Last Love chapter 126

When Wen Ke rushed back to City B, it was around three or four in the afternoon, and the scheduled time for the press conference was at seven in the evening. However, during these intermittent few hours, he had no time to catch his breath.

In a short period of just over two hours, he first handed over the evidence to the police department brought in by Xu Jiale, and then urgently convened a meeting with the current executives of the IM Group.

So, Xia Xingzhi only saw Wen Ke right before the start of the press conference. He had heard about what happened to Han Jiangque from Xu Jiale, and it did startle him.

Therefore, he had prepared to cancel the press conference completely. However, midway through, he suddenly received news that Wen Ke insisted on coming.

There was a lounge behind the conference room of the Peninsula Hotel. After Xia Xingzhi pushed open the door, he saw Wen Ke sitting alone on the sofa, quietly reading the script.

Upon hearing the commotion, the Omega raised his head, looked at him, and, after a second of eye contact, his face was pale, but he still restrainedly smiled at him.

It was an expression that Xia Xingzhi couldn’t quite describe after seeing it.

“Wen Ke, are you really…?”

Xia Xingzhi originally wanted to ask Wen Ke if he was sure about hosting the press conference as planned.

But because there wasn’t much time left, after glancing at the clock, Wen Ke stood up on his own, just lightly patting Alpha’s shoulder as he passed him, as if to reassure him.

Even though there was a thick mahogany door between them, you could faintly hear the lively commotion outside.

After the event at B University previously, there was high anticipation for last love in various circles. Not only did many media outlets come, but also many industry portal websites and evaluation institutions were invited. The entire process would be covered by several influential self-media live broadcasts. The PR department of Blue Rain ordered a sashimi buffet and prepared fine champagne.

So, during the wait, everyone’s emotions were already soaring.

For the people outside, this was undoubtedly a highly anticipated evening.

Just before pushing the door open, Xia Xingzhi saw Wen Ke suddenly close his eyes, pressing his forehead against the door. His eyebrows wrinkled in pain.

It was a moment of breakdown so subtle, almost as if it didn’t exist.

The silence in the room and the distant hum outside created a sense of both distance and closeness.

He was thinking about Han Jiangque.

Even though Wen Ke hadn’t said much throughout, Xia Xingzhi suddenly felt this way.

But the next second, Wen Ke took a deep breath, lifted his head, and calmly pushed open the large mahogany door—

With the noisy and excited voices, the brilliant lights instantly shone in, glaring on Wen Ke’s face.

Xia Xingzhi and Wen Ke walked out side by side. The Omega by his side, the moment they walked into the conference room, had already lost the fragility on his face from earlier.

…

The conference room at the Peninsula Hotel was already full of people, and several cameras were set up, keenly capturing every move of Wen Ke. However, as Wen Ke took step by step to the front and stood still, many attentive media people began to whisper.

Wen Ke was wearing a white sweater, which was not particularly formal for such an occasion, but that wasn’t the strangest part.

His belly was prominently displayed, making the rusty red stains on the sweater’s abdomen especially conspicuous.

The long-dried bloodstains had faded, forming fragmented and faint scabs on the sweater.

Many people were puzzled but hesitant to believe that it was really blood.

Wen Ke, holding the microphone, calmly began to speak: “I’m very happy to have so many people from the industry participating in the official release of Last love tonight. I believe colleagues from Blue Rain have already played the official version of the app’s promotional video in advance for everyone. Perhaps you don’t know yet, but by tonight, this promotional video has garnered nearly ten million views in just two weeks, and the app’s pre-download users have reached 350,000. This is a surprising achievement. Perhaps today, I can optimistically believe that Last Love might be the phenomenon-level social app of the year.”

“Tonight’s press conference will mainly announce that Last Love 1.0 will be officially launched at midnight on February 14th. More importantly, on February 14th, all logged-in users can record a time capsule, retrieve it from the Last Love server after a year, or send it to their loved ones. If the latter, Last Love will provide a certain amount of cash and badge rewards.”

“The time capsule initially came from a sudden whim of mine… I wanted to store emotions and memories like saving money, then retrieve them after a year.”

