With Nangong Shanshan's affairs settled, Tang Xiaomin remembered Tang Xu.
"Tang Xu has been in the ICU for so many days, he should be better by now."
Speaking of Tang Xu, Zhang Meiyu's expression turned sorrowful.
Tang Xiaomin had sent both Tang Xu and Tang Yan to prison, one for six years, the other for three.
Tang Yan was better off; he would only be twenty-five after three years.
But Tang Xu had to serve six years, and he would be thirty by the time he got out.
"Xiaomin, can you let him come home for a meal first? After the meal, I'll personally send him back."
Upon meeting Tang Xiaomin's suddenly cold gaze, Zhang Meiyu immediately dismissed the idea.
"Never mind, never mind. The procuratorate has people monitoring him twenty-four hours a day. It's not proper for him to come home for a meal, and they probably wouldn't agree anyway. Just pretend I was talking nonsense."
Zhang Meiyu got up to cook.
The family hadn't hired a servant; the housework was always done by Tang Yu. When Tang Yu was busy with work, Zhang Meiyu would also do it herself.
The once elegant lady had turned into a housewife.
In just one year, Zhang Meiyu's face had gained quite a few more wrinkles, and her white hair was no longer hidden.
Tang Xiaomin walked to the kitchen entrance and said to Zhang Meiyu, "No need to make dinner. I want to eat dishes from Chunxi Tower. I'll call them later to have a table delivered."
"Okay, then I won't cook."
Zhang Meiyu wiped her hands haphazardly on her apron, took it off, her movements natural.
Tang Xiaomin drove out, aimlessly cruising on the main road.
For some reason, she ended up at the hospital where Tang Xu had been admitted and, on impulse, went to see him.
Even after being released from prison, Tang Xu was still in the ICU, with no freedom whatsoever.
Tang Xiaomin spoke a few words to the prosecutor monitoring Tang Xu, and then he left.
Tang Xiaomin entered the ICU where Tang Xu was being kept and said coldly, "The person is gone, stop pretending."
Tang Xu, like Nangong Shanshan, hadn't truly escaped just by hiding in the ICU.
To avoid being taken back to prison or being harmed, he had to sleep every day, and even pretend to sleep when he couldn't.
Tang Xu slowly opened his eyes, turned his head to look outside the ICU. After confirming no one was there, he slowly sat up, stretched, making cracking sounds.
He had been lying there for so many days that his whole body was sore, and his head was spinning.
If Tang Xiaomin hadn't come, he would have developed an illness from lying in the ICU.
"How are things being handled in prison? When can I go back?"
Tang Xu would rather go to prison than lie in the ICU.
Hearing this, Tang Xiaomin was taken aback.
"Is this a psychological tactic? Do you think you can return to prison sooner this way?"
Tang Xiaomin had no trust in Tang Xu at all. No matter what happened to him or what he said, she always assumed it was part of his scheme.
"In your eyes, am I that untrustworthy?"
"Lying motionless in the ICU, pretending to be dead, is too painful. I truly just want to go back to prison, at least I can move around."
No matter what Tang Xu said, Tang Xiaomin still maintained her expression of distrust.
Tang Xu was helpless about this.
Tang Xiaomin ignored him and went to find the doctor to complete his discharge procedures.
When she returned, she threw a set of clothes at Tang Xu. She had bought them for twenty-five yuan from a street vendor.
"Put on these clothes and come with me."
"Where are we going?"
Tang Xiaomin still didn't reply to Tang Xu and waited outside.
Tang Xu looked at the cheap clothes in his hand, and his nose suddenly felt a sting of emotion.
Ever since Tang Xiaomin returned to the Tang family, he had treated her as if she were invisible, and had never considered her his sister before.
Now, she was even buying him clothes.
The clothes looked very cheap, but in Tang Xu's heart, their weight was immense.
After changing, they surprisingly fit him.
Tang Xu then recalled the half year Tang Xiaomin had worked tirelessly in the Tang household. She had been so capable then, managing all the household chores meticulously by herself.
Tang Xu silently followed Tang Xiaomin and got into the car with her.
He was going to prison, and he didn't know where they had moved to, so he had no idea where Tang Xiaomin was taking him.
Driving aimlessly like this made Tang Xu feel very uneasy.
"Do you still hate me?" Tang Xu asked.
"I wish you were dead," Tang Xiaomin replied faintly.
"But then I thought, if you died and went to the underworld, you'd be in the same world as Tang Yiyi, so it's better to let you experience a life-and-death separation."
"Heh..."
Tang Xu couldn't help but laugh.
"During my time in prison, I've been thinking about one thing. In my past life, I killed you. Why did you only take Yiyi's life and not mine, instead sending me to prison?"
"I always thought it was because we were family, and your humanity wasn't completely extinguished, so you spared my life."
"I never expected that you didn't want me to die just so I could experience a life-and-death separation from Yiyi."
Tang Xiaomin's ruthlessness far exceeded his imagination.
"Heh."
Tang Xiaomin also laughed unreservedly.
"I saw your feelings for Tang Yiyi. Your heart was all hers, it was before, and it still is now."
"Now that Tang Yiyi is dead, you can never see her again. You can only recall Tang Yiyi in your mind every day, and every day is filled with pain."
"You're living a life worse than death, so why would I kill you? Just keep living."
Prison was only a loss of freedom; what tormented Tang Xu further was his obsession with Tang Yiyi.
"Seeing me live such a painful life, does that make you happy?"
Tang Xiaomin glanced at Tang Xu with a wicked smile.
"Of course."
Tang Xu fell silent and sat quietly in the passenger seat.
He was contemplating something in his mind. When Tang Xiaomin wasn't paying attention, he unbuckled his seatbelt.
"Alright, I'll fulfill your wish."
At this moment, a determined look flashed in Tang Xu's eyes.
Tang Xiaomin looked at Tang Xu in surprise and saw him make a shocking move.
Tang Xu actually opened the car door while it was speeding and jumped out without hesitation.
"Hey! Are you crazy!"
Tang Xiaomin slammed on the accelerator, and the car spun around.
She saw Tang Xu, who had jumped out, hit the road hard. The inertia made him roll several times before coming to a stop.
At this moment, he lay on the ground.
"Damn it, you're sick!"
Tang Xiaomin cursed, got out of the car, and ran to check on Tang Xu.
Tang Xiaomin habitually drove fast. The speed just now was at least one hundred and eighty kilometers per hour.
Tang Xu wouldn't fare well jumping out of the car at that speed.
He had several skin abrasions, and even his face wasn't spared.
Thin streams of blood wet the dirt smeared on his face.
He looked very pathetic.
"How are you?"
Tang Xiaomin dared not touch Tang Xu. If he had suffered internal injuries, and she, out of kindness, had caused his death, it would have been a good deed gone wrong, which would be troublesome.