The man’s voice was slightly hoarse, and his tone was calm. Every word fell into her ears clearly.

Li Yinian’s hand paused in midair.

After a while, she looked up at the man beside her. Her eyes were clear and there was almost no emotion. “I did like you, but that’s all.”

Qiao Yanze took a deep breath and his eyes darkened.

After a while, he suddenly chuckled and said in a low voice, “If it weren’t for my mother’s obstruction, would we have gotten married long ago? And our child would probably be old enough to attend elementary school.”

Li Yinian’s dark eyes moved.

“No,” she said without hesitation, but she avoided eye contact with him. “Even without your mother’s interference, the possibility of me keeping that child is very low. Even if I keep that child, I might not marry you because of it. After all, I was already tired of it at that time.”

Qiao Yanze stared at her cold and sullen face, but the image of that charming woman appeared in his mind.

He suddenly felt something binding his heart and gradually tightening its grip. The dense pain made it difficult for him to breathe.

“Okay.” He didn’t say anything about it, but his Adam’s apple moved unconsciously, and his voice became even hoarser. “If you need help in the future, feel free to ask. I’ll never ask for anything from you. Don’t reject it. Take it as compensation from me.”

Li Yinian hesitated for a moment and nodded gently. Although she knew that she would probably never ask him for help, if it would make this man feel better, she would agree.

Qiao Yanze let go of her wrist and said, “Go in. I’ve booked a flight for you tomorrow. Take good care of yourself.”

Li Yinian said, “Thank you.”

With that, she inserted the key into the lock and turned it open. Then, she pulled up the suitcase and walked in. However, just as she was about to close the door, she met the man’s gaze again.

The man’s dark eyes were like an impenetrable net.

She grabbed the door handle and closed it forcefully. This rude action successfully blocked Qiao Yanze from the door and his gaze.

At that moment, Li Yinian suddenly felt a huge sense of loss and loneliness. This emotion came so suddenly that it almost overwhelmed her.

She walked to the sofa and slowly knelt down. She buried her face in the armrest of the sofa. After a while, she raised her head. The weak spot had been absorbed by the soft wool cushion on the armrest, and there was no trace of it.

…

Qiao Yanze returned to the car but did not leave immediately.

He lit a cigarette and looked cold, as if he was looking at a void.

He only came back to reality when the cigarette in his hand burned to the end. He stubbed it out and made a call.

“How’s the investigation going?”

“Uh…” It was Gu Yimo on the other end of the line. “You asked me to investigate what happened more than four years ago. It’s quite reliable. Didn’t I find out the whereabouts of that doctor for you? But now, you want to investigate what happened more than twenty years ago… I was just born back then. It’s not that easy. Although I’m related to Yinian, our families haven’t interacted for so many years…”

“Continue investigating.” Qiao Yanze was not interested in listening to his explanation and interrupted him. “You don’t understand what happened back then. Don’t tell me your parents don’t know either?”