CHAPTER 1016: CHAPTER 1016: OLD MASTER LI’S PAST

The distance from the Living Room to the Study Room wasn’t far.

Along the way, the Old Butler kept brainstorming, wondering if he could notify Li Beijue about the situation with Old Master Jue.

But he couldn’t find an opportunity, and in the blink of an eye, they had already reached the Staircase.

"Wait here!" Old Master Li suddenly ordered.

The Old Butler could only lower his head. "Yes."

Old Master Li’s sharp gaze swept over him, and then, half warning, half reminder, added, "I don’t want to see Beijue later, do you understand?"

The Old Butler was still thinking about sending news to the young master while Old Master Li went alone to meet Miss Chi. But before he could act, his intentions were already detected. His heart trembled immediately, and he didn’t dare to make any reckless moves. He lowered his head respectfully, "Understood, Old Master Jue."

Old Master Li’s bone-chilling gaze lingered on him for a few more seconds before retracting. Then, he walked toward the Study Room...

The Old Butler raised his head, anxiously watching his receding figure, but felt utterly helpless.

What to do?

Old Master Jue meant it this time!

Having served Old Master Jue for decades, he knew that once Old Master Jue was serious about something, almost no one could change his decision!

The Old Butler held his breath, even though he was extremely anxious. Because of the previous warning from Old Master Li, he didn’t dare to notify Li Beijue privately.

He knew Old Master Li’s temper. Since he had been warned, it meant his thoughts had already been seen through. If he went against the warning and slyly informed the young master, it would only anger Old Master Li further!

If the young master came now, the matter would truly escalate into an irreversible situation!

...

The Old Butler paced back and forth anxiously near the Staircase, unable to enter or make a phone call.

Inside the Study Room, Chi Enen, completely unaware, was absorbed in her own tasks.

She didn’t even notice that someone was standing at the Room door!

Old Master Li initially came with rage and resolve, but when he saw the person inside the Study Room folding thousand paper cranes, his gaze suddenly trembled.

A young maiden’s face, buried deep in his memory and deliberately unremembered, overlapped with Chi Enen’s...

In the vast Li Castle, a carefree and innocent maiden once bounced around, gently tugging on a cold and aloof teenager. She then pulled out a glass bottle from her backpack, filled to the brim with thousand paper cranes. The maiden’s face radiated with a blissful smile, her eyes bright and clear, as she proudly presented the gift before him, giggling as she spoke.

— "Ao Ting, look! This is the gift I made for you. What do you think? Isn’t it beautiful?"

— "These are the thousand paper cranes I made. Remember last time when you asked me why I was cutting paper? It was to make these."

— "Thousand paper cranes are angels’ carrier pigeons. They say that wishes made through these cranes will always come true. I wished for Madam to like me. Look, I made so many; surely Madam will accept me, right?"

The maiden’s voice and smile replayed in his mind over and over, freezing before finally merging with the scene before his eyes...

He remembered that year, when he was 18 years old, at a dusk like this, passing by that person’s room. He had seen her sitting at the desk, cutting paper and earnestly folding thousand paper cranes.

At that moment, the afterglow of the sunset fell upon her, the warm orange sunlight wrapping her in a golden halo, making her seem like an angel descending to the mortal realm.

She hadn’t noticed his presence.

So she would never know—he had known all along what she was making: thousand paper cranes!