"If you keep talking, believe it or not, I'll have you all dead here today!" Xu Jingkuan's face turned ferocious. Originally, his appearance was very approachable, but now, a terrifying aura emanated from his eyes and brows. Lin Xingwan even felt a sense of dread.
However, seeing that he had successfully provoked Xu Jingkuan, Duan Muxing's smile grew even brighter.
Even if Xu Jingkuan were to put a knife to Duan Muxing's throat, this man would still be this arrogant.
"Murder to silence? Heh! If you think this is how you solve problems, I think you're even more foolish than you were twenty years ago." Duan Muxing was fearless, meeting Xu Jingkuan's gaze.
Even though Duan Muxing was a generation younger than Xu Jingkuan, his gaze was no less intense.
Xu Jingkuan's clenched fists crackled, but Duan Muxing continued to push the boundaries.
"I remember on Helian Lingruo's birthday banquet over twenty years ago, you and she caused a scandal. The entire capital knew about it, and it caused quite a stir. Do you think that just because no one is talking about it now, it's truly over?"
Duan Muxing continued to provoke Xu Jingkuan. At this moment, Xu Jingkuan's eyes were bloodshot, looking at Duan Muxing as if he were a mortal enemy.
This was something he never wanted to mention, a nightmare that would forever haunt him.
Xu Jingkuan grabbed Duan Muxing by the collar, looking as if he were about to strike him.
Seeing this, Qingluan drew a delicate black gun from her waist, and the atmosphere became extremely tense.
But Duan Muxing's face remained smiling.
Let alone Xu Jingkuan, even Lin Xingwan wanted to punch this man at this point.
Was this the time to smile?
Lin Xingwan's vision was already filled with a group of fierce-looking individuals emerging from behind the dense foliage, slowly approaching them.
This ancient and quiet mansion was actually heavily guarded.
No wonder Lin Xingwan had been puzzled at first, only seeing Xu Jingkuan and an old man. Now it seemed that there were many people in this mansion, but they were bodyguards.
"I'll give you one last chance, get out! Otherwise, I will kill you! Don't force me!" Xu Jingkuan's eyes were red with rage, wishing he could tear the people in front of him to shreds.
However, a sliver of rationality reminded Xu Jingkuan not to do so.
"Stop—" Things had escalated to this point, and Lin Xingwan felt that if she didn't step forward to explain, she didn't know what would happen.
Xu Jingkuan didn't even look at Lin Xingwan, who quickly tore off the mask on her face.
Instantly, Xu Jingkuan's gaze fell on Lin Xingwan with surprise, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "How... how could this be..." Disbelief and a moment of trance appeared on Xu Jingkuan's furious face. He felt as if he had suddenly returned to twenty years ago and seen the most beautiful Helian Lingruo!
He never expected that the woman in front of him was wearing a mask, and beneath it was a face he had longed for countless times.
At this moment, even without Duan Muxing explaining anything, Xu Jingkuan knew that this was definitely Lingruo's child.
They were too alike, not just in their delicate features, but also in their aura, which was exactly the same.
Xu Jingkuan's attention was now entirely on Lin Xingwan, and the hand that had been gripping Duan Muxing's collar was released at some point.
"Lingruo's child, it's you... I never thought you'd grow up so much after all these years..."
Tears welled up in Xu Jingkuan's eyes, and his lips trembled as he looked at Lin Xingwan.
Unbelievable!
"My mother's name is Helian Lingruo. I was conceived about a month before she disappeared. My mother didn't abort me; she let me live a difficult life." Lin Xingwan said word by word, looking directly at Xu Jingkuan.
After she finished speaking, Xu Jingkuan was speechless for a moment.
A month before her disappearance...
That wasn't precisely...
Xu Jingkuan's expression turned both joyful and terrified. He looked like a child who had never grown up.
"A month before her disappearance... a month before her disappearance... could you be... are you..."
Xu Jingkuan had clearly thought of something, but he lacked the courage to say it in the end.
Could it be that the goddess he had secretly admired for so long had given birth to his child? Was this something he could even dare to imagine?
"Shall we... sit inside? It's windy out here, and it wouldn't be good if you caught a cold." Xu Jingkuan's demeanor changed incredibly quickly, his expression now as friendly as a kind elder, as if the ferocious demon who had threatened to kill them moments ago was a completely different person.
Qingluan pushed Duan Muxing towards the house, and Lin Xingwan had no choice but to follow behind Duan Muxing. Xu Jingkuan, however, cast an angry glance at Duan Muxing.
This man was too cunning; he had almost killed his own daughter.
Now that he had lost face in front of his daughter, he had to forcefully salvage his pride. Otherwise, after being alone for so many years, he might continue to be so.
Moreover, Lin Xingwan's image immediately appeared in Xu Jingkuan's mind, and a smile bloomed on his face again.
His child with Lingruo was so beautiful, the child of his dreams.
"Quick, bring out all the delicious food. Don't neglect my distinguished guests."
Xu Jingkuan commanded the old man beside him. The old man didn't quite grasp Xu Jingkuan's intention, and a big question mark appeared on his wrinkled face.
But before the old man could ask, he saw Xu Jingkuan scurrying into the room.
The old man: "..."
He felt that his master had gone mad. Would this master eat people?
