Chapter 32: Let's Get a Divorce

Lin Wanbai was taken aback by the layout. Could it be that the two floors were connected? But why hide the staircase in such a secretive place? When the partition moved, it made a considerable noise, naturally drawing the attention of those outside. Xu Yinxue, somewhat dazed, turned to look at the wardrobe, blinked, and asked, "Is there a mouse?"

Fu Jixing pulled her onto the bed and then quickly opened the wardrobe door. Lin Wanbai wasn't quick enough and was caught by him. Just as she was about to head down the stairs, he pulled her back up. She frowned slightly, sitting inside the wardrobe without stepping out. Xu Yinxue, sitting on the bed, tilted her head and said, "Oh, it's a person."

She was drunk, her mind not very clear, and suddenly felt nauseous. Covering her mouth, she rushed into the bathroom, followed by the sounds of her vomiting. Lin Wanbai felt like she was about to vomit too. Fu Jixing did not smile or panic, simply said, "Come out."

Lin Wanbai didn't move and cheerfully replied, "No, I think it's fine here. The angle and view are just right. Plus, there's plenty of space; it's not stuffy. Speaking of which, did you dig this passage to prevent me from catching you in bed?"

She darted back inside, but before she could say anything, Fu Jixing swiftly pulled her out. When she was about to hit him again, he put her down and grabbed her wrist. She gritted her teeth and exerted force, but after a brief standoff of half a second, he let go, allowing her fist to strike his wound again.

He frowned slightly but did not make a sound. Lin Wanbai held back her third strike. She suppressed the raging anger inside and forced a smile, opening her mouth but at a loss for words. The sounds of vomiting from the bathroom ceased, but Xu Yinxue did not come out, likely sprawled on the floor in a drunken stupor.

Lin Wanbai took a deep breath and smiled, saying, "You don't have to worry about me; go take care of her. I'm going home."

"Can you let me explain?" Fu Jixing tugged at her.

Lin Wanbai immediately raised her hand, "Don’t pull me! Your hands have held other women!"

"You misunderstood." Fu Jixing, as calm as ever, said, "Please don't get angry; just let me finish."

"I'm not angry!" she retorted, suppressing her feelings.

"Okay, you're not angry, but you misunderstood."

"I didn't misunderstand. Is she your sister? A brother's woman? Your brother died, and you took care of her, right?"

Lin Wanbai bit her lip, her nose tinged with a hint of sorrow, but she didn’t want to cry in front of him. She shouted towards the bed, "Aren't you coming out? I'm leaving! Do you still want to hide under the bed and listen to people moan?"

She kicked the bed.

Moments later, Du Qi crawled out from under the bed, looking disheveled.

He forced a chuckle at Fu Jixing, greeting him friendly, "Mr. Fu, hello."

Lin Wanbai didn't give him a chance to explain and pulled Du Qi away.

She remained calm on the way, taking a taxi back to Lan She.

It was still early, and Aunt Rong was waiting for her in the living room.

Seeing her return, Aunt Rong immediately got up and came to greet her, "You're back. What did you do today?"

Lin Wanbai said nothing, lowering her eyes as she changed her shoes and went upstairs.

She was afraid that if she spoke, she would break down.

Back in her room, she locked the door, entered the bathroom, filled the bathtub with water, and while doing so, tears slipped from the corners of her eyes. Once the tub was full, she submerged her face in the water.

Letting her tears fall into the water silently, it was as if she had never cried at all.

After finishing her bath, Lin Wanbai had just sat down when she received a call from Yang Ruyue.

She said Han Chen wanted to see her.

Han Chen had just been released from the police station after a fight, injuring someone and drawing blood; the other party was a wealthy person, so they would not back down easily. Yang Ruyue could not reach Lin Wanbai, so she thought it best to get him out first.

When the other party saw the business card from the Lin Group, they suddenly softened.

Lin Wanbai thought for a moment, changed her clothes, and went out.

Aunt Rong had just finished preparing bird's nest soup when she saw Lin Wanbai dressed to go out.

