It's all ruined, who cares about the chastity arch

Guo's eyes were as sharp as a knife, piercing through the air and locking onto Su Wanyu: "Yan'er, mother is doing this for your own good. This vicious woman must be eliminated!"

After saying that, she bent down desperately to pick up a sharp piece of porcelain, intending to attack Su Wanyu again. The sharp edge pointed directly at the opponent's brow, flashing a cold light.

However, Su Wanyu seemed to have foreseen all this. She just stood there quietly, her face calm and without any panic in her eyes.

At the critical moment, Zheng Chengyan showed his decisiveness. He quickly stepped forward, grabbed his mother's wrist, and pulled it back hard, trying to prevent the tragedy from happening.

However, the scattered debris on the ground made Guo's feet slippery. She lost her balance and fell heavily on the sharp fragments.

The fragments mercilessly cut her palms, wrists, and even her back. Blood slowly seeped out and dyed her clothes red.

"Mom!" Zheng Chengyan stood there in a daze, his face full of disbelief and pain. He had never thought of hurting the mother who raised him.

Guo struggled among the fragments, her eyes full of despair and unwillingness: "Zheng Chengyan, you unfilial son, actually did this to me for this woman!"

Tears flowed out along with her words. It seemed that her whole life had been wasted in this deep mansion. All her efforts and sacrifices were to pave the way for her son's future.

But now, her son, whom she was proud of, had abandoned her for a woman from outside. How could she accept this?

Zheng Chengyan's mask was completely revealed at this moment. He couldn't stand being accused of being "unfilial" and immediately retorted: "Mom, I know you don't like Wanyu, but how could you be so cruel to her!"

There was a hint of helplessness and anger in his words. "Before, you told me to marry Jiang Yingying, and I did. You told me to ignore Wanyu, and I did it."

"But now, I can no longer obey your wishes. As long as I am alive, I will not let you hurt Wanyu again!" Zheng Chengyan's voice was firm.

Guo looked at the strange son in front of her in disbelief, her voice trembling: "Yan'er...how can you say that? Isn't everything I did for you?"

Her heart was bleeding. All her past sacrifices and efforts were now met with accusations and indifference from her son.

The corners of Zheng Chengyan's mouth curled up into an icy smile, which was devoid of any warmth: "For me? Don't use your selfishness and cruelty as an excuse! If you really want to do this for my own good, you should end your miserable life by yourself instead of causing trouble for me here!"

"Yan'er! Mother..." Mrs. Guo burst into tears. All the debts and guilt she had felt towards her son in the past were completely torn apart by his harsh words, and she was heartbroken.

Zheng Chengyan looked at his mother expressionlessly. His eyes were cold and distant, as if he was looking at a stranger. His voice was as cold as ice: "Mom, why don't you just die! Only when you die can my sister and I truly find peace!"

After he finished speaking, he waved his sleeves, pulled Su Wanyu and left the room without looking back, and the door closed heavily behind them.

Guo sat slumped in a pool of blood. There was deathly silence all around. She raised her head and smiled bitterly. Tears and blood intertwined together. Her heart was filled with endless sadness and confusion: "What on earth am I doing in this life?! Why?!"

She seemed to be trapped in an invisible cage, with layer upon layer of shackles binding her.

The first shackles were her infatuation with Chen Lang, whom she once loved but could not get.

The second shackles were the loveless marriage with her husband whom she had served for many years.

The third shackle is the son whom she regards as her life, and the family love that is a mixture of expectation and disappointment.

She looked up at the long-lost blue sky outside the window. The sunlight shone through the clouds and onto her face, yet it seemed so far away.

Outside the door, Su Wanyu stood quietly, looking through the window, gazing into the distance.

In her previous life, she had also gazed at the world outside the cage day after day, holding on to the belief in survival, firmly believing that as long as she was alive, she would be able to break free from the shackles and gain freedom one day.

However, as fate would have it, she died alone on that snowy night, with no one paying attention to her. Her remains were not discovered until spring came, when flowers bloomed. By then, only a set of dry bones eaten away by insects and ants remained to prove that she had ever existed.

She had no sympathy for Guo. What she wanted was not simple revenge, but to make the other party experience mental torture more cruel than death.

She believed that although Guo's body was still alive at this moment, his heart was dead, which was a more complete destruction than the disappearance of his body.

Zheng Chengyan walked closer to her, his white clothes swaying gently in the breeze, revealing an indescribable coolness.

How much sincerity can there be in a person who can treat even his own mother so coldly?

Su Wanyu smiled self-deprecatingly, feeling sad for her past blindness. Marrying such a man was undoubtedly the biggest mistake of her life.

Zheng Chengyan saw her stop and turned back to ask with concern: "Did my mother scare you just now?"

His voice was gentle, but it couldn't hide the falsehood.

Su Wanyu glanced at him coldly and waved her hand calmly: "No, I'm just tired. Second Young Master Zheng, you should go back to the front yard first. The master is looking for you. The imperial examination is important. Don't let Lord Zheng down."

Zheng Chengyan was deeply hurt by her undisguised indifference. Just as he was about to speak, he was interrupted by Su Wanyu: "By the way, Liu'er and the others have been waiting for you these days. Since you have brought them into the mansion, don't let them feel left out. After all, I have a few sisters to help you take care of household affairs, so I have nothing to worry about."

Zheng Chengyan frowned, obviously dissatisfied with her attitude: "If I go to their place, you won't be angry, right?"

Su Wanyu didn't look back, but just smiled softly, with a hint of sarcasm and disdain in her smile: "Second Young Master Zheng, you have several sisters around to take care of you, how can I be angry? You should go to the front yard quickly, and don't let these trivial matters delay your progress."

After saying that, she continued to walk forward, leaving Zheng Chengyan with a resolute back.

Zheng Chengyan's steps gradually became heavier. The word "imperial examination" weighed heavily on his heart, making it difficult for him to breathe.

He knew very well that at this critical moment, he could no longer be entangled by trivial disputes in the backyard, so he made a decision.

He turned to look at the figure that caused him so much heartache, with a hint of determination in his eyes: "Wanyu, I understand that the resentment in your heart has not yet dissipated, but please believe that I will wait, no matter how long it takes, until you are willing to open your heart again and accept me."

Su Wanyu was indifferent to his words and just repeated her previous urging in a cold and firm voice.