Soon, everyone had arrived in the room, a classically furnished Chinese living room, but every piece of furniture looked exquisite and expensive.
"Sit down, please sit anywhere you like. Don't be formal; consider this your home." Xu Jingkuan sat directly opposite Lin Xingwan, his eyes fixed on her, giving the impression that he wanted to devour her.
Lin Xingwan felt a shiver from Xu Jingkuan's gaze and couldn't help but look at Duan Muxing.
Duan Muxing glanced at Lin Xingwan and gave her a reassuring look.
Lin Xingwan then continued, "Mr. Xu, we are here today because we want to understand what happened back then."
Xu Jingkuan's joyful expression suddenly fell upon hearing Lin Xingwan's question, and he became melancholic.
Given the previous incident, Lin Xingwan became wary, fearing that this man would change his mood again.
However, Xu Jingkuan only sighed deeply and asked, "What do you want to know?"
Some things had to be faced. Even though he had buried the past deep within his heart for many years, the feeling of it being exposed to the sunlight and then scorched under it made Xu Jingkuan feel uncomfortable.
"We want to know how you and my mother met, what happened between you back then, and why my mother disappeared later."
After Lin Xingwan finished speaking, Xu Jingkuan's expression became dazed.
He took a sip of tea and then said slowly, "Actually, Lingruo and I knew each other since childhood. In my memory, Lingruo was like a tomboy. She didn't play with girls and had very neat, handsome short hair. Standing among the boys, no one suspected she was a girl. I was bullied a lot because I was timid back then, and Lingruo saved me. I even became her follower. At that time, I felt so happy. As long as I followed Lingruo, other children wouldn't bully me."
As Xu Jingkuan spoke, his eyes curved like the moon, and he had a radiant smile on his face. It was evident that this past memory was very happy for him.
Lin Xingwan and the others waited quietly for Xu Jingkuan to continue.
"Later, as we grew older, I realized that the 'boss' who had always protected me was actually a girl. I was too foolish to have always thought the boss was a boy. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. I can never forget the day she wore a dress and sat at the piano, playing. The light shone on her like a veil, and at that moment, she was so unrealistically beautiful. That's when I fell for her. I think I'm someone who is very afraid of loss. When I was young and naive, I felt distressed. If the 'boss' found a girlfriend later, would she still want me? I never expected the 'boss' to be a girl. I even fantasized every night before sleeping that one day I could marry the 'boss'."
At this point, Xu Jingkuan even showed a shy expression on his face.
"But later, the 'boss' went to the frontier. We couldn't contact each other for months. And a woman I disliked, Helian Dijin, came from the Helian family. I disliked her the moment I first saw her. I always felt she hid too many secrets, especially her pitiful demeanor, which made me even more disgusted. They all said Helian Dijin looked very much like the 'boss,' but to me, Helian Dijin couldn't even compare to a single strand of the 'boss's' hair. Because the 'boss' was at the frontier, Helian Dijin gradually replaced the 'boss's' position. Even people in the capital started to forget the 'boss,' thinking Helian Dijin was the only eldest daughter of the Helian family! I looked down on Helian Dijin and even had several conflicts with her. I also saw Helian Dijin frame others, but she was still somewhat restrained, so I didn't expose her.
Everything changed when the 'boss' returned from the frontier. I originally thought she was just returning to rest and play as usual, but I later learned that she was brought back to be engaged to Cen Jue. Cen Jue is also a man I detest the most. He's the legendary 'child of someone else's family.' Because of Cen Jue's existence, I felt my entire childhood was overshadowed by him. Even the people who used to bully me were Cen Jue's followers! I felt injustice for the 'boss.' Someone as excellent as the 'boss' didn't deserve Cen Jue! But I saw that the 'boss' and Cen Jue, two people who were not favored, seemed to begin to appreciate each other. The 'boss' even asked me less about Cen Jue's preferences. That's when I realized that this woman in front of me was no longer my 'boss'; she was Helian Lingruo, who had fallen in love with Cen Jue in her first bloom of love.
I was insanely jealous. I had accompanied her for so long, why did she fall in love with this man after only knowing him for a few months? Cen Jue was a playboy, and the women he had been with could stretch at least a street long. I didn't want Lingruo to live with such a scumbag. I even said many bad things about Cen Jue to Lingruo, but not only did it have no effect, but even our relationship began to grow distant. I became more anxious and jealous. I remained pure for Lingruo, yet she liked someone like Cen Jue. Where was I inferior to him?"
"Even if you didn't have a mirror back then, you had urine, right? Didn't you look at yourself and Cen Jue? He has the capital to be a playboy. Do you think anyone can be a playboy with so many girlfriends, each prettier than the last? I remember the media reported that those women were all desperately trying to become Cen Jue's rumored girlfriends because it was a symbol of their beauty."
Undoubtedly, Cen Jue was the official arbiter of beauty at that time!
Duan Muxing always said things that hit the mark, and Xu Jingkuan felt his heart had been pierced a thousand times.
"Although I wasn't as handsome as Cen Jue at the time, what's the use of a man being handsome? A man like me is better; I won't cheat. Cen Jue loved Lingruo so much, yet in the end, he married Helian Dijin. As expected, the two most detestable people ended up together. Every time I think about it, I feel happy."