Chapter 75: Purity of the Six Senses

Xu Shun was Xu Yaochuan’s biological father.

He had always been a man who, content in his security, remained ever alert to danger, aiding and abetting the wicked without the slightest awareness of his own guilt. The downfall of the Xu family was in large part due to flaws in their upbringing. This failure in education stemmed not only from Xu Chang’s own example, but even more so from Xu Shun’s habitual philandering. He had allowed his mistress to enter the household, paying little heed to his children’s development. Yet, when disaster struck, he shifted all the blame onto others.

“Fu Yanyan, wait a moment. I need to reply to Li Yanyan’s brothers.”

“Sister, ever since Xu Yuan was taken away, you haven’t returned to the apartment. Your brothers are worried about your safety. Please reply as soon as you see this.”

For a moment, she felt that being remembered by family was not such a bad thing after all.

She gazed at the flood of messages on her phone, message after message. In fact, the Li brothers had already reported her missing.

Only after sending a voice message assuring them of her safety did she finally turn off her phone. As soon as she did, she noticed Fu Yanyan glancing repeatedly at her wrist, though he quickly withdrew his gaze.

“What is it?” she asked.

“They didn’t hurt you?”

“No, they didn’t.”

“Then today, I’ll let them go, on the condition that they never set foot in this country again.”

His words rang with finality, his manner always firm and unyielding. He disliked owing favors and was even less inclined to wipe out his enemies completely. If others gave a little, he would yield in kind; if they showed no mercy, neither would he.

Zhong Huayan had always understood his nature.

It was a pity that such a loyal and passionate man would ultimately be undone by a moment’s impulsive love, making choices from which there could be no return.

Sometimes, she wondered which was better: great love for all, or deep personal attachment. If a man’s heart was wholly occupied by another, detached from all worldly cares, what talk could there be of selfless love?

Fu Yanyan was a man of personal attachments; she herself leaned more toward universal compassion.

Romantic entanglements, however tempting, could also tear a person apart. The wise, she thought, ought not to be swept away by love.

She had placed all her remaining trust and reliance in him.

No one else received even a fraction.

Only those who have tasted betrayal know that trust is more precious than love.

“Alright then. Do you really think Xu Yaochuan and the others will never come back?”

“Ah Hua, they have nothing tying them to this country. Coming back would only be dangerous; once the arrow is loosed, there’s no turning back. Businessmen, above all, know how to weigh profit and loss.”

Nothing tying them down…

Zhong Huayan suddenly had the sense that Xu Chu Yin would certainly return.

After all, in a game of hide-and-seek, if the hider is never found, he cannot remain hidden forever. Sooner or later, he must come home, and only then would she truly lose.

“Come, take me to see Xu Shun and Xu Chang.”

Fu Yanyan was about to speak when his secretary hurried in from outside, handing him a phone.

On the line was the rarely stern voice of the old master of the Fu family. After a few coughs, he spoke slowly, “Yanyan, when I brought you back to the family all those years ago, I reminded you that one must always leave room for others. There are only a handful of old families in the capital, each holding its own. Only by supporting one another can we endure. But your methods have made the Fu family overwhelmingly dominant, which upsets the balance. Life cannot always be fair weather; storms will come. When that happens, how will you face them alone? You will need allies.”

Fu Yanyan lit a cigarette.

He was not fond of smoking, nor did he care for MSG in his food, living with extreme discipline. He only smoked when his thoughts grew heavy.

“Uncle, there are some things that cannot be undone.”

“You started this. You’re always so capable—so how is it that you can’t fix this mess?”

“As for the Xu brothers, I will no longer pursue them. But the Xu family…”

“You’re crazy! Yanyan, I’ve known old Xu Chang for over a decade—do you mean to make me your enemy too? You’re just like your father: stubborn as an ox. For the sake of the daughter of the man who killed your father—no, for a mere stand-in—you would give your all, move mountains for her without hesitation! Have you forgotten your mother’s dying words?”

Because the old master’s voice was raised, Zhong Huayan could make out most of it.

Her heart was troubled; truly, there was much she did not understand.

Perhaps it was better not to understand.

She disliked overthinking, for it only brought pain. The longer one lived, the more one cherished seizing happiness in the moment rather than brooding over the past.

“Uncle, I haven’t forgotten my mother’s words. But you don’t need to bring up these matters in front of me, and you certainly don’t need to mention Zhong Huayan. She has nothing to do with any of this. Back then, perhaps her father simply failed to get someone to the hospital in time—it wasn’t intentional murder.”

“Ha! The human heart is treacherous. Failed to get someone to the hospital in time? He wanted to keep the treasure buried in that grave for himself. All these years, you’ve been close to the Zhong family—you know exactly what kind of man he is. Need I say more? I’ve always believed that a man’s life speaks for his children. Zhong Huayan is not as simple as you think. If she hadn’t done terrible things, why would so many people have wanted her burned alive?”

Zhong Huayan stood quietly, unaffected. These were things people had whispered about her for years. All believed her to be scheming and malicious.

Some even claimed she had killed children behind closed doors.

The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt.

Her father’s illegitimate children had died one after another, but truly, she had nothing to do with it.

She was not a clever woman—perhaps that was why so many had framed her and brought her to her death.

“Uncle! Ah Hua is nothing like them. If she were truly that vicious, I’d have been dead long ago.”

“Yanyan, you know that if not for the Zhong family, you would never have been used as a pawn, never suffered so much in their hands. How can your lost youth be repaid? Even if you don’t blame Zhong Huayan, is it worth bankrupting the Xu family for a woman, barring the Xu brothers from returning, and forcing their aging father to suffer exile? This isn’t like you at all—it’s utterly irrational.”

Fu Yanyan, unwilling to continue, hung up. A pressure unlike any he had felt before weighed heavily on him.

He turned, looking at the woman standing there. She had heard it all, yet still stood there, smiling gently at him.

“Yanyan, the old master is right. I have been selfish. All of this is my own doing. I thought only of having you destroy the Xu family, send them to prison, but in this city, where greed reigns, it is never simply the survival of the fittest. My actions may bring you harm instead.”

Her gaze was sincere as she stubbed out her cigarette and spoke quietly.

Without a word, Fu Yanyan pulled her into his arms, his tall figure stooping, his hand resting firmly at her waist.