CHAPTER 268: CHAPTER 268: FEELING AT EASE

"Sister, you’ve met Song Ping, haven’t you?" Bian Yue frowned, grasping her hand.

Bian Shu’s eyes trembled, she looked at Bian Yue dully, hesitantly asking, "How did you know about that?"

"I already know everything about the past." Bian Yue paused, struggling to say, "Sister, Song Ping wasn’t instructed by our father, he was following Li Tingmo’s orders... believe me, I will find the evidence."

Bian Shu sneered, staring expressionlessly at Bian Yue, mocking her, "Bian Yue, do you think I’m an idiot? Why on earth would Li Tingmo want to hurt An Shen? Only our father, for the sake of the Bian Family’s reputation, would have more reason to want An Shen dead!"

"My father isn’t someone who would disregard your feelings just for reputation, sister, we’ve lived together for so many years, don’t you know what kind of person our father is?" Bian Yue clutched Bian Shu’s hand tightly, voice hoarse, "How could he possibly harm the one you love?"

Bian Shu’s expression flickered for a moment, as Bian Yue’s words triggered a flood of memories.

When her biological father died, Bian Kai indeed treated her as his own, whatever Bian Yue had, she had too, and even... she was willing to give up the Bian Group to her.

Bian Shu looked dazed, then biting her lips, she forced herself to wake up, coldly staring at Bian Yue, "Alright, you say it’s not Uncle, then tell me, why would Li Tingmo want to kill An Shen?"

"Do you understand Ji Anshen?"

"What do you mean by that?" Bian Shu’s heart skipped a beat, her eyes brimming with pained bitterness, "How could I not understand him? Bian Yue, you have no idea how much I loved him!"

"I know you loved him, but do you understand Ji Anshen as a person, his ideals, his life beliefs, his loves and hates? Do you know why he came to teach at the Bian Family, and why he left?" Bian Yue looked at Bian Shu’s pained expression, her heart aching.

With her eyes downcast, Bian Shu pondered for a moment before finally saying softly, "Of course I know, he came from a poor background, he needed money, teaching at the Bian Family could earn him that. He later left because he did not like me, deliberately avoiding me..."

"That’s not it... Sister, that’s not it." Bian Yue shook her head, "He came to the Bian Family to find evidence."

"What evidence?" Bian Shu stared blankly at Bian Yue.

Before coming to find Bian Shu, Bian Yue had sorted out the whole story.

Hence, she calmly said, "Originally, Song Ping took over an orphanage behind my father’s back, supposedly to help displaced children, but in reality, he used these children as bargaining chips for benefits. Ji Anshen, once a teacher at that orphanage, came to teach at the Bian Family to find evidence."

Bian Shu stared blankly at Bian Yue, struggling to process what she said, her expression growing distant.

Bian Yue paused, then continued, "Later, he discovered that Song Ping wasn’t acting under my father’s orders but was Li Tingmo’s man, so he left the Bian Family. Do you remember, he once came into contact with a wealthy lady named Jiang Yao..."

"I remember..." Bian Shu said blendly, "He liked Jiang Yao; I knew that."

"Jiang Yao’s father was the actual manager of the orphanage and also an underling of Li Tingmo. Jiang Yao, not favored at home and often maltreated by her family, helped Ji Anshen get the evidence. Later, you took Ji Anshen away from Xiangjiang, and because of you, it took Li Tingmo a long time to find him, but... Li Tingmo eventually traced him, he knew too much, Li Tingmo wouldn’t allow him to live."

Tears dripped from Bian Shu’s eyes as she looked as vulnerable as a child, biting her lip, her voice choking and trembling, "You’re lying... he never liked me; he liked Jiang Yao."

Bian Yue frowned, looking at Bian Shu’s dazed expression, she spoke softly, "Actually, you can go ask Jiang Yao. She is currently in Xiangjiang. Ask her, and everything will become clear. Sister, the truth is just like this. If you refuse to believe me, you can verify it yourself."

After finishing her words, Bian Yue stuffed a small box into Bian Shu’s hands.

Tears covered Bian Shu’s face, her body stiffened for a moment, she asked hoarsely, "What is this?"

"This is the coming-of-age gift our father kept for you when you went missing, sister. You are so smart, you will definitely be able to feel what the truth really is." Bian Yue gently patted the back of Bian Shu’s hand, adding, "Tomorrow, I will take you to confront Li Tingmo in person."

Bian Shu’s eyes reddened terribly, staring at Bian Yue with a sincere face. The truth she had always believed in was on the verge of collapsing at this moment.

She closed her eyes, tears falling heavily, hoarsely saying, "Okay... Tomorrow, I’ll go with you."

"Sister." Bian Yue wiped her tears, her tone full of sympathy, "I don’t know Ji Anshen, but from what I have gathered about him, he is a very intelligent person. If... he didn’t love you, it would have been impossible for you to have held onto him for so long. Perhaps... you have misunderstood him all along."

Bian Shu’s expression became extremely fragile, and she broke down, bursting into tears in front of Bian Yue.

Bian Yue stayed with Bian Shu for a long time, and when she left, the latter had finally fallen asleep.

Outside, the nighttime rain hadn’t stopped.

Bian Yue saw Shen Jinci standing under the eaves, his body covered with damp mist, holding a metal box in his hands. Bian Yue approached and took it in her hands.

"What is this?"

Shen Jinci turned to look at her, his eyes filled with a gentle emotion. He touched her hair and said, "Nicotine gum."

"Is it that difficult to quit?" Bian Yue puffed her cheeks, looking adorable. She handed the metal box back to Shen Jinci, "Then... maybe don’t quit?"

Shen Jinci took Bian Yue’s hand firmly, his eyes downcast, "Recently I’ve been quite troubled, so the craving kicks in, but I’ll get over it."

The two walked in the ripples of the rainwater, with Shen Jinci pinching the wooden bamboo stem of the umbrella, tilting the canopy towards Bian Yue.

His features were indifferent yet noble. In the dim rain, his appearance only become more mysterious.

He gazed at Bian Yue for a long while, then softly said, "Yueyue, if Li Sihe were still alive, would you relentlessly pursue Li Tingmo?"

This question came out of nowhere; Bian Yue paused, then replied, "I have no right to forgive Li Tingmo on behalf of my sister, even if it were forgiveness, it’s not my place. I think, if someone were to take you away from me, I probably wouldn’t forgive them."

A gentle look covered the cold sorrow in Shen Jinci’s eyes as he looked at Bian Yue’s face, his eyebrows relaxing, "I see."

Suddenly, Bian Yue turned to embrace him, the rain hitting the umbrella with a crisp sound.

And Bian Yue, in his embrace, elongated her tone, "Actually, when I saw you after coming out, I felt very reassured."