With a *plop*, he knelt on the ground

Hearing Madam Qin talk about marriage, Qin Xiaoshuang rolled his eyes: "What's so good about getting married? Is marrying a cripple supposed to be a treat? If Eldest Sister knew, she would never agree to it!"

Qin Wenrou put down the phone and said earnestly: "That man is very wealthy; she wouldn't be losing out by marrying him."

Qin Xiaoshuang raised his voice, sneering even more coldly: "If she isn't losing out, why don't you marry him? Don't think I don't know why you're cozying up to Lan Yingjun."

Qin Wenrou choked, her eye rims turning red: "Xiaoshuang, don't spout nonsense. I... Brother Jun and I have known each other for a long time, and our feelings have always been deep."

Qin Xiaoshuang let out a cold snort: "Hmph. Do you dare swear to the heavens?"

Qin Wenrou stammered: "I, why wouldn't I dare..."

Madam Qin wept sorrowfully: "Stop it. Your sister is already gone, and the marriage with the Nalan family..."

Qin Wenrou grew nervous: "Mom, I will absolutely not take her place in this marriage."

Madam Qin sighed: "Sigh..."

Qin Xiaoshuang sneered.

Qin Wenrou hurriedly explained: "I have a boyfriend, Mom. Besides, I can't snatch my own sister's fiancé. Mr. Nalan is my brother-in-law; it wouldn't be right."

Qin Xiaoshuang: "Hmph, you just won't snatch a crippled brother-in-law."

Qin Wenrou: "You..."

Madam Qin was getting a headache from the noise: "The marriage with the Nalan family will just have to be called off..."

The old servant, Aunt Cui, said worriedly: "Madam, the company's finance department has been pressing us hard these past few days, saying the cash flow is about to break and we can't keep going. If we call off the engagement, I'm afraid..."

I'm afraid the Qin Corporation would collapse immediately.

It had only been a few days since the eldest daughter passed away, and the company was already unstable; there was infighting, people taking advantage of the chaos, and even competitors were seizing the chance to kick them while they were down.

Yet the Qin family was thin on numbers, with no one capable to step up.

Madam Qin sighed: "Sigh, our Qin family has bad luck and is destined to face this calamity... For now, let's just finish handling Xin'er's funeral."

Qin Wenrou supported Madam Qin and ordered the servants: "Why haven't you finished it yet?"

Aunt Cui nodded: "I will seal the coffin now."

But Qin Xiaoshuang still held onto the coffin for dear life: "If she's alive, I want to see her; if she's dead, I want to see her body! I haven't seen a corpse, so Sister isn't dead! She will definitely come back!"

Qin Wenrou frowned: "Do you think this is good for her? You are disturbing her funeral!"

Qin Xiaoshuang's eyes bulged: "You call this a funeral? Just setting up a table and hanging a white banner to brush it off? Have you ever seen a family hold a funeral at the back door, acting like it's something shameful to be seen?!"

Aunt Cui explained: "Keeping the funeral low-key is just in case the Second Miss needs to use the front door for her engagement later; we don't want any bad luck to interfere."

Qin Xiaoshuang roared in anger: "Bad luck?! Qin Xin is my sister too! Why don't you consider that! Qin Wenrou, do you have any conscience left? Do you remember how Sister gave up her college entrance exam preferences for us? You know she loved astrophysics! She only studied medicine to treat your illness and mine! She worked day and night to pay our medical bills and find you a suitable heart for your transplant! And now you think her funeral is bad luck because it might stop you from using the front door for your engagement?!"

Qin Wenrou: "..."

Aunt Cui: "..."

How could the dead compare to the living?

The dead, of course, must make way for the living.

This young master really was ignorant.

Aunt Cui continued to carry out Qin Wenrou's orders, signaling the servants to seal the coffin.

During the struggle, the wooden stool supporting the coffin became unstable and tipped over, causing the entire coffin to crash onto the grass with a loud "clang."

Everyone froze, holding their breath.

A light blue school uniform jacket, stained with blood, drifted out from the coffin.

The school emblem of Imperial University was still pinned to the upper left corner of the jacket, with the name embroidered below: Qin Xin.

This was the uniform Qin Xin had left behind at the Ice Lake when the accident happened.

It was also the only evidence used to confirm her death.

Having lost so much blood, how could she not be dead?

Qin Xiaoshuang stared silently at the uniform, and his tears finally broke free, rolling down in large, uncontrollable drops!

"Sister--!"

He fell to his knees with a thud, clutching the uniform and weeping until he was a mess of tears.