Chapter 146 Abandoning Everything

A sinister and enchanting smile touched his lips as a fine drizzle sprinkled over his tousled hair. The university campus was likely almost deserted by now. Suddenly, a flicker of a different kind of interest sparked within him. This interest arrived like today's rain—untimed, abrupt, a flash of beautiful lightning.

A man's affection boiled down to little more than a desire for possession, conquest, and exploration... These were the very core of any relationship.

Fang Wenjin and Fu Yanyan, he knew them both.

Zhong Huayan sat inside the car, watching the bustling crowd around her. Most eyes in the crowd were drawn to this luxury car with a string of identical license plate numbers. Although Capital University was attended mostly by the children of the wealthy, that did not mean anyone there could afford a car with such plates.

Her gaze shifted to the driver.

"Why are you driving this car today? It's too conspicuous."

This was undoubtedly a way of showing the affluent second-generation heirs with some social standing on campus that she belonged to him.

"This was President Fu's order. It is not our place as drivers to second-guess."

"Today, I am going back to my rental apartment."

The driver paused slightly for a moment before turning the steering wheel.

Zhong Huayan continued, "If your boss asks, just say my brother and I went sightseeing at Mount Yuya."

"Understood."

Stepping out of the car, Zhong Huayan hurried back to her rental apartment. From a locked drawer, she retrieved a brain CT scan. She had secretly gone to another hospital to have it done during her previous trip to Changchun, ensuring it was one hundred percent authentic and unaltered.

Just moments ago, someone had sent her a direct message on her antique appraisal account.

It must be Xu Chuyin. Right now, he was waiting for her at cable car number 240 on Mount Yuya. This location could bypass surveillance while confusing anyone trying to follow them. With so many tourists out today, it should be easy to slip away unnoticed.

"Third Brother, shall we go play at Mount Yuya?"

Her third brother, Jun Feng, was busy eating snacks, wearing headphones, and playing a computer game while occasionally letting out a stream of curses. A moment later, he got so angry he nearly smashed his keyboard. Hearing his younger sister's voice, however, his face instantly blossomed into a smile as he retrieved a limited-edition tablet computer from the cabinet.

"Yes, of course! Little sister, this is an exclusive signed e-sports tablet I specially asked God Wei to get for you. It's yours."

"Thank you, Third Brother."

At first, Zhong Huayan had felt awkward calling a group of strangers her brothers, but as time went on, the titles rolled off her tongue quite naturally. Holding the pink tablet, she still didn't quite understand the high-level figures in the e-sports world.

After tidying up briefly, the two of them set off for Mount Yuya.

It was hard to describe the misty rain and the sheer number of tourists who still came to view the sea of clouds. Mount Yuya was the highest temple mountain in the capital. Visitors only needed to take a cable car to witness the clouds and mist swirling around the summit, and catch distant glimpses of temple lanterns flickering through the haze.

"Little sister, Mount Yuya is best viewed on rainy days because the clouds and mist are thickest then."

Zhong Huayan nodded repeatedly. The thicker the clouds, the harder it would be for anyone outside to see what was happening inside the cable car.

Nice!

"Third Brother, there isn't enough room, so we'll have to ride separate cable cars. I'll take car number 240, and you can take the very next one right after me."

"Alright then."

Her third brother lovingly patted her head. "Little sister, President Fu has been sending gifts to the house frequently lately, dropping them all off with Mom. Those things are far too expensive, so we ended up returning them to him. Buying our little sister isn't something money can do."

"Hahaha, whatever you say. Keep them if you want, don't stand on ceremony with him."

Chatting and laughing, they arrived at the cable car waiting room. At this point, they were roughly a thousand meters above the ground. The cable cars swayed slowly back and forth along several iron cables, eventually halting at the temple halls at the highest peak of Mount Yuya.

Holding her ticket, Zhong Huayan walked up to cable car number 240 first.

The cable car only seated two people.

