The painting that belonged to Su Mo in front of her had disappeared for some time. Sitting in the back seat of the swaying van, Tang Ning, with her eyes lowered, remained silent.
"Tang Bao..."
Her appearance made the little system beside her suddenly feel worried and call out to her.
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly she gently asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing. I noticed you'd been quiet, and I thought you might be upset..."
"No, I just feel a little...sigh."
It's just a pity.
After saying that, Tang Ning didn't comment on Su Mo's situation anymore. Partly because she really had nothing to say, and partly because she and Xia Yang were taken off the van and put into another mode of transportation.
After all, it's quite a distance from here to Yun City. With this dilapidated van, it would probably take a whole day, let alone three hours, to get to Yun City. So, Tang Ning and Xia Yang were quickly transferred to a speedboat that had been prepared in advance, and they planned to go around by water, which should be much faster.
As expected, it only took them two and a half hours to reach their agreed meeting place with Pei Yuan.
As for how Pei Yuan gets here within three hours, or whether he can even get here in time, what does that have to do with them!
As time ticked by, Pei Sen's expression grew increasingly agitated, his eyes filled with a growing madness, and his gaze toward Tang Ning became increasingly mocking.
Tang Ning's expression remained largely unchanged despite being scrutinized by him repeatedly, which made Pei Sen purse his lips in boredom. Then, as if remembering something, the corners of his mouth turned up again with great interest.
Time was running out for Pei Yuan. Before long, Pei Sen's eyes were brimming with excitement, and he even started counting down in English.
"10, 9, 8..."
The American standing next to him also excitedly joined in the countdown.
“...5, 4, 3…”
Just as she counted to three, Tang Ning immediately heard the sound of the rusty iron gate downstairs being forcefully pushed open from the outside.
The next second, as agreed, Pei Yuan appeared alone in front of everyone. When he saw Tang Ning, who was tied up tightly on the second floor, a dark light flashed in his eyes.
The moment they met eyes, Tang Ning, whose expression had remained relatively calm since being tied up, showed a change in her gaze for the first time. "Chen Yin!"
Tang Ning's eyes were filled with worry and unease, and she even subconsciously wanted to stand up. But just then, Pei Sen, who was standing next to her, suddenly reached out and picked at his ear, making a strange gesture as if he hadn't heard what she said at all. He deliberately laughed and asked, "Wait a minute, wait a minute, Miss Tang Ning, what did you just call my dear brother? Shen what? Shen Yin... Hahahaha!"
The mixed-race man couldn't help but laugh maniacally again. "Miss Tang, are you kidding me? My surname is Pei, how could my brother's surname be Chen? You two have been together for so long, and you don't even know my brother's name? Tsk tsk tsk, I used to think he treated you specially, but now it seems he's nothing special!"
As he spoke, Pei Sen subconsciously turned to look at Pei Yuan below, and continued with a smile, "He won't tell you, but I will. My brother's surname is also Pei, and his name is..."
"Pei Sen!"
Pei Yuan suddenly interrupted in a cold voice.
"Hey, did you see that? He's panicking, he's panicking..."
Pei Sen said with a grin, "Brother, why are you in such a hurry? Is it because your name is some kind of taboo for Miss Tang Ning? Is it related to that room in your castle that no one is allowed to enter?"
The man tentatively guessed, and although he didn't see any clues from Pei Yuan's micro-expressions, it didn't stop Pei Sen from introducing him to Tang Ning again, "Pei Yuan, my brother's name is Pei Yuan, the Yuan of abyss. I wonder if Miss Tang has any memory of such a person?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning's eyes widened immediately, and she looked downstairs in disbelief before gently shaking her head after a long while.
“Pei Yuan…”
Tang Ning murmured something.
"Your name isn't Shen Yin, it's Pei Yuan?"
Tang Ning repeated the sentence, her brows furrowed and her lips slightly parted, as if she had heard something she could hardly believe.
Pei Yuan, who was downstairs, clenched his fist the moment he saw Tang Ning's expression.
