Lin Xingwan saw Nie Manyu's excited demeanor, and it seemed to stir her own emotions. She asked, "What's the matter?"
"Naturally, it's the love-hate entanglement between Zhou Nianqing of the Dongfang family, Meng Chuzheng, and Zhou Bingwen!" When Nie Manyu talked about gossip, she felt instantly alive.
Love can be absent, but gossip is essential. Otherwise, how could she get through these long decades?
Lin Xingwan heard it was about Zhou Jinbai's family and couldn't help but ask, "Do the two brothers like the same woman at the same time?"
Nie Manyu nodded affirmatively, "Yes, back then, Zhou Nianqing and Zhou Bingwen went on a trip, and Zhou Bingwen saved Meng Chuzheng. However, the first person Meng Chuzheng saw when she opened her eyes was the handsome Zhou Nianqing. She mistakenly thought Zhou Nianqing was her savior and wanted to pledge herself to him. Zhou Nianqing happened to fall in love with Meng Chuzheng at first sight and didn't explain that it was Zhou Bingwen who saved her. Zhou Bingwen originally just wanted his younger brother to take care of Meng Chuzheng, but he didn't expect Zhou Nianqing to have a relationship with Meng Chuzheng. When Zhou Bingwen found out, they had already slept together. At that time, Zhou Bingwen was stubborn. He liked Meng Chuzheng and even accused his brother of impersonating the savior. If his brother hadn't impersonated, Meng Chuzheng wouldn't have ended up with Zhou Nianqing!"
Nie Manyu clicked her tongue and sighed. This melodramatic incident was widely known back then and left everyone stunned.
"But even if Zhou Nianqing wasn't Meng Chuzheng's savior, Meng Chuzheng still wouldn't have liked Zhou Bingwen, right? I think Zhou Nianqing is more handsome than Zhou Bingwen. Any woman with eyes would choose Zhou Nianqing between the two."
Lin Xingwan was telling the truth. Although Zhou Bingwen was also handsome, it was because the Dongfang family had good genes, and everyone looked handsome.
However, as soon as Zhou Bingwen and Zhou Nianqing stood together, he would be overshadowed.
"Actually, Zhou Bingwen's resentment isn't about this, but... but..." Nie Manyu didn't know how to say it. After some deliberation, she finally spoke, "It's that since childhood, the Dongfang family has poured too many resources into Zhou Nianqing. Although I really don't know what Zhou Bingwen was thinking, if I risked my life to save the boy I liked, and then my sister impersonated me, my sister got together with the boy I liked and got married, and I got nothing. I know very well that even if I told the boy it was me who saved him, he might not like me. But why... why did my sister lie? She's taken too many things since childhood..."
Nie Manyu's analogy was apt, and Lin Xingwan immediately understood.
She could even empathize with Zhou Bingwen's resentment.
"Moreover, Zhou Bingwen is the eldest son of the Dongfang family. By rights, he is also outstanding and should have been granted the title of Dongfang Junze and become the next patriarch of the Dongfang family. But at that time, his parents were biased towards Zhou Nianqing and gave Zhou Nianqing the title that originally belonged to Zhou Bingwen. Zhou Nianqing became Dongfang Junze, and Zhou Bingwen became a big joke in the history of the Dongfang family. Meng Chuzheng, whom these two brothers loved to death, eventually married Jia Huaixu after Zhou Nianqing died. Life is truly sigh-inducing."
"Zhou Bingwen is still very remarkable, treating Zhou Jinbai so well after experiencing so much!" Lin Xingwan exclaimed. She had interacted with Zhou Bingwen a few times and felt that Zhou Bingwen treated Zhou Jinbai very well, as if he were his own son.
"Yes, that's what I admire about Zhou Bingwen. The entire Dongfang family tormented him so much, and Zhou Jinbai is the child of Zhou Nianqing and Meng Chuzheng. Yet, over the years, Zhou Bingwen has treated him as his own. But don't you think it's strange? It's beyond normal human thinking. If someone treated me like that, even after they died, I wouldn't be so wholeheartedly taking care of their child. What am I getting out of it?"
