Font Size:
In the dead of night, the world was immersed in silence.
Inside the hotel room, Yin Hanyu’s back, which had been severely injured by an explosion, had finally stopped bleeding after Lin Qingyou’s careful and meticulous treatment.
However, due to excessive blood loss and staying awake for an entire day and night, Yin Hanyu had already fallen into a deep sleep.
Seeing that he was completely asleep, Lin Qingyou tiptoed to the door, gently pushing it open, afraid of making even the slightest sound that might wake her beloved.
She walked slowly to the balcony, standing quietly as her gaze fell on the ink-black night sky. Yet, her thoughts surged like crashing waves.
She had indeed imagined the hardships and torment Yin Hanyu must have endured over the years…
But it wasn’t until she heard him recount his past with her own ears that she realized how powerless and naive her assumptions had been.
The suffering Yin Hanyu had endured far exceeded anything she could have comprehended.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she bit her lip tightly.
She closed her eyes in pain, forcing herself to hold back her tears.
Yin Hanyu hadn’t told her about his suffering because he didn’t want her to be sad, did he?
So, she couldn’t cry!
Yin Hanyu had already suffered too much—how could she let him worry about her now?
The night breeze ruffled Lin Qingyou’s hair, bringing a trace of coolness, but she remained oblivious.
Scenes of Yin Hanyu speaking about his past, with his heavy expression and restrained emotions, kept flashing through her mind, each one piercing her heart.
At that moment, Ming Yu stepped out from another room.
Lin Qingyou took a deep breath to compose herself. “You’re still awake?”
Ming Yu approached her. “You must have a lot of questions for me.”
Lin Qingyou nodded, looking at Ming Yu. “If I ask, will you answer?”
Ming Yu gazed into the distance. “If you don’t ask, I won’t know.”
Lin Qingyou followed her gaze. “Did you suffer the same hardships as Yin Hanyu? Were you scared? Did it hurt?”
Ming Yu suddenly turned her head and looked at Lin Qingyou, her calm eyes filled with confusion.
“Why is your first question about me?”
Lin Qingyou was startled. “What else should I ask?”
“Obviously, something about Yin Hanyu.”
Lin Qingyou sighed. “He already told me most of it.”
Ming Yu raised an eyebrow. “Then you must be impressive.”
Lin Qingyou frowned. “What do you mean?”
Ming Yu said, “Yin Hanyu has never been one to complain, nor does he talk about his pain.”
“He would never expose his own wounds…”
“I forced him to say it.”
“Then you’re even more impressive.” Ming Yu smirked. “Because no one has ever been able to force him.”
“There was a time when we were on a mission together. I was taken hostage, and the enemy demanded that he hand over the item, or else they would kill me.”
Ming Yu looked at Lin Qingyou. “Guess what Yin Hanyu did?”
Lin Qingyou responded instinctively, “He saved you, of course! You’re important to him.”
Ming Yu shook her head. “He chose to kill me.”
Lin Qingyou was shocked. “How could that be?”
Ming Yu chuckled. “Because, at that moment, killing me was the best option.”
“Even the person who kidnapped me was caught off guard! But in that brief moment of surprise, I saved myself.”
Lin Qingyou felt guilty. She had subconsciously assumed that Yin Hanyu had taken advantage of the kidnapper’s distraction to rescue Ming Yu.
But it turned out that Ming Yu had saved herself.
Ming Yu looked at Lin Qingyou. “If it had been you who was kidnapped, he would have surrendered without hesitation.”
Because Yin Hanyu would never take a gamble with Lin Qingyou’s life—not even on a one-in-a-million chance.
But when it was Ming Yu, Yin Hanyu remained calm, rational, and unwavering in his principles of never being coerced.
“Do you resent him?”
Ming Yu shook her head. “No. Because if the roles were reversed—if he were the one kidnapped and I was the one being threatened—I would have done the same.”
“Why?” Lin Qingyou was confused. “Aren’t you two life-and-death partners? Aren’t you supposed to be willing to die for each other? Why would you also choose to let him die?”
“Because the mission is more important than our lives.”
“And sacrificing ourselves for each other is just part of our basic training.”
“Basic training? What kind of basic training?” Lin Qingyou asked, puzzled.
Ming Yu looked into the distance again. “On our first mission together, we succeeded, but we were still severely punished.”
“He was whipped fifty times and thrown into a snake pit.”
“I was whipped twenty times and thrown into a rat-infested hole.”
“He feared snakes the most. I feared rats the most.”
Lin Qingyou shuddered, goosebumps rising on her arms.
Why did such a cruel place exist in this world?
They were just children back then!
“You said the mission was completed—so why were you still punished?” Lin Qingyou’s fists clenched tightly in anger and confusion.
“Because we didn’t cooperate. We didn’t work as a team. We just acted independently. But life-and-death partners must live and die together, entrust their backs to each other without hesitation, and have complete trust.”
Lin Qingyou was stunned.
“From that moment on, if we failed to cooperate, trust, or rely on each other, we would face even harsher punishments and torment… Over time, even the toughest spirits would break.”
Ming Yu and Yin Hanyu had been stubborn at first.
But in that hellish place, stubbornness only brought more suffering.
Disobedience was useless.
The only option was submission.
“Now, can you answer my question?”
“Huh? What question?” Lin Qingyou was momentarily lost.
“Why was your first question about me?”
Did you suffer the same hardships as Yin Hanyu? Were you scared? Did it hurt?
Lin Qingyou softly replied, “Because I feel sorry for Yin Hanyu… and for you too.”
“For me?” Ming Yu frowned. Why would Lin Qingyou pity her?
“Because you’re a girl.”
At that age, most girls were twirling in beautiful princess dresses, carefree and happy.
But Ming Yu…
Just thinking about it made Lin Qingyou’s heart ache.
“A girl?” Ming Yu laughed bitterly. “If you hadn’t said it, I would have forgotten that I was one.”
Yin Hanyu once said Lin Qingyou and Ming Yu were different. Yin Yixuan tried to twist the meaning.
But the truth was simple—Ming Yu was never a girl in Yin Hanyu’s eyes, not the way Lin Qingyou was.
That dark, filthy, and dangerous pit—Lin Qingyou should never be anywhere near it.
But Ming Yu?
She had lived in that pit her entire life.
“You forgot you’re a girl?” Lin Qingyou’s eyes stung, her voice choking. “But you are one—a beautiful, beautiful, unbelievably beautiful girl.”
Ming Yu fell silent, but something inside her stirred.
Finally, she looked up and seriously answered Lin Qingyou’s question.
“I didn’t suffer everything Yin Hanyu did. He had it the worst.”
“Why?”
Ming Yu shook her head. “I don’t know. But I could feel it.”
“They captured many, many children… But among them, Yin Hanyu was the one they tortured the most. It was as if the master hated him…”