Seeing the expressions on their faces, Pei Sen knew there must be some interesting little secret hidden here. He immediately adopted a gossipy, spectator-like expression and pressed on, "And that's not all... Miss Tang Ning, to be honest, even I, as an observer, can't stand it anymore. You have no idea how many shady things your beloved boyfriend has done behind your back..."
Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan, seeing the mocking look in Pei Sen's eyes, pursed his lips and felt a surge of anger rising in his heart. However, under such circumstances, he had no way to make him stop and could only let the other party's mouth keep opening and closing.
"What's the name of that little brother you kept by your side before? Su... Su Mo, right? Do you think it was just a coincidence that you overheard his and Xia Yang's plot in the coffee shop? It was all arranged by your good older brother. He had someone call Xia Yang in advance, and then deliberately took you to that coffee shop. That way, he could get rid of the person he didn't like by your side without lifting a finger!"
"Oh, and his parents and relatives in Y country, you don't actually think they are his parents, do you? They're all fake, hahaha. The couple you met are actually our cousins. His father was paralyzed by Pei Yuan eight hundred years ago, unable to live or die."
"Pei Yuan has always been this kind of person—petty, stingy, and vengeful. If you've ever held a grudge against someone, you can hide at the ends of the earth, and he'll find you and, with a little trickery, make you regret ever being born… Speaking of which, Miss Tang, you haven't offended him, have you? Otherwise, I'd start to question my brother's motives for suddenly appearing by your side. Is he planning to elevate you to a high position only to throw you into the mud in the blink of an eye? Don't doubt it, this kind of tactic has always been his favorite!"
"And another thing, that little company of yours before, it was called Ning Zhen, right? The reason it almost went bankrupt was because he secretly had someone plot against it. After all, he's Rick's mysterious CEO who's always elusive. He's the one who harmed you, and he's the one who saved you, and he even managed to take down his love rival in the process. What a show..."
"Most importantly, it took me five whole years to finally find out that my brother's eyesight had been completely lost all these years. He could see more than a decade ago, but he pretended to be blind in front of us, even appearing blind in front of Miss Tang. This is truly..."
"Hahaha, Miss Tang, aren't you afraid of sleeping with such a venomous snake next to you? You think he likes you? Who knows if he just wants to play with you and get revenge on you!"
Pei Sen half-squatted beside Tang Ning and patiently guided her.
After hearing Pei Sen's words, Tang Ning's eyes were already wide with shock.
She stared blankly and lost in thought at Pei Yuan, who was also staring at her from below. They remained silent, neither of them able to discern what the other was thinking.
Pei Yuan's teeth were already clenched tightly together. He forced himself to look Tang Ning in the eye because he wanted to see her expression clearly, not wanting to miss a single detail.
But he knew in his heart that once his true colors were revealed, he and Tang Ning could never go back to the way things were before, and he might never see Tang Ning's purest and brightest smile again.
This realization caused Pei Yuan a sudden pang of pain in his heart, as if he had been pricked by countless tiny needles, making it difficult even to breathe.
After a brief eye contact, Tang Ning lowered her eyes first, her thick, long eyelashes casting a small dark shadow under her eyes.
Having already revealed everything, the two people's reactions were so indifferent, even somewhat boring. This made Pei Sen, who hadn't been able to watch the show, immediately show a hint of displeasure, irritability, and resentment on his face.
So he started causing trouble again...
Suddenly, the mixed-race man pulled a Swiss Army knife from his jacket pocket. While watching Pei Yuan's expression, he slowly drew the knife from its sheath and gently pressed it against Tang Ning's cheek. "Since you're willing to risk everything for this woman, brother, let me see just how far you're willing to go. Don't think I don't know you're carrying a weapon. Now, here, use that nylon rope over there to tie a knot in your hands. You know what kind of knot I want you to tie, right?"
Pei Sen's request was clearly intended to make Pei Yuan completely surrender his life, leaving him no way out.
Upon hearing this, a fleeting look of panic crossed Tang Ning's eyes.
