No reconciliation, no forgiveness! Mr. Pei leaves with nothing.

In the quiet hospital room, Jiang Huai had just taken her medication, which had a sedative effect, and didn't hear any approaching footsteps.

Zhou Yan walked into the ward, her eyes filled with a ruthless determination. Just as the figure by the bed landed and suddenly reached out to him, someone stopped her next move.

Before she could even see his face clearly, Zhou Yan was dragged to the rooftop.

"Let go! What are you doing! Let me go!" Zhou Yan couldn't break free from the bodyguards' struggle until she stepped forward and saw him.

Kagel: "Long time no see, Miss Zhou."

Zhou Yan stared at him in astonishment, because she knew he was one of Pei Zhan's men. How did he know she was going to that ward?

Did he know she was back?

"It's you!"

Kagel nodded. "Yes, Miss Zhou. The master knew you were back the day you returned to the country. Since you posed no threat to the madam, he turned a blind eye to your return."

"I think you should understand your master's intentions. As long as you stay safe and don't do anything you'll regret."

"As long as you don't appear before the lady, your master can ensure you a life of comfort and ease. Just name your price."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan burst into laughter, her eyes revealing a manic madness. "What do I want?!"

"I want Jiang Hua dead!"

Can he do it?

"He can't. Because... he's fallen in love with his enemy."

"For Jiang Hua, he forgot the Zhou family, forgot A Xu, forgot... how my mother went mad, and even forgot the wonderful days we spent together in Wuchuan. He had long been bewitched by Jiang Hua. He approached the Jiang family to seek revenge, but he was bewitched by Jiang Hua!"

"Ah Xu's heart is still inside her, but he has forgotten to take revenge."

"He wants to repay? What can he use to repay? Can he restore Mom to normal? Or bring Ah Xu back to life? He can't do either!"

"And I am the way I am now because of him."

"So what makes her think she can live the life she wants?"

"But I have to endure this pain, I am... destroyed!"

A sharp laugh echoed across the empty rooftop. Kagel quietly looked at her current state. "There's something Miss Zhou probably doesn't know yet."

"Back then, Miss Zhou Xu brought her master back to the Zhou family only because her master and his wife were separated in Wuchuan due to some unforeseen circumstances."

"Miss Zhou Xu's encounter with her master was merely a coincidence."

"What do you mean!" Zhou Yan looked at him coldly.

Kagel: "When Madam turned five, she was abducted by human traffickers and taken to Wuchuan, where she was imprisoned for nearly half a year. During this time, the master and Madam were together day and night, and he met Miss Zhou Xu even earlier than Miss Zhou Xu."

"The master already had deep feelings for his wife before this."

"However, during the rescue of the lady, the master made a small mistake, which led to someone with ulterior motives impersonating him. The lady mistook Ji Liangchuan for the master, and then she took Ji Liangchuan back to the capital, where they lived together for many years."

"If it weren't for this twist of fate, the master would still have ended up with the madam. For the master, Miss Zhou Xu was just an accidental acquaintance."

"Moreover, the Jiang family may indeed be involved in Miss Zhou Xu's death, but don't forget..."

"After the master went to deal with the Huo family's affairs, he came to see you."

"The matter between the Zhou family and the Jiang family ended on that day."

“If Miss Zhou continues to pester me, the master said that he will repay you double for what you have done to the madam.”

"Of course... to avoid any other accidents and dangers, the Huo family has countless reasons to send you back to Liasco!"

Upon hearing these last words, fear flashed in Zhou Yan's eyes. No... she didn't want to go back to that place, which was like a living hell.

She doesn't want to go back.

Kagel continued in a calm tone, "This is on the premise that you hurt the lady."

"As long as you don't do these things, the master will buy you an island, including any assets you want at home or abroad, so you can live out the rest of your life in peace. The master can even arrange a new identity for you so you can start living again."

"Yes, Miss Zhou Xu's death is indeed a great obsession for you. Because of the Zhou family's affairs, Madam has also paid the price, including the repayment that Master has made to the Zhou family over the years, which has long been paid off."

"Because of that car accident, the lady almost lost her life and also lost her child."

"Including the second child, which was also caused by an accident your mother created in the business world, resulting in your wife's miscarriage."

