After midnight

It rained heavily last night, and it didn't clear up until the morning. Song Xin was worried that her father might catch a cold and have a fever again, so she went to her father's bedroom as soon as she got up in the morning.

When she passed by the courtyard, she saw that the flowers and plants she usually cherished had been severely beaten, with many broken pieces left. She stopped and looked at the broken pieces, not knowing what to do.

"Xin'er!" Song Yu ran out of his father's bedroom at this time.

"What did you say?" The air was still humid, and Song Xin would never believe what the elder brother standing in front of her said to her.

What do you mean, father died last night? Song Xin shook off Song Yu's hand that was holding her shoulder and ran away quickly. She ran panting all the way to her father's bedroom.

She breathed heavily, her hands trembling. Look, her father was lying in bed, he was sleeping peacefully. Song Xin stared at her father and slowly approached him.

Suddenly, she stepped on something soft. Oops, she stepped on the precious carpet with mud while wearing her shoes, and her father stood up to scold her. Song Xin wanted to take a step back, but her feet went weak and she knelt down.

She immediately crawled to her father's bedside and put her hands on his face. Why was his face so cold and pale? The quilt was tightly wrapped around him.

"Xin'er!" Song Yu pulled her up.

"Father is dead. He died of illness last night. Please let him rest in peace!"

"Impossible! When I saw my father yesterday, he was clearly fine. He even asked me to pour him some tea!"

"Song Xin! Touch it, touch it again, why don't you check his nostrils to see if he's still breathing!" Song Yu pulled Song Xin's hand and put it under their father's nose.

"No, I don't want it!" Song Xin broke free, knelt on the ground and broke down crying.

Song Yu squatted down and hugged his sister tightly. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, your brother will come to protect you in the future."

When Zhao Yunqi received the news from Song Yu, the sun had already climbed high in the sky. When he hurried over, Song Hongtian's body had already been put into the coffin, and he did not see him for the last time.

"My father passed away last night. It was so sudden that I still can't believe it. But Yunqi, I can't just wallow in grief. I have more important things to do now. Yunqi, you are the person my father valued the most when he was alive. You have to help me."

Song Yu's eyes were red and bloodshot. He was covered in dirt, looking very embarrassed and haggard. He didn't even have time to change out of the clothes he wore yesterday. Zhao Yunqi softened his heart almost immediately. He understood what was happening.

"How do you want me to help you?"

"I'm going to convene a meeting of elders. I can't give up the position of the head of the Song family to anyone else."

"Okay, I'll help you prepare it."

Song Yu nodded, too tired to talk anymore. Zhao Yunqi knew he could go back.

When Zhao Yunqi passed the garden, he suddenly remembered something, he stopped and changed direction to go home. He wanted to comfort Song Xin, but he suddenly remembered that Song Xin might not know what happened, but his sister must know what happened.

When he got home, the house was quiet and the living room was empty. He left in a hurry and didn't tell Yun Shuang about it. She probably didn't know anything at the moment and was probably sleeping in the bedroom.

Wait until she wakes up.

Around 3pm, Zhao Yunshuang woke up and planned to wash the piled-up dirty clothes. She was busy with her own things, and the sound of running water came from the bathroom from time to time. Zhao Yunqi looked at her and couldn't speak. He was afraid that the truth was too shocking, and he was even more afraid that Yunshuang had really made some unforgivable mistakes.

Wait until she finishes washing the clothes.

At six o'clock in the evening, Zhao Yunshuang started to cook. Zhao Yunqi leaned against the door and asked her impulsively: "Did you know that Song Hongtian died this morning?"

Zhao Yunshuang calmly turned off the fire, "Impossible."

"Do you think I'm lying to you?"

"No."

Zhao Yunqi fell silent, not knowing what to say. He didn't want to push his sister too hard.

"Is Song Hongtian really dead?" Zhao Yunshuang asked after a moment.

Zhao Yunqi stood up straight and nodded.

"He's really dead." Song Hongtian was dead, but she didn't feel as happy and relieved as she had imagined. She felt that everything was light and unreal.

"But, brother, I believe Lin Nuan won't lie to me." Zhao Yunshuang finally looked at her brother. Her eyes were firm and full of trust, and also contained the determination to tell everything.

"Lin Nuan?"

"The Mumu I'm talking about is Lin Nuan."

"Two trees make a forest. I should have thought of it earlier. Song Hongtian did such a cruel thing to her. She has every reason to retaliate. I should have thought of it earlier." Zhao Yunqi clenched his fists and hit them against his palms.

