"But we haven't seen each other for a long time..."

"..."

"Do you not like me anymore?"

"..."

On the other side, at the funeral, Sakuragi Hitomi looked at the message from Aria and felt inexplicably troubled.

She not only didn't want to respond but also felt a sense of suffocation.

It felt like a heavy blow, causing the dam built in Sakuragi Hitomi's heart to defend against "exhaustion" and "anger" to develop cracks.

Just as Sakuragi Hitomi's face was gloomy, her fingers hovered over the phone for ages without typing a word, An Le's voice came over,

"It's about time."

"..."

Sakuragi Hitomi looked up and saw several funeral staff standing behind An Le.

They were here to take Yan Huan for cremation.

"...Sorry, I have some matters to attend to now, Aria. I'll contact you later, okay?"

After sending the last message, Sakuragi Hitomi wiped the moisture from the corner of her eyes, put the phone away, and walked towards Yan Huan.

Many guests sitting below saw the funeral staff approach, realizing the process was advancing, and stood up one by one.

But the funeral staff just glanced back at the people behind, then looked at Yan Huan,

"Hello, just the closest two or three family members are fine. There's limited space over there, so if you want to say goodbye, do it here for the last time."

"..."

As soon as these words were spoken, An Le was already standing blank-eyed next to Yan Huan.

At the entrance, Tong Yingying, who had been smoking, had returned at some point.

Plus, there was Sakuragi Hitomi, who had been presiding over the ceremony with a "widow" aura...

The guests below stared blankly at the aura emanating from the three beside Yan Huan's body, then silently sat back down.

"Aunt Ye, you..."

Sakuragi Hitomi looked at the two people beside her and instinctively glanced back at Ye Lan.

Ye Lan also took a last look at Yan Huan, her eyes inevitably turning slightly red.

Then, she shook her head, spoke in a hoarse voice,

"You go ahead... After the cremation, bring Xiao Huan out. I'll handle the burial arrangements. I've prepared a grave for his parents at Linmen, and I want to bury Xiao Huan with his mom and dad..."

"Alright..."

Discussing the affairs of the deceased is always heavy.

Sakuragi Hitomi nodded, then took a deep breath and looked at the staff nearby,

"Please, take care of this."

A few staff members stepped forward, gripped the stretcher under Yan Huan's body, and lifted it.

Then, Sakuragi Hitomi, An Le, and Tong Yingying followed them out.

"Tap... Tap... Tap..."

The three women silently followed the staff all the way forward until they reached the waiting area in front of the cremation furnace.

"Please wait a moment. You can watch the cremation process on the screen. You're first, no one is in line ahead of you; once finished, our staff will notify you to pick up the ashes."

"Thank you..."

"It's our duty."

Sakuragi Hitomi bowed, as if taking a last look at Yan Huan being carried by them.

The iron door slowly closed, and Sakuragi Hitomi didn't straighten up again until a long time had passed.

"..."

Behind her, An Le and Tong Yingying hadn't left.

In the silence, Tong Yingying suddenly spoke,

"I found out where Ye Shiyu was hiding."

"?!"

Upon hearing this, An Le's expression immediately changed; she turned her eyes to her and asked in a haunting voice,

"Where...?"

"I asked someone to check the surveillance from these past days and found that on the night of Yan Huan's accident, she took a taxi from the hospital to Ye International."

Tong Yingying took out a cigarette, then a lighter, and lit it,

"Later that night, she left Ye International and went to the nearby staff dormitory. Until I just attended the funeral, she hasn't come out since."

During the pause as she took the lighter, Sakuragi Hitomi saw the outlines of the knife, electric baton, and firearm pinned to her body.

"Sigh..."

The hazy smoke from the lit cigarette clouded Tong Yingying's eyes, shaded by dark circles, making them look unclear, while An Le silently turned her back and was about to leave.

"Clap!"

Seeing her leave, Sakuragi Hitomi immediately reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

"We agreed, three days! Xiao Huan hasn't been buried yet, so what's the rush?!"

"..."

An Le turned her hollow eyes back to Sakuragi Hitomi, shook her head, and said,

"...I just don't want to stay here for now, is that alright?"

"Do you think I'd believe that?"

Sakuragi Hitomi didn't let go of her, while An Le trembled slightly and turned her head away,

"Why don't you believe me? Just now, I stayed with Xiao Huan all along. I... I saw... his body..."

She covered her face, her hollow eyes bloodshot,

"The ambulance hit Xiao Huan so badly, his body... even though the mortician stitched many places, his body was... still lots of places were twisted... unrecognizable..."

"..."

As she said this, Sakuragi Hitomi and Tong Yingying both turned their reddened eyes away.

Taking advantage of this, Sakuragi Hitomi also let go of An Le's shoulder.

"Sakuragi Hitomi... tomorrow, you'll go with me, right?"

An Le turned her head, swaying as she intended to head towards the hall.

However, after just a few steps, she paused and asked in a haunting voice.

"..."

Tong Yingying also looked at Sakuragi Hitomi, and Sakuragi instantly felt the weight of two gazes upon her.

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes.

But once closed, the horrific image of Yan Huan's condition, the message from Aria, and Ye Shiyu's misdeeds flashed before her.

All these elements acted like fuel, causing her emotions to sway violently.

But...

she had to remain calm.

Thus, she opened her eyes once more, reminding them,

"Even if Ye Shiyu is killed, it won't resolve the issue with the modifier... you told me this yourself, An Le."