<h4>Chapter 369 Xiong Mingde: Dead? </h4>


    ?Wang Liang, a mix of respect and resignation on his face, shook his head with a bitter smile. "He wants someone to pick up his car from the Dongjiang airport and deliver it back to his ce."


    !!


    The room fell silent, the gravity of the situation dawning on everyone.


    The revered Patriarch of the Wang family, a figure of immense power and respect, being instructed to handle such menial tasks?


    It was clear to all present that only someone of Zhang Wei''s caliber couldmand such authority and have their wishes fulfilled without question.


    The Wang family understood the importance of staying in Zhang Wei''s good graces, and they wouldply, no matter how small orrge the request.


    _______


    Back In Shanxi Vige!


    "What''s happening?" Xiong Rui stepped outside, her curiosity piqued by the unusualmotion echoing through the neighborhood.


    "Who''s making all that noise?" She called out, scanning the area for the source of the disturbance.


    Nearby, Xiong Mei leaned casually against a metal pole, an apple in hand. She took a bite, savoring the crunch, before exining, "It''s the Li family. Their son-inw came over yesterday and hasn''t left yet. Someone recognized his car and got suspicious, called the police. Now, even though his car''s still parked outside, their house is eerily empty. But there are clear signs of a struggle. The police are swarming the ce, searching for clues."


    !!


    Xiong Rui''s eyes widened in disbelief, struggling to process the flood of information. "So many things happened... Huh..."


    Xiong Mei nodded, her expression darkening. "It''s for the best... They got what they deserved."


    "Sister, You!?" Xiong Rui turned to her, stunned by her cold reaction.


    Xiong Mei''s lips curved into a slight smile, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as she recalled the events of the previous night. "You''ve met your brother-inw. You should know better; he''s not an ordinary man. In the future, think before you act. If you cross him, I won''t be able to shield you from his wrath..."


    Their mother''s reaction had been even more severe. She had holed herself up in the kitchen since morning, adamantly refusing to speak about the incident.


    The atmosphere in the house was thick with awkward tension, furtherpounded when Xiong Mingde, their father, inquired about the situation.


    Suddenly, a piercing scream shattered the uneasy silence.


    "Ahhh! No....."


    Xiong Mei and Xiong Rui, who had been standing outside, froze. Their faces drained of color. "What happened to Mother?" Xiong Rui''s voice trembled with worry.


    Without a second thought, both of them dashed inside, fear and concern propelling their steps as they rushed to uncover the cause of their mother''s distress.


    _______


    Inside, the scene that greeted Xiong Mei and Xiong Rui was one of sheer panic and despair. Their mother was on the floor, her sobs echoing through the house, as she knelt beside the fallen figure of Xiong Mingde. The sense of crisis was palpable, a heavy weight that filled the room and tightened around their hearts.


    "What happened mother?!" Xiong Rui eximed, her voice a mix of fear and confusion as she rushed to his father''s side.


    Their mother, Qiu Xingyu, who had been attempting to revive her husband looked up with tears in her eyes and confessed in a trembling voice, "M-Mingde...He just copsed suddenly and... and he isn''t breathing anymore."


    "What!?"


    Xiong Mei and Xiong Rui stood frozen for a moment, the gravity of the situation hitting them hard.


    Xiong Rui, snapping out of her initial shock, rushed to her father''s side, desperately checking for any signs of life, her hands trembling. "Dad, Dad! Can you hear me?" She called out, hoping for any response.


    Xiong Mei, her mind racing, quickly took out her phone to call for an ambnce. "We need help, now," she said, her voice steady but her hands shaking as she dialed the emergency number.


    Half an hourter, the somber scene outside the Xiong family home spoke for itself.


    An ambnce was parked at the front, its crew carefully wheeling out Xiong Mingde''s body, which was draped in a stark, white sheet.


    The patriarch''s unexpected demise had cast a shadow over the household.


    The neighborhood, already abuzz from the earliermotion at the Li family''s residence, was now rife with murmurs and whispers. People gathered in small groups, their faces etched with a mixture of curiosity and concern, specting about the back-to-back incidents in their usually peaceful area.


    Xiong Mei and Xiong Rui, apanied by their distraught mother, watched in a state of numbed disbelief as the ambnce doors closed, taking away their father for thest time. The reality of their loss was settling in, heavy and unyielding.


    Whispers and spective nces from the neighbors felt intrusive, adding an extrayer of pain to their grief.


    As the ambnce finally pulled away, hushed conversations filled the ce,ced with a blend of superstition and spection.


    "Two tragedies in one day... It''s a curse, I tell you," one neighbor whispered, eyeing the Xiong house with a mix of fear and morbid curiosity.


    "Maybe it''s retribution," another suggested in a low voice. "The spirits are displeased. First the Li family, now this... it''s too much of a coincidence."


    "I heard they were involved in some shady dealings," someone else chimed in, their voice tinged with a mix of rumor and half- truths. "Maybe it''s karma catching up with them."


    Xiong Rui, her emotions already frayed by grief and shock, overheard these whispers. Her face twisted in anger and pain, she suddenly turned towards the gossiping crowd. "Enough!" She yelled, her voice cracking with emotion. "Have you no respect for the living or the dead? Shame on all of you, spreading rumors at a time like this!"


    In the corner, Xiong Mei stood silently, her face an unreadable mask. Her eyes, dark and intense, swept over the whispering neighbors.


    Unlike her sister, she chose to remain quiet, her thoughts hidden behind a facade of calm. But the tension in her posture, the clenching of her fists, spoke volumes of the storm brewing within her.


    The air around her seemed to grow colder, adding a silent, ominous weight to her silent observation.


    Xiong Mei''s face, a blend of grief and contemtion, suddenly shifted into an awkward smile as she attempted topose herself. A solitary tear escaped her eye, trailing down her cheek. "C-Can''t you be less obvious..." she muttered softly to the sky, her voice barely a whisper.