Chapter 91
As soon as Yun Zhan's figure disappeared at the end of the stone steps, a crack quietly appeared in the air.
Bai Jichen emerged from the shadows, his robes a stark white. He glanced at the mud house, frowned, and clicked his tongue a few times.
She stood behind Song Yuan, her voice low and cold: "Didn't you tell her the consequences of opening that book?"
Song Yuan didn't turn around; her fingers remained on the edge of the wooden box, her knuckles roughened by the years.
Song Yuan closed her eyes, not even looking at her: "If Yun Zhan directly hands the book to the Pei family's daughter, she won't have to bear this consequence. If she opens it herself... it means she still has ulterior motives and remains curious about Mington School, then... you can't blame me for that."
Bai Jichen leaned against the wall, arms crossed, tapping his elbow lightly with his fingertips: "Indeed. This book is the linchpin of this world, recording the deeds of all the transmigrators. If she opens it..."
"There is a small chance that she will be stripped from this world. At that time, even Shi Mingyue will no longer be able to touch her."
After he finished speaking, a deathly silence fell inside the mud wall.
Song Yuan opened her eyes and looked at the darkening sunset outside the window. A faint trace of regret appeared in her eyes, but it was quickly covered by a cold hardness.
She said in a low voice, "This is the path she chose herself. Since she has chosen to be the female lead, she shouldn't be involved in school matters anymore."
Bai Jichen didn't say anything more, but simply looked up and gazed in the direction Yun Zhan had left.
As dusk fell, that figure disappeared from sight...
...
It was already late at night, and the streetlights of Yue Du were lit one by one. Yun Zhan had chartered a car back from Jiang Du, and he was covered in dust from the journey. He went straight to Wen Sixue's door with the yellowed photo in his hand.
"I'll give this photo to Wen Sixue first, and then I'll go straight home."
Yun Zhan stood in front of that familiar security door, his fingertips still feeling the chill of the journey. He first tidied his wind-blown hair before raising his hand to knock on the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound was not loud, but it had a crisp quality unique to the dead of night, like a pebble falling into an empty well, echoing softly in the quiet corridor.
In the living room, Wen Sixue was curled up on the sofa reading a book.
As soon as the three knocks sounded, her fingertips trembled suddenly, and a fine crease appeared on the page of the book.
Is it an auditory hallucination...? Wen Sixue shook her head. These days, she always hears the same sound on nights like this, but when she opens the door, there is only an empty corridor.
"It's just my imagination again..."
She chuckled to herself softly, lowering her eyes, but couldn't hide the fleeting disappointment in them.
However, the knocking did not stop; it stubbornly resumed, the rhythm so familiar it was unsettling.
Wen Sixue then suddenly stood up, the book slipping from her lap and hitting the carpet with a dull thud.
She ran barefoot to the door, which was pulled open, and the corridor light shone in. Yun Zhan stood in the light, his hair still damp with the coolness of the night breeze, but his breath was warm.
Yun Zhan didn't go in immediately. He first took out the photo from his pocket: "I found that place. It went relatively smoothly. This is a photo of you when you were a child."
Yun Zhan looked at Wen Sixue quietly, a smile playing on his lips.
After seeing Wen Sixue again, she appreciated her even more.
His gaze was as soft as moonlight, yet it carried a heavy weight of emotion.
very nice...
The journey was full of hardships, but she finally made it through. Wen Sixue was much stronger than she had imagined.
Wen Sixue was stunned. She took the photo, her fingertips hovering over it, not daring to touch it, but her eyes were already red.
"Thank you... It's cold outside, please come in."
Wen Sixue opened her mouth, but the sound got stuck in her throat, and she could only let out a very soft sob.
The girl's fingertips finally touched the edge of the photograph. The rough paper carried the warmth of time, like a thread forgotten by time, finally reconnected at this moment.
She lowered her eyes, tears falling silently onto the photograph, yet with a hint of relieved joy.
The hot tea swirls gently in the glass cup, releasing a misty steam.
Yun Zhan held the cup, not in a hurry to speak. He waited until Wen Sixue put down the photo and wiped away most of the tear stains from the corners of her eyes before he spoke in a low voice.
"Wen Ran... passed away a few years ago from illness."
She paused, giving herself a moment to pause: "Song Yuan told me that she had contacted you, but you had changed your phone number to avoid your debts, so she couldn't answer. She cares about you."
Wen Sixue's finger was still on the edge of the photo when she heard the words "died of illness," and her eyes trembled.
After a long while, Wen Sixue's breathing suddenly became rapid. She slowly lowered her head, shrank into the corner of the sofa, and pressed her knees against her chest.
A moment later, she buried her face in her arms, and tears silently seeped out, quickly spreading a small dark patch on the fabric.
Wen Sixue's voice was muffled and almost inaudible: "...I misunderstood her before, I'm sorry, I...I always thought..."
Yun Zhan reached out and gently placed his hand on her shoulder and back. The warmth of his palm passed through her thin clothes, and his voice was low and gentle: "You think she doesn't care about you and doesn't want you as family, right?"