"The master kept this from the madam out of consideration for the Zhou family's relationship over the years. If the madam knew this, given her temper, she would send you to a place even more terrifying than Villasco for the sake of the children."

Zhou Yan was in a daze. She remembered that night in France when he appeared in front of her covered in blood.

Inside St. Leah's Mental Hospital, the shadows of the sycamore trees outside were projected onto the snow-white walls, resembling a withered hand of a devil, as if about to crawl out of hell.

The wind was strong outside, there was thunder, and it looked like it was about to rain.

Then, a bolt of lightning struck, and the figure appeared outside the door.

When Zhou Yan saw the person she had been longing for day and night appear before her, she couldn't believe it. She ran over and hugged him, crying, "I thought you didn't want me and Mom anymore."

"You've come to take us back, haven't you!"

Zhou Yan didn't get a reply from him. Instead, she was ruthlessly pushed away. She smelled the strong stench of blood on him and saw that the hand that had touched him was stained with bright red blood.

When she looked at him, Zhou Yan had never seen him before, and his gaze was so cold.

That day, he didn't take her back; instead, he wanted her to stay there forever.

He said he had atoned for the Jiang family's sins and wanted to let go of the past and start anew.

He also wanted her to let go.

But how could Zhou Yan allow it?

So she came back.

Kagel stepped forward and said, “Master has already repaid the debt of gratitude to the Zhou family. Since you have made your decision about Miss Zhou Xu’s death, you should let it go and live your own life.”

"It's not too late for you to start over now."

"So... he knew, he always knew I was back."

Zhou Yan swayed precariously, deflated, and suddenly collapsed to the ground. She suddenly felt that all of this had become ridiculous, because she couldn't accept this fact.

How could it be Jiang Hua?

From the very beginning, weren't they family?

Now tell her that Pei Zhan knew Jiang Hua before A Xu, and that they were the ones who should have been together.

What about Wuchuan? They were the ones who lived together in Wuchuan.

How could he...?

If you say no, then you don't want her or her mother anymore.

...

Back at Royal Dragon Bay, Jiang Hua felt a sense of unease and discomfort. She told him about it, "I don't know why, but Pei Zhan, I feel like someone is following me lately."

“Yesterday when Bao’er and I went shopping, the figure I saw looked like the same person as the nurse I just saw.”

Pei Zhan took off his suit jacket and draped it over the sofa. "Did you not get enough rest? Did you see it wrong?"

Jiang Hua couldn't say for sure either.

She sat on the sofa next to Pei Zhan, looking at the jewelry pieces on the table, with a plate of fruit on top. She picked a grape and ate it. "Why is the Huo family sending these jewelry pieces again?"

"Why are there longevity locks?"

Pei Zhan: "Yes, it's for the baby."

Jiang Hua shook her head. The Huo family members and her maternal grandfather had been making trouble for her and Pei Zhan's wedding for quite some time. Back then, she and Pei Zhan only had a marriage certificate and didn't have a wedding ceremony. Now that Pei Zhan had returned to the Huo family, the Huo family members insisted on making up for what they owed them before. They had been sending her a lot of money over the years, or they would send her money in various ways every now and then.

In terms of material things, Jiang Hua really has nothing to lack; the money she has in Bao'er's hands is more than enough for her to spend.

Because of the timing of the wedding, it was postponed again and again.

Finally, it was two companies that decided to meet on the winter solstice in December…

Her birthday is after the winter solstice.

This time...

It wasn't a good time for her, and it was a period she didn't want to recall.

Jiang Hua took off her shoes, lay down on the sofa with her legs against his, and looked at the variety show in front of her. She recognized the male celebrity on the show; he was the one Xiao Zhu liked, and he seemed to be quite popular now.

Will Huo Ling come back for Chinese New Year this year?

Pei Zhan: "I won't go back."

Jiang Hua: "Is she that busy?"

Pei Zhan: "Mm."

Jiang Hua tilted her head back; from this angle, she could only see his neck and jawline. "Did you tell her not to come back?"

Pei Zhan lowered his head and met her gaze. "Mrs. Pei is overthinking things again."

"Are you sleepy? Want to take a nap?"

