“Lilies are such elegant and profound flowers,” she murmured while caressing the petals.
Lin Xinyan gazed at her. “Are you here just to talk about how nice lilies are?”
It wasn’t that she despised Gu Huiyuan. She’s a member of the Gu family. We can never be friends.
Gu Huiyuan took a step back and bowed to Lin Xinyan. “I’d like to apologize for everything I’ve done to you.”
Lin Xinyan was stunned into silence but remained cautious.
Gu Huiyuan knew that Lin Xinyan still had her doubts. She won’t trust me that easily.
But I’m not here to earn her trust.
“I’m guessing you and Mr. Zong get along very well, don’t you?” Despite asking this question, she spoke in a factual tone and sat on a chair next to the bed.
“To be honest, I shouldn’t have come to see you. After all, everything that has happened between us…” She looked up at Lin Xinyan. “I know they were wrong and that they deserved to be punished. I shouldn’t feel the need to avenge them. But still, they’re my family. Do you understand how I feel, Mrs. Zong?”
“I think you should be telling all your living relatives who have done wrong that we live in a society governed by law. Anyone who commits a crime has to take responsibility for their sins; no one should get away with this. You may feel bad for your family, but those whom your family has harmed have their own families too. A person who can’t put themselves in the shoes of others is only immature and stubborn. You say you get it, but the truth is, you don’t. You think it’s only fair if my husband or I suffer. Honestly, what you should do is to tell Gu Bei that the world is a fair one. If you mess up, you should be striving to change your ways. No one can save him if he continues to deny his wrongdoings, don’t you think so?”
Gu Huiyuan was taken aback. Indeed, she had only been seeing the world from her own perspective, and thought that only by making Zong Jinghao’s life hell would it be fair for her late father and imprisoned brother.
She initially had more to say, but now, she couldn’t say a word.
Lin Xinyan had no intention of taking the moral high ground or criticize others. She only wanted to tell Gu Huiyuan the right reasoning.
If a person never has to pay for their own crimes, wouldn’t the world be in utter chaos?
Who could ever feel safe, then?
“If you love your brother, you should tell him the right thing to do. An honorable person should make money the right way, not by harming others for the sake of dirty money. You’re well aware of what your brother did, and instead of stopping him, your parents tolerated and shielded him. That’s when all the trouble started.”
There was no denying that Lin Xinyan was right.
Dad was corrupt. He used his power to protect Gu Bei. Maybe none of this would’ve happened if he had guided him better.
Initially, she had come to tell Lin Xinyan that she had let things go, but they owed her one. Thinking about it now, though, what had they ever done wrong in the first place?
All they did was to expose the truth and let the guilty receive the punishment they deserved.
She slowly closed her eyes.
Her emotions were all over the place.
Suddenly, she let out a chuckle. “I really am part of the Gu family. Even the way I think is different from others, huh?”
Lin Xinyan didn’t feel this had anything to do with the Gu family.
This was a matter of a person’s own thoughts and conscience.
For instance, Gu Huixin, the mother-in-law of Bai Yinning and third daughter of the Gu family, had never involved herself in this incident even once. Clearly, she could differentiate right from wrong.
“Tell me, what are you here for?” Lin Xinyan gazed at her, asking.
“I came here just to see you,” Gu Huiyuan answered calmly. “Guan Jing is extremely loyal to Mr. Zong.”
Lin Xinyan squinted. What does she mean?
Is she involved with Guan Jing?
“I think I made the right decision to come. I feel better now. At first, I thought I’d call myself self-centered, but after listening to your words, I don’t think I’ve disappointed anyone.” Gu Huiyuan stood up and repeated, “I’m sorry for what I’ve done before.”
“I understand. Maybe I would’ve felt the same if I were you. No matter what crimes they’ve committed, blood is thicker than water. It’s normal for you to be upset and hurt.”
“Thanks for understanding.” Gu Huiyuan didn’t expect her to be such a wise woman. She initially thought Lin Xinyan was just a pretty face.
Now, she realized how this woman seemed to glow.
“If we ever get the chance to meet again, I hope we can be friends.”
She extended an arm. “Can I shake your hand?”
Lin Xinyan held out her own arm too, and they briefly shook hands.
“I’ll be off, then.”
Lin Xinyan nodded.
Gu Huiyuan left the hospital and headed to the prison, but she couldn’t meet Gu Bei.
To prevent the previous incident from occurring again, no one was allowed to see him.
She wrote him a letter and had someone deliver it.
Then, the woman headed to the hotel as planned.
However, she didn’t arrive on time. She was late.
Zong Jinghao, too, had a plan to get back at her— In fact, it was a much more evil plan than hers.
All Gu Huiyuan had plotted was to trick him into sleeping with another woman.
Meanwhile, Zong Jinghao had planned to place a prisoner on death row in the room and set Gu Huiyuan up as a murderer.
It wasn’t that Zong Jinghao was too ruthless. He just felt this woman was too vengeful and couldn’t live in peace if he didn’t wipe her out completely.
Moreover, he had to ensure Lin Xinyan’s safety, given the condition she was in.
He and Shen Peichuan were the masterminds and thought that Gu Huiyuan would show up at the time Guan Jing mentioned. Yet, she didn’t.
“She didn’t trick you, did she? Shen Peichuan asked.
“There’s no way,” Guan Jing answered firmly.
But just as his words fell, Gu Huiyuan showed up at the door.
