Huo Jingsha told her to go back to where she came from.

But stepping out of the Huo mansion's gates, she truly had no idea where to go from here! Her son was missing, her husband had driven her away, was she really going to have to go back to the assassin gang and become an assassin again? All these sudden changes caught her off guard and left her completely helpless!

Even if she didn't want to face it, she had to eventually acknowledge the fact that Huo Jingsha had ruthlessly driven her away. Once she left today, she would no longer be the young mistress of the Huo family. But it didn't matter anymore. He could abandon their past marital affection, make love with another woman in front of her, and even claim that she was a widow. Then she would grant him his wish. Let him really act like a widow. What was he doing, being so pitiful and whiny?

You Shuyao, don't forget, you're an assassin by trade. Ruthlessness isn't just Huo Jingsha's prerogative.

Having figured all this out, she stood up abruptly, angrily wiping away her tears, and forced herself to walk away from the Huo mansion step by step. She had said that the world was vast, and there would always be a place for her to belong. Perhaps it would be bitter at first, but as long as she persevered, there would always be a day when the bitterness would turn into sweetness.

Arriving at the bustling street, Shu Yao noticed that everyone was looking at her strangely. She touched her face—was it snot stuck to her face? No…

Arriving at the silk shop where Xiao Bao used to cut fabric and make clothes, they discovered that the word "adulterer" that Huo Jingsha had carved on the boss's forehead was no longer visible, perhaps because the wound had healed and left no scar.

The boss looked at her as if he'd seen a ghost, and turned to leave, but Shu Yao blocked his way, asking bluntly, "Who am I?"

When the boss heard her ask that, he was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he stammered incoherently, "You...you are Madam Shu Yao, a widow whose husband has died."

Then, taking advantage of her momentary distraction, he dashed away, slamming the shop door shut a few times as if afraid she would barge in and ask questions again.

Hmph! You, Huo Jingsha, truly live up to your title as the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. You are incredibly resourceful, managing to convince the entire city that she is a widow who has lost her husband, and then have everyone participate in this grand charade! Today, she finally witnessed just how powerful this man truly is.

Standing on the street, Shu Yaozheng was stunned for a long time. In the end... she decided not to bother with them. They liked to deceive people in this way, so let them continue. This is what it means to be the only one who is sober when everyone else is drunk!

Before nightfall, she left the city and, guided by her memory, arrived at an old house. This had once been a branch of the organization, but it was later destroyed by Huo Jingsha. She thought even the house would be gone, but to her surprise... it was still standing there. The courtyard was dilapidated, with only a few dusty tables and chairs left inside, but the roof and walls were still intact, at least providing her with shelter from the wind and rain, so she wouldn't have to sleep on the streets.

Shu Yao looked around and decided to make this place her temporary residence. As long as it was cleaned properly, there would be no problem settling in. Moreover, it was close to the capital, which would make it convenient for her to go back to the Huo residence from time to time to keep an eye on Xiao Bao's situation. She felt that although Huo Jingsha was heartless to her, Xiao Bao was still his own son. As long as he thought she would not go back, he would definitely bring Xiao Bao back to the residence.

As darkness fell, Shu Yao found a tinderbox, lit a candle, and tore a piece of clothing into pieces to use as a rag. She began to clean diligently. Although she hadn't eaten all day, she didn't feel hungry at all. She needed to keep doing things to temporarily forget her troubles and prevent herself from being constantly immersed in a low mood.

The floor was swept spotless, leaving no corner untouched. The chairs were wiped clean, gleaming with the luster of lacquered wood. The dust on the window frames, door frames, and ceiling was also thoroughly cleaned. Finally, there was the bed where she was to rest that night. But after searching everywhere, she couldn't find anything soft to cushion her body. Exhausted, she could only slump onto the table, intending to make do for the night.

Huo Jingsha, standing outside the window, gazed at the slender figure inside with eyes hotter than molten lava, his heart aching as he watched her tirelessly clean the dilapidated house. If he had known that Yao'er would one day have nowhere else to go but to hide here, he would never have allowed the house to fall into such a state of disrepair. Instead, he would have ordered it to be cleaned and tidy so that his Yao'er could sleep comfortably.

He shouldn't have kept following her... but he couldn't control himself... staring intently at her lonely figure, slumped over the broken table, her fragile and desolate back. His heart ached so much that he had to clench his fists to stop the urge to rush in and embrace her.

A moment later, Shu Yao got up to close the door, but unexpectedly caught sight of him in the yard. She stared in astonishment, "What are you doing here?" She no longer dared to hope that he had come to take her back.

It's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. Although she used to be alone and adrift, over the years with him, she had grown accustomed to his companionship, his care, his tenderness, his meticulous protection, his prioritization of her, and most importantly, to sleeping peacefully in his arms at night, held, loved, and kissed by him…

Now, these have vanished like shooting stars...

No matter how heartbroken and devastated she cried, she couldn't evoke even the slightest bit of pity in him. He even hit her and chased her away, embodying the meaning of "heartless and ungrateful" to the fullest extent.

He will never turn back, and neither will she!

Shu Yao took a step back, not intending to investigate his purpose in being there. Maybe he was there to laugh at her. So she was about to close the door when, unexpectedly, he stepped in.

"Yuefang... Yuefang asked me to come along and check on you, because she's worried you might do something rash after you leave..."

"Hmph! Thank you both for thinking of me, but don't worry, I'm not that narrow-minded. I won't do anything drastic just because I'm a widow. Even without my husband, I can live a good life on my own," Shu Yao said sarcastically, also wanting to take the opportunity to tell him that she could live just as well without Huo Jingsha.