Font Size:
Lan Si had just been released from prison when he encountered Yin Hanyu and Lin Qingyou.
“How did you know my mother?” Yin Hanyu got straight to the point.
Lan Si’s handsome face froze for a moment before he finally responded, “The first time I met her, she was stealing something.”
“Stealing?” Yin Hanyu frowned. “What was she stealing?”
“She was stealing…”
As he recalled the past, a deep sense of nostalgia flashed across Lan Si’s face, as if his thoughts had traveled back in time to that unforgettable moment.
“It was at a grand charity auction—one that I had personally organized and overseen.”
Lan Si had always been fascinated by unique and extraordinary things. Because of this, every item displayed at his charity auctions was not necessarily the most expensive treasure but was always something one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable.
That night, as the elegantly dressed guests gathered at the event, a pure white figure quietly entered their sight.
Bai Ci wore a simple white dress, as pristine as freshly fallen snow, without a single blemish.
Bai Ci—her name suited her well, for she embodied the color white to perfection.
Her face was delicate and beautiful, like a blooming peach blossom, radiating charm. Her slender figure and graceful movements exuded an innate elegance.
Though her dress was plain, it only accentuated her natural, breathtaking beauty.
At first glance, she seemed like a celestial being who had accidentally fallen into the mortal world—so beautiful that she took people’s breath away, drawing the attention of everyone present.
However, for someone as experienced as Lan Si, while her fairy-like beauty was rare, it failed to truly stir him.
Instead, he found it somewhat dull and uninteresting.
She was beautiful, yes—but she lacked intrigue.
But then, something unexpected happened that completely overturned his initial impression of Bai Ci.
She took advantage of a moment when no one was watching and stealthily reached out to steal an item displayed on the exhibition stand.
And this was at his charity auction, under his watch!
Someone actually dared to commit theft right under his nose?
At that moment, Lan Si felt an indescribable mix of curiosity and excitement…
What kind of secrets were hidden behind this seemingly pure and flawless girl?
How interesting…
Lan Si turned to Yin Hanyu. “Hard to believe, isn’t it? After all, your mother looked like a fairy. No one would ever associate her with being a thief.”
“But she did steal.” Lan Si pointed to the butterfly brooch on Lin Qingyou’s chest. “This brooch—this was what she stole.”
“What?!…” Lin Qingyou was utterly shocked.
She quickly looked down at the butterfly brooch she was wearing.
“Actually, this brooch was designed by her.”
“What?!” Lin Qingyou was even more stunned.
In her memory, Bai Ci wasn’t a designer—she was a novelist.
She never went out, sometimes staying in her room for ten days or even half a month just to write.
And all she wrote were mystery novels.
Lin Qingyou had glanced at them before, but since she wasn’t interested in mystery stories, she never asked much about them.
“If my mother designed it, then why was it at your auction? Why would she steal something that belonged to her?” Lin Qingyou asked.
“Why else?” Lan Si chuckled bitterly. “Because of money. I had power and wealth—whatever I wanted, I got.”
Lin Qingyou: “…”
Damn, that was such an infuriating thing to say!
She was starting to feel angry on Bai Ci’s behalf.
“So she had no choice but to steal it back?” Lin Qingyou was now seriously considering punching Lan Si.
But Lan Si shook his head.
“She probably just wanted to get my attention.”
“WHAT?!?!” Lin Qingyou’s mouth twitched.
Mr. President, could you be any more narcissistic?
Lan Si, however, reached out and took the butterfly brooch from Yin Hanyu’s chest. “Actually, the meaning behind this design isn’t a positive one.”
“Most butterflies are blue, but this one is decorated with green and red.”
“Red is usually a celebratory color, but when placed on a butterfly, it gives off a kind of eerie, traditional Chinese horror vibe…”
“Luckily, the green symbolizes hope, which softens the darkness of the design and adds a touch of vitality and faint hope.”
“The moment I saw this design, I was immediately drawn to it. I wanted to know—what kind of person, so full of contradictions and darkness, created it?”
“But when the design company brought me their so-called ‘designer,’ she didn’t even understand the concept of this piece. I knew instantly—she wasn’t the true creator.”
“It was your mother…” Lan Si looked at Yin Hanyu. “It was only after she stole the design back that I investigated and found out she had sold her talent to pay for her own mother’s medical treatment.”
“After that incident, I became interested in her. I kept secretly watching her, showing up around her. But she was like a hedgehog covered in thorns—she had a deep hatred for me.”
“Later, she even tried to run me over with her car…”
“WHAT?!…”
This time, Lin Qingyou was so shocked she couldn’t even find words.
Holy crap, that was insane!
Her mother was seriously something else—quiet for so long, only to make such a shocking move!
“That was the time Yin Haoting saved you, wasn’t it?” Yin Hanyu asked.
Lan Si nodded.
It was the first time in his life he had been so deeply wounded…
Both physically and emotionally.
The girl he adored wanted to kill him, and his dearest older brother lost his eyesight trying to save him.
After losing his vision, his brother became bitter and self-destructive.
Lan Si wanted revenge for his brother—but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to do it…
Sensing Lan Si’s emotions shifting, Yin Hanyu didn’t ask any more questions. He simply took back the butterfly brooch from him.
No wonder he had always found this brooch familiar.
When he was little, he had seen his mother sorting through design drafts.
But when he asked her about them, she had only said indifferently, “Nothing, just some useless scraps of paper…”
Despite Lan Si’s unease, Lin Qingyou hesitated before finally asking, “Then why did my mother try to kill you?”
Lan Si sighed. “She thought I killed her mother.”
“Did you?”
“Of course not.”
“Then… how did my mother’s mother die?”
Just as Lin Qingyou finished asking, Yin Hanyu recalled something he had heard from Ji Mo Sheng. “It was her father who killed her, wasn’t it?”
Lan Si nodded.
Yin Hanyu continued pressing, “Then why did it involve you?”