Chapter 220: Past Events
Zhao Dong remained silent, and Gu Moning turned to look at Li Xiaoran beside her.
Seeing that something was off with Li Xiaoran's expression, she asked in confusion, "Xiaoran, what's wrong?"
Li Xiaoran bit her lip and looked down, seemingly too ashamed to meet Gu Moning's gaze. She remained silent.
Gu Moning grew even more puzzled, her face a mask of utter confusion. She rubbed her slightly aching forehead and asked, "What exactly happened just now? Why does my head hurt a little? Xiaoran, why aren't you talking?"
Li Xiaoran lifted her head to look at Gu Moning, her beautiful face now etched with a complex mix of emotions.
From the side, Zhao Dong finally spoke up. "If you have any questions, just ask your dear best friend. She knows everything."
Gu Moning froze, then turned to Li Xiaoran. "Xiaoran, you..."
Before she could finish, Li Xiaoran bit her lip and said in a strained voice, "Moning, I've wronged you. The feng shui problem with the Gu family… it was my doing. I secretly sabotaged the feng shui of your family's ancestral home. I was the one who wanted to harm the Gu family."
Gu Moning's mind reeled, and she trembled as she spoke. "Xiaoran, what... what are you talking about? You're my best friend. Don't joke with me like this."
Li Xiaoran let out a sudden, piercing laugh, one full of sarcasm and icy coldness. "That's right! Such a good best friend! Gu Moning, enough! I am so sick of your disgusting, hypocritical act!"
Gu Moning simply stared, her mouth agape, looking at Li Xiaoran in disbelief.
Li Xiaoran wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, her tone dripping with ridicule. "And you can drop the innocent act. I don't know if you ever truly saw me as your best friend, but in my eyes, our friendship ended long ago. I hate you! I hate your entire Gu family!"
Nearby, Zhao Dong frowned, silently taking out a cigarette and lighting it as he watched the two women.
Gu Moning slowly rose to her feet, her face pale as she looked at Li Xiaoran, her eyes wide with disbelief. Trembling, she finally managed to speak. "Xiaoran, all these years... I poured my heart out to you and treated you as my best friend. I can't think of a single thing I did to wrong you. Why...?"
"Gu Moning, that's enough!" Li Xiaoran's tears suddenly streamed down her face as she spoke with seething hatred. "Do you know what I hate most about you? It's this phony act of yours! Does your family have no idea what they did back then? I hate you. I hate the Gu family. My only goal is to see your family ruined and destroyed!"
A wave of dizziness washed over Gu Moning, and she collapsed weakly onto a nearby sofa. "Xiaoran... if you're truly hurting, please tell me... Why? Why do you hate me so much?"
Wiping away her tears, Li Xiaoran finally spoke. "Gu Moning, do you remember how my parents died?"
Gu Moning's voice quivered. "I remember... they were in a car accident. A fatal one, but..."
"No buts! It was your Gu family who caused it!"
Struck as if by a bolt from the blue, Gu Moning was incredulous. "What are you talking about? My family caused it? How is that possible? Wasn't it an accident on the road?"
Li Xiaoran's voice was laced with deep hatred, her eyes burning with venom. "Yes! But it was an accident your family caused! If it weren't for your father, none of it would have ever happened!"
As she spoke, tears welled in Li Xiaoran's eyes as she recalled the past.
It turned out that five years ago, the Gu family had already become prosperous. Because Li Xiaoran's parents and Gu Moning's parents were on good terms, the two families had a decent relationship. Seeing that Li Xiaoran's parents were honest, upright farmers, Gu Qihui asked Li Xiaoran's father, Li Guodong, to be the Gu family's driver.
Li Guodong's family had been living a content life in their village. However, Li Guodong was an honest man, and Gu Qihui, wanting someone he could trust, pleaded with him several times. In the end, Li Guodong moved his entire family over. While the two families had been equals back in the village, the Li family became dependent on the Gu family once they were living under their roof. As the Gu family's fortune grew, they gradually began to treat Li Guodong like a servant.
One stormy night, the Gu family was having a gathering. Li Guodong had confirmed with Gu Qihui in advance that the car wouldn't be needed, so the diligent man allowed himself a little to drink that evening. Just as the Li family was enjoying a cheerful moment together, Gu Qihui called, demanding that Li Guodong go to the next city to pick up a document.
