Return to before death

"Why are you still angry? Nothing happened between her and me." Zong Zhengqing stretched out his arms, as if to hug Yan Ran.

Yan Ran dodged it.

She lowered her eyes, her face darkened, and she said coldly, "You already have a second child, and you won't even let me, your shameful first wife, get angry."

Zong Zhengqing looked surprised. He hadn't expected the usually gentle Yan Ran to say something so sharp. He paused for a moment before continuing, "I thought it was something serious. Nothing really happened between her and me. Don't you believe me?"

"Believe?" Yan Ran murmured.

Zong Zhengqing didn't hear clearly. He took a step forward and naturally raised his right hand to put it on Yan Ran's shoulder, but she suddenly slapped it away.

"What do you want me to believe! Believe that the child isn't yours? Or believe that this woman is a madwoman spouting nonsense? Zong Zhengqing!" Yan Ran shouted, her face flushed with emotion, tears streaming down her face. Her small body trembled, her eyes filled with fiery anger and disappointment.

"You're a liar, you bastard!"

"You're not saving Tangtang because of this child, aren't you? Anyway, you, President Zong, can have any child you want, any woman you want. Why do you care about me, your first wife who only gave you a daughter, and my daughter... my only child? You just coldly watch her die."

Yan Ran coldly watched as the man could no longer maintain his gentle expression; his eyes were full of astonishment and confusion.

"Zong Zhengqing, how could I marry you?"

After she finished speaking, she shook off Zong Zhengqing and Zong Zhengjing's hands and really left, with no one trying to stop her.

"That child is not mine."

Yan Ran simply responded with a cold laugh.

"Let's talk about it when we get home, okay?" Zong Zhengqing grabbed her hand, his tall voice filled with undisguised pleading. In the end, Yan Ran couldn't bring herself to be cold-hearted and nodded weakly.

Once she reached a place where no one was watching, Yan Ran squatted down on the ground, and all the tears she had been holding back finally found an outlet. It had been a long time since Yan Ran had cried like this, sobbing uncontrollably, as if all the rain in the world was pouring down on her head.

After all, her happiest life had completely collapsed.

When Yan Ran returned to the Zong residence, Zong Zhengqing and Zong Zhengjing were both waiting in the hall. The two brothers had identical cold faces as they sat facing each other, and Zong Zhengjing even lit a cigarette and slowly smoked it.

Seeing Yan Ran push open the door, he hurriedly stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, stood up, and said, "You're back."

Yan Ran lifted her eyelids, about to speak, when she saw Lan Ke sitting on a single sofa to the side. Her face darkened instantly, and her tone became extremely harsh.

"What is she doing here?"

Zong Zhengqing then got up and walked to Yan Ran, took her handbag, and tucked her loose hair behind her ear.

This time, Yan Ran did not dodge.

"I need to make this clear to you, this child really isn't mine. There's nothing between us, Yan Ran." Zong Zhengqing was once again in that refined and affectionate manner, not even the curve of his eyes had changed, but Yan Ran's heart was no longer moved as before.

"Stop joking," she said, and started to go upstairs.

Zong Zhengqing grabbed her hand, his eyes filled with bitterness and pleading. Yan Ran began to doubt herself. Could everything she had heard be false?

She gave a cold laugh, shook her head, and handed him the USB drive containing the copied audio files.

"After you've listened, let's talk about the divorce. I'm willing to leave with nothing." After saying this, Yan Ran seemed to have thrown away a crutch that had been supporting her but also restraining her. She breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, the light in her eyes disappeared.

She truly never imagined that one day she would be the one to end her love affair.

Zong Zhengqing stood there, holding the USB drive in his hand. Seeing that Yan Ran did not hesitate at all, he suddenly threw the USB drive down and hugged her tightly from behind.

"I really didn't do anything, Yan Ran, I love you, why don't you believe me!" he said, resting his head on Yan Ran's shoulder.

Zongzheng Jing also slowly uttered a few words, but they were meant to help Zongzheng Qing persuade Yan Ran.

"You..." Yan Ran didn't finish her sentence. She placed her hand on Zong Zhengqing's hand but didn't make any further moves. She had softened her heart.

Lan Ke suddenly knelt down with a thud and moved step by step toward Yan Ran.

She kept crying and screaming.

“Madam Zong, I really didn’t lie. This is Mr. Zong’s child. How could I possibly get the child’s father wrong? You have to believe me! This is his only descendant. You love Mr. Zong so much, even if it’s just for his sake, please take this child in. I can leave now and take the child with me.”

Yan Ran's face stiffened again, as if it had been frozen.

She wanted to turn around and curse this woman for being shameless, but in the end she held back. She simply pushed Zong Zhengqing away in silence, her lips slightly parted, the words "Let's get a divorce" stuck in her throat but she couldn't say them.

Yan Ran couldn't deceive herself; she still loved this man.

Even though this bastard killed her daughter and even had a child with another woman, her past happy life and sweet love did not disappear.

She gritted her teeth, turned her head away from him, and said, "We shouldn't continue like this."

Zong Zhengqing froze on the spot, asking incredulously, "Yan Ran, are you kidding me...?"

Suddenly, the door creaked open slowly, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the woman who was walking slowly in. It was Zong Zhengqing's mother, the real Mrs. Zong.

Yan Ran looked at the woman, who was nearly fifty years old but looked no more than thirty, with a complicated expression.

A young lady from a respectable family, pampered since childhood, is naturally different from a poor reporter like her who struggled to make it in the world; her demeanor is noble and elegant.

The matriarch merely glanced at her, yet Yan Ran could sense the arrogance creeping into her gaze.

"What? Is this a theatrical performance?" Her eyebrows twitched, and her chin tilted slightly. Naturally, her subordinates carried the boxes upstairs to her room. The matriarch then leisurely closed the door and walked up to Lan Ke.

She looked at Zong Zhengqing, frowned, and lowered her chin slightly.

"What is this thing again? Why are you bringing it all home?"

Zong Zhengqing was completely speechless. Yan Ran pushed him away and walked in front of Zong's mother. She still couldn't meet Zong's mother's critical eyes and just said coldly, "What else could it be but a pregnant woman coming to our door?"

The matriarch gave Yan Ran a rather strange look, as if she had seen a talking bear. Her eyes held a hint of mockery, but she reprimanded Zong Zhengqing mercilessly.

"Something improper."