Chapter 26: Repaying the Hurt

"Young master, the old master is waiting for you at the waterside pavilion."

Fu Yanyan was perfectly suited to black; since Silent Hill was cold, hidden from the world, with undercurrents swirling beneath the surface—both in methods and emotions—it was fitting. Two rows of servants lit lanterns in the pavilion, then withdrew. He sat opposite the old man, and his gaze fell upon the xiao on the rosewood table. Picking it up, he played a melody into the night wind.

His profile was sharp and dignified, an icy frost in his eyes, making him resemble a Greek statue, or the wind of Siberia itself.

“My boy, you’ve won your beauty and come home. You must be in a good mood,” the old man remarked. Then, following the flow of the music, he broke into song, the two voices echoing through the air, as the moon’s reflection rippled across the lake.

When the music faded, Fu Yanyan set the instrument aside and poured himself tea.

“This song is about fate,” he said.

“My boy, is it a happy fate or a tragic one?”

“There’s no such thing as a happy or tragic fate for all things in this world. When gold wind meets jade dew, that moment surpasses many others in this world.”

The old man knew he could not win an argument against him. Patting his knees, he rose. “Whatever choices you make, I can only remind you. Since ancient times, countless heroes have lost everything because of a woman. A little affection is a good thing; too much love will only bring you pain.”

“Uncle, haven’t I suffered enough already? A little more won’t matter. She once saved my life. Without her, I wouldn’t be who I am today. The grudges of your generation have nothing to do with her.”

The old man sighed, humming a tune to the moon as he walked away from the pavilion.

The next morning, a gentle breeze drifted through the open window, sunlight spilling across her cheeks and rousing her from sleep. She opened the wardrobe; it was filled with the clothes she had loved to wear when she was still the heiress of the Zhong family.

Zhong Huayan’s gaze landed on a white dress—a limited edition from the spring and summer of that year. That very dress had been destroyed in the fire. Pain, like a venomous insect burrowed in her bones, would always bite without leaving a trace. In this moment, her skin seemed to sizzle with agony, a feeling she could never forget and could not describe.

Before she could collect herself, the familiar sound of crying and shouting rose up from the courtyard.

“I don’t want to kneel anymore! Who do you think you are, making me kneel?”

Zhong Huayan stepped into the garden and saw Xu Yuan forced to her knees by the pond, restrained by the bodyguards.

When Xu Yuan saw her, her expression twisted with malice. “You fraud! Why aren’t you dead yet? Looking so much like that woman—you should have died long ago!”

Zhong Huayan could not understand how jealousy could twist a girl into a murderous demon. Was it simply because, back then, Fu Yanyan had liked her?

She found it childish. Why would a woman compete for a man’s affection instead of improving herself, even at the cost of bloodshed?

“Xu Yuan, have you killed someone before?”

“Be careful or I’ll kill you too. Three years ago, that bitch died. I should have burned you to death as well.”

She spat her threats shamelessly. Then, noticing the tall, imposing man approaching, surrounded by servants, Xu Yuan immediately stopped struggling and began to sob pitifully, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Brother Fu, you’ve known me since we were children—we’re childhood sweethearts. How can you do this to me for the sake of a woman you’ve barely met?”

Fu Yanyan wore a modernized black Tang suit, a prayer bead pendant resting five centimeters below his Adam’s apple. Summer was fading, and the lotus leaves in the pond were wilting. Mist rose from the water’s surface, the morning air turning brisk.

To those standing there, the scene was a rare and beautiful tableau.

But for Xu Yuan, kneeling on the ground, it was cold enough to make her tremble.

“Remove her coat,” Fu Yanyan ordered, his voice cold. He had no patience for those who bullied others.

Xu Yuan felt a chill deeper than the pond’s water. “Brother Fu! What do you mean? How can you do this to me?”

At first, she thought the worst would be having to kneel and apologize. Only now did she realize he intended to pay her back in her own coin.

She struggled as the bodyguards stripped off her outerwear, leaving her in nothing but a thin chiffon dress.

“You disgusting people! How dare you touch me? I’ll have my family destroy you! Fu Yanyan, you’re not even human—helping this penniless woman throw me in the water. My brother and father won’t let this go!”

Zhong Huayan rolled her eyes. “Let me say this again: please respect my family. They are not penniless. They are worthy of respect.”

Since she had spoken, Fu Yanyan was determined to seek justice for her. He took out his phone and pressed play. “A wise person adapts to the times. Listen carefully—is this your father’s voice?”

The recording was filled with the sound of smoking and a weary sigh. “President Fu, my daughter has always been arrogant and spoiled—her grandfather’s doing, really. She’s out of control now. I apologize for what’s happened. Her brother told her to kneel in the ancestral hall, but she only got worse. Handle it however you see fit, as long as you spare her life.”

Hearing this, Xu Yuan’s strength left her. Unable to win with force, she switched to pleading.

“Brother Fu, I don’t want to go in the pond! I won’t bully her again, I was wrong—please, isn’t that enough?”

“Xu Yuan, didn’t you promise me before that if I won the competition, you’d accept any punishment? If you go back on your word now, I’ll send this recording to the school forum. After that, who will want to follow you in your misdeeds?”

She nearly lost her mind. She didn’t want to be the laughingstock everywhere she went. But from the moment she lost, every student at school would side with Li Yanyan.

“Li Yanyan, you really are lucky—looking so much like her. I should have slashed your face from the start!”

Fu Yanyan worried that the woman beside him, draped in a coat, would be upset. Xu Yuan’s words grated on him more and more.

With a wave of his hand, the bodyguards shoved Xu Yuan into the water before she could react.

The icy lake water pierced her to the bone, making her body ache and her breath come in short gasps. She could hardly even cry out. Just as she was about to suffocate, she was hauled out again.

Coughing violently, she knelt and begged for mercy. “Brother Fu, I’m on my period—I can’t be in the water. Besides, what you’re doing is illegal!”

Zhong Huayan filmed her disheveled state with a camera, her voice cold. “Xu Yuan, the day you pushed me into the swimming pool, I just happened to be on my period too.

Does that mean you broke the law as well? The surveillance footage from the indoor pool is still there—do you want to watch it? We didn’t press charges against you. You should be thanking your lucky stars.

For three years, you’ve been a vicious bully at school. How can you talk about the law? Maybe you want to go to jail? Fine, we’ll charge you with intentional injury and attempted murder—let’s see how you like that!”

Xu Yuan was on the verge of tears. Soaked to the bone, she shivered in the cold wind until her face turned pale, but she never reflected on her actions. She only glared at the woman filming her, eyes full of hate.

Zhong Huayan found it funny. She was merely returning to Xu Yuan what had been done to her—and Xu Yuan was unhappy about it?

If she were Li Yanyan herself, she would have hated her even more.