The night was deep and dark, the light and shadows hazy.
Under the orange lamplight, a woman, dressed only in a transparent white veil, walked barefoot on the smooth floor.
Her eyes were slightly upturned, alluring, wicked, and sharp.
"Ya Ya, are you seducing me?" Cheng Che leaned lazily against the bedside, staring at her.
He had to admit that Nan Ya held no attraction for him anymore.
Compared to Liu Hen's naivety, she was just as perverse and strange as him.
Suddenly, thinking of Liu Hen, Cheng Che felt a tightening in his lower abdomen, his body inexplicably hot.
Nan Ya had been standing motionless by the bed, but upon seeing Cheng Che's reaction, she subconsciously raised an eyebrow.
She felt smug; she liked Cheng Che's reaction.
"Brother Cheng Che," her soft voice rang out, her body swaying as she pressed herself against Cheng Che, clinging to the man like glue.
She grabbed Cheng Che's hand, "Brother Cheng Che, I missed you so much."
He chuckled softly, pulling her into his arms. "Then let me see how much you missed me."
He rolled over, pinning Nan Ya beneath him. His blue eyes were fixed on her sharp face, yet the image of Liu Hen's youthful, somewhat wooden face flashed through his mind.
"Brother Cheng Che, you're still so impatient," Nan Ya scolded softly, her heart bursting with joy. Her hand moved gently. "Old Master Mu's condition is so serious this time, how are you going to thank me?"
"Don't forget Mu Yichuan is still so calm," Cheng Che said, his hands continuing their work.
"Ah..." Nan Ya whimpered, deliberately adding a touch of coquettishness to her voice. "He really is infuriating, so how about I give him a little shock?"
Her wicked voice rang out, and the strength in her hands increased.
"Oh? Another good idea?" Cheng Che raised an eyebrow, a dark glint in his blue eyes.
"Of course," Nan Ya said confidently, moving quickly. "But whether I tell you or not depends on Cheng Che's performance…"
She giggled as she finished speaking.
"Little vixen," Cheng Che leaned down and bit her, simultaneously pulling at her white veil.
Just then,
his phone rang. It was Liu Hen calling.
Cheng Che frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, then stopped what he was doing and picked up the phone. "Hello, Henhen?"
A dark glint flashed in Nan Ya's eyes as she spoke, "Che-gege, so… annoying…"
Cheng Che paused, his dark blue eyes fixed on the person beside him. After a few seconds, he resumed his actions, until Nan Ya's voice grew louder…
Meanwhile, Liu Hen on the other end of the line was stunned. Having experienced much in life, especially under Cheng Che's recent tutelage, she had "understood" many things.
Therefore, she deeply understood what the voice on the other end meant. But... her Cheng Che brother, how could he be so heartless towards her...?
"Don't you want me anymore?" she asked, biting her lip and sobbing.
"I want you!" Cheng Che answered firmly, but Liu Hen was no longer sure who he was talking to.
After hanging up the phone, she huddled in a corner of the bedroom, sobbing softly.
Nan Ya sighed comfortably. So this blatant evil could bring such excitement!
But she still wanted to rush over and tear Liu Hen apart!
Lying on the bed, staring at Cheng Che's face, Nan Ya had suppressed the resentment in her eyes. "Cheng Che brother, are you angry with me?"
"No." His voice was hoarse, but the sinister undertones were still discernible. He glanced at the woman's small face before him. Ha, what an evil face. Cooperating with her would definitely force him to succeed!
"Don't forget your brilliant idea."
Nan Ya's sharp eyes flickered. So that's what he was after.
...
Train, bus, taxi—after a long and winding journey, Xin Yu finally found Nan Yu's unit.
But standing at the gate, she hesitated.
Gazing at the sacred military camp, she didn't know how to take a step.
She had finally seen Nan Yu, received her answer, but then what? What should she do next?
"Young lady, are you looking for someone?" the sentry on guard asked politely.
"I..." Xin Yu looked up at the gloomy sky, mirroring her mood, "I'm looking for Nan Yu."
She finally managed to say those words with difficulty.
However, seeing Nan Yu was surprisingly smooth.
Unlike her previous impressions of him, Nan Yu was now dark and thin, his eyes resolute, even the scars on his face seemed to radiate a hard, steely light.
"Why are you here?" He stood two steps away from Xin Yu, looking at her fair and serene face, like a lily, exuding its own fragrance.
"Someone told me that you know Mu Yichuan once gave me medicine that causes amnesia," Xin Yu explained in detail, afraid Nan Yu might be mistaken.
He was stunned.
His face hardened further.
A rumble of thunder rolled overhead.
Dark clouds pressed down, as if a bucket of cold rain was about to pour down.
Even faster than that were Nan Yu's words.
Cold.
A bone-chilling cold.
He said, "Yes."
Just a simple word.
But it froze Xin Yu, a numbness spreading from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.
"Are you sure? You…how did you know?" She forced a smile, not wanting anyone to see her vulnerability.
"Once when we went to Zhongao Hospital, the time you fainted, Mu Yichuan asked Qiu Zhi himself."
"…"
So even Qiu Zhi knew.
