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Nighttime.
The night sky draped over the city, cloaking the world in a veil of mysterious darkness.
At this moment, Ming Yu slipped out of the hospital like a nimble cat, moving so lightly that her footsteps were barely audible, as if afraid of disturbing anyone.
However, just as she stepped out of the hospital entrance, Yin Hanyu, Lin Qingyou, and Yin Yixuan appeared in the hallway like ghosts.
Yin Yixuan’s gaze was locked onto Ming Yu’s retreating figure, his expression dark and menacing, like a stormy sky brewing with danger and uncertainty.
Standing beside him, Lin Qingyou glanced at Yin Hanyu, a mix of surprise and admiration in her eyes—his previous suspicions had turned out to be true. Ming Yu was indeed hiding something from them!
Suddenly.
Yin Yixuan grabbed Yin Hanyu by the collar, lifting him forcefully as he snarled, “Didn’t you claim to know her so well? Then tell me, where the hell is she going now?”
His voice echoed through the silent hallway, filled with uncontrollable rage.
Today, he had planned to propose to Ming Yu.
Her recent injury had made him realize that his pride and dignity meant nothing compared to her well-being.
All he wanted was for her to be safe. He wanted to protect her.
But…
She didn’t seem to need him.
She had never even considered letting him into her world.
Before Yin Hanyu could react, Lin Qingyou had already lost her patience.
She stormed forward, shoved Yin Yixuan away, and, without hesitation, swung her fist at him.
Bang! Bang!
Two solid punches landed, forcing Yin Yixuan to stumble back a few steps.
“You bastard! How dare you bully my husband?”
Lin Qingyou’s blows were swift and ruthless. She glared at Yin Yixuan and shouted, “Are you out of your mind? If you dare lay a hand on my husband again, believe me, I’ll make sure you regret it!”
“How is it my husband’s fault that you can’t control your woman?”
“And if my husband actually knew everything, wouldn’t you be the first to accuse him of having something with Ming Yu?”
“I…” Yin Yixuan was momentarily speechless.
“This is exactly what you wanted, isn’t it? Ming Yu doesn’t trust anyone. Not even her closest partner, Yin Hanyu.”
Ming Yu had secrets.
But she refused to share them with anyone.
After leaving the hospital, Ming Yu went to the Leng family estate.
There, Ruan Lan had already prepared a pot of tea, as if she had known Ming Yu would come.
“Miss Ming, what can I do for you?”
“Master…”
Ming Yu suddenly spoke.
She had always felt that Ruan Lan was familiar—an overwhelming sense of recognition.
Yet, she had never met Ruan Lan before.
That night, she finally got her answer—Ruan Lan was her mysterious master.
Ruan Lan stopped brewing tea and looked at Ming Yu with an amused expression. “Should I praise you for your sharp eyes?”
After all, she had never revealed her true face to Ming Yu.
Even when speaking, she had always used a voice modulator.
And yet, Ming Yu had recognized her just by instinct.
Ignoring the teasing, Ming Yu got straight to the point. “Master, who exactly are you?”
She had asked this question before.
She had always thought that her master, like the rest of them, was just another person forcibly taken into the base.
But her master had exceptional skills. She could create medicine, and she was even better at making poison. The base’s research depended on her.
That made her status much higher than theirs.
Her master was also trapped, but unlike her and Yin Hanyu, who were treated like disposable pawns.
“You tell me—who do you think I am?”
Ruan Lan picked up a cup of tea and walked toward Ming Yu.
Ming Yu stared at her.
Who was her master?
Her master was the only light in the darkness of that base.
Whenever she was tortured beyond endurance, her master would appear.
Her master was like a hero descending from the heavens to save her.
Every bit of warmth and kindness she had ever received came from her master.
Her medical skills, her knowledge of poisons, her ability to survive in that hellish place—all of it was thanks to her master.
To Ming Yu, her master was more important than anything.
She had once asked, “Master, why are you so kind to me?”
Her master had simply replied, “Because we are both unfortunate souls.”
After Lin Qingyou packed up, Yin Hanyu and the others prepared to leave the hospital.
But as they were leaving, something dark caught Yin Hanyu’s attention.
He quickly walked back to the bedside and bent down to pick up a blackened plaque.
It was the same plaque that had tripped Ming Yu back at Yanshan.
At the time, Yin Hanyu hadn’t thought much of it—there had been all kinds of debris after the explosion, and a charred wooden plaque didn’t seem significant.
Besides, the explosion had left it broken and unreadable.
The writing on it was faint and barely discernible.
All that remained was half of the plaque, with crooked, illegible characters.
Frowning, Yin Hanyu pulled out a tissue and carefully wiped away the dust and grime.
No matter how hard he tried, though, he couldn’t make out the words.
He handed it to Yin Yixuan. “Didn’t you study extensively since childhood? Try reading this.”
Yin Yixuan lazily took the plaque, glanced at it, and immediately sneered.
“This is basic seal script. You think this is difficult? And you call yourself smart? You’re nothing but an illiterate fool.”
“…”
Lin Qingyou’s expression darkened. Without hesitation, she punched Yin Yixuan in the stomach.
“If I tell you to read, just read! Who gave you the right to insult my husband?”
“I’m just telling the truth.”
“Oh? You want the truth?” Lin Qingyou narrowed her eyes. “If you had been kidnapped as a child like he was, forget studying—you probably wouldn’t even be alive.”
Yin Yixuan fell silent.
She was right.
Yin Hanyu hadn’t grown up in the Yin family. He never had the elite education that Yin Yixuan had.
“…Pei…” Yin Yixuan examined the text more carefully. “The first character is definitely ‘Pei.’”
“But the rest is too damaged to read.”
He quickly grabbed paper and a pen, carefully sketching the remaining characters, trying different combinations to reconstruct the words.
Finally, after much effort, he pieced it together.
“‘Memorial tablet of Pei…’”
“Holy shit…” Yin Yixuan recoiled, immediately tossing the plaque away.
“This is a memorial tablet from an ancestral shrine!”
“A memorial tablet?” Lin Qingyou quickly picked it up.
Because half of it was missing, it hadn’t been obvious.
But now that he mentioned it, it really did resemble one.
“Memorial tablet of Pei…” Yin Hanyu murmured as he examined it. “So that base in Yanshan… is connected to the Pei family.”
“The Pei family?” Yin Yixuan’s eyes widened. “Didn’t the Pei family get wiped out decades ago?”