Mu Chenyan’s entire body trembled terribly. As Yuan Tian had not been in Luo Hai over the past two years, she had no doubt heard about the blood sample incident through Third Uncle himself.

“Had Third Uncle always known that the sample was missing?” Mu Chenyan asked in a quivering voice.

Yuan Tian became slightly embarrassed when she saw Mu Chenyan’s reaction. Afraid that she would cause more trouble if she said something unnecessary, she merely gave a vague reply and said, “Maybe.”

Mu Chenyan felt her vision blur before she was forced to take a few steps backward to stop herself from fainting.

Yuan Tian quickly reacted and supported her as she tried to comfort her, “Chenyan, it’s in the past. We shouldn’t think about it anymore, alright?”

Yuan Tian frantically tried to fix the situation when she realized that she had stirred up trouble.

Mu Chenyan sat down, but her heavy chest heaved as she struggled to catch her breath for some time.

Wu Ze informed her that he had worked hard to investigate the case and eventually got hold of this important piece of evidence. However, he had never mentioned the Yuan Family. Mu Chenyan only discovered today that Yuan Tangshuo had apparently provided this crucial clue much earlier.

If Yuan Tangshuo knew about it, then Yuan Xuan would have also been aware of it much earlier!

If Yuan Xuan knew about it but was unwilling to reveal the truth to save her, it could only mean that he had one goal on his mind – which was to make her spend two years in prison rotting away!

“Tian Tian, you should go home. I want to calm down on my own…”

*

Yuan Tian still felt rather uneasy after she left. Although she did not understand Yuan Xuan’s goal, her heart was still filled with sorrow when she saw Mu Chenyan’s reaction.

Other people casually mentioned those two years as though they were no big deal. However, did anyone actually know how much Mu Chenyan had suffer through that hell?

*

Mu Chenyan curled up at the seat beside the window in a daze. She had mentally prepared herself for this possibility a long time ago. However, when she actually discovered the details and truth, she still found it hard to believe.

She could not understand why Yuan Xuan had actually left her there and ignored her. She had always assumed that Yuan Xuan had only treated her like this because he had mistakenly assumed that she was truly a murderer.

She only discovered today that Yuan Xuan had been very aware since the beginning that she had been wrongly accused.

Mu Chenyan’s heart tightened when she recalled how she had stupidly attempted to forgive and accept him. How could she face herself today?

If she had not been imprisoned, she would not carry the unlikeable personality that she did today. Moreover, she would not have spent numerous nights being woken up by nightmares about her returning to prison.

…

Yuan Xuan discovered that this woman had changed after he returned from Upper Mansion.

“Why are you sitting by the window again? Aren’t you worried about catching a cold?” Yuan Xuan’s tone was gentle. He stretched out his arms because he initially desired to be affectionate toward her.

Suddenly, Mu Chenyan violently turned her head toward him before she shot an icy gaze straight at Yuan Xuan. “The evidence that Wu Ze obtained to release me from prison, were you the one who gave it to him?”

Yuan Xuan was dumbfounded. His profound eyes darkened before he reached his arms out to pull her in. He whispered, “Did Yuan Tian tell you something?”

“You only have to tell me whether you did it or not!”

Mu Chenyan had a stern and unflinching expression on her face. She had never interrogated Yuan Xuan with such a cold tone before.

“Little Chenyan, I had my reasons why I did that…”

There was no way that Yuan Xuan could tell her that he was forced to leave her in prison to counter Mu Feng, and that her own father was willing to use her as a scapegoat.

Mu Chenyan felt as though her whole world had collapsed. He had indirectly acknowledged this truth by refusing to answer the question.

Although she had known the conclusion since long ago, she persistently interrogated him because she herself could not believe it.

Soon enough, Mu Chenyan buried her head between her crossed legs. She could not stop her voice from becoming serious and resentful. The affection he had shown her over the past few days had basically turned into humiliation today.

“Yuan Xuan, regardless of your sorrows, have you ever considered my feelings? What right do you have to control someone else’s fate? What right do you have to abuse your power like that?”

