novelraw Chapter 142 is nothing more than a pastime.
Chapter 142 is nothing more than a pastime.
"Didn't Yan Shen tell you?"
Song Zhihe's voice carried an undisguised hint of smugness, and the smile spread from the corners of her mouth to the corners of her eyes, as if her whole being had been illuminated for a moment.
Lu Xiran turned around.
"Does he know?"
"Yes." Song Zhihe finally saw a crack in that usually calm face, and the feeling was more exhilarating than any victory. "I told him three days ago."
She took a step forward. "Looks like he really didn't tell you."
One step closer.
"You're just a pastime, don't take yourself too seriously."
Lu Xiran stood still, without moving.
Three days ago?
So, the reason she hasn't been able to contact him for the past three days is because of this?
and many more.
Three days ago—wasn't that Song Zhihe's birthday?
He only attended the birthday party for half an hour.
Lu Xiran suddenly smiled.
"So on your birthday, you need this message to get him to come over for half an hour?"
She looked at Song Zhihe, her gaze containing no anger, only a faint pity.
"Miss Song, what's so great about that?"
Song Zhihe's smile shattered instantly.
That night, no matter how much she trampled on his dignity, no matter what she dressed, no matter what she said or did—he refused to stay.
half an hour.
He wouldn't give her even a minute more.
And now, this woman has so easily pierced through all her pretense.
Song Zhihe suddenly raised her hand.
Lu Xiran took a step back, barely dodging the attack. Song Zhihe, having used too much force, staggered forward and nearly fell.
After she regained her balance, she turned around, her eyes filled with resentment.
"Lu Xiran!"
"Where exactly is Aunt Yun?" Lu Xiran's voice was cold. "Do you really have any news about her? Or is this just an excuse you're using to call him over?"
Song Zhihe took a deep breath, took out her phone from her bag, opened a photo, and handed it to her.
Lu Xiran's gaze fell on the screen.
It's Aunt Yun.
Her hair was completely white, and she was so thin she looked unrecognizable, but she still recognized those eyes, those once gentle and kind eyes.
She glanced at the timestamp on the photo.
"Where am I?"
Lu Xiran's voice finally showed a slight fluctuation.
She always remembered her grandmother's instructions: to protect her no matter what.
Song Zhihe put her phone away.
Do you know who caused your miscarriage?
Lu Xiran's breath caught in her throat for a moment.
"What do you know?"
"Come to me alone tomorrow night. If you come with Gu Yanshen, I'll have her hidden away. You'll never find her."
Lu Xiran's fingers slowly tightened. "What exactly do you know?"
Do you think I'd tell you?
Song Zhihe turned around and prepared to leave.
My hand was grabbed.
Song Zhihe turned around and looked at the hand that was gripping her wrist.
"Lu Xiran," she said softly, "sometimes I don't know whether I should pity you."
Lu Xiran did not speak.
"Do you know what Aunt Yun said?"
Song Zhihe slowly pried open her fingers.
Do you know who ruined you?
Lu Xiran's face began to turn pale.
"What do you mean?"
"So you didn't know anything after all." Song Zhihe smiled. The smile was light, but it sent a chill down Lu Xiran's spine.
Song Zhihe took a few steps, then stopped.
There was no turning back.
"Lu Xiran, there's something I've never understood."
Her voice came from the front.
"Someone as intelligent as Yan Shen investigated for three years, and really couldn't find anything?"
Lu Xiran's heart sank suddenly.
"How could someone with Su Lanzhi's brain possibly have planned such a meticulous scheme? But she confessed, and she confessed very readily. She saved her son, and after a few years in prison, she'll still be the third wife of the Gu family when she comes out."
She turned around.
"Tell me, how powerful must the person behind her be for her to willingly take the blame?"
Lu Xiran did not speak.
"And Liu Lin."
When Song Zhihe uttered that name, her tone was very soft, as if she were testing something.
"Why did the jade bead from her bracelet end up in Aunt Yun's hands?"
Lu Xiran's pupils contracted slightly.
"Is it her?"
"Aunt Yun has amnesia; she doesn't remember anything. Yet she hid that bead for three years. Why would someone with amnesia desperately try to hide something?"
She took a step forward.
"Unless—that's evidence."
Lu Xiran's hands began to feel cold.
"Do you know what that bead means?"
She paused.
"Guess what Gu Yanshen would do if Liu Lin were the person behind it all?"
Something was buzzing in Lu Xiran's mind.
"He knows everything."
Song Zhihe's voice was very soft, as if she were talking about something trivial.
But every word was like a nail, driven into Lu Xiran's heart.
"He knows what Liu Lin did, he knows who harmed you, he knows the whole truth."
She paused.
"But did he tell you?"
Lu Xiran stood still.
It was as if they were nailed to the spot.
"Lu Xiran, it's not that he can't find out."
Song Zhihe took a step forward.
He doesn't want you to know.
Lu Xiran's breathing began to tremble.
"Because that person is Liu Lin. She is his father's wife."
Song Zhihe looked at her.
"And then there's the Liu family. Do you know what their status is in Haicheng? Do you know how many connections they have?"
She paused.
"If he wants to touch Liu Lin, he has to touch the entire Gu family and the Liu family. He has to break off all pretense, lay everything out on the table, and bear the consequences."
She looked at Lu Xiran.
In those eyes, there was sorrow, irony, and a touch of sympathy.
"So he chose not to tell you. To keep you completely in the dark. To make you continue to believe him, continue to wait for him, continue—"
She smiled.
That smile was faint, yet it was more painful than any mockery.
"Continue to be his mistress."
Lu Xiran's hands began to tremble.
"Guess, in his heart, are you more important, or is his pride more important? Is revenge more important, or is power more important?"
Song Zhihe's voice echoed in the empty villa.
"Is he willing to offend the entire Liu family for you? Is he willing to give up the power of the Gu family for you? Is he willing to do this for you—"
She spoke slowly and deliberately.
"Should we break off relations?"
Lu Xiran did not speak.
She just stood there.
"So," her voice was very soft, as if she were speaking to herself, "it's not just me."
She paused.
"You are no match for a man's pursuit of power. When you were an obstacle, he abandoned you without hesitation. And now—you are nothing more than a comfort in my absence."
She took a step forward.
"But you, on the other hand, mistake comfort for love and yourself for the exception."
"Lu Xiran, you are more pathetic than me. At least I know I'm just a pawn. But you think you're the one who can make him give up everything."
She smiled.
That smile was faint, yet more cruel than any words.
"Why do you think he kept it from you? Because he never intended for you to know the truth. Why do you think he kept you around? Because you're easy to fool. You're a good girl. You won't cause him any trouble."
You're even dumber than me.
Watching the color drain from that face little by little, watching the light in those eyes dim little by little.
"I'll come alone tomorrow night."
Song Zhihe turned and left.
The sound of high heels gradually faded into the distance.
Lu Xiran stood still.
a long time.
Lu Xiran's finger hovered over the button, but she didn't press it.
She has to go.
Tomorrow night?
It seems she can't avoid attending that banquet.