Chapter 93 The Reality of Retreating Again and Again

Pipa also tried to convince herself that even memories could be inaccurate over such a long period of time, let alone those of a living person.

But there's always a voice inside me saying...

No...that's not how it is, this person is clearly not...

"So what exactly happened with that avalanche back then?" Pipa decided to ask the question that had been bothering him for many years.

"The avalanche is real."

Lan Yunzhi calmly replied, "It happened suddenly; we got separated in the heavy snow. I was trapped in the mountains for a long time and then accidentally discovered a small wooden cabin left by a hunter."

According to Lan Yunzhi, the owner of the wooden house has disappeared. Perhaps he had an accident while out, but the exact circumstances are unknown.

Fortunately, there was enough dry food and firewood left in the house.

With these supplies, Lan Yunzhi survived the harsh winter in the mountains.

He finally got to go down the mountain when spring arrived. But when he asked a woodcutter who had gone into the mountains to chop wood about the outside world, he learned of his own death.

If Lan Yunzhi lives, he can only ever be the young master Lan of Huayue Tower for the rest of his life.

—But what if he's already dead?

Then the one who survives will be completely free.

Therefore, Lan Yunzhi chose to play along and not reveal the truth about her faked death.

Pipa was stunned, never expecting such a convoluted story to have unfolded in the middle.

"Then... who is the deceased Lan Yunzhi that Li Xiao found?" Pipa was still puzzled.

Upon hearing this, Lan Yunzhi's smile paused for a moment.

After a while, he said nonchalantly, "Who knows? Maybe he's just a poor person passing by who happens to look a bit like me."

"But……"

Pipa still felt something was off.

No matter how similar other people may look, could Li Xiao not tell the difference based on his familiarity with Lan Yunzhi?

Another thing is Lan Yunzhi's whereabouts after that.

Where has he been all these years? What has he done? And how did he get in touch with Ah Liu?

—Since you've chosen to lie low, why did you suddenly appear in front of me?

The original fog of mystery did not become clear because of Lan Yunzhi's explanation; instead, it brought out even more mysteries.

Actually, I did visit you.

Lan Yunzhi's words abruptly pulled Pipa back from her chaotic thoughts.

"What?"

Pipa looked at Lan Yunzhi in surprise as he took out a slightly worn copper coin from his sleeve.

It was exactly as he remembered it.

Pipa's heart pounded as she took the copper coin from Lan Yunzhi's hand.

As she gently stroked the patterns and engravings with her fingers, sensing the familiar texture, Pipa couldn't help but clench her palms tightly around the coin.

This is it!

This is the copper coin he lost back then!

It turned out that the person who lifted him from the bedside was indeed Young Master Lan himself, and not some hallucination caused by excessive longing.

"So, Mr. Ajiu's sudden appearance at that time, and his testimony that he didn't see anyone pass by—"

"It's fake."

Pipa felt dizzy for no reason. It turned out that not only Ah Liu, but even Mr. Ah Jiu already knew Lan Yunzhi's whereabouts.

Therefore, the only person who might have been kept in the dark from beginning to end is yourself.

Pipa suddenly felt a little weak, but couldn't explain why.

He should have been happy to know that Young Master Lan was not dead.

Even if you're the last to know the truth, there's really nothing to complain about, since they never had the responsibility or obligation to explain it to you.

But……

Even so, I couldn't help but feel deceived.

Pipa thought that perhaps she was too greedy, which was why she had unnecessary expectations of others, so it was inevitable that she would feel disappointed again and again.

You seem very disappointed.

Lan Yunzhi reached out to touch Pipa's cheek, but the boy instinctively avoided her.

The raised hand paused in mid-air, then silently retracted.

Lan Yunzhi looked at the boy with a sense of guilt: "I originally planned to wait until everything settled down before picking you up and then revealing the truth. I didn't expect so many unexpected things to happen in the meantime."

"..."

"Until recently, the situation gradually stabilized, and I happened to hear that you intended to leave on your own."

Pipa thought that nothing could surprise her anymore, but she didn't expect that she had overestimated herself.

He only told one person about his desire to leave on his own.

Because until that night, Pipa had not made up her mind.

"Is that child also—" he asked, trying his best to remain calm, but the slight tremor in his voice betrayed his turbulent state of mind.

Lan Yunzhi did not answer directly, but turned her head and gently called out towards the door.

As the words fell, the door opened from the outside, and soon a petite figure came into view.

Who else could that girl with her lovely almond-shaped eyes, who was she but Zhuzhu, whom he knew?

But……

"Zhuzhu," Pipa called softly, noticing the girl's slightly trembling eyelashes.

—Is he afraid?

But what did she have to be afraid of?

What is there to be afraid of when facing a fool like yourself who knows nothing and is easily swayed by others?

"Shouldn't you have finished what I asked you to do and be waiting for me at your residence by now?"

Pipa tried to keep her voice down.

Faced with his rhetorical question, Zhuzhu remained silent, eventually turning her gaze to Lan Yunzhi who was standing to the side.

The young man said calmly, "Just answer your master's questions truthfully. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"never mind."

Pipa waved her hand: "I think I already know the answer to that question. Let's ask something else. What I want to know now is, when I saw you being chased in the street, and you said you were going to sell yourself to pay for your mother's burial, was that true or false?"

Zhuzhu bit her lower lip tightly, and finally spoke, "That's indeed what happened, but... but..."

Seeing the girl's hesitant expression, Lan Yunzhi took over the conversation.

"However, the person she has to repay is not her uncle and aunt, but someone else."

Lan Yunzhi didn't spell it out, but it was already quite obvious who this other person was.

"I see."

The loquat murmured softly, giving the anxious little girl a reassuring smile: "Okay, I understand."

Zhuzhu looked hesitant, but ultimately said nothing. She bowed respectfully and then left the room.

It's all fake... fake.

The news of Young Master Lan's death is false, and Zhu Zhu's desperate situation is also a lie...

—So, is this self, surrounded by falsehood, actually real?

As Pipa was lost in thought, a sharp pain suddenly shot through her palm.

Looking down, he realized that his fist had been clenched too tightly, and the edge of the coin had cut his palm, causing blood to gush out.

But the loquat just watched as the red liquid kept flowing out.

Without a single thought of stopping them, they just stared blankly, like an indifferent bystander.

Lan Yunzhi took the copper coin away, then fetched clean water and carefully cleaned the boy's wound before bandaging it meticulously.

Throughout the entire process, Pipa remained silent, allowing the other person to hold her hand and manipulate it.

"Actually, there's something I was afraid of upsetting you, so I was going to tell you later," Lan Yunzhi suddenly said.

Pipa blinked, but didn't say anything.

Seeing this, Lan Yunzhi wasn't disappointed. Instead, she continued speaking slowly and deliberately: "However, seeing how sullen you look, let's take it as an early surprise... It's about Li Xiao."

Upon hearing the name, Pipa stiffened, involuntarily holding her breath and looking up at the young man in front of her.

"Li Xiao is still alive."

Lan Yunzhi casually announced this bombshell news, then, under the boy's suddenly unsettled gaze, gave him an understanding smile: "So, do you want to meet him?"