"He is unlikely to be at this time, but as their crimes are exposed, a death sentence would not be too severe." Song Jiaping tried asking, "If he made the enemies suffer the punishment they deserved, as their daughter, would you forgive him and be willing to be with him?"
This was what he wanted to ask Meng Yao in the letter, and he also wanted to get an answer before he left.
Unfortunately, on the day he was supposed to leave, he waited at the airport, changed his flight to the next day, but Meng Yao never came.
At that time, he thought that Meng Yao had made a choice after seeing his letter. Her absence from the airport was, in fact, a clear answer to him.
It meant that Meng Yao could not accept someone like him and would not forgive him.
Meng Yao hoped she hadn't understood the story he told and asked with a smile, "The story you told is just a story, it doesn't exist in reality, does it?"
Song Jiaping gazed at her intently and said, "Meng Yao, I love you. I have always loved you. I am the little boy in this story. This is why I have always avoided you and dared not face you."
Meng Yao felt as if her soul had scattered in an instant. This was more cruel than any reason she had imagined.
"No, this isn't true." Meng Yao's tears streamed down her face as she shook her head desperately.
Song Jiaping's heart ached too. He had never wanted to tell her this cruel reality, but he hadn't expected that he would be the one to tell her in the end.
"I'm sorry, I've harmed you." He reached out to wipe away her tears.
Meng Yao's entire body tensed, and she dodged him, looking at him as if he were a stranger. "Get away from me. This isn't true, my parents wouldn't be like that!"
After saying that, she lost control of her emotions, turned around, and ran as if fleeing without looking in any direction. Song Jiaping, frightened, quickly chased after her.
But he found that the faster he chased, the faster she ran. Fearing something might happen to her, Song Jiaping had to stop and let his subordinates follow her from a distance to protect her safety.
He had always been unwilling to hurt her, thinking that the pain of unrequited love and the inability to reciprocate deep affection was enough for him to bear alone.
However, because of his previous thoughts, he had caused Meng Yao to choose a scumbag like Jia Xi and suffer a lot, which led him to tell her everything.
Song Jiaping didn't know if this was right or wrong; in the end, no matter what, it caused them both immense pain.
...
Meng Yao ran aimlessly to a bus stop. Just as a bus arrived, she got on.
Sitting alone on the bus, she cried, closing her eyes and thinking that from the very beginning, Song Jiaping's approach to her was driven by revenge.
Even if he had truly fallen in love with her later, he couldn't be with her, the daughter of his enemy. Moreover, the person he wanted to deal with was her dearest parents.
How could she disregard her parents' lives for love and be an ally with him? Would she still be a filial daughter, would she still be human?
Meng Yao kept her eyes closed like this, the pain in her heart inexpressible, until someone nudged her and said, "Miss, the bus has reached its final stop. All passengers must get off."
Only then did she open her eyes, try to hold back her tears, and get off the bus. She didn't know where she had arrived. Seeing a coffee shop nearby, she went in and ordered a cup of coffee.
Drinking the bitter coffee, Meng Yao silently watched the bustling night view outside, wishing she could go back to a time when she knew nothing.
...
After Meng Yao ran away, Song Jiaping remained seated on a long bench by the river, constantly checking the reports from his subordinates on his phone.
It wasn't until late at night that he saw a report from his subordinate stating that the coffee shop where Meng Yao was had closed, and Meng Yao had not gone home, but was crouching on a chair outside the coffee shop.
Fearing that Meng Yao might get into trouble if this continued, Song Jiaping picked up his phone and called Meng Qi.
"Where are you?"
Meng Qi had already returned home and was about to fall asleep in bed when she suddenly received a call from Song Jiaping, which surprised her.
She sat up, supporting her injured wrist, and said, "I'm at home. Is something wrong?"
"Who is it? Your wrist is injured, you need to rest well, don't worry about work anymore." Yao Feili, who was lying beside her, also woke up and said.
Meng Qi got out of bed and said to Yao Feili, "A friend has an urgent matter, you sleep first." Then she walked out of the bedroom.
"I'm sorry to disturb your rest." Song Jiaping had heard everything on the phone and knew that she and her husband should have been asleep.
"It's alright, I wasn't asleep yet."
"I'm looking for you because of Meng Yao. She's in a bad mood. It's so late, and she's still alone in a remote place. I'm afraid she's not safe. Can you and your husband go and bring her home?"
"Ah, but if you know where she is, you can take her back yourself..."
Song Jiaping interrupted her and said directly, "She probably doesn't want to see me right now. You'll understand when you see her."
"Okay, the address..." Before Meng Qi could finish, the other party hung up, but quickly sent her the location.
She felt that something had happened between Song Jiaping and Meng Yao. But Song Jiaping had bravely rescued Meng Yao during the day. What had happened after they finished their statements?
Meng Qi quickly returned to the bedroom and woke up Yao Feili, asking him to drive with her to find Meng Yao.
Following the location Song Jiaping had sent, they found Meng Yao near the outskirts.
Meng Yao was curled up, hugging her knees, sitting on a rather uncomfortable wooden chair, staring blankly and not noticing their arrival.
Meng Qi walked over and patted her with her uninjured hand, saying, "Meng Yao, why are you sitting here alone? It's not safe this late."
Meng Yao heard Meng Qi's voice, turned to look at her, hugged her tightly, and started crying again.
"It's okay, it's okay. Let's get in the car. It's warmer in the car." As she said this, she tried to help Meng Yao, but only being able to use one hand made it a bit inconvenient.
Yao Feili saw the situation and quickly came to help, helping Meng Yao into their car.
Meng Qi did not let Yao Feili drive immediately but asked him to wait outside the car.
She waited until Meng Yao stopped crying before asking, "What exactly is wrong with you? Jia Xi has been arrested now, and he can't bother you anymore. Why are you still sad?"
"Sister, I know what Song Jiaping's letter said. It hurts so much here..." she said, unable to continue, pointing to her chest.
Meng Qi understood. It turned out that Song Jiaping and Meng Yao hadn't let go of each other, and knowing that they had missed their chance must have been very painful.
"Song Jiaping told you, didn't he? It's all my fault for taking it upon myself and not giving you that letter. Otherwise, you wouldn't have missed each other."
"It was right for you not to give me the letter," Meng Yao said, clutching her chest. "Knowing the truth only makes things more painful. He, he said our parents were his enemies, and that our parents had killed all his family... He wanted to use me for revenge from the beginning..."
Meng Qi was also shocked. Their parents had killed Song Jiaping's family?
This was impossible! Their Huangfu family had prospered for at least three generations and was well-known in Lancheng. Why would they harm someone like Song Jiaping, who had no background or family connections?