Rose manor（玫瑰庄园酒店）

Chapter 107: Falling Down the Stairs

Shen Jiani lowered her head, looking at the steps beneath her feet, steadily climbing up one by one. After registering her information with the security guard at the entrance, she entered the cemetery.

Rows of low pine trees were neatly trimmed, with tombstones nestled among the shadows. The surroundings were cool, and the wind rustled through the leaves, creating a desolate atmosphere.

Shen Jiani found two adjacent tombstones and squatted down slowly, placing the two bouquets of flowers in front of them and picking up a few fallen leaves.

"Mom, Dad, I'm sorry for not coming to see you until now," she said softly, her voice nearly drowned out by the sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella.

The weather was bad, and she seemed to be the only one in the entire cemetery.

Shen Jiani gently touched the black and white photos on the tombstones, feeling the cold rain on her fingers. "I used to fantasize that this was all just a dream, and when I woke up, you would still be here. I would snuggle up in your arms and tell you about the interesting things that happened at school. But gradually, I stopped fantasizing and learned to face reality, pushing forward with difficulty. Sometimes, I feel lost and don't know if I should continue on the path of revenge."

Unconsciously, tears wet her eyelashes, and Shen Jiani's lips trembled slightly. Her voice choked up, "Che is dead, and I'm so sad. This isn't the outcome I wanted, and maybe I was wrong."

Ignoring the rainwater on the ground, she knelt down, just wanting to lean against the tombstone, seeking comfort from her mother, as she did when she was a child and faced with problems she couldn't solve: "Mom, can you tell me what I should do? I'm so tired, I miss you."

Shen Jiani curled up into a small ball, feeling so small and helpless in the vast world of wind and rain.

Time passed, and she felt stiff from the cold. Slowly lifting her head, her tears dried up, and her eyes felt sore. She wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve, accidentally brushing against the swollen area, causing a sharp pain. She forced a smile, "I'm sorry for worrying you with all these words. Even on the day you left, I gained something else. You know I've always admired Yan Qiusheng since I was young. Now, he's my master, and I've been practicing the piano diligently, not letting down your expectations. And also..."

Thinking of that man, her words paused, unsure of how to bring him up to her parents.

"His name is Fu Jicheng, and he's been very good to me," Shen Jiani finally said after a long pause.

Standing up, she quietly looked at the photos on the tombstones for a while, took a deep breath, and bid them farewell, "Dad, Mom, I'll come to see you again next time."

Shen Jiani tightened her grip on the umbrella handle, leaving along the same path she came, without looking back.

Descending several dozen steps, Shen Jiani arrived at the car, closed the umbrella, and opened the rear door to sit inside.

Qu Moyuan had dissipated the smell of smoke in the car before she returned. He confirmed from the rearview mirror that she had settled in and started the engine, driving back onto the wide road.

Despite the rain, the surroundings were busier than the area around the cemetery.

Shen Jiani closed her eyes for a while to rest. When she opened them again, they had arrived at Yunding Palace Garden.

The rain had stopped at some point. Shen Jiani checked the time and saw that it was already past twelve o'clock.

She had only had a bowl of porridge in the morning, but she didn't feel hungry at the moment. She touched the left side of her face where she had been hit, didn't look in the mirror, and didn't know how serious it was. She didn't feel any pain anymore, just a bit of warmth.