Yun Shifei snapped back to her senses, realizing she couldn’t say anything, after all, those were events that would happen in the future.
"I don’t know either. Anyway, he won’t be coming back."
Sun Xiaoqi responded with an "Oh": "You two are neighbors, haven’t you run into each other?"
Yun Shifei shook her head.
Seeing her cluelessness, Sun Xiaoqi immediately felt disappointed.
She really wanted to pat Yun Shifei’s head. Wasn’t she close to Cheng Lie? How come she didn’t have the slightest interest in gossip?
What she didn’t know was that precisely because Yun Shifei already knew everything, she wasn’t interested in gossip.
Yun Shifei only wanted to use the remaining time to study hard, although occasionally, she would think of Cheng Lie and wonder what he was doing now.
She recalled when Yun Tiancheng went on a business trip, leaving her home alone and scared, Cheng Lie gave her his phone number.
Was that even really his phone? Would it still connect now?
Although she was eager to call, every time she tried dialing, she ultimately decided against it.
What if the call went to the Cheng Family? How would she explain herself then?
A couple of days later, Yun Shifei heard Zhao Haishuang’s furious yelling from the yard.
"Cheng Lie is such an ungrateful beast! I’ve raised him for so long, fed him the best, clothed him in the best, even had a driver take him to and from school every day. Our Ah Huai has always gone to school on his own, but him? How does he repay us? Ah Huai is sick and needs a bone marrow match. Clearly, he could have matched Ah Huai, but he ran away! How can there be such a heartless and ungrateful beast!"
Zhao Haishuang’s hysterical voice traveled far, and the Yun Family, not too distant from the Cheng Family, heard it as well.
Yun Shifei frowned slightly. In her past life, she heard this story indirectly from others, but she hadn’t expected Zhao Haishuang to spread the information in this manner herself.
There was never a shortage of people eager to watch the drama, and soon enough, someone stepped forward to comfort Zhao Haishuang.
Zhao Haishuang continued crying and cursing.
"I never thought this would happen! All these years, when have I ever treated him badly?! Wasn’t it our Old Cheng’s kindness that took him abroad for treatment and hired the best specialists? And what did he do? Shortly after his recovery, he ran away!
Old Cheng had to stay in a strange foreign country searching for him for a long time before finding out he’d secretly returned to China. After he came back, he disappeared completely. We had no idea where he went. Now that we want him to return to bone marrow to help our Ah Huai, we can’t find him anywhere! Tell me, doesn’t that make him heartless?" Zhao Haishuang cried and cursed simultaneously.
The crowd was utterly shocked, thinking that Cheng Lie was arguably very clever. To live independently despite all those years of autism, even navigating an overseas return on his own.
Listening to Zhao Haishuang’s rant, Yun Shifei found it hard to believe.
Even if Cheng Lie managed to return to China, how did he afford the ticket?
Without money, how could he buy a plane ticket? Was Zhao Haishuang lying? But why would she lie? Based on typical experience, such detailed storytelling usually implies a higher likelihood of truth.
Yun Shifei still felt that something was off, but she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what.
Later, Zhao Haishuang went on to fling many harsh insults at Cheng Lie. Yun Shifei grew very angry, feeling a strong urge to confront Zhao Haishuang and tell her to stop slandering Cheng Lie. But remembering that the woman was grieving the impending loss of a son, speaking up at such a time would only worsen her pain.
Though unable to empathize with Zhao Haishuang’s feelings, Yun Shifei knew at least not to kick someone when they’re down.
So, she closed the window, put on her headphones, and diligently focused on her books.
Days later, on her way home from school, Yun Shifei ran into Mu Chengzhu, who approached her to inquire about the incident.
"Is everything Aunt Cheng said true?"
"Then why is Cheng Lie missing?"
Yun Shifei hesitated: "How do you know he disappeared willingly? What if the Cheng Family abandoned him and made up an excuse later?"
Yun Shifei’s response left Mu Chengzhu momentarily speechless.
"Don’t believe everything you hear; there’s a difference between seeing and hearing. I’ve spent so much time with Cheng Lie, I know what kind of person he is."
He’s very obedient, not bad at all.
At first, even she thought he was a cold and cruel bad person. But spending time with him gradually revealed his goodness.
He’s absolutely not the villain that people imagined.
A person like him, even if cured of autism, would never hurt anyone.
The Cheng Family had done too many wrongs to Cheng Lie.
She thought back to when they deprived Cheng Lie of food and even cut his hand.
The current situation seemed inevitable, didn’t it?
Mu Chengzhu was surprised at how resolutely Yun Shifei defended Cheng Lie: "You’re so sure?"
"Yes, I’m very sure."
Under the lamplight, the girl’s eyes shone brightly, as if she were affirming an undeniable truth.
She believed the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, that the full moon appears on the sixteenth, that there are twenty-four hours in a day, and naturally, that Cheng Lie was a good person.
But Yun Shifei didn’t realize that her unwavering belief in Cheng Lie made Mu Chengzhu a little jealous.
Regret surged in his heart like the tide. If only he hadn’t underestimated her back then, might things have turned out differently? Original content can be found at novel⚑fire.net
When the rumors reached Sun Xiaoqi, she began gossiping with Yun Shifei.
Yun Shifei responded indifferently: "Don’t listen to those rumors, they’re all lies."
Unlike Mu Chengzhu, Sun Xiaoqi didn’t repeatedly seek confirmation. She knew Yun Shifei was close to Cheng Lie, so she simply said "Oh" and dropped the topic.
As expected, Cheng Huai’s condition worsened rapidly. Unable to find a suitable bone marrow match, his life gradually faded away.
Zhao Haishuang would pull every passerby she could find to curse Cheng Lie, but even that couldn’t dissolve her hatred or save her son’s life.
Such heartbreaking pain made Zhao Haishuang wish she could die in Cheng Huai’s place.
Sadly, that wasn’t possible.
Cheng Huai passed away in late spring, early summer.
That young man who was still cheeky with her last year was now gone. Yun Shifei felt somewhat conflicted.
Perhaps life is just — seemingly strong, yet so fragile.
Even though Yun Shifei once had conflicts with Cheng Huai, Yun Tiancheng still attended his funeral.
At the funeral, Yun Sisi also attended.
She dressed in black, crying like a delicate flower in the rain.
Originally, she didn’t need to attend; her relationship with Cheng Huai was average at best. But she thought this was an opportunity, so she decided to show up.
Besides Yun Sisi, the courtyard’s younger companions also came, but Yun Shifei didn’t attend.
Yun Sisi checked out the attendees as soon as she arrived.
Yun Tiancheng and Xu Ya were also present.
This was a golden opportunity; she must talk to them and reclaim her place as their daughter.