Jiang Hua nodded, "Mm."

After all, Xiaoling left in such a hurry, almost without any warning, that she was going back to school, and to study the major she disliked the most. Jiang Hua felt that a large part of her decision was due to Xu Zhoulan.

Xu Zhoulan was still imprisoned, and before they knew it, almost a year had passed.

Time... really flies.

Pei Zhan carried her upstairs.

Jiang Hua frowned. "Pei Zhan, I feel like I've really gained weight."

"Don't feed me anymore, I want to eat by myself."

Pei Zhan: "Not fat at all, just right."

Jiang Huazhen felt she had gained weight, but the scale at home showed no change. Ever since Pei Zhan first fed her, he seemed to have become addicted to it. Jiang Huazhen had also become lazy. Whenever she was at home, he would carry her up and down the stairs to eat, and even when she took a bath or took off and put on her clothes, she hardly had to do anything.

She can simply say what she wants to eat, and someone will be at her beck and call.

Over time, Jiang Hua really felt like she had gained weight. Even her period was more regular than before, and the flow was also heavier.

Once, when blood stained her underwear, she complained that it was dirty, but Pei Zhan didn't mind at all. He cleaned her up and washed her underwear as well.

At first, Jiang Hua did feel a little ashamed, but as time went on, she felt that it was nothing special, since it wasn't like she hadn't seen it before.

Pei Zhan liked to cling to her, and so did Jiang Hua; they both liked to rely on him for everything.

She thought that this kind of life would last a very long time, and that it would be nice to live like this for the rest of her life.

Peaceful and tranquil.

...

When Zhou Yan returned home, the house was spotless.

The smell of alcohol in the house dissipated, replaced by a familiar, refreshing fragrance.

Seeing the bedroom door open, Zhou Yan walked into the bedroom with icy eyes. A figure stood by the bed, flipping through something in his hand. "Who told you to touch my things!"

Song Qingran was startled and immediately stuffed the things in her hand back into the file bag. Her hands trembled as she turned around and faced Zhou Yan. Her eyes revealed a look of fearful disbelief. "Is...is everything in here real?!"

Zhou Yan picked up the half-finished bottle of whiskey from the table, opened it, and took a big gulp. "Do you think he doesn't know?"

“These are just a pile of waste paper to him; they’ve long been useless.”

"Take it if you want it. With your status, who would you dare give it to?"

Zhou Yan looked at her with amusement, turned around, and walked to the hall. She had long been used to this kind of life. Only by getting herself completely drunk and sober could she forget the pain.

Besides getting drunk and becoming confused, Zhou Yan didn't know what else to do.

Song Qingran asked, unwilling to give up, "Sister, what if all of this is just a misunderstanding, and Sister Axu's death has nothing to do with Senior Sister Jiang?"

Zhou Yan laughed, "Nothing to do with it? Where did this evidence come from?"

"Of all the evidence above, which one is wrong about the Jiang family?"

"Why was it that Ah-Xu's heart was a perfect match for Jiang Hua's? Why was it that Ah-Xu was the one who died?"

"All of this was nothing more than a scheme orchestrated by the Jiang family!"

What a coincidence, really... what a coincidence!

Even at its worst, the Jiang Group was still a powerful conglomerate that stood above ordinary people. It was a wealthy and influential family in the capital city, and the capital they controlled meant they could buy someone's life with a single word.

Ah-Xu is the best example.

Jiang Hua was among those involved in the car accident in the capital city. In addition to the accident, she needed a new heart to survive. What wouldn't Jiang Weiguo do for his only precious daughter?

He had been searching for a heart that could be compatible with Jiang Hua's, and coincidentally, the only person who could be a match was A Xu, who met all the criteria. That's why... the Jiang family orchestrated that car accident, causing her to die in it and not receive any medical treatment.

They could have saved her, but they turned a blind eye and watched her die.

Because only if she dies can that heart be transplanted to her beloved daughter.

Apart from Jiang Weiguo, no one knows what exactly happened back then.

"This evidence was obtained from Huo Tingshan. When has the Huo family ever made a mistake when investigating someone?"

"Look, even God is on our side, but..."

"It's useless! It's obsolete!"

"It's just a pile of useless blank paper."