Mr. Xiao, can I borrow your wedding invitation?

Chapter 239 Relief
Ning Zhiyuan leaned against the wall, bending over, "Quick, step on my shoulders to get up!"

Step on his shoulder...

Seeing her in a daze, Ning Zhiyuan urged, "Hurry up, don't you want to save Grandma anymore?"

Of course I want to!

Su Ying gritted her teeth and climbed up with his help. Once Ning Zhiyuan had climbed over the wall, he would take her down.

“I checked, this villa has a basement. If the person is really here, then it’s very likely they’re being locked in the basement!”

Su Ying didn't know why he was investigating this, but she was willing to trust his judgment.

Because during his time at university, he had determined that he had never disappointed her.

Ning Zhiyuan habitually grasped her wrist and led her through the dark, unlit area, where Su Ying stopped.

"What's wrong?" Ning Zhiyuan turned to look at her.

Without a word, Su Ying broke free from his grasp, her expression resolute and cold.

Looking at his hand frozen in mid-air, Ning Zhiyuan gave a bitter smile.

He deserved it; he brought it on himself.

The basement was large, with several rooms facing each other along a corridor. The two followed the sound of metal clanging and eventually found people in the last room.

Grandma lay curled up on the bed, her thin, bony body tangled in a mess, looking so tiny.

Without the company of her family, she slept very poorly, tossing and turning all night.

As soon as you get close, a strong, rancid stench hits you, almost making you faint.

Ning Zhiyuan used a wire-like object to quickly unlock the door, as if he had come prepared.

"Grandma, Grandma..."

Hearing Su Ying's call, the old man staggered off the bed, excitedly climbing down, the clanging of metal echoing through the corridor once again.

Good heavens, she had iron chains on her wrists and ankles, which rattled as she moved.

She's just an old woman with no strength to even kill a chicken, is it really necessary to do this? Or is it that Qian Ke'er is venting her hatred for them on the old woman?

She's a complete jerk!

"Yingying, it's Yingying... Waaah, Yingying, I miss you so much! Where did you go? Why did you leave me all alone?"

Su Ying could feel the strength with which the old man gripped her hand, as if she had been abandoned once again.

She tidied her grandmother's disheveled hair, her voice choked with emotion, "It's all Yingying's fault. Yingying swears that she will never leave Grandma alone again, okay?"

"Let's go quickly, I'm afraid someone might come over soon!" Ning Zhiyuan reminded him, looking around.

Su Ying sniffed, grasped her grandmother's shoulders, and patiently coaxed her, "Grandma, shall we play a game? We'll go somewhere in a bit, but we agree that no one can talk. Whoever lasts the longest gets a bag of lollipops, okay?"

"Okay, I'll definitely get to eat a lollipop..." Realizing what was happening, she quickly covered her mouth and nodded vigorously.

Ning Zhiyuan led the way, and Su Ying, holding her grandmother's hand, successfully climbed over the wall of Qian Ke'er's villa under his escort.

His car was parked not far away, and it quickly disappeared into the twilight. Su Ying clearly saw that they hadn't driven far when another car came from the opposite direction.

It's Musa and the others who are back.

Fortunately, they left in time; if they had run into them, none of them might have made it out alive.

Soon, Ning Zhiyuan's car stopped at a private dock.

The evening breeze was biting, bringing a chill.

Ning Zhiyuan got out of the car, made a phone call, and came back up a few minutes later. "The boat I called will be here soon. It will take you to a very safe place. Ning Cheng, never come back again!"

Su Ying looked at the calm sea, and after a while, said, "I can't leave now!"

Ning Zhiyuan looked up at her, frowning. "Why?"

"It's not convenient for me to tell you!"

Ning Zhiyuan's gaze turned cold instantly, and a hint of pain surfaced in his calm eyes. "You're still holding a grudge against me for what happened before, aren't you?"

Su Ying smiled. "So, do you think I should forgive her? Let me put it this way, it's something I can never forgive in my entire life!"

Ning Zhiyuan closed his eyes, the bitterness in his throat known only to himself. "I'm sorry, Xiaoying. I was too selfish back then and didn't consider your feelings..."

"Stop! Let's not bring up the past anymore. If apologies were enough, what would be the point of laws?"

Ning Zhiyuan nodded with a wry smile, "You're right, I caused all of this myself, so I can't blame anyone else. But there's something I still need to tell you, otherwise I'm afraid I'll never have the chance again!"

He looked up and his eyes met Su Ying's in the rearview mirror.

The next second, he slowly removed the black leather mask from his face.

The rugged, grotesque, and terrifying scars were clearly exposed to the air. Upon seeing this, Su Ying gasped and covered her mouth in horror.

"The scar on your face..."

"The reason I left without saying goodbye was because my dad found my mom abroad. I naively thought that as long as I went there, I could definitely bring her back. It turns out she got married to a very wealthy family who could provide for her every need. She didn't want to come back at all, and she didn't want to acknowledge me!"

“I saw helplessness and despair in my dad’s eyes. He said he was willing to give my mom her way. At that time, I hated myself for not being able to do anything for him. On our way back to China, an accident happened, and my face was disfigured! Tragically, the people who set this up were actually my own mother’s current husband. He was afraid I would ask my mother for money. Isn’t that ridiculous?”

He gently stroked the scars on his face, recounting that bloody and cruel past with a faint smile.

"Did Xiao Ruonan save you?" Su Ying had heard these words from Xiao Ruonan before, so she made this judgment.

“I thought I was going to die, but then a strange girl had someone drive me to the hospital. Before she left, I saw my dad lying in a pool of blood, his body mangled. When I woke up, I heard the news of his death! My dad died before he saw my mom change her mind…”

Whether it was the bright moonlight or something else, Su Ying saw tears in his eyes.

His tone was so calm, as if he were recounting an experience unrelated to himself, but the trembling all over his body betrayed his grief and utter despair.

"I originally planned to go back to you and explain after I picked up my mom, but my face... I was afraid it would scare you, and I felt I was no longer good enough for you, so..."

"So you're going to hide away and disappear from my world forever?" Su Ying interrupted him.

Ning Zhiyuan buried his face in his hands, speechless.

Su Ying sneered, her gaze drifting out of the car window. "Ning Zhiyuan, do you think that by disfiguring yourself and hiding away, you're doing this for my sake? Do you expect me to be moved to tears? Let me tell you, you're wrong. That's called selfishness. Because you're not weak, you're afraid to face reality. You're afraid I'll break up with you because of your disfigurement. You can't accept reality. And why didn't you tell me about your trip abroad with your uncle to find your aunt? It's because you're insecure. You're afraid of being ridiculed because of this. Ning Zhiyuan, what you think is important is something others don't care about at all. Is our relationship really so fragile that it can't withstand this test?"