Chapter 344: Chapter 344

"Xiao Ning, are you out of your mind? President Duan is Mr. Li’s aunt. How can you speak to her in that tone?" Li Sulan gritted her teeth and scolded Sang Ning in a low voice, her features tightly knotted in anger.

"And you." Sang Ning suddenly turned to look at Li Sulan. "Mrs. Chu, and you. For the fact that you were my mother for twenty years, I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself. Otherwise, why don’t you accompany President Duan to the police station? At least you’d have some company."

A faint smile lingered on Sang Ning’s face, her casual demeanor making it seem as if she were merely an uninvolved bystander. But to Duan Wenhu and Li Sulan, she felt like a mortal threat.

"Anyone can make baseless claims. Do you think I’ll believe you just because you said so? Besides, Doctor Zhou brought his death upon himself— even King Yama couldn’t have saved him. Don’t try to scare me with so-called evidence. I’m not some naive little girl you can intimidate." Duan Wenhu retorted bluntly, not sparing Sang Ning a shred of politeness.

"Exactly!" Li Sulan, emboldened by Duan Wenhu’s words, suddenly found some courage and raised her voice. "Sang Ning, you have the freedom to say what you like, but when it comes to human lives, don’t spout reckless accusations. Otherwise, I’ll call the police right now."

"Oh?" Sang Ning tilted her head slightly to the side. "Then I should thank you for saving me the trouble of taking a trip to the police station myself."

Duan Wenhu fell silent, carefully observing Sang Ning, trying to discern how much truth there was in her words.

Until she could confirm whether Sang Ning actually had evidence, Duan Wenhu didn’t dare make a move against her.

"Hmph, if you really have something, show me the evidence. Let me see for myself before making any decisions." Duan Wenhu tried to bait Sang Ning, aiming to bluff her.

But Sang Ning wouldn’t give her that opportunity. She didn’t actually have any of the so-called videos and certainly couldn’t present thin air to Duan Wenhu.

"I’m informing you, not negotiating. Turning yourselves in or letting me take the evidence directly to the police—pick one." Sang Ning glanced at Duan Wenhu, then at Li Sulan. "My patience is limited. Tonight’s dinner with you has already wasted too much of my time. I hope you can make your decision immediately—don’t make me wait."

Li Sulan swallowed hard, suddenly feeling her legs go weak, as if she might collapse at any moment.

Duan Wenhu also remained silent, her eyes widened in a stare-down with Sang Ning. But Sang Ning was unaffected, while Duan Wenhu, under the piercing coldness of her gaze, gradually began to falter, growing increasingly uneasy.

"I don’t think this is the kind of thing that requires much thought. A life for a life—going to prison is the retribution you deserve. Since you’re both silent, I’ll take it as a refusal to comply. It seems I’ll have to make that trip to the police station after all." Sang Ning pressed them further.

"Wait!" Li Sulan shouted, cutting Sang Ning off. Her eyes were bloodshot and filled with panic. "Sang Ning, if you really have evidence, then you must know it was Duan Wenhu who pushed Doctor Zhou off the building. What does that have to do with me?! Why should I be held accountable? Just because I didn’t stop her in time?"

"Li Sulan!" Duan Wenhu snarled, enraged, raising her hand and delivering a merciless slap across Li Sulan’s face. "You’ve lost your mind. Maybe this will wake you up."

That slap was delivered with all her strength; Li Sulan was left dazed, her eardrums ringing incessantly with a piercing buzz, her head on the verge of splitting apart.

Clutching her face with one hand, Li Sulan turned her head to the side, her unfocused eyes staring blankly for three seconds before she finally registered what had just happened.

"Did I say a single word wrong? You’re the one who pushed him. Or do you think I’m going to take the fall for you?" Li Sulan swung her own hand back, returning Duan Wenhu’s slap with unrestrained force.

At that moment, Duan Wenhu’s eyes looked as if all the capillaries within them had burst; her bloodshot gaze was chilling to behold. She was utterly consumed by rage.

"And how are you any better? Weren’t you the one constantly goading Doctor Zhou to his death? You bribed him to falsely testify against Sang Ning’s family, framing her parents. You thought that if he died, there’d be no witnesses and no way to clear their names. And now you want to play innocent?" Duan Wenhu lunged forward, grabbing Li Sulan by the throat, her expression twisted with malevolence.

Li Sulan hadn’t expected Duan Wenhu to suddenly start choking her. Caught off guard, she couldn’t breathe and lost the strength to fight back, her rolling eyes and protruding tongue painting a pitiful picture.

Watching Li Sulan’s wretched state, Sang Ning had no interest in intervening.

Even at this point, they showed no remorse for taking a life, instead busying themselves with mutual blame. Let them tear each other apart like wild dogs. Google seaʀᴄh 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝~𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖~𝕟𝕖𝕥

It wasn’t until Li Sulan’s eyes rolled back completely, her body going limp, that Duan Wenhu regained her senses and let go.

She already had one life on her conscience; another would make things far worse, especially since it was Li Sulan’s.

Duan Wenhu abruptly released her grip, and Li Sulan’s body crumpled to the floor in a heap, gasping desperately for air as she clutched her throat.

"Sang Ning, are you sure you want to push things to this point?" Duan Wenhu fixed her gaze on Sang Ning and demanded, "I’m Li Juezhou’s blood aunt!"

"It’s precisely because you’re Li Juezhou’s blood aunt that I’m giving you a choice. I hope you won’t waste it." Nothing Sang Ning said was what Duan Wenhu wanted to hear.

"Fine, fine. You two are really something else." Duan Wenhu suddenly threw her head back and laughed derisively. After venting her frustration with a long laugh, she looked down at Sang Ning. "I should’ve known. If even my own nephew treats me this way, how could I expect his girlfriend to show me any respect?"

Duan Wenhu’s eyes began scanning the room, as if searching for something.

They had come under the pretense of getting massages, but the only massage therapist who had entered earlier was Qingyue, who was now cowering in the corner in sheer terror after witnessing the unfolding chaos.

He had thought himself ruthless and inhumane enough, but Duan Wenhu turned out to be even worse, capable of murder with her own hands. How could he expect her to treat him any better?

Huddled in the corner, Qingyue trembled violently, doing his best to make himself invisible, desperately hoping Duan Wenhu wouldn’t notice him.

But all hopes were dashed. While Qingyue was gripped by fear and dread, a voice as chilling as the devil’s echoed above him: "So here you are."

Terrified, Qingyue raised his head, only to meet Duan Wenhu’s sinister gaze, which made his scalp tingle and his blood run cold.

"Sister Hui, please spare me! I didn’t hear anything—I swear this has nothing to do with me!" Qingyue pleaded pitifully, groveling for mercy.