The Sweetest Marriage Ch.271

Chapter 271 – Life Imprisonment

Chen Yunsheng and Chen Shihuai went to the capital on the same day. They staked out every possible location but couldn’t find Chen Li and Wei Chen. However, they couldn’t openly search for them, as they couldn’t let the Chen family discover their intentions.

A week later, they still hadn’t found Chen Li, and Chen Yu’s funeral had to take place. After all, Chen Yu was a descendant of the Chen family, and they couldn’t hastily bury her.

Chen Yu’s funeral was held in the capital, at Baoshan Cemetery. Relatives and friends were notified, and a simple farewell ceremony was conducted.

During the farewell ceremony, Chen Yu’s elder brother, Chen Qing, did not appear. Du Lixun cried uncontrollably. Even after so many days had passed, Du Lixun had not recovered from the pain of losing her beloved daughter. She looked several years older, lacking the grace and elegance she once had as the lady of the Chen family.

Seeing Du Lixun in this state, guests who came to offer condolences wanted to comfort her. However, seeing her heartbroken appearance, they could only pat her on the back and say, “Condolences.”

Du Lixun didn’t seem to register their words; she looked utterly exhausted.

Chen Yunsheng’s expression wasn’t good either. People assumed it was due to the grief of losing his daughter, but only he knew that whether Chen Yu lived or died, it had no impact on him. His current demeanor was more a result of not finding Chen Li.

Chen Li and Wei Chen seemed to have disappeared from the world. They couldn’t even trace where the two were now. Chen Yunsheng and Chen Shihuai regretted not acting differently in the past. If they had known that the autistic fool from over twenty years ago was Mr. Qu’s son, they would have actively facilitated the love between Chen Yunlan and Qu Ran.

They would have become in-laws with Mr. Qu, benefiting from the Qu family’s influence. Their Chen family would have developed far beyond its current state. Why bother being subject to the Chen family’s influence in the capital now?

Or perhaps, if they had treated Chen Li better, acknowledging him as a member of the Chen family, creating a sense of belonging, things might not have ended up like this.

However, reflecting on the past was now futile. What was done was done, and the damage caused couldn’t be undone.

Understanding all of this clearly, Chen Shihuai and Chen Yunsheng became more anxious and fearful. There were still many guests offering condolences, including some who had come from Shanghai. In the eyes of these guests, the Chen family was still the prestigious family from before, connected to the capital’s Chen family, still in its glorious times, still a social entity worth networking with.

Looking at the room full of guests, their faces adorned with feigned sorrow that couldn’t hide the flattering expressions, Chen Yunsheng felt a sudden dizziness. He seemed to foresee the future – the downfall of the Chen family, deserted and even targeted by others.

No one knew what Chen Yunsheng was thinking at the moment. If these people knew, they would quickly change their expressions and leave immediately. The Chen family, now deemed worthless, was destined not to have any dealings with these people. Getting too close might even lead to unwarranted consequences – the risks outweighed the benefits.

Chen Yu’s remains were ultimately pushed into the crematorium, and when they emerged, she had turned into a handful of ashes. At this moment, Du Lixun, holding Chen Yu’s ashes, slowly began to recover. However, she still had a tearful and sorrowful appearance.

From cremation to burial, the entire process took only half an hour. Du Lixun, emotionally shattered by Chen Yu’s death, was escorted into the resting room by her family. Despite their attempts to console her, Du Lixun remained in a detached state, seemingly oblivious to their words.

At that moment, voices echoed near the entrance of the resting room. In any place, there were always people with loose tongues spreading news that could be either true or false.

“Why didn’t we see Young Master Chen from the Chen family today? How come the older brother didn’t attend his own sister’s funeral?”

“He didn’t choose not to attend; he couldn’t. I have a relative working in the public security department, and I heard that Young Master Chen has been arrested on serious charges, intentional homicide! Don’t underestimate him just because he’s young; he already has several lives on his hands. If it weren’t for the Chen family in the capital, he would probably have been arrested long ago.”

“According to what you’re saying, with the support of the Chen family in the capital, shouldn’t Young Master Chen Qing avoid getting arrested?”

“I heard that when Young Master Chen Qing was in the capital, he offended a formidable figure. Even the Chen family in the capital couldn’t help him. Moreover, that relative said that once Young Master Chen Qing is in, it will be challenging for him to get out again. The evidence for those lives is solid. It’s either the death penalty or life imprisonment.”

“So serious? Young Master Chen Qing doesn’t usually seem so arrogant and domineering. How did he end up actually killing someone?”

“Who knows? People can be deceiving. Who knows if Young Master Chen Qing’s usual polite demeanor is just an act?”

“This…”

Before these people could continue, the door of the resting room was suddenly pushed open from the inside. Du Lixun, with disheveled hair, stood by the door, glaring at them with bloodshot eyes.

“Madam Chen…”

The people who were just engaged in lively conversation suddenly fell silent, and after a few forced laughs, they quickly left.

“Lixun, don’t listen to their nonsense. Chen Qing will come out soon. He’s the young master of the Chen family. Who dares to touch him!” Du Lixun’s mother tried to reassure her, with a hint of disbelief in her tone. With Chen Qing’s background and status, even in the capital, few could afford to act against him.

“Mom.” Du Lixun finally spoke, “I’ve been feeling very uneasy these past few days. I thought it was because of Xiao Yu’s death, but…”

But she didn’t finish her sentence. After listening to the conversation outside the door, the feeling of unease in Du Lixun’s heart grew stronger, as if something was hanging over her chest, occasionally stabbing at her.

