Chapter 406: Chapter 405: The Reason
"Moreover... it seems she admires you," Lin Wan said sourly.
She recalled seeing Ye Qing swaggering around Han Yi’s house in her past life, living like a mistress.
If Han Yi hadn’t told her he hadn’t signed the divorce papers, she would have been deceived by Ye Qing, the sly and shameless woman.
"Hmm?" His already furrowed brows creased even more deeply.
He was well aware that during his years in the Southern Military Region, he was often out on assignments and didn’t know the local female comrades. Lin Wan knew this would happen, pulled him stealthily to the wall to peek at what was happening with Ye Qing. Coincidentally, Ye Qing was standing by the wall in her courtyard, calling out to Mei Langchi, for some unknown reason.
Lin Wan quickly pulled Han Yi, urging him to look at Ye Qing. Did he recognize her or not?
Although the night was dark and unclear, the dim light in the two houses still allowed them to see people’s faces.
When Han Yi saw Ye Qing’s face, his initially smooth brows furrowed once again.
He did have some impression of this woman. "Mr. Mei, I heard the weather forecast just now. It seems there’ll be heavy snow the day after tomorrow. How about waiting until after the snow to leave?" During dinner, Ye Qing learned that Mei Langchi would leave in a few days, and felt somewhat unwilling.
"There are assignments from above, I need to return as soon as possible, and besides, my leave here has already ended." Mei Langchi had been clearly avoiding her these days.
"About Lin Wan’s matter... I’ll keep an eye on it for you. There are still several months to go. There will always be a chance." Even if Lin Wan safely gives birth, whether she’ll be able to raise the child is another matter.
She didn’t say these words aloud, fearing Mei Langchi would think she’s too harsh.
But in this world, how can one survive without some harshness?
"Thank you. Don’t worry, I won’t treat you poorly."
She was aware of Mei Langchi’s aloofness towards her, yet she was unwilling to give up.
"I’m already grateful for Mr. Mei’s help all these days. All this is what I’m willing to do for you, besides, I have a grudge against her too. I’d do the same even without you."
The conversation between the two made Lin Wan and Han Yi, who were eavesdropping behind the wall, furrow their brows.
They exchanged some harmless words and then each returned to their room.
Han Yi touched Lin Wan’s cold face and asked, "Have you eaten yet?"
Lin Wan shook her head. "I was thinking of going back to eat. Should we go back now or stay here?"
Han Yi glanced at the somewhat gloomy sky and said, "Let’s eat here. I talked to Mom at noon, it’s okay if we don’t go back today."
"Okay." Although they rented the place, they only ate there during the day and never stayed overnight.
Han Yi and Lin Wan entered the kitchen, where they still had a big cabbage, some vermicelli, and a strip of meat. Lin Wan had steamed some rice at noon and made pork stewed with vermicelli. There was some left but not much. Han Yi fried a fresh portion.
"Do you remember Ye Qing?" Lin Wan asked, tending the fire by the stove, watching Han Yi who was busy beside her.
Han Yi nodded slightly, his expression not quite good. "Yes, I do have some impression when seeing her."
"Where did you see her? How did you meet?" Lin Wan, puzzled for two lifetimes, was now extremely eager, desperate to know the answer in the next second.
"I can’t remember which year it was, only that it was summer. That day, I was on a business trip, got off the train at midnight, passing through Huai Town. It was probably past midnight. As I walked past a water hollow in the back street, I heard a faint cry for help. At first, I thought it was some animal in the water. I had a flashlight with me and shone it into the water hollow, unexpectedly seeing something moving. It startled me, almost made me run away, thinking it was some monster. But later, I realized something was wrong. I could hear the faint cry for help from it. Gathering my courage, I walked over and found a woman covered in mud."
"That person was Ye Qing?" Lin Wan knew something had happened to Ye Qing, but she still couldn’t figure out how it was related to herself.
"Didn’t know it then. That water hollow was full of mud, and she was injured all over, clothes torn to shreds, save for her eyes, there wasn’t a spot intact."
"Was she... was she assaulted?" Lin Wan had considered many possibilities, but never this one. That night, they went with her brother and several people from the village to watch a movie, and Ye Qing had gone to the toilet once. She hadn’t followed her.
Yet when they returned, Ye Qing didn’t look well. Lin Wan, engrossed in watching, didn’t ask much. After the movie ended, there weren’t many people in the dispersing crowd. Her brother, afraid they’d get separated, kept holding her hand. Lin Wan also followed her brother’s example and held Ye Qing’s hand. Unexpectedly, the crowd was too dense, and a man suddenly rushed from behind, breaking the hold between her and Ye Qing.
Just in that instant, they lost Ye Qing.
They searched for her for a long time among the crowd, even waited by the road leading to their village for a while, but didn’t find her. People from the village speculated she might have left early and were no longer searching, leaving in twos and threes. Finally, just she and her brother remained, waiting at the intersection. Even after everyone from the movie left, and the staff started packing up, she and her brother went home, thinking perhaps Ye Qing couldn’t find them and went home early too.
The next morning, she specifically went to Ye Qing’s house. Her mom said Ye Qing caught a cold from watching the movie, fell ill, and was recuperating at home, afraid of infecting her, so didn’t let her in.
She initially wanted to ask when Ye Qing returned. As long as she was safe, it was fine. Lin Wan chatted with Ye Qing’s mom for a while, telling her to take good care of Ye Qing, then went home.
"Indeed, it was likely premeditated. On the way, I asked Ye Qing, she said the person had a cloth over their face, so she didn’t see their face, but... not killing her was fortunate."
"Did you take her home that night?"
Han Yi shook his head. "I took her to the nearest medical station we were stationed at, which was the military infirmary. After taking her there, I initially wanted to help her report it, but she clutched my clothes, not allowing it. I had a mission then, so I left, entrusting her to a nurse at the clinic. When I returned half a month later and asked, they said after I left, Ye Qing insisted on returning home that night after treating her wounds. They wanted her to report it, but not being the victim, they couldn’t persuade her, so they sent her home in a vehicle." In fact, although he saved her, he didn’t know her appearance, name, or even which village she lived in.
Unexpectedly, Ye Qing was so attentive to him. Two months after the incident, she came to seek him once, coincidentally catching him at the barracks’ gate.
At that time, he thought Ye Qing came to repay him, believing saving her was what he ought to do, without expecting anything in return. To dispel her hopes, he instructed the soldier on guard to say he’d been transfared.
"Were you with them that night? Why was she alone there?" A girl experiencing something like this pained him too. He just didn’t agree with her concealment, letting the perpetrator roam free.
"That day, my brother, Ye Qing, and I went to watch a movie together. A power outage occurred, and we got separated..." Lin Wan described the night’s event. "At the time, I thought she left early. Didn’t expect..." Finally, she understood why Ye Qing loathed her, blaming her for not holding on tight, for merely waiting instead of seeking. For not checking if she returned home after arriving at the village.
Indeed, even she blamed herself now. Ye Qing’s hatred was justified. Had they been more diligent, perhaps Ye Qing wouldn’t have encountered such an event.
Lin Wan was filled with remorse now, her heart aching steadily. Though she hadn’t experienced it, she could imagine how helpless and scared Ye Qing must have been back then.
Back then, surely she prayed for her appearance, hoping she would find her quickly.
But she left.
After two lifetimes, Lin Wan finally understood Ye Qing’s hatred. Besides guilt, she felt Ye Qing shouldn’t blame her. They had tried searching when they couldn’t find her, but simply failed to locate her then.