0093 Desire (3)
That day, she cried her heart out in front of this man she had always considered her enemy. Wanqi Fuze seemed to have anticipated her outburst and had booked the entire coffee shop.
He silently handed the handkerchief to the girl in front of him, waiting quietly for her to calm down. Perhaps out of a sense of shared suffering, he felt that she had shed all the tears he had shed.
To this day, Du Fenfang still remembers the scene from that day. He was simply a master negotiator, every word he uttered was aimed at a person's weak point, and he could even treat something as a commodity to negotiate with confidence. He was a true businessman.
She was initially angry. Why was she sitting here talking to someone who had harmed Shen Yan? In fact, after she had said all those vicious things, she was about to get up and leave. Wan Qifuze did not interrupt her cursing from beginning to end. He simply handed her the investigation letter from Du's father as she was leaving.
She froze on the spot as if struck by lightning, too afraid to move.
“I shouldn’t interfere in Miss Du’s family affairs, but your parents have been having a difficult time lately.”
Later, after she calmed down, she realized how capable he was to have managed to obtain the original of such a document and show it to her. But she also suspected he must have gone to great lengths… Yes, he must have gone to great lengths. The path he had paved for Lingling, the schemes he had set up for himself, were meticulously planned step by step, so elaborate that even she was alarmed when she learned of them…
But she hated people who manipulated power the most. She gritted her teeth and asked him, "What do you mean by showing me this?"
His eyes were as deep as the sea: "I want to make a deal with you."
At that time, she felt like a lamb to the slaughter, with the butcher's decision entirely dependent on the mood of the man opposite her.
"Mr. Du has served as an official for nearly thirty years and has always been honest and upright, but unfortunately he has blocked the way for others... Miss Du grew up by her father's side and understands these things to some extent. As for my friendship with Lingling, I think you must also know that my family background is not ordinary."
He paused slightly, as if he were about to make a major decision. Since she had just entered the coffee shop, such a pause had been a luxury for this man.
"I am willing to help your father get out of danger, on the condition that you leave Shenyan."
She looked at him in astonishment, feeling that this person, whom she didn't know very well, seemed even more mysterious and unfamiliar.
She noticed that his complexion wasn't good; he even looked somewhat pale. Whether it was her imagination or not, she felt a sickly aura emanating from him.
"Why?" she blurted out, then, realizing her question was inappropriate, awkwardly changed the subject, "Why should I believe you?"
Someone who has hurt Shen Yan is now using her weakness to blackmail her. She can't be sure he doesn't have ulterior motives.
Sitting opposite her, Wanqi Fuze seemed to have anticipated her question: "If Miss Du doesn't mind, you can come with me."
“There are other secrets about what happened seven years ago, and I’ve kept it a secret for a long time for some personal reasons. I sincerely want to do this business with Miss Du. If Miss Du can keep it a secret for me, I can take you to meet the perpetrator from seven years ago.”
It felt like a dream; perhaps the events had been too shocking for her. For seven long years, she had believed that Wan Qifuze was the one who helped the murderer who harmed Shen Yan escape. Then, overnight, she saw Guan Yue in prison. She had so many questions for the man standing beside her, but Wan Qifuze subtly avoided the topic, suggesting she consider his advice…
Leave behind silence?
She was stunned.
Just as Shen Yan had loved Lingling for a long time, she had also loved Shen Yan for a long time.
Leaving may be easy, but forgetting is hard.
A gentle autumn breeze passed between the two, carrying the chill of approaching winter.
Her long hair flowed in the wind; it was the hair she grew after falling in love with that person, and it had already been seven years.
She couldn't imagine how difficult it must be to choose to forget, and she softly asked him, "Why?" She asked the question she hadn't asked in the coffee shop. She couldn't understand his motives; in her mind, Shen Yan should also be considered an opponent by him.
After all, he loves Lingling, doesn't he?
Why?
Wanqi Fuze was stunned.
The answer to this question was right in front of him, but it took him ten years to dare to make the decision.