Her state was much better than when she had come in; she smiled and said, "I have something to take care of, so don't wait up for me to return."

"It's so late, and you still want to go out?"

"Yes. It's quite important; I have to go."

Once Lin Wanbai decided to go, no one could stop her. Aunt Rong urged her to eat the bird's nest and sent her to the door, calling the driver.

At the school gate, it was the same flower bed, and Yang Ruyue stood next to Han Chen, who held a fifth beer can.

Even if he drank five more, it wouldn’t quell the anger boiling in his heart.

Lin Wanbai did this on purpose, intending to shatter his only warmth.

The door opened, revealing a handsome man in pajamas who asked who he was.

He didn't speak but noticed the pair of shoes by the entrance that he remembered, the ones he had given to Ji Xiaoxiao.

His heart sank; it felt like a coincidence, it had to be a coincidence.

He stood still, and just as the man was about to close the door, a familiar voice came from inside, "Who is it?"

Then, he saw Ji Xiaoxiao looking freshly bathed.

When she saw him, her expression broke entirely.

Then, she pretended not to know him.

Han Chen laughed; this world was truly surreal.

When Lin Wanbai arrived, she brought two bags of alcohol, one in each hand, struggling as she approached him, saying, "Drink."

She tossed the bags onto the ground, revealing the wine inside, red wine and liquor, clearly intending to get him drunk.

Han Chen found it amusing.

He glanced at her; under the streetlight, her eyes sparkled with unshed tears, as if she were about to cry.

He was momentarily stunned, and with another blink, she had already sat down beside him, saying, "Fellow sufferer in this world. I risk my life to accompany you, just to watch you drink. Once you finish and sober up, make a list of all the debts you owe, and give it to Yang Ruyue. I’ll help you pay it off, and then you can slowly repay me, including interest. Is that okay?"

Han Chen licked his lips and asked after a long pause, "Why do you want to help me?"

"Because it makes me happy, doing a good deed every day, isn't that okay?" She turned to him, flashing an exaggerated smile.

She didn’t dare sit long by the flower bed; even in long clothes, she might still get bitten by bugs and then have to deal with allergies and rashes, which were very uncomfortable.

Soon, they moved to a hotel apartment that Yang Ruyue had prepared for Han Chen.

Han Chen sat on the sofa drinking alone; he was still very much in pain. After all, he had truly loved, and Ji Xiaoxiao seemed like such a pure and upright girl. He never imagined she would turn out to be someone else's mistress.

Now, many beautiful female college students were being kept by others, and it was common at S University.

But he never thought Ji Xiaoxiao would be one of them.

Feeling the blow, after drinking too much, his mind felt foggy. He glanced at Lin Wanbai, who had been standing by the window since she entered, motionless like a statue, staring outside without knowing what she was looking at.

Fueled by alcohol, he pointed at her and said, "Is this your doing? Is it your scheme? It must be; Xiaoxiao wouldn't be like this."

Lin Wanbai couldn’t be bothered to explain. Earlier that afternoon, before going to S University, she had received two messages. One was from Du Qi about that woman. The other was a bunch of photos sent by Yang Ruyue related to Han Chen’s girlfriend.

She hadn’t planned to say anything, but after what happened with Ji Xiaoxiao in the classroom, she felt uncomfortable and gave him the address, letting him decide whether to confront it.

Han Chen held his head, wanting to cry without tears, saying, "You ruined my future."

Lin Wanbai replied, "Your future will be better."

He paused, slowly raised his head, his eyes red, just in time to meet Lin Wanbai's gaze and her gentle smile.

At that moment, his heart felt like it had been struck hard, beating rapidly. He quickly averted his gaze, looking down and falling silent.

He was drunk.

That night, Lin Wanbai did not return to Lan She.

Instead, she stayed at the hotel apartment with Han Chen, with Yang Ruyue present.