“Pei Yuan…”
Before she could finish speaking, Pei Sen had already pressed his index finger against her lips, his expression utterly innocent. "Shh, Miss Tang, don't speak. This knife of mine is quite sharp. If you speak even a little louder, it might startle my hand and accidentally leave something on your pretty face. Don't you think so?"
Hearing such threatening words, Tang Ning stared intently at the smiling man in front of her, and soon felt him apply a little more force to the knife pressed against her cheek.
His expression told her that the madman was telling the truth, and that if she dared to utter another word, he would not hesitate to slash her face.
After threatening Tang Ning, Pei Sen turned his gaze back downstairs. Seeing that Pei Yuan still hadn't made a move, he frowned in annoyance. "What's wrong? You don't want to? Tsk, I thought you liked this woman surnamed Tang so much. Now it seems, she's just like that? In that case, there's no point in keeping her around..."
As they were talking, a fierce glint flashed in the man's eyes, and he suddenly raised the military knife in his hand, ready to stab Tang Ning...
"stop!"
Just then, Pei Yuan's voice rang out. Pei Sen turned his head again and saw that Pei Yuan downstairs had raised his hands and was staring intently into his eyes. He slowly took two steps back, squatted down, picked up the dirty nylon rope from the ground, and began to tie a knot for himself under the watchful eyes of everyone upstairs.
Seeing this series of actions, Pei Sen immediately covered his face with his hands, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
I don't know how long they were shaking, but suddenly a deafening burst of laughter echoed throughout the dilapidated factory building.
"Hahahahahaha...hahahahahaha..."
The mixed-race man laughed so hard he bent over, then knelt on the ground, pounding his fist on the floor with his right hand, tears even streaming down his face.
Throughout the entire process, Pei Yuan remained undisturbed and continued tying the knot.
Only then did Pei Sen raise his hand and forcefully wipe away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes, saying with deep emotion, "I really can't believe it! My good brother, who is usually so cold and ruthless, who doesn't care about anyone and is always vengeful, is actually a devoted lover at heart. I admire him!"
"I think I'll never understand you in this lifetime. You're just a woman. In this world, there are all kinds of women—rich, powerful, beautiful, plump, and all kinds. Why would someone like you, who was with another man for ten years, go to such lengths? Are you still the Pei Yuan I know? You've disappointed me greatly!"
"Or is there something special about this woman? Her face is pretty, but not top-tier. Her personality might be good, but a woman with too much personality will only get tiresome after a while. Does she have some special skill that makes you unable to resist? If so, I'm really at a disadvantage. I should have tried it. Heaven knows, these past two months have been a nightmare for me. I've only had this one person by my side who can't stand being hot or cold, who doesn't have the life of a princess but has the attitude of one, and who needs to be pampered in everything she does!"
While speaking, Pei Sen didn't even glance at Xia Yang beside him.
"She still thinks I don't know about her past messes. A slut who slept with people for a phone worth only a few thousand yuan in high school. No matter where she touches me, I feel nauseous and want to vomit. Yet I have to act with her. Only God knows how much I've sacrificed during this time. She even said she wants to marry me and have a child with me. My God, she has no idea that the way she says that makes her look like a sow in heat..."
Pei Sen said this without any mercy. Xia Yang, who had been silent as if she didn't exist since getting off the speedboat, dug her long fingernails deep into the soft flesh of her palm. Soon, her palm was soaked with moisture. The woman's pale face showed no reaction, only a mocking and resentful look rose in the depths of her eyes.
But Tang Ning couldn't help but sneer inwardly at Pei Sen's words.
Pei Sen, a filthy man who has changed women more frequently than clothes since he was sixteen, still looks down on Xia Yang. He has probably slept with more than twice as many women as Xia Yang has slept with men. Only such a despicable man has the right to look down on others.
funny.
Downstairs, Pei Yuan had already tied his hands into knots, his face expressionless, as if he hadn't heard Pei Sen's pointless words at all.
His expressionless reaction seemed to have struck a nerve with Pei Sen.
The mixed-race man suddenly stood up agitatedly, raised his foot and kicked a piece of wood next to him away.