The moment the door opened, her eyes immediately caught sight of a young man sitting in the very corner, wearing a black duckbill cap. The instant he raised his eyes to look at the crowd, his pure, delicate face quivered slightly.

His skin was exceptionally fair, giving him an ethereal, jade-like presence no matter where he sat, especially when he smiled at her. Dressed in a clean, casual white sportswear outfit, he looked very fresh and everyday. Yet, his extraordinary temperament, handsome features, and height made him look as though he belonged to an entirely different picture compared to everyone around him.

He only lifted his gaze for a fleeting second.

Then he immediately lowered his brow and eyes.

Melting back into the surging crowd.

Zhong Huayan stepped into the cable car. Deep down, she still felt quite confident regarding the young man, Xu Chuyin. Otherwise, she would have died several times over by now.

Once the cable car doors closed, they ascended into the clouds. Clouds and mist billowed all around them, and raindrops gently tapped against the glass windows with a crisp, chiming sound.

"Yanyan, long time no see. Has Fu Yanyan been giving you a hard time?"

There were still healing scars on Xu Chuyin's jaw, left behind by Fu Yanyan's blade from their last encounter—deep cuts that carved right down to the bone. Though not fatal, they were far worse than death, etching themselves indelibly into his flesh and memory.

"He treats me very well."

"That's good."

"This is the brain CT I secretly got at a small hospital when I went to Changchun."

She pulled a CT scan from her shoulder bag and handed it to the young man opposite her.

"Understood. In ten days at the latest, as soon as I have a definitive result, I'll send you our location. No matter how late it is, I'll wait for you."

"Right now, the Fu family's influence permeates every corner of the capital. If you can't find me, leave immediately. You're in the country now; if anything goes wrong, you'll spend the rest of your life in prison. Xu Yaochuan deserves a thousand deaths, but you're different."

With his back to the temple, Xu Chuyin wore a bitter, calm, and refined smile.

"Yanyan, I deserve a thousand deaths too. I've bullied many people, foolish in my youth and wrong over and over again. When I returned to the country this time, I never intended to go back abroad. Once I finish what I have to do and help you with this one last favor, it will be time for me to go cleanse my sins.

The person I can't let go of is still you. Your voice, your smile, your demeanor are deeply engraved in my heart. If one day I turn myself in, please come to see me. I love listening to you sing and dance.

It's just that this love came with too much hindsight. I love you. Therefore, I must stand tall and clean as a true man, rather than running away in cowardice like a criminal!"

Xu Chuyin turned his head to look at the temple glowing with Buddha's light amidst the mist.

He gazed at the little mermaid of his youth... and then said softly,

"This temple was built by Fu Yanyan back then to pray for blessings for the woman he loved. It is called the Temple of Silence. It signifies silent hope and silent love. That woman looked a great deal like you. I only ask that he keeps you safe and sound for the rest of your life. I will use my life to pray for your blessings, Yanyan. In this lifetime, you must never be like me. Don't fall in love with anyone. You are a woman; you should be a little more selfish. To live a peaceful, happy, and well-proportioned life is enough."

Zhong Huayan could not understand why moisture welled up in her eyes.

She didn't know whether the young man before her was truly in love with Li Yanyan or with her, Zhong Huayan.

However, that no longer mattered.

The reckless, wild love of youth was the most soothing to the human heart, yet also the most searing and passionate.

For love, Xu Chuyin had given up the rest of his life and cast aside wealth and glory; he only wanted to love her with upright dignity, even if it was a love with no happy ending.

Xu Chuyin and Xu Yaochuan had cashed out and taken out loans amounting to hundreds of billions. If they truly faced justice, she couldn't even be certain whether they would get life imprisonment or the death penalty. The two brothers had committed countless evils in the past, engaging in corporate fraud... In front of the Buddha, they deserved to die.

Yet at this moment, Xu Chuyin wasn't foolish. In the most passionate years of his youth, he had fallen in love with someone he shouldn't have, pressing forward with indomitable courage and without a shred of fear.