Looking at Du Fenfang in front of him was like seeing his own pathetic self.
How similar are these feelings: desperately seeking a love that will never come to fruition, which is nothing more than harming oneself and others.
So he wanted to do one last thing for her before leaving. Lingling loved Shenyan, so he would do everything he could to return Shenyan to her.
"Letting go isn't easy for me, but... doesn't Miss Du want the person you love to be happy?"
He looked at her again with those deep, ocean-like eyes.
Du Fenfang quickly retorted, "Can't you make Lingling happy?"
She stumped him; it seemed that the moment his family broke apart, he lost the ability to express love and give happiness.
Even when Lingling was by his side, he rarely felt happiness.
He was ashamed to admit the truth: he couldn't make Lingling happy, he could even cause her pain. So this question pierced him like a sword: "I want Lingling to be happy, but..."
"But what?"
In the hotel, Du Fenfang sat on Lingling's big bed, lost in memories, when she was interrupted by Lingling's question.
She remembered Wanqi Fuze repeatedly begging her to keep it a secret from Lingling. She scratched her head, wanting to make up an excuse, but seeing the earnest look in Lingling's eyes as she listened to her talk about how Wanqi Fuze had helped her family a lot, she felt a little sad.
Having learned part of the truth and that Wanqi Fuze had never harmed Shen Yan, she no longer harbored any hostility towards Wanqi Fuze. In fact, because of that meeting, she saw that he was a wise and affectionate person.
She asked herself honestly, even after loving Shen Yan for so many years, she couldn't do as much for Lingling as Wan Qifuze.
So much so that she couldn't bear to keep that cruel promise.
Lingling stared intently at Fenfang. She had just mentioned Wanqi Fuze, but now she seemed to be keeping quiet about it, which made Lingling even more anxious.
She hadn't heard from him in so long that even the slightest bit of information about him could alleviate her morbid longing for him. Even if it was like drinking poison to quench her thirst, she would gladly accept it.
Fenfang felt a pang of pity for her and tentatively asked, "Have you ever considered that perhaps what happened to Shen Yan back then wasn't as simple as we thought?"
Lingling quieted down.
Seeing that her expression was rather unpleasant, Fenfang dared not say anything more.
He Lingling recalled the frequent accidents over the past six months, and how both Guan Kai and Guan Yue seemed to be desperately trying to convey some message to her.
There was a secret right in front of her, but she just couldn't grasp it. Especially after he suddenly broke up with her, her confusion became even more unsolvable.
She was instantly plunged into a deep, oppressive mood, as if she were in a chasm.
A moment later, her hand was grasped by another, and a gentle warmth gradually spread through her.
She met Fragrance's meaningful eyes and saw her looking at her sincerely.
"Lingling, stop deceiving yourself."
Fenfang paused, as if hesitating whether her words were appropriate, "If you love, don't leave yourself with regrets... Life is full of unexpected changes, Lingling..."
Life is full of unexpected changes, even the most outstanding individuals can fall seriously ill.
She still vividly remembers the way Wanqi Fuze looked that day.
Perhaps there was a sense of loneliness, but even in disappointment, there was no loss of composure.
She countered by asking him why he was pushing the person he loved to someone else, and why he didn't bring happiness to Lingling himself.
He said he hoped Lingling could be happy, and even more so, he hoped that he could be the one to bring her happiness.
However, he fell ill.
She couldn't imagine how Lingling would react if she knew about this news, which would make even an outsider sigh. But she thought life was full of predicaments. Just as she once thought she couldn't live without Shenyan, but it was all just wishful thinking, Lingling was also blinded by her own feelings.
"Stop torturing yourself, Lingling. You love him, don't you?"
This gentle question felt like a heavy blow, shattering the false glass dome in He Lingling's heart into crystal, reflecting the fragments of her and his life over the past ten years.
She loves him, doesn't she?
She couldn't help but shed tears in front of her friends.
She loved him, of course she loved him.
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