To Hold One’s Joy

hapter 13-2: The Reason

"What are you doing?" Sheng Jiayu stepped back and asked sternly, her heart beating loudly. Given Luo Sheng's unpredictable temper, will she scratch her face?

Luo Sheng's actions captured everyone's attention. They watched as she opened her hand to reveal a red coral bead earring on her palm.

Sheng Silang exclaimed, "Dajie, you're missing an earring!" Sheng Jiayu instinctively raised her hand to touch her earlobe, confirming that one earring was indeed missing. "What are you up to?" Sheng Jiayu questioned, her confusion mingled with anger.

Luo Sheng didn't respond but tossed the red coral bead earring nonchalantly. It flew through the air before landing at the bottom of the embroidered screen. "Sheng'er, what are you doing?" inquired Sheng Laotaitai.

Standing by the door, Sheng Dalang's eyes flickered as he observed Luo Sheng. He had probably figured out Luo Sheng's intention. This Luo biaomei seemed to be way smarter than he remembered. Sheng Dalang maintained his composure, but disappointment and sadness filled his gaze when he looked at Sheng Jialan.

Luo Sheng pointed to the earrings on the floor and calmly stated, "While it's true that Sheng Jialan lost her earring in Funing Hall, how can you be certain it happened when she left with you after the paying respects session? She might have deliberately lost it when Zumu summoned her here just now."

Sheng Jiayu was utterly baffled by the question and slowly turned to look at Sheng Jialan. Luo Sheng's clarification, along with Biaodi and Hongdou as witnesses, made it apparent that Ermei was behind the incident.

"Jialan, why did you harm your Biaojie?" Sheng Laotaitai slapped the table with a stern tone. Sheng Jialan lowered her head and knelt without saying a word.

Hongdou patted her forehead: "I remembered now! The incident a few days ago, my Miss didn't actually attempt suicide. It was her doing too!"

"What?!" Hongdou's revelation shocked everyone. Sheng Laotaitai's tone grew harsher as she demanded, "Hongdou, tell me the whole story!"

Hongdou spat at Sheng Jialan and said: "At the time Miss' hanging incident happened, it was so chaotic that the white silk used hadn't been cleaned up and was left in our room. Later, I found it, hung it on the beam to reconstruct the case, and found that the height didn't match Miss..."

Hongdou repeated what Luo Sheng had said to her before[1] but made it seem that she was the one who noticed something was wrong. And this, naturally, was done under Luo Sheng's command.

Everyone listened attentively, but one person squeezed her teacup tightly. That person is Sheng Dataitai. The words of her maid Shuangye on the day of the family banquet echoed in her ears: "A white silk was hanging before this maid's eyes. It scared me so much that my heart almost jumped out...."[2]

In other words, what Shuangye witnessed wasn't Luo Sheng attempting to hang herself again, but rather her sensing that something was wrong? Sheng Dataitai discreetly glanced at Luo Sheng and thought, "This girl is not that simple!" She doubted that Hongdou was the one who discovered the abnormality.

After hearing Hongdou's account, Sheng Laotaitai's face darkened, and she trembled with anger. She smashed a teacup toward Sheng Jialan's side, sending porcelain shards flying across the room. "You are truly vicious! Why did you keep harming your Biaojie repeatedly?!" The scattered porcelain created a devastating scene near Sheng Jialan.

Despite the questioning from Sheng Laotaitai and others, Sheng Jialan remained silent. Frustrated, Sheng Jiayu stomped her feet and exclaimed, "Ermei, I am deeply disappointed in you!"

Disappointed? Sheng Jialan's eyelashes quivered as she tightly pursed her lips. With the truth revealed, she had nothing to say, nor could she say anything.

A pair of shoes embroidered with begonia flowers suddenly appeared in front of Sheng Jialan. She raised her head slowly, meeting Luo Sheng's gaze. Luo Sheng leaned slightly,  locking eyes with Sheng Jialan, and emphasized each word, "You did this for Su Yao."

Sheng Jialan felt a jolt in her head as if struck by thunder, and her mind went blank.

Only one sentence echoed over and over again in her thoughts: "You did this for Su Yao."

[1] Refer to chapter 4

[2] Chapter 5