Han Chen got drunk and soon fell asleep. Lin Wanbai sent Yang Ruyue to bed, then sat alone in the living room, drinking a couple of glasses of red wine before heading to the study. There, she opened her computer and drafted a divorce agreement.

When Fu Jixing returned home, he was a step too late; Lin Wanbai had already left.

Seeing him rush in, Aunt Rong pondered something was amiss. "Why did you come out of the hospital? What did you do?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? Little Bai came back looking extremely pale. What happened?!"

Fu Jixing exhaled quietly, "You don't need to worry; I'll make it right."

"Young master..."

"I'll make it right." He emphasized, clearly indicating he didn’t want to hear more.

Aunt Rong fell silent.

It didn’t take long for him to find out Lin Wanbai’s whereabouts and who she was with.

He sent her a message but received no response. After half an hour, he called again, and this time she answered.

Her voice sounded warm and thin, like a mosquito, "What is it?"

"Will you come pick me up when I get discharged tomorrow?"

"Mm."

"Little Bai, that woman is not my mistress."

She was silent for a few seconds before replying, “Mm.”

No more words were exchanged.

He didn’t hang up, nor did she.

She lay on the sofa, holding a wine glass, her eyes fixed on the divorce agreement printed on the table.

She had to make up her mind!

She told herself so.

The next day, Lin Wanbai woke up early, tidied herself up a bit, stuffed the divorce agreement into her bag, and went out to the hospital.

There might be media waiting when he was discharged. Regardless, she needed to come.

When she arrived at the hospital, only Aunt Rong was there, while Fu Jixing was beside her packing up.

After a week in the hospital, there was quite a bit of stuff to sort through.

If he were precious, he was indeed a precious man, not used to outside things. After a week, he even had to bring sheets from home, not to mention other daily necessities.

As she entered, their conversation abruptly ceased, and they turned to her, their smiles nearly identical.

Lin Wanbai put on a similar smile, saying, "Is there anything I can help with?"

"Almost done packing."

Fu Jixing glanced at her but said nothing, quietly putting away what he had in hand.

The discharge procedures had already been completed, and after thinking for a while, there was nothing Lin Wanbai could do, so she sat on the sofa to wait.

Twenty minutes later, the three of them left the hospital together.

Back at home, Aunt Rong poured water for both of them before heading to the laundry room.

In the living room, the two sat in silence, looking at each other.

Lin Wanbai drank half a glass of water, then pulled out the divorce agreement she had typed herself, placing one copy in front of him, saying, "Let's get a divorce."

She tried to maintain a smile.

Fu Jixing was silent for a few seconds, not looking at it, and simply tore the divorce agreement in half, saying, "Don't joke."

She touched her nose and finished the rest of her tea, saying, "If we don't divorce, then you have to cover for me?"

He remained silent, just quietly watching her.

Lin Wanbai shook the glass in her hand and continued, "I want to date Han Chen, and I hope you can find the time to cover for me. As for your own woman, don’t expect me to help you."

Fu Jixing forced out a faint smile, offering no explanation.

Actions speak louder than words; one day she would understand.

Lin Wanbai had spent an entire night drafting the divorce agreement, which Fu Jixing hadn’t even glanced at before tearing it to pieces and throwing it in the trash.

She should have shown him how good she had been to him.

Even if they were getting divorced, she would still give him benefits.

Unfortunately, he didn’t look, so he didn’t know how well she treated him.

The next day, Lin Jingyu returned from Ning City.

Lin Wanbai called Fu Jixing to go pick her up.

The two remained silent on the way, the atmosphere slightly tense.

Lin Jingyu had gone to Ning City because she finally had concrete news about Lin Yao, Lin Wanbai’s half-sister.

Yes, half-sister.

Their loving parents, who had always seemed to dote on their mother and deeply love their father, had once strayed during Lin Jingyu's pregnancy and allowed that woman to get pregnant and have a child.

When Lin Wanbai was eight years old, a sister younger than her suddenly appeared at their doorstep. Chen Songyuan couldn’t find that woman, but as it was his daughter, he couldn’t bear to turn her away.