"What did she do?"

"It wasn't her who did anything, it was me. I personally handed the poisoned tea to Song Xin, and she personally let her father drink it!" Zhao Yunshuang shouted while clenching his hands tightly, leaving dents from his nails.

"What are you talking about?" Zhao Yunqi widened his eyes in horror, his face full of disbelief.

"I said, I did it. Don't you want to know what happened? I'll tell you everything now!"

Zhao Yunqi was stunned for a long time after hearing the whole story. This matter was simple and clear, but he had no idea where to start.

"Brother, am I really mean?" Zhao Yunshuang asked softly. She squatted down and hugged herself tightly. She had lost all her strength at this moment, and was filled with pain and begging cautiously.

Zhao Yunqi felt so distressed that he walked over and squatted down. "No, Yunshuang. It was Lin Nuan who took advantage of you, and you had no idea at first."

Zhao Yunshuang quickly shook off his hand. "But later I found out, but I did nothing. Because of my selfishness and cowardice, Song Xin was accused of patricide. I feel sorry for her, I..."

"Yun Shuang, listen to me. If it were me, I would also be shaken. You are not selfish, you just instinctively choose to avoid pain. You are not wrong, it is Song Hongtian who is wrong, he deserves this end, he is the one who implicated his own daughter!"

Zhao Yunshuang released her arms, and then she moved her lips. "But... but Lin Nuan said that Song Hongtian wouldn't die for a while. Didn't he return to normal after the first attack of the poison? How could he die so soon?"

Yes, Yun Shuang hit the point. Zhao Yunqi narrowed his eyes. Song Hongtian's death was not that simple. Now was not the time to find out who was at fault, nor to dwell on the pain. A lot of unknown crises were rushing towards them fiercely.

"Yun Shuang, why don't you go back to your room and rest first?" Zhao Yunqi helped Yun Shuang up.

"No, that's not necessary. I've actually made up my mind, but I didn't expect that I'd still be so lame." Zhao Yunshuang forced a smile, "I still have to cook, you go out first, brother."

Seeing Zhao Yunshuang trying to calm down and cooking stumblingly, Zhao Yunqi walked out. At this time, they really needed to separate and calm down. No matter how Song Hongtian died, he now had to consider how to help Song Yu win the position of head of the family.

In fact, this might be a good opportunity. He dared not forget what he promised Yin.

Song Yu did not intend to hide the fact that Song Hongtian had passed away. The next day, he held a grand funeral and buried his father in the Song family's ancestral tomb under the watchful eyes of the public. As soon as the funeral was held, the news of Song Hongtian's death spread like wildfire.

Everyone sighed and watched closely the actions of Lin and Lu with gloating eyes. But unexpectedly, Lu Lang of Lu still lived a life as if he was under surveillance, eating, walking, playing chess, sleeping, and never leaving the house. Even Lu Li and Lin Nuan still stayed in Xindu and did not rush back immediately.

Was he waiting for the elders' meeting to be held in three days? No one knew.

Song Xin had been in a daze since the moment she learned of her father's passing. Before she could get over the grief, she followed her brother to bury her father.

Resting in peace, watching her father being buried inch by inch by the earth, it was as if something died in her heart and was buried along with him. Kneeling on the ground and crying for her father, and kowtowing to him, was a good farewell. After the funeral, Song Xin suppressed her grief and gathered her spirits to collect her father's belongings.

She went to her father's study first. She didn't touch the documents. She had never taken care of her father when he was alive, and she would not take care of him after he passed away. She just wanted to simply pack up the things her father used to love.

The study is large and simple. After opening the door, the desk and chair that are often used for work are on the right hand side, which can be seen at a glance. On the wall behind the desk and chair hangs a simple calligraphy and painting - God rewards hard work, which was written by Song Hongtian himself.

On the left side of the study are two rows of large bookshelves filled with books and antiques. In the corner behind the bookshelves are two pots of lush green plants more than one meter tall. Apart from that, there is nothing else in the entire study.

Song Xin took a small jade rabbit from the first row of bookshelves. The jade rabbit was crystal clear and cute. It was her favorite thing when she was a child. She insisted on putting this little thing in her father's study so that her father would always think of her. She touched it again and again before carefully putting it in the basket.

She pulled out a book from the bookshelf. This book was also bought by her for her father. It was a birthday present for her father when she was a little older. She opened it and saw the words on the title page: Thank you, my dear daughter.