"Why, why don't you react to what I say? Do you even know that, from childhood to adulthood, what I hate most is your cold and disgusting expression, as if you're the only smart person in the world and we're all idiots! It makes me want to vomit!"
"Oh, I forgot. You probably don't know, but all the beatings you got when you were little were instigated by me. I loved seeing you get beaten up by those hot-tempered brothers every day, covered in bruises. Then I'd bring medicine to make amends. But why have you never accepted my kindness? Wasn't my expression kind and sincere back then? Tell me, why did you refuse my kindness?"
Pei Sen's expression grew increasingly agitated.
This made Tang Ning wonder if everyone in the Pei family had some kind of mental problem. Perhaps the one who was actually ill wasn't Pei Yuan's mother, but his father. Otherwise, how could one son have a problem while the other wasn't quite normal either?
Standing beside her, Pei Sen began unleashing a torrent of abuse on Pei Yuan below, "...Why were they so useless back then? Why didn't they just kill you, you beast? Pei Yuan, do you even know? You're an anomaly, a disgusting monster, an unwanted bastard, you never deserved to live from the very beginning..."
Such insults made Tang Ning immediately look down at Pei Yuan, but she saw that his expression did not change at all, as if he had long been used to such insults.
After all, when he was with his mother, she would often grab his hair, bang his head against the wall repeatedly, and yell at him to die.
After returning to his father's side, he was surrounded by malice from everyone around him. Being scolded, beaten, and teased because of his blindness was commonplace. Even the only "kindness" he received from Pei Sen was nothing more than a piece of shit wrapped in sugar.
He had long since gotten used to it, and he had long since stopped feeling pain...
Pei Sen's level of skill is of no use to him.
The calmer Pei Yuan remained, the angrier Pei Sen became. Even though he was the one who started the insults, he got more and more carried away with his words. In a fit of rage, he looked down at Pei Yuan and said a few words to the American man next to him. The group then charged aggressively towards Pei Yuan.
Before Tang Ning could even react, one of them had already smashed a steel pipe into Pei Yuan's knee. The man immediately let out a muffled groan and knelt on one knee.
What are you doing!
Tang Ning shouted in disbelief.
But Pei Sen couldn't hear her voice anymore. As soon as he saw Pei Yuan kneeling down in front of him, his eyes turned red with excitement. Pointing downstairs, he shouted impatiently, "Beat him! Hahaha, beat him! Beat him! Hahahaha..."
At the command, the wooden sticks and steel pipes of these M countrymen rained down on Pei Yuan.
"Stop hitting, that's enough, that's enough..."
Seeing Pei Yuan beaten to the ground, Tang Ning kept shouting, and in the blink of an eye, a tear slid down her smooth face to her chin.
She struggled to her feet and tried to run downstairs, but just then, Pei Sen noticed her movement out of the corner of his eye. He immediately reached out and pressed his hands on Tang Ning's shoulders. Seeing the tears on her face, he even reached out his sleeve to wipe them away with heartache. With a look of confusion mixed with excitement, he said, "Miss Tang, what's wrong? Why are you crying all of a sudden? I'm helping you get revenge! Don't you resent this person for lying to you about so many things, almost ruining your company, and even pretending to be blind in front of you and deceiving your feelings? Come on, open your eyes and look! What a beautiful scene! Look, I'll show you!"
As he spoke, Pei Sen pressed Tang Ning's head down, forcing her to look down at Pei Yuan, whose face was already bruised and blood was dripping from his forehead.
As she watched, Tang Ning's tears fell even more, but when she saw the movement of someone behind Pei Sen, she slowly stopped struggling.
Her cooperation allowed Pei Sen to gently help her up quickly. "That's right, it would be better to sit quietly and watch the show with me. Actually, I didn't want to be too rough with you, Miss Tang..."
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning lowered her eyes slightly, but in reality, her peripheral vision never left Xia Yang, who was not far behind Pei Sen.
She knew that this woman was never one to repay evil with kindness. The reason she wanted to loosen the ropes for her before was not so much to get revenge on Pei Sen, but rather because this woman had already shrewdly realized that Pei Sen was unreliable and that her fate would not be good once this matter was over. That's why she decided to bet on Tang Ning.