“I believe that after midnight tonight, our server will receive heartfelt messages from many, many users. Inside, there may be troubles, joys, sorrows, and confusion, but in any case, these emotions are extremely precious. I hope Last Love’s server can be like a bank, helping our users store these emotions properly, and then, after a year, deliver the self from this time with a more mature attitude to their loved ones. I have always believed that this is a meaningful thing, emotionally, in terms of growth, and in terms of personality. But actually, I didn’t expect that I would once again experience the significance of the time capsule in a way I never expected.”

“This morning, Last Love’s internal test server received the first time capsule, and this time capsule—came from my Alpha.”

Wen Ke paused for a moment here, lost in thought. It was the first time he showed a momentary lapse of composure, but he quickly lifted his head, calmly staring at all the cameras filming him, and softly said, “I will play this audio clip. It’s a very important record.”

Everyone in the entire conference room seemed to sense a certain atmosphere and fell silent.

Wen Ke’s demeanor was certainly impeccable, but precisely because of his unparalleled calm and restraint, it highlighted the undeniable fatigue on his face and the strange marks on the white sweater, all indicating a hidden tension.

And at this moment, those who were watching the live broadcast of the Last Love press conference were not only those present at the venue.

In many unknown corners, many people were secretly watching this press conference.

In the northern part of B City, Zhuo Yuan stayed in the study of the Zhuo family villa. The lights in the room were turned off, and he sat alone in the darkness, nervously staring at the computer screen.

Outside the Zhuo family villa, several Nissan cars dispersed quietly and parked. Xu Jiale sat in one of them, listening to the live broadcast of the press conference that unfolded in the night outside.

In the VIP lounge of Jincheng Hospital, Han Zhan sat upright, hands folded, expressionless, staring at the television.

“Xiao Ke, good morning.

Han Jiangque’s deep voice finally sounded: “It’s 10 a.m. on February 13th now. I’ve parked the car in an abandoned parking lot on the way to H City because I want to be the first person to make a time capsule.”

“Thinking that I can only let you hear my current mood after a year, I find it very novel but also very happy. At that time—we will both be fathers, right? We will have two little babies. You have already chosen a name, Han Jiangxue. It’s a great name. Shall we call him Xiao Xue?”

“In this period, I’ve also been thinking about what name to give to the baby. My Chinese scores were poor in school, so I thought for a long time. Later, I remembered what you told me. In all these years we’ve been apart, your favorite movie is ‘The Grandmaster,’ and you always remember that line: ‘If life has four seasons, I’ll be in spring before the age of forty.’ But I don’t like you thinking like that because, in the future, we will have many, many springs. So, only last night did I finally come up with a name, also inspired by your favorite movie.”

“Xiao Ke, I hope he can be surnamed Wen, named Wen Nian. Unforgettable echoes—just the word ‘Nian.'”

When Han Jiangque murmured, his tone carried a faint shyness, but the rising intonation indicated the excitement of becoming a new father.

With the arrival of a new life, the fathers envisioned names for their offspring.

It was a dialogue that, just by listening, made people feel happy—evoking thoughts of warm winter sunshine, breaking ice on a lake, and many other beautiful things.

Everyone listened attentively.

“Xiao Ke, actually, I want to tell you about my Omega father.”

Han Jiangque paused here for a moment: “When we were teenagers, I always hated him. You know, he used to beat me, scold me, and hang out with various Alphas. Even my memory trauma was due to his negligence during his heat, being with an Alpha, and ignoring me.”

After a while, Han Jiangque sighed softly: “Because he wasn’t cared for during pregnancy, he gave birth to me all alone, so he developed this postpartum depression condition. Then, because of this condition, he constantly ignored me.”

“Xiao Ke, I gradually felt many unfortunate things in life. Even if I pursued them fiercely, it seems that I was destined never to get a satisfactory result. My memory trauma can’t be blamed entirely on Nie Xiaolou, but after so many years, continuing to blame Han Zhan for abandoning Nie Xiaolou seems to have lost its meaning. Over the years, I just feel that everyone in their lives is not happy. Whether it’s Nie Xiaolou or Han Zhan, they are all growing old unhappily.”

After that, there was a long silence in the audio.

Even now, everyone present listened intently, as if they could feel the emotions of this Alpha speaking—

The genuine confusion and helplessness about the true meaning of life.

