Chapter 101, Part Two: The Lost Manor

"What's wrong with you?"

Zheng Jianbin looked at Li Yufei, who was sitting with her back to him, with a puzzled expression.

She had been crying ever since she saw that rose garden. When asked what was wrong, she wouldn't say, she just shook her head.

"Leave me alone." Li Yufei, holding the tissue box, pulled out a tissue.

Blowing air, snoring—

She threw the paper into the trash can, her eyes red and sobbing, "Go do your thing, don't worry about me."

Zheng Jianbin glanced at the wads of paper that were almost overflowing the trash can, and asked with a hint of disbelief, "You really don't need it?"

"Need not."

She couldn't very well tell her current boyfriend about her dead first love, so she might as well have some peace and quiet by herself.

"You finally finished the competition," Li Yufei choked up, then pulled out another tissue. "Go have fun, don't call me for dinner."

"Alright." Zheng Jianbin patted her head. "I'll go downstairs and ask the waiter to bring you two more boxes of tissues."

As he spoke, he picked up his phone and walked out.

Li Yufei suddenly turned her head, her wet, fox-like eyes staring in astonishment at the closed door.

Did that jerk really leave?

He actually went to play by himself!

Even if she really wanted him to have fun, he couldn't just leave like that!

She said those things out of understanding as a girlfriend, but didn't he, as a boyfriend, have his own thoughts?

Break up! She's definitely breaking up with me when she gets back this time!

No, no, I can't cry anymore.

Li Yufei patted her face and went to the bathroom to wet a towel and apply it as a cold compress.

If she keeps crying like this, her skin will be so swollen tomorrow. That bitch Song Xiaona will definitely laugh at her, and someone might even take an ugly picture of her and post it online.

After wringing out the towel, Li Yufei slipped on her disposable slippers and walked to the bed, where she lay down to apply a compress to her eyes.

Ten minutes later, the towel on her eyes felt hot, so she got out of bed, quickly went to the bathroom to get a new one, and then came back to apply a cold compress.

Ten minutes later, it's time to change the towel again, patter patter...

Ten minutes...

Ugh! This is so troublesome!

I already get carsick, and crying for so long made me dizzy, and I had to lie down, sit up, and lie down again.

What a jerk! He wasn't there when I needed him!

While his girlfriend was suffering in bed, he was out having fun with Song Xiaona. Is he even human?!

Li Yufei grew angrier and angrier the more she thought about it, and tears streamed down her face again under the cold towel.

No way! Song Xiaona! Ugly photos!

Heartbreak is okay, but swollen eyes are not!

Li Yufei sniffed and quickly held back her tears.

This towel was never replaced.

She remembered to change the towel, but the towel didn't get warm for a long time and remained cold.

She was physically and mentally exhausted that day. Li Yufei felt a little sleepy after lying down for a while.

With a towel over her eyes, she was half-asleep, remembering to get up and apply a cold compress, but her eyes felt icy cold, and it wasn't time to change the towel yet. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

When she woke up, it was already dark outside the window.

Li Yufei picked up her phone in a daze and saw that it was already past 7:30.

Um?

She stared at her phone, then belatedly touched her eyes.

Where's the towel? The towel she used to put on her face before bed?

Li Yufei turned her head and saw the towel lying on the other side of the bed.

Oh no, I need to apply a cold compress!

She rushed to the bathroom, and just as she was about to turn on the tap, she looked up and saw herself in the mirror—

Her skin was firm, her features were striking, and her fox-like eyes were captivating. There wasn't a single red or swollen pore, not even a trace of blood.

She touched her eyes in confusion, then became smug for a moment.

She does seem very young and is recovering quickly.

Given her natural beauty, it's only natural that she possesses such restorative abilities.

Zheng Jianbin is really going too far! He has such a beautiful and youthful girlfriend, and he still hasn't come back! I can't believe it!

Li Yufei stormed back to bed, picked up her phone, and called for help.

Zheng Jianbin did have some common sense, so he sent her a few messages to report his whereabouts. Some were photos, some were text messages. The latest one told her that they were having barbecue outside and would be back after they finished eating, and asked her if she wanted anything.

Li Yufei checked the intervals between his messages:

58, 57, 76!

