As Mr. Xiao finished speaking, he was about to kneel.
But Xiao Fan suddenly roared, "Dad, don't—don't kneel to this bastard! He wants to watch you beg—this is torture!"
Mr. Xiao shot back angrily, "Shut your mouth. If you had just behaved at the academy and not caused trouble, would any of this have happened?"
Mrs. Xiao, full of disappointment, scolded, "Xiao Fan, how could you become like this? Even if you interfered with another person's relationship, why would you ruin someone's engagement banquet?"
Xiao Ruyi had been silent until now, but she looked at Xiao Fan with furious disgust. All her life she'd regarded him as a model—she never expected the shining image to hide something so filthy and despicable.
In an instant the pedestal she'd placed him on came crashing down.
Of course, appearances could be fixed later; but the situation here and now was life-or-death. Thinking of that, Xiao Ruyi stole a glance at the dead members of the Liu and Yan families and couldn't help shivering.
Xiao Fan, unable to defend himself, could only groan in pain, "Don't ask—stop asking."
Even now he still wanted his parents to see him as an honest, upstanding child.
Qin Yan inspected the family, and while their attention was fixed on each other, he quietly turned and coldly looked at Liu Xinyao.
"I'll give you a chance to live," he said. "Go kill Xiao Fan's father. If you don't, you die."
Liu Xinyao flinched at the wolfish look in Qin Yan's eyes. Yet a fragile thread of hope flickered inside her. She had expected certain death—who would have imagined Qin Yan would offer her a way out? It was like seeing a beam of light in pitch-black night; she instinctively wanted to run toward it.
She turned, fixed Xiao Fan's parents with a feral stare, and slowly approached them.
Qin Yan smiled faintly, amused. He wanted to see what would happen if Fate's heroine killed Fate's male lead's parents—how would the male lead react?
Just as Liu Xinyao neared the three XIAO family members, Xiao Fan saw her. At the thought of Qin Yan ordering Liu Xinyao to kill his parents, a chill crept over him. He bellowed, "Liu Xinyao, don't come near my father! Stay away or I'll kill you!"
The XIAO family turned to look at Liu Xinyao; their expressions were a tangle of confusion and dread. They didn't know how to face her.
Liu Xinyao suddenly broke down and wept. "Uncle, aunt, please—do something for me! This is all Xiao Fan's fault. He ruined me."
"My boyfriend is gone, my family is gone—everything is gone."
Seeing her pathetic sobs, Mr. and Mrs. Xiao's hearts softened. They stepped forward to console her. But before they could reach her, Liu Xinyao sprang to life.
She seized a large knife from one of Qin Yan's guards and plunged it deep into Mr. Xiao's chest. The blade drove in from the front and out the back, tip dark with blood.
Mr. Xiao's eyes flew wide in shock, pain contorting his face. He stared at Liu Xinyao, "You—why—"
Liu Xinyao, possessed by a savage fury, hair disheveled and face twisted, hissed, "Xiao Fan destroyed me and killed my family—why are you still alive?"
Mrs. Xiao screamed, "Old Xiao! Old Xiao—"
"No—"
Xiao Fan snapped. As though a mad bull, a sudden force surged through him; he strained, forced himself to his feet, and lunged at Liu Xinyao.
But before he could take two steps, an invisible force struck his leg and he collapsed again. The fall bought Liu Xinyao time. She ripped the dagger free from Mr. Xiao and drove it into Mrs. Xiao's chest. "Die! All of you die!"
Mrs. Xiao was an ordinary woman—no match for Liu Xinyao's practiced skill. The knife sank into her breast. Trembling, she looked down at the wound, then up at the demon-like face before her and begged through trembling lips, "Please—spare my daughter. I beg you."
Those words caught Liu Xinyao's attention and her gaze sharpened on Xiao Ruyi.
Xiao Ruyi's face drained; she collapsed to the ground in panic. "No—don't come near me! Please don't—"
Liu Xinyao drew the knife and walked toward Xiao Ruyi. "Little sister, did you know what your brother did?"
Xiao Ruyi nodded, then shook her head, "I only just found out. I didn't know before…"
A weird, hollow laugh escaped Liu Xinyao. "Your brother is a hypocrite, a scumbag—a pompous idiot who deserves to die. And you—you deserve to die too."
She raised the blade to strike at Xiao Ruyi.
At that moment, Xiao Fan roared in fury, "Liu Xinyao—you deserve to die."
"Pfft."
A knife plunged into Liu Xinyao's back, shredding through and emerging from her chest. Xiao Ruyi screamed and, unable to bear it, fainted.
Watching the scene, Qin Yan almost applauded—what a show. The male lead's lover had killed the male lead's parents, and the male lead in turn killed the female lead. Spectacular.
As director of this little drama, Qin Yan allowed himself a satisfied nod.
After Liu Xinyao was killed, Xiao Fan took a heavy blow. He coughed up blood and sagged, nursed by a sudden collapse of spirit. Still, he forced himself to stand and fixed Qin Yan with a hoarse, animalistic glare. "Qin Yan—I'll kill you. I'll kill you."
He staggered toward Qin Yan with a knife, but a warrior kicked his leg and shattered it.
Xiao Fan fell again. Though broken, his bloodshot eyes remained locked on Qin Yan, brimming with hatred and a desire for revenge.
Qin Yan glanced at him once, then turned to Gao Wei. "Xiao Fan—next is your beloved teacher Gao Wei."
"I'll make you watch the people who care about you die one by one."
Then he looked at Qin Zhan. "Second uncle, kill him."
Qin Zhan grinned, "Heh—I've been waiting a long time for this."
He drew his warblade and strode toward Gao Wei.
But at that moment, Gao Wei, badly wounded by Qin Zhan, forced himself upright. His expression was unusually calm. "Wait a moment. I have a few words to say."
Qin Yan snorted. "Want to leave final words? Sorry—I'm not interested. Second uncle—kill him."
Qin Zhan raised his blade and swung.
Gao Wei did not dodge; a strange smile crossed his face, and then his body began to swell rapidly.
Qin Zhan's eyes widened in alarm as he shouted, "He's going to self-destruct—get away!"