Yang Mengchen didn't answer, but instead ran towards the direction the man had left, disappearing from view in the blink of an eye.

Sister Jin and the other eight were taken aback, but Hai Tang remained calm and said, "You all wait here, I'll go after Miss." With that, she hurried off in pursuit of Yang Mengchen.

Meanwhile, Mo Yun was about to inform the Prince in the private room, when a light blue figure leaped down from the upper floor and quickly vanished without a trace. Mo Yun breathed a sigh of relief, trusting that the Prince would find Ms. Yang, and motioned for Sister Jin and the eight to head towards the private room upstairs.

In a state of utter turmoil, Yang Mengchen had forgotten that she could summon Birdy to guide her and chased after the man based only on the direction he had gone. After several streets, she still hadn't caught up to him.

Exhausted, she leaned against a secluded wall, squatted down, her teeth gently biting her lips, silently shedding tears, her whole being exuding an aura of desolation and misery, like a broken doll abandoned by everyone, stirring a heart-wrenching pity in those who saw her.

Hai Tang arrived shortly after and, seeing Yang Mengchen crying silently, her eyes filled with both tenderness and confusion, but she did not approach to disturb her.

Not far from the two of them, Long Xuanmo's face was stern and gloomy, his eyes dark and indecipherable, his lips pursed into a straight line, his hands behind his back clenched into fists, struggling to suppress the tumult within his heart.

He had seen everything clearly, and ever since he had known Ah Jiu, this was the first time she had looked at a man with such infatuated eyes.

No wonder you rejected my affection, it turns out that he was already in your heart, you've been waiting for him all along, haven't you?

Now that he has appeared, you chase after him without a second thought; what about me then? What do I count for?

Five years, Ah Jiu, have I never been in your heart?

After a long while, Hai Tang finally couldn't help walking over and said, "Miss, let's go back."

Lifting her tear-stained eyes to look at Hai Tang, full of concern and compassion, Yang Mengchen nodded gently as she collected her scattered thoughts and then slowly stood up, only to find her legs somewhat numb from squatting too long. Her figure swayed, and if not for Hai Tang's timely support, she might have fallen to the ground.

"Are you all right, Miss?"

"I'm fine." Yang Mengchen forced a smile, but the bitter and pitiful smile only twisted Hai Tang's heart even more. "Help me back to the residence." For one thing, she wanted some quiet alone, and for another, she didn't want to worry Sister Jin and the others.

Understanding Yang Mengchen's thoughts, Hai Tang immediately picked her up and rushed back to the Yang family's residence in the town.

As for Long Xuanmo, he remained motionless, his eyes fixed on the spot where Yang Mengchen had just been.

His cold and charming face was icy and bone-chilling, the derision in his eyes growing more pronounced, his heart feeling as if it were being savagely cut by a sharp knife, so painful that he almost lacked the strength to walk back to the Drunken Immortal Tavern, standing silently in place like a statue.

"Apart from you, don't let anyone approach the Mengchen Pavilion (when they first bought the residence, Yang Chenghong arranged the most elegant and independent pavilion for his sister)," he said, "and let Sister Jin and the others stay at the hotel."

Hai Tang respectfully complied, then relayed the message to Shan Cha and the others and warned the servants before returning to Mengchen Pavilion. However, Yang Mengchen had already closed her door. Hai Tang asked softly if Yang Mengchen would have lunch, and upon being told she wouldn't, could only stand guard outside the door.

Inside the room.

Yang Mengchen stood by the desk incessantly practicing her calligraphy, but the last stack of white papers was filled with just one name 'Hang Qingming.' Naturally, she couldn't continue, so she burned the papers and switched to drawing instead. She drew until nightfall, but the result clearly depicted that man's voice and smiling face, and she couldn't help but give a bitter laugh.

She tossed the brush aside and simply lay down on the bed.

When she opened her eyes, she looked at the nostalgic decor of her hometown and a bitter twist formed at the corners of Yang Mengchen's lips. In her dream just now, it was all about her former husband, Hang Qingming.

Yang Mengchen put on a coat and walked to the window. Through the open window, she gazed at the vast and dark night sky.

The moonlight was cold and proud like frost and snow, casting a chilly light wherever it went, turning everything into a tapestry of cold hues. A few sparse stars twinkled faintly in the night curtain, and the cool breeze of the night brushed by, faintly carrying a sense of desolation.

In her previous life, she had not long started street vending to sell clothes when she first met Fang Chenxu, and then she met Hang Qingming.

Every day, Hang Qingming would visit her stall on time to buy something, without fail. Even on rainy days when she wasn't setting up her stall, he would still show up.

One thing led to another, and she grew familiar with Hang Qingming, only to find out that Hang Qingming was a university teacher who stayed after graduation, merely five years her senior.

Hang Qingming was a man of few words, but when it was hot, he would bring her an umbrella and chilled water. During cold days, he'd bring her clothes and warm gloves. When she was busy, he would help her out, and in his free time, he would sit with her quietly as she read.

From time to time, he would also give her a practical small gift, and sometimes when she was too busy to remember to eat, he would personally bring her meals and then attend to the customers so that she had time to eat.

This silent care and consideration, like the silent nourishing of a drizzle, gradually occupied her heart, making her feel a warmth and peace she had never known before. A year later, she accepted Hang Qingming's affection.

With the help of Fang Chenxu and Hang Qingming, her business gradually got on track, and she naturally became busier.

Hang Qingming never complained. He took over all household chores, and cared for her with even more attentiveness. Whenever there was a problem, he would think of solutions with her. The same was true after they got married.

Facing the nitpicking of his mother, he always stood by her side, trying to appease his mother and striving to mediate the relationship between them.

Those years were the happiest times of her life, but unfortunately, they did not last long.

At first, he was considerate of her youth and, therefore, no matter how much his mother urged, he firmly disagreed with her having children until she was nearly twenty-four years old. However, more than a year passed and she hadn't become pregnant. After a check-up at the hospital, it turned out that the issue was with her.

From then on, his mother did everything she could to press her to divorce him, even arranging for a daughter-in-law candidate she approved of to entrap him in marital relations and made sure she witnessed the scene herself.

He didn't defend himself, only becoming very silent, and when he faced her, he was full of guilt, but his concern and care for her remained unchanged.

She believed he was innocent and didn't want to part from him, trying every means to have a child of their own.

However, fate did not comply with her wishes, and not only did she fail to conceive, but she also found out that she had exhausted her body to the point that she wouldn't live past thirty.

In that moment, she felt as if the sky had collapsed and she had fallen into darkness and despair. She couldn't understand why the heavens were being so cruel to her?

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