When Yi Luowa woke up, daylight had already flooded the room. She turned her head to look at Uncle Li and Ao Lie, who were standing by her bed, and rasped out, "Where is my second uncle?"
Ao Lie and Uncle Li glanced at each other, neither having the courage to speak.
"Uncle Li, where is my second uncle?" She had intended to speak louder this time, but her voice came out hoarse and barely audible.
"Luowa, focus on recovering..." Uncle Li choked as he spoke.
Yi Luowa suddenly threw off the quilt and sat upright. Her vision turned black for a moment, almost causing her to faint again. After steadying herself, she swung her legs off the bed.
"Luowa!" Ao Lie rushed forward and firmly pressed his hands on her shoulders. "The dead cannot be brought back to life. You can't keep tormenting yourself like this. If you go on like this, the Second Master won't rest in peace."
"I want to see him!" Though she was speaking, no sound came out of her mouth.
She had lost her voice!
Uncle Li panicked and quickly ordered someone to call for a doctor.
Yi Luowa pushed Ao Lie's hands aside and seated herself in the wheelchair. Her mind held only one thought—to see her second uncle. She refused to believe it. How could he be gone? The doctor she'd arranged for him was just about to arrive. Why couldn't he hold on a little longer? Why!
Urgent footsteps came from outside the door, and Xi Meichen entered, dressed all in black.
Yi Luowa lifted her gaze to glance at her. Was it her imagination, or did Xi Meichen seem like a completely different person compared to two days ago?
"Where is your second uncle?!" Xi Meichen demanded coldly, radiating chilling energy as she stormed toward Yi Luowa.
Yi Luowa suppressed her tears, ensuring not a single drop would fall. She stared directly at this unfamiliar woman before her.
Xi Meichen lashed out, her voice full of fury: "Yi Luowa, you really are an unequivocal sweeping star! Your father just passed away, and now you've brought about your second uncle's death. I originally wanted to stand by you, but how many more lives will you ruin before you're satisfied? Tell me, who's your next target? Is it me?!"
"Xi Meichen, watch your words!" Uncle Li stepped forward, shouting to stop Xi Meichen.
"This is my family's business!" Xi Meichen shoved Uncle Li aside forcefully. "You're an outsider; stay out of my family matters."
Yi Luowa raised her hand faintly and mouthed to Uncle Li, "Let her speak."
Xi Meichen sneered coldly, "You've caused one death after another, yet you remain so composed!"
"And what else should I do?" Yi Luowa mouthed back, retaliating sharply.
Xi Meichen trembled with rage, reaching out to strike her, but Ao Lie immediately grabbed her wrist and pushed her toward the door.
"Get out!"
"Who do you think you are? Just an obedient dog raised by the Yi family. Guards!"
With a shout from Xi Meichen, four or five people rushed in from outside and quickly subdued the severely injured Ao Lie.
Yi Luowa cast a cold glance at Xi Meichen before turning her wheelchair back toward the bed. She retrieved paper and a pen from the drawer and swiftly wrote: Let him go! State your purpose directly!
Xi Meichen read the note Yi Luowa handed her, crumpled it viciously, and threw it to the ground. She then pulled out a stack of documents from her bag and tossed them onto Yi Luowa's lap.
"To prevent you from further harming anyone in our family, I'm severing our mother-daughter relationship. From now on, the Yi family has nothing to do with you."
Yi Luowa glanced at the top paper and quickly signed her name. She understood the law. Even if she signed this declaration, it held no legal weight—biological mother-daughter relations cannot be severed!
"Sign the second one. Voluntarily relinquish your claim to the Yi family's assets!" Xi Meichen pointed aggressively at the next document, commanding her.
Yi Luowa let out a cold laugh. Wasn't this the same document Yi Lingfei had brought yesterday? Now there was no need for anyone to spell it out for her. She understood. Yi Lingfei had acted recklessly because she had backing, and her backing was none other than the woman in front of her. The façade of compassion Xi Meichen had shown over the past two days crumbled completely in this moment. Perhaps the maternal love she'd offered during these two days was all a charade, carefully designed to make her grateful, so she would sign the documents more willingly.
Seeing Yi Luowa hesitate to sign, Xi Meichen wavered and nearly collapsed, clutching the edge of the bed to stabilize herself as she slowly sat down. "Luowa, it's not that I'm heartless. The two of us have broken your siblings' hearts deeply. They told me that if you don't sign, they'll leave home and never want me as their mother again. You understand, the cruel words I said earlier—each one pierced my heart."
Yi Luowa picked up a piece of paper and quickly wrote: Because they forced you, you gave up on me?
Xi Meichen glanced at it, and tears immediately streamed down her face. "I don't want to, I really don't want to. This is only a temporary compromise. If you sign, I can give your siblings closure. But as long as I belong to the Yi family, I'll never let you suffer unfairly. Whatever Yi Lingfei has, you'll have, too. This is just about turning what's open into what's hidden."
"Luowa, you're a member of the Yi family. Think carefully before you sign!" Uncle Li walked up.
Yi Luowa wrote on the paper: I haven't been part of the Yi family for a long time!
"As long as Yi family blood runs through your veins, a part of the Yi family's assets belongs to you!" Uncle Li reminded her once more.
Yi Luowa shook her head and picked up the statement, signing her name hastily with three characters: Yi Kewa.
Uncle Li glanced at it and exhaled deeply.
Xi Meichen walked over, took the signed statements, glanced at them, and hurriedly placed them into her bag. "There's one more. Sign the third one, too. Your father's funeral is tomorrow, and I have a lot to handle. After I finish with your father's matters, I'll deal with your second uncle's funeral."
Xi Meichen's words were like a knife stabbing Yi Luowa's heart. Father's funeral! Second uncle's funeral! Her head throbbed as if it were tearing apart, and her tears blurred her vision in an instant. Hand trembling slightly, she moved to place the pen at the signature line.
"Luowa, don't sign this!" Uncle Li snatched the document away abruptly.
Xi Meichen's chest heaved with fury as she looked at Uncle Li with knitted brows. "Li Hua, this is not your place to intervene!"
"Is it not? Xi Meichen, your claws have stretched too far! Handle your family matters, but the Second Master's affairs are none of your concern!"
"Let me ask you this: What is your second master's surname? It's Yi! He has family. Now that he's gone, if I don't step in to handle it, are you trying to pocket everything yourself?"
"Am I trying to pocket it?" Uncle Li sneered coldly. "Xi Meichen, between the two of us, who's angling to pocket what? You know it better than anyone. Aren't you rushing things too much? I haven't even announced the Second Master's will, yet you're so confident that he left everything to Luowa. Why are you so eager to force her to sign this asset transfer agreement?"
Xi Meichen froze momentarily, then regained her fighting spirit. "Anyone with a brain can figure it out. Does this need asking? When Yi Weiyang was alive, his eyes were only on Luowa. He didn't give so much as a glance at those two kids. Do you think he'd leave even a penny to them?"
Uncle Li's face turned ashen with fury. He raised his hand, ready to tear the document apart.
"Stop!" A voice rang out firmly from the doorway, and someone strode in quickly, reaching out to snatch the document away.