“You’ve chosen to trust her sophistries again. Aren’t you a little too gullible?”

He Xiaoyu said angrily and did not hide her anger and disappointment. She thought that Li Mu would be able to stand his ground this time and leave that flirty woman for good. It was unexpected that he would back out once again.

“It's not as simple as you think. I'm scared that…”

“What on earth are you scared of?”

Li Mu hesitated and refused to speak. He Xiaoyu asked again, “Well! Speak up! What are you afraid of? What is it that’s so hard for you to say?”

“I'm scared that your life would be in danger!” Li Mu said after mustering up his courage.

He Xiaoyu went silent. He Xiaoyu wasn’t dumb and had picked up quite some hints. Lin Wan and Mrs. Hong were both extremely strong and skilled, which was very suspicious already. On top of that, she had fallen asleep for no reason twice. This was unexplainable either. She had pondered about it before. And the more she thought about it, the more frightened she was!

What she could be sure of now was that Lin Wan's true identity was definitely not as simple as a primary school teacher. And Mrs. Hong was certainly more than just Lin Wan’s sister-in-law.

“Li Mu, did she admit it herself? Do you believe what she said?” Unwilling to give up, He Xiaoyu asked.

“No, it was Mrs. Hong who told me about it. And I believe what she said!” Li Mu confessed.

He Xiaoyu nodded. Although she hadn’t known Mrs. Hong for long, she shared the same feelings with Li Mu and felt that Mrs. Hong was a credible person. She definitely did not look like someone who liked to lie.

He Xiaoyu would rather believe Mrs. Hong than Lin Wan, as the latter had told so many lies that those who were familiar with her would no longer believe her words anymore.

“What did she tell you?”

“I can't tell you. It's not within your reach. Anyway, if you continue to fight with Lin Wan, it will be dangerous. And I don't want any tragedies to happen. So…”

“Is that the only reason?”

Li Mu shook his head awkwardly and answered truthfully, “I can't lie to myself. I still love her and after forgiving her, I realized I couldn't part with her that easily. I can't leave her!”

He Xiaoyu looked at him sadly and said in a sad tone, “So you’ve decided to give up on me!”

“He didn’t decide to give up on you!” Lin Wan pushed the door open as she said those words.

She had been back for a while and was eavesdropping on their conversation outside the door. Upon hearing this question, she answered it before Li Mu had the chance to do so.

Just a moment ago, Mrs. Hong called her out of the ward to tell her about Lu Fangliang and his daughter’s condition.

After hearing that Lu Jiaxue had lost her mind, Lin Wan bowed her head and said with a sigh at the end, “Might as well get it over with so she doesn’t have to live a hard life in the future!”

“Why? Are you regretting your decisions now?”

Lin Wan ignored her question and shook her head.

“You don’t need to feel so bad. In fact, I would not have spared the two of them even if it was not your command. I’m saying this not because I want to comfort you. It’s genuinely from the bottom of my heart.”

Lin Wan looked up at Mrs. Hong and explained to her, “I understand what you mean. I didn't think of forgiving them. It's just that it would be better for the child to die than to suffer for the rest of her life!”

“There is no other way around it. You can't hide what happened to you from those who had been eyeing you from the very start. The Lin family is watching you. And so are the other families. If you behave in a way that makes them think you are weak and bullyable, a fatal disaster will take place immediately! Since you are the head of the Lin Family, being clear in your grudges is a quality you must possess. You ought to repay kindness with kindness, and revenge with revenge. You can’t let the kindness in you to take over your conscience!”

“Yeah, I understand. Forget it. Let's put this matter behind. Do you have anything else to tell me?”

Mrs. Hong handed a bag to Lin Wan and said with a smile, “That fellow begged Mr. Gou to send this back to you. He mentioned that he couldn't afford such a generous gift. Hence he wanted to return it to you, the rightful owner.”

Lin Wan took a glance at it and realized it was the necklace set. It seemed like Lu Fangliang hated her so much that he didn't want to have anything to do with her anymore. Sending the necklace back was probably a form of silent complaint.

But that was alright for Lin Wan. She didn't want anything more to do with them anymore anyway. And if he wanted to hate her, then be it. She couldn’t care less. After all, she wasn't the one who turned this good karma into a bad one.

“Hmph!” Mrs. Hong mocked, “He seems a bit discontented. Don't worry. My people are always keeping an eye on him. If he dares to do anything irrational, I will be the first to send them to hell.”

“He wouldn't dare to do so. With his daughter dragging him behind, he would never have the guts to take revenge on us. We don’t need to worry about people like this at all. There’s no need to concern ourselves with him.”

Lin Wan said without much attention and shoved the bag back into Mrs. Hong's hand.

“I don't want it anymore. I had given it to that child with the intentions of having a good relationship with her. Who’d known that she would dare to set me up? I’m so disappointed!”

Mrs. Hong chimed in, “As the saying goes, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. She was spoilt by her father. At the end of the day, it was the adults who did all the evil. And the child was indeed pitiful to be forced to bear some of the consequences on behalf of the adults.”

At this point, Mrs. Hong lifted the bag in her hand and nudged it in the direction of the ward.

“Hey! Here comes the chance for you to suck up to him. Are you sure you really don't want this anymore?”

“Suck up? Do you mean I should give the necklace to my husband?”

