So in the end just like her, Sun Feiyan was also a victim of the situation? That she had to play the villain to cradle Lu Xinyi’s resolve not to stay at the Sun Estate when they were young? That Sun Feiyan chose the lonely, desolate path of becoming a Sun heiress so Lu Xinyi could live freely?

Lu Xinyi could remember how dedicated Sun Feiyan was with her studies while she and Sun Qiyan roamed around the estate hiding and playing far from their tutors’ sight.

Did it mean that Sun Feiyan forced her out of the Sun Mansion because of her mother’s wish? That she insisted on filing the position of being a Sun heiress for her sake?

So all this time, Sun Feiyan was just trying to protect her while drawing a line between them.

Lu Xinyi was gently pushed away by Sun Feiyan. Shutting her eyes closed, the Ice Queen once again took the reign of her emotions.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Lu Xinyi demanded. She couldn’t understand why Sun Feiyan sacrificed herself for her sake. She could have thrown away her title and ran away from the Sun family like her, but then again, Sun Feiyan had never known the hardship to live as a commoner.

“Because abandoning my post as the successor means Chairman Sun will excise all possible means to get you back,” Sun Feiyan said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

She looked away, thankful that it wasn’t too bright for Lu Xinyi to see her face clearly. There weren’t many things she regretted in her life, but the one thing that still haunted her to this day was her aunt’s death.

If only she was strong enough to help her Aunt Meixiu, then maybe she and Lu Xinyi wouldn’t end up like this. However, Sun Feiyan knew that she had no time to stop and mull over what could happen in the past.

“Even if he insisted, there’s no way in hell I’ll agree with his terms,” Lu Xinyi replied.

“You never know, Xinxin. Chairman Sun wasn’t someone who’ll let the problem persist. This is also the reason why no one knew the real reason for your mother’s death.”

“What do you mean?” Lu Xinyi furrowed her brows.

“You still don’t get it? Your suspicion was correct. Chairman Sun knew the truth behind it for I was the one who confessed to him what I’ve seen. He was shocked at first, but he’d chosen to send me overseas so Aunt Mingai wouldn’t notice my unusual behavior. He would rather not cause troubles for the company.”

Flames of anger shot through Lu Xinyi. So that old man knew! However, she wasn’t surprised at all. Knowing the old man, he prioritized his company over his family.

Wasn’t this what he’d been doing for years? He treated everyone based on what he could get from them. If she hadn’t married Shen Yi, Lu Xinyi thought that he’d never take interest in her.

The old man was already dead and must be rotting down in hell, but he was still able to make Lu Xinyi’s blood boil with rage.

“Anyway, now that he’s gone and the company was nothing but a memory, both of us aren’t tied to the Sun family anymore,” Lu Xinyi said, “It’s time for you to live your own life, Feiyan.”

Feiyan had already lost a lot of years by staying behind the Sun family. Wasn’t the years she had wasted enough? This time, she didn’t need to look after Lu Xinyi anymore. Although she felt bad using Lu Xinyi to destroy the Sun family, Sun Feiyan didn’t regret her past decisions.

“What do you want to do now?” Sun Feiyan asked her.

Lu Xinyi had graduated with flying colors from Silver Leaf Academy, proving to everyone that she didn’t need her husband’s fame and Sun family’s backing to reach whatever achievement she had now.

Lu Xinyi shrugged. She wasn’t worried about her businesses right now. She only wanted to spend more time with her children and husband.

“Nothing. Stay home and raise my children, I guess. You should visit us one of these days. You haven’t seen Qing Qing yet.”

Sun Feiyan raised a brow. Why would Xinxin want to introduce her daughter to her?

“What?” Lu Xinyi laughed at her cousin’s bewildered expression. “You don’t want to see your niece?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to meet her; I’m just curious why you are allowing me.”

“You think I shouldn’t? I think you’ll be a great aunt to Qing Qing.” Lu Xinyi grinned back at her cousin.

The two decided to come back to the banquet hall before their partners started to worry about their whereabouts. They parted once they arrived at the banquet hall.

Lu Xinyi figured that after being married to Shen Yi for two years now, she should have been used to the stares and mutterings of others around her. When she made her first appearance into the world of the high-class, she had been the focus of much confusion and questions for several months.

This was why she rarely accompanied her husband to these events unless her presence was needed. Anyway, if she refused to attend, Shen Yi would most probably not attend the social functions, too. It warmed her heart to know that he didn’t want to be seen alone.

Surprisingly, Lu Xinyi found herself slightly perturbed by the glares—though even before Qing Qing’s birth, she hadn’t found herself self-conscious.

Her eyes flickered at her husband who was standing with the other businessmen. Though his face was neutral, she could see that his heart wasn’t in it and that he was doing all for formalities.

His eyes met hers from across the room, his smile finally reaching his eyes as he nodded to his partners. He then excused himself from them before striding towards her, his tall form towering over her.

“Where have you been?” Shen Yi asked her lowly once she came back to his side.

“Hmm… I have a good chat with Feiyan. You didn’t tell me she and Ye Xingjie would be here tonight.”

“I wasn’t aware of the guests coming tonight although I met Mr. Ye earlier,” Shen Yi replied. He then chuckled softly, his arm slipping around her waist to pull her closer to him and his lips brushing lightly to her temples. “Are you alright?” he asked when he noticed her far-off look.

“Hmm… I’m alright. I’m missing Qing Qing and the twins.”

It was apparent he was unconvinced, his jaw slightly tightening as he thought to find an answer to what troubled her. This would be the first time they’d have alone time for themselves while Qing Qing and the twins would have a sleepover with the Tangs.

“They wouldn’t be at home before lunch tomorrow. Do you want to go home now?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me…” she admitted softly.

She didn’t know if her mood was dampened by not having Qing Qing around or was it because of what Sun Feiyan confessed to her.

“I’d rather be at home with you and the children, but I also miss this time when it was just you and me.” A light blush tinted her cheeks, her gaze lowered shyly.

Shen Yi’s long fingers taking her hand, his lips pressing to her knuckles. “As I have. I miss my wife, too.”