Sheng Yize looked like he had heard the funniest thing in the world.

 How brazen.

 “Thank you, Miss Lan, for improving the mutual affection between me and my wife,” he said in an impassive voice.

 A malicious look flickered in Lan Yu’s eyes. “Did I do anything wrong? Didn’t your mother die because of her mother? Don’t you think you betrayed your mother by marrying her?”

 She sounded so vehement that Sheng Yize couldn’t help but speculate.

 “I don’t think I’m important enough for Miss Lan to defend me against some injustice. So, here’s what I want to know: how did Miss Lan know about that accident? Am I right in guessing that Miss Lan yourself or your family member was in that accident as well?”

 The pile-up ended up leaving quite a few dead bodies behind. Unfortunately, some force had managed to suppress the news and all investigations hit a deadend.

 Lan Yu clenched her coffee cup, stared into Sheng Yize’s eyes, then smiled grimly.

 “Meng Xingzhou was right. You’re indeed very smart.”

 Sheng Yize said, “You flatter me.”

 “Do you know what it means for me to come here in this capacity today?” Lan Yu smiled prettily. “Back then, my father would never have ended up in debt if your father hadn’t tricked him into signing some contract, and he would never have died in a messy traffic accident while running away from his enemies!”

 Sheng Yize replied with silence.

 He had been too young back then to know that much.

 But fate was funny like that. That accident had somehow dragged all their families into the same tangle.

 “Do you know what happened to that mistress of your father’s? My father’s men cut her open while she was still alive and the baby was still twitching when they took it out…” Lan Yu’s smile was pretty and coquettish, but there were tears in her eyes. “What good could that do? My father… wasn’t coming back.”

 Sheng Yize handed her a handkerchief politely, which Lan Yu took. Seeing his emotionless face, she chuckled. “Do you not hate me?”

 “Judging from your age, I don’t think you were even ten back then, just like me. You didn’t do any of those things, so why should I hate you?” Sheng Yize crossed his long legs casually. “You’ve told me a lot of things, but I only want to know: why on earth are you here?”

 Lan Yu dabbed at the corners of her eyes, somehow looking lonely. “I just thought that it was so unfair… Why can you all live so happily when I can never escape that hatred…”

 Sheng Yize shook his head in resignation. He could tell that Lan Yu didn’t mean too much harm. It was just that… she was trapped in a strange cycle.

 “What you need is redemption. It may sound like rubbish… but, it’s time you pursued your own happiness now. Rather than live in the hatred of the past, you should move on now.”

 “Aren’t you afraid that I’ll do something to your father?” Lan Yu stared at him in surprise.

 “I know perfectly well that my father’s mistress is alive and gave birth to a child.” Sheng Yize smiled. “There’s no need to lie to me. I’m capable of thinking straight.”

 He had always been level-headed as long as it wasn’t about An Xiaxia.

 Lan Yu smiled bitterly. She didn’t expect him to have known all that already…

Compared with Sheng Yize… she seemed to live in so much pain.

 Their phones rang almost simultaneously. The looks on their faces both changed when they answered their respective calls.

 Sheng Yize spoke first. “Uncle has been affected by the epidemic…”

 Lan Yu looked pale. It was clear that she had been given the same piece of news.