But if he were to be worthy of Fu Ying now, wouldn't Wei Xiaoyu, who already had a child, become an orphan and a widow? He was caught in an extreme dilemma. Deep down, he also longed to see the mother and sister Li Wei had described, who were constantly in tears. He felt terribly unfilial.
Seeing Zhou Xuan's hesitant expression, Li Wei said again, "My dear brother, hurry back to the capital. Everyone at home is worried about you. They still don't know where you are. My beautiful sister-in-law asked me to come secretly this time. Nobody at home knows. If you want your family to be at ease, you have to go back. I'll book the tickets right away."
As Li Wei spoke, he took out his phone to ask Fu Ying to book tickets. Just as he had said before, he was not good at studying and could not understand English, so he was very conflicted. He had to let Fu Ying handle these things.
However, Zhou Xuan stopped Li Wei abruptly. After hesitating for a moment, he still said, "Li Wei, you... you'd better not call. I won't go back."
Li Wei asked in surprise, "What? You're not going back? And what's your reason for that?"
Zhou Xuan bit his lip and pondered, unsure whether to speak or not. If what Li Wei and Fu Ying said was true, then Wei Xiaoyu had deceived him, and Zhou Xuan basically believed this fact. Li Wei didn't seem to be lying when he spoke. Whether he was lying or not, Zhou Xuan could basically sense it by using his supernatural ability to detect the aura. Li Wei was not lying.
Ultimately, Zhou Xuan's reason for not having her past memories is that although she believes what Li Wei said is true, she doesn't have the deep emotional bond with Fu Ying that she shared with her through thick and thin. So, although she feels somewhat sorry for her, it's not something she absolutely has to do. On the contrary, she has developed an incomparable bond with Wei Xiaoyu during this period.
Although Wei Xiaoyu deceived him, it was all based on her love for him; even the deception was benign. Now, Wei Xiaoyu is pregnant with his child, and Zhou Xuan can't imagine how miserable she would be if he left her.
A young lady from a wealthy family, of incomparably noble status, with stunning beauty, and the best in every way, yet such a girl disregarded everything to wander the world with him, giving everything for him without complaint or regret. How could he possibly do anything to betray such a girl?
Although he felt sorry for Fu Ying, he ultimately had no memory of her in his heart. Even though he felt guilty, he felt a little better about it, so he decided not to see her. He also couldn't see his parents and siblings for the time being; there was no way to resolve this matter. He was afraid he couldn't even face Wei Xiaoyu's parents, unable to make promises to them or provide Wei Xiaoyu with a stable home. All of this was his fault.
"Li Wei, I can't go back because I have another woman," Zhou Xuan said hesitantly. No matter what, Li Wei didn't seem to be someone who could be dismissed with a simple reason. He could only try to make him back down by presenting the current facts.
"What?" Li Wei was truly taken aback, asking in utter astonishment, "You... have another woman? How is that possible? What kind of woman is she?"
Li Wei was shocked, and then wondered if Zhou Xuan had been heartbroken and had found a foreign woman abroad. His mind raced, and he thought that foreign women were easier to talk to than Chinese women. He could give her some money at most. Money would make things easier. He had to bring Zhou Xuan back no matter what.
Zhou Xuan was still hesitating about whether to mention Wei Xiaoyu, but he was worried about Li Wei's reaction. He hesitated for a moment, but then he heard two soft knocks on the door. The door opened and Wei Xiaoyu and Fu Ying walked in at the same time.
When Zhou Xuan looked at them, Wei Xiaoyu's expression was one of stubborn refusal to admit defeat, mixed with a hint of fear and worry, while Fu Ying had a pitiful expression. Zhou Xuan was torn, but unconsciously, the scales tipped in favor of Wei Xiaoyu.
Wei Xiaoyu was clever. Although she didn't say a word, her hands gently covered her lower abdomen, subtly hinting to Zhou Xuan that the baby in her womb...
