The trees in the small garden downstairs from the banquet hall have quietly sprouted and turned green. The night breeze carries a coolness, and the garden is sparsely populated.
Two figures were nestled together on the bench.
Lu Yu reached out and gently touched Jiao Yuyin's swollen left cheek. "Does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt." Jiao Yuyin's eyes were calm and indifferent.
"Dad hit you? Why?"
“Because of that person named Cen Li.” Jiao Yuyin sighed. “She looks seven or eight times like my mother, and she works for Yingyue Company. He suspects that I deliberately sent her to put on a show for him to provoke him.” Jiao Yuyin pulled Lu Yu in front of him.
Lu Yu's black dress wasn't thick, but fortunately, Jiao Yuyin's suit jacket was large enough, and she snuggled into his arms, feeling warm and cozy.
Jiao Yuyin put his arm around Lu Yu, tucked in the corner of his suit jacket to keep the night wind out of his suit, and took Lu Yu's cold fingers in his hand.
Lu Yu dodged it directly.
"Let me warm you up." A gentle voice came from the top of the taro.
Lu Yu tucked her fingers into her suit sleeves. "It's enough to keep them warm through the clothes. Don't let them touch your skin so I can keep an eye out for anyone nearby."
“Alright, little radar.” Jiao Yuyin’s voice was very soft. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stand up for you today… Actually, I’ve imagined this scenario before. The Jiao family… are all monsters.”
Lu Yu asked in surprise, "You know that Cen Li was arranged by someone else?"
“Little radar, it’s not hard to guess. It’s Jiao Yushen, isn’t it?” Jiao Yuyin said softly, smelling the raspberry scent.
Lu Yu hummed in agreement.
"I was powerless to stop others from insulting you; it's because I didn't do enough..."
As Lu Yu listened to Jiao Yuyin's repeated apologies, she interrupted, "People's inner voices are crueler than words. I'm used to it. Besides, what Cen Li said wasn't true. I don't care at all."
Jiao Yuyin gently stroked Lu Yu's back through his suit, his movements slow and tender, revealing an indescribable heartache.
Lu Yu said sullenly, "Cen Li was arranged by Meng Qi."
"Sister-in-law Meng Qin's younger brother? How do you know it's him?"
“I saw him. I saw him at the wedding. I remember him.”
"What do you mean by what you saw?" Jiao Yuyin's voice suddenly turned serious.
Lu Yu stuck out his tongue and told the truth about what had happened.
“I told you not to leave. What if Meng Qi finds out about you today? My influence in the Jiao family isn’t enough. There are some things I’m afraid I might lose control of. What if you…” Jiao Yuyin said earnestly.
He really is like a nagging old father.
Lu Yu nuzzled Jiao Yuyin's chest with her head, and her nagging stopped.
“I know, boss.” Lu Yu grinned and looked up, saying, “Cen Li was indeed arranged by Meng Qi to seduce you…”
Jiao Yuyin chuckled as he spoke in a way that made him speak too stiltedly.
Lu Yu forced herself to continue, "But now their target has shifted from you to Dad. They want Cen Li to become Dad's lover. Even if they can't get it done, they can still sow discord between Dad and you."
"They got it done." Jiao Yuyin recalled Jiao Cheng stopping his phone earlier, wanting to handle Cen Li's matter personally, and smiled bitterly. "No, they killed two birds with one stone. Judging from the old man's appearance today, he's not only become a lover, but also created a rift between father and son."
"Then what do we do?" Lu Yu asked worriedly.
"Let's wait and see." Jiao Yuyin took a deep breath. "Leave these things to me, Xiao Youyu. Just focus on pursuing your dream."
"Don't be sad."
"Don't be sad." Jiao Yuyin twirled the end of Lu Yu's hair with his fingers, making a small circle, and asked the most crucial question of the day, "Did you hear where Sister Ou is?"
Following her thoughts, Lu Yu gave the answer: "Sister Ou was settled in Shuangbai Village, Nan'ai City by Tang Weiren. It's good that you mentioned Second Sister's husband today. Tang Weiren was very flustered and had many thoughts. Moreover, Dad really doesn't know where Second Sister's husband Xin Chao is. Xin Chao ran away after Second Sister passed away. Something must have happened at that time."
Jiao Yuyin revealed his guess, "That made Tang Weiren panic... So, Sister Ou knows where her second brother-in-law ran away, right?"
Lu Yu nodded. "Only Sister Ou should know that Dad and Sister Ou reached an agreement on a deal."
"Exchange conditions?"
“Hmm,” Lu Yu said with a worried look, “Sister Ou promised Dad that she wouldn’t tell anyone about the old stories and was willing to spend the rest of her life in the village. The corresponding conditions were that Dad was not allowed to investigate Xin Chao’s whereabouts anymore, and that Sister Ou’s family’s normal life could not be affected.”
Jiao Yuyin analyzed: "The relationship between Sister Ou and Second Sister's family was extraordinary. It can be said that Sister Ou grew up with Second Sister. In this sense, Second Sister's death may be related to the dark secrets of the Jiao family."
"Now that we know where Sister Ou is, what do we do next?" Lu Yu asked.
“Wait,” Jiao Yuyin said in a low voice. “When the Jiao family shifts their attention to other matters, we will go to see Sister Ou ourselves. Right now, the old man is watching me, so we can’t touch Sister Ou’s connection for the time being.”
"Then what?"
"It's impossible to persuade her to tell the truth. It seems I can only send out our little radar. He'll listen to my thoughts then." Jiao Yuyin curled a small bunch of hair ends into neat rows and placed them on his suit collar, looking very well-behaved.
The Milky Way streaks across the night sky, adding to the desolation of the vast expanse.
The long-forgotten truth is slowly surfacing, but Lu Yu has no idea what ugly shape the iceberg beneath the sea level will look like.
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