Chapter 521 - 520: What to Do

Chapter 521: Chapter 520: What to Do

Du Yunluo looked at Mu Lianxiao.

His eyes were deep and clear, reflecting her image, full of concern and heartache.

Du Yunluo suddenly thought of the moment in Baijie Hall when Mu Lianxiao gently patted her back, supporting her in his own way.

Her vision unknowingly blurred, her eyes misty, and Du Yunluo blinked her almond-shaped eyes, rushing forward.

Mu Lianxiao, quick to react, caught her, letting her sit in his lap, wrapping his arms around her slender waist.

Du Yunluo didn’t answer immediately. She buried her head in Mu Lianxiao’s neck, taking a few deep breaths before speaking muffledly: "I watched her slap Second Uncle, smash things, and argue with Second Uncle too. At that moment, I didn’t think whether she should stay at the Pingyang Marquis Mansion for life, return home, or remarry. I didn’t think about those things.

All I had in mind was one thought—I understand how she feels.

I thought that if I woke up from that painful dream, only to find that the only thing I couldn’t give up in this life had been destroyed, I would cause an even greater scene than hers.

Having already tasted the end of life, if I can’t have my wish this time, then the following decades wouldn’t be worth living—might as well die.

But before dying, I would take someone with me."

Even as she spoke such words, Du Yunluo’s soft and mumbling voice gave it the feel of a gentle whine.

Mu Lianxiao wanted to laugh but felt heartache, recalling the "dream" Du Yunluo had told him about, and his heart ached fiercely.

If in this life, he still couldn’t be with her, Du Yunluo would certainly refuse to spend half a life chanting scriptures again.

Only through experience can one understand the bitterness of that half-life.

What Mu Lianxiao could currently understand was just a fraction.

"Yunluo..." Mu Lianxiao tightened his arm around Du Yunluo’s waist, lowering his head slightly to kiss her forehead.

Du Yunluo raised her hand to rub her slightly itchy forehead, her almond-shaped eyes misty: "Lady is the same."

Mu Lianxiao was slightly stunned. Once he grasped Du Yunluo’s meaning, he pressed his lips tightly, took a deep breath, and said, "You mean the elder sister too..."

"She is," Du Yunluo said confidently, "That is why she refused to marry Prince Rui. Regardless of who inherits the title at Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, if she marries Prince Rui, her life’s result would be no different from her previous life."

Mu Lianxiao frowned.

Previously in Tong City, Du Yunluo only told him about her dream and didn’t mention Mu Lianhui.

If Mu Lianhui was indeed starting anew, the current situation must have destroyed her bottom line.

"Living a few more decades means nothing to Lady," Du Yunluo mused, "Reputation, dignity, those are concerns for people who wish to live. For someone who cares not for life, why bother with such things?"

Du Yunluo pouted; in her past life, there was no way out for Mu Lianhui. In this life, she broke away and married into the Pingyang Marquis Mansion.

Who knew that the situation, which was fine, would be disrupted by Mu Liancheng.

Mu Lianhui wasn’t one to sit still and await death. Du Yunluo guessed that if Dingyuan Marquis Mansion refused to help, Mu Lianhui would find a way herself when the time was right, and if it truly became a dead end, then she would overturn the world, making sure no one would have it easy.

"You ask what I think; the truth is I don’t want anything," Du Yunluo smiled wryly, "I said back in Tong City that I won’t forget those hatreds and feuds, and I can’t forget them. If I did and returned to that dream, I would go mad.

The matters concerning Lady belong to grandmother, mother, and her parents. As a sister-in-law, it’s not my place to comment or interfere.

Whatever the family decides, I will abide by it, and whether Lady listens will be her choice.

Help her, pity her? She doesn’t want my help or pity.

As for letting go of past grievances and forgetting old hatreds, regardless of whether I believe it or not, Lady with her personality certainly doesn’t.

Lady has her own plans. Other than blocking my path initially, she hasn’t interfered these past two years. I don’t care why she didn’t block me, and I won’t block her.

If she can escape ten thousand miles using her own abilities, let her do so.

However, if she wants to drag Dingyuan Marquis Mansion down with her for her own sake, I won’t agree, and of course, grandmother won’t agree either."

Du Yunluo spoke slowly, her tone calm, but only she knew the turmoil inside.

Mu Lianxiao gently stroked her back, speaking softly into her ear: "Let’s follow your thoughts, Yunluo; I will stay with you."

Du Yunluo’s brows slowly relaxed, and she responded softly, her smile gentle.

For her, nothing compared to the simple words "I will stay with you." All she wanted was Mu Lianxiao’s company.

The couple embraced each other as the Western clock ticked away outside, and Du Yunluo slowly released Mu Lianxiao, saying, "It’s getting late; let’s have lunch first."

Jin Rui set the table, and the couple dined together.

Lady Peng brought Brother Yan over.

Brother Yan pouted, reaching out to be held, and Mu Lianxiao picked up his son, carrying him around the room.

Du Yunluo’s eyes followed the father and son, and Brother Yan’s laughter filled her ears, making her smile too.

In the evening, someone from Baijie Hall came to summon the couple.

Du Yunluo and Mu Lianxiao went over to find that Mu Liancheng and his wife had returned.

Mu Liancheng’s expression was grave as he said to Madam Wu, "There’s quite a commotion at Pingyang Marquis Mansion."

Du Yunluo and Mu Lianxiao exchanged a glance—it would be strange if there wasn’t a commotion.

Jin Shang was Pingyang Marquis’s youngest grandson, and his mother was heir to the Pingyang Marquis’s original wife who passed years ago. Jin Shang delayed his marriage to mourn his mother and finally got engaged to someone from Dingyuan Marquis Mansion.

The original wife was personally chosen by Marchioness, who was quite protective; whatever she picked was excellent, and she cherished the children the original wife left behind like her own eyes.

The Heir’s second wife had only been in the house for a few years and had borne a daughter, whom Marchioness Pingyang disliked, always praising the original wife instead.

Jin Shang, as the youngest grandson, was not as favored by Marchioness Pingyang as her legitimate eldest grandson.

Ultimately, Jin Shang was killed by a mistress’s scheme following a comment from his uncle. With nowhere to vent her anger, Marchioness of Pingyang naturally directed her rage at Mu Lianhui and Mu Liancheng.

Especially with Mu Lianhui’s temper, Marchioness never warmed to her, having nothing good to say.

Mu Liancheng apologized, but an apology was not life’s price. As a result, Marchioness could only vent in scolding indirectly, and there was nothing the couple could do except endure the verbal abuse on this visit.

"Let her scold a bit to calm down," Madam Wu rubbed her throbbing temples, "Her grandson is dead; if she can’t even vent, how can she go on?"

Mu Liancheng lowered his head and agreed.

Seeing him like this, Madam Wu swallowed whatever was about to come out and just said, "Things have reached this point, and there’s no use in saying anything to you. Just remember to be cautious in words and deeds from now on. No matter how much trouble Lian Hui stirs up, one thing she said is true—you chose the weakest target to squeeze."