Li Wei wasn't surprised to see Fu Ying, but when he suddenly saw Wei Xiaoyu, he was stunned for a moment, and then asked dumbly, "Xiao...Xiaoyu, what are you doing here? Did your beautiful sister-in-law tell you?"
In his mind, he still thought that Fu Ying and Wei Xiaoyu had a deep relationship, and that she had called her good friend over to help at a critical moment. So he asked her this question subconsciously, but Wei Xiaoyu blushed and gritted her teeth without answering him.
Fu Ying coldly replied, "I didn't invite her, nor would I dare trouble her."
Li Wei noticed that Fu Ying's tone was a bit off, and paused for a moment. He suddenly felt that the atmosphere was a bit unnatural, and then he remembered what Zhou Xuan had just said to him.
After a moment of stunned silence, Li Wei suddenly stammered, "You...you...your woman is...is..." Li Wei couldn't help but point at Wei Xiaoyu, but deep down he simply couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe Zhou Xuan and Fu Ying's relationship could be like this, nor could he accept the fact that Zhou Xuan would abandon Fu Ying.
Zhou Xuan sighed, then silently took Wei Xiaoyu's hand and stood side by side with her before saying to Li Wei, "That's right, it's Xiaoyu."
Li Wei was so shocked he was speechless. He simply couldn't believe what he was seeing. If Zhou Xuan had mentioned Wei Xiaoqing, he could have accepted it, because he knew Wei Xiaoqing also openly liked Zhou Xuan. But he had never heard of Wei Xiaoyu, who was even stronger than those elite male soldiers, liking Zhou Xuan. In his heart, it seemed like an impossible combination, something he simply couldn't believe.
Fu Ying suddenly felt her body go limp, and for a moment she felt utterly lifeless. Tears streamed down her cheeks involuntarily. Zhou Xuan's decision and his words had deeply wounded her. Although she knew that Zhou Xuan's main reason was that he had lost his memory due to injury, the fact remained that there was no room for explanation. Even if Zhou Xuan regained his memory, so what?
Regardless, Zhou Xuan and Wei Xiaoyu had already slept together; the deed was done. Even if Zhou Xuan regained his memory, Wei Xiaoyu's affair would remain an irreparable rift between them.
Fu Ying had never felt so helpless, so heartbroken, so weak and powerless, so that she felt there was nothing left in this world for her to cherish.
Li Wei was stunned for a moment. After realizing what was happening, he hurriedly grabbed his hands. Seeing that Fu Ying's expression didn't seem to be like his, as if she had just learned the truth, it seemed that Fu Ying had known all along. If Zhou Xuan's woman was a foreign woman as Li Wei thought, or even a woman he didn't know, Li Wei could throw money at her first, and then add a big stick after the money. He would do everything he could to pull Zhou Xuan back.
But now that Zhou Xuan's woman is real, and it turns out to be Wei Xiaoyu, Li Wei is somewhat helpless. Based on his relationship with the Wei family, he can't help Fu Ying with this. Even putting aside the relationship between the Wei and Li families, if Li Wei wants to deal with Wei Xiaoyu, he has to consider whether his fists are hard enough, his skin is thick enough, and whether he can withstand Wei Xiaoyu's beating. If he were to call a bunch of thugs, they still wouldn't be a match for Wei Xiaoyu. As for hiring top experts to deal with Wei Xiaoyu, that's impossible; he doesn't have that kind of intention.
Li Wei wasn't stupid. Wei Xiaoyu wasn't an ordinary person. After thinking about it, he understood her relationship with Zhou Xuan. Since it had been several months, it was impossible for the elders of the Wei family to be completely unaware of the situation. It was very likely that the Wei family patriarch and the three Wei brothers knew about it.
As Li Wei thought about this, he suddenly remembered that when he was looking for Zhou Xuan at Wei Haihe's place, Wei Haihe's expression was very strange. He didn't seem as anxious as when Zhou Xuan disappeared. Now that he thought about it, Li Wei suddenly understood. Maybe the Wei family already knew about Wei Xiaoyu. What else could he say?