Wen Sixue nodded, tears dripping onto her pants, one drop at a time, fast and urgent, washing away years of grievances.
Yun Zhan sighed and gently patted her shoulder: "She cares about you, Wen Sixue. You are not... a child that no one cares about."
After she finished speaking, only the faintest sobs could be heard in the room.
Looking at Wen Sixue's trembling shoulders, Yun Zhan thought to himself: Wen Sixue is truly a wonderful girl, but her fate has been so unfortunate...
After bidding farewell to Wen Sixue, Yun Zhan returned to Mingyue Manor.
The rain came without warning; first, a wisp of gray cloud appeared on the mountainside, and in the blink of an eye, it spread out into a curtain covering the sky.
The headlights pierced the rain as Yun Zhan's taxi slowly drove along the main road.
Inside the car, Yun Zhan was still engrossed in the old book that Song Yuan had given him.
The cover is made of dark cowhide, and your fingertips can touch the slightly raised gold lettering.
The sound of rain pattering against the car roof only reminded her of what Song Yuan had said.
You're too naive, Yun Zhan.
Eight family members lost their lives...
Pei Yanxi is the real beneficiary...
Yun Zhan clenched her fists... Every word in her mind was so heavy that she forgot to breathe.
She was still in a daze even after the car stopped.
The moment the wipers stopped, the car door was slammed shut by the wind.
Yun Zhan looked up suddenly.
A white dress came into view.
Shi Mingyue stood in the rain, holding only a transparent umbrella, but the wind and rain were too strong, and her pure white clothes were blown up by the wind, like a cloud that had been blown away.
Her long, black hair clung to her neck, dripping water from the ends, but she paid no heed. With one hand, she gathered her skirt, and with the other, she patted the car window, her knuckles white from the rain.
"Honey, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
The sound pierced through the rain, echoing, as if coming from a great distance, yet so close it was right next to my ear.
Yun Zhan then realized with a start that the car had come to a complete stop, and that the moon outside the car was being drenched by the heavy rain.
Yun Zhan hurriedly pushed open the door, and a cold wind carrying rain rushed in.
Shi Mingyue immediately covered her with an umbrella, and placed her warm palm on her forehead. The temperature was icy cold from the rain, but it still trembled with anxiety.
"I'm fine."
Yun Zhan grasped that hand, his voice low and hoarse from the sound of the rain: "I'm just a little carsick."
She didn't mention what happened at school. If Shi Mingyue knew, she would probably feel even heavier than she did.
Shi Mingyue breathed a sigh of relief, but still did not let go of her hand. Instead, she pulled her out of the car and hugged her tightly.
Rain dripped from her hair onto Yun Zhan's shoulder.
"go home."
Shi Mingyue nestled in her arms, as if pressing the stop button on the heavy rain: "Go home and change into dry clothes. We can talk about it later."
The rain enveloped the two of them completely. Shi Mingyue leaned on Yun Zhan's shoulder and could hear his heart pounding wildly. This was her Yun Zhan, and his heart was beating for her too.
Shi Mingyue led Yun Zhan home.
"Honey, go rest for a bit and change your clothes. I'll run you some hot water right away."
After Shi Mingyue finished speaking, he tiptoed and kissed her on the cheek, then turned and went to the bathroom.
The sound of running water in the bathroom was like a soothing white noise.
Yun Zhan sat on the edge of the bed, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing his knees. The room was eerily quiet, as if the whole world had become silent.
The book that Song Yuan had given him lay on the desk, its dark leather cover gleaming faintly under the warm light. Yun Zhan couldn't help but glance at it several times.
The air was filled with the faint scent of shower gel, but she sensed a more subtle allure.
The smell of old paper and camphor seeping from the spine of the book, mixed with the dampness of the mountain mud after the rain, seeped into my nostrils inch by inch.
My mind was being pulled by an invisible thread, involuntarily leaning towards the table.
"Just taking a look."
Yun Zhan whispered to himself, his voice so low it was almost inaudible: "I won't get involved in those things."
Just to fill the void of her sense of justice... Yun Zhan simply couldn't do it, so he took the book without reading it at all and gave it directly to Pei Yanxi.
As soon as he finished speaking, his fingertips touched the cover.
The leather had a rough texture and a cool feel from the wear and tear of time. She took a deep breath and turned to the first page.
The paper made a very soft "rustling" sound under her fingertips, like some kind of secret unlocking.
The ink was old, yet chillingly clear, with various lists, dates, amounts, signatures... each stroke like a sword blade, slowly and firmly cutting through the surface of her understanding.
Yun Zhan's pupils constricted slightly, and his heart pounded faster in his chest, but no longer because of temptation, but because of anger.
She saw the blood debts covered by ink, the prosperity supported by darkness, and what she once thought was "protection" was actually a meticulously planned massacre.
She closed the book, her fingertips still trembling slightly, but no longer from fear.
After a dizzying moment, Yun Zhan collapsed onto the floor without warning.
In the instant before he lost consciousness, Yun Zhan heard Shi Mingyue calling out.
"Oh no..."
She only glanced at it, but was pulled into an even deeper vortex.
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