Seeing the gun Xu Shi had forcefully placed in her hands, Jiang Chengcheng was at a loss for a moment.
There was even a trace of panic in her eyes.
Xu Shi was not surprised by her reaction.
When he had publicly confronted Jiang Fengshan, he had not made Jiang Chengcheng face her adoptive father herself. Instead, he had arranged for her to watch the livestream from the next room.
The same went for the subsequent public prosecution and interrogation—if she did not need to appear, then she would not.
On one hand, it was to spare her feelings—presenting the evidence publicly would inevitably tear open her old wounds, and exposing her before everyone's eyes... would have been another trial for her.
On the other, he knew that Jiang Chengcheng's fear of Jiang Fengshan had been carved into her bones.
Like Pavlov's dog, even knowing that the other party had reached the end of the road and could be slaughtered at will, facing him directly still made her instinctively shrink back because of those old memories.
Just like now.
"You... Jiang Chengcheng, you dare?!"
The moment Jiang Fengshan saw Xu Shi hand her the gun, he panicked.
Although he had long suspected that Xu Shi had come here to execute him, when the moment truly arrived, fear was unavoidable.
His hoarse, blustering roar did indeed frighten Jiang Chengcheng. The hand gripping the gun began to tremble, and she staggered backward as if startled.
"I..."
"Don't be afraid."
At that moment, Xu Shi supported her from behind and leaned close to whisper in her ear. "Think carefully about what he did to you."
"With your abilities, after leaving the academy, you should have become one of the brightest rising stars in Night Sin City."
"People would have gone mad over your research achievements, while you stood beneath the spotlights that represented glory, dressed in the most magnificent gown and wearing the most exquisite makeup."
"The moment you appeared, they would all raise their glasses and cheer for you."
As he spoke unhurriedly, Jiang Chengcheng's gaze gradually turned vacant. She seemed to be imagining that scene, and an unconscious smile appeared on her face.
"But what was reality like?"
Just as she savored the illusory beauty built by his words, Xu Shi abruptly changed his tone and casually shattered it all.
The red gleam in his eyes flickered intermittently. "All the glory that belonged to you was stolen by Jiang Fengshan, while you became nothing more than a pitiful tool in his hands."
"At the slightest misstep, you were beaten and cursed at. Gradually, you became too afraid to speak with others, wrapping yourself tightly in shabby, coarse clothes as you sank into the dust little by little."
"The ambitions you once held all vanished into smoke. You could not even find any meaning in being alive."
"If I had not discovered all this, the secret would have lasted until Jiang Fengshan entered his grave. Of course, even then, you still would not have been free. I believe he would never have allowed anyone to learn the truth."
"To be honest, I feel regret and pity over this. But at the same time, I am also... disappointed in you."
"Dis... appointed?"
Jiang Chengcheng turned her head mechanically. The smile on her face had long vanished, replaced by tears sliding down unconsciously and confusion toward Xu Shi.
"Shouldn't I be disappointed? I admire that, even under such circumstances, you did not lose the will to resist. But it is hard for me to accept that after I did everything for you, you still chose to shrink back.
"This is not what I wanted to see."
Xu Shi's smile faded. He met her gaze with calm contempt, like a sharp scalpel precisely slicing open the most fragile part of Jiang Chengcheng's heart.
"I..."
Jiang Chengcheng's mind had gone numb. She did not understand why Xu Shi, who had always treated her so kindly, suddenly wore such an expression and spoke such vicious words.
But she knew for certain that she did not want to hear him say such things or see him become like this.
So her hands stopped trembling, and she muttered hoarsely, "Don't... don't say that! Don't!"
"Then prove it to me."
Xu Shi smiled faintly and gently patted the back of the hand holding the gun.
As though guided by something, Jiang Chengcheng slowly raised her arm.
"...Don't, don't!"
Seeing the increasing determination in her eyes, Jiang Fengshan completely panicked and instinctively retreated. "Chengcheng! Don't kill me! I raised you for so many years, at least... Xu Shi, no, Chairman Xu! I know you want Lin Wenhua's evidence of his crimes. I have plenty of it here! I'll give it all to you! All of it!"
"Shut up."
Xu Shi kicked him in the face, forcibly cutting off his pleas.
But Jiang Fengshan's words seemed to awaken Jiang Chengcheng, and the light in her eyes gradually returned.
After hesitating for a moment, she threw the gun in her hand aside.
That was beyond Xu Shi's expectations.
Logically speaking, this should have been the current limit of his Malice Entropy ability. He could clearly sense that the hatred and resentment in Jiang Chengcheng's heart had already broken through the threshold.
Even this was not enough? Don't tell me this was going to turn into one of those nauseating forgiveness scenes from a melodramatic TV show.
If that happened, it would be absurd as hell... Xu Shi silently grumbled, only to hear Jiang Chengcheng speak slowly.
"Chairman Xu... do you have a whip?"
Xu Shi froze for a moment, then laughed soundlessly.
Sorry. I underestimated you.
He had not prepared a whip, but he did have a police baton.
Using that for a final farewell between father and daughter seemed more fitting than a handgun.
Xu Shi politely gave them some private space, gently closing the cell door as he listened to the endless screams inside.
Ah~ What a sweet, miserable sound!
No one knew how long passed before the sounds in the cell gradually subsided.
The door opened, and Jiang Chengcheng walked out without saying a word. The bloodstains on her body were like scarlet petals, adding a touch more beauty to her.
As for Jiang Fengshan... Xu Shi only took one glance inside, and even he could barely stand the gruesome sight.
Tut, tut, tut. He did not even look human anymore. How terrifying. (doge)
"Chairman Xu, I... did it."
Throwing down the baton, Jiang Chengcheng looked at the blood on her hands. Without a word, she smeared it across her lips like lipstick, then gently licked it away.
After doing all that, she could no longer hold herself back. She collapsed into Xu Shi's arms and wailed as though venting everything inside her. "I did it, I did it... Thank you..."
"Mm, you did very well."
Xu Shi gently patted her back and comforted her in a soft voice.
This was why he had kept Jiang Fengshan alive until now.
This was also the old bastard's so-called "final value."
Although Jiang Fengshan had already been brought down, if Jiang Chengcheng was not allowed to personally bring everything to an end, it could hardly be called perfect.
And Xu Shi could now be certain that he would never again need to worry about her loyalty.
Malice Entropy had completed its cycle within her, announcing that the scarlet flower of corruption was blooming in her heart.
"Miss Jiang Chengcheng, congratulations on your rebirth."
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