He begged Lin Jingyu for a month until she finally relented and allowed the child to stay at home.

She became Lin Wanbai’s sister.

Lin Jingyu was a sharp-tongued but soft-hearted person; she was resentful on the outside but treated Lin Yao quite well. Though she couldn’t care for Lin Yao as much as she did for Lin Wanbai, she provided her with everything she needed and kept her in sync with Lin Wanbai.

Originally, she should have had the surname Chen, but due to the nature of their circle, the child was innocent. Not wanting Lin Yao to have a hard time, she let her take the surname Lin and publicly declared her as her adopted child.

But while she made this declaration, the outside world didn’t think so; tabloid reporters always loved to dig up dirt.

This trivial matter was easily unearthed. Although it was suppressed with money, whispers still circulated in their circle.

Of course, these whispers eventually reached the young girl’s ears.

At this time, Lin Yao had almost become Lin Wanbai’s little shadow.

They attended the same school, and during their free time, Lin Yao would follow Lin Wanbai to the Fu family, meeting all of Lin Wanbai’s friends.

She was timid and somewhat insecure, so she never quite fit in with those born with a golden key. Moreover, when Lin Wanbai wasn’t around, she faced disdain from many children, who bullied her and called her a bastard and an illegitimate child.

Then she met Fu Jixing, who shared a similar background and also faced disdain.

Three years ago, Lin Jingyu gave a ticket to Lin Yao to study abroad in Hidden Country; she couldn’t take a plane, so it was a perfect opportunity to take a cruise.

But no one expected that on the first day after the ship set sail, an accident occurred, and the whole ship sank with very few survivors.

Lin Yao was not among the survivors, nor was she found among the bodies that were recovered.

Lin Jingyu insisted that one must see the living and the dead, and for three years, she never stopped searching for Lin Yao.

Finally, on Lin Wanbai’s twenty-sixth birthday, she found her.

But all she brought back was a simple urn.

Lin Wanbai and Fu Jixing stood together at the airport, watching Lin Jingyu approach in a somber outfit, wearing sunglasses and holding a black velvet bag.

They said nothing, merely exchanged glances before hastily getting into the car.

The ride back to Pujiang was quiet.

Lin Zhaowei was at home; once they entered, the butler took the urn from Lin Jingyu for proper placement.

The funeral home had already made arrangements, and the funeral could be held tomorrow, allowing Lin Yao to rest in peace.

Everyone remained silent; the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

Lin Zhaowei and Chen Songyuan went to the study to discuss the funeral arrangements. Lin Jingyu was a bit tired, and Lin Wanbai accompanied her back to rest.

Fu Jixing stayed alone in the living room, where a servant poured tea for him.

Lin Yao's urn was placed in the Buddhist hall by the butler. After he left, he specifically informed Fu Jixing, but he had no significant reaction, sitting silently in the living room.

In the room, Lin Wanbai was giving Lin Jingyu a massage.

For a moment, the mother and daughter had no words; their hearts felt heavy. After a while, Lin Jingyu opened her eyes, took Lin Wanbai’s hand, and pulled her closer, saying, "What was Fu Jixing's reaction?"

"He had no reaction," Lin Wanbai replied, her expression calm.

"So, he really has let go?"

She propped her chin on her hand and shrugged. "I don’t know."

Lin Jingyu sighed, "I should have opposed it with the old man back then."

"Why? Didn’t you say before that one should never regret anything? I have never regretted it; you seem to be the one regretting now."

She leaned against Lin Jingyu’s shoulder, softly comforting her, "I’m doing well."

Lin Wanbai stayed with Lin Jingyu for a while, then went downstairs, not wanting to disturb her rest.

Lin Zhaowei and the others were still deep in discussion. The living room remained empty except for Fu Jixing, who had half a cup of tea left. Lin Wanbai walked over and sat down on a single sofa, thinking for a moment before saying, "Come with me to Lin Yao’s room to sort out some things."

