"Mummy, remember to come and see us soon." The little girl pouted unhappily.

"Yes." Ye Lu nodded vigorously.

Third Young Master Jun glanced deeply at her, a complex emotion flashed in his eyes, then he left, and soon everyone disappeared from the room.

Ye Lu could not help but pursue to the door, but dare not venture beyond. She watched them disappear through the crack in the door, tears welling up in her eyes and dripping onto the floor.

"Yuanyuan, Yiyi, my children..."

She cried heartbrokenly, clinging to the door in pain.

There wouldn’t be any chance to meet again. She had promised Third Young Master Jun not to disturb their lives. Besides, if she met them, these two children would try their best to return to her side.

She just hoped that they could live well, free from harm and in good health.

Once everything was settled, she would also leave this city and live in a foreign place. However, they would remain on her mind, the perpetual pain in her heart.

"Mother, I sent Yuanyuan and Yiyi away. I felt that it was the best choice for them, but my heart is so sad and tormented."

She staggered lost into Yan Yu’s room, and collapsed crying in her mother’s arms.

"Oh, you silly child..." Seeing her daughter’s face filled with despair, Yan Yu did not know what to say. She could only hold her tight, allowing her to sob in her embrace.

Seeing her like this, Yan Yu’s heart ached. She gently stroked her hair, feeling her daughter’s suffering.

She had not experienced much happiness or familial warmth since childhood.

As she grew up, she encountered the worst misfortune a woman could have, gave birth to her children with difficulty, and finally after pouring out her deepest motherly love for so many years, she ended up separated from them.

This was heart-wrenching pain for any mother.

"Maybe, you could ask him to let you stay with the children. Didn’t he want to marry you before?"

Ye Lu shivered, her tears flowing even more fiercely.

"It’s no use. He doesn’t love me, nor does he want me. He won’t allow me to see the children in the future."

He insisted she promises to never see the children again, saying it was the only way to completely sever any unnecessary emotional entanglement and not impact his life and the children’s growth.

"Ah..." Yan Yu could only sigh. Stubborn men could be very cold-hearted, especially proud men like him.

Maybe she was wrong, and she should not have easily refused Hua Lunxi.

She always felt like it would harm her daughter. But now, seeing her daughter’s despair and forced to part with her own flesh and blood, wasn’t this more hurtful than any hidden danger? She would never be happy again. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

If her daughter returned to the Hua family, at least she wouldn’t have to suffer the agony of abandoning her children.

Even if it is more dangerous, that is a matter for the future.

When Hua Lunxi next visited, Yan Yu thought, she should let her daughter make her own choice.

...

These days, Yuan Jiayin was in a good mood. She was not in a hurry to start the investigation immediately. That would be too sudden, it needed to be more subtle.

Anyway, Ye Lu was as good as dead.

However, it seemed that Shang Jingchen was busy with something these days, out early and back late, as if he was wholly engrossed in something.

When he returned, he would always drink silently.

"Jingchen..." She walked over, and the moment her hand touched his shoulder, he turned sharply, his eyes vicious, startling her.

"Jingchen, what’s wrong with you?"

Seeing it was her, Shang Jingchen turned his head back, his voice cold: "Nothing, it’s late, go to sleep!"

Yuan Jiayin felt he was acting strange lately, vigilant and overly suspicious.