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nThe light was off in the room. Mu Sijue’s tall figure was lost in the complete darkness but it still released an intimidating feeling.

nHe had his back to Ah Guang so that he couldn’t see the expression on his face clearly. Besides, Ah Guang didn’t dare to observe.

nAh Guang had full confidence to say that he knew Mu Sijue very well. He was sure enough that Mu Sijue wouldn’t really kill Xu Youning.

nHe knew better than anyone else that Xu Youning was the first woman that Mu Sijue had ever held sincerely in his heart.

nHe chose to gamble this one time that Mu Sijue wouldn’t hurt the one he loved.

nIt seemed that he had been right.

nAh Guang walked into the room and calmly said, “Seventh Brother, it has been settled.”

n“…”

nAfter a long silence, Mu Sijue replied with an “um” without happiness or sadness.

nBut that was just Mu Sijue’s greatest sorrow.

nAh Guang thought for a minute and then added, “Xu Youning escaped. I let her out.”

n“…”

nThis time, Mu Sijue didn’t say anything for a long time.

nHowever, Ah Guang apparently felt that the oppressive breath around him disappeared. He was like a beast freed from darkness and was relieved. Even the line of his back looked less heavy.

nAh Guang knew that he had made the right guess.

n“Why aren’t you angry?” Ah Guang rushed to him and sounded angry, “Seventh Brother, you were just using me! You never thought about killing Xu Youning. You just wanted me to let her go!”

nMu Sijue turned around to look at Ah Guang. “You didn’t disappoint me.”

nIt was true. What Ah Guang had in mind was right—he wouldn’t hurt Xu Youning.

nHowever, Xu Youning was unwilling to stay.

nEven if Xu Youning had been willing to stay, he wouldn’t be able to face his brothers anymore.

nTherefore, he acted and pretended that he intended to kill Xu Youning, which would be the best choice for both him and Xu Youning.

nAnd Ah Guang would be the fittest for the task.

nAh Guang was close to Xu Youning so he wouldn’t hurt Xu Youning, either. Ah Guang would surely let Xu Youning go at the last moment. Since Xu Youning wanted to find him get her revenge, she wouldn’t miss the chance.

nHe was right.

nMu Sijue’s relaxed behavior made Ah Guang even more furious.

nAh Guang shouted in a controlled voice, “Since you were willing to take such a risk, why don’t you risk telling Xu Youning the truth? She is at a more severe risk since she went back with Kang Ruicheng!”

n“She won’t.” Mu Sijue’s eyes disappeared in the night; it was completely dark. “She is the weapon Kang Ruicheng made and it is the most powerful one. She will be quite valued as long as she shows the hatred she has toward me when she returns. Kang Ruicheng would hurt a normal person, but he won’t do anything harmful to her.”

n“…” Ah Guang was greatly confused.

nMu Sijue took a look at Ah Guang and continued, “Besides, the reason why she didn’t want to stay was that she thought I was the one who caused her grandma’s death. Also… she doesn’t know how to face Su Yicheng and Jianan.

nAh Guang still didn’t understand completely. “So you want to let her have a freer life by letting her go back?”

n“…” Mu Sijue didn’t say anything, but he didn’t deny it.

n“Why didn’t you just let her go?” Ah Guang came up with another question, “Why did you lock her up and make up such a scene? Was it fun to waste time and effort?”

n“Kang Ruicheng wouldn’t believe her if I just let her go,” Mu Sijue said, “Kang Ruicheng would be suspicious. If Xu Youning goes back easily, he will suspect her loyalty and will assume she may frame him.”

n“…” Ah Guang heard his words and was completely speechless.

nOn the surface, Mu Sijue was particularly cruel to Xu Youning. He not only killed her grandma but also wanted to kill her.

nBut in fact, he was extremely considerate with Xu Youning. He even thought ahead about the days when Xu Youning returned to Kang Ruicheng’s side.

nWhat if Xu Youning knew about all this someday?

nAh Guang couldn’t think of an answer. Maybe… there would never be an answer.

n“You can go back now.” Mu Sijue lit a cigar, lifted it to his lips but then put it down as if he had recalled something. “Well, don’t hide the news that Xu Youning escaped. Let it be known. Just say that she hurt you and then she ran out.”

nAh Guang was completely confused. “But I wasn’t hurt by her…”

nMu Sijue narrowed his eyes and firmly hit on Ah Guang’s chest with his fist. “Don’t you know how to pretend?”

n“Ouch—” It was so heavy that Ah Guang bent over and stared at Mu Sijue in disbelief. “Seventh Brother…”

nMu Sijue frowned. “You haven’t learned yet?”

n“Ye… yes. I know how.” Ah Guang covered his chest with a troubled expression. Then he stopped for a minute and tentatively asked, “Seventh Brother, what do you plan to do in the future?”

nMu Sijue knew what Ah Guang was asking. He answered after a long silence, “It’ll be as if I never met Xu Youning.”

n“In your opinion… if she goes back and finds the real murderer of Granny Xu…” Ah Guang said after hesitating. He couldn’t imagine how much pain it would cost.

nMu Sijue interrupted Ah Guang, “Then it’s her thing, none of our business.”

nIn fact, that would be the last thing Mu Sijue wanted to see.

nAccording to Xu Youning’s character, she would risk her life for it if she knew the truth. He hoped that Xu Youning wouldn’t know for the rest of her life. He and Lu Boyan would take care of Kang Ruicheng.

nIf Xu Youning had to know the truth, he would rather tell her after he sent Kang Ruicheng to prison.

