In the western part of the old Jiao family residence, there are dozens of poplar trees.

The branches and leaves are lush, and the cicadas' chirping is deafening.

Sunlight was shattered by the leaves and fell into the poplar grove.

Lu Yu followed behind Jiao Yuyin, his mind filled with many thoughts, but he didn't know how to bring them up.

Jiao Cheng's thoughts kept replaying in her mind.

[Why can't Yu-yin let go? It's been twenty years. Is he going to cut off all contact with his siblings for the rest of his life? Nobody expected Tang-li to commit suicide.]

“No one will come here. Tell me.” Jiao Yuyin’s lazy voice interrupted Lu Yu’s daydreaming.

"Let me start with the most important thing: your dad will never allow you to settle abroad."

"What do you mean?" Jiao Yuyin stopped in his tracks.

"It's better to bring you back and lock you up in a mental hospital than to let you run away abroad. That's what your father really thinks."

Jiao Yuyin found it hard to believe and asked, "Impossible! My third and fourth sisters are staying in Switzerland, why doesn't he arrest them and bring them back?"

Instead of answering, Lu Yu asked, "Were you born in the early morning?"

Jiao Yuyin nodded. "What does it matter?"

“It’s alright, just confirming. Actually, your names contain your father’s hopes for your lives. Your brothers’ names correspond to the twelve two-hour periods of the ancient Chinese calendar, such as Shen Shi, Chen Shi, and Wei Shi. So you were born in Yin Shi, around three or four in the morning. Your father believes this is in accordance with the timing of the heavens. The rise and fall of the family is reflected in this, and he cannot accept his son’s lack of ambition.”

"So my sister's name is... An Chang Chu Shun?"

“Yes, so your father believes that it’s enough for a woman to live a stable life and have a smooth life. Expectations are different, so naturally the requirements are different as well.” Lu Yu was surprised to find herself so patient.

"Because he had more children, he showed favoritism; it's just son preference." Jiao Yuyin didn't mince words when criticizing his father. "Anything else?"

He believes that your marriage means you are no longer thinking about going abroad, so he is prepared to stop restricting your departure from the country and tapping your phone.

"That's good news." Jiao Yuyin's furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

Lu Yu then reported her inner thoughts: "Your father suspects that you married me because you're planning to develop in the arts and sports industry, join your eldest brother's camp, and fight against your second brother." Lu Yu became more and more confused as she spoke: "That's roughly what I heard, but I didn't hear why."

Two poplar leaves drifted down, their leaves a vibrant green.

Jiao Yuyin picked up a piece and said, "My second brother's new ventures are mainly in the arts and sports fields. He has quite an appetite."

"Will this affect you?"

Jiao Yuyin chuckled softly: "You're so concerned about me?"

Lu Yu just secretly rolled her eyes, without saying a word back.

The usually sharp-tongued person suddenly changed his tune. Jiao Yuyin, not being one to miss a beat, immediately sensed something was amiss.

"What else did you hear from my dad?"

Lu Yu looked up at the tree, her voice tinged with guilt: "It's nothing, that's all."

"Cooperation is based on honesty and mutual trust."

"Is Tangli your mother's name?"

Jiao Yuyin also looked up at the tree along with Lu Yu. "So that's what my dad was thinking." Jiao Yuyin crushed the poplar leaves in his hand. "Wen Tangli, that's my mother's name."

“Your dad was thinking,” Lu Yu mimicked his thoughts, stating exactly what he meant, “How could Yu Yin still not let go? It’s been twenty years. Does he intend to never have anything to do with his own siblings again? Nobody expected Tang Li to commit suicide back then.”

Lu Yu turned her head and stared at Jiao Yuyin, whose expression remained unchanged, though he had been looking up at the tree for too long.

Lu Yu didn't ask any questions, nor did she think of how to comfort him. Instead, Jiao Yuyin spoke calmly. "My parents had a business marriage. Twenty years ago, my maternal grandfather was arrested and imprisoned, my father had an affair, and my mother jumped off a building and died in this place." Jiao Yuyin looked around and continued, "Later, my father planted poplar trees all over this place. Nobody dares to come here on weekdays. They're all afraid."

Lu Yu really wanted to ask what this had to do with his siblings, but this was a sore spot for him, and she couldn't bring herself to ask unless he told her.

She simply followed Jiao Yuyin step by step, remaining a quiet listener. Finally, she uttered, "I'm not afraid of this place."

What kind of consolation is this... Lu Yu really wanted to disappear into the ground; she was utterly tongue-tied.

Jiao Yuyin chuckled at her words, his languid voice responding to the dappled sunlight at midday. “Every member of the Jiao family was involved in my mother’s death, so of course they wouldn’t dare come over. Back then, the Wen family was embroiled in scandals, and the Wen Corporation was facing bankruptcy. My mother begged my father to save the Wen Corporation, but my father only wanted to get rid of my mother and the Wen Corporation.”

“Given the situation at the time, if my dad had brought up divorce, he would have been condemned. So he cheated on his wife without any restraint. After all, it wasn’t the first time he had done it, he was used to it.”

Despite his relaxed demeanor, the words he uttered sent a chill down Lu Yu's spine.

“My mother had mental health issues during that period. The Jiao family, all my family members, were blaming her.” Jiao Yuyin finally showed a different expression, one that seemed self-deprecating, but more like indifference. “Later, she left only one line of poetry and jumped from the sixth floor of the old house.”

Lu Yu thought of Pear Blossom Villa and said softly, "Pear blossoms reflected against white poplar trees, a place of life and death, of parting and separation."

"Yes, Pear Fragrance Villa was a gift from my dad when my parents got married. The garden was full of crabapple trees, and the fragrance of pears filled the air. But crabapple fruits are a small and sour variety."