He actually rarely smoked. When he was with Shiloh, he never smoked or drank. He was a truly good man. The first time he came into contact with cigarettes and alcohol was when he learned of Shiloh's "death." That was the most difficult time for him back then.
Immediately afterwards, his father and other members of his direct lineage met with misfortune one after another. He had no time to grieve and could only rely on nicotine to keep his spirits up.
He smoked much less after that because it was addictive and he didn't like the feeling of being controlled by something.
Until recently, when I learned the truth from Hart, my spirit collapsed in that instant.
Li Yuan exhaled deeply, and wisps of white smoke emerged from his nose and mouth, relieving much of the stuffiness in his chest.
Gu Yibei also leaned on the railing, looking down at everything below.
He said, "Bai Chuan has already found out Luo Ling's team's recent schedule. Do I need to tell you?"
Li Yuan took another drag of her cigarette, her slender fingers holding it gracefully.
He shook his head: "No need, I'm not looking anymore, I've given up."
Three sentences, nine words, represent Li Yuan's abandonment of his twenty years of persistence.
He gave up on Shiloh.
Staring at the distant scenery, Li Yuan looked somewhat dazed: "Hart is right. In that war back then, I was both the biggest winner and the biggest loser."
He gained power, but lost his family. For all these years, he has stood alone at the summit, with no one by his side.
"Only in hindsight did I realize that all these years, I have been suppressing myself and have never been happy for a single day."
He was like a puppet, devoid of any emotion. His only belief was to manage the Warrens family business that his father had left him, and he had remained numb all these years.
Li Yuan smiled faintly, "It wasn't until I found Nan Nan that I realized I was still alive."
As he laughed, his smile slowly turned bitter: "I've suppressed myself for over twenty years, and now I want to let myself go."
No longer living for Shiloh, she let go of everything and lived for herself and for her daughter.
Gu Yibei smiled, relieved that his young father-in-law had come to his senses.
………
The two of them smoked a cigarette on the rooftop and then went down, where they bumped into Ji Zhinan, who had just finished his checkup.
Upon seeing his daughter, Li Yuan instinctively walked over, only to be met with a strong smell of smoke as he approached.
Ji Zhinan has always had a good sense of smell, and the smell of smoke made her frown: "Dad, you've been smoking?"
Seeing his daughter's scrutinizing gaze, Li Yuan subconsciously felt guilty: "I..."
Gu Yibei silently brought up the opened cigarette pack and lighter: "Dad, you forgot your cigarettes on the rooftop."
"???"
Receiving a look from his young father-in-law, Gu Yibei continued innocently, "Dad, smoking is bad for your health. You see, I don't smoke, so you have to be careful too, and don't overdo it."
He casually opened the cigarette case and put the lighter inside.
The cigarette pack looks brand new on the outside, as if it was just opened, but there are only a few cigarettes left inside.
Ji Zhinan immediately glared at Li Yuan, clearly displeased with his reckless smoking.
If Li Yuan hadn't realized by this time that he'd been tricked by Gu Yibei, he'd be a complete idiot. No wonder that bastard just watched him smoke; he was waiting for this all along.
Li Yuan: "!!!"
……………
Mu Family —
"Bang!" The sound of a glass shattering on the ground was followed by Mu Zeyu's angry roar.
"Ji Zhixia, who gave you permission to talk to my mother like that!"
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