“The Han family is a family with a wolf culture. In this environment, everyone will do everything possible to fight for more resources. So, Han Zhan wouldn’t give up everything for Nie Xiaolou. To survive in the wolf pack, he had to be a strong one, the alpha in the family, or else he would be torn apart by others. Because he is the alpha who fought his way out in such a family, he was destined not to give up everything for Nie Xiaolou. So, many misfortunes in life are actually predetermined when born, right?”

Han Jiangque’s voice paused for a moment. When he started speaking again, he had freed himself from the previous low state and spoke very seriously: “Xiao Ke, I don’t want to be like them. Growing up, I always wondered why I loved you so much. Now I understand. Because I never wanted to be a wolf, being a wolf can be very successful, but it doesn’t necessarily bring happiness. The real me longs for you, so I want to leave the wolf pack—to be a deer, eat grass like a deer, and live happily and gently. So, I don’t want to hate them anymore. I mean Nie Xiaolou and Han Zhan. Maybe someday in the future, I will genuinely learn to love them again from the bottom of my heart, as long as I’m with you. That’s what I think.”

The Alpha’s voice was very deep, but the tone was extremely gentle.

At a certain age, people would comprehend the philosophy of their own lives in a sudden moment.

For Han Jiangque, perhaps this was that moment.

The words he spoke flowed to everyone’s present moment through the time capsule.

It was the most tender moment that everyone could imagine—

An Alpha born in a wolf pack decided to become a deer.

Choosing to be the happiest rather than the most successful.

It was precisely because this moment was so gentle that Wen Ke felt even more sorrowful. He knew that what would happen next would be so cruel.

Suddenly, he lowered his head, covered his forehead with his hand, concealing all his emotions beneath his palm.

A loud “boom,” even if only through the audio, was enough to make everyone’s hearts pound.

Then came the strange dragging sounds, the chaotic voices of people, followed by various footsteps.

Because the sources of the sounds were from a distance, the audio became somewhat blurred, but it still firmly grasped everyone’s attention.

In the face of the unpredictable development of the situation, one could only listen more intently. However, because of the increased effort to listen, a stronger sense of unease was felt.

“I want you to call Wen Ke and tell him to cancel the release of Last Love. Instruct him to notify the media with an emergency release, stating that a significant flaw in the app’s development has been suddenly discovered, and it won’t be able to launch normally within a year.”

“I’ve made myself clear, right? Han Jiangque, make Wen Ke cancel the product release, and I’ll let you go.”

“Zhuo Yuan? What does this have to do with Wen Ke’s app? He worked so hard to successfully launch Last Love. Why would you…”

“Because what I least want to see is Wen Ke’s success. I truly hope he can live in failure and misfortune forever.”

The malicious intent, unsettling through the fuzzy audio, reached the ears of everyone present.

At this moment, all the media personnel in the room had already realized what had just happened.

But this wasn’t the end.

The audio continued, playing until the phone call that Han Jiangque made to Wen Ke.

“Promise me, never forget the time in our love— all my love for you is in that, don’t forget me.”

After this farewell, the continued audio made everyone present shudder involuntarily.

The left arm was broken, the index finger was stomped on until it broke, beaten nearly a hundred times with an iron rod, a knife was broken in the flesh, and the gland was smashed.

In Wen Ke’s mind, he had mentally endured these injuries countless times, but when the audio played, the impact was unimaginable for an ordinary person.

Han Jiangque was brutally beaten for ten minutes.

Ten minutes, it read and sounded as two simple words, but when recorded, it was a specific 600 seconds.

600 seconds of hell.

Curses, the chaotic sound of footsteps, and then the muffled sounds of cylindrical objects hitting the human body, one after another, followed by the muffled groans when the Alphas wrestled.

Zhuo Yuan’s hysterical curses echoed: “Hold him down, damn it, you dare to move again—you dare to move—”

Then came the chilling subtleties of leather shoes crushing bones, along with Han Jiangque’s restrained and desperate screams.

His screams were like that of a dying beast, getting weaker and weaker, until they disappeared.

Until Han Jiangque no longer made any sound, the urgent conversation between Zhuo yuan and a few Alphas echoed, but the audio abruptly stopped at this point.

No one in the conference room made a sound. The female journalists sitting in the front row covered their mouths, and tears involuntarily welled up in their eyes.

Everyone finally understood that the Alpha who had just spoken about his happiness, wanting to become a deer, perhaps was no longer alive.

