CHAPTER 134: CHAPTER 134 XIAOBING, COME AND SUPPORT THE COFFIN

A flash of lightning blasted a loud crack in the sky at that moment.

The fleeting light illuminated everyone, inside and outside the door, entirely.

Rong Li and Rong Lin, lighting the way, led the procession for the deceased.

After a glance at Zeng Shouli and the people behind him, Rong Lin understood the situation.

Rong Lin said softly, "Thank you all for braving the rain to accompany my mother on her last journey."

After he had finished speaking, he looked at Fu Bing. "Xiaobing, come help with the coffin."

The meaning of his words could not be clearer.

Ignoring Dean Zeng Shouli, the Rong family specifically asked Fu Bing to assist with the coffin, making a clear choice.

Zeng Shouli, barely containing his anger, merged with the mourners following behind the lengthy funeral procession.

Wu Shi then assisted Fu Bing to the side of the coffin, taking a position behind Rong Li and Rong Lin.

Like the other members of the Rong family, she gently laid her hand on Rong Shizhi’s coffin.

The cold touch caused Fu Bing’s heart to convulse violently.

It was at this moment that she truly felt the reality of her teacher’s departure. In fact, she hadn’t seen her teacher very often, only during the first year when they lived together for three consecutive months. Her teacher didn’t mind that she wasn’t formally trained and taught her bit by bit. It was also because her teacher kept Fu Bing by her side while filming, making others believe she was under her teacher’s protection, that few dared to target her. This allowed her, a girl with no background, to build her career steadily, one work at a time, and win every award she could. Recently, her teacher had publicly supported her in establishing her own studio—recruiting directors, screenwriters, and actors—becoming a new major investor. Her teacher had smoothed the hardest paths for her, and then she passed away peacefully.

Fu Bing’s tears, mixed with the rain, streamed down her face.

In every step of her life, whether difficult or easy, she had someone protecting her progress. But what she could give back to them was far too little.

Wu Shi had been walking beside Fu Bing the whole time, holding an umbrella for her.

He naturally saw her tears.

He wasn’t sure if accompanying Rong Shizhi on this final journey could somewhat compensate for Fu Bing’s regret of not having been able to accompany Fu Ya.

The journey from the Rong family mansion to the ancestral tomb was not far, just two or three kilometers.

Normally, it was merely a walking distance. However, in the torrential rain and deep night of the funeral, everyone felt the road was endlessly long.

At the cemetery, many mourners, each dressed in black, stood quietly in the rainy night.

Suddenly, Fu Bing’s gaze halted; she spotted Qin Sheng and Li Yuan among the guests.

Only then did Fu Bing suddenly remember that Qin Jinhai was, in the eyes of the world, already dead. How had his obituary and funeral been handled? It was as if he had evaporated from the world, never to leave a trace again.

Li Yuan’s gaze met Fu Bing’s, and he nodded gently as a greeting.

Qin Sheng stared intensely at Wu Shi, who stood beside Fu Bing.

In the darkness, that mask was like a ghost. Why had this leader, the one who had forged the "Wronged Souls," suddenly become Fu Bing’s bodyguard? Even if he weren’t around, members of the Wronged Souls were there to guard Fu Bing. Apart from the love-struck Qin Jinhai, what other fool would do such a thing? And yet, Qin Sheng was unable to find any information about this masked man.

Just as everyone worried about how to proceed with the burial, the rain stopped.

The coffin was gently lowered. The elite proprietors, who normally never did manual labor, now each picked up a shovel.

Su Jiang and Su He, representing the Su Family, also participated.

Each person symbolically shoveled a few clumps of soil onto the coffin, a final gesture of sending off the old matriarch.

The Rong family’s relatives handled the rest.

By the time everything was settled, it was already 8 a.m.

After exchanging a few consoling words, everyone dispersed.

Li Yuan looked at Fu Bing, wanting to say something, but Qin Sheng led him away.

Su Jiang took the initiative to approach her. He looked at Fu Bing seriously. "How’s your health?"

"Not too good. Still in rehab."

Su Jiang glanced at Zeng Shouli and his group. "If there’s anything I can help with, just say the word. My Su Family owes you three lives. This debt of gratitude is not light."

Fu Bing nodded, a smile in her eyes. "I won’t be polite."

Su Jiang did not stay long and left in his car.

Fu Bing waited to leave with the Rong family.

After the funeral, Rong Li’s tightly furrowed brows finally eased a bit.

He approached Fu Bing and said sincerely, "You’re not feeling well. You don’t have to accompany us for the entire way."

"This is the only time I can accompany Teacher. I can’t bear to leave."

Rong Li said, "I appreciate your sentiment. Due to today’s events, Zeng Shouli’s faction won’t let this go easily. You will face many troubles ahead."

"You and the other Rong family members will face many troubles too," Fu Bing said calmly. "Thank you for steadfastly choosing me. As for the future, we will navigate it well, and things won’t turn out badly. Zeng Shouli might not clash with me to the bitter end. Smart people should understand that face is just for show; their own gains and losses are more important."

Rong Li understood her meaning. "I will handle things carefully from my end."

"Thank you for your trouble. Please, you and your family, try to moderate your grief. Teacher definitely wouldn’t want you to be overly sorrowful because of her passing."

"You too. Take good care of yourself."

"Mm."

As soon as Fu Bing returned to the villa, Wu Shi and Xiaomei quickly ushered her into the bathroom.

The housekeeper had prepared a medicinal bath for her in advance. Having been drenched in rain all night, she was particularly tired now.

Standing in front of her teacher’s grave, she hadn’t felt tired. Once she let go of that intensity, fatigue and pain overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.

Photos from Rong Shizhi’s funeral were leaked online.

Sharp-eyed netizens noticed Fu Bing standing among the Rong family and realized her deep connection with them.

However, another voice soon emerged: Fu Bing had pushed Rong He out of the Rong family.

This was because netizens noticed that Rong He was entirely absent from the funeral procession.

The netizens immediately started making sarcastic comments.

"Film Empress Fu really has some nerve, scaring Rong Shizhi’s son away from the funeral. Is Film Empress Fu trying to get her fill of attending funerals? After all, she was in jail when her own mother died. Now her acting bug is flaring up, and she’s treating someone else’s funeral like her mother’s. What a drama queen!"

Lin Feng proudly watched the comment he had sent.

Fu Bing had caused the news piece he painstakingly compiled to be deleted by the platform. If he didn’t ruin her reputation completely, he would change his surname! Moreover, he was getting paid to smear Fu Bing this time, so he did it with extra zeal!

His comment misled many bystanders.

"Really? Fu Bing didn’t even attend her own mother’s funeral?"

"She mentioned in a livestream that her mother died six months before her release from prison. She didn’t attend the funeral, nor did she care for her mother for even a single day. Failing to fulfill her filial duties, and now she’s obstructing others from fulfilling theirs. Such a drama queen!"

"I was originally a fan of her acting, but now that she’s not acting anymore, I’m unfollowing."

"Nobody’s hiring her to act, so how could she? Director Su approached her for a movie right after she was released, and we’ve yet to see any sign of that movie. What investor, flush with cash and a thick skull, would be foolish enough to hire her?"

Lin Feng’s comment had been online for less than two minutes when Su Junling posted a movie trailer on Weibo.

A swift public takedown!