Chapter 77 - 074 Devout Believers
The girl sat with proper posture, her back as straight as a swan’s, her every move graceful and noble as if it were intrinsic, etched deep into her blood. It seemed as though no person, no force, could ever make her lose her composure.
Sitting quietly there, her radiant presence already stole the spotlight.
Yun Shu had been known as a great beauty for miles around since her youth, and in college, she was even named the campus belle. Both in looks and temperament, she was always exceptional, and even she had to admit that Ji Lanyi had truly given birth to a very outstanding daughter.
Mu Qingci was gentle and intelligent, Ji Lanyi proud and dazzling, and Ji Yunya inherited all of their merits but was clearly distinct from both. Beneath that warmth that seemed to embrace everything, lay a dangerous and piercing cold. In those clear and glowing eyes, there was always a shifting fog that was hard to see through, instinctively triggering a sense of trepidation.
An artwork so perfect, she had wanted to witness such a creation first-hand, surely it would bring a great sense of achievement. Alas, she carried the blood of Mu Qingci in her bones.
Sighing once more in her heart, she looked at Ji Yunya, stripping away all emotion from her gaze.
"Crying ’stop thief’ to cover one’s own thievery, I finally deeply understand what that means. Grandma, dad truly is your biological son. That acting could easily win an Oscar," Yun Ya said with a sweet smile, carrying no trace of sarcasm, yet inexplicably it made one feel a sense of shame.
Yun Shu smiled, "Oh? Should I take that as a compliment?"
"It’s best if grandma thinks that way, because being able to delude oneself is also a skill," Yun Ya said, her gaze falling on the screen, her eyes clear and gentle, "Heaven is watching what we do, and it won’t let any sinner go unpunished. It’s not that they won’t be reported, it’s just not the time yet."
The girl’s soft voice carried a resolute and judging force, causing Yun Shu’s heart to skip a beat, and then she narrowed her eyes slightly, a glint of coldness passing as she looked at Yun Ya.
With only a few words, a poignant love story was outlined, yet under the shackles of morality, such love was not recognized by society, and was even scorned and reviled. Instead, it was Yun Shen who emerged as the victim.
Even though his relationship with Kang Jinse was ambiguous, the outside world sided more with him. Nowadays, the world may be more tolerant towards women, but gender equality is nothing but a hollow joke.
Bai Ran would opportunistically say a few words, coloring the narrative of how she and Yun Shen met and fell in love. Thus, they completely positioned themselves on a moral high ground—even if he married into a wife’s family, even if he embezzled the Ji Family’s wealth, even if he neglected his own children, it seemed all that found a way to be justified.
He’s the most innocent, he’s the most helpless, he had no other choice...
Yun Ya turned off the television and got up to leave under Yun Shu’s watchful gaze, step by step heading upstairs. That slender and fragile figure, yet step by step, walked steadfastly and securely.
Yun Shu sneered coldly; she had no patience left to continue playing this game.
—
"Yun Shen you damn bastard, Qin Zhuan is going to fight it out with you," Qin Zhuan roared as he threw the remote control aside and stood up, ready to fight with someone.
Qin Du blocked him, his handsome face as cold as ice, "Dad, please calm down."
Qin Zhuan hammered his head with his fist, then knelt on the floor with a shout, his eyes welling up with tears—a man of tall stature not immune to emotion.
"Lanyi, I wronged you, I never should have stayed in the Ji Family, it’s my fault, all my fault..."
Qin Zhuan was normally reserved, but at that moment, he yelled like a man gone mad.
The person he had devoted himself to protecting was so pure and proud, the most beautiful being in his heart, yet she had been trampled to this extent. Lanyi, so full of pride, how could she endure being slandered by the man she deeply loved?
Yes, slander.
Lanyi loved Yun Shen so much that she lost all reason, like a vehement fire burning herself up for love. In her eyes, there was room for no one else but Yun Shen.
So to Lanyi, his existence was a stumbling block in the way of her love, and she once said this,
"The moment I saw Yun Shen, I knew he was the sole meaning of my life."
She loved him to the point of losing her dignity, which was as precious to her as life, and so meek she fell into the dust. Thus, when betrayal came, it was a weight her life could not bear, and she chose to leave decisively.
Love was her entire faith, and she was Yun Shen’s most devoted believer. Even if the sky fell and the earth shattered, she would never betray her faith.
So, Yun Shen, how could you treat a woman who loved you so much this way? Do you not feel guilty or ashamed when you dream at midnight?
What exactly happened that night four years ago, only heaven, earth, you and I know, and I, Qin Zhuan, have a clear conscience.
Qin Zhuan had never before felt such an intense urge to kill, to the point where he was willing to perish together with Yun Shen.
"Dad," Qin Du intervened timely, "please don’t do anything foolish. Think of Sister Yun Ya and Yun Miao." Of course, there was also himself, a thought he kept inside.
Indeed, as soon as Yun Ya and Yun Miao were mentioned, Qin Zhuan’s thoughts began to recollect.
"Lanyi, rest assured, I will take care of Yun Ya and Yun Miao in your place. If you can see this from somewhere in the world, please don’t be too sad. Such a man is not worth it."
Then, his eyes flashed with hatred, his hands clenched into fists: "Yun Shen, I, Qin Zhuan, will destroy everything you hold dear with all my might—power, wealth, reputation, women... I will make sure you are utterly disgraced and left with nothing..."
Even so, the hate in his chest refused to subside.
Qin Du silently lowered his eyelids, his father truly loved Sister Yun Ya’s mother deep in his heart.
What is love, exactly?
For the first time, Qin Du began to seriously contemplate this question.