Eventually, he was thrown out of the He Mansion by the servants; he passed out on the street, and when he woke up, he didn’t know how much time had passed.
Yet, those three days clung to him like maggots on bones, haunting him every night like a nightmare.
He could not forget the humiliation and pain of those three days.
With nowhere to turn, he had no choice but to sell himself to the Sky Blue Building and exchanged the money he earned for a small piece of ginseng, thus becoming the actor known as Phoenix Blood.
Brother Liubao said once he repaid his debts, he would be allowed to leave. He was thankful for his fine voice and his mastery of music theory, which attracted many rich patrons seeking novelty.
But his elder brother’s illness became increasingly severe, and the effect of ordinary ginseng couldn’t compare to the Thousand-year-old ginseng. "The doctor" said he must add several other medicinal ingredients; these herbs, should he wish to purchase them, would cost a total of ten taels of silver.
But given his current situation, he had yet to establish himself firmly at the Sky Blue Building and had no way to ask Brother Liubao for an advance on his earnings. His family was impoverished and even owed a huge pile of debts.
Therefore, the Dong family of Daliu Village exploited this opportunity and from then on, they had an additional prospective bride for their family.
Sometimes he wondered if he had not met He Su, or if he had been more careful back then, would he have been able to buy the Thousand-year-old ginseng? He wouldn’t have had to sing at the Sky Blue Building or let a cruel man brazenly enter the Liang family’s household.
But what was done was done.
All those thoughts he once had could only remain as thoughts.
Tie Hailan burst into the room and saw Liang Shujun pressing He Su against the wall.
Seeing He Su close to suffocation, she didn’t say a word, grabbed Liang Shujun, and yanked her forcefully backwards.
He slammed heavily against the wall.
Tie Hailan steadied He Su. "Are you okay?" she asked with concern.
He Su rubbed her neck, gasping for breath.
She shook her head with difficulty, but the look she gave Liang Shujun was filled with fear.
Just moments before, death had been so close; she nearly died.
If Tie Hailan hadn’t arrived in time, she really might have died!
She shivered with a start.
"Hmph," Liang Shujun scoffed derisively, with a gaze full of icy detachment.
Angrily, Tie Hailan glared at him: "You, you are simply ungrateful!"
"Yes, I am ungrateful," he replied.
His laugh was both seductively charming and devastatingly decadent.
"If I had understood matters of the heart, I would not have ended up in such a situation. I once prided myself on my cleverness, yet I misread human emotions. How could I have known that a simple chance encounter would bring about such a disaster?"
Tie Hailan paused, confused and not quite understanding what he was saying. But she was very annoyed inside: "Although I don’t know exactly what happened between you and He Su, even if she has a thousand faults, she is still a hundred times better than that person from your family! I am well aware of what kind of life you brothers have been living this past year. That Dong person is not a good match at all, and almost all the injuries on you brothers were inflicted by her."
If Dong Dabao had been a person of pure goodness, she probably wouldn’t have helped He Su with this matter.
In Tie Hailan’s eyes, since Miss Dong was not good to Phoenix Blood, and He Su cared about Phoenix Blood, her actions were a benevolent deed, helping him escape from misery.
Liang Shujun sneered ironically.
He Su’s eyes reddened; she grabbed Tie Hailan’s arm.
"Hai Lan, I’m alright; better you say less. None of this is Phoenix Blood’s fault. If anyone is to blame, it’s my own past arrogance and conceit," she said.
Her eyes filled with tears, causing Tie Hailan’s heart to ache.
Tie Hailan was a straightforward and hearty person. She had known He Su for many years, but their relationship had not initially been deep. However, one year ago, when she was at her lowest, He Su had helped her out.
Since then, she had openly and secretly protected He Su, and they even became sworn sisters.