Dressed in a full black lace dress, Zhi Lia walked slowly through the mourning hall.
The ancestral residence was filled with people dressed in somber colors. Incense smoke curled through the air, and low murmurs echoed beneath the high wooden beams. To an outsider, it looked like a gathering of grieving relatives.
Zhi Lia's gaze swept over them coldly.
She might not be personally close to most of these branch family members, but she had memorized every file about them. Their alliances. Their ambitions. Their hidden dealings.
News of her twin sister's death had shaken the Zhi Family—but not enough to wound those who coveted power. If anything, it had quietly pleased some of them. One more direct heir removed from the succession.
But Zhi Lia would not give them another opportunity to strike.
The burial was scheduled for eight in the morning. The family was preparing to depart.
As she turned to leave the hall, her eyes fell on her elder brother.
Zhi Shun was still kneeling before the coffin.
⸻
She remembered clearly how he had stormed into the ancestral residence days ago, still dressed like a beggar, with her subordinates trailing behind him.
"Where is my younger sister?!" he had roared. "How dare you tell me she's dead!"
His furious voice echoed through the ancestral courtyard, drawing everyone's attention.
"Y-Young Master!"
At first, no one recognized the ragged man who had barged in. It was only when they heard his voice that realization dawned. The security guards and bodyguards following behind him stopped at the entrance, uncertain whether to intervene.
"Where is she? Where is Zhi Lei?!" he shouted again and again as he made his way toward the mourning hall.
Then he saw it.
White funeral flowers encircled a dark brown coffin carved with intricate patterns. Paper lanterns hung above, and incense burned steadily.
Their mother, Cheng Rou, was kneeling in front of the coffin, feeding joss paper into a small brazier.
Zhi Shun's gaze slowly lifted to the portrait above the coffin.
The girl in the photo had almond-shaped gray eyes, delicate phoenix brows, and an oval face identical to Zhi Lia's. The only difference between the twins was their hair color—and Zhi Lei's gentle smile, the kind that could warm anyone's heart.
His tears fell without warning.
The last time he had cried was years ago—when their grandmother passed away and Zhi Lia left for Europe. Later, Zhi Lei followed her sister abroad, leaving him behind with their parents.
Before she left, he had always protected her, spoiled her, and chased away every suitor who dared approach. His college friends had teased him endlessly, calling him a "siscon."
The last time he saw her was five years ago at the airport.
After that, they lost contact. He could only learn about her life through Zhi Lia.
He never imagined the next time he would see her, she would be lying motionless inside a coffin.
Cheng Rou noticed her son and hurried to him, her face pale with worry.
"Zhi Shun! What happened to you? Why are you in this state?" she cried, reaching up to wipe the dirt from his face.
But his sorrow turned into rage.
His eyes flashed with murderous fury.
"Mother! Who did this to her? Was it the branch family?" he shouted. "They've gone too far! First Father, and now my sister? I swear I'll kill every single person responsible!"
Cheng Rou clutched him tightly, panic rising in her voice. "No! Calm down! This has nothing to do with your sister—"
"Nothing?!" he roared. "Then why is she lying there dead? Who did this?!"
He shoved her aside in his fury.
The guards rushed forward to restrain him, but Zhi Shun was stronger than they anticipated. He lashed out, kicking and punching, knocking over vases and scattering flowers across the hall.
"Stop him!" Cheng Rou cried, terrified.
At that moment, Zhi Lia arrived.
She took in the chaos—the shattered porcelain, overturned stands, her brother struggling violently against the guards.
Her eyes hardened.
She walked straight toward him.
When she reached him, she raised her hand and slapped him sharply across the face.
The sound echoed through the mourning hall.
"Brother!" she said coldly. "Zhi Lei is already dead. You are not the only one in pain."
Her voice trembled despite her composure.
"You may find it hard to accept, but she is gone. Respect her peace."
The slap stunned him.
The rage drained from his eyes, replaced by devastation.
His strength gave out, and he slid down from the guards' grasp, collapsing to his knees. He began to cry—no longer the arrogant young master, but a grieving brother.
Zhi Lia knelt and embraced him.
Cheng Rou stood nearby, silently weeping, unable to bear the sight of her children breaking apart.
After that day, Zhi Shun rarely left the mourning hall except to eat or sleep.
⸻
Now, on the morning of the burial, he still knelt there.
Zhi Lia walked to his side and gently patted his shoulder.
"Brother," she said softly, "it's time to send her off."
The pallbearers entered and carefully lifted the coffin. The immediate family followed behind.
Outside the mansion gates, Cheng Rou held Zhi Lei's framed portrait close to her chest as the coffin was placed into the funeral car.
Only close relatives attended.
They had deliberately avoided notifying the media. The Zhi Family did not want attention or speculation. They wanted her farewell to be quiet and dignified.
Their father remained in a coma, heavily guarded at the hospital by trusted subordinates. They feared what might happen if he woke and learned his daughter had been buried without him present.
When they arrived at the cemetery, the sky was heavy with gray clouds.
Zhi Lia glanced upward.
It looked like rain was coming.
The burial proceeded without incident. For that, she silently "thanked" the branch family—they had at least refrained from creating a scene.
One by one, the mourners departed.
In the end, only Zhi Lia remained before the fresh grave.
She had asked her elder brother to take their mother home first. Little Xiu waited in the car.
In her hand, she held a single white calla lily—Zhi Lei's favorite flower.
Zhi Lia knelt and carefully placed it on the gravestone.
She stood there for a moment, silent and unmoving.
Then she turned and walked away without looking back.
Her expression was calm.
But in her heart, a vow had already been carved in stone.
Whoever was responsible for Zhi Lei's death—
Would pay.