“Yuan’er, he…”
Upon hearing that Chi Yuan had been wronged, Chi Li could no longer sit still. He stood up and said urgently, "Three fairies, what exactly happened back then? Please tell me in detail!"
"Let me say it."
Seeing that Ning Wan'er was already sobbing uncontrollably, Lu Ziling suppressed her inner pain, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and truthfully recounted the memories that were almost engraved in her mind back then.
"So... so Yuan'er was telling the truth back then..."
After hearing what Lu Ziling said, Chi Li felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow. He collapsed into the seat behind him as if all his strength had left him, and the guilt and regret that welled up in his heart almost overwhelmed him.
Why didn't he trust Chi Yuan back then? Why would he rather trust two outsiders than give his own flesh and blood a little trust?!
Tears welled up in Chi Li's tiger-like eyes as he recalled the scene of Chi Yuan desperately trying to defend himself, only to find no one believing him. His heart ached so much he could hardly breathe; he simply couldn't imagine how desperate Chi Yuan must have been back then...
But as Chi Yuan's father, instead of trusting Chi Yuan when he was most desperate, he... pushed Chi Yuan into the abyss with his own hands!
He... is unworthy of being a father!
"Yuan'er... my Yuan'er..."
Lin Huixin burst into tears. It wasn't just Chi Li who pushed Chi Yuan into the abyss; she, as his mother, was also a murderer!
Chi Yang was equally distraught, collapsing to the ground in a daze, muttering, "Brother... I wronged you... I'm such a bastard!"
Bang!
Chi Li slammed his palm down, shattering the tea table beside him. He rose unsteadily, his bloodshot eyes filled with boundless hatred. He gritted his teeth and said, "What a Shenxiao Sect! What a Shangguan Zhen! What a Pei Qingyun! They've gone too far!"
"Give me back Yuan'er!"
...
Yun Mansion.
Yunfeng stood in the front yard with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed, sighing frequently, looking ashamed.
Beside him, Yun Yan stood silently, unable to utter a sound, a stark contrast to her usual habit of cursing Chi Yuan.
At this moment, Yu Xiao, who had grown a beard and looked more mature, strode over. Seeing Yun Feng sighing, he approached Yun Yan and carefully asked, "Wife, what happened?"
Yun Yan sighed softly, "It's about Chi Yuan."
"Chi Yuan? Has he returned?"
Yu Xiao hurriedly said that Chi Yuan had been missing for three years, and he had been worried about him the whole time. He also regretted not choosing to believe Chi Yuan back then. If anything happened to Chi Yuan, he would be deeply guilty.
"He hasn't come back yet."
"What happened to him?"
Yun Yan bit her lip, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "It seems we... have wronged Chi Yuan..."
"What?!"
Yu Xiao froze on the spot, as if struck by lightning.
The backyard of the Yun residence.
Two maids were whispering to each other outside the pavilion in Yunmeng.
"Ever since Miss broke off her engagement with that heartless man from the Chi family, suitors have been flocking to the Yun family. I've even heard that a prince from the royal family is interested in taking Miss as his concubine."
"That's right. I don't know what Miss is thinking. So many young men have come to propose marriage, but she hasn't agreed to a single one. And just like before, she locks herself in this secluded boudoir in the backyard and refuses to show herself to anyone. Even the princes find it difficult to see her."
"What else could she be thinking? She must still be thinking about that heartless man. Ever since the engagement was broken off, I've seen Miss sighing and crying all the time. She probably hasn't gotten over that relationship yet."
"Alas, love is the most hurtful thing. Miss has been hurt too deeply. I don't know when she will be able to get over it."
...
The attic has three floors.
Looking somewhat haggard, Yunmeng sat melancholically by the window, clutching the token of love Chi Yuan had once given her. She seemed lost in thought, utterly lifeless.
"Yuanlang, where have you gone..."
Yunmeng's eyes were filled with sorrow. After Chi Yuan left home and disappeared years ago, she fell into deep regret and self-blame. She regretted that she had not believed Chi Yuan, and blamed herself for not standing by Chi Yuan when he was in his most difficult time.
For the past three years, she has been secretly searching for Chi Yuan's whereabouts, but she has been unable to find him. Chi Yuan remains missing to this day.
What worried and frightened her most was whether Chi Yuan had encountered some danger...
"Yunmeng, oh Yunmeng, how could you be so foolish? Why did you have to drive him to such a dead end... You claimed to love him, but you were the one who hurt him the most!"
Yunmeng felt a sharp pain in her chest, and tears had unknowingly soaked her cheeks again.
For the past three years, she has condemned herself almost every day, living in pain, as if doing so could share some of Chi Yuan's suffering.
But she knew deep down that even if she were ten times more miserable, it wouldn't be even one percent of Chi Yuan's suffering. Her actions were nothing more than self-deception and self-comfort.
"Meng'er! Meng'er!"
Just then, a sorrowful cry came from outside the boudoir; it was the voice of Chi Yuan's mother, Lin Huixin.
Yunmeng's heart skipped a beat, and a chill ran from head to toe. Could it be that Yuanlang...
Lin Huixin staggered into Yunmeng's boudoir, and upon seeing Yunmeng, she choked out, "Meng'er, Yuan'er... he..."
Yunmeng felt a sudden difficulty breathing and became frightened by Lin Huixin's next words, "Aunt Lin, what happened to Yuanlang?"
Lin Huixin knew that Yunmeng had misunderstood, and quickly shook her head and sobbed, "Yuan'er is still missing, but I have just learned the truth about what happened back then. Yuan'er was wronged!"
She then sobbed as she told Yunmeng what she had learned.
"Yuanlang..."
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