The last message was sent to her 76 minutes later?

Waking up alone in a strange, large room—especially since it was a guest room in the house her first love had prepared for her—Li Yufei was already filled with mixed emotions. Then, Zheng Jianbin broke his promise and took so long to contact her.

"Don't you know what I love to eat? [death smile]"

After replying, Li Yufei put her phone away and prepared to go for a walk outside.

Although the estate was built for her, she never really took a good look at it.

She glanced at it briefly at the twenty-two-year-old and went back. After that... news of Cheng Yuzhou's death came, and she was even less likely to come here.

Li Yufei had no idea how big the manor was, or when and by whom it was sold.

She guessed that it was sold by Cheng Yandong, Cheng Yuzhou's father.

Cheng Yuzhou's mother passed away early, and since they were not yet married, the inheritance would naturally go to his father.

When Cheng Yuzhou was alive, Li Yufei didn't inquire much about Cheng Yandong. In the six years since his death, apart from the funeral, she had no further contact with Cheng Yandong.

She certainly had her reasons.

That man doesn't deserve to be called a father at all; he's even worse than her dad.

Not only was he late for the funeral, but he also stayed for five minutes, took a phone call, and left.

His behavior was even worse before he died, and Li Yufei gets angry just thinking about it.

But she herself wasn't very good to Cheng Yuzhou either...

The maintenance costs of the manor must be very high. Thinking about it this way, it's really quite considerate of Cheng Yandong to have waited six years to sell it.

Ha, maybe he has too much money and didn't even notice this expense.

Standing in the beautiful corridor, going down from the third floor to the first-floor lobby, Li Yufei noticed that there were many picture frames on the corridor.

Some entries were filled with Psyche-related paintings, while others remained blank.

Cheng Yuzhou had commissioned many painters to paint her portraits, one after another, without end, saying he wanted to finish all the paintings before the wedding and place them in their hall.

Twenty-two is the legal marriage age, but given his personality, he actually set the wedding date for twenty-three.

He said that at twenty-two, she would be a senior in college, and she would definitely be very busy preparing for graduation.

No matter how busy she was, she couldn't compare to even a fraction of his busyness. That incredibly busy man eventually worked himself to death on his way back from a business trip.

From the age of fifteen, Cheng Yuzhou's schedule was practically set up so he could be reincarnated.

What a... idiot.

Upon entering the awe-inspiring first-floor lobby again, the vast church was deserted except for the staff.

There is still a lot of work to be done before the manor opens. Shops in town are being recruited, and the shops need time to renovate. The investors who bought the property have not yet officially marketed it to the public, so not many people know about it.

According to the tour guide, apart from the nine people in the Thunder convoy, there are only about eighty tourists in the entire town at present.

Psycheburg has expensive hotel rooms, so most tourists choose to stay in hotels in town.

Even with so few people around, she still managed to run into Song Xiaona.

Ugh, what a tragic fate.

"Yufei." Song Xiaona, who was standing in front of the statue, also saw her and walked over with a smile. "Are you alright?"

Li Yufei stopped and asked, "What do you want?"

"Didn't you cry this afternoon?" Song Xiaona stopped two meters away from her.

She tilted her head slightly, scanning the magnificent dome murals and sculptures. "I can understand. The original mistress of the manor now has to enter as a tourist and can only sleep in the lowest-grade guest room. Anyone would be unhappy in that situation. However, this may not be a bad thing for you."

She smiled at Li Yufei and said, "Even if I gave you this manor, you wouldn't be able to afford the annual management fees. You wouldn't be able to find a good buyer even if you wanted to sell it. Wouldn't it be a waste to sell it cheaply?"

Li Yufei said coldly, "If you want to take a dump, go to the outhouse, don't spew nonsense here."

"Here we go again, you're still as rude and uncouth as ever." Song Xiaona shrugged. "I can understand if you're in a bad mood today. How about we go for a walk together?"

"Who wants to be with you!" Li Yufei turned and walked away.

Don't you want to know who bought this place?

Li Yufei was taken aback.

She turned around and saw the capable and elegant Song Xiaona standing under the crystal chandelier, smiling with an air of certainty.

