CHAPTER 351: CHAPTER 350: DESPAIR

Ah, I almost forgot this thing.

"This is something I found on top of the altar," said Wan Chu’er. "It seems like it fell out from the person in the cage."

As she spoke, she unfolded the crumpled paper.

Yan Hui saw Wan Chu’er react as if struck by lightning, her whole body shook, her eyes suddenly widened, and her face wore an expression of disbelief. Then she began to tremble all over.

"What’s wrong?" Yan Hui asked anxiously.

"This... this..." Wan Chun’er pointed at the piece of paper, trembling for a long time, her eyes turning bloodshot, but she couldn’t utter a word.

Yan Hui snatched the tattered paper and looked down only to see a drawing. The content was somewhat blurred due to age or frequent handling, making it almost indiscernible.

But upon close inspection, it appeared to be a family portrait, with a little girl seated between a man and a woman.

He looked at Wan Chu’er suspiciously, his heart skipped a beat, and he asked incredulously, "Do you recognize the people in it?"

To his surprise, upon hearing this, Wan Chu’er suddenly panicked and ran outside. Yan Hui didn’t manage to stop her in time and saw Wan Chu’er slam straight into the door and then fall to the ground.

Wan Chu’er struggled to get up but couldn’t for a long time.

Yan Hui hurried over and reached out to help her, only to find her whole body shaking.

"Chuchu, what’s wrong? What exactly happened?" Yan Hui hugged her tightly, his heart aching for her.

Wan Chu’er’s teeth chattered for a while before she finally managed to say, "That’s my... my dad... my mom... and me... our family portrait."

Yan Hui was completely shocked, staring incredulously at Wan Chu’er.

He stammered, "Could you have mistaken it? This paper, no, this photograph... the pattern is too blurred, the faces aren’t even clear."

Wan Chu’er shook her head vigorously, rose from the ground, and kept saying:

"I have to go, let me go. I want to ask that person why he has this photo; he must know my dad."

Even a thought she scarcely dared to have crossed her mind: Could that person be Wan Shiguo?

"Let me go!" Wan Chu’er screamed.

Yan Hui snapped back to reality, grabbed Wan Chu’er’s arm, and said, "Okay, I’ll go with you now, don’t panic. This is a serious matter, and we cannot rush."

It wasn’t until they left the hotel and drove for an hour that Wan Chu’er’s chaotic emotions slowly regained composure.

"Mr. Yan, stop the car."

Yan Hui obediently stopped the car and looked at Wan Chu’er, "What’s wrong?"

"Mr. Yan, let’s go back."

Without asking, Yan Hui turned the car around and headed back. Wan Chu’er was completely out of control just now, and he couldn’t persuade her, but now that she had regained her composure, that was good.

Back at the hotel, Wan Chu’er said she wanted to be alone for a while to think about what to do next; she couldn’t rush, especially at this time, she couldn’t rush at all.

After Yan Hui made her promise not to act alone, he left Wan Chu’er’s room. After entering his own room, Yan Hui intended to call the old master, but he stopped as he was about to dial and instead took out Jiang Kechu’s number.

At noon, Yan Hui went to find Wan Chu’er for lunch and found that she had blisters around her mouth. Although Wan Chu’er was anxious, she still patiently forced herself to eat a full meal.

By nightfall, Yan Hui insisted on staying in Wan Chu’er’s room and wouldn’t leave for anything.

"Mr. Yan, it’s too dangerous there, you can’t go," Wan Chuchu had to be direct: "We both can’t risk our lives at the same time, if anything happens to you, I’ll never have peace of mind for the rest of my life."

Yan Hui smiled, "What would I do if something happened to you? How would I explain to the old man?"

Wan Chuchu paused, then gritted her teeth and said, "Then go there, wait for me at the foot of the mountain to provide backup. I will go up myself."

There’s no way she would give up.

By the time it reached eight o’clock and they were just about to leave, someone knocked on the door from outside. Wan Chuchu’s expression immediately changed; she grabbed a dagger and headed for the door.

Yan Hui: "..." It should be Jiang Kechu.

Wan Chuchu asked at the door, "Who is it?"

"It’s me," came the deep voice of Jiang Kechu.

Wan Chuchu was instantly stupefied, turning back incredulously to look at Yan Hui.

Yan Hui nodded, "I called Jiang Kechu this morning."

Upon opening the door, there stood the travel-worn Jiang Kechu. Tears streamed down Wan Chuchu’s face, and the next second, she threw herself into Jiang Kechu’s arms.

"Uncle Jiang..."

"Don’t be afraid, I’m here," Jiang Kechu comforted Wan Chuchu softly, as he held her and went into the room.

Yan Hui, watching the two, felt a bittersweet sensation in his heart, especially seeing Wan Chuchu, who had just been as fierce as a female assassin, now turned into a fragile little kitten. He sighed with relief, but a touch of sadness flickered in his eyes.

Three days later, three people with different expressions emerged from Beijing Airport.

Wan Chuchu, with a sorrowful look, walked coldly ahead; her face icy, her eyes empty, clutching an urn in her hands, completely ignoring Jiang Kechu and Yan Hui beside her.

Jiang Kechu had a hint of heaviness in his brow, watching Wan Chuchu with concern, trailing a step behind her.

And then there was Yan Hui, no longer the elegantly gentle person of the past, his face filled with regret and worry, as he too watched that cold, resolute figure ahead with concern.

Indeed, that person was Wan Shiguo, but sadly they were too late; Wan Shiguo had died, the very night Wan Chuchu went there alone.

Upon learning the truth, Wan Chuchu completely broke down. Then she vented by blowing up the place, followed by hacking the network of Country H, exposing all the hidden evils of the presidential family to light, throwing Country H into chaos.

"Chuchu," Jiang Kechu called out to Wan Chuchu after dropping her off at the villa, as she walked forward.

Wan Chuchu didn’t turn her head back, "I need some time to calm down."

Jiang Kechu wanted to say something else, but Yan Hui stopped him, suggesting, "This has hit her too hard, give her some time and space."

And then, waiting for that time, they discovered three days later that Wan Chuchu had disappeared.

They immediately started investigating, only to find out Wan Chuchu had taken a train back to Wutong County two days before.

Jiang Kechu rushed to Wutong, and in front of Bai Zhixi’s grave, he found Wan Chuchu, who had collapsed unconscious, with a new tomb mound added beside her.

Wan Chuchu had a very long dream, dreaming she had returned to her childhood, with both Wan Shiguo and Bai Zhixi present, their family of three extremely happy. Wan Shiguo even took her out to sea to catch fish for fun, where they encountered a school of sharks.

Wan Shiguo chased the sharks away.

Who would’ve known that in the dream, the scene would change, Wan Shiguo became emaciated like a skeleton, asking her in despair, "Chuchu, why didn’t you come earlier?"