Chapter 108: Burnt Heart
But their opinion had changed. They were ordinary survivors. If they wanted to survive, perhaps the best choice wasn’t to cling to an already powerful base.
Perhaps they should stay with a base that was still developing but had the potential to become powerful. Bo Wutan nodded. "I agree."
He squeezed Ginny’s hand. "Once we find out how to buy land here, I’ll buy a plot and build you a villa. We’ll live even better than we did before."
He smiled. "And we’ll show your parents that you didn’t make a mistake by marrying me."
Ginny’s eyes immediately watered. "Yes."
............
That night, Meng Xiaoni stood alone on the second-floor balcony of the villa, gazing at the star-filled sky.
His parents had already recovered after taking the healing potions. However, they hadn’t come to see Ni Mengxue.
Meng Xiaoni wasn’t surprised.
He knew that the original Ni Mengxue’s actions had left a deep wound between them. Even if they wanted to acknowledge her as their daughter-in-law, they would probably need time.
Ni Mengxue walked onto the balcony and stopped beside him. "Is everything settled now?"
Meng Xiaoni nodded. He turned toward her. His eyes were unusually deep beneath the faint moonlight. "Thank you. I’ll repay you."
Those words made Ni Mengxue’s heart tighten. She looked away and stared at the night sky.
After a moment, she asked softly, "Did you ever like Su Yao?"
Meng Xiaoni stared at her side profile. "Hmm."
He had. That was precisely why, when she didn’t do a fair investigation and sided with Mo Beichan, he felt like he couldn’t like anyone else.
Ni Mengxue stared at the sky before smiling faintly. "But she isn’t a good person."
Meng Xiaoni looked away and stared at the ground. "She isn’t. However, she was my first love."
Those words made Ni Mengxue grip the balcony railing tightly. Her heart felt as though someone had twisted a knife inside it.
Meng Xiaoni continued quietly, "I loved her to the point that even when I lost everything, I believed she would stand by my side. To me, she was the most impartial and kind person in the world."
Ni Mengxue smiled faintly and let him continue.
"Even now, I hate her precisely because I once loved her so fiercely."
Ni Mengxue took a deep breath. "Okay. I understand."
Meng Xiaoni turned toward her.
"If you think I’ll ever develop feelings for you, then forget about it. I might not be able to. It’s simply beyond my capabilities."
He had been hurt too deeply. After everything that had happened, he truly couldn’t bring himself to trust or love anyone again.
Ni Mengxue stared at the sky. For some reason, the stars tonight seemed particularly dull.
"You should leave," Meng Xiaoni said. "I’ll stay in this base."
Ni Mengxue tightened her grip on the railing.
"No. Leave with me. You’ll suffer if you stay here. The people in this base don’t have a good opinion of you."
Meng Xiaoni kept his gaze lowered. "I’m not helpless."
He paused.
"Earlier, my family was in their hands, so I had to hold back from retaliating. Now that my family is with me, I can retaliate against them without any concerns."
He looked at her. "I only have one request. Please don’t force me to develop feelings for you."
Ni Mengxue nodded. "I understand."
"As for Su Yao, I need to deal with her myself. I need to do it for my own peace of mind."
Ni Mengxue gulped softly before asking, "If you stay behind, do you think you’ll develop feelings for her again?"
Meng Xiaoni stared at the ground for a long time. "I don’t know."
His voice was soft. But to Ni Mengxue, those three words exploded inside her ears.
"All right," she said quietly. "Then you should leave. I understand."
Meng Xiaoni walked away. His steps remained calm and steady.
Ni Mengxue took a deep breath and lowered her gaze. A raindrop landed on her finger.
Her grip on the railing finally loosened. Another drop landed on her cheek.
She wiped it away and murmured, "Strange. Even under such a beautiful, starry sky, how did rain clouds appear?"
A short distance away, Lu Yucai stood silently with his fists clenched.
He would be lying if he said he hadn’t been following Ni Mengxue like a shadow lately.
Although Ni Mengxue believed he was busy with his own work, the reality was that Lu Yucai followed her almost everywhere.
Naturally, he had heard the entire conversation. After Meng Xiaoni left, Lu Yucai walked toward her.
When he noticed the tear on her cheek, his heart tightened. He slowly stopped beside her.
"Forget about him. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but you don’t need to make yourself suffer, you know?"
Ni Mengxue smiled faintly. "No. I need to suffer."
She lowered her gaze. ’In my previous life, I failed to protect all four of them. Perhaps I was destined to suffer in this life.’
She had understood long ago that people couldn’t have everything they wanted.
However, understanding that principle and accepting it were two completely different things.
Lu Yucai’s heart ached. He stepped closer and hugged her from behind.
"We should leave. Let’s not wait for him, okay?"
Ni Mengxue didn’t answer. Lu Yucai tightened his arms around her.
"Please. I don’t want to stay here anymore. I keep feeling as though something bad is about to happen."
Ni Mengxue closed her eyes. "I understand."
The moment Lu Yucai sensed that she was distancing herself from him, his arms slowly loosened. He stepped back.
Ni Mengxue wanted to open her eyes. She wanted to say something to him. But she couldn’t.
Even though she had numbed her emotions to a certain extent, accepting what had happened was still difficult.
Lu Yucai eventually walked away. That night, Ni Mengxue remained alone on the balcony for a long time.
..........
"You are a murderer."
Lu Yucai opened his eyes. He was standing in a mesmerising vast green landscape. Strange vines covered the ground, twisting around a struggling figure.
Lu Yucai blinked. His expression changed when he finally recognised the person.
"Aunt Ruo..."