"You..." "Don't get excited, let's take a walk together, I'll tell you."

Song Xiaona took a step and walked towards the outside of the castle.

Li Yufei followed with mixed feelings, glancing at her warily: "What exactly are you here for? And where's your boyfriend?"

“I’m different from you; I don’t cling to men all the time.”

"A woman who's dated twelve men in three years has the nerve to say that?"

Song Xiaona's presence here indicates that Zheng Jianbin did not have dinner with her.

Hmph, not bad, I can postpone the breakup by two days.

The two passed through a series of interconnected doors, one after another, decorated with bronze, enamel, and glass, their rich and vibrant colors dazzling the eye.

Song Xiaona commented: "This place is really messy."

"Then why did you still buy it?" Li Yufei retorted.

"Disorder is not a bad thing. The mythology of Greece and Rome was chaotic to begin with, and the more chaotic it was, the more authentic it was. WV saw this in itself."

“You…” Li Yufei frowned, “Did you really take these pictures? What are you going to do to this place?”

There was an unconscious tension in her voice. Song Xiaona turned around, a smile playing on her lips, and asked, "What's it to you?"

"Song Xiaona!" Li Yufei hated her face the most. "I'm warning you in good faith, these kinds of trendy tourist spots are all about quick money. In two or three years, nobody will come anymore. You're talking about renovations? You won't even be able to recoup your costs."

“That’s third-rate operations. We at WV are a top-tier travel company; we don’t need to worry about it.” She paused, glancing back at her. “Or are you just possessive and don’t want anyone to change this place?”

Li Yufei's face turned pale.

"Ha, stop pretending." Song Xiaona chuckled. "You ignored me when I was alive, and you didn't even come to see this place after I died. Now, this place is my family's property."

Returning here, Li Yufei was heartbroken.

But at this moment, not a trace of sadness remained; all that remained was anger towards Song Xiaona.

“I didn’t realize this was your family’s property until you mentioned it,” Li Yufei sneered. “It must have cost a lot of money. Do you need me to help you promote it? The headline would be: ‘WV Chairman’s Daughter Gets Beaten Up at an Upcoming Tourist Attraction.’ Everyone will definitely want to come here to take photos.”

Song Xiaona opened her eyes. "Do you dare? Even though you only have a few hundred thousand followers, you're still a blogger."

“Of course I wouldn’t do that to anyone else, but with you, I can treat you specially without hesitation.” Li Yufei’s gaze lingered on her short hair. “Song Xiaona, I still prefer your long hair. It’s so much more comfortable.”

Her fierce gaze made Song Xiaona's scalp tingle.

Memories of the past rushed to my head, and my body instinctively covered my head.

As soon as she placed her hand on it, Song Xiaona realized something was wrong.

As expected, this action immediately drew a disdainful sneer from Li Yufei.

She crossed her arms, her gaze disdainful, her fox-like eyes naturally upturned at the corners, and she had always had the air of an arrogant and spoiled princess since childhood.

She's just a violent woman with an empty head. What does she have besides her face? Who dares to provoke her at every turn?

"Childish!" Song Xiaona put her hand down and walked forward dejectedly.

Li Yufei let out a victorious smile.

Twenty years ago, on that afternoon, she pinned Song Xiaona to the ground and plucked out hundreds of her hairs like she was killing a chicken.

That day, Song Xiaona's wailing was just like that of a dying chicken.

After that, Song Xiaona never grew her hair long again.

The two left the castle and went to the town outside.

It was still early, but the shops were either in the process of being leased or under renovation, with only about ten actually open for business.

They went into a noodle shop.

A small house in the style of Western Europe, with a wooden English sign, selling roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) and saozi noodles.

Li Yufei first mocked Song Xiaona's investment threshold, then swallowed a bowl of noodles and two roujiamo (Chinese hamburger).

Song Xiaona was used to it, but as a form of retaliation, she still made a couple of sarcastic remarks.

Li Yufei didn't care what she said. This amount of food wasn't big at all. She hadn't eaten two proper meals. On average, she only ate half a bowl of noodles and a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) per meal.

Is this too much? No, this is too little. It's equivalent to her having a calorie deficit of about half a bowl of noodles at each meal.

After they finished eating, they looked around the town.

