She collapsed to the ground, trembling, watching him calmly recount everything, his tone as if he were talking about someone else. She understood all too well the feeling of her home turned to ashes, her loved ones suddenly gone.
His heart... must be aching terribly? She looked at him through her tears. He pretended to be indifferent and calm, but his haggard face and fierce eyes betrayed his pain. She looked at him; the pain of losing loved ones and home was something she deeply understood. He shared her sorrow.
All of this... was caused by Xiao Juyuan!
Why did she have to make her hate her again and again?!
Xiao Juyuan just didn't want to lose everything that never truly belonged to her, and yet it was all destroyed so completely?!
Xiao Yuan recalled what Pei Fuchong had said to Pei Junwu that night, and what he had said to her. For the past ten years, the Pei family had treated Xiao Juyuan with both respect and love, showering her with care and affection, doing everything they could to protect her! She, as Li Yuan'er, hadn't experienced any of this; merely observing it from the sidelines was already deeply etched in her heart! Xiao Juyuan… how could she do this! She had practically killed those who had treated her like family for ten years!
"Juyuan, you... you've all disappeared." His gaze returned to her, and a wave of emotion stirred within him. He wanted to ask, but ultimately remained silent.
Xiao Yuan took a deep breath and solemnly kowtowed before the memorial tablets of Pei Fuchong and Gui Datong, her forehead heavily touching the stone bricks. She was sincerely grateful for their kindness and loyalty to the Xiao family.
Pei Junwu looked at her with some excitement.
She stood up and silently prayed something before the altar. Then she slowly turned around, and this time, she gently embraced him. Pei Junwu trembled violently; her soft arms and small body so powerfully comforted his pain! Before, every hug and kiss from her had made him feel that she had ulterior motives, but this time… she was so sincere and so gentle.
"It's alright... Junwu... it's alright..." Her face was pressed against his heart, and she murmured softly as if comforting a child. His eyes suddenly stung, and the grief he had been suppressing burst forth.
He held her tighter. She had changed… He couldn't say whether he was happy or sad about this change. What had changed her? What had happened to her these past few days? Had she also been…?
No, he didn't want to think about it anymore. Being held in her arms like this, silently comforting her, his heart... no longer ached so much.
She coughed softly, her throat tightening, and noticed a warm, damp patch on his sleeve. He looked down closely—it was blood!
“You…” He looked at her in fear; for a moment, the fear of losing her outweighed all reason and responsibility.
"I'm fine, just some internal injuries," she said casually.
He didn't believe her, so he grabbed her wrist. After a long while, his face grew colder and colder, and his eyes narrowed cruelly.
Xiao Yuan found it strange, but he didn't ask who had injured her.
"Come with me." He supported her, leading her into the inner courtyard with a firm yet gentle touch.
Xiao Juyuan lay gently on the bed, smiling sweetly as she saw Pei Junwu and Xiaoyuan walk in. Xiaoyuan truly admired her; how dare she come back? How could she still maintain such a gentle demeanor when seeing her?
"Do you know her?" Pei Junwu asked in a low voice.
Xiao Juyuan shook her head. "She...is so beautiful." She said dejectedly, glancing bitterly at Pei Junwu, tears welling up in her eyes.
"What's wrong with her?" Xiao Yuan looked at her and sneered. She was putting on such a convincing act, and her "genuine feelings" were so natural.
"You should rest first, I'll come see you again later." Pei Junwu shook his head slightly, not wanting to explain in front of her.
"You...you need to come quickly." Xiao Juyuan lowered her eyes shyly. "You promised to have dinner with me."
"Mm." Pei Junwu nodded.
As he stepped out of the room, Pei Junwu glanced back at her lying on the bed, a deep and unfathomable light flashing in his eyes.
"Let's talk outside." He picked up Xiao Yuan and flew away.
Xiao Yuan gazed at the lotus flowers that were already beginning to wither... Huaxi Lake, where she and he had so many memories. He held her in his arms, both of them lost in thought.
After a long pause, he put her down. "Let me treat your injuries first," he said, his brows slightly furrowed.
She gave a wry smile. "Is it curable?"
He remained silent.
"Tell me first, what's wrong with her?" She stared at him.
“After that night, Yi Chunjun and I searched everywhere for you. Later, I found Nangong Zhan’s trail. When I found her, she…” His face turned cold, “her arms and legs were dislocated, she was covered in injuries, and she had been defiled by Nangong…” He looked at her painfully again. Xiao Yuan knew what he was guessing and smiled slightly. He frowned as he looked at her smile.
Xiao Juyuan was indeed ruthless, even towards herself. Xiao Yuan sneered. She should have realized that to win over Nangong to such an extent, Xiao Juyuan couldn't have offered just an empty promise. Now, she had "accidentally" lost her virginity to Nangong, her "enemy," and Pei Junwu should rightfully be responsible for her future.
"How could she not recognize me?" Xiao Yuan snorted. Actually, she didn't need to ask anymore. For Xiao Juyuan, what better way to cover up a lie than by losing her memory?
What proof or promise could we possibly ask her for? She "doesn't remember" any of it.
“She doesn’t remember anyone,” he said, his tone somewhat strange.
Sure enough, to end one lie, you have to make up an even more perfect one.
"So, have you found Nangong yet?" she sneered again. Find him? Of course not! He's probably already been silenced by Xiao Juyuan, and he doesn't even know where he died.
Pei Junwu shook his head with a sullen face.
"What do you plan to do?" She looked at him, a slight smile playing on her lips.
His eyes narrowed in annoyance. "We'll talk about this later, Xiaoyuan, you..."
"What do you think is wrong with me?" she retorted. Would he believe her if she told him everything that had happened? Besides, Xiao Juyuan had "lost her memory," making even a confrontation meaningless. She must have calculated this precisely, which is why she brazenly had Pei Junwu "find" her back.
"Xiao Yuan!" He was angered by her mocking attitude and grabbed her shoulders. "Don't be like this. I'll believe anything you say!"
She stared at him blankly, a thought suddenly striking her.
"If... I said that all of this is related to Xiao Juyuan, would you believe me?"
"Yes." He nodded without hesitation.
"If I said that everything I've been through was caused by Xiao Juyuan, would you believe me?" she asked, somewhat agitated.
"Um."