Saving the male protagonist in the dungeon only resulted in him becoming cannon fodder.

Bai Mengmeng then asked, "So, why do you think Li Wei stayed?" Luffy speculated, "Perhaps he deliberately faked an accident and forged another identity to stay. After all, the news about the Li family caused a great sensation in the local area at the time, and if he didn't do that, it would be difficult to hide his whereabouts."

After leaving her room, Bai Mengmeng didn't go home but instead went to Lu Ze's house. When Lu Ze saw Bai Mengmeng suddenly appear at his door, he seemed quite surprised: "Why are you here?" However, Bai Mengmeng didn't linger at the door but went straight into Lu Ze's bedroom.

Upon entering the bedroom, Bai Mengmeng asked, "Do you remember Li Lin?" Lu Ze thought for a moment and asked doubtfully, "Is he the one from when we were little?" After receiving an affirmative answer, Bai Mengmeng continued, "Butler Li is Li Lin's father." Hearing this, Lu Ze was extremely shocked. He had originally thought that the message was just a simple reminder, but he hadn't expected there to be such a connection.

Lu Ze was silent for a while, then asked Bai Mengmeng, "So what do you think this has to do with us?" Bai Mengmeng shook her head, indicating that she didn't know whether it had anything to do with them. It felt like two completely unrelated things that couldn't be pieced together at all.

After their conversation, Bai Mengmeng glanced at the time and realized it was quite late, so she got up to leave. Lu Ze wanted to stop her, but ultimately remained silent. After Bai Mengmeng left, Lu Ze tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. The thought of kidnapping Bai Mengmeng when they were children filled him with guilt, an emotion that kept him awake all night until dawn.

The next morning, Lu Ze got up early and went to the company. It was a project he was working on with Liu Ting, and it was nearing completion. Li Yan had been following Liu Ting almost everywhere lately, staying close by wherever she went.

Lu Ze glanced at Li Yan sitting next to him, his eyes unconsciously darting towards him, his mind replaying the question Bai Mengmeng had asked him last night. After a moment's hesitation, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Do you remember Li Lin?"

Upon hearing the name, a fleeting hint of panic flashed in Li Yan's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. He looked at Lu Ze with feigned confusion: "Why are you suddenly asking about this person?"

Lu Ze explained, "Because Butler Li is Li Lin's father."

Li Yan listened to Lu Ze's words with a face full of astonishment, completely unable to believe it. "You mean, Li Wei from back then didn't die, but became the current Butler Li?"

Lu Ze nodded in agreement.

Li Yan frowned, his heart filled with shock and confusion. He had assumed Li Wei was dead, and had therefore acted without restraint all these years. However, now that he knew he was still alive, he couldn't help but feel a chill of fear.

At this moment, Lu Ze noticed that Li Yan's expression was a little strange, as if he was absent-minded, so he asked with concern, "Is something on your mind?"

Li Yan snapped out of his daze and quickly covered it up, saying, "Oh... I just haven't heard that name in so long that I'm a little confused. Besides, I remembered the time he threw me into the water."

Seeing this, Lu Ze stopped asking questions and simply comforted him, "Alright, don't think about it so much, it's all in the past."

Li Yan nodded stiffly, forcing a smile onto his face.

Soon, Liu Ting finished her meeting. Li Yan drove her home and then headed up the mountain. Meanwhile, Li Yuan, having received the news, immediately started his car and followed.

As expected, Li Yan went to the place where Li Lin was imprisoned, and Li Yuan was waiting at the door. After a while, Li Yan came out from underground, but he saw someone sitting at the table in the distance.

Li Yan could only muster his courage to go and check, but he thought of many people, but he never guessed it was Li Yuan.

Li Yuan noticed footsteps and turned to look at Li Yan. Li Yan froze, "Brother, it's you?" Li Yuan remained silent, simply gesturing for him to sit down. Li Yan hadn't expected it to be his brother. Li Yuan watched him sit down, "What are you planning to do with him?" Li Yan stopped lying, "I just want revenge."

Li Yuan stared in disbelief at his mentally challenged younger brother, his voice trembling as he asked, "Did you do his disappearance back then?"

Li Yan nodded heavily, his eyes filled with guilt and pain.

Li Yuan's eyes widened, and he angrily questioned, "When did you become so cruel? How come I never noticed!"

Li Yan lowered his head, unsure how to answer.

Li Yuan took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and then asked, "Then why did you do this? We're brothers!"

Li Yan looked up, tears welling in her eyes, and choked out, "Brother, why didn't you ask me how I knew about this place? Li Lin saw that I hadn't drowned but had been rescued, so he deliberately tried to bring me here. I went home every time, but he wouldn't give up and kept trying to lure me into these mountains. It was a cold winter, and if I hadn't gotten out of the mountains before dark, I would have frozen to death. It's just that fate saved me from certain death and allowed me to discover this place by chance, which is how I survived. Otherwise, I would have been the one who died!"

As he spoke, Li Yan grew increasingly agitated, his body trembling slightly.

Li Yuan listened quietly, his heart filled with shock and grief. He had never imagined that his younger brother had endured so much suffering and torment.

After a moment of silence, Li Yuan asked softly, "So, what are your plans now?"

Li Yan wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and said firmly, "Now that Li Wei has shown up, it seems it's time to find an opportunity for them to meet."

Li Yan was nearing madness. Li Yuan never expected Li Yan to become like this; he never imagined things would escalate to this point. He realized he had to stop Li Yan from doing anything foolish. Although he had learned the truth during Li Yan's illness, hearing Li Yan say these words with his own ears was a completely different experience.

At that moment, Li Yan had only one thought in his mind—Liu Ting. However, he knew that the crimes he had committed were irreversible, and he didn't want to drag Liu Ting down with him. He felt that he had ruined everything and could no longer give Liu Ting happiness.

Li Yuan wasn't surprised by Li Yan's words. He gently patted Li Yan's shoulder and comforted him, "You don't need to blame yourself too much. As long as you're willing to be with Liu Ting, we can solve other problems together." Li Yuan understood that Li Yan needed time to recover, and they needed to face reality together and find a solution.