“Yes. I long for that kind of life. A life that is simple, unpretentious, and carefree!” Shen Xingyue said with a longing look on her face.

Li Mu thought it was undeniable. He was clear about one thing. No matter what kind of life you were living, there would come a time when you were tired of it. Even if you were used to eating expensive fish and meat, there were some days you’d prefer eating clean. If you had been eating porridge, you’d want to eat other food instead.

Living in a big city made you long for a serene life in the countryside. Likewise, those who were living in the countryside would long for the hustle and bustle of the big city!

He thought Shen Xingyue was just exhausted. Rather than yearning for a farming life, what she needed was a good rest.

Shen Xingyue continued, “It's deep in the mountains. And the people there are innocent. They have a simple lifestyle. And not many people know about that place. Li Mu, come back with me!”

When Li Mu hesitated to say yes, Shen Xingyue asked, “Do you think that I am sacrificing too much by doing this?”

“Yeah. Do you think it’s worth it just for me?”

“It's true that it's not worth it if I’m doing it just for you. But if I use this opportunity to fulfill a desire I've had for years, then it's worth it!”

These few words made Li Mu feel better. But he didn't want to owe anyone any more emotional debts. Lin Wan and He Xiaoyu were both the guilt of his life, and he didn’t want to add his ex-girlfriend into this chaos.

“Xingyue, I can accept your offer. But I still think that you shouldn't just leave everything behind. It's very irrational to do so and the loss is much more than it’s worth!”

Shen Xingyue shook her head and said in a low tone, “Li Mu, even if this hadn't happened, I would have been ready to leave my job. I agreed to transfer to Shanyang City just because I wanted to drop by and see you. Till then, I could finally leave in peace.”

Li Mu's heart tightened as he sensed that Shen Xingyue meant something else.

“Xingyue, what’s wrong with you? Why are you saying things like this?”

Shen Xingyue did not answer him. Instead, she reached out and fiddled with her head a few times before taking off her wig. It turned out she was bald.

Li Mu was stunned. He opened his mouth wide and was unable to speak for a long time.

Shen Xingyue put the wig back on and laughed bitterly, “I scared you, didn't I?”

“What's wrong with you?” Li Mu asked in surprise.

“It’s acute myeloid leukemia. The doctor said I probably had about six months to live!”

Li Mu was completely shocked. He never thought that he and his ex-girlfriend would face such a life and death situation when they met again after not seeing each other for several years.

Although he had no feelings towards her anymore, deep down in his heart he had always silently hoped that she could lead a happy life and that she would find herself a good husband.

After taking a breather, Li Mu leaped up and pulled Shen Xingyue up, “Let's go back to Shanyang City. I'll get help from Xiaoyu and arrange for you to be admitted to the hospital right away.”

Shen Xingyue tugged at him and shook her head, “Don't bother. I've been to several famous hospitals and it's useless. Don't bother her anymore.”

“How can it be useless? Have you tried a bone marrow transplant? Are you short of money? Don't worry. I'll help you pay for the treatment!”

Shen Xingyue was touched by Li Mu's sincerity. He was still as kind and considerate as she remembered him to be.

Her eyes went teary as she choked out, “No. I have money. But I have a special blood type. There is no suitable match for me and my condition is progressing very rapidly. So it's useless!”

“But you can't just give up like that! Xingyue, you are still young. Don't give up. I can help you. All you need to do is to regain your confidence!”

Li Mu dragged Shen Xingyue out of the house. But Shen Xingyue dragged him back and begged, “Li Mu, don't rush. Hear me out first. Listen to what I have to say before you decide.”

Li Mu stood still and said anxiously, “What are you trying to tell me? Do you want to give up the treatment? How did you become like this? You used to be someone who never give up. Why have you become so negative now?”

“Li Mu, listen to me. I'm not being negative. I don't want to spend the rest of my short life in the hospital! Even if I have to die, I want to die in that small courtyard I mentioned. It's the ancestral property my grandfather left me. And it's where I lived as a child. It is where I belong. I want my soul to rest in that land left for me!”

Li Mu was overwhelmed with grief and held Shen Xingyue tightly in his arms. He felt a hint of remorse. If he had not given up on her at the beginning, perhaps her fate would have been different. He was part of the blame for her misfortune.

Shen Xingyue could no longer suppress her grievances. She hugged him tight and sobbed profusely. Li Mu did not comfort her but instead let her release her emotions out completely.

After crying for a while, Shen Xingyue gradually calmed down and whimpered, “Li Mu, go back with me, will you? I want you to be the last person I spend my time with!”

“Alright. Let’s go home!”

......

A month has passed but Li Mu and Shen Xingyue were still nowhere to be found.

