Chapter 351: Chapter 351: Worried About a Death
Vernon Spann’s face darkened, and he looked deeply embarrassed. Jacqueline Spann was telling the truth; if he hadn’t been so useless at manual labor, he wouldn’t have ended up marrying a woman from the countryside.
"Dad, go up there and protect Mom. She’ll be grateful, and Grandpa and Grandma will see you in a new light."
Jacqueline Spann gave Vernon Spann a hard push. Time was of the essence. If they waited any longer, Phoenix Golding might actually be beaten to death. The mountains were high and the emperor was far away; no one would investigate if one or two people were killed. In recent years, there had been many incidents in villages where mobs had beaten people to death, and nothing ever came of them.
Seeing his daughter’s tear-filled, pleading eyes, Vernon Spann’s heart softened, and he started toward the stage. Jacqueline Spann breathed a sigh of relief and followed him. ’No matter what Phoenix Golding did, as her daughter, I have to protect her. It’s my filial duty.’
’It looks like Phoenix Golding’s reputation is beyond saving, but *my* reputation can’t be tarnished.’
Perched up high, Tang Xiaonan had a clear view of Jacqueline Spann’s every move. She was forcefully trying to push through the crowd, apparently trying to get on stage. Vernon Spann was also struggling. The crowd was too dense; they could barely move an inch. After trying for some time, they had only advanced a few steps. Plus, since they had arrived last and were at the very back, they were still a long way from Phoenix Golding. At this snail’s pace, it would likely take them over ten minutes to reach her.
Jacqueline Spann struggled to move forward. No one made way for her, and no one even noticed the father-daughter pair. All eyes were on the stage as people screamed excitedly, "Beat her to death!"
Human emotions are easily stirred, especially when a common interest is threatened. Even people who were normally at odds would band together to face a common enemy.
On stage, beating Phoenix Golding alongside Phoebe Huxley, was none other than Phoebe’s own arch-nemesis, Iris. The two cooperated seamlessly, one delivering a kick, the other a stomp. Phoenix Golding lay there like a corpse, completely unresponsive, not even making a sound.
"Will they beat her to death?"
Tang Xiaonan muttered worriedly to herself. Though she hated Phoenix Golding to death, seeing her actually being beaten by a mob made her feel uneasy. It wasn’t that she felt bad for Phoenix Golding, but rather that she couldn’t overcome the barrier in her own conscience.
’In my past life, I was a law-abiding citizen. I would even queue properly just to buy bubble tea, never doing a single thing that broke the rules or the law. When faced with unreasonable people, my first instinct was always to call the police and let them handle the scoundrels. I never once considered vigilante justice, let alone taking revenge into my own hands.’
The villagers shouted excitedly, completely indifferent to Phoenix Golding’s miserable state on the stage. Even Felix Thorne and Byron Thorne had calm expressions, as if this were just a common, everyday occurrence. Tang Xiaonan felt something indescribable in her heart, but it definitely wasn’t happiness.
’I never wanted anyone to die. I have a deep reverence for life. Even for cats and dogs, I don’t believe humans have the right to take their lives wantonly.’
Felix Thorne didn’t hear her. It was too noisy, and Tang Xiaonan’s voice was too quiet, so he hadn’t heard a thing. In truth, his mood at that moment was far from calm—not out of sympathy for Phoenix Golding, of course, but because he was bidding farewell to the last twenty years of his life.
’The affection of the past twenty years might as well have been fed to the dogs. He must have been blind to have ever liked such a vicious, promiscuous woman. If he ever gave that woman the time of day again, he’d renounce the Thorne name!’
Tang Xiaonan patted Felix Thorne on the head, signaling for him to let her down. She had just spotted Adrian Hawthorne. The moment Felix set her on the ground, Tang Xiaonan ran toward Adrian, with Amanda Chapman following closely behind. Amanda preferred to stick with her younger cousin and loved to tag along wherever she went.
Adrian Hawthorne was standing on a small earthen mound. Though it was a little far, the view was clear. Old Master Tate and Rosalind Green had not come.
"Mr. Hawthorne, will they beat her to death?" Tang Xiaonan asked, still worried.
