Chapter 221 - Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk (1)
Chapter 221 - Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk (1)
Dead? How could Mu Jianyu be dead now?
Li Chuntao couldn't contain her rage as her blood started to boil with anger thinking of how cowardly Mu Jianyu was. Did he kill himself out of guilt and remorse? He'd chosen the easiest way out to escape his lifelong punishment?!
True, she didn't have any malintent when she'd told him the truth about Li Xiuying's death. In fact, if it wasn't for Zichen and Xiulin, she didn't think she would've even taken the initiative to tell Mu Jianyu about it. She just didn't expect that until the end, Mu Jianyu would remain a selfish bastard.
She hadn't said anything since she and Su Ling left the villa to meet her Uncle Yuren and Aunt Yuyue back in the capital. Shen Zichen insisted that she should go and meet them and assured her that Xiulin would be fine with him.
The news of Mu Jianyu's death shocked not only the Li family, but everyone who knew about him and Li Xiuying as well. They were aware of the falling out between the two, which eventually ended up with divorce. With the rumors about Shen Zichen being involved with Li Xiuying, the couple had lost their chance to fix their relationship.
However, what the public didn't know was that the Li princess they were acquainted with had long been dead and the woman who's been romantically involved with the Young Master of the Shen family was Li Chuntao and not Li Xiuying.
The moment she arrived at the Li Mansion, she was immediately greeted at the front door by Zheng Yue, who was distressed by the news. Whether or not Mu Jianyu was still part of the family, the public would surely turn their attention to their family and question them about his death.
"Chuntao, Zichen called. Why did you come here? You don't need to worry about this. Your Uncle and I are already communicating with the press and we'll be releasing an official statement soon." The older woman told Li Chuntao as she held the latter's hand.
Li Chuntao shook her head. She needed to be here. She cannot let her uncle deal with the issue alone. It was something that involved Ying and her anyway.
"It's alright, Auntie Yue. Where's Uncle Yuren?" She asked, her mouth set in a hard line as she thought that even in his death, Mu Jianyu was still able to annoy her.
"Upstairs. He's talking with Mom and Dad right now. This issue shouldn't affect the company that much, but they're taking precautionary measures to be safe." Zheng Yue said as she led her niece upstairs to join the talk.
"Is he really dead?" Li Chuntao asked, hoping to receive confirmation from her mother's family. She still couldn't believe that Mu Jianyu ended his life because of Ying.
Bastard. She hissed inwardly. Did he really think that by killing himself, he would be able to atone for his sins and reunite with her twin sister?
Suicide had always been an irresponsible choice in Li Chuntao's opinion. It's easy for him, but what about those around him? What about the adoptive daughter he'd left behind? Didn't Mu Jianyu think that the girl would be looking for him once she noticed he was gone? Even if Mu Jinyi was still a baby, she'd already formed a bond with Mu Jianyu. Though perhaps a bond that wasn't strong enough to keep him going.
They found Li Yuren and the elders in the main study, discussing their next course of actions. The moment the two women entered, the three stopped and turned their gazes to Li Chuntao, who'd taken a seat on the couch across them with Zheng Yue.
"It's time for the world to know Li Xiuying is dead." Li Yuren told his niece.
Li Chuntao's jaws hardened. Perhaps, this would be best for all of them. They couldn't hide her sister's death any longer.
"If you are worried that your pretense would be uncovered…"
"We don't owe the public an explanation. It's good enough that they know that Ying is already gone." Li Chuntao didn't mean to be harsh on her Uncle, but she truly couldn't understand why she and Shen Zichen had to explain their private lives to the public.
"Are you sure about this, Chuntao?" Li Yuren asked. Was it really alright not to disclose the real cause of Li Xiuying's death to the public?
Li Chuntao shut her eyes, her hands fisted on her lap. She hadn't expected that it would end like this. SHe didn't think that Mu Jianyu would take his own life after finding out the truth about his wife's death.
She probably should have known that this might happen and should've taken a different approach to tell him the truth. Still, what was done was already done. There was no point crying over spilled milk and she definitely won't blame herself for his death, as Mu Jianyu was the one who chose his end.
"I wouldn't mind if there aren't any children involved." She cracked her eyes open and looked at her uncle, straight in the eyes. This was something that had bothered her earlier.
Now that she had a child of her own, Li Chuntao didn't want Lin Meirong's children to suffer the public's ire because of what their mother had done in the past. Meng Huan's son and Mu Jingyi had nothing to do with Lin Meirong's sins. Why would they need to live in their mother's shadow?
Li Yuren and his wife shared a knowing look before he nodded at their niece. They hadn't thought that far, but Li Chuntao had managed to put those children into consideration.
"If that's what you want, we'll finalize this. What about your marriage with Zichen?" He questioned.
"Zichen and I haven't talked about it, but I'd rather not let the public know." Li Chuntao responded. She was pretty sure that her husband would agree with her anyway.
Mu Jianyu's dead, what now?