Reborn Heiress: Seeking Revenge-Chapter 445 Zhuge Feng and Lin Mengjie (2)_1
Otherwise, Zhuge Feng wouldn’t have hurriedly taken her away that day, not daring to let her confront Shangguan You. He was guilty from the start. That was part of the reason. Another reason, naturally, was to force her to produce the antidote and to ensure her safety; for if she died, not only would Lin Mengjie be ruined, but that secret would also remain hidden forever.
"Your talent for self-deception is truly first-rate; I’m no match for you there," Zhuge Feng said. "Sixteen years ago, I did nothing. I only watched Jiejie from afar, wishing her happiness. If it weren’t for you, Jiejie wouldn’t be in this state. You’ve harmed Jiejie, and you’ve harmed the girl. And now you want me to kill her? You really have some nerve."
"Hahaha, so what if I did?" Li Wanying sneered coldly, past scenes replaying in her mind. "Even though you didn’t act, you also didn’t help. You watched Shangguan Hao walk step by step into the trap without warning him. Although you’re not the actual perpetrator, you’re an accomplice all the same."
"Li Wanying, tell me, who was behind all of this? What was their motive? Why did they target Jiejie?" Zhuge Feng looked down at Li Wanying on the ground. If he hadn’t underestimated Li Wanying so much in the past, perhaps none of this would have happened.
The reason he had stood back and let things happen was because he believed Li Wanying couldn’t cause much trouble. But he hadn’t expected powerful figures behind her—figures not even the Shangguan Family had foreseen—leading the situation to develop as it did. Everyone had been played for fools: the Shangguan Family, she, the Li Family, and the Lin Family. They all became pawns, while the Li Family and the mastermind reaped the greatest benefits.
"I don’t know if there’s someone behind me," Li Wanying said. "But if you really want to know, I can tell you what happened back then. However, I’m curious. How did you, the esteemed Family Head of the Zhuge Family, come to know Lin Mengjie?"
"Lin Mengjie may be the precious daughter of the Lin Family, but she’s just a simple person from the secular world. Why are all of you so fixated on her, so enamored? Did she bewitch you all, making you forget who you are?" Li Wanying demanded coldly.
It was a question she herself couldn’t comprehend, even now. Lin Mengjie was beautiful and had powerful backing, certainly. But what ability did she possess to make them all fall for her, one by one? To save Lin Mengjie, Zhuge Feng had sought cures everywhere, spending precious little time in the Hidden World Village. For the sake of Lin Mengjie and her daughter, he had even changed his name to care for Shangguan You openly. He had gone to such lengths to ensure Shangguan You would have a good future, preparing everything for her. If Zhuge Feng hadn’t been taking Lin Mengjie everywhere seeking medical treatment, and if that person hadn’t been secretly helping, Shangguan You wouldn’t have been kidnapped. That kidnapping had led to her becoming withdrawn and being sent away. If she had known that girl would wake up so changed, she would never have let Shangguan You leave alive! Then there was Shangguan Hao. After sixteen years of separation, his thoughts were still constantly on Lin Mengjie. Although he used to be cold towards Shangguan You, Li Wanying knew he had only done so deliberately in her presence, as a way to protect the girl. Yet, he wouldn’t even spare Li Wanying a glance. If Shangguan You hadn’t needed her care, Shangguan Hao probably would never have returned home!
Thinking of this, Li Wanying’s jealous rage burned ever hotter, her eyes glinting with a snake’s venomous malice as she coldly awaited Zhuge Feng’s response.
During the time she had been held captive here, she was forced to look at Lin Mengjie’s face every day. She desperately wanted to rush forward, to destroy Lin Mengjie, to ensure she would never wake up. But she didn’t dare, nor did she have the opportunity. Zhuge Feng had administered a drug to her; just approaching Lin Jiemeng caused her unbearable pain.
Hearing Li Wanying’s words, Zhuge Feng trembled slightly. How had he met Jiejie? Memories of the past surfaced, and his gaze grew distant as he recalled various events from long ago.
Seventeen years ago, Zhuge Feng had inherited the position of Family Head at a young age. He was considered the most talented of his generation in the Hidden World Village. At that time, claiming to be entering seclusion, he had quietly left the village and headed for Beijing.
The first-generation Zhuge Family Head had created a secret passage at his seclusion site. This passage allowed one to leave the Hidden World Village freely without using the main entrance, facilitating travel to and from the secular world. Zhuge Feng only learned of this after becoming the Family Head. At twenty-six, full of youthful vigor, he was an idol to many women. It was partly to avoid their advances that he had claimed to be entering seclusion.
Back then, the Hidden World Village’s most influential prophet at the time, Elder Qi, had foretold that in eighteen years, the Shangguan Family—who had largely faded from the Hidden World Village—would experience a significant upheaval. This event concerning the Shangguan Family would, in turn, affect the entire structure of the Hidden World Village. Whether it would bring fortune or disaster, even he could not clearly foresee.
From that time onward, several prominent families began sending people to the secular world to gather information about the Shangguan Family. They all observed from the shadows, daring not to confront the Shangguan Family directly. It was common knowledge that the Five Spirit Pearls would ultimately be in the possession of the Shangguan Family, and that the family was key for anyone hoping to find these Pearls. Therefore, all investigations were conducted in secret, with no one daring to act openly.
Although the Shangguan Family had declined within the Hidden World and had even withdrawn from the village, the Five Spirit Pearls—their whereabouts unknown but still believed to be connected to the family—remained a significant concern for everyone. The upheaval predicted for the Shangguan Family eighteen years later was widely speculated to be about the Five Spirit Pearls being gathered once more. This was a topic of much discussion. Furthermore, Elder Qi, who made the prophecy, vanished without a trace afterward and remains missing to this day, which only heightened everyone’s anxiety.
At that time, Zhuge Feng, though somewhat dismissive of the Shangguan Family, traveled to their residence in Beijing. His purpose was to investigate the whereabouts of the Five Spirit Pearls. During that period, Shangguan Zhi’s remarkable success was making waves in Beijing, and he, along with Shangguan Yu and Shangguan Hao, were names frequently on people’s lips.
Back then, he was proud and arrogant, not taking the declined Shangguan Family seriously at all. However, it was precisely this attitude that led to him suffering one defeat after another at Lin Mengjie’s hands.
Lin Mengjie at that time was stunningly beautiful, as dazzling as Shangguan You was now. No matter where she stood, she would invariably draw everyone’s gaze, her face graced with two sweet dimples.