In her heart, although Tang Ning was her enemy and the object of her jealousy, her character was much better than Pei Sen's. Following Pei Sen was just a way for her to show goodwill to Tang Ning, and perhaps it could help her find a way to survive.
Just as she was thinking this, Tang Ning finally caught a glimpse of Xia Yang, who was subtly moving towards them amidst the noisy environment. Suddenly, a rusty fruit knife appeared from the cuff of her right sleeve. Heaven knows how this woman managed to get her hands on such a sharp weapon.
Closer, closer...
Just as Xia Yang was getting closer and closer to Pei Sen, who was still excited, and was only about a meter away, the woman was about to get up when Pei Sen inexplicably turned his head to look at her.
The two met face to face. Pei Sen, sensing something was wrong, was already furious. The arrow was on the bowstring, but Xia Yang couldn't care less. She raised the fruit knife and was about to stab Pei Sen. Just as Pei Sen was about to grab Xia Yang's wrist, Tang Ning opened the ropes on her hands and pushed Pei Sen away.
Caught off guard, Pei Sen stumbled and charged straight at Xia Yang's rusty fruit knife.
"ah!!!!!"
A scream rang out as Xia Yang's fruit knife blade plunged completely into Pei Sen's neck, just below his right ear.
Blood splattered everywhere.
The man's eyes widened, and he made a hoarse breathing sound before collapsing to the ground.
He stared intently at Xia Yang, who had also fallen beside him, panting heavily, a look of triumphant satisfaction rising in his eyes.
"I told you, I'd make you regret this!"
Xia Yang said this, enunciating each word clearly.
And then she just watched helplessly as Pei Sen convulsed and trembled in front of her.
Whether it was someone else who noticed the strange thing on their end, or something else, in the midst of the chaos, Tang Ning suddenly heard a gunshot.
Immediately afterwards, as if a signal had been given, gunshots rang out one after another.
"ah!"
Startled by the gunshot, Xia Yang immediately covered her ears, but at that moment, she suddenly saw Tang Ning running downstairs. "Wait for me, wait for me..."
Xia Yang didn't care about Pei Sen, who had already died at her feet, and hurriedly chased after him.
But as he caught up with Tang Ning, who had slowed down slightly, he glanced at the nearly rotten wooden railing beside him, a fierce glint appearing in his eyes. Suddenly, he raised his hand and shoved Tang Ning in front of him...
But just as her hand touched Tang Ning's shoulder, before the woman's eyes could even show any joy, she didn't even know how Tang Ning had managed to slip away so easily at such a tricky angle.
Xia Yang, whose shoving attempt suddenly missed, crashed straight into the railing that was inches away. "Help..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she fell down the stairs in terror under Tang Ning's almost indifferent gaze.
At such a height, even without the 54088 probe, Tang Ning knew that no one would die from the fall. However, whether or not the fall would cause any injuries was beyond Tang Ning's concern.
Her collaboration with Xia Yang ended after they worked together to kill Pei Sen.
She was never naive enough to believe that she genuinely had good intentions towards her.
Just then, Tang Ning's hand was suddenly grabbed by another large, cold hand. Turning her head, she saw Pei Yuan's focused gaze, no longer the dull, unfocused eyes he had before.
"Let's go! Time is short, and I didn't bring many men; they're no match for these American soldiers!"
She heard the other person say that to her.
Upon hearing this, knowing that now was not the time to be temperamental, Tang Ning followed Pei Yuan without hesitation and ran forward without looking back.
Who would have thought that they had only run a short distance when they heard a cacophony of curses and menacing Mandarin behind them, accompanied by the barking of a wolfhound or two.
Pei Yuan, who had originally planned to lead Tang Ning towards the main road, turned back, squeezed Tang Ning's hand tightly, and looked earnestly into her eyes, "Do you believe me?"
Tang Ning paused for a moment, then nodded vigorously.
Seeing this, Pei Yuan chuckled softly, glanced at the deep and gloomy rainforest on the other side, and pulled Tang Ning's hand to go inside.