As Nie Manyu said this, Lin Xingwan felt a flash of white light in her mind.
Right!
What was Zhou Bingwen getting out of treating Zhou Jinbai like this?
According to normal thinking, it was impossible to treat Zhou Jinbai like this!
Was it true love, or was there another motive?
Lin Xingwan then remembered what Shi Zhesheng had said about Zhou Bingwen's diary being hidden under the floorboards in his room.
If she went to the Dongfang family and had the chance to sneak into Zhou Bingwen's room, could she find that diary?
Thinking of this, Lin Xingwan's mood also became excited.
"Sister Manyu, thank you for telling me so much gossip. My curiosity has been greatly satisfied. I'll give you this bottle of beauty pills. Don't tell anyone else. It's getting late, and we should rest."
When Nie Manyu heard Lin Xingwan's words, she was so excited that she almost screamed.
A whole bottle of beauty pills, she couldn't even dare to imagine it!
But now it was actually in her hand.
"Yes, yes, yes, go to bed early, go to bed early. If you have any questions in the future, come and ask me. As long as I know, I will definitely tell you everything!" Nie Manyu quickly took the small bottle and then urged Lin Xingwan to go to sleep. If she regretted it, she didn't want to return these things to her.
Lin Xingwan nodded and returned to her room.
As soon as she entered the room, she was startled by Duan Muxing, who suddenly appeared.
Even though this man was in a wheelchair, Lin Xingwan felt that he was like a ghost.
If his legs were still good, he could probably scale walls and leap over roofs.
"You've learned what you wanted to know, haven't you?" Duan Muxing's lazy gaze fixed on Lin Xingwan. Seeing the satisfied look on her face, he knew his guess was correct.
"I know a little bit, but I've understood the past in general." Lin Xingwan replied truthfully.
"So, who do you think harmed your mother back then?" Duan Muxing asked.
"It was Helian Diejin!" Lin Xingwan answered without hesitation. "Although I haven't found evidence yet, I have a strong intuition that this woman, Helian Diejin, did it."
The enmity between Helian Diejin and her mother was too deep, and her mother's obsession was Helian Diejin. Lin Xingwan was certain that even if Helian Diejin wasn't the murderer, she was definitely involved!
Moreover, after her mother disappeared, Helian Diejin benefited the most.
When Duan Muxing heard this, a smile as pleasant as a spring breeze appeared on his sickly face.
Seeing this, Lin Xingwan couldn't help but ask, "What are you smiling about? Did I guess wrong?"
Duan Muxing shook his head, "You didn't guess wrong, and you're very smart, because it was indeed Helian Diejin who caused your mother to become like this. Back then, when your mother disappeared, Helian Diejin was the most suspicious. But not only was she not implicated, she has now become the head of the Helian family. Over the years, although Helian Diejin hasn't appeared in public, she has businesses operating all over the world. Even when you were captured last time, the people who were imprisoned were all captured by Helian Diejin's subordinates. Those who were good-looking could accompany the powerful, and those who were ugly, their bodies were also valuable. A wealthy person needed blood sources and organs, which they obtained from those people."
Duan Muxing's words left Lin Xingwan speechless.
At this moment, Lin Xingwan even felt a chill down her spine. It was too terrifying!
Fortunately, she was rescued from that place back then, otherwise, the consequences were unimaginable!
"Do you remember the thugs you encountered in Qingxi Town before? They were also Helian Diejin's subordinates, but they were the lowest level. They died without knowing who their real master was. Shi Zhesheng is a most loyal dog by Helian Diejin's side. Over the years, Shi Zhesheng has worked under Helian Diejin, transforming from an unknown poor boy into what he is now. Even Zhou Jinbai can't do anything about Shi Zhesheng. If we want to deal with Helian Diejin, it will be extremely difficult."
