Although his face looked different from that night, I could still recognize those eyes. Even if his remains were reduced to ashes, I would know them.
He was too good at disguising himself. That night, he had been a tall, 6'1" man. Now, he hunched over, his old, wrinkled skin made him look like an elderly man.
Seeing the man who killed me standing there at the art gallery, the pain I had felt before death made me instinctively fearful.
He was too ruthless. He appeared silently behind me and stabbed me without hesitation, as if he had done it a thousand times before.
I had always been kind to others. I never thought anyone would want me dead.
Was he really a professional assassin?
But if he already killed me, why was he here? Was there another target in this place?
For a moment, my first instinct was to run away, but then I realized that I was already dead. What was there to be afraid of?
Lu Shiyan casually patted his shoulder, not even looking at him. He threw out a nonchalant, "It's fine."
Yet the man's gaze was locked on me, just like before, when he had followed me with that cold, cruel stare. No emotion, not a single ripple in those eyes.
Even after I had died, I was still terrified of him. My body froze in place as if it had been paralyzed.
Could he see me?
Just as I thought this, I heard Lu Shiyan call out softly, "Uncle."
I snapped back to reality and saw the man's gaze shift past me and land on the figure sitting in the wheelchair.
It was then that my tense nerves began to relax.
The man turned his attention to Lu Shiyan, moving toward him. I felt uneasy. Was this twisted killer going to harm more people?
Instinctively, I stepped in front of Lu Yinchan to protect him.
The man moved past Lu Yinchan without a word and didn't make any moves.
Shen Ji pushed the wheelchair to stop right in front of Lu Shiyan. The cold, venomous look from Lu Yinchan made Lu Shiyan uneasy.
"I heard that Su Wen has been missing since the wedding. Yet, you still have time to come to an art gallery?"
It was strange. The one who asked about my whereabouts wasn't my family, nor my lover, but a man with no connection to me.
"She's not a child. Where she goes is her business. She's always been headstrong. When she's done causing trouble, she'll come back."
Lu Shiyan's indifference was in stark contrast to Lu Yinchan's grave expression.
"What if something really happened to Su Wen?"
For a moment, Lu Shiyan's face faltered. Before he could speak, Su Ning'an interjected, "Uncle, how could my sister get into trouble? She's already flown to Yun City."
Lu Shiyan turned to her, "What did you say?"
"Brother, I just heard from relatives in Yun City. A month ago, my sister asked them to find her a place to stay. She's always said how much she loves Yun City, with its flower-paved streets, lush green mountains, and snow-capped peaks. She even booked a flight to Yun City the day after the wedding."
Su Ning'an continued, "To confirm, I checked, and she had indeed booked a flight to Yun City for the 15th."
Lu Shiyan's face darkened. From worry to anger, he shouted, "No wonder there's been no trace of her! She just left without a word!"
"Brother, don't be angry. You know how she is. She's always doing whatever she wants, coming and going as she pleases. We're used to it."
If Lu Shiyan had bothered to check, he would have known I hadn't boarded the flight.
But it was laughable that he didn't even care to verify. He just believed Su Ning'an's words without question.
As I bitterly smiled, I noticed the mocking smirk that crept onto Lu Yinchan's lips — the same as mine.
His dark eyes seemed to see right through everything.
Lu Yinchan coldly spoke, "I hope you don't regret this."
My pupils dilated. How could Lu Yinchan say such a thing? Did he know something?
Lu Shiyan, too, felt the weight in his words and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Shen Ji had already pushed him away.
Su Ning'an clung to his arm. "Brother, the auction is starting. Let's take our seats."
I continued to scan the crowd for the killer.
Finally, I saw him.
He was like a shadow, hiding in the dark corner, sickly and sinister, watching Lu Shiyan's every move.
I thought for a long time but couldn't remember where I'd seen those eyes before. Who was he?
Why had he come here after killing me?
Most importantly — if I was dead, then where was my body?
I watched him and Su Ning'an closely but saw no exchange between them.
Was he not a hitman hired by Su Ning'an?
"Three million."
Lu Shiyan's voice broke the silence. He thought it was Su Ning'an's painting, so he bid with what he believed was love.
Su Ning'an, pretending to be shy, followed him closely.
The people around them whispered in envy, saying how close the siblings seemed.
When I heard those praises, I only found them laughable. What would they think if they knew the truth about their forbidden relationship?
"Five million." A cold voice rang out, grabbing my attention.
I turned around to see Lu Yinchan raising his paddle.
Why was he bidding on the paintings?
The air seemed to thicken with tension, and in Lu Shiyan's eyes, Lu Yinchan wasn't just trying to win the painting.
"Eight million." Lu Shiyan raised his bid.
But Lu Yinchan remained calm, lifting his paddle and coolly replying, "Eighty million."
Gasp!
The entire room froze in shock. Was he insane?
He was willing to spend eighty million on a painting!
Lu Shiyan stood frozen, his eyes wide with disbelief as the next two paintings were sold to Lu Yinchan for astronomical prices.
Before Lu Yinchan left, I saw Lu Shiyan rush after him.
He pressed his hands against the car door, his face dark with anger. "Uncle, you just spent over two hundred million on three paintings. What if Grandpa finds out?"
Lu Yinchan lazily glanced at him, his eyes full of contempt.
"Do you think I care about your weak little family?"
Lu Shiyan hadn't fully taken control of the Lu family yet. The money he couldn't produce, Lu Yinchan easily slapped back into his face.
"Uncle, do you have some misunderstanding about me?"
Lu Yinchan's gaze was chilling, his hatred evident in the depths of his eyes.
"Lu Shiyan, this time, I won't let you win."