The crowd hurriedly dragged the mute young waiter away.
Cen Lu closed the door and slowly walked to the other end of the room.
A woman dressed in plain clothes and without makeup, her long hair tied in two braids, leaned stiffly against the corner of the wall, her phoenix eyes wide and round, her face flushed red.
Cen Lu squatted down in front of her with a cold expression.
He didn't speak because he didn't know what to say.
This woman always does things in ways that surprise him and everyone else. Just like her sudden disappearance three years ago and her sudden reappearance now.
This was just an ordinary day in his life, but it became so different because of her appearance.
He clenched his fist, then relaxed it, then clenched it again. Anything he said seemed utterly ridiculous.
Shui Wu'er's eyes darted around in their sockets, but Cen Lu was completely absorbed in his own thoughts; she was essentially throwing herself at a blind man.
After a long while, Cen Lu noticed her stiffness.
"You've been acupunctured?" he asked in a deep voice.
Mizuki could only express her strong opinions with her bright, expressive eyes.
Cen Lu suddenly chuckled softly, but there was clearly no smile in his eyes.
Shui Wu'er suddenly felt a chill run through her body. Cen Lu had never smiled in front of her before.
This Mr. Yin, he really made a mistake, hitting her where it hurt. He actually dragged her to Huanyi Study under the cover of night! Good heavens, what kind of karmic retribution is this!
Cen Lu swiftly and decisively released her pressure points, then watched her fall to the ground, panting and moving her shoulders.
"Yin Wuxiao, you've finally reappeared." He finally showed some excitement, his chest heaving violently.
Mizuki stood frozen on the ground in a twisted, pretzel-like position.
"Hehe, sir, what did you call me?" She smiled foolishly as she met Cen Lu's gaze, secretly swallowing.
Cen Lu was taken aback: "Yin Wuxiao, are you going to play dumb in front of me?"
"What flute did you say, sir? I don't know." She was truly naive, truly naive.
Cen Lu fell silent.
He could understand her anger, her madness, or even her nonchalant, mocking laughter. The only thing he couldn't believe was that she would deny her own identity.
"What are you doing? Don't you even dare to acknowledge your own name?" Cen Lu said angrily.
Shui Wu'er shrank back into the corner: "Master, please don't be angry. I really don't know how I ended up here. I slept soundly at home last night, and when I woke up this morning, I was here. Please...please don't hit me...Um, if you really want to hit me, please hit me gently, very gently..."
Cen Lu was stunned.
If he hadn't stared at Yin Wuxiao's face for over a decade, he would have seriously doubted that this woman was actually Yin Wuxiao. She spoke glibly and timidly; she hardly seemed like the proud and willful eldest daughter of the Yin family.
He had never shown any mercy to Yin Wuxiao, so he grabbed her and pulled her up, saying, "Yin Wuxiao, do you know how heartbroken Mansi is because of you? And you're still pretending to be stupid here!"
Shui Wu'er was so frightened that she knelt down with a thud: "Master, I was wrong, it's all my fault..."
Cen Lu remained silent for a long time.
He had always thought she was dead.
Yes, the Yin family was awash in blood, and even Aunt Nan, who was skilled in martial arts, died a gruesome death. How could a weak woman like her, who knew no martial arts, possibly survive? But Mansi refused to believe she was dead. She cried and said she wanted to see her alive or dead.
For three months, Mansi never stopped crying. She searched the entire capital city and wandered the entire martial world with tears in her eyes, but she couldn't find her childhood friend. Mansi was such a magnanimous woman; she never cried. But this woman, Yin Wuxiao, made her cry for three whole months!
He told Mansi that if Yin Wuxiao were still alive, he would never have stood by and watched her shed tears. She must be dead.
But if he really believed that Yin Wuxiao was dead, why did he go to such lengths to manage the various businesses of the Yin family, and why did he manage Yin Wuxiao's beloved library?
Could it be that he, like Mansi, subconsciously hopes she will come back?
But now, what difference does it make whether she comes back or not?
"Did you know that Mansi was injured?"
Shui Wu'er blinked: "Who? Who got hurt?"
"Yin Wuxiao!" Cen Lu finally erupted, his anger spreading like wildfire, as if he wanted to burn Shui Wu'er down to nothing.
"Since you're alive, why don't you come back? Isn't Mansi your childhood friend? Isn't Madam Yun your aunt? Madam Yun was assassinated last night and almost lost her life, while Mansi was injured by the old woman of the Yuwen family and ran away to the Yuwen family alone. Do you know all of this? Tell me, what role did you play in all of this?" He spat out each word through gritted teeth, like a steel hammer striking Shui Wu'er's chest.
"I……"
Shui Wu'er looked bewildered.
"Yin Wuxiao, you used to be willful and capricious, but you always took good care of the people around you and never let them suffer the slightest grievance. And now? You don't even have the courage to acknowledge them anymore?"
Shui Wu'er looked at Cen Lu blankly. She thought that Cen Lu only cared about Man Si, and that he didn't care about anyone else's life or death except for Man Si.
"Mansi has always felt that everything that happened to you was her fault. Do you know that she hasn't had a moment's peace in the past three years! If you... if you really die, Mansi will suffer for the rest of her life!"
Shui Wu'er smiled sadly. Man Si, Man Si, it really was all for Man Si.
She used to be a figurehead, discussing the world with a smile, wanting to protect everyone around her, but now she can't, she can't...
She stubbornly bit her lip and remained silent.
Cen Lu stared at her, but received no reply.