Duan Muxing replied calmly. Lin Xingwan's face became somewhat dejected, "Hearing you say that, it feels like there's a huge gap between me and Helian Diejin. The woman who even made my mother suffer, if I go to deal with Helian Diejin now, wouldn't it be like overestimating my own strength?"
Duan Muxing chuckled, his tone softening, "Not necessarily. Ever since Helian Diejin fell seriously ill more than twenty years ago, her health has been declining. The only reason she can live until now is by using medicine to prolong her life. Your appearance will break an invisible balance, and perhaps Helian Diejin will be so angered by you that she dies. Her expression of anger would be truly unforgettable."
When Duan Muxing said the last four words, his face was filled with a look of lingering interest. Lin Xingwan found it terrifying.
This man now looked like an unreasonable yandere.
"I really don't understand, what grudge do you have with Helian Diejin? Why are you willingly setting up this scheme to make me leave Zhou Jinbai and then deal with Helian Diejin?" Lin Xingwan had never heard Duan Muxing talk about his own affairs, but she could feel that Duan Muxing's hatred for Helian Diejin was no less than hers.
This man definitely had a lot of evidence, but he still hadn't revealed all his cards.
"Your mother was killed by Helian Diejin, and my family was destroyed by Helian Diejin." Duan Muxing said this with a smile, but when it fell into Lin Xingwan's ears, she felt as if her heart had been pierced by something.
It hurt!
"If my parents hadn't risked their lives to save me back then, perhaps our entire Duan family would have been wiped out. I hid and watched Helian Diejin shoot and kill my parents one by one, all for the sake of knowing Helian Lingruo's whereabouts. My parents knew, but they didn't betray Helian Lingruo. So, in essence, it was your mother who caused our Duan family to end up like this." Duan Muxing looked at Lin Xingwan, and hatred flashed in his eyes.
Lin Xingwan had never seen such a hateful Duan Muxing, and she couldn't help but step back.
Then, a strange emotion surged in her heart. Her gaze fell on Duan Muxing's legs. "So, your legs also became like this at that time?"
Duan Muxing closed his eyes, trying hard to suppress all his emotions. "Yes... At that time, Helian Diejin poisoned me, and my parents wanted to save me, so even though they knew it was a trap set by Helian Diejin, they still wanted to try. The final result was that my life was saved, my legs were crippled, and all my relatives died."
Even though Duan Muxing tried his best to suppress the resentment and anger within him, his hands on his legs were still tightly clasped.
Just as Duan Muxing was about to say something, he felt himself being embraced.
Duan Muxing opened his eyes in shock and found Lin Xingwan squatting in front of him, hugging him.
The man's eyes were filled with shock, and he never expected that Lin Xingwan would do something like this.
"You..."
"I'm sorry, just consider it an emotional outburst, but I just wanted to give you a hug. I'm sorry..."
Duan Muxing's parents had to suffer such a fate in order not to betray his mother.
Lin Xingwan's heart was greatly shaken.
Duan Muxing opened his mouth and swallowed all the malicious words. "Forget it, I knew from the beginning that it wasn't your fault. I resented your mother and wanted to punish you, but then I thought about it. That was my parents' own choice, and if I punished you, that would be something my parents wouldn't want to see. So, over the years, I've been saving myself. I've already figured it out. My enemy is Helian Diejin, not you, nor your mother."
Duan Muxing was not an inherently wicked person. He just couldn't forget the scene of his relatives dying in front of him.
The trauma of childhood needed a lifetime to heal.
Lin Xingwan let go of Duan Muxing, her eyes red.
"Don't worry, I will definitely help you get revenge. Helian Diejin will receive the punishment she deserves."
Lin Xingwan promised Duan Muxing.
Duan Muxing looked at the woman in front of him, who looked like a child. At this moment, he felt the resentment in his heart slowly dissipating.
"Good, if you can help me get revenge, I'll give you a gift."
"What gift?" Lin Xingwan asked innocently, tilting her head up.
Before Duan Muxing could answer, the door to the room was suddenly opened.
The two people in the room simultaneously turned their gaze towards the doorway.