CHAPTER 155: 155- PAST UNRAVEL [1]

When Fang Yuan expected some sort of retort, he instead saw Fang Mei step forward and wrap her father in a hug, one hand gently patting his head.

"Dad, don’t cry. Don’t cry," she said softly. " I’m sure you have your reasons for it. You’re the person I love the most, please don’t cry."

She smiled as she spoke, but that only made Fang Chen’s tears spill faster.

""A-Ah... m-my... d-daughter... I—love... you. I l-love you... the... m-most..." Fang Chen’s voice splintered between gasps, every word dragged out as though it cut him to speak.

His breath hitched, shuddering in her ear as he pressed his face into her shoulder, clinging as if afraid she might vanish.

Fang Yuan realized he had never truly seen his uncle break down like this before.

For a man of Fang Chen’s temperament to weep so openly... this had to be the heaviest knot in his heart.

Am I the real monster, Fang Yuan wondered bitterly, for making him wait until she was nineteen... for never telling him when, so it happen exactly on the day she was meant to celebrate?

The thought flickered and then he forced himself back to the present.

Fang Chen and Fang Mei were still locked in that embrace, except it was the daughter comforting her father.

After a long, shaky breath, Fang Chen began.

"It... it was... fifteen years ago," he said, his voice trembling.

"I was... traveling... to the northern regions. Phungrei City. At that time... I— I was only at the Qi Condensation stage. I... wasn’t even an elder yet."

He sniffled hard, blinking rapidly. "I was... supposed to meet... Fang Yuan’s parents there... but... I got lost."

His hands curled into fists, knuckles whitening. "But... fate... would have it... I came across... a tent. And inside... there were... there were many... little girls. Young. S-so young. Kept as... captives."

Fang Yuan’s breath caught. His chest tightened, the words in his throat turning to stone.

Beside him, Fang Mei’s expression grew sober, her gaze fixed on Fang Chen.

"I... I freed them," Fang Chen said, his voice quivering.

"One by one. But then—" His eyes drifted, unfocused. "Then... I... I heard footsteps."

"I... I was scared," he admitted, the words tumbling out in uneven gasps. "What I was doing was... maybe wrong... but... I... I felt no regret. None. And... and that’s when... I saw... y-you."

His voice cracked sharply.

"You... you were lying... on a table... your... your stomach—" His breath hitched, a shudder running through him.

"It had been... cut open... a few... pieces of flesh... r-removed. I... I don’t know... what they were working on... but... when I saw the mark..."

His lips trembled violently, tears spilling over. "I... I... I did everything— everything I could... to close your wound."

Then, all at once, he clung to her, voice breaking into raw sobs. "I’m so— so sorry... I couldn’t— couldn’t hide the scar better... You... you were bullied for it... I’m sorry... I’m sorry..."

Fang Mei glanced at Fang Yuan, her eyes silently pleading.

He only smiled faintly. "Family problems... are for family to solve."

She didn’t hesitate.

"Brother Fang Yuan, help."

Fang Yuan let out a low, amused breath, the corners of his lips curling in faint acknowledgment.

"Alright, alright... you played the sister card well," he murmured, voice carrying a mix of dry humor and reluctant concession.

His grip on Fang Chen’s hand didn’t loosen, in fact, it anchored the trembling man like a tether.

Fang Yuan leaned in slightly, his gaze steady, his tone quiet but firm.

"Uncle Chen... take a deep breath for me. Then let it out. Slowly."

Fang Chen’s shoulders jerked once, as if the simple instruction had taken him a moment to process.

Then, haltingly, he obeyed.

His chest rose in a shaky swell, the breath rattling as it filled his lungs... and when he exhaled, it escaped in a trembling sigh, his whole frame sagging under the release.

Fang Chen’s chest swelled again, slower this time, the intake almost sounding like he was dragging the air through a knot in his throat.

Fang Mei’s arms only tightened around him, her small frame pressing against his as if to keep him from falling apart.

He exhaled, long, unsteady, his breath ghosting over her hair. Another breath in.

His fingers twitched against her back, the rough calluses catching in the fabric of her robe.

Out again, softer now, but still trembling.

Fang Yuan watched without interrupting, his grip still locked around Fang Chen’s wrist, not restraining, not letting go, keeping the man grounded.

With every breath, Fang Chen’s rigid shoulders eased just a fraction, the storm inside him ebbing under the weight of his niece’s embrace and Fang Yuan’s steady presence.

By the third breath, he wasn’t gulping air anymore. He was taking it in, holding it... letting it go.

Fang Chen’s breathing had steadied, the ragged edges smoothed by Fang Mei’s quiet presence.

Fang Yuan waited, his tone soft when he finally spoke.

"What happened next?"

Fang Chen’s gaze dropped to the floor, as if pulling the memory up from somewhere deep and heavy.

"That day..." His voice was low, almost hoarse. "I was just about to finish tending to Mei’s little stomach injury. Just the final stitch. Then, three Gu family guards appeared. They were the footsteps I heard."

His jaw tightened. "I panicked. I rushed the work, grabbed her, and ran. I thought they’d come to arrest me for what I’d done..."

He shook his head slowly, a bitter edge curling his mouth. "But I realized, after a few moments, they weren’t there to punish me. They were there because it was their camp."

The words hung in the air. Fang Mei’s grip on him loosened slightly, her eyes wide.

Fang Yuan’s hand remained on Fang Chen’s wrist, his thumb pressing once, quietly urging him on.

Fang Chen drew a deep breath before continuing, his eyes narrowing with old resolve.

"After I became an elder, I... used part of my earnings to figure out the truth so I commissioned the Black Widow Society."

Fang Yuan’s brows lifted, "You really did go to the Black Market."

The room stilled, as if even the air was listening.