Chapter 267: Chapter 267

As the girl approached, a faint, elegant fragrance lingered in the wind, making Shen Mubai’s already hazy mind even more dazed.

He stared blankly at Yun Ran, "Wanyue, what do you want to say to me?" ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥

Yun Ran absentmindedly twirled his hair band with her fingertips, "Actually, I’m a bit curious about what exactly is going on between you and her?"

Shen Mubai was taken aback, his eyes trembled, "Wanyue, I..."

"Last time you returned from Yunzhou, you said you were going to marry someone else, that you had an unavoidable reason, that you had no choice but to dissolve the engagement with me."

Shen Mubai’s gaze pained, he shut his eyes in agony recalling that day’s scene, "Wanyue, I’m sorry, I..."

Yun Ran interrupted him, "At that time, when I first heard, my emotions were uncontrollable, so I never asked you, what was the unavoidable reason?"

"I only know she saved you, and you felt responsible for her. Now that nothing’s amiss, I’d like to hear the details."

The girl’s tone was nonchalant, devoid of any hints of joy or anger, and Shen Mubai stared at her a while longer, feeling desolate, sighed.

"Wanyue, if you want to know, I’ll tell you everything."

"At that time, I was ordered to Yunzhou to quash the bandits. Everything was going smoothly until we were ambushed while escorting the bandit leader back to the capital."

"It was a narrow and perilous valley, with enemies ambushed mid-mountain. Both rocks and a storm of arrows rained down, our forces were cut into several sections, forced to fight individually."

"The situation was extremely chaotic, and after fighting fiercely with over a dozen subordinates to break through, more enemies swarmed from all around. We were ultimately outnumbered and suffered heavy losses, leaving only a few of us scattered."

"I remember reaching a cold poolside, where I finally defeated the enemies but was utterly exhausted and collapsed, and then a man in black appeared."

"In a fierce fight, I was no match for him, hit by his poisoned arrow, and got knocked into the cold pool with one of his strikes."

"When I regained consciousness, I was already in a fishing village, should’ve been carried downriver to the village, found by her who was washing clothes by the riverside, and she took me home."

"She saved me, but I... I did something worse than an animal to her..."

Speaking of this, Shen Mubai painfully closed his eyes, the entire demeanor seemed defeated.

Who knows if it was the pain of doing such a thing to his savior, or something else?

Yun Ran had been listening intently, and seeing his reaction now, asked puzzledly:

"Seeing your remorseful, pained, and regretful appearance, it seems you didn’t want to, so why did you still do such an animalistic thing?"

Hearing this, Shen Mubai, in pain, held his head.

"I don’t know either... I was injured and unconscious, remember nothing, when I woke up, it had already happened..."

Why does this sound...

"Since you were injured and unconscious, how do you know you did it?"

"When I woke up, I saw her crying next to me, disheveled, and I was also..."

Shen Mubai seemed to be unable to continue, bowed his head, his expression in pain, exuding a defeated aura.

Yun Ran ruthlessly said sarcastically, "Even in such a state, you were still thinking of doing that! Truly... tsk tsk tsk!"

Shen Mubai was ashamed and angry beyond measure, "I am worse than an animal, I wronged her, and I wronged you..."

The person you wronged is Lin Wanyue, not me!

On the day you parted, you told her, ’Wanyue, wait for me to come back and marry you.’

When she finally waited for you, you told her, ’Wanyue, I’m sorry, I want to marry someone else, let’s cancel the engagement.’

"And then? Did she stop crying when you said you’d marry her?"

Shen Mubai was startled, once again deep in thought.

"After that incident, she was rejected by her fiance and pointed at by the villagers, unable to bear the humiliation, she tried to drown herself but was saved by me. Yet she had no will to live, only wishing for death."

"Eventually, I promised to marry her and take responsibility, only then did she stop attempting to do foolish things."

"Later, I took her away from the fishing village back to the capital, and what happened afterwards..."

Shen Mubai sighed desolately, his voice filled with suppressed and restrained pain, "What happened afterwards, Wanyue, you already know."

"Wanyue, in this life, I have wronged you. I don’t dare expect your forgiveness, just want to make it up to you as much as I can."

"As long as you speak, as long as I can do it, no matter what it is, even if it costs my life, I will do it without complaint."

Hearing this, Yun Ran immediately rolled her eyes, "No, what need would I have for your life? Not worth a thing!"

"Wanyue? Sorry... I just want to compensate you."

Yun Ran found it somewhat amusing, "Shen Mubai, do you think all hurts can be compensated?"

"You know the life Lin Wanyue led in the Minister Mansion."

"Her mother died young, her deadbeat father disliked her, a lonely girl with no support, you were once a ray of light in her world."

"But it was you who personally pushed her into the deepest abyss."

"Her life was already like walking on thin ice, unprotected, and her engagement got called off, do you know how terrifying rumors can be? Did you ever consider her predicament?"

"If it wasn’t just due to still having some use as a substitute bride for Lin Yanran, what do you think her fate would be?"

"To endure everyone’s contempt, ridicule, humiliation, curses, and bullying in the Minister Mansion, until dying from depression in the darkness?"

"Or become a sacrifice to interests, married off as a concubine to some old man or wastrel?"

Shen Mubai quietly listened to Yun Ran’s words, the deep-seated pain in his eyes was like an endless abyss, nearly engulfing him.

He looked at Yun Ran, his voice hoarse and filled with agony, seemingly heartbroken to the extreme, a trickle of fresh blood slowly seeping from the corner of his mouth.

Seeing this suddenly, Yun Ran was truly startled, a bit unexpected.

Shen Mubai casually wiped the blood at his mouth’s corner, his eyes deep as they looked at Yun Ran, "Wanyue, I wronged you, I deserve to die!"

This moment, Yun Ran also felt a indescribable melancholy.

Seeing Shen Mubai , she suddenly had some guesses, rescuing, loss of chastity, seeking death, responsibility, who knows!

But no matter what, the harm he did to Lin Wanyue truly happened, Lin Wanyue is gone, is also an unchangeable fact.

Between them, even if deeply in love, it’s a tragedy.

Or, is there a chance, Lin Wanyue, like her, just went somewhere else?

Yun Ran let out a nearly indiscernible sigh, a hand gently resting on his shoulder, slightly bending close towards him.

Shen Mubai’s body trembled, looking up at Yun Ran, the girl before him as beautiful as a painting, a touch of languor between her brows, like a sleeping Begonia in spring, charming Ming Ye.

As she approached, the fragrance intoxicated, Shen Mubai’s breath slightly halted, "W- Wanyue..."

Yun Ran frowned in silence, yet her face drew closer and closer to him...