"Miss, here’s the hot water you asked for."
Bian Yue took the hot water and walked out.
The sunshine was just right, warm and comforting upon her skin, bringing a sense of drowsy peace.
When the driver saw Bian Yue, he hurried to open the car door for her. Bian Yue bent down to enter and saw Li Sihe sitting in the back seat.
His complexion wasn’t good; to be precise, every time Bian Yue saw him, he looked worse than the last time.
His body was already at its limit; now, he was overworking himself to death with Fengcheng Group’s work every day.
The car drove slowly on the road. Bian Yue handed the hot water to Li Sihe, "For you."
Li Sihe took it, paused, and a smile spread across his peach blossom eyes. He gazed at Bian Yue, his voice unspeakably gentle, "Thank you."
"There’s no need. You should take better care of yourself, Li Sihe. We only have one life, and there’s no need to trap yourself to death." Bian Yue’s expression was serious as she spoke, "I hope you can focus on your recovery."
Li Sihe held the warm cup in his hand and said, "What you want to say is, you hope I won’t get involved in the dispute between my father and you, right?"
"Bian Yue, if I were only Li Sihe, I would definitely agree with you. Because you are more important to Li Sihe, but I am more than just Li Sihe; I am also the chairman of Fengcheng Group. So what I mean is, I can’t do that. To be enemies with the Li Family is to be my enemy."
They sat in the cramped car, feeling a cold draft spreading between them.
Bian Yue sat as far away from Li Sihe as possible. The car windows were covered with privacy shades, and looking outside, the view was not clear, like looking at flowers through fog.
"Are you so afraid that I might find out the exact location of Bian Shu?"
"I’m sorry, but I don’t trust Shen Jinci not to use unconventional methods to take Bian Shu away. Therefore, I had to take some precautions."
He spoke so calmly that the silence between them deepened.
Li Sihe looked at Bian Yue’s clear and clean profile. She was frowning, her expression of discomfort.
"Is it your time of the month?"
Bian Yue was momentarily startled, "Yes."
"Then drink this hot water. It might make you feel better."
Bian Yue said it wasn’t necessary; she had already had a lot at the coffee shop. This was specifically brought for him.
"Bian Yue," Li Sihe sighed softly, calling her name with such deep anguish. "Would it be okay for me to apologize to you?"
"What?" Bian Yue was momentarily stunned, not quite grasping his meaning.
"That time... I was in too much pain. I didn’t know how to face you. I knew all too well the vile thoughts my father had about you, but I was helpless to stop it. My position was too difficult, Bian Yue... I know you don’t believe me, but I truly feel pain for you."
Li Sihe was always calm and gentle, his emotions rarely out of control. He could always clearly articulate his intentions. But at that moment, his speech was sluggish and disorganized, completely off-balance.
From his rare disorientation in speech, Bian Yue understood his dilemma.
After a prolonged silence, Bian Yue softly said, "Li Sihe, I have never blamed you. I can’t expect you to abandon your family for me, nor can I expect you to give up everything for me, so I’ve only... chosen a path that might not lead to the same destination as yours."
Hearing Bian Yue’s quiet words, Li Sihe’s heart felt as if it was tearing apart.
He had no response; humans are selfish, and the fairy tale of sacrificing everything for love is just that—a fairy tale.
Li Sihe closed his eyes tightly and then reopened them, returning to his impassive state.
He smiled at Bian Yue, his voice gentle: "Does Shen Jinci know that you followed me here to see Bian Shu?"
Li Sihe paused, then suddenly rolled down the windows on both sides of the car.
Bian Yue was surprised and looked at the indistinct mountains outside.
The car was driving on a mountain road, stirring up the withered leaves.
"Why would you suddenly roll down the windows? Aren’t you afraid that I will memorize the route?"
"When have you ever memorized a route? Haven’t I always been the one to navigate whenever we went out?" Li Sihe said this with a smile, but the next moment, his smile stiffened slightly.
Indeed, in the past...
Bian Yue, the young girl, relied on him and never memorized routes when going out.
He would sometimes helplessly ask her why she didn’t call a driver and would just wander off without fear of not finding her way home.
Looking at him, Bian Yue’s eyes sparkled as she said, "What’s there to be afraid of? Wherever I go, can’t you always find me?"
But now, Li Sihe heard Bian Yue laugh and say, "Now, I’m used to remembering my way back."
"I thought you would say, no matter where you are, Shen Jinci will find you."
"He will find me, but I can’t always stand still, like a doll waiting to be rescued. I need the ability to save myself and stand on my own."
A moment of silence passed, and the hot water in Li Sihe’s hand was already lukewarm.
He asked, "When did you start thinking this way?"
Bian Yue replied, "From the moment I knew the Li Family couldn’t be absolved from my parents’ death, I realized I couldn’t be capricious for the rest of my life."
After that, neither of them spoke again.
Until the car stopped in front of a sanatorium.
This sanatorium didn’t even have a sign, standing alone in the remote mountains.
Bian Yue got out of the car and looked around, only seeing scattered red brick houses amidst the dense forest.
"She’s been here for ten years?" Bian Yue was shocked as she looked at Li Sihe, filled with incomprehension, "Why didn’t anyone in the Bian Family notice for so long?"
"Soon, you’ll know why," Li Sihe said meaningfully.
At that moment, an elderly white-haired old man emerged from inside, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a white lab coat, looking every bit the scholar.
He saw Li Sihe and hurriedly said with respect, "Mr. Li, you’re here."
"Doctor Zhang, this is Bian Yue. I brought her to see the patient in Room 1."
Doctor Zhang looked at Bian Yue with a troubled expression, "Umm... Miss Bian, you need to be prepared."
Bian Yue’s heart sank. She clenched her fists and spoke to Doctor Zhang with a stern voice, "Please take me there now. The patient inside is my cousin. No matter what she’s become, I’m prepared."
Doctor Zhang, increasingly troubled, looked at Li Sihe, hesitating.
Seeing this, Li Sihe said indifferently, "Doctor Zhang, if you have something to say, just say it."
Doctor Zhang’s lips trembled, and his aged face was filled with difficulty. After several attempts to speak and stopping, he finally sighed deeply and said, "Ah... well, please follow me..."
Bian Yue and Li Sihe followed behind Doctor Zhang, passing through a seemingly endless forest, to stop in front of an old red house.