As darkness fell, the rainforest, filled with dense vegetation, became so dark that it was difficult to see the road clearly. Tang Ning had lost count of how far she and Pei Yuan had walked hand in hand, stumbling along, but they still couldn't stop.
Because there were still sounds coming from behind.
God knows why these American folks are so relentlessly pursuing them...
“Pei Sen’s relationship with these people was purely cooperative. Now that Pei Sen is dead, the promised money and cooperation have fallen through. These people are currently locked in a fierce battle with another faction in their country and desperately need money. Pei Sen must have revealed my identity to them before, so they won’t give up anytime soon.”
Pei Yuan explained this to Tang Ning in a calm tone.
It was only then that Tang Ning noticed that she had actually asked her question aloud without her noticing.
"Your injury..."
Pei Yuan spoke up, and Tang Ning followed suit with a question.
"It's nothing. I've had much worse injuries before, and I'm fine now!"
Pei Yuan replied nonchalantly.
Even at this point, the man still couldn't resist playing the victim.
Tang Ning chuckled inwardly.
She didn't know how far they had run, until the sunlight shone through the gaps in the leaves in the forest. Only then did Tang Ning realize with a start that, without her noticing, she and Pei Yuan had been running all night.
Tang Ning had a keen ear; upon hearing the babbling brook, she knew that in such a place, if she followed the current, it was only a matter of time before she encountered someone.
Thinking of this, Tang Ning quickly turned to look at Pei Yuan beside her, "Chen..."
"careful!"
Before she could even finish her sentence, she saw Pei Yuan's expression change drastically as he reached out towards her left cheek.
"Hmm!"
With a muffled groan from the man, Tang Ning was horrified to see a long snake with a triangular head swimming away at top speed. She quickly grabbed Pei Yuan's arm and saw two blackened cuts on it.
"...It's a poisonous snake!"
Tang Ning said this in a daze, but Pei Yuan had already reached out and squeezed the blood from his arm. Seeing that the blood that came out was black, he looked up and looked around. Just as he was about to say something, he found that Tang Ning had already grabbed his arm and was about to put her mouth to the wound on his arm.
What are you doing!
Without a second thought, he pinned Tang Ning to the ground, gripped her chin tightly, and roared.
"The snake is poisonous. Let me suck it out for you!"
Tang Ning, her eyes red, stubbornly looked at him.
Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan immediately pulled down his sleeve, laughing angrily, "You know what kind of snake that is, and you dare to suck out the venom for me? Do you want to die here with me?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning burst into tears.
"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be..."
"I'd like to."
Before Tang Ning could finish speaking, Pei Yuan interrupted her.
"I'd like to..."
He repeated it again.
Just then, Pei Yuan noticed that Tang Ning's appearance suddenly began to blur in his eyes, and a feeling of dizziness washed over him. He shook his head forcefully, but still collapsed weakly onto Tang Ning.
"Chen... Pei Yuan! Pei Yuan!"
Pei Yuan, lying on the ground, even began to lose focus in his eyes.
Seeing this, Tang Ning immediately crawled out from under him and, without thinking, carried the man on her back.
Unexpectedly, at that moment, Pei Yuan's extremely weak voice suddenly rang in her ear, "Tang Ning... just leave me behind... you won't be able to get out alone if you carry me on your back..."
"Shut up!"
Tang Ning immediately said that.
"Tang Ning..."
When Pei Yuan spoke again, Tang Ning didn't reply. She needed to conserve her energy, otherwise she might very well die here with Pei Yuan.
In a hazy state, Pei Yuan struggled to turn his head and stared blankly at Tang Ning's profile and a bead of sweat falling from her forehead. Even though he was having some difficulty breathing, he felt that this was the happiest moment he had ever experienced.
Because then, someone appeared who didn't let go of his hand, didn't abandon him, but stayed firmly by his side—and she was his most beloved girl.
He even had the despicable thought that he would be content to die here with Tang Ning...
Because he was no longer alone; his little girl was by his side.
Thinking this, Pei Yuan's lips curled up slightly, his dimples appearing and disappearing, before his stubbornly held consciousness finally succumbed to darkness...