He looked up, their gazes meeting.

Her eyes were calm, and after a brief glance, she stood up.

They went upstairs; Lin Yao's room was still preserved, with everything untouched.

The maid came in to clean once daily, and it remained tidy and clean, just as it was when she was there.

Lin Yao had studied dance and had always been diligent, never giving up. She was accepted into the art academy in college for further studies.

From childhood to adulthood, she had won numerous awards, and her cabinets displayed all her trophies and award photos. There were also striking photos of her shining on stage; it was only on stage where she was an extremely confident swan.

Lin Wanbai stood in front of the cabinet, inspecting it carefully. She marveled, "Lin Yao's body proportions have always been enviable. I wonder if it’s because dancers tend to have great proportions."

Fu Jixing stood behind her, remaining silent for a moment before saying, "You are also very good."

Lin Wanbai smiled, glanced back at him, and her smile held a hint of sarcasm.

Lin Wanbai knew that Lin Yao had a small cabinet that contained everything related to Fu Jixing; she also had many diaries recording her feelings for him. As Lin Wanbai's little shadow, she certainly knew how much Lin Wanbai adored Fu Jixing.

So she could only dare to keep it a secret, not wanting Lin Wanbai to know.

"Oh, my stomach hurts a bit. You stay here; I need to use the restroom." Lin Wanbai clutched her stomach, pretending to be in pain with her poor acting skills, and hurriedly left the room to go to her own bathroom.

In the room, only Fu Jixing remained.

Lin Wanbai hid in her room for over an hour, and when she finally opened the door, Fu Jixing was standing at the entrance.

She jumped in surprise and, after a moment of pause, regained her composure, saying, "Did you find a photo?"

"I didn't look."

She glanced at him, thought for a moment, and moved aside, saying, "Come in."

Fu Jixing obeyed and entered, both sitting on the sofa.

Lin Wanbai recounted everything Lin Jingyu had told her word for word.

They found out that in Ning City, they weren’t looking for a person but ashes. Over two years ago, a body washed ashore by the coast, and there was nothing on it to verify its identity. The body remained unclaimed in the morgue for a long time.

Later, the police preserved the body’s DNA before cremating it. The funeral home had a special place for unclaimed ashes.

They kept records, waiting for the day when these lost souls would be claimed.

After DNA comparison, it was indeed Lin Yao.

They completed the necessary paperwork and brought the ashes back, including a few of Lin Yao’s belongings, which were just simple pieces of jewelry.

Lin Wanbai said, "The things should be placed with the urn; you can take a look."

During her speech, Fu Jixing's gaze had not shifted from her, maintaining an unchanging calmness throughout. It was as if the confirmation of this deceased person was irrelevant to him.

Sometimes, Lin Wanbai wondered if he had lost his soul the moment he married her, leaving only this shell behind.

Could it be that now even Lin Yao could not stir his heart?

After a moment, Fu Jixing slowly spoke, "She is your sister; if anyone should look, it should be you. Little Bai, from the moment I married you, I have had nothing to do with her. The past is long gone. I am your husband now and will only wholeheartedly be with you."

Lin Zhaowei and Chen Songyuan decided to handle matters discreetly.

After the funeral, they would inform the public.

That night, Lin Wanbai and Fu Jixing stayed at the Lin family home.

The next day, they woke up around three or four, selected an auspicious time, and took Lin Yao's urn to the funeral home, which had already been set up.

The photo displayed at the funeral was selected by Lin Wanbai; she couldn’t find a passport photo, so she cropped a picture of her receiving an award, where she smiled brightly and confidently.

Lin Jingyu notified Lin Yao's dance teacher and a few close classmates.

Lin Yao had quite a good reputation at school, and all her classmates showed up. Two of her close friends were particularly heartbroken, and Lin Yao’s dance teacher couldn’t help but shed tears, telling Lin Jingyu, "Yao Yao was always excellent, diligent, and outstanding. It’s just tragic..."

At that moment, one of the sobbing girls suddenly turned to Lin Wanbai and glared at her.