What those people said at the door just now was actually correct. Chen Qing was involved in a homicide case during the summer vacation after graduating from high school. On that day, he accidentally killed a classmate, panicked, and instead of confessing, he disposed of the body in the wilderness, covering up the evidence.

Chen Qing, despite hiding it well, was discovered by Du Lixun. Under her relentless questioning, Chen Qing finally revealed the whole story. Du Lixun didn’t blame him; after some manipulation, an innocent classmate took the blame, becoming a scapegoat and going to jail in place of Chen Qing.

Only Du Lixun and Chen Qing knew about this incident.

Du Lixun’s mother, unaware of Du Lixun’s agitation, comforted her, saying, “I think you’re just overthinking, coupled with a lack of rest in these past few days. Go back and get some sleep; you’ll be fine.”

As Du Lixun’s mother spoke, Chen Yunsheng passed by. Du Lixun grabbed him and asked, “Where’s Chen Qing? Why isn’t he here?”

Chen Yunsheng, already frustrated, became even more irritated when asked about Chen Qing. He pushed Du Lixun’s hand away and said impatiently, “He got caught for murder and won’t be saved! Are you satisfied now? You raised a murderer!”

After saying this, Chen Yunsheng left angrily. While he had been searching for Chen Li in the past few days, he had also been trying to find a way to save Chen Qing. After all, Chen Qing was now the only heir of the Chen family, and Chen Yunsheng couldn’t afford to let anything happen to him.

However, the higher-ups were determined to put Chen Qing in a dire situation, digging up a murder case from several years ago. As Chen Qing’s father, Chen Yunsheng was unaware of Chen Qing’s crime from years ago. He suspected that Du Lixun, that vile woman, had helped conceal it; otherwise, how could he not have heard a single whisper?

Leaving Du Lixun with the answer she sought, Chen Yunsheng stormed away. After hearing the truth from him, Du Lixun’s entire body went limp, and she fainted.

Her mother caught Du Lixun and urgently called her name, hoping to wake her up and make sense of the chaos.

For some reason, the phrase popped into Du Lixun’s mother’s mind: “Everything is in chaos.”

After about ten minutes, Du Lixun woke up. In contrast to her previous hysterics, the now awakened Du Lixun was very quiet, quietly unsettling.

“Lixun, you’re finally awake.” Du Lixun’s mother sighed in relief.

“Mom, can you help me inquire about Chen Qing’s situation? I want to see him,” Du Lixun said.

Du Lixun’s mother wore a slightly troubled expression. She had anticipated that when Du Lixun woke up from her faint, she would want to know about Chen Qing. She had already inquired in advance, but seeing Du Lixun’s current state, she hesitated on whether to share the information.

“Mom, do you know?” Du Lixun turned to her mother. Although phrased as a question, her tone was sure.

Seeing Du Lixun’s attitude, her mother no longer concealed the truth, “I’ve learned about Chen Qing’s situation. The trial is in two days, and the outlook isn’t optimistic.”

Du Lixun’s pupils contracted, but she quickly regained her composure and calmly said, “Mom, please leave. Let me be alone for a while.”

Du Lixun’s mother looked at her with concern. “Try to calm down. I’ll be outside. Call me if you need anything.” With these words, she left the room, glancing back three times.

Du Lixun’s lifeless gaze stared at the ceiling. Until now, she hadn’t fully grasped why things had turned out this way.

…

Three days later, the trial for Chen Qing’s crimes was held as scheduled. Chen Yunsheng and Du Lixun both attended. Chen Qing, escorted by special forces, was pushed into the defendant’s seat. Judging by his current state, he hadn’t been doing well these past few days, appearing disheveled and slack.

Seeing him, Du Lixun felt heartbroken, wishing she could rush up and bring Chen Qing back home.

Chen Yunsheng, unusually emotional, had red eyes. No matter how ruthless he might be, Chen Qing was still his son, a son he had worked hard to raise.

Chen Qing noticed Chen Yunsheng and Du Lixun, and a slightly mocking curve appeared on his lips. It was unclear whether he was mocking their helplessness or his own.

Chen Qing’s verdict came quickly. With concrete evidence, be it the murder case from several years ago or the attempted murder half a month ago, all evidence pointed to him. Chen Qing had no defense and could only accept the legal judgment.

Life imprisonment, without the possibility of parole.

Upon hearing the verdict, Du Lixun couldn’t hold back her tears. She didn’t even have a chance to say a word to Chen Qing before he was taken away.

Chen Yunsheng’s face turned dark and blue because he knew this result was irreversible. His son, Chen Qing, was finished for the rest of his life.

Supporting each other, the couple left the courtroom. However, as soon as they stepped out, a large group of journalists swarmed them. Despite knowing that this couple had lost their daughter a few days ago, and now their only son had been sentenced to life imprisonment, the journalists had no sympathy. They believed this was the result of the couple’s own actions.

“Did you ever think about the consequences when you tried to take your nephew’s heart to save your daughter?”

“When your son committed murder and shifted the blame onto a classmate, did you help him?”

“Can you explain…”

The reporters’ sharp questions were like knives stabbing into Du Lixun and Chen Yunsheng, making them feel dizzy and almost faint.

The bodyguards, belatedly realizing the situation, intervened to separate the journalists. They escorted the couple back to their car, but in the chaos, some individuals managed to throw a few rotten eggs at them.

The wheel of karma turns; the heavens spare no one.

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