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“The Pei family? You know about the Pei family?”
“How could I not?” Yin Yixuan replied. “The Yin family, the Pei family, the Ming family, and the Xiao family—these were once the four most prestigious families in the Imperial Capital.”
“And…” Yin Yixuan glanced at Yin Hanyu, pausing for a moment. “That eldest daughter of the Pei family, Pei… something Mingzhu, was childhood friends with Father. They even got engaged at a young age.”
“Childhood friends and engaged? Then why…”
“Who knows? When they discussed these things, we hadn’t even been born yet.”
Yin Yixuan continued, “Besides, anything related to the Pei family is a forbidden topic in the Yin household.”
“I only know this because I overheard my mother arguing with my father once.”
“But this seems to be a huge taboo for Father. My mother only dared to mention it when she was angry. Otherwise, she never spoke of it.”
“So mysterious?” Lin Qingyou grew even more curious. “If they were engaged, why couldn’t they talk about it? And why was such a powerful family like the Pei family wiped out?”
Yin Yixuan suddenly glanced around cautiously before closing the hospital room door.
Lin Qingyou rolled her eyes. “Why are you acting so secretive?”
Yin Yixuan hushed her. “Because the downfall of the Pei family might have something to do with my uncle and my father.”
Yin Hanyu and Lin Qingyou exchanged shocked glances.
Could Lan Si be involved too?!
It made sense. The Pei family was once equal in status to the Yin family. Without the support of Lan Si, the President himself, how else could such a powerful family be completely wiped out?
The Leng Family Residence
Ruan Lan handed Ming Yu a cup of hot tea, but Ming Yu didn’t take it.
“What? Afraid I poisoned it?”
Ming Yu shook her head. “I’m still injured. The doctor specifically told me to avoid drinking tea.”
With that, she unintentionally revealed something.
“You’re injured?” Ruan Lan’s sharp gaze locked onto Ming Yu. “The missing child from Angel Kindergarten—do you have something to do with it?”
Though phrased as a question, her tone was certain.
Ming Yu did not deny it. “I killed him.”
“Oh…”
Ruan Lan’s cold eyes grew fierce.
At the banquet that night, she had thought everything was foolproof, yet her dear disciple had slipped through the cracks.
Ha… what a wonderful disciple indeed.
“What did you discover?”
“I didn’t discover anything,” Ming Yu replied. “I was just curious, so I followed along. But as soon as I got inside, that child stabbed me.”
In other words, she hadn’t had the chance to learn anything.
Ruan Lan’s expression softened slightly. “Ming Yu, you’ve never been good at lying, so I believe you.”
“And because it’s you, I won’t kill you.”
“Thank you, Master.”
“Sit down,” Ruan Lan gestured. “You’re injured, standing like this will only make you feel worse.”
Indeed, Ming Yu’s condition was visibly poor.
After escaping from the hospital, her wounds had reopened, making her look even more pale and weak.
“Master…” Ming Yu hesitated before finally asking, “What exactly are you planning?”
Ruan Lan seemed to respond with a different question. “Ming Yu, do you remember when you once asked me why I was so good to you?”
“Of course.” Ming Yu repeated Ruan Lan’s past words. “Master said, ‘Because we are both unfortunate souls.'”
“Yes, because we are both unfortunate souls…”
Ruan Lan lifted her gaze to Ming Yu. “But another way to say that is—because we have a common enemy.”
“A common enemy?” Ming Yu was startled. “Who?”
“The Yin family,” Ruan Lan said through gritted teeth.
“Ming Yu, you are not just an ordinary person. You are the eldest daughter of the Ming family.”
“You were never an abandoned child whom your parents didn’t want.”
“On the contrary, your parents loved you deeply. You were their most beloved little princess.”
“But they never had the chance to love you properly…”
“Because they were all killed by the Yin family…”
Ming Yu listened quietly, gripping the teacup tighter and tighter.
“And I… I am not actually Ruan Lan. My real name is Pei Mingzhu.”
Pei Mingzhu—her name as dazzling as a pearl—was once the most famous socialite in the Imperial Capital.
“I grew up with Yin Haoting, the eldest young master of the Yin family. We were childhood sweethearts.”
“When I turned eighteen, we naturally got engaged. At that time, I was filled with joy, dreaming about a future with him.”
“But he betrayed me.”
As she spoke, Ruan Lan’s voice trembled, her emotions surging like an uncontrollable storm.
Her usual elegance and composure vanished, replaced by overwhelming hatred and resentment.
She clenched her teeth, forcing out each word with venom. “He fell in love with a shameless woman…”
Standing beside her, Ming Yu instinctively kept her mouth shut, not daring to speak.
Yet inside, her mind was in turmoil.
Could this “shameless woman” be Yin Hanyu’s mother?
Ruan Lan, oblivious to Ming Yu’s inner thoughts, continued to immerse herself in painful memories. With eyes blazing in fury, she said, “Because of that woman, the Yin family wiped out the entire Pei family.”
“They wouldn’t even let a single survivor escape…”
By now, Ruan Lan was sobbing uncontrollably, her hatred burning like an unquenchable fire.
After taking a deep breath, she looked directly at Ming Yu.
“Child, your parents were my dearest friends. When I was in trouble, they not only sheltered me but also risked their lives to protect me.”
“But in the end, they angered those heartless monsters…” Ruan Lan’s voice grew heavier. “During that brutal massacre, your parents died trying to protect you and me.”
Tears welled up in her eyes again, her beautiful face consumed by grief and hatred.
“Ming Yu, I never wanted to tell you this because, in the end, your parents died because of me. And all this time, I believed revenge was my burden alone, so I didn’t want to involve you.”
“But now that you’ve started uncovering things, rather than letting you be misled or manipulated…”
“I would rather tell you the entire truth myself.”
“Ming Yu…” Ruan Lan grasped Ming Yu’s hands tightly. “Now that you know everything, you’ve grown up.”
“So, will you join me in avenging our families against the Yin family?”