After a moment, the girl shook off her companion and marched over, her eyes red as she looked at Lin Wanbai, saying, "I know you; you’re Yao Yao’s sister."

Lin Wanbai smiled faintly.

The girl glared at her, saying, "Lin Yao’s death is all your fault!"

Her sharp voice echoed throughout the funeral hall.

Lin Wanbai's expression remained unchanged, her smile slightly fading. She remembered that this girl was Lin Yao’s roommate, Zhou Quan, and they were very close.

Once, when Lin Yao had her performance, Lin Wanbai had attended and happened to sit next to her.

At this point, someone had already come over to pull the girl away.

"You guys forced Yao Yao to go; she didn’t want to go to Hidden Country at all..." She was halfway through her sentence when someone covered her mouth.

Lin Wanbai looked at her without much reaction.

The girl was led away, and after they had walked a distance, the dance teacher scolded Zhou Quan, "Are you crazy? Why would you say such things in a place like this?"

Zhou Quan, unconvinced, with red eyes, said, "Are you afraid to own up to what you did? Yao Yao told me herself that she didn’t want to go to Hidden Country, but her family insisted. Teacher, do you know why? It’s because Yao Yao’s sister had her eyes on Yao Yao’s boyfriend!"

This should have been a secret that couldn’t be revealed, but now that Lin Yao was gone, there was no need to hide it; everyone should know how despicable and cruel Lin Wanbai was!

The other students nearby all heard this, and the teacher quickly covered Zhou Quan’s mouth and pulled her aside, speaking in a low voice, "You shouldn’t say such things!"

"I'm only stating the facts!"

"Even if it is a fact, do you think saying it will change anything? It will only bring trouble to yourself!"

Zhou Quan bit her lip, tears spilling over, "But Yao Yao is dead!"

At this time, a dark camera lens in the flowerbed was pointed at them.

Inside the funeral hall, the atmosphere was tense.

Lin Jingyu approached and asked, "Do you want to go to the back room to rest a bit?"

Lin Wanbai shook her head, "No need."

Lin Jingyu secretly glanced at Fu Jixing, and seeing his expression remained unchanged, she didn’t say anything more.

After a while, the teacher returned with several students, apologizing to Lin Jingyu and urging Zhou Quan to apologize to Lin Wanbai. Zhou Quan held back for a long time before hastily saying sorry, refusing to say any more.

The teacher had no choice but to leave after expressing her condolences.

Lin Yao was buried as scheduled; the funeral was simple, finishing within three days.

On the last day, news broke online.

A video accompanied the news; although the people in it were pixelated, their words were clear.

It sparked heated discussions instantly.

Then, led by Zhou Quan, Lin Yao’s classmates all stood up to share the news. Zhou Quan also wrote a lengthy blog post, describing Lin Yao as someone whose beauty was unparalleled and posted a few photos of Lin Yao with Fu Jixing, where they looked very affectionate.

She didn’t explicitly point out that Lin Wanbai had taken someone’s love, but the implication was clear, even more so than direct accusations.

Zhou Quan was already somewhat famous, with a considerable number of followers on Weibo.

Her post was immediately shared by many, but by that evening, all of it disappeared, including her original text.

An hour after being deleted, Zhou Quan posted a long blog post again, hinting that the Lin family was powerful and that the news being suppressed was to be expected, urging everyone to cherish what they had.

Public sentiment was outraged, and even the hired commenters couldn’t suppress it.

In the study of the Lin family,

Lin Zhaowei sat before the desk, glancing at the comments online. Opposite him sat Fu Jixing and Lin Zhouye.

He took a puff of his cigarette, closed the webpage, and looked at them, saying, "Which of you will handle this matter?"

"I'll go," Fu Jixing said.

He had intentionally asked this question.

In his mind, he wanted Fu Jixing to handle it all along.

Now that Fu Jixing took the initiative, Lin Zhaowei felt relieved.