What they heard was the bloody crime scene, the process of a soon-to-be father Alpha being brutally attacked.

In this world, nothing is more shocking than reality.

Reality needs no explanation. It simply unfolds, and its power is immeasurable.

At the same moment, in Zhuo’s villa, Zhuo Yuan abruptly stood up.

His legs trembled uncontrollably for a moment. In that instant, he raced through numerous escape plans in his mind. Regardless of how fast his brain was working, he felt like his whole person was spinning—

It’s over.

This thought filled his mind.

He was utterly finished.

He dared not continue watching and instead turned away from the study, quickly grabbing the prepared suitcase in the living room while calling the driver and checking the cash.

As Zhuo Yuan’s car anxiously started, attempting to escape the Zhuo family villa, several cars hidden in the shadows had already given a signal, with Xu Jiale’s car discreetly following behind.

…

Long after the audio had ended, Wen Ke finally stood up. “This is what my Alpha left for me through the time capsule.”

“They destroyed Han Jiangque’s dashcam, used a disposable phone to make the call, and left no tools at the scene. Even Han Jiangque’s phone was taken by them. They thought they hadn’t left any evidence, and they nearly achieved a seamless crime. But no one could have anticipated that when they hit Han Jiangque with a car, he was recording the time capsule for me. The entire process was automatically uploaded to Last Love’s server.”

“The mills of the gods grind slowly.”

Wen Ke said each word deliberately, “No one expected that the time capsule recorded it all for Han Jiangque. In this audio clip, I’ve omitted some parts due to deeper future criminal investigations and involving more people. But I guarantee that what’s being played is true and valid.”

“The one who did this evil act is named Zhuo Yuan.”

The viewership of the live broadcast of the press conference skyrocketed during this time, and at the same time, relevant search terms in the search engine rapidly climbed—

Murder audio, Zhuo Yuan murder, Last Love, Time capsule audio.

This was a rare explosive news event in this era. Just like real videos of murder and beheading, people would watch them crazily, regardless of the viewers’ mentality. This audio had the potential to ignite public opinion.

Wen Ke knew he was speaking to the media present and the countless viewers outside.

His belly protruded high, and due to the heavy burden, he had to support his waist with his hands, but still, he persisted in staring straight at the camera.

Almost deliberately, he thrust out his belly in front of the camera. He wanted everyone to see, to remember—

The kids in his belly were named Wen Nian and Han Jiangxue. He and Han Jiangque could have been a happy and complete family.

“I urge everyone here to remember that my Alpha is named Han Jiangque. He is currently lying in the ICU, waiting for rescue, perhaps never to wake up again.”

“Also, I ask everyone here to remember that the suspect’s name is Zhuo Yuan. This man is my ex-husband and the son of Donglin Group’s head Zhuo Ning. He is also the nephew of the Deputy Director of the Municipal Government’s Industrial and Commercial Bureau, Zhuo Li. The black society they brought when committing violence is undoubtedly connected to the Zhuo family. Zhuo Yuan, Zhuo Ning, Zhuo Li, please remember their names.”

The Omega’s face was as pale as paper, but his expression was as calm as ice.

His pure white sweater was stained with dried blood, the blood of his Alpha. His eyes were also filled with bloodshot veins.

He widened his eyes, staring at the camera, repeating those three names.

Bloodshot eyes, an expression restrained to the extreme, and lips that couldn’t help but tremble even in such a situation.

All of this, in the close-up of the camera, was simply breathtaking.

It was a gaze that made everyone present and all those watching the live broadcast feel a lingering fear.

…

For many, this was destined to be a sleepless night.

In the city of Jincheng, within the only high-end hotel’s suite, Han Zhaoyu had also finished watching the entire press conference.

When he heard Han Jiangque talk about the pack of wolves fighting at home, his expression changed subtly. But when he saw the entire process of Zhuo Yuan taking action, his complexion turned extremely grim.

Not until he heard Wen Ke publicly say, “Some parts of the audio have been cut due to involving investigations into other individuals,” did his face turn deathly pale.

He paced around the suite alone, muttering suspiciously, “What did he cut?”

He suddenly stopped, his expression turning icy. He gritted his teeth and said coldly, “He knows—”

“He knows.”

As he repeated those words, veins on his forehead were faintly visible, and a fierce murderous intent flickered in his eyes.

…