Blood pooled on the ground as Zhang Jiandong’s life force ebbed away. Yet he felt no fear.

The cruise ship was at sea; there was no escape for anyone. Once he died, the explosives would detonate. The woman he loved, the rival he wanted eliminated, even the child he’d raised with affection despite not being his own – all matters of love and hate would be buried together today. Zhang Jiandong felt his life had been worthwhile. He and Zhang Jiaqiang had illegally immigrated to America together. He had become an American citizen, risen to become a boss, grown wealthy, and even became a Los Angeles city councilor!

In this life, he had been more successful than 99% of people. Living a few years less was worth it!

He just waited for the explosion that would send everything sky-high.

Having lost too much blood, Zhang Jiandong grew dizzy. He knelt on the ground with a pleased expression.

Tina covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face. Tonight had thoroughly confused her. With several plot twists happening at once, being told Zhang Jiandong was evil, yet unable to deny their years of father-daughter bond, she couldn’t help but cry when she saw him shot.

Hearing Tina’s cries gave Zhang Jiandong some comfort. This wasn’t bad. Though Tina wasn’t his biological daughter, her feelings for him were genuine. The child had been raised too innocently. The world was cruel – rather than letting her live to be deceived in the future, better to take her along-

Why hadn’t the explosives detonated yet?

Zhang Jiandong felt slightly puzzled.

Footsteps approached and stopped before him. It was Zhou Cheng.

Zhou Cheng crouched down and quickly picked open the handcuff lock.

“Zhang Jiandong, you’ve schemed most of your life, why isn’t your mind working now? If you could plant explosives on this cruise ship, would we all dare to board? Your subordinates are flesh and blood humans. When you were alive, you were the boss, the councilor, able to control them and make them obey. Do you think just because you want to die, they’re all willing to die with you?”

Die? Even insects struggle to live.

After risking his life in the underworld with his head on the line, surviving gunfights, and not yet enjoying all his ill-gotten gains – why should he die?

Zhang Jiandong’s throat made rasping sounds.

Zhou Cheng moved to help Cui Yiru up, but she pushed his hand away.

Zhou Cheng paused.

Xu Zhongyi stepped forward, “Zhang Jiandong, I’ve endured for so many years – did you think I had no abilities? You were stalling for time, waiting for the explosives to be placed. I was also stalling… letting you rejoice in vain.”

Zhang Jiandong turned his head to stare intently at Du Chenrong.

“Don’t look at me like that. I prefer working with clever people. You chose to get yourself killed – I can’t afford to keep you company.”

Xia Xiaolan finally understood where Du Zhaohui had learned his shamelessness.

Du Chenrong helped whoever benefited him in any situation.

In the underworld, one should keep their word, but Du Chenrong only cared about profit!

Indeed, with Zhang Jiandong about to die, no one on the ship would sympathize with him. Even if Du Chenrong broke his promise to Zhang Jiandong, no one else would know.

Xu Zhongyi took the gun from Xu Changle.

Zhou Cheng and Pan Bohua were too understanding. They could have shot Zhang Jiandong in the head but deliberately left him alive, specifically leaving the opportunity to kill Zhang Jiandong to Xu Zhongyi.

Without personally killing Zhang Jiandong, Xu Zhongyi could never release the pent-up anger from years of suffering!

Xu Zhongyi pressed the gun against Zhang Jiandong’s forehead:

“This was a trap. When you confidently left America, I wasn’t going to let you return. You wanted to take me down with you, but I won’t let you have your way. You must have been very pleased, holding my loved ones’ lives over me, making me hesitate all these years… I endured and endured, finally uncovering every nail you planted. Tonight’s ending is destined to disappoint you.”

“Xia… Xia-” Zhang Jiandong suddenly mentioned Xia Xiaolan.

Xu Zhongyi showed a slight smile, “Yes, you’re so clever. I couldn’t appear myself, nor could others appear, but a country girl renting my mother’s house – you definitely wouldn’t suspect that.”

Xia Xiaolan was truly shocked.

What did her renting Grandmother Yu’s house have to do with Xu Zhongyi?

Xu Zhongyi couldn’t have predicted she would go to America to search for relatives on Grandmother Yu’s behalf. At that time, she hadn’t even gotten into university, let alone become an exchange student… No, wait – when she rented Grandmother Yu’s house, someone had told her about it: Hu Yongcai, the procurement officer at the Shangdu Municipal Government Guesthouse.

Xu Zhongyi had used Hu Yongcai to guide her to rent Grandmother Yu’s house.

Perhaps Xu Zhongyi hadn’t planned for her to get involved in this matter, just wanted her to be Grandmother Yu’s tenant so she wouldn’t be so lonely.

Xia Xiaolan felt she had guessed the truth.

Xu Zhongyi didn’t explain further at this point. He reached out to pull Cui Yiru.

“Yiru, Mother is still waiting for us in Shangdu. Come here – our family has been apart for 20 years, we should return home complete.”

Xu Zhongyi was obsessed with “reunion.”

If it was to be a family reunion, naturally no one could be missing.

Cui Yiru placed her hand in Xu Zhongyi’s palm. Zhang Jiandong’s throat made increasingly agitated rasping sounds.

Unexpectedly, Cui Yiru suddenly snatched the gun from Xu Zhongyi’s hand.

Before anyone could react, she pulled the trigger, leaving a hole in Zhang Jiandong’s forehead. The next second, she quickly pressed the gun under her chin.

“Mom!”

“Mommy, Mommy no!”

“Yiru!”

Cui Yiru stepped backward, “None of you come closer. This is my own choice.”

Not allowing anyone to interrupt this opportunity, she promptly pulled the trigger. The bullet entered under her chin and exited the top of her head in a spray of blood.

In an extremely short time, Cui Yiru had first shot Zhang Jiandong dead, then committed suicide!

Everything was beyond redemption.

Xu Changle’s knees gave way as he knelt, holding his mother’s body and weeping uncontrollably.

Pan Bohua no longer held Tina back. She stumbled forward, her face covered in tears, not knowing for whom she cried – some of those tears inevitably fell for Zhang Jiandong.

Xu Zhongyi stood dumbfounded.

His already thin frame suddenly seemed stooped.

How could he not feel hatred and resentment?

He surely felt both love and hate – his wife’s betrayal, his own years of suffering. But beyond romantic love, he and Cui Yiru shared family bonds. He truly wanted to bring Cui Yiru back to Shangdu…

Xia Xiaolan slowly approached and took Zhou Cheng’s hand.

Zhou Cheng had the opportunity to grab the gun from Cui Yiru – Xia Xiaolan had seen his foot move.

Why didn’t Zhou Cheng do it?

At this moment, Xia Xiaolan understood Zhou Cheng’s thoughts.

Because Cui Yiru had already decided to die!

She couldn’t face Xu Zhongyi, nor dare imagine how her children viewed her. When someone no longer wants to live, Zhou Cheng might have stopped her once tonight, but no one could save Cui Yiru again and again.

Cui Yiru beating Xu Zhongyi to killing Zhang Jiandong was her way of personally settling her relationship with Zhang Jiandong, and also ensuring Xu Zhongyi’s hands remained clean, allowing him to better relate to Xu Changle and Tina in the future – Tina had regarded Zhang Jiandong as her real father for years, and though Xu Changle understood everything clearly, years of daily interaction and Zhang Jiandong’s care and attention couldn’t have failed to leave some mark on him.

At the moment of her death, Cui Yiru had finally done one thing right!