Lin Zhouye didn’t compete with him, merely reminding, "Just don’t ruin Little Bai’s reputation."

"Of course."

"Alright, then I’ll leave this to you," Lin Zhaowei waved his hand, dismissing them.

Fu Jixing left first, while Lin Zhouye took a step slower. Once Fu Jixing had exited the study, he turned back to Lin Zhaowei and asked, "Should I keep an eye on things from behind?"

"No need."

"Got it."

Lin Zhouye left the study, and Fu Jixing hadn’t gone far when he quickly approached him, patting his shoulder.

Fu Jixing halted, turning around, and respectfully greeted, "Uncle."

"I haven’t told you something for a while."

He didn’t speak, merely listened.

Lin Zhouye said, "Be good to Little Bai; I’ll be watching you."

Fu Jixing was not annoyed; he lowered his eyes, smiled faintly, and said, "Okay."

Back in his room, Lin Wanbai had already taken a shower and was sitting on the bed watching television.

Fu Jixing undid two buttons of his shirt and walked to the bed, saying, "I need to change the dressing today; can you help me?"

She glanced at him and replied with a single word, "Help."

He took off his clothes, went to the bathroom to wash up, then returned, placing a bag of medicine in front of her before sitting on the bed with his back to her.

Lin Wanbai set down the remote, sat up, and rummaged through the bag of medicine.

Fu Jixing leaned slightly forward, his elbow propped on his knee, his gaze resting on her slippers, saying, "You have incurred a significant debt lately."

Lin Wanbai paused for a moment before continuing to apply his medicine without any response.

"Is it the debt repayment for Han Chen?"

Lin Wanbai replied, "I didn’t use your money."

"You spent so much all at once; aren’t you afraid Grandpa will ask?"

"Am I that foolish? Besides, Grandpa doesn’t keep track of my spending."

He chuckled, "You’ve always been generous, kind to everyone."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Lin Wanbai smiled but said nothing.

What was said about her online was terrible; now, he calling her kind to everyone was ridiculous.

After applying the medicine, she got up to wash her hands. As she stood, he suddenly hugged her from behind.

Lin Wanbai froze, then after a moment, she struggled a bit and said, "What are you doing?"

"It hurts a bit; I wanted to hold you."

She tilted her head slightly and laughed, "I thought you were made of iron, the kind that wouldn’t feel pain even if you lost your head."

"Losing a head wouldn’t hurt, you’d die instantly."

"Let go; I need to wash my hands."

He didn’t immediately release her, holding on for a while before finally letting go.

Lin Wanbai didn’t look back at him, heading straight to the bathroom to wash her hands.

In recent days, they had stayed in Pujiang mainly because Lin Jingyu was feeling down, and Lin Wanbai wanted to keep her company.

During their time in Pujiang, Lin Wanbai was quite settled, accompanying Lin Jingyu in flower arrangements and tea tasting. They went for runs, hiked, and played golf.

When Lin Jingyu wanted to visit the Great Buddha for a week, Chen Songyuan was unavailable due to work. Lin Wanbai volunteered to accompany her.

After they made plans, they left that same day.

When Lin Wanbai arrived at the airport, she notified Fu Jixing that she would be going to the Four Great Mountains with Lin Jingyu.

"You should rest at home."

At that moment, Fu Jixing was about to meet Zhou Quan.

He said no more, hung up the phone, and raised his eyes to find Zhou Quan's gaze had grown colder, saying, "Do you think you deserve Lin Yao?"

Fu Jixing replied, "That’s none of your business."

"I am Lin Yao’s best friend. I know that family doesn’t care about her life or death; she’s dead, and they should be happy about it. But you shouldn’t be like them. Lin Yao liked you so much; now that she’s dead, how can you act like nothing happened?"

Fu Jixing took a sip of his tea, "I’m here to discuss something with you."

"Are you trying to make me shut up? Hah, not possible."

"You have no room for choice; if you don’t want your future ruined, it’s best to back off early. I believe Lin Yao wouldn’t want you to do this."

