The whole family was brutally murdered? The ruthless heiress's eldest daughter went berserk aft

Uncle Lin immediately took out several portraits and presented them to Murong Xuewei.

The young women in the portraits are all unique, some charming and lovely, others gentle and dignified, all of them exceptional beauties.

Murong Xuewei forced herself to examine each portrait carefully, but her heart ached as if it were being cut by a knife.

"This Miss Wang is proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. This Miss Zhao is sweet-looking and gentle..." Uncle Lin introduced from the side, his tone tinged with pride.

Murong Xuewei forced a smile and was about to speak when she suddenly heard an angry shout, "Shut up!"

Gu Ye strode in, his face ashen. He snatched the portrait from Murong Xuewei's hand and slammed it to the ground.

"Uncle Lin, what do you mean by this?" Gu Ye glared at Uncle Lin, his voice filled with suppressed anger.

Uncle Lin was startled by Gu Ye's reaction and quickly explained, "General, this old servant is doing this for the sake of the family..."

"Enough!" Gu Ye interrupted sharply. "You may leave now. I have something to ask Madam privately."

Uncle Lin dared not say more and hurriedly left the room, not forgetting to cast a meaningful glance at Murong Xuewei before leaving.

A hush fell over the room. Murong Xuewei forced herself to remain calm, turned to face Gu Ye, and asked with a puzzled look in her eyes, "General, what's wrong?"

Gu Ye took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He looked directly into Murong Xuewei's eyes and asked, word by word, "What exactly do you take me for?"

Murong Xuewei's heart skipped a beat, but she remained outwardly calm. She chuckled lightly and countered, "What does the General think?"

"Don't play games with me!" Gu Ye suddenly stepped forward, closing in on Murong Xuewei. "Why are you choosing a concubine for me? Didn't we agree to be together for life?"

Murong Xuewei was forced to retreat repeatedly by Gu Ye until her back hit the wall.

Suppressing her inner turmoil, she said calmly, "General, you misunderstand. I was merely fulfilling my duties as a wife."

Gu Ye stared into Murong Xuewei's eyes, as if trying to see through her soul. "Duty?" he sneered. "What about what we said in the cave?"

Murong Xuewei felt a pang of pain in her heart, recalling the heartfelt confession they exchanged when they were on the brink of life and death in the cave at the bottom of the cliff.

Murong Xuewei forced a nonchalant smile and said softly, "That was just something I said casually to keep the general alive."

Gu Ye was struck dumb, staring at Murong Xuewei in disbelief. Pain, anger, and resentment flashed in his eyes.

Suddenly, he kissed Murong Xuewei's lips.

The kiss came suddenly and fiercely, and Murong Xuewei was stunned for a moment.

In an instant, the kiss she had shared underwater in the cold palace flashed through her mind.

At that time, in order to escape the guards' pursuit, the two had to dive into the water.

In that life-or-death moment, that kiss gave her immense courage and strength; it could even be said to have saved her life.

Memories flooded back, almost overwhelming Murong Xuewei. But soon, reason prevailed.

She pushed Gu Ye away with all her might, feigning anger as she said, "General, please have some self-respect!"

Gu Ye staggered back a few steps, his eyes filled with pain and confusion. "Why?" he asked in a low voice, "Why did you do this to me?"

Murong Xuewei turned her face away, not daring to look Gu Ye in the eye. She knew that if she looked into those pained eyes again, she might not be able to resist telling the truth.

But for Gu Ye's future, she had to harden her heart.

"General," Murong Xuewei took a deep breath and said slowly, "I have someone I like."

These words struck Gu Ye like a thunderbolt. His eyes widened, staring at Murong Xuewei in disbelief. "What did you say?"

Murong Xuewei suppressed her inner pain and continued weaving her lies, "I said I have someone I like. So, please, General, don't do this anymore. Our relationship is merely one of cooperation."

Gu Ye felt dizzy and disoriented. He grabbed the corner of the table to steady himself. "Who?" he asked with difficulty. "Who is it?"

Murong Xuewei's heart tightened; she hadn't expected Gu Ye to press the matter this far. Quick-thinking, she blurted out, "It's...someone you don't know."

Gu Ye was struck dumb, staggering back several steps. He stared at Murong Xuewei in disbelief, the pain in his eyes almost tangible. "Who exactly is he? What does he have that I don't?"

Seeing Gu Ye's reaction, Murong Xuewei felt even more pained.

“General,” Murong Xuewei said, forcing herself to remain calm, “we are partners. Please consider the bigger picture.”

Gu Ye took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

Gu Ye stared directly into Murong Xuewei's eyes, as if trying to find a flaw in them. "Are you telling the truth?"

Murong Xuewei hardened her heart and nodded, "Absolutely true."

Silence spread between the two. Gu Ye's gaze gradually turned cold, shifting from shock and pain.

Gu Ye spoke slowly, his voice filled with deep disappointment and sarcasm, "Fine, very well. Murong Xuewei, you're truly something else."

After saying that, Gu Ye turned around and strode away, slamming the door shut behind him.

Murong Xuewei finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed to the ground. Tears streamed down her face like a burst dam, and she covered her mouth with her hand, trying hard to suppress her sobs.

"I'm sorry, Gu Ye," she cried out in her heart, "I had no other choice..."

In the room, only Murong Xuewei's lonely figure and suppressed sobs remained. Outside the window, the cold wind howled, and plum blossom petals fell one after another, as if mourning this love that ended without a trace.

Meanwhile, Gu Ye strode down the long corridor of the mansion, his face ashen. Anger, pain, and bewilderment surged within him.

"Xuewei, you're lying to me, aren't you?" Gu Ye muttered to himself. "Why did you lie to me?"

"There must be some reason I don't know," Gu Ye thought to himself. "Xue Wei, what are you hiding?"

Just then, Uncle Lin rushed over and, seeing Gu Ye's gloomy face, felt a chill run down his spine.

"General," Uncle Lin began cautiously, "about what happened just now..."

Gu Ye whirled around, staring coldly at Uncle Lin. "Why did you suddenly propose taking a concubine for me?"

Uncle Lin was startled by Gu Ye's gaze, but quickly regained his composure.

Uncle Lin knelt down before Gu Ye with a thud. "General! This old servant is thinking of you. You have no children, which is really detrimental to the great cause of restoring the country."

Gu Ye sneered, "Really just for me?"

Uncle Lin was startled and quickly retorted, "General, you are wise. This old servant has no ulterior motives."

Gu Ye stared at Uncle Lin for a long time before finally speaking slowly, "This matter ends here. You are not allowed to mention taking a concubine again, otherwise..."

Uncle Lin quickly agreed and dared not say anything more.

Gu Ye waved for Uncle Lin to leave, then turned and headed towards his study. He needed to think carefully about what secrets were hidden behind Murong Xuewei's unusual behavior.

Inside the study, Gu Ye paced back and forth, his mind replaying his conversation with Murong Xuewei. The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

"Murong Xuewei, what are you afraid of?" Gu Ye muttered to himself, "Why did you push me away like this?"

Suddenly, Gu Ye remembered something. He quickly walked to his desk and pulled out a secret letter.

This is news that came from Haicheng a few days ago, containing some secret information about the Murong family.

Gu Ye carefully read the secret letter, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper. When he read a certain passage, he suddenly stood up.

"Could it be..." A flicker of realization crossed Gu Ye's eyes, "Murong Xuewei, are you thinking of me?"