Song Xin sobbed. She never knew her father would respond to her like this, respond to her every little thought.

Finally, Song Xin set her eyes on the box of tea she had given away for the last time. Her father had no other hobbies but to drink tea and write. She remembered that many people had given her father tea and calligraphy in the past, but ever since she said angrily, "Dad, why don't you drink the tea I gave you?", Song Hongtian only drank the tea she gave him.

Thinking of this, Song Xin held the tea box, tears dripping non-stop. Father, Xiner misses you so much.

Song Xin carried the basket and placed everything she had packed on the large dark brown desk, which was the place she dared not touch the most. She traced the solid wooden table inch by inch, as if she could still see her father lowering his head in deep thought or carefully correcting official documents, solid and reliable.

She picked up a folded piece of white paper on the table. Her father had a habit of never spreading anything out on the table. Even the documents that had not been corrected would be put away. So were these from her brother?

She opened it, and there were densely written words on the paper. She glanced at it quickly and walked to the window and opened it. It was not yet dark, but the light in the room had become dim without her noticing.

"Xin'er, what are you doing here?"

Song Xin immediately turned around and put her hand on her chest. "Brother, ... I'll pack up father's things."

Song Yu went forward to close the window and pulled the paper out of her hand. "Are you done? Go and clean up your father's office in the front hall."

"Okay." Song Xin obediently carried the basket and walked out.

After entering the Song family ancestral home from the main entrance, there is the reception room. Next to the reception room is a house which is the reception room where Song Hongtian receives guests, which is also the office in the front hall mentioned by Song Yu.

When Song Xin walked into the reception room, she immediately sank into the soft sofa. There was something wrong with her father's study. First of all, she could hardly see the contents of the paper, but she vaguely remembered three words. Those three words were: copy, zero one, and northwest.

She didn't understand what this meant.

Then there were the footprints outside the window. It rained heavily last night, and when she opened the window today, she saw a long trail of footprints. The footprints were very clear. This meant that someone had left his study the night his father died, but this person had left through the window. Why did he do that?

In the end, it was still her brother. No, she didn't want to think too much. The footprints were the most important. Finding this made her uneasy. She had to confirm it again.

Song Xin put down the treasure in her arms and went straight over. It was already dark, and the house was dark, and it seemed that her brother had left. She went around the railing of the corridor to the back of the house, groped her way to the window, half-crouched and moved forward step by step.

She saw it right, it was indeed a footprint, a man's foot. But the footprint had been covered by new soil, leaving only the vague shoe prints. Why, she had only been away for a while, who had destroyed it in such a short time? Why did he destroy it? Whose footprints were these? Was there something fishy about her father's death?

Song Xin suddenly remembered something. She pushed open the window, squinted her eyes in the dim light and looked at the desk. The piece of white paper disappeared.

Song Xin closed the window and slowly squatted down. She watched the sunset spread out layer by layer to the distant horizon. She heard flocks of birds calling each other back to their nests. But she knew nothing. Her mind was in a mess.

In the Xindu Building, Zhou Chen and Lin Xuanfeng stood in silence. After they met, they kept quiet and stopped provoking each other.

"Song Hongtian is dead, and Song Yu will convene a meeting of the Song elders in three days. I'm sure you all have heard about it. So, I called you two here this time because I want you to be partners again and go to Xidu to carry out the mission together. During the last riot in Xidu, you two went there and are most familiar with the place. So this time, you must also promise me that you will complete the mission."

"Yes!" they said in unison.

"Pack up and go later." After giving the instructions, Fang Hao waved his hand to signal the two that they could leave.

After the two of them went out, they were walking in the corridor of the office building. Suddenly Zhou Chen asked, "Once Song Hongtian dies, the Song family will not be at peace. Is there any news from Yin?"

"I don't know. How would I know?"

"Your junior's 'guardian' is his biological brother. Don't you know that they are so close?"

"Don't look at me like that." Zhou Chen showed a strange smile, "Everyone knows it, but it's kept secret. But it's strange, Yin's younger brother should be quite powerful. How come the 'Guardian' is a young boy who knows nothing? Hey, Lin Xuanfeng, do you know what's going on?"

"Shut your mouth." Lin Xuanfeng pressed the ladder impatiently.

"See you at the West Station in an hour." Lin Xuanfeng said after leaving Xindu Building.

Watching Lin Xuanfeng fly away gracefully on the hanging window, Zhou Chen easily boarded the next one. After entering his home address, he also flew away.