Silently noting her grandfather's words, her heart heavy, Wei Yumeng tossed and turned, unable to sleep that night. The next morning, she got up early to pack.
Zhan Mohan sensed her unease, but the matter of Mu Linjing couldn't be brought up now, so he pretended to be unaware.
After breakfast, Zhan Mohan and his party went to the company, while Wei Yumeng took Grandpa Zhan and the bodyguards to the hospital.
Since there were many tests to be done, and a large entourage with bodyguards would be too conspicuous, Wei Yumeng only brought two people inside, with the rest waiting outside the hospital.
Looking at the test results, the doctor said there were no major issues.
"As people age, minor ailments are normal. Go back and get plenty of rest, relax your mind, and delegate more tasks to the children. When you're at ease, you'll feel better."
Hearing this, Wei Yumeng finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Grandpa Zhan said helplessly, "I told you I was fine, but you wouldn't believe me. Are you relieved now?"
Leaving the doctor's office, Wei Yumeng still needed to pick up some medicine. She asked the bodyguards to stay with Grandpa and promised to be back quickly. Once she got the medicine, they could go home.
The wait for the medicine was not quick. Bored, she looked around and spotted a familiar figure at the entrance.
Just yesterday, her grandfather had reminded her that Feng Shiqing might know Mu Linjing's whereabouts. Today, she ran into Feng Shiqing here.
She immediately chased after her and called out to Feng Shiqing at the main entrance.
Seeing it was her, Feng Shiqing showed no surprise. "What is it?"
"Of course, there's something. I'm asking you, where is Linjing?"
She grabbed Feng Shiqing's arm and lowered her voice. However, Feng Shiqing said, "Why are you all hounding me, asking me this one question?"
Wei Yumeng detected something in her words. "These people? What people, who else has asked you this?"
"Zhan Mohan and Zhan Yichen. What, they didn't tell you when they went back?"
Wei Yumeng's heart sank subtly. "Tell me what?"
Feng Shiqing feigned pity and shook her head. "Alas, perhaps they were afraid you'd be upset, which is why they didn't tell you. Mu Linjing has already been thrown into the sea by Wen Yulan to feed the fish. By now, there are probably no bones left."
This one sentence made Wei Yumeng stagger a few steps. "What... What did you say? What happened to Linjing?"
Feng Shiqing deliberately wanted her to know, so she repeated it obediently.
Wei Yumeng could barely stand. "You're lying. Linjing will be fine."
To this, Feng Shiqing just tutted and shook her head. "No wonder they didn't want to tell you this. You're so prone to self-deception. Fine, then forget I said anything. It's too late to even collect her body now."
In fact, Wei Yumeng herself lacked confidence. Would Mu Linjing be fine? If she were fine, why had they been searching for so long without success?
Deep down, she knew, but as long as no one pointed it out, she could continue to deceive herself.
After mocking her, Feng Shiqing strode away. Since her objective had been achieved, she left quickly.
Knowing the news, Wei Yumeng returned to the hospital in a daze. When she saw Grandpa Zhan, she realized she hadn't picked up the medicine she was supposed to.
"I'm sorry, Grandpa. I'll go get it now."
"Come back here," Grandpa Zhan called out to her. "Let someone else go. You sit here."
He gestured to the seat beside him, asking her to sit down. Grandpa Zhan scrutinized her from head to toe. "What's wrong? You've become like this after going out for a bit. Did something happen?"
She stared blankly at the floor. "Grandpa, if someone falls into the sea, can they still survive?"
Her sudden question prompted Grandpa Zhan to ask why she was asking, rather than answering immediately.
Topics of life and death were very sensitive in the Zhan family recently. Although a voice in their hearts told them that Mu Linjing was likely lost forever, people have an instinct for self-deception. Especially when things were not definitively concluded, they comforted each other with a sliver of hope, keeping the most unbearable speculation to themselves.
However, if one person broke down, the rest would follow suit.
Wei Yumeng told him the truth, recounting her encounter with Feng Shiqing and their conversation.
She knew clearly that running into Feng Shiqing wasn't a coincidence, but that Feng Shiqing had deliberately come to deliver this news.
But none of that mattered. What mattered was that Linjing might truly not come back.
On the way back, she remained silent. Upon returning home, she locked herself in her room and did not come out even when Zhan Mohan returned.
"Grandpa, how was today's check-up? Yu Meng's?"
Zhan Mohan was unaware of what had happened at the hospital. Seeing Grandpa's displeased expression, he assumed the test results were not satisfactory.
Grandpa Zhan pointed upstairs. "She's in her room. Go and see her. My test results were all normal."
Everything was normal, yet the atmosphere at home was so somber. Zhan Mohan guessed it was due to Wei Yumeng's low mood and hurried upstairs.
Wei Yumeng was sitting in the room. She had been sitting there for a long time. Even when Zhan Mohan made a sound at the door, she didn't turn around.
"What's wrong?" Zhan Mohan embraced her from behind and asked softly.
She gently pushed him away. "What exactly happened to Linjing? Are you still not going to tell me the truth?"
Zhan Mohan was startled. He had explicitly warned Zhan Yichen not to say anything, so it couldn't have been Zhan Yichen.
"Who did you meet outside today?"
"Feng Shiqing."
She told him the truth, believing that hearing the name would make Zhan Mohan stop trying to deceive her with lies.
As expected, Zhan Mohan nodded. "Since you already know, I won't hide it from you any longer. But we are still conducting a full-scale search and rescue. Perhaps..."
"Perhaps she can still be found?" Wei Yumeng interrupted him sharply. "Someone who fell into the sea over twenty days ago, how can you find her?"
Sensing her emotions were on the verge of collapse, Zhan Mohan quickly pulled her into his arms, his silent comfort more effective than any words.
Zhan Mohan knew she just needed to vent. The bad emotions she had suppressed for so many days were like a floodgate bursting, consuming all her reason.
If Feng Shiqing hadn't revealed the truth, she might have continued to deceive herself for a few more days, or even longer. But now, she couldn't.
Watching her clutch the front of his shirt and cry uncontrollably, Zhan Mohan felt as if something was gripping his heart.
He understood this was Ji Tong's revenge.
Harming his family was something he absolutely could not tolerate.
After Wei Yumeng calmed down, he tried to reason with her.
"Yu Meng, you should know what her intentions were. We will continue to search for Mu Linjing and not give up, but I hope you can adjust your mindset regarding this matter. After all, things have come to this. All we can do is our best and leave the rest to fate."