CHAPTER 421: CHAPTER 421 SWEETNESS

"Child, do you have a photo of your mother?" Elder Meng asked.

Cheng Lie nodded, "I do, but I didn’t bring it with me."

"Then bring it along next time you come to visit so Grandpa can take a look," Elder Meng said softly.

Cheng Lie asked, "Why do you need her photo?"

"Oh, it’s just that you seem somewhat familiar. I want to see if you’re the person we’re looking for," Elder Meng explained.

He thought to himself, does this child still not know?

Qin Chi Jin added, "It’s getting late now. Uncle, Aunt, I’ll take him home first. Since Aunt has mentioned that there’s a way to restore his eyes to their original condition, I’ll leave it to you. I’ll likely be visiting you more frequently in the future."

"You rascal, you sure seem invested in Xiao Lie," Elder Meng chuckled.

It felt like ages since his emotions stirred like this.

One moment he wanted to cry, and the next, he wanted to laugh.

He had weathered countless ups and downs throughout his life, yet here he was, so excited that it felt somewhat strange.

Xia Yuezhen, observing all this from the side, was growing frantic. Were they really just going to decide that Cheng Lie was their grandson without any real proof?

Utterly laughable!

Her heart was filled with unease. If it was confirmed that Cheng Lie was their grandson, then regarding those things he’d just said—about someone trying to frame him—wouldn’t they investigate? What if they traced it back to her?

At the thought of such a possibility, Xia Yuezhen grew restless and uneasy.

Perhaps she should destroy Cheng Lie’s evidence before they were certain?

She even considered taking the extreme measure of getting rid of Cheng Lie once and for all.

But the problem was, he had Qin Chi Jin by his side.

Xia Yuezhen cast a glance at Qin Chi Jin. This Fourth Master of the Qin Family—judging by his every move now—was clearly not as gentle as his outward demeanor might suggest.

Walking out of the Meng Family home.

Qin Chi Jin glanced at Cheng Lie and said, "Why do you always speak half-truths? You could’ve just told them directly that you’re their grandson!"

Cheng Lie responded blandly, "When dealing with enemies, do you think it’s more satisfying to cut them down quickly, or to slowly slice away at their flesh?"

The most despairing thing in this world isn’t seeing death right in front of you.

When you see your death approaching from the start, you’ve already made your peace with it. By the time it arrives, it’s just a deeper layer of despair.

What truly brings despair is when you’re given a glimmer of hope—a hope that keeps dangling before you time and time again, filling you with joy—only for it all to turn out to be fake in the end.

Upon hearing Cheng Lie’s words, Qin Chi Jin thought he was downright twisted, even more ruthless than himself.

So this was how he planned to proceed—luring Xia Yuezhen in with a bit of hope, and then stripping it away little by little.

Such cruelty!

Qin Chi Jin silently lit three metaphoric incense sticks for Xia Yuezhen in his heart. Of all people to provoke, why provoke a little demon king?

Cheng Lie returned home. As he opened the door, a faint scent of milk wafted in from the kitchen—sweet, soothing, warm.

At this moment, he could’ve walked over to see what Yun Shifei was busy with.

But when he thought about his eyes, Cheng Lie couldn’t help but cover them with his hand. When would they recover?

Hearing movement at the door, Yun Shifei immediately walked out of the kitchen, stepped forward, and supported Cheng Lie’s hand.

"You’ve been out all day—are you tired?"

Hearing the concern in Yun Shifei’s tone, Cheng Lie curved his lips slightly, "A little."

Only in front of the person he loved would he willingly reveal his most vulnerable side.

Yun Shifei helped Cheng Lie to a seat and said, "Xiao Lie, sit for a bit. I made some milk pudding. Try it later."

So, the sweet aroma from the kitchen turned out to be Yun Shifei’s freshly made milk pudding.

A while later, Yun Shifei brought out the milk pudding from the kitchen and handed it to Cheng Lie.

Watching him eat, she asked, "Does it taste good?"

Cheng Lie nodded.

He felt everything she made was delicious.

Her smile deepened after receiving his praise.

"Then eat more. I’ve made plenty—we can freeze some in the fridge, and you can eat it over the next few days."

As she spoke, Yun Shifei turned her gaze to Cheng Lie’s eyes.

His eyes seemed normal at first glance, but upon closer inspection, there were subtle differences.

They were less radiant than usual and had lost some focus.

Yun Shifei grew increasingly anxious. When would Cheng Lie’s eyesight recover? Would this situation delay his work?

Even though Cheng Lie couldn’t see Yun Shifei clearly, he could feel her gaze lingering on his eyes.

He said, "Don’t worry about me. Today, I met an elderly woman who’s a Chinese medicine practitioner. She said there’s still hope for my eyes to recover, and she’ll try acupuncture."

"Really? That’s wonderful," Yun Shifei sighed in relief. "I hope Xiao Lie regains his sight soon."

She sincerely prayed for him, knowing how difficult his life would be otherwise given his current predicament.

As for Mu Chengzhu, who knew what plans he would come up with after marriage?

This was something Yun Shifei absolutely didn’t want to see happen.

But since Mu Chengzhu always seemed fixated on targeting Cheng Lie, she felt powerless. All she could do was strive to become stronger—and hope Cheng Lie did too—so they could face Mu Chengzhu head-on.

Lost in thought, Yun Shifei was pulled into Cheng Lie’s embrace without realizing it.

In a deep voice, the man said, "Even if I’m blind, it’s okay. You said it yourself—you’re my eyes."

As he spoke, the man leaned in and kissed Yun Shifei’s lips.

Yun Shifei’s cheeks flushed. Even though Cheng Lie couldn’t see her now, he still managed to land his kiss precisely on her lips?

"Are you sure you’re really blind? How can you coincidentally kiss my lips so perfectly?"

Cheng Lie chuckled, "Maybe it was really just a coincidence."

Then, he leaned down and kissed her again.

Yun Shifei: "????"

This time, he kissed her jaw.

Before she could say anything, he lowered his head for another kiss.

And this time, he kissed her neck.

It seemed like he was heading further and further downward.

Annoyed, Yun Shifei struggled out of his embrace, "Are you really blind? I think you’re just being a rogue."

The man opened his eyes, looking at her innocently, "Where did I kiss you?"

That...

Looking into his eyes, Yun Shifei couldn’t quite tell if he was lying or not.

"My lips are here—you should be kissing here."

Yun Shifei grabbed Cheng Lie’s hand and guided it to her lips.

Going further downward—what kind of nonsense was this?

Wasn’t he just taking advantage of her?

Hearing Yun Shifei’s exasperated tone, Cheng Lie’s lips curved slightly, "Oh, so you want me to kiss your lips. Why didn’t you say so earlier?"

Yun Shifei: "????"

She merely meant to tell him not to kiss the wrong place—how awkward! But this guy outright twisted her intentions.

Before she could say anything, Cheng Lie cupped her face in his palms, pulling her entirely into his embrace.

And kissed her lips once again.

The deep, lingering kisses left Yun Shifei’s mind utterly blank.

In that moment, it felt like there was no world outside of the man before her.