Li Wei fell silent. Fu Ying closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face, her breath aching with pain. Li Wei was speechless. To be honest, Fu Ying had asked Li Wei to come for a reason, but Li Wei was clearly hindered by the relationship between the Wei and Li families. Even though he wanted to speak up for her and help her, he was powerless at this moment.
Fu Ying's heart sank to the bottom of the sea, her spirit utterly dead.
After standing there blankly for a while, the four people in the room each had a different expression, but none of them had anything to say.
Fu Ying wiped away her tears, then suddenly smiled and said to Zhou Xuan, "Zhou Xuan, I don't blame you. As long as you're doing well, I'm at peace. I'm leaving now. From now on, you two should live your lives well."
After saying that, Fu Ying resolutely turned and walked out of the room. Zhou Xuan even sensed a kind of tragic grandeur in her resoluteness, and his heart ached again—a agonizing pain.
Volume 1, Chapter 507: Painful Memories
Chapter 507 Unbearably Painful Memories
Seeing that something was wrong, Li Wei said to Zhou Xuan, "Brother Xuan, you... sigh..." When Li Wei opened his mouth, he saw Wei Xiaoyu but couldn't say anything. He sighed, shook his head, and chased after her.
Zhou Xuan's legs felt like they weighed a ton; he wanted to chase after Fu Ying, but he couldn't lift them. Wei Xiaoyu clung to his arm pitifully, looking at him with teary eyes.
Zhou Xuan stared blankly out the door. Fu Ying's beautiful yet heartbreaking eyes pained him. He felt a deep wound in his heart. He seemed to have some kind of telepathic connection with Fu Ying. Could it be as Li Wei said, that he and Fu Ying had a life-and-death emotional experience?
Without stepping out of the room, Wei Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief, helped Zhou Xuan sit on the sofa, and poured him a glass of water.
Zhou Xuan seemed oblivious as he took the cup and poured it into his mouth. Water dripped from his lips onto his body.
Wei Xiaoyu quickly grabbed a towel to wipe him down. Seeing Zhou Xuan's absent-minded appearance, she wanted to get angry, but couldn't. She knew that Zhou Xuan was like this because of Fu Ying. Wasn't all of this because of her?
Zhou Xuan already knew the truth, but his reaction wasn't as intense as she had imagined. His expression was calm, and he didn't blame her, which left Wei Xiaoyu somewhat bewildered. Most importantly, Fu Ying actually gave up on the spot, allowing Wei Xiaoyu and Zhou Xuan to be together, leaving Wei Xiaoyu completely lost and confused.
Zhou Xuan's absent-minded appearance both pained and saddened Wei Xiaoyu. Was this the result she wanted? Wasn't her ideal life one where she and Zhou Xuan lived happily and peacefully in a secluded paradise?
Zhou Xuan's mind was hazy, and he only felt heartache. In fact, he had no memory of Fu Ying, but he just felt an unbearable heartache, as if his whole heart was empty and adrift.
After sitting there for a while, Zhou Xuan reached out and took the Nine-Star Bead out of his bag. The pale yellow bead lingered in his palm. Wasn't everything caused by it?
As Zhou Xuan felt a sharp pain in his heart, he clenched his fist tightly, unleashing the intense heat of the sun's flames to bake the Nine-Star Pearl until it was scorching hot. Then, with a forceful squeeze, the Nine-Star Pearl shattered into a pile of powder in his palm with a "crack."
Wei Xiaoyu was startled and reached out to stop him, but it was too late; all that remained in Zhou Xuan's palm was a clump of yellow powder.
Wei Xiaoyu was well aware of the importance of the Nine-Star Bead. Even if it would no longer cause a crisis for the Nine Dragon Cauldron, the Nine-Star Bead itself would be of great help to Zhou Xuan. When Zhou Xuan ran away from home, he only took out one Nine-Star Bead. When he was injured or severely depleted, he relied on this Nine-Star Bead to quickly restore his energy. Otherwise, if he had to rely on himself to practice and recover, it would have taken much longer.