He Xiaoyu had been asking around every day. But the Public Security Bureau’s reply had always been the same, “Sorry, Miss He. There is no progress for now. Please be patient!”

The few of them analyzed the situation and agreed that Li Mu must be hiding in a place unknown to the public.

The country was so big that even though there were cameras everywhere, there were still many isolated corners. And that irresponsible Li Mu must be hiding in one of them.

Unanimously, the group shifted the focuse to Shen Xingyue.

The reasoning was simple. Lin Wan and He Xiaoyu both knew Li Mu very well. And they knew that bast**d was no cunning rabbit. He did not have any private property in hand. And if he was to find a place to hide, he would have exposed himself a long time ago.

If he could hide himself so well, it must have been Shen Xingyue who helped him out. Finding out more about her might be a good start to find out where the two of them were.

After poking and asking around, they knew almost everything about Shen Xingyue. They also realized that something was wrong.

That day, Lin Wan and the others gathered at home to come up with a next step.

Mrs. Hong listed down some important information on a piece of paper and pointed to one of them, “Look at this. This is very suspicious. Three months ago, she sold several properties that she owned in different cities. And the transaction prices were all below the local average market price. This indicates that she was in a hurry to get rid of them. There must be a reason for her to do so!”

“I noticed this too! She has a high position in Weihua Group and has a steady career with high income and good treatment. She has no financial disputes either. So why would she do this? She is not in short of money at all!” He Xiaoyu wondered aloud.

“Yeah. This is very puzzling indeed. I've investigated. She doesn't have any bad habits and isn’t in contact with anyone special. Her personal life has always been normal. Hence this behavior of hers is really puzzling.” Lin Wan said with a frown.

“There's another suspicion.” Mrs. Hong added, “She took two months' leave of absence some time ago. Nobody knew where she went and what she did!”

“Mrs. Hong, did she sell the house before she took leave or after?” Lin Wan asked.

“After! Shen Xingyue returned to the company and started to appoint local brokers to sell off her properties. I can be sure that something must have happened in this two months’ time span. And her reason of selling off the properties at a low price was definitely related to this matter!”

“What can it be about?” He Xiaoyu muttered to herself.

Lin Kun, who had been sitting aside suddenly chimed in, “Ladies, are you making things too complicated? In my opinion, she might be arranging her funeral arrangements. Shen Xingyue is probably going to die soon!”

The few of them froze on the spot and exchanged glances before looking at Lin Kun together.

The latter was a little embarrassed by their gaze and scratched his head, “It was just a suggestion. It might be nonsense. Just a wild guess.”

“What’s your reason?” Mrs. Hong asked.

“You see, Shen Xingyue lives a disciplined life and has no bad habits. She has a high-income career and is a successful person, which means she wouldn’t be in short of money at all!”

Lin Wan and the others nodded.

Lin Kun went on, “Shen Xingyue is the only daughter in her family. Her parents divorced when she was very young. Her father got the custody but left her for another woman and hardly ever cared for her again after his remarriage. Her mother never cared for her after the divorce either. So she didn't have a good relationship with either of her parents. You can say that she hated her parents.”

“Does this have anything to do with her dying?” He Xiaoyu asked, puzzled.

“Of course there is. The fact that she's not short of money but is desperate to sell her fortune can only mean that she doesn't want to leave even a single cent to her enemies, which are her biological parents. Makes sense, right?”

“Do you mean that she has an acute illness and she’s counting down her days alive? So she deliberately sold all her fortune and spent it lavishly. She’d rather waste it all than leave it to her parents.”

Lin Kun stroked his palm and said, “Yeah. She might’ve taken a personal leave but it is highly likely that she went to see a doctor. Mrs. Hong, Lin Wan, we might as well have a look at the big hospitals in our country now. We might find something new.”

“Makes sense!” Mrs. Hong agreed.

She then asked He Xiaoyu, “Miss He, in terms of the hospital, do you have any connections?”

“Yes!” He Xiaoyu responded, “One of Dongyang Group's three major products is digital medication. Hence we have partnerships with many major hospitals in the country. It shouldn't be too hard to investigate a patient's condition.”

He Xiaoyu was not lying indeed. Two hours later, they were told that Shen Xingyue was suffering from acute leukemia and her days were numbered. It was exactly what Lin Kun had guessed.

For some reason, Lin Wan and He Xiaoyu both breathed a sigh of relief. They were less tensed up now.

“Lin Kun, have you checked where was Shen Xingyue's hometown?” Mrs. Hong asked.

Lin Kun immediately responded, “I did. She left her household registration at her relative's house before she moved out. It’s a very remote small county. Mrs. Hong, do you think she brought Li Mu back to her hometown?”