Reborn to Redeem: Their Abusive Love
Chapter 22: The Revelation of the Deities

Chapter 22: Chapter 22: The Revelation of the Deities

Xu Si merely smiled as she watched her third uncle leave, then turned around and had someone keep an eye on him.

People always have to pay for their mistakes.

In her past life, Xu Si misplaced her trust, which cost her a humiliating bankruptcy, mocked and pitied by all of Hong Kong Island.

Thus, she had to rectify the mistakes, making those who harmed her pay as well.

No one could escape.

Soon, December arrived, bringing with it the lowest temperatures of the year. Though it wasn’t as severe as the north’s cold, an extra layer of clothing was needed.

The Xu Family’s real estate company’s market value stabilized rapidly, and the staff turnover stopped increasing—everything was on a steady upward trend.

However, financial tabloids occasionally published rumors that Miss Xu’s improper management was leading the company towards bankruptcy.

Such talk could deceive ordinary people but couldn’t cause much turbulence in the Xu Family’s real estate company.

Xu Si knew about the poisoning, yet she took no action.

This gave Xu Zhiqiang a great sense of false hope, which was unlike Xu Si’s temperament. He had learned from letters that Xu Si was the kind of person who would react and retaliate on the spot if offended.

Trying to get a feel for the situation, he attempted several times to find the right moment, but to no avail.

Therefore, he stopped focusing solely on Xu Si, realizing there was someone else in the Xu Mansion who existed in a very special way: the adopted orphan.

He knew the orphan had no blood relation to Xu Si, was a stranger before, and had no ties of interest, yet Xu Si treated him as if she were possessed. The once-spoiled young woman was always kind and pleasant in front of him, treating him as well as a cherished younger brother, caring for him meticulously—so much so that even the servants couldn’t help but discuss it privately numerous times.

They speculated whether it was a classic movie trope where the orphan had saved the young lady’s life as a child.

But more often than not, reality and imagination are the opposite.

Nobody would have thought that, in another timeline, in the future, this orphan would alter the landscape of Hong Kong Island and, in a turn of events, take the young lady’s life.

Xu Zhiqiang also started to take him seriously.

On the first day of December, Xu Zhiqiang, having dyed his temples gray, approached Pei Zhen, who was feeding a cat. Posing as Xu Si’s second uncle, he feigned concern before asking Pei Zhen to help invite Xu Si for a chat in the garden. He claimed his advanced age made things difficult and that he only wanted to look after his niece and grow closer to his remaining family—a sentiment any normal person would sympathize with.

Pei Zhen shook his head. The youth’s demeanor was calm and gentle, his attitude inscrutable.

He quietly said, "My aunt is very busy."

Xu Zhiqiang looked up at Pei Zhen, gritted his teeth, endured, then gritted them again. He’s just as cold as Xu Si, he thought.

Without another word, Pei Zhen walked away, cradling the white cat.

He didn’t care what others thought. It was his aunt who had shown him the light in humanity; that didn’t mean all of humanity was bright. From the very beginning, in this decaying world, his aunt was the only source of light. Although she always tried to protect him, he had sensed something amiss in the Xu Mansion these past few days, as if someone had committed an unforgivable sin against such a radiant person.

「Late that night.」

Xu Si heard about Xu Zhiqiang approaching Pei Zhen. After making a phone call, she stood atop the winding spiral staircase, one hand on the railing, quietly waiting and gazing towards the open main doors.

Several tremendous bangs resonated.

Someone had driven a car straight through the main gate, ramming into another entrance of the villa.

More than ten minutes later, they carried out a person covered by a black cloth and threw them into the car.

The kidnappers symbolically fired three shots into the sky. Then, they aimed the gun at Xu Si, their somber eyes glinting menacingly before the barrel shifted. A shot rang out, striking the arched window behind her. The deafening sound of shattering glass echoed as fragments scattered across the floor, triggering intermittent car alarms nearby.

Even though Xu Si had been mentally prepared, her complexion still turned pale for a moment. She experienced a physiological phantom pain that made her instinctively want to clutch her heart.

The kidnapper, gun still raised, hesitated on whether to fire a second shot.

Then, in the next second, Xu Si’s arm was grabbed by slender fingers. A slight tug yanked her from the staircase and pulled her into a liquor cabinet about half a person’s height.

After Xu Si recovered, she opened her eyes and met a pair of ash-gray eyes.

To vent his anger, the kidnapper shattered the precariously swaying chandelier directly above them.

Following the loud CRASH, the entire hall plunged into darkness, and the air grew even quieter.

The young man bent his arm, bracing it against the top of the cabinet. His back was exposed at the cabinet door as he shielded Xu Si, holding her in a protective embrace. Yet, with a sense of propriety, he turned his head slightly away, maintaining a respectful distance.

He looked down, his left hand tightly gripping the cabinet door. His voice was almost a breath, "Auntie, don’t be afraid."

"Why did you come? Didn’t you hear the gunfire? Don’t you know to hide?" Xu Si’s voice was somewhat hoarse and muffled.

The young man seemed to have a moment of realization. "I didn’t think too much about it. Butler Ge told me there shouldn’t be loud noises on the second floor, and I guessed Auntie doesn’t like such sounds, so I came. The second floor is so big; it took me until just now to find you. There was no time to hide."

He was smart, replacing the word ’afraid’ with ’dislike,’ tactfully avoiding her weakness.

Hearing this, Xu Si felt a warmth spread through her heart. No one could remain unmoved by such unconscious concern.

She had occasionally thought that Pei Zhen was perhaps just afraid she would send him away, which was why he was always so understanding and obedient. But his actions today had completely overturned that suspicion. It was a good time, she suddenly felt, to ask about the doubts she had once overlooked.

While the people outside moved in confusion and chaos, Xu Si’s dark, almond-shaped eyes met his.

"Azhen, why did you come to save me?" Bullets don’t have eyes. When real violence erupts, anyone can be killed.

After a long pause, the young man’s eyes darkened. His thoughts drifted to the recent past, and his voice, when he spoke, seemed to meld with the night, carrying a sorrow like that of late frost at dusk.

"Auntie said we are family."

"I can’t watch family leave me again."

Xu Si was surprised that the young man truly regarded her as family. Suddenly, she felt a bit reluctant to ask more.

Yet, such opportunities were rare. After some thought, she softened her voice until it was as gentle as fine sand flowing through lake water. "Then, why did you come with me when we first met?"

Pei Zhen seemed to smile, though it was indistinct in the dim cabinet. His faint voice, however, reached her ears clearly.

"Because of a feeling. Auntie, you gave me the sense that if I went with you, I could find redemption. Besides, in my situation back then, there was nothing about me worth your scheming for."

"Is that all?"

"Hmm, not just that. There’s also the chocolate Auntie gave me. It was magical. It was the same brand my mother used to give me whenever I achieved something and she came to take me home. Even the number of pieces was the same. Actually, I didn’t quite hear what Auntie said later that day. I just kept counting the chocolates, over and over. I thought, if there are gods, then this must be a divine sign. They were telling me that even if it meant going to hell, I should go home with you."

Xu Si was stunned; she had never expected such an answer.

After a long moment, she reached out and gently stroked the young man’s head.

"Azhen, this may be a coincidence, but I believe we must have met in a previous life."