternly, “Brother, do you harbor inappropriate feelings for Awei?”

He asked bluntly, and his brother answered frankly.

“Yes, I like her, no, I should say, I love her, more than my own life.”

He remembered the shock he felt then, and disbelief, “Brother, we’re blood relatives, how can you have feelings for Awei… Brother, Awei only sees you as her real brother. Listen to me, before you fall too deep, let go of the feelings you shouldn’t have for her.”

Under the scorching sun, the frost in Shen Hua’s eyes was bone-chilling, like a provoked lion, “I’ve already fallen too deep. Unless I die, I will never give up. She is mine, can only be mine. Even if we are blood related, so what? I’ve decided on her.”

“Brother, think about it, if Awei knew, what would she think?”

“No matter what, she can only be mine. If you want me to give her up, only death will do.” His tone was resolute, with a destructive obsession.

Heh, the stirrings of young love, yet who would have thought it would end in tragedy.

Shen Yan curved his lips upward, his gaze towards Jian Wei tinged with a trace of sorrow.

“Is my mom’s memory loss from falling into the sea also related to Shen Hua?” Jian Qing suddenly asked.

Shen Yan nodded lightly, his throat slightly dry, “Back when Awei had just taken over the Jian Family, she visited the Manor once and told me she had fallen for someone. She asked me to keep it a secret, but what she didn’t know was that my brother was also in the Study Room and overheard her words.”