1 1_Pay for His Sin

It was raining heavily on the streets, and Mu Lihai was stuck rooted standing there with his hands clenched, in front of his vehicle, a black Porsche. He stood there unable to do anything. His mind blank when every possibility of the woman lying lifelessly on the road scared him to the bones. He was someone who couldn't stand the cold due to his condition plus the anemia. Yet here he was, getting himself wet and drenched in the rain. But what could he possibly do about it?

He didn't mean it.

It was unintentional.

He was just upset when his parents told him to study overseas and leave all the riches and fun life he had in the capital city. He was just being rebellious.

He was drunk but he didn't want to call someone from home to come and fetch him. He planned to go to his apartment near his family's company to clear down his muddled head before going back.

He knew he was wrong.

He shouldn't have driven the car when he was unable to concentrate on the road. It was even dark due to the thunderstorms and bad weather. Now look what happened.

Mu Lihai froze. He couldn't bring himself to take even a step further. His shirt was already drenched by the rain. Thunder came rolling in the black sky- scaring him even more.

He was just a youth at that time. He was just 18, he just passed his graduation in highschool and he was now in the phase of having fun with his circle of friends. He didn't want to study abroad. At least not so soon.

"... Yao." a weak voice was heard from the woman on the road, just a few steps before him. He became rigid instantly and his whole body was trembling upon hearing that she was still alive.

There was blood on the road, and more was spilled and mixed with the rain. It made it seem like she was having excessive bleeding.

"I... I'll help you! Wait- I'll call an ambulance!" his voice cracked. His face paled upon knowing that she was still alive. Thank God!

He staggered back to the car to take his phone when he realized that it was out of battery. He cursed. What should he do now?!

Mu Lihai ran back to the woman almost half-dead and cold on the road. His face crumpled when he thought back of his wrongdoing, hitting the woman with his car when he was driving while not in the best condition.

He became frozen again.

"... Yao, sorry." the woman mouthed.

He immediately snapped back from his reverie and he picked the woman up from the street carefully. He placed her in the passenger seat while he dunk the seat below.

"I- I'll drive you to- to.. the hospital now!" he stuttered with his voice holding a tinge of panic and fear for what he had done. He was shivering hard in the coldness of the rain. His fingers beginning to whiten.

And once he was seated on the driver seat, Mu Lihai couldn't feel the steering wheel at all. He couldn't seem to grasp it. His hands were cold. His whole body was.

He saw his fingers shaking terribly. He didn't know what this feeling was. Was it fear? Terror?

He did his best to drive as fast as possible to the hospital. But fate decided to take its course to a different place. With the bad weather plus his condition that was a bit tipsy- he couldn't make it.

The woman couldn't make it.

*

Six years later.

Li Yao was standing alone at the cemetery area just in front of a single tombstone. The stone wrote 'In the memory of Fan Shi'.

Her mother.

Her only family that she had in the world, went away because of the unprecedented accident. Ever since then, she was alone. Totally alone without anyone to be there by her side anymore. No one to scold her, to give her advice, to accompany her everyday life.

No one.

She was just 17 when it happened six years ago. Her father died because of heart attack when she was five and now her mother had died too. They all left her behind.

Her relatives fought with one another to take her custody since her family was in hand of some assets her father left behind. Her parents loved travelling and they had a lot of vacation villas and beach houses around the country. They had a lot of land in the rural area too.

Those were the things her relatives wanted so bad. They were all fake people. She couldn't even support herself when she fell into their wicked scheme to take everything away from her- the rightful owner to those assets!

After they had taken advantage of her, they left her in the orphanage to fend for herself.

She started to hate herself for being so helpless.

She began to resent the person who stole her mother away from her.

"Mom..." Li Yao started.

"I'm now a lawyer." she smiled weakly.

"I want to avenge you. I want to put that person behind bars for killing you." her head lowered as her eyes started to sting.

"And I will take back what they stole from us." she wiped the tears away but they just wouldn't stop flowing.

She had been doing some investigation by herself these past years. She knew that the accident was covered by the power of influence and money.

"Those hateful rich people- just because they have money... they can cover everything!" she was certain that it was not her mother's fault for crossing the road without looking first.

It was the driver's fault for driving carelessly.

And she had a hunch that he was drunk while driving.

"... So hateful." she clenched her teeth. Her tears came trickling down as she fought the urge to sob. Today was her mother's death anniversary. The day of the most aggravating for her to endure.

But then, what could she possibly do other than collapsing on the ground and hugging her knees with sobs apparent from her mouth.

"Mom... I miss you..." her eyes stung again.

For the past six years, she was tortured. Tortured by the missing warmth of her mother. She missed her terribly.

And she swore to make whoever that person was- to pay for his sin.