After saying so much, Gu Zhiwei finally turned his gaze to Lu Anning.

"Now that you know the truth, I want you to promise in front of your mother's tombstone that you will keep this secret for me and never let anyone else know."

Lu Anning frowned: "Why?"

"You promised me not to tell anyone. Do you want to go back on your word?"

"I said not to tell anyone."

If her brothers discovered something on their own, it would be none of her business.

"Do you really want to see your family in turmoil? I'm just asking you, are you happy now that you know your mother is no longer with us?"

Lu Anning felt as if she had been hit by a club. Staring at the cold tombstone, she felt indescribably sad.

"You're not happy. If you don't tell anyone about this, your brothers will still treat Ji Yan as their biological mother and they will continue to live happily. But if you tell the truth, it means that they will lose their mother too. Are you going to watch them suffer?"

Lu An Ning pursed her lips tightly and said nothing.

Seeing that the situation was almost settled, Gu Zhiwei patted Lu Anning on the shoulder and said, "You're a smart kid. Think about what to do when you get back! Dad believes you'll make the right choice."

Lu Anning pounded his hands on both sides, with clenched fists under his long sleeves.

"It's getting late, let's go back!"

There were footsteps behind him, but Lu Anning stood there, not moving.

"You go first!"

She spoke, her voice cold and emotionless. Gu Zhiwei hesitated for a moment, staring at her straight back, but ultimately did not stop her.

"Okay! The cemetery is too deserted, don't stay there for too long. I'll arrange a car to pick you up, don't wander around."

Lu Anning did not respond until the footsteps gradually faded away. She slowly squatted down and looked at the photo on the tombstone at eye level.

That seemingly foolproof story still couldn't answer all of Lu Anning's doubts.

For example, Lu Anning found it hard to accept that the sudden fire could be explained simply as an "accident".

Moreover, what men see as two women living in peace may not necessarily be true harmony. At that time, could the father, who was busy with the Gu family business, really perceive the undercurrent between the two women?

The Ji Yan she knew had many tricks up her sleeve.

Lu Anning reached out and stroked the photo on the tombstone, whispering softly, "Mom! It turns out that you and I look a lot alike. I almost thought you really didn't like me anymore. If there really was something wrong with that fire, please give me some clues from the bottom of your grave. Okay?"

The person in the photo was still smiling, but Lu Anning felt like something was missing in his heart.

From the time she first discovered the agarwood pendant in Jiangcheng to today, she had experienced so many hopes and so many disappointments. Only she knew how much she longed for her parents' love.

She was completely obedient to her adoptive parents, but in return they exploited her. When she found her biological parents, she was met with indifference and disgust, which made her believe for a time that she had no close ties with her family and was destined to be an unlovable child, which is why she was abandoned at a young age.

But she didn't expect that she would find out today that her mother's life was actually like this.

"I can't understand what kind of feelings you have for Dad that you were willing to give birth to five children for him without any legal status, and in the end even lost your own life."

A moment of softness in her heart cost her her entire life.

Lu Anning stayed in the cemetery alone for a long time. When she came down, she saw the Gu family's car turn around and stop beside her.

She was just about to refuse and wanted to walk alone when the car door opened, revealing a well-defined profile.

Lu Anning didn't expect that her elder brother, Gu Yue, would come with the driver.

"Brother, why are you here too?"

"Dad asked the driver to pick you up. I happened to be there, so I came along."

He looked up at the cemetery behind him and didn't ask any more questions.

"Get in the car first! It's getting late, and this place is not suitable for staying any longer."

Lu Anning looked at the hand extended towards him, swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue, and got into the car obediently.

In the car, Lu Anning was a little surprised: "Dad, what did I tell you?"

"Didn't he bring you to see an old friend? He just said you might not be in a good mood, and that Big Brother would take you to eat something delicious later. The old friend is gone, what's more important is the present and the future, okay? Girl, don't think too much."

The broad hand fell on her head, stroking it gently, giving Lu An Ning a different sense of security.

Her heart warmed, and she looked up at her eldest brother: "Brother, do you think Mom has been good to you all these years?"

"very good."

Lu Anning was stunned for a moment when he saw the answer that came out of Gu Yue's mouth.

Gu Yue noticed that her expression was not right and became suspicious: "Why are you asking this suddenly?"

"No! Nothing. I just asked casually. After all, you have seen how she treats me."

"Don't overthink it. Mom might just be recovering from the shock. You might not know that because she lost you, she suffered from severe depression and even had suicidal tendencies. Later, the family stopped talking about you because they didn't want to upset her. To this day, she probably hasn't completely gotten over what happened to you. So, give her some time."

"depression?"

Lu Anning looked at Gu Yue in disbelief. Her father had never mentioned this to her just now.

"Are you sure her depression is because of me?"

Gu Yue was baffled by her question: "Could it be another reason? It's not easy for her, don't blame her."

This was said for Lu Anning and also for Gu Yue himself.

From childhood to adulthood, whenever they had a headache or a fever, the one who was most worried was their mother. She was always by their bedside whenever there was a problem. He really shouldn't deny her hard work over the years just because she treated his younger sister badly.

Seeing that Lu An Ning was still unhappy, Gu Yue took out a brooch full of diamonds from his arms like a magic trick.

"For you! Smile. It's autumn now, so it's perfect with a sweater."