"Come back to the Yin residence with me, to see Madam Yun, and to tell Baili Qingyi what exactly happened that night three years ago!" He grabbed her hand and was about to leave.
"No!" Shui Wu'er panicked. "I won't go! Let go! I..." She gritted her teeth, "I don't even know you!"
For a moment, Cen Lu froze. He turned back to look at her in disbelief.
"What did you say?"
Shui Wu'er felt as if her heart had been ripped in two.
"I...I don't know you..." she murmured, feeling tears streaming down her face as she wiped them away, only to find them completely dry.
Cen Lu was so shocked that he suddenly burst into laughter: "Yin Wuxiao, you are a heartless person."
"Go away." Cen Lu turned his back and said coldly, "Don't let me see you again. From now on, there will be no more Yin Wuxiao in this world. Yin Wuxiao is indeed dead." He paused, then smiled bitterly, "I will never come to this east wing again."
He will never come to this east wing again.
Shui Wu'er was bewildered.
From then on, she was simply Shui Wu'er, a person without a past. Neither Shi Mansi nor Cen Lu remembered that such a person had ever existed.
"Get out." His retreating figure seemed to carry a hint of pain.
Shui Wu'er gave a sorrowful, bitter smile. Cen Lu, oh Cen Lu, you truly are a cold-blooded beast; your words always strike where it hurts most. That one sentence was enough to sentence her to death. Yin Wuxiao is indeed dead.
She clung to the windowsill next to her and climbed out using both her hands and feet.
Cen Lu did not notice her pale face, nor her slow movements, nor the trace of crimson that slid down from the corner of her lips, staining her clothes.
Chapter Six: Why Bother with Idle Thoughts of the Past (Part Three)
Before the Drunken Ink Pavilion, a fortune is spent in a single transaction, and beauties abound. A hero's tears are wiped away by a woman's sleeve, while a hero rests on a beauty's lap. Shui Wu'er silently walks past the entrance of the Drunken Ink Pavilion. Amidst the bustling crowd and the cacophony of voices, she alone remains as serene as a damp leaf.
"Damn it, how dare he try to steal a girl from Master Zhao? He's got a death wish!"
A group of thugs were shouting in front of the Drunken Ink Pavilion, surrounding a man and raining blows on him. After beating him for a while and uttering a few more angry words, the thugs stopped and left. A dusty man in white was left clutching his stomach at the entrance of the brothel, yelling in pain, but also seemingly with a hint of smugness.
You might ask, who would be happy after being beaten?
Others wouldn't, but this person was a freak. Shui Wu'er coldly stared at the face in the dust; who else could it be but Bai Can?
The master thief, Zhi Xiaoyao, possessed exceptional martial arts skills. If he hadn't been in a good mood, would he have been beaten so badly?
The last time I saw Bai Can, he was a dashing and debonair wine connoisseur at the Jueshe Tower. This time, however, he has become a pathetic and helpless man at the mercy of others.
She turned to leave, but was unexpectedly grabbed tightly from behind.
Despite being beaten black and blue, Bai Can still mustered the strength to hold her tightly around the waist. He murmured, "Cuicui, Cuicui..."
Shui Wu'er glanced at him blankly, then lowered her head and silently pried his hand open.
Bai Can, however, was the type to cling on and never let go. As soon as he shook him off, Bai Can clung to him again, saying, "Cui Cui, I was wrong, I was wrong, don't leave me!"
They'd run into someone pretending to be drunk. Shui Wu'er frowned.
A bystander gloated, "Young lady, it's certainly wrong for your husband to frequent brothels, but since he's admitted his mistake, you should forgive him this once!"
Whose husband is he? Who?
“Little lady, your husband doesn’t love you. Why don’t you come with me? I’ll definitely treat you well, hehe…” There was also a self-proclaimed dashing man who came over with a fan and tried to rub Shui Wu’er’s face.
Shui Wu'er gave that person a cold look.
The man was startled by her gaze and could only touch his nose and turn away. Damn, this woman has sharp eyes!
Shui Wu'er squatted down: "Do you have any silver on you?"
Bai Can squinted and chuckled, "Yes, yes, I'll give you everything." He rummaged in his pocket for a long time but couldn't find anything.
Shui Wu'er didn't shy away from it, reaching into his pocket and pulling out several dozen taels of silver.
"He had money on him and still got beaten up like this. Turns out the number one playboy in the world is a fool."
She found an inn and dragged Bai Can inside.
Bai Can, Bai Can, are you heartbroken too? Who has such power to make a playboy like you heartbroken? Unexpectedly, a cold and aloof face appeared in my mind.
Cui Shenghan? Cui Cui?
All ill-fated relationships are predestined, and all heartbreak is a gift from heaven. No matter how much you can manipulate love, if you meet your destined one, you will never be able to turn things around.
"Waiter, fetch a basin of cold water," Shui Wu'er ordered in a deep voice.
The innkeeper was very attentive: "It's so cold outside, you might get chilled from the cold water. Let me get you a basin of hot water."
"I said I wanted cold water, so I want cold water."
"Okay, okay, I'll call it for you." The waiter agreed and went out.
Shui Wu'er narrowed her phoenix eyes in a sinister manner.
All you do is indulge in drinking, partying, and going to brothels for a woman. I'll make sure you freeze to death.
A copper basin filled with cold water arrived, and Shui Wu'er, without hesitation, poured the entire basin over Bai Can's head. Only after she finished did she realize that even if this man wasn't heartbroken, he probably spent his days drinking heavily and indulging in brothels.