The streetlights and ground lights were crystal clear. There were no cars and few people. The early summer night breeze was gentle. Walking in this brightly lit, magical town, accompanied by the fragrance of roses, the two of them felt a little calmer.

"After all, it's in the suburbs, so the air is quite nice," Song Xiaona said.

Li Yufei didn't reply to her, but kept her head down and walked along the cracks in the floor tiles.

Tap, tap, tap.

Her footsteps were crisp and clear. The lights from all sides shone on her alternately, and her shadow kept changing direction and length under the lights. It seemed as if swirling flower shadows were growing under her feet, each petal swaying gracefully and charmingly.

Li Yufei was rarely this quiet. Song Xiaona turned around and glanced at her out of the corner of her eye.

Under the moonlight, they stood two meters apart, their shadows occasionally brushing against each other.

"What are you looking at?" Li Yufei suddenly turned her head, disdainfully catching Song Xiaona's gaze that she hadn't yet looked away from.

Song Xiaona subconsciously looked away.

Li Yufei chuckled: "I know what you're thinking, Song Xiaona."

Song Xiaona was taken aback, and then heard her smug tone: "You want to see my ugly swollen eyes? Haha, sorry, maybe I'm just too young. Even though I cried all afternoon, there wasn't a single bloodshot in my eyes."

Song Xiaona's face darkened for a moment, and she quickened her pace, afraid of catching cerebral palsy.

Seeing her flee in embarrassment, Li Yufei curled her lips.

She knew exactly what Song Xiaona was thinking. She just wanted to see her make a fool of herself!

They quickly passed the statue in the town square.

I only caught a glimpse of it from the bus as it entered the town, without looking closely. But now, standing in front of the statue, I realize it's a double statue.

The pure white statue depicts Psyche and Eros.

Standing Psyche is 23 meters tall, looking straight ahead, holding a candle in one hand, beautiful and dignified.

Eros, the god of love, leans down beside her, while the handsome young man presses against Psyche, his wings slightly spread.

The two walked to the base of the statue and looked at it for a while. Song Xiaona tilted her head and said, "It's really strange."

“What’s strange about it? This was designed by a renowned master,” Li Yufei said, raising her chin.

Although she had no idea who designed it, since it was designed by Cheng Yuzhou, it must have been either a master or an expert.

Song Xiaona looked up and frowned. "I feel like something hit my knee there."

Following her gaze, Li Yufei looked at Eros's knees.

The handsome young man's slightly bent knees were indeed uneven, as if they had been smashed.

“And the wings on its back.” Song Xiaona went around to the back of the statue. “Why are the main feathers all broken?”

Song Xiaona had seen it a few times, but Li Yufei hadn't paid any attention to it at all.

She turned and took a look.

There are many versions of the myth of Eros. In the earliest version, he is one of the three primordial gods who created the world, representing emotions and desires.

Legend has it that he had a pair of golden wings, and the wings of this statue are thus infused with gold powder, which shines with a brilliant golden light against the pure white background under the illumination of the lights on all sides.

Such a beautiful pair of wings, but all sixteen pairs of primary feathers at the bottom are broken.

Most of the breaks are clean, while the very end of the left wing is carved into a concave, upturned shape. This concave, upturned wing proves that the break was not accidental damage, but rather deliberately created in this way.

“What do you know? This is art,” Li Yufei said. “Imperfection is the ultimate beauty. If you have no aesthetic sense, don’t make random comments.”

"You understand, so tell me, what is this imperfection meant to express?"

“…I’m too lazy to explain to a vulgar person like you.” Li Yufei turned around. “I’m going back. It’s really bad luck to be with you.”

Song Xiaona watched her retreating figure.

The town was brightly lit, and the castle in the distance was as dazzling as stars. She watched Li Yufei walk further and further away.

Li Yufei's footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

The lights were numerous, and the night breeze carried a faint chill.

Song Xiaona turned her head to look back at the statue one last time, then took a step and walked towards the castle.

There are very few tourists here, and after they leave, the whole town is almost deserted.

The 23-meter-tall pure white stone sculpture stands silently under the bright moon and sparse stars of the night sky, watching over this desolate garden scene day after day for six years.