The day the news broke,

Butler Fu arranged for an empty grave to be set up for Zhou Huai in the suburban cemetery.

He was not buried in the Zhou Family's private mausoleum.

Instead, he was quietly laid to rest beside his mother's tombstone.

...

When Ye Xi received the news, she was completely stunned.

Ignoring her family's objections, she rushed out of the house like a madwoman, driving to the suburban cemetery.

When she saw the cold tombstone, her eyes were filled with disbelief.

On the tombstone was a photo of Zhou Huai.

The young man sat in a wheelchair, a faint smile on his face, his eyes gentle.

But that face quickly blurred in Ye Xi's eyes.

"No..."

"This isn't real..."

She mumbled to herself, walking forward step by step, reaching out to touch the photo.

What met her fingertips was the cold touch of the stone tablet.

"Big Brother Zhou Huai!"

A mournful cry, heart-wrenching.

The young girl could no longer stand, her body collapsing before the tombstone, her hands clutching the cold stone tablet as if to merge with it.

"How could this happen??"

"Why did this happen???"

She cried herself hoarse, tears streaming down, quickly soaking the front of her clothes.

She remained kneeling before the tombstone, calling out the name that would never answer her, again and again.

From dawn to dusk.

Until finally, she cried herself into unconsciousness and was lovingly carried away by the hastily arrived Ye Family members.

Back at the Ye Family home,

Ye Xi remained silent after she woke up.

She locked herself in her room, neither eating nor drinking.

No matter how Ye Zhentian pleaded or begged outside the door, she gave no response.

This continued for three full days.

On the morning of the fourth day, the room door creaked open.

Ye Zhentian's heart tightened when he saw his daughter emerge from the room.

The young girl before him had cut her waist-length hair, now sporting a neat, short style.

Her once clear and lively eyes were now like a pool of stagnant water, devoid of any sparkle.

All that remained was a chilling indifference.

And numbness.

"Xi'er..." Ye Zhentian's voice was hoarse.

Ye Xi didn't look at him, simply speaking calmly.

"I'm hungry."

From that day on, Ye Xi seemed like a changed person.

She no longer acted spoiled, no longer laughed.

She dedicated all her time to frantically leveling up in dungeons.

A seed named 'revenge' had quietly taken root in her Heart-Nature and began to grow wildly.

...

Before Zhou Huai's empty grave,

The afternoon after Ye Xi left, another visitor arrived.

Zhou Feng, dressed in a black trench coat, appeared alone and quietly before the tombstone.

He looked at the familiar smiling face on the tombstone, his face devoid of any expression.

Neither joy nor sorrow was discernible.

Only the fists clenched and unclenched at his sides betrayed the turmoil within him.

He stood there silently, gazing at the photo for a long, long time.

A gust of wind blew by, rustling a few fallen leaves.

Zhou Feng finally moved.

He raised his hand and gently brushed away the dust on the tombstone, his movements soft.

An almost inaudible sigh dissipated into the wind.

"Foolish child..."

His voice was hoarse and dry.

"I clearly... sent people to bring you back..."

"Why did you refuse to come with me?"

No one answered him.

Only the desolate sound of the wind in the cemetery replied.

Not until dusk, when night was about to swallow the last ray of light,

did Zhou Feng slowly turn, his footsteps heavy, and leave the place.

...

The Zhou Family old residence.

In the pavilion in the backyard, the lights were bright.

The Zhou Family's Old Patriarch, Zhou Ting, was sitting at a stone table, leisurely sipping a cup of new tea.

This had been his habit for many years.

After dinner, he always liked to sit alone here for a while, enjoying a moment of tranquility.

A sound of footsteps, approaching from a distance, broke the silence.

Zhou Feng walked in expressionlessly, stopping outside the pavilion.

"Something wrong?"

Zhou Ting didn't even lift his head, slowly took a sip of tea, and asked indifferently.

Zhou Feng was silent for a moment, then looked up, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"Zhou Huai is dead."

Zhou Ting softly "hmm"-ed.

"I know."

Zhou Feng's eyes directly met his father's.

"Did you send someone to kill him?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ting finally put down his teacup.

He slowly raised his head, and a playful glint flashed in his cloudy old eyes.

He looked at his son, answering with a question instead.

"What?"

"Are you thinking of avenging him?"

Zhou Feng's heart clenched suddenly.

A chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

He instantly sobered up, quickly lowered his head, and deeply buried all his emotions.

He squeezed out two words through gritted teeth.

"I wouldn't dare."

Silence fell again in the pavilion.

Only the unhurried sound of Zhou Ting sipping his tea.

After a long while, he spoke again, his voice as flat as if he were discussing a trivial matter.

"If he had stayed in that separate villa obediently, being a docile cripple, I naturally wouldn't have laid a hand on him."

"But he shouldn't have, he absolutely shouldn't have, come out and ruined Lu Qi and Ye Xi's good fortune."

"Because of what Lu Qi did in the National Examination, the Liu Family is already somewhat displeased with us."

"I certainly don't want another Zhou Huai to pop up and continue to damage our relationship with the Liu Family."

Zhou Ting paused, picked up his teacup, and gently blew on the floating tea leaves.

He added, in a low voice,

"His mother was no good."

"He, is even worse."

"Do you... understand?"

Zhou Feng's head was bowed even lower.

He clenched his fists, his fingernails digging deep into his palms, yet he felt no pain.

"I understand."

"Heh heh..."

Zhou Ting suddenly chuckled.

He put down his teacup, looked at his son, and a meaningful expression appeared on his face.

"However, I've changed my mind now."

"After all, Zhou Huai is my biological grandson, so I ultimately shouldn't be too ruthless."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Feng let out a silent scoff in his heart.

The person is already dead, turned to ash.

What good is it now to say you've changed your mind?

However, Zhou Ting's next words struck Zhou Feng like a bolt of lightning, leaving him frozen in place.

"Zhou Huai is not dead." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Zhou Feng abruptly looked up, his eyes wide.

Thinking he had hallucinated.

Zhou Ting looked at his shocked expression, the smile on his face growing wider.

He leaned back in his chair, letting out a hearty laugh.

"Hahahaha... This kid, not only didn't he die, but he also killed all the people I sent to kill him."

"He hid deep enough... truly deep enough..."

"It seems he has secrets we don't know about."

"Also, he knows how to feign death to escape, making all of you think he's dead, thereby getting rid of our surveillance..."

"This Heart-Nature, this method, truly exceeded my expectations..."

Zhou Ting's laughter echoed in the silent night.

His gaze, sharp now, returned to Zhou Feng.

"Your task now is to find him for me."

A hint of joy flashed in Zhou Feng's eyes.

Then he calmly analyzed, "Father, Zhou Huai probably wouldn't abandon that old butler, Ah Fu."

"As long as we send people to secretly monitor Ah Fu, perhaps... we'll have results soon."

Zhou Ting, however, shook his head and picked up his teacup.

"It's useless."

"This morning, # Nоvеlight # I already sent people to monitor him."

"As a result, they mysteriously disappeared shortly after following him out."

"Without leaving a single trace."

Zhou Feng's heart tightened.

Zhou Ting took a sip of tea and continued.

"However, I believe he should still be in Donghai City."

"Use all the Zhou Family's intelligence networks in Donghai City to find him for me."

"Remember, proceed in secret, do not alarm anyone, especially the Liu Family."

"Bring him back to see me."

Zhou Ting paused and continued:

"As long as he is willing to return,"

"I will consider training him well in the future."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Feng immediately bowed and responded resolutely.

"Yes, Father!"