Chapter 74: The Letter

But just as he was about to speak, Gu Zhuo fell silent again.

Because, in a certain sense, Xie Lin truly was afraid of death. Yet his fear was entirely because of her.

Xie Lin was never someone adept at expressing his feelings verbally, but when it came to writing letters, he was an entirely different person.

After their engagement, Xie Lin once wrote her a letter. In it, he said:

…It was clearly an opportunity I had long awaited, yet when the instructor asked me…

Cheng Muyou’s heart jolted. He strode toward the large pit, but before he reached the edge, a faint, eerie cry drifted up from below, half like a cat’s mewling, half like the wail of an infant.

That evening, Hui Yi was in unusually high spirits. Luo Yunnan could clearly sense the lightness in her step, and the smile on her face was brighter than usual, almost overflowing with joy.

This son of his was born to bring him trouble. Ever since he had him, his father had looked down on him and even driven the whole family out of the Gu household. He hadn’t intended to come today, but Du Mei had urged him, saying the old man was in good spirits and maybe he’d agree to let them move back in. Yet they were turned away at the front gate.

Ye Lingxi had already told Taohua that once her month of confinement was over, she’d have to leave. She’d done all she could for her; she didn’t feel she was being unreasonable.

Cang Qianche sensed something was wrong and hurried to intervene. But before he could, he saw Zhi Le already pouncing on Cang Tianzong from behind, twisting his arm back with all her might.

The pastoral scene did not make Master Feihong feel out of place; on the contrary, it seemed to put her at ease. Li Ye keenly noticed that, although her expression hadn’t changed much, there was now a subtle glow to her face, like a snowy mountain beginning to thaw under the radiant spring sun.

The provocative remark fell on Gu Yichen’s ears and made him uncomfortable. Did this person know he’d once been engaged before he met Xu Ning?

In the end, back then, Jin Ling had endured the execution of Sand with nothing but the flesh and blood of a mortal. The outcome was all too predictable.

That night, the candle in Mu Li’s room never dimmed. The man, tormented by longing, claimed her sweetness again and again, insatiable, while she accepted his every thrust with gentle obedience. Each time seemed to leave an indelible mark deep within her soul.

Xu Haisheng shook his head. At last, he was truly free. But Qing Mo’s ambitions would require a fortune. Even with his savings and the money Qing Mo gave him, he was still only halfway there. Building a research institute, not to mention running a welfare program, would cost a great deal.

Thus, their safety was assured, which was why the stand-in was willing to step forward.

In the conference room, all the staff—Wang Liqian, Zhuge Tong, Zhang Tao, Miao Xudong, and the rest—sat around the round table, their eyes fixed on Li Tianyi, who presided over the meeting.

She wasn’t stupid; of course she’d noticed. But seeing the dark, brooding gazes that Crescent and Pink Bud cast at her and the child, she feared a confrontation might put the child at risk, so she endured for now.

Everyone knew Mo Xiaosheng was only worried that fear might sap their will to move forward. At this point, all they could do was take things one step at a time.

But judging from Ouyang Hongxue’s current condition, she was in no state to exercise. It had only been two days since her surgery; a long journey would be disastrous for her healing. She might even tear her stitches during the trip, putting her life in danger once more.

Li Tianyi himself had no idea that a casual act of his today had, once again, nurtured another official wholly devoted to the people of Huaxia.

“Pfft! You really are something else.” Li Yunqi realized he’d run into a real treasure—someone who could craft high-quality command spells at that.

“But don’t forget, County Chief Wu hinted that we should find a way to give Li Tianyi some trouble. We can’t let his crackdown on pyramid schemes go too smoothly,” Huang Rujie said.

Tong Ling quietly tidied up after washing, slipped out without a sound, and only when the door closed did Gao Jun open his eyes.