As soon as Pei Yuan fell unconscious, Tang Ning immediately had 54088 navigate to the fastest route out of the rainforest, while also expending some energy to prevent Pei Yuan's snake venom from taking effect too quickly.
With the navigation, Tang Ning finally left the rainforest at top speed and arrived at the entrance of a remote village near the border of Yun City. As soon as she saw the houses, the breath she had been holding in her chest dissipated, and she and Pei Yuan suddenly fell to the ground...
When Pei Yuan regained consciousness, he heard Tang Ning and several other unfamiliar voices intermittently reaching his ears, but he only caught a few slightly obvious words, such as poisonous snake, thank you, and help take care of.
Then he heard a creaking sound from the door very close, and his side sank in, where he could faintly smell Tang Ning's unique fragrance.
"Pei Yuan, you're the Pei Yuan who lived next door to me when we were little, right? I'm so stupid. You and the Pei Yuan from when we were little have so many similarities, but I never suspected anything..."
"Actually, you only appeared in my life to get revenge, right? To get revenge for not contacting me later. You probably don't want to hear my explanation, but I still have to say it. At that time, my mother passed away, and I had no intention of contacting you. Later... I did call you, but your phone was always out of credit, so I wrote you letters instead. But you never replied even once, and slowly I gave up..."
No, no...
Pei Yuan felt like someone trapped in a swamp, unable to escape, with even his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth blocked by mud. He could only shout in his heart.
That's not how it is. He... he didn't know. He didn't know his phone was out of credit, and he hadn't received a single letter from Tang Ning...
It was his mother.
It was his mother who tore up Tang Ning's letters. He had overheard the old lady downstairs saying that his mother would tear up something next to the trash can by the door every few days when he came home from school, but he hadn't paid any attention.
Those were letters Tang Ning wrote to him.
He didn't see a single one.
Meanwhile, Tang Ning continued, "If you still hold a grudge about what happened back then, then you've lied to me again. From your name to your blindness, to your family, to Su Mo, Han Jun, and Ning Zhen, you've fooled me terribly. Let's call it even. You rescued me from Pei Sen all by yourself, and I carried you out of the rainforest. We're even again. Since we're even, I... don't owe you anything anymore, Pei Yuan, I don't owe you anything..."
"In the future... Ha, what's with the talk of the future..."
With a soft thud, Tang Ning's tears fell. She stared at the tear for a long time before suddenly reaching out to wipe her cheek.
“The old woman from Qinghe Village is very kind. She said you've been poisoned by a snake and you definitely won't wake up within half an hour. I also called Han Jun; he should be here soon to take you to the hospital… I'll be going now…”
Tang Ning's voice trembled slightly.
As she spoke, she became increasingly resentful. "Why? Why did you lie to me about so many things? You even lied about not being blind, and your name was fake too. How untrustworthy am I to you? What were you planning to do? Did you really want to lift me up high first, and then bring me crashing down, just like Pei Sen said? Am I... am I really that wicked?"
Tang Ning's tears fell like beads from a broken string.
After a long while, she suddenly exhaled and laughed, "Forget it, why should I keep talking to you? Well... goodbye forever, Pei Yuan!"
After speaking, Tang Ning slowly stood up. Just as she was about to turn around, her wrist was suddenly grabbed tightly by Pei Yuan, who had opened his eyes on the bed at some point.
"Tang Ning...you...where are you going? You're going to leave me again, aren't you?"
As he spoke, tears welled up in Pei Yuan's eyes and fell. Despite having no strength left in his hands, he still desperately held onto Tang Ning's wrist, looking more disheveled than Tang Ning had ever seen before.
"Pei Yuan!"
Tang Ning was shocked.
To stay awake, Pei Yuan bit his tongue hard again. He had just woken up using this method, but it was no use. The dizziness was like a leech, impossible for him to shake off. His hand holding Tang Ning began to slip due to his weakness.
"It's good that you're awake," Granny Tang said. "As long as you rest well and don't move around too much, you can recover from snake venom."
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