With the rain pouring down and having already been drinking, Li Guodong was in no condition to drive, so he tried to refuse. On the other end of the line, Gu Qihui, who had also been drinking heavily, impulsively lost his temper. He berated Li Guodong, calling him a servant and insisting that he find a way to get the document that night, no matter what. Yet, the document could have easily been picked up the next day.
The honest Li Guodong felt he had no choice. After discussing it with Li Xiaoran's mother, they decided she would drive while he accompanied her in the passenger seat. And so, the poor couple left their young daughter at home and drove into the stormy night toward the neighboring city.
That night on the road, with Li Xiaoran's mother being an inexperienced driver and their visibility obstructed by the torrential rain, they got into an accident. The unfortunate couple departed this world on that rainy night, leaving Li Xiaoran all alone.
The next day, when Gu Qihui heard the news and recalled his drunken words from the night before, he was filled with overwhelming remorse. Out of guilt, they offered to raise Li Xiaoran.
But Li Xiaoran, already in her teens, understood the situation perfectly. She had been standing right there when her father was on the phone. She knew the Gu family was responsible for her parents' deaths, so how could she possibly accept their charity?
And so, she dropped out of middle school and returned alone to her old home in the village. Years passed. She bottled everything up inside, never mentioning it to anyone, her thoughts consumed daily by revenge. Eventually, her opportunity came. The man in black was a master Li Xiaoran had encountered by chance. He taught her martial arts and some Taoist feng shui techniques. And so, Li Xiaoran studied day and night, learning the art of feng shui, intent on bringing ruin to the Gu family...
But then, she met Zhao Dong...
As a gust of wind blew past the villa, Li Xiaoran, tears streaming down her face, finally recounted this buried past.
Gu Moning fell silent, staring blankly at Li Xiaoran, her own eyes filling with tears. Her parents had never told her about this... She'd never known!
Zhao Dong sighed heavily. He had harbored resentment toward Li Xiaoran, but now, he felt a pang of pity for her. A girl who lost her parents in her teens, forced to survive a hard life all by herself... He could easily imagine how painful her years had been, enduring not only the grief of losing her parents but also the loneliness, the injustice, and above all, the hate.
With a soft sigh, Zhao Dong looked at the tear-stricken Li Xiaoran and gently passed her a tissue.
Li Xiaoran's tear-filled eyes met Zhao Dong's. In that instant, the tears she had been desperately holding back burst forth, and she broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. That simple gesture was enough to make her break down completely.
In all the years since her parents had died, no one had ever shown her such kindness.
Beside them, Gu Moning had also dissolved into tears. "Xiaoran... I'm so sorry... I'm so, so sorry..." she sobbed. "I really had no idea... I thought your parents... I thought they..."
Unable to continue, Gu Moning could no longer restrain herself and pulled Li Xiaoran into a tight, anguished hug. Li Xiaoran tried to push her away, but Gu Moning held on with surprising strength. Gradually, Li Xiaoran stopped resisting and simply wept in her arms.
Zhao Dong remained silent. Perhaps letting them cry it out is the best way for them to release everything.
After what felt like a long time, their tears finally ran dry. Li Xiaoran stepped out of Gu Moning's embrace and stood to the side, her red-rimmed eyes holding a complex expression as she looked at her.
Gu Moning's face was a portrait of pain, tears still glistening in her eyes. "Xiaoran... you've suffered so much all these years. I truly never knew how much you had been wronged... It's our Gu family that has failed you. We are the ones who sinned! My father was at fault. If you must have revenge, then take my life! I will atone for what happened to your parents!"
As she spoke, Gu Moning gestured to her own chest and picked up a nearby fruit knife, handing it to Li Xiaoran. With tears streaming down her face, she said, "Xiaoran, I know your heart is full of hatred. I hope my death can help ease it! My parents were certainly at fault, but they... if they had known there would be a mudslide that night, they never would have made them go. Since things have come to this, let me be the one to pay with my life."
Li Xiaoran looked at Gu Moning, then took the knife and thrust it toward her chest