Although her eyes were misted by tears, her quivering voice continued, “Yuan Xuan, do you know that you’re crueler than the person who framed me as the killer…”

Her words shocked Yuan Xuan and caused him to break into a cold sweat.

He had not disregarded the harm that he would cause her. Rather, the circumstances at the time had left him with no other choice. Nonetheless, he had underestimated the consequences of his actions. In her heart, he would never be the “Brother Xuan” whom she deeply loved ever again…

“Little Chenyan!” Yuan Xuan quickly cradled her head in his arms before he quietly murmured, “I’m sorry, I know that I was very selfish! “I know that my actions caused you tremendous pain… but you’ll never know how much I love you…

I’d rather have you hate me than tell you everything!”

Yuan Xuan painfully choked back sobs as he spoke.

“How can you say that you love me?” Mu Chenyan shrieked when she saw that Yuan Xuan was still unwilling to tell her the truth. She shoved Yuan Xuan away with one swift push as she viciously glared at him.

Mu Chenyan’s eyes were filled with tears, like an injured animal that that had been backed into a corner. She continued shouting, “What right do you have to love me? You always speak about love despite constantly hurting me. Is this what you call love?”

Chenyan used the back of her hands to wipe aside the tears that were streaming down her face while she spoke. “I’ve loved you for more than a decade and I’ve never hurt you! But you? Do you think that the petty favors, sweet words, and pleasures in bed that you gave me could ever count as genuine love?

“You thought that these things were enough to satisfy me because I longed for you for more than ten years, right? Love isn’t a form of charity or sympathy. Although I was the one who fell for you first, I still wanted an equal relationship! You, on the other hand, felt that giving me little bits of affection was the same as loving me – because I was so cheap in your eyes!”

When Yuan Xuan saw that she was becoming more emotional with her body trembling terribly, he frantically embraced her in his sturdy arms before he lowered his voice and consoled her, “That’s not it! Little Chenyan, I know that I’ve hurt you tremendously and there’s no way for me to beg for forgiveness. However, you shouldn’t doubt my love for you!”

Mu Chenyan used all her strength to break free from his grasp. However, when she was unable to free herself from the man’s tightened grip, she pressed her face into his sleeve and sobbed away.

She felt her entire body weaken and lost the strength to even keep her head upright. Yuan Xuan quickly picked her up and laid her on the bed before he quietly comforted her, “Chenyan, don’t be like this. We’ll discuss this issue in the future, alright?”

Mu Chenyan’s gaze began distant. She stared at Yuan Xuan as though she no longer recognized him. Her eyes seemed to display no sense of familiarity toward him.

Mu Chenyan slowly came to her senses after a long time. Then, she softly murmured,

“Yuan Xuan, you recklessly manipulate me and hurt me in the name of love because you think that my affections are inexhaustible! You have no fear of behaving boldly and saying that you love me despite doing things that hurt me. No matter what, you’ll always think that I’ll love you and never leave you, right?”

Yuan Xuan remained silent and quietly endured the intense pressure from her gaze.

The man’s body began to give off a gloomy aura. There was not the slightest bit of emotion on his handsome face as he remained calm and covered her with a blanket. After this, he silently sat at the foot of the bed to guard the woman who lay there.

This stifling feeling caused Mu Chenyan to lose her last bits of reason. She hated how Yuan Xuan could remain rational in the face of adversity.

Mu Chenyan would acknowledged that he was truly sorry if he had abandoned his cool attitude and begged for forgiveness. However, she would truly be dreaming if a cold and arrogant man like Yuan Xuan humbled himself like that.

Mu Chenyan got up and took the pillow by the side before she violently threw it against Yuan Xuan and said, “Get away from me! I hate you! I don’t want to see you anymore!”

Yuan Xuan knew that Mu Chenyan came from a distinguished family with a mother who had an exceptional upbringing. Growing up, she would never lose control of her emotions or go crazy like a commoner, even when she encountered matters where it would be reasonable to do so.