So Mu Yichuan himself admitted it! "Are you alright?" Nan Yu finally took a step closer to her. Her face was pale, yet she stubbornly persisted.
"Why didn't you tell me then?" If she had, would she have avoided falling so deeply into the false love Mu Yichuan had woven for her?
"Mu Yichuan threatened me," Nan Yu told the truth. "Qiu Zhi told me you loved Mu Yichuan and told me not to hurt you."
"..." Xin Yu lowered her head deeply.
Yes, she loved Mu Yichuan.
But what about him? He gave her a beautiful dream, then shattered it with his own hands.
Crack.
A bolt of lightning tore through the sky.
Then another.
Xin Yu looked up, tears streaming down her cheeks...
"Come inside with me to get out of the rain?"
"Okay."
Nan Yu was surprised to hear Xin Yu's quick reply. He had thought she would be so heartbroken as to self-harm.
A torrential downpour lasted all night, leaving her heart in turmoil. Xin Yu sat motionless all night in the military guesthouse Nan Yu had found, hugging her knees.
The crucial thing was, she wasn't thinking about anything…
"Are you really sure you can go back by yourself?" Nan Yu asked worriedly, looking at her tired and bloodshot eyes, his heart aching.
She sat all night; he stood all night.
It turns out the deepest pain isn't self-torture, but not knowing how to torture yourself anymore.
"I can," Xin Yu said firmly.
When she was sixteen, her mother left, but she still lived a good life until she was twenty-two!
She had barely stepped onto the city center when the phone started ringing.
It didn't give her a moment's peace or rest.
"Hello, Yuanzi." Her voice was hoarse, startling Cheng Yuan.
"Ayu, what's wrong?" she asked anxiously. "Where are you? Are you tired from the competition?"
"No, Yuanzi, I'm fine." Xinyu looked blankly at the bustling crowd. The post-rain sun shone brightly on the earth, but it couldn't warm people's hearts. "Was yesterday the last autumn rain...?"
"Huh? Ayu, what did you say! I didn't hear you clearly, where are you?" Cheng Yuan was almost in tears. Old Master Mu was hospitalized, and Butler Mu had kept quiet. She had finally waited until Xinyu's competition ended, and she really wanted to know what had happened.
How could the world seem to have changed so suddenly?
"I'm at World Trade Plaza." Xinyu picked up a bench by the roadside and sat down. She was so tired.
"Then wait for me, I'll be right there."
Xinyu leaned back in the chair, her dark eyes blank. She was tired, but she didn't know where to rest.
Ring ring ring.
The phone rang with an annoying ringing sound.
"Hello?" Xin Yu was also a little impatient, answering the phone without even checking the caller ID.
Her closed eyes snapped open.
"Sister," it was Xin Ran's shrill voice, "come to the Central Hospital right away, Dad's in the hospital."
"..." Xin Yu's first reaction was that the other party was a scammer. Her father, Xin Zhong, was in the hospital?
How could that be?
But what did his hospitalization have to do with her?
When she was in the hospital herself, this father never came to see her!
"Sister, are you listening?" Xin Ran's voice rose two octaves, "Are you pretending not to hear me?"
"You're so noisy, of course I heard you." Xin Yu replied casually, guessing that Xin Ran must be at Xin Zhong's bedside right now, otherwise she wouldn't be hiding her innocent, pure nature.
"You...!" Sure enough, Xin Ran was so angry she wanted to curse, but restrained by Xin Zhong's gaze, she awkwardly changed back to her original voice, "Sister, please come see Dad, he misses you."
"I'm not a doctor," Xin Yu refused; at this moment, she didn't want to see anyone.
Who knew what Xin Zhong was faking illness for?
Was he going to force her into marriage again?
Ha.
How ironic.
"You unfilial son!" Xin Zhong's roar came from the other end of the phone.
"Looks like you're in good health, full of energy." With that, Xin Yu hung up the phone. Call her unfilial if you want; she'd already taken on too many accusations.
When Cheng Yuan arrived, panting, she saw Xin Yu sitting on a bench with her eyes closed, seemingly enjoying the sunlight.
"Ayu—" Cheng Yuan called softly. She opened her eyes, and for a long time, everything seemed dark; she couldn't adjust to the bright world.
"Yuanzi." Xin Yu hugged her friend tightly, drawing warmth from her.
"Ayu, what's wrong?"
Cheng Yuan was asking when steady footsteps sounded, followed by a gentle voice, "Ayu."
Xin Yu quickly wiped away her tears, taking a few seconds to sit up straight.
She turned around.
Liu Shuihan.
"Brother Shuihan." Seeing Xin Yu remain silent, Cheng Yuan called out, forcing a smile.
But just uttering that address made her feel a sense of relief.
As if something had been released…
"Hmm," Liu Shuihan responded softly, then his gaze fell on Xin Yu's red eyes. "Ayu, are you alright?"
"No." Xin Yu replied, a bitter smile playing on her lips.
"Then do you want to go see Uncle Xin? He's in the hospital."
She looked up at Liu Shuihan, as if wondering if he was joking with her father.
But he wasn't.