Let me explain, it's not what you think.

After Yu Ning took the child away, Lu Chen and Zhang Fan chatted for a while longer.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly received a message from Wang Feng, inviting him to a get-together. Lin Tian and Zhang Fan were also invited.

"What's going on, Senior Brother Wang?" Zhang Fan asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I don't know either, maybe something happened. Let's go check it out!"

"Yu Ning, you..."

"I won't go. Bao'er is sleepy today and needs to go home to sleep."

"Okay, I'll be back in a bit!"

After Zhang Fan finished speaking, he left with Lu Chen.

Yu Ning returned to her cave, put Bao'er in the cradle, and sat quietly watching him.

"Bao'er, do you know that you and your Uncle-Master Lu Chen have the exact same nose?"

Bao'er was fast asleep and naturally couldn't answer.

Yu Ning remained silent for a long time.

Something's wrong with Master's wife. Senior Sister Jiang is the victim. So, if I compare Senior Sister Jiang to Master's wife's child...

A bold idea popped into my head.

……

When Lu Chen and Zhang Fan arrived, Lin Tian, ​​Zhuang Jingbai, and Wang Feng were already chatting.

Zhuang Jingbai didn't really want to come, but after learning that Lu Chen was coming, she decided to come along.

These past few days, she's been using the blankets every day, so they've lost their smell. She's also started using the memory stone, especially the one that time Lu Chen pinned her to the table.

Seeing Lu Chen appear now, for some reason, her heart started racing and her face flushed.

"Senior Brother Wang." Lu Chen bowed and sat down, glancing at Zhuang Jingbai out of the corner of his eye. The latter winked at him, but he pretended not to notice her odd behavior.

"Everyone's here." Wang Feng poured a glass of wine for everyone.

He looked much more haggard today, with stubble growing on his beard, completely lacking the spirited demeanor of the Wang family's alchemy genius he once was.

"I called you here today because there's something I want to tell you."

"I regret it."

The four words, though not loud, were like a stone thrown into calm water.

"Senior Brother Wang..."

"Don't try to persuade me, let me finish what I have to say."

"During these days apart, I've been thinking... about Huaiyu, about my daughter. I think about her during the day, and I think about her at night. When I close my eyes, all I see are their faces."

Wang Feng picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

"Although my daughter... she's not my biological child, I raised her. How could I not have feelings for her? The first time she called me 'Daddy,' she cried and she laughed..."

He couldn't continue, so he raised his hand to cover his face.

No one spoke.

After a long while, Wang Feng finally put his hand down, his eyes red-rimmed.

"My parents... they were very firm at first. But these days, they've regretted it. My mother told me yesterday that she had auditory hallucinations while practicing Falun Gong; she heard her granddaughter calling her 'Grandma,' and she cried half the night."

Upon hearing this, Lin Tian patted his shoulder and said, "Senior brother, then go and win senior sister back."

"That's what I think too."

"I want to apologize to Huaiyu and beg her to forgive me. I will spend my whole life repaying her for the injustices she suffered! My daughter... no matter whose biological mother she is, she is my daughter, and no one can change that."

"Senior brother, you're right to think that way! Senior sister is also a victim, she must be feeling wronged and upset, she might even be crying at home this time!" Zhang Fan also advised.

Wang Feng nodded at first, but then sighed.

The problem is... I can't find her.

Everyone was taken aback.

"I've been searching everywhere these past few days—the sect, her maternal home, all the places she frequents. Nobody knows where she went."

He looked at the people present, his eyes pleading.

"I called you here today to ask you a favor. If you see her, please pass on a message for me."

"Just say..."

"Just tell her I was wrong and ask her to come back. If she doesn't forgive me, I'll kneel at her door every day. She can hit me or yell at me, I don't care, as long as she comes back... as long as she comes back."

Everyone looked at each other.

"Don't worry, senior brother, I'll definitely pass on your message when I see senior sister!"

"Me too! I'll definitely bring it for you!"

Wang Feng nodded gratefully and drank another glass of wine.

Lu Chen sat there, barely saying a word from beginning to end.

Jiang Huaiyu was in his cave.

The person Wang Feng was looking for was in his house, and was even quite rebellious...

He knew all the clues about Jiang Huaiyu, but he couldn't reveal them.

Zhuang Jingbai's gaze fell on Lu Chen without making a sound.

She noticed that his hand holding the wine glass was trembling slightly, and he didn't look up; his whole body was tense.

Something's not right, absolutely not right!

She suddenly remembered the tightly closed door in Lu Chen's cave and the faint fragrance coming from the kitchen.

A bold idea suddenly popped into my head: could it be that Jiang Huaiyu's disappearance these past few days was...?

Her heart suddenly raced, and her fingers unconsciously clenched her dress.

"Junior Brother Lu," Wang Feng suddenly spoke.

Lu Chen looked up: "Senior brother?"

"You're quite familiar with your Senior Sister Huaiyu, so if you see her... please put in a good word for me."

When Lu Chen met Wang Feng's bloodshot eyes, he felt as if something had clenched his heart.

"no problem!"

……

After the gathering ended, everyone went their separate ways.

Lu Chen walked back alone, his pace quickening.

He remembered his good brother's haggard, regretful, tearful, and then humble appearance.

So he had to do something for her! And Jiang Huaiyu was in his cave at the moment, so he had an obligation to have a good talk with her!

Thinking of this, Lu Chen raised his head and looked in the direction of his cave in the distance.

"Senior sister... Senior brother regrets it. You two must live a good life from now on!"

……

Lu Chen returned to the entrance of the cave, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open to enter.

Then, he froze.

The table in the hall was laden with delicacies. It was even more sumptuous than the previous meal, the air filled with a radiant glow and an irresistible aroma.

The spirit rice was piled up like a small mountain, six plates of spirit vegetables were laid out, and in the middle was a steaming bowl of spirit meat soup, with a pot of wine warming up beside it.

Jiang Huaiyu was facing away from him, bending over and fiddling with something.

Hearing the noise, she straightened up, turned her head, and her face flushed slightly.

"You're back?"

Lu Chen hummed in agreement, his gaze sweeping over the dishes on the table, unsure of what to say for a moment.

Jiang Huaiyu pursed her lips and said softly, "What happened this afternoon... I went too far. I shouldn't have pressured you like that."

She lowered her eyes, her voice becoming even softer.

"So I did all this to apologize to you."

Seeing her like this, Lu Chen's anger had long since dissipated. He was about to bring up Wang Feng's matter when Jiang Huaiyu interrupted, "Let's eat first, the food won't taste good if it gets cold."

Lu Chen had no choice but to sit down.

Jiang Huaiyu turned around and went to the kitchen to bring out the last dish.

As soon as she turned around, Lu Chen's gaze froze, because she was wearing a dress he had never seen before.

The pale white blouse, made of extremely soft material, clung to her body, outlining her slender waist and rounded shoulders. The neckline wasn't low, but as she bent over, a glimpse of her fair skin was revealed.

The worst part was the material itself; it was so thin it was almost transparent, and you could vaguely see the outline inside.

And she wasn't wearing shoes.

A pair of bare feet stepped on the clean wooden floor, the toes round and small, the nails tinged with a faint pink.

She turned around, carrying a plate of spiritual fruits, and met Lu Chen's gaze, her cheeks flushing even more.