"The second reason is Xiaofei. He has always been there for me. Even when we hadn't discovered our cursed relationship, he always stood by me. He is nothing like you. The last reason is Xiaotian, the poor girl who came to my mansion to meet me for this same reason. No matter how heartless I am, how could I not grant her request?" Yang Zi said fiercely.

"Xiaotian, it has been a long time since your father and his niece met so, let's give them some privacy so they can talk and bond freely," Mrs Jin said, as she stood up and grab Xiaotian's hands. She pulled the young lady along with her. She knew very well that things could get messy and she did not want her daughter to witness that.

"Xiaoqi, I am...,"

"Point of correction, Uncle, my name is Yang Zi, not Jin Xiaoqi anymore. I stopped bearing that name the day I jumped into that river 11 years ago. That is the day Jin Xiaoqi was killed," Yang Zi said coldly as she stared at the pale looking man wearing a hospital gown. She could see that he had aged more from the last time she met him.

"Yang Zi, I am glad that you visited me. Now I can die in peace," Mr Jin said in a calm tone.

"You want to die?" Yang Zi questioned fiercely.

"After what you did to your only brother's two girls you don't have such right. You lost the right to die the day I watched my sister die in my arms. You lost the right to have eternal rest that dreadful night," Yang Zi said in a cold tone that left the man shocked.

"You don't have the right to die but to live and see this girl you abandoned become someone so great that you won't have any choice but to regret the decision you made back then," Yang Zi added.

"Yang Zi, you never allowed me to explain myself...,"

"Allow you to come up with excuses? Tell me what excuse in this world is worth the life of my sister and the pain your decision caused me?" Yang Zi said angrily.

"It's true my decision did not only cost your sister's life but also brought you a lot of pain. Nevertheless, my decision also gave you a family who loves you and gave you a happy and fulfilled life..."

"Do I look happy to you? Does my expression depict happiness?" Yang Zi asked sternly, as she looked into his eyes. Right there and then her uncle saw the pain Yang Zi had hidden away through her eyes. He was overwhelmed by her sadness too.

"If you are looking for excuses to justify your cruelty, then search for some other excuses but don't you dare use the excuse that I am happy because I am not. I lost my mother the same day I met you again after so many years, and even though I was happy back then, your entry into my life snatched away my only source of happiness," Yang Zi said, as she turned to leave. The moment she made to open the door, her uncle started to speak up.

"Back then, it wasn't my intention to abandon you and your sister. Xiaotian was very ill before your grandma died. We were just about to fly her abroad for surgery just before the death of mother. We had no choice but to postpone our trip for her heart surgery, just so we could arrange mother's burial since we were not sure for how long we would stay there," Yang Zi's uncle said emotionally.

"Despite that, I was physically present in mother's burial, all I could think about was my daughter who didn't have enough time to live. She was just a child, and the thought of losing her made me go insane. My mind didn't reach out to the fact that my brother's children did not have guidance now that, their mother was dead. When we finally remembered you guys was when Xiaotian got better six months after her heart surgery. Despite still residing abroad, I asked a private investigator to search for you both but unfortunately, I learned that you both were chased out of mother's mansion by the bank because of the loan mum borrowed from them," Mr Jin said, as he stared at the lady standing in front of the door.

"Though the result was always negative, I did not lose hope of finding you guys. I continued having my men search for the two of you. The last time I heard the news about you, was the day you were released from the police station. I rushed back to the country as fast as I could but unfortunately, I was too late. I blamed myself when the news said that you were also dead. I cried but despite that, I knew that my regret or tears would not bring you both back to life," Mr Jin concluded as tears flowed from his eyes.

"Xiaoqi, I am sorry for your sister's death. I am sorry for the pain you had to go through back then, because of my decision," Mr Jin apologised sincerely. Yang Zi turned to face him.

"Your apology won't bring my sister back to life or take away the pain I went through. Although, it can't bring back these two things it will really give me peace of mind to hear Xiaotian boast about her father. It will gladden my heart to hear my best friend talk about how her father-in-law dots on her. Let the doctors operate on you because I will resent you even more if you dare die. After all, you refuse to have surgery," Yang Zi threatened coldly before she opened the door.

"Thank you so much for treating your cousins nicely. Thank you for not punishing them for a sin I committed and thank you for staying alive. I am sure your dad and mum will be very proud to see where their tiny Xiaoqi is right now," Mr Jin said before Yang Zi walked away.

AUTHOR'S WEEKLY APPRECIATION

Hello beloved readers, I just want to take out time to thank all of you for supporting me this far. Actually, the novel was never supposed to take so long but unexpected events happened. I could not complete the novel early like I wanted to but I promise you the story is gonna end soon. I am working on the ending now so please exercise a little more patience.

I love you all very much, thank you so much for all your supports.