nIt was obvious that Ah Guang didn’t see through Mu Sijue’s mind. He just suddenly realized Xu Youning really had no relationship with them from that moment on.

nHe felt as if something were lost in his heart.

n“Seventh Brother…” Ah Guang covered his chest. “It must be because of your punch. It feels painful here.”

nMu Sijue turned around to look at Ah Guang—

nThe pain in his heart?

nAll of a sudden, Mu Sijue felt like he had been beaten severely by something. A strong pain was spread over his heart. He raised his lips in reflex, then he felt a warmth in his eyes.

nHe never thought about losing Xu Youning this way. Or it could be said that he never thought about letting her go.

nBut at the moment she was on her way back to Kang Ruicheng.

nHe would never cry over a stupid woman.

n“Seventh Brother,” Ah Guang stared at Mu Sijue’s eyes and said, “Let’s get something to drink.”

nMu Sijue smiled. “Let’s go.”

nThat night, Ah Guang and Mu Sijue both got completely drunk.

nAh Guang talked a lot once he was drunk. He just leaned against the bar desk and kept mumbling.

n“Seventh Brother, I know you like Xu Youning, really like her, a lot…”

n“In fact… haha, I think she’s great. It’s normal for you to like her. She likes you too!”

nHearing his words, Mu Sijue swayed the glass in his hand. “You’re wrong. She likes Kang Ruicheng.”

n“Kang Ruicheng?” Ah Guang moved a finger to Mu Sijue’s eyes and swayed it. “I don’t think so.”

n“She was acting every minute she was with me.” Mu Sijue drank some wine and said, “It was all fake, you know?”

n“So Sister Youning really likes Kang Ruicheng?” Ah Guang seemed like he was about to cry. “How bad her taste is! How could she like that bastard!”

nBad taste?

nMu Sijue suddenly thought of something. He just bitterly smiled and drank up the wine on his glass.

nHis own taste was horrible too. Otherwise, how could he fall in love Xu Youning who had no female allure at all? Besides, he clearly knew she was the spy.

n“Seventh Brother, Seventh Brother…” Ah Guang kept calling Mu Sijue’s name. It seemed that he had something to tell him.

nMu Sijue set down the glass and narrowed his eyes to look at Ah Guang. But Ah Guang just called his name without saying anything else. He rubbed his temple which ached and leaned on the bar counter.

nWhile in a blur, Xu Youning’s face showed up in his brain. He grabbed at his chest but it wouldn’t stop the blunt pain which kept coming.

nWasn’t he drunk? How could he still feel the pain?

nMu Sijue closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep but the pain in his heart was getting even worse. It was like something pinned to his heart that became tighter and tighter as if it would tear his heart apart.

nSo it was wound in his heart.

nWhen Su Jianan asked Lu Boyan for a divorce, Lu Boyan had described that pain to him, which he hadn’t understood back then.

nHe currently had a firsthand taste of it.

nUnluckily, he wasn’t as fortunate as Lu Boyan. Su Jianan didn’t really want the divorce. In Xu Youning’s case, she couldn’t wait to leave his side.

nA drop of transparent liquid fell from Mu Sijue’s eye, landing on the clean counter. Soon, it disappeared.

nNo one would ever know that Mu Sijue had cried that night.

nThe next day.

nAunt Zhou went out of the room in the early morning. But she didn’t smell the fragrance from the yard. Instead, it was the scent of wine.

nShe realized something and rushed to the counter. As she expected—Mu Sijue was leaning on the counter, completely unconscious. Ah Guang slept right on the floor with a wine bottle between his arms.

nAunt Zhou screamed “My God” and bent over to pat on Ah Guang’s face. “Ah Guang, wake up.”

n“Um…” Ah Guang just turned around and went back to sleep.

nAunt Zhou had no choice. She could only try her luck with Mu Sijue. But by the time she approached him, she sighed.

nMu Sijue had been through many difficulties, but that was the first time he had failed in love. As an elder, she naturally knew the pain brought by love was more terrible than anything that could happen in one’s career.

nAunt Zhou softly patted on Mu Sijue’s back. “Xiao Qi, time to wake up.”

nAfter hearing that voice, Mu Sijue opened his eyes and lifted his heavy head. “Aunt Zhou?”

n“Yes.” Aunt Zhou picked up the empty bottles on the counter and said, “You got drunk last night.”

nMu Sijue frowned and the things that happened the previous night came to mind. He remembered them slowly. Xu Youning had left and then he used alcohol to numb his nerves.

nHa, there was one more side in which Lu Boyan was luckier than him. Lu Boyan could show the pain, but he couldn’t.

nOnce he opened his eyes, he had to be the Mu Sijue he used to be.

nMu Sijue got down from the bench and rubbed his temples. “Please wake up Ah Guang. I’ll get a shower upstairs.”

nAunt Zhou looked at Mu Sijue’s figure. She wanted to stop him and tell him something, but she didn’t.

nShe knew better than anyone about the responsibilities Mu Sijue had. Mu Sijue had great power but no right to be sad. It was because he had many brothers to lead. Whatever went wrong, their lives would be in trouble.

nHe had to keep sober at all times, always being the strong and fierce Mu Sijue.

nIn the room upstairs.

nMu Sijue stood under the shower. He closed his eyes and allowed the cold water to run down from above.

nWithout guessing, he knew the reason why Kang Ruicheng asked Xu Youning to return.

nWhat would happen next would most likely be a bloody storm.

nHe had to be sober enough to handle it.

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