Upon hearing that, Mu Lingshi suddenly gripped the teacup in hand a little tighter. She thought about it, then shook her head. “No, Brother, I know you’re doing it for me and the Mu family. No matter what, it’s actually us who owe you too much. This whole thing should’ve had nothing to do with you. Sometimes, I wonder what would I do if I didn’t have you.” Her voice bore some bitterness.
“Why are you saying such silly things? We’re siblings. Who else would I protect if not you? I don’t deny that feeling guilty about you and Lingtian all these years. A mistake remains a mistake. The harm that has been done can never be reconciled just like how Grandmother’s sudden passing didn’t give us a chance to make it up to her,” Mu Yuchen spoke in a lowered voice as faint sorrow showed in his eyes, “I’m grateful that you’ve never blamed me.”
“Brother, you take too much upon yourself. These things were never even your fault. We did wrong by you first. When we were younger, you gave us lots of care and consideration, and we saw all of it. Our parents treated the three of us better than they did towards you. I always tell Ah Mo that I shouldn’t need to feel any regret. After all, what did the other children have that I didn’t?”
Mu Lingshi felt strongly about this. She breathed in, then sighed. “Brother, some things really go beyond blood relations, not just in romantic relationships but in kinships too. I’m grateful that I could grow up in the Mu family. I’m thankful that I didn’t fall into having a warped mindset because of everything. I’m grateful for all the positive energy that you all brought me, to allow me to grow in a space with optimism and peace as I face this world.”
“Lingshi, you’ve changed a lot in the past two years. It makes me feel like you’ve really grown up, you’re no longer the little girl that needs your brother’s protection.” Mu Yuchen’s handsome face flushed with gladness.
Upon hearing that, Mu Lingshi chuckled. “It’s been a while since I’ve grown up, Brother! I know that everyone hasn’t been doing well these past few years, and it all revolves around the incidents with my mother and Lingtian. We claim that these things are in the past, but actually everyone’s been holding onto them to the point that they’ve become a scar in our hearts that can reopen anytime and bleed once again just like how it was with Grandmother.”
She sighed and suddenly looked up at Mu Yuchen’s handsome face. Then, she slowly held his hand that had fallen by his side. “Brother, these nightmares should leave us now. I trust that you feel the same. After Grandmother left us, our hearts have since been empy. I’ve been thinking these days that perhaps we should think about it from a different perspective.”
Mu Yuchen looked up silently at her, waiting for her to continue.
“Lingtian may not have left without any guilt towards you. Even though there was a misunderstanding between Lingtian and you, I feel like he wasn’t all that bad. Whatever Qi Feng told you, it doesn’t matter if they are real or not. Whatever it is, Lingtian did let you down. At this point, you should just forgive him in your heart. I trust that he’s hoping for your forgiveness from the other side too.”
“How do you know that he’s hoping for my forgiveness and not resenting me for making him lose his life because of my insensitivity? Lingshi, guilt comes from the heart. There’s a reason for every outcome, I am the reason, and Lingtian had suffered the consequences. I admit, that all these years I’ve been plagued by nightmares because of this incident, it was only after I married your sister-in-law, that the situation improved.” Mu Yuchen silently drew his hand away and turned to his side to gaze out at the bright skies.
“I’ve always been looking for an excuse to relieve myself, Lingshi. I’m not as strong as you think I am. I’ve been looking for an outlet to release what I’ve been holding on to, to let my weak self be free of it. You might not understand how I feel. Until you stop asking why, there’s no need to advise me to be relieved of it.
“If it were in the past, I may still have been holding on to it, but right now, at least, I can face things with a calm heart.” This was the first time Mu Yuchen had expressed how he really felt. He had not been willing to face reality, but today he finally could do so calmly.
“If one day, Gu Qiwu asked you to forgive him, what would you do?” He suddenly changed the topic as his profound gaze looked straight at Mu Lingshi.
Instantly, she froze, yet it was only a momentary thought before she shook her head. “Nothing much would change. The way we are is pretty good. I don’t need another father. After all, I’m someone who holds onto grudges. If he wants me to forgive him and accept him, what would that make me? What about Mother, Lingtian, and Grandmother?”
Mu Lingshi chuckled. “Someone who has sinned as much as him doesn’t deserve forgiveness.”
“There are three reasons he did that. Firstly, for the Gu family’s assets. Secondly, for Doris, whom he loves. Perhaps this has never changed. Aunt was only a…Thirdly, to protect you.”
No matter what, Mu Yuchen felt the need to tell Mu Lingshi about this.
“It’s not important anymore, Brother. All that isn’t important. From the moment I found out that Gu Qiwu was my father, nothing mattered anymore. Whatever happens, I’ll forever be Mu Lingshi, and I’ll always guard the Mu family.”
Mu Lingshi’s tone was so determined that Mu Yuchen could only laugh and nod at her. “Got it.”
“Brother—” Then, Mu Lingshi fell weakly into Mu Yuchen’s arms. “Thank you for all your concern. Ah Mo and I are so lucky to have you in this lifetime!”
Mu Yuchen laughed softly without a word as he patted Mu Lingshi’s shoulders softly.
…
In the afternoon at the stairs by the South River, Xi Xiaye did not expect to bump into Qi Feng again.
Previously, Mu Yuchen had told VP Zhang Lan to send over the blueprint. Coincidentally, she was having lunch with a business partner nearby, so she went over to take a look. She did not expect Qi Feng to be there too. It seemed like he was there to inspect the site.
South River Project No. 2 was on the other side of Project No. 1’s worksite that Glory World was in charge of. Standing on the stairs here gave one an overall view of the situation over there.
Qi Feng seemed quite surprised to see Xi Xiaye. His charming face had a warm smile that gave one the feeling of being bathed in the spring breeze.
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