CHAPTER 411: CHAPTER 411 DANGEROUS THINGS

Ji Yu didn’t know what she should say; the situation in front of her was maddening.

"I understand what you’re trying to say, but I have to see my father right now. Do you really think this is such a dangerous thing?"

"This..." They exchanged glances, feeling that there was indeed nothing wrong with it, and only then did they step aside to let her pass.

Hu Jianyu knew that Ji Yu’s heart must be very conflicted at this moment. "Yu, if you’re feeling uneasy, just follow your own heart. No matter what you decide to do, I will always support you."

He understood what his daughter was thinking deep down. Ever since she met Gu Qixiao, she had changed significantly. Besides, he, as her father, could barely help her, which was already a failure. If he were to stop Ji Yu now, it would only make her even more miserable in the future.

"I understand, but Gu Qixiao is worried I might have these thoughts, so he arranged people to follow me. If I leave, they’ll definitely realize I’m going to see Jiang Huai."

She came to Hu Jianyu today precisely because she wanted him to cover for her.

What else could Hu Jianyu do?

His daughter had already pleaded with him in this way. If he didn’t agree, he had no idea what might happen later.

He could only help Ji Yu temporarily evade the bodyguards.

But as she left, he felt reluctant to let her go. "Yu, if something dangerous happens, we might never forgive ourselves in this lifetime. You know how much Gu Qixiao loves you—and so do I."

Naturally, as her father, he wanted to protect his daughter.

But sometimes, there’s simply nothing one can do.

Ji Yu understood this truth.

"I know, but I’m the only one who can do this. I have no choice but to make this decision."

She had countless thoughts in her heart, but no way to act on them.

As she left, in a fleeting moment, she seemed to see Gu Qixiao’s shadow.

Gu Qixiao was already in pain, but when he found out Ji Yu had disappeared, he still stumbled out, only to see her retreating figure.

His heart was utterly shattered by this, riddled with a thousand gaping wounds, yet there was nothing he could do.

"Yu, don’t leave me. I know you care about me deep down." His voice was growing hoarse. Hu Jianyu, seeing him like this, also felt pangs of guilt, knowing full well how bad things had been before.

If Gu Qixiao found out, he wouldn’t be able to rest easy.

"Gu Qixiao, just go back and rest. Yu has her own thoughts. If you let her watch you die right in front of her, do you know what the consequences would be?"

He knew his daughter too well.

Ji Yu could never stand by and watch Gu Qixiao die.

So, in certain matters, Ji Yu was bound to leave.

"She’s your daughter. Don’t you worry about her safety? If anything happens to Yu, could you really find peace in your heart?"

This was the first time Gu Qixiao had shown such disrespect toward him.

His attitude was already plainly displayed.

Hu Jianyu wore a bitter smile. It was precisely because he knew things would turn out this way that he felt such inner torment. But he couldn’t refuse Ji Yu’s request, because he understood perfectly that the current situation was already beyond correction.

"I know how much Yu means to you. She’s my daughter, and I care about her dearly too. But things have reached this point—what could I do even if I stood in the way? Watch the two of you die together?"

He understood Ji Yu too well.

If he were to truly stop her, Ji Yu might actually make the drastic choice to take her own life.

At this moment, Gu Qixiao was suddenly left without words.

If Ji Yu were to leave this world because of him, he knew he would never forgive himself for the rest of his life.

Gu Qixiao’s heart was filled with countless emotions, but he couldn’t express any of them.

"Yu..." He could only hope that nothing bad would happen to Ji Yu. If anything truly happened, he knew the person he could never forgive would be himself.

In truth, Ji Yu’s situation wasn’t as dire as they feared.

When Ji Yu appeared, Jiang Huai had already understood—he had won.

"Yu, I told you, you’d come to beg me sooner or later. And now it’s come true. Look at you, so cold and detached—how is that the demeanor of someone pleading? Shouldn’t you show a little sincerity?"

He was smiling as he looked at Ji Yu.

But Ji Yu knew he still cared about what had happened before.

What she said that day—Jiang Huai had clearly taken it to heart.

"Jiang Huai, don’t you think what you’ve done is despicable?" She couldn’t bear to imagine what she might do if things truly unfolded as he wanted.

"Everything you suffered back then had nothing to do with me or Gu Qixiao. You’ve directed your anger at others, stubbornly blaming me for it. Don’t you find that disgusting?"

She had done nothing wrong, yet Jiang Huai’s behavior made it seem as if she owed him a fortune.

Such a situation left Ji Yu utterly at a loss.

Her expression grew grim.

Jiang Huai, internally, was even more distressed.

He wanted to connect with Ji Yu, but not like this.

"Yu, don’t you understand my feelings for you? The words you said to me—I can’t take them back. Think about how cruel you were to me back then, and you might understand why I’m treating you this way now."

"Cruel? Jiang Huai, let’s not even mention that I didn’t kill you. Just look at the things you did back then—weren’t they far more cruel than this? Surely you don’t believe that just because those people couldn’t scream for justice, it absolves you of your sins." Her voice was soft, yet her words were so devastating.

"Yu, must you truly be this cruel to me?" He felt utterly helpless in the face of Ji Yu’s actions.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about." Ji Yu couldn’t feel any love from him. His so-called affection felt more like a consuming fire intent on burning her to ashes.

"Yu, take some time to rest." He couldn’t give up on Ji Yu just like that.

Ji Yu didn’t respond, simply allowing him to do whatever he wanted. But she looked even more like a marionette, devoid of will or consciousness.

"Yu, you’ll regret not choosing me." He was utterly convinced of this.