Mrs. Hong nodded profusely and said with a smile, “What a great opportunity for you to gift this to Li Mu! Didn't he complain that you hadn't gave him any expensive gifts before? Now is definitely the right time to do so!”

Lin Wan twitched her lips and said disdainfully, “My husband wouldn’t want someone else’s trash. Throw them away. I'll buy a new one for him!”

“Silly girl! Why would you want to throw it away? It depends entirely on how you look at it. One man’s trash is another man treasure. It’ll only sound nasty if you don’t know how to put it into words.”

“What do you mean?” Confused, Lin Wan asked.

Mrs. Hong leaned towards Lin Wan and muttered something in a whisper.

Lin Wan hesitated for a moment before asking uncertainly, “Are you sure it’s alright to say that? Will it make him think I'm too petty?”

“Li Mu will only feel bad when you’re generous to his enemies. Ignore what he says. The pettier you are with his enemies, the better Li Mu will feel. Listen to me and you won't go wrong.”

“Alright. I’ll go find him now!”

Lin Wan returned to the ward and happened to overhear their conversation at the door. Lin Wan was on cloud nine when she heard Li Mu admit that he couldn't leave her!

Immediately after that was He Xiaoyu's questioning. Fearing that it would be hard for Li Mu to answer, she immediately pushed the door and entered the room to get her ex-husband out of the situation.

“Lin Wan, what do you mean?” He Xiaoyu asked warily.

“Well, I mean what I said. Remember I mentioned about playing fair? I'll never go back on my words! Don't worry. I won't use my status to intimidate him or force him with the help of my in-laws. We'll all start a normal relationship and let God decide on the fate of our marriage!” Lin Wan replied in a serious manner.

He Xiaoyu looked at her seriously and asked uneasily, “Do you mean what you say?”

Lin Wan nodded and replied calmly, “Yes, I might as well be honest with you. Before he knew my identity, Li Mu had said more than once himself that he wanted to marry you. Hence, I don't want to force him with my status and power. What I want is love, not slavery!”

Li Mu looked at her in surprise and confused. He didn’t know what she was up to.

He Xiaoyu sighed with relief and said happily, “Lin Wan, thank you for your honesty. Alright then. Let's proceed with our bet and leave it to God. Our marriage is in His hands!”

“Sure. Xiaoyu, do you mind giving us some space? I have something to tell him.”

“Sure, go ahead. I'll wait outside!” He Xiaoyu didn't refuse her and left the room.

After He Xiaoyu left, Li Mu lowered his voice and asked, “Are you up to no good again?”

“I’m going to do what I just said!” Lin Wan replied solemnly.

“You're not against me going out with Xiaoyu anymore?” Li Mu asked apprehensively.

Lin Wan squinted at him, which made him feel uncomfortable.

“Honey, I have to remind you that I'm talking about a normal relationship, not a romantic relationship between a man and a woman! I won't object the former, but not the latter! If you ever have the guts to do so, you’d better watch out.”

“Sure. Sure. I didn’t mean being in a romantic relationship either. I was talking about going out like how normal friends do.”

“That's more like it. I have all the best qualities. Try mentioning one! I’m bound to have it. Plus, I’m also the perfect wife. You'd be considered greedy if you wanted more than that!”

“Yes. Yes. you're the perfect wife. You’re just too ferocious!”

“Hmph! It’s all your fault. You were the one who turned me into a ferocious woman!”

“Honey!”

“Yes!”

“When I get better, can you teach me some Kung Fu?” Li Mu asked cautiously, looking at Lin Wan's face as he did so.

Lin Wan's eyes curled and she smiled sweetly, “What? Are you afraid of being beaten up again?”

Her clear eyes had a hint of slyness and intelligence, as if they had a piece of their own mind. Along with a pair of dimples around her lips, each smile of hers boasted beauty and elegance. She was the textbook definition of a beauty with the perfect smile.

Li Mu who was looking at her was stunned. He realized that he could not get enough of his wife's beauty. As she grew older, her body was gradually losing its youthfulness. Yet it was replaced by the unique charm of a grown-up lady.

“What are you staring at? Can’t you recognize me anymore?”

Li Mu hurriedly turned his head and said with embarrassedly, “It's nothing. I'm asking you. Are you going to teach me or not?”

“Then tell me why you want to learn martial arts first?”

“To defend myself! Think about it. If I knew Kung Fu, would Cheng Feng still have a chance? I used to think that I could fight. But now I realize that I'm nothing more than a weak duckling!”

Lin Wan giggled and nodded repeatedly, “Yes. Yes. Weaker than a weak duckling indeed. Cheng Feng has already showed mercy. Otherwise, he could have killed you in two moves!”

“Are you going to teach me then?”

Lin Wan turned her eyes and glanced at Li Mu. The latter said unhappily, “Fine. So be it. If you don’t want to teach me, I'll take up classes. It's just sparring anyway. What's the big deal?”

“You’re wrong! It’s not as easy as normal sparring!”

Lin Wan's attitude became serious. She explained solemnly, “The Kung Fu I practice is a blend of several styles, including martial arts, sparring, jujitsu and taekwondo. Strictly speaking it is not kung fu but a killing technique instead. Are you sure you’re really up to it?”

“Yes!” Li Mu replied without hesitation.