"Hah, if you care about Lin Yao, you should stand with me!"

Zhou Quan, seeing his demeanor, couldn’t connect him to the Fu Jixing she once knew.

Lin Yao rarely brought him to school and didn’t show him off to her friends, but they were close, and Lin Yao had introduced Zhou Quan to Fu Jixing a few times.

She could see that Fu Jixing treated Lin Yao well, and their relationship had always been good.

But in the past two years, she also saw the news that Fu Jixing treated Lin Wanbai very well, even better.

She couldn’t understand at all.

"Fu Jixing, do you deserve Lin Yao? What was she working so hard for? Do you know? She practiced dance until her toes bled but wouldn’t stop. Why? It wasn’t just for herself; it was also for you. She told me that you two were kindred spirits, both looked down upon by those wealthy boys because of your backgrounds. She told me you were the only warmth in her life; because of you, she worked hard to become better."

Zhou Quan poured out everything Lin Yao had once confided in her.

This was a secret shared between girls, heartfelt confessions in the quiet of the night, not meant to be spoken aloud.

But now that Lin Yao was gone, there was no need to hide it; Fu Jixing should know everything.

Fu Jixing kept his eyes down, blowing at the tea leaves in his cup. While Zhou Quan was speaking until her throat was dry, he calmly replied, "That’s none of your business."

Zhou Quan was so furious she nearly jumped, unable to contain her explosive temper. She picked up the coffee on the table and splashed it forcefully onto his face.

"You simply don’t deserve Lin Yao’s quiet and pure love." She stood up, angrily saying, "I won’t let this go! Lin Wanbai caused Lin Yao’s death and must pay the price!"

With that, she pulled out some money from her bag and slammed it on the table before storming out.

Fu Jixing did not stop her; he took a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the coffee off his face, not even furrowing his brows.

After cleaning his face, he tossed the handkerchief into the nearby trash bin, just as a call from Leisen came in, informing him of Lin Wanbai and her mother’s flight details.

Lin Wanbai had booked the nearest flight to Sichuan, and the two were seated in first class. Lin Jingyu laughed, saying, "At my age, I’m still going crazy with you."

Lin Wanbai replied, "Going to pray is something you must do immediately; otherwise, it won’t work."

"That’s not how it works. I see you’re trying to pick a fight with Fu Jixing and purposely want to separate from him, right?"

"Nonsense." Lin Wanbai denied it, "Fu Jixing, like my father, is the universally recognized perfect husband. How could I argue with him? I just feel like he’s always around, and it’s a bit suffocating. A little separation makes the reunion sweeter; seeing each other all day can get tiresome."

"Those who go to pray shouldn’t lie."

Lin Wanbai turned to look at her.

Lin Jingyu raised her eyebrows with a grin.

"I’m not lying."

Lin Jingyu sighed heavily, reaching out to pat Lin Wanbai's back, saying, "Just look at you, acting like you’re not like me, yet you have the same temper. This kind of temper will only bring suffering."

"Really? I’m clearly very happy."

As the plane prepared for takeoff, Lin Wanbai told her to stop talking. The plane soared into the clouds, and Lin Wanbai kept watching outside, passing through the cloud cover, the buildings below shrinking to toy size.

It was rare for the mother and daughter to travel alone without anyone else.

As it was a spontaneous trip, naturally, they had prepared nothing and made no arrangements.

However, Lin Wanbai was quite interested in this unpredictable trip, while Lin Jingyu was different; once they arrived, she began to fret.

She thought about calling Chen Songyuan for help with arrangements.

But Lin Wanbai stopped her, saying, "You can’t do that. We agreed to travel on our own, managing our own itinerary. You can’t start calling for help right at the beginning."

Just then, a young girl approached, holding a sign and smiling brightly at them, saying, "Excuse me, are you Miss Lin Wanbai?"

Lin Wanbai looked at her without responding.

"Please don’t misunderstand; I’m the local guide arranged by Mr. Fu Jixing, here to take you to your hotel."