107: Chapter 107 The Confession

"Brother Meng, what's going on between you and Su Ying?"

As soon as Jiang Yu Feng and Su Ying left, Xiao Yuer cast a gossipy look at Meng Li.

Mu Rong Xian also had the expression of someone eager for gossip.

Meng Li shot them a sidelong glance and said crossly, "Why are you two so gossipy? Instead of prying into our business, why don't you think about your own?"

Xiao Yuer said, "The relationship between me and the Little Fairy is great, no problems there."

"No problems?" Meng Li chuckled, his eyes shifting as he entered matchmaker mode. "You two have been together for quite a while now. Do you plan to just keep drifting along without any official status? Haven't you thought about getting married?"

Xiao Yuer and Mu Rong Xian's expressions froze.

Then, Mu Rong Xian lowered her head shyly, fiddling with the corner of her clothes with her fingers.

Seeing this, Meng Li turned his focus to Xiao Yuer. "Brother Fish, I really have to say a word or two to you about this."

"Miss Murong is a young lady; she's too thin-skinned to speak up."

"But you, as a man..."

"Stop, hold it right there!"

Xiao Yuer cut Meng Li off mid-sentence.

He then said, "Brother Meng, to be honest, when we went back to Demon Island, my First Dad and Second Mother already urged us about the wedding. We plan to get married after Uncle Yan wakes up. So, you don't need to worry about this."

"We'll send you an invitation then. I hope you'll do us the honor of coming for a celebratory drink."

Meng Li smiled. "No problem, I'll definitely be there."

"However, Brother Fish, your side is settled, but what about the Murong Family? Miss Murong can't get married without her family being present, can she?"

Xiao Yuer replied, "That's also why we want to wait until Uncle Yan wakes up before getting married. If Little Fairy and I go back to invite them ourselves, it might be troublesome. But with Uncle Yan there, it should go more smoothly."

Hearing this, Meng Li's expression turned odd. "You sound like you're planning to use a bit of martial coercion."

Xiao Yuer said helplessly, "I have no choice. Old Man Murong is too stubborn."

"Then you might as well bring Hua Wuchuan along too," Meng Li joked.

Xiao Yuer said, "I did think about that, but I haven't been able to find him despite asking around. I only know he's left Yihua Palace, but I don't know his exact whereabouts."

Hua Wuchuan left Yihua Palace and vanished?

Meng Li's eyes flickered.

Could he have gone to the Kunlun Tribe, just like in the original story?

As for why Hua Wuchuan left Yihua Palace?

Meng Li could guess a thing or two. It was likely that after learning about the past, he felt revenge was hopeless or was extremely conflicted, so he chose to run away.

In the original story, he did the same, though back then it was because of Tie Xinlan's 'death'.

Now, he hadn't become involved with Tie Xinlan, but he had learned about his origins early. He still couldn't defeat Yao Yue and Lian Xing, and he faced the same dilemma between gratitude and grudge. It was normal for him to choose escape. Because the situation was too difficult, and having been raised in Yihua Palace and meticulously nurtured by Yao Yue and Lian Xing, he had experienced very few setbacks.

This resulted in a personality that wasn't particularly resilient; when faced with major setbacks, he naturally chose to escape.

Various thoughts flashed through his mind, but Meng Li said aloud, "Then what will you do?"

"You're biological brothers. If he's absent when you get married, it will leave a lasting regret."

Xiao Yuer looked helpless. "I'll just have to find a way to keep searching. Anyway, Uncle Yan won't recover that quickly."

...

On the other side, Su Ying and Jiang Yu Feng walked a distance away, stopping only when they were sure Meng Li and the others couldn't hear their conversation.

Jiang Yu Feng got straight to the point. "How did your talk with him go?"

"What are you referring to?" Su Ying asked back.

Jiang Yu Feng said, "Your relationship, of course. Xiao Yuer told us that the East Depot attack was actually a setup from the start, orchestrated by your father to bring you and Meng Li together. However, unexpectedly, East Depot men really did barge in by chance."

"Meng Li knows too. He intentionally asked you to help find the horses because he probably wanted to clear things up with you."

"Isn't that right?"

Su Ying was silent for two seconds before admitting, "That is indeed the case."

"And what was the result?"

Jiang Yu Feng asked with burning eyes.

Su Ying replied, "I plan to give it a try."

"Give it a try?" Jiang Yu Feng was puzzled.

"Yes." Su Ying confirmed, then elaborated, "Meng Li was open with me. He said he likes me too, but he already has a family and more than one wife, so he's not exactly a 'good catch'. If I want to be with him, I must share him with others."

"He knew this might be hard for me to accept, which is why he didn't pursue me too much."

"But after today's events, the veil between us has been pierced."

"So, he gave me two choices: one is to take a step further and be with him, and the other is for both of us to take a step back and just be friends from now on."

"Either choice is better than continuing in this ambiguous state."

"You chose to take a step further?" Jiang Yu Feng stared at her.

"Yes," Su Ying whispered, taking a deep breath and smiling. "It's indeed a bit hard for me to accept sharing the person I like with others. But when I think about only being friends with him in the future..."

She touched her chest. "I feel like my heart would hurt even more."

"So, I plan to give it a try—to try and accept the former."

Jiang Yu Feng lowered her eyes. "Aren't you afraid you'll regret it in the future?"

Su Ying smiled. "Let's worry about the future when it comes."

"Because of my father's situation, my mother told me that life has many choices. No matter what you choose, there will be regrets afterward, but there's no medicine for regret in this world. Even if there were, choosing again would still lead to a different kind of regret."

"Because the greatest trait of the human heart is never being satisfied, life is inevitably full of regrets no matter what."

"All we can do is follow our hearts and seize the moment."

"I might regret it later, but I won't right now."

"Even if I regret it in the future, I can't blame anyone else. Who told me to meet him and fall for him?"

"And I believe Meng Li won't let me regret it."

Jiang Yu Feng said softly, "You haven't known him for very long, have you? You trust him that much?"

Su Ying's smile didn't fade. "True, I haven't known him long. But fate and attraction are mysterious things; they can't be judged by time. Some people can decide their whole lives at a single glance and love passionately. Others, even if they marry and spend their whole lives together, have hearts as still as stagnant water, merely living together to get by."

Jiang Yu Feng was speechless.

She thought of her own parents.

They were exactly like that—even worse than ordinary couples just living together to get by.

Those ordinary couples might not have so-called attraction or love, but most can spend their lives together, living harmoniously and developing familial affection.

But Jiang Biehe and Madam Jiang Liu...

Then, Jiang Yu Feng thought of herself.

She hadn't known Meng Li for very long either—about the same as Su Ying—but she had also fallen for him. Otherwise, she wouldn't have taken the initiative to get closer to him, nor would she have treated him differently from Xiao Yuer when they rode together.

At this moment, Su Ying turned her head and asked Jiang Yu Feng, "What about you?"

...