The morning after she celebrated his birthday, looking at her in the glorious sunrise, her eyes shining and teeth gleaming, her smile blossoming like a flower, he finally had a revelation.

He liked her!

But he was not good with words, he did not know how to express himself, and he had to follow others' suggestions, though he found those so-called strategies quite disagreeable.

It was because she was unlike ordinary women, she was too independent, too strong—those strategies were useless on her, only sincerity and trust could possibly win her favor.

Old Hai and the others advised him, saying he was of pure lineage, destined to inherit the throne, and that the Emperor would certainly not agree to his marrying her as his sole wife.

But having lived like a walking corpse for so many years, for the first time, he truly fell in love with a woman, how could he possibly give up?

Whether it was the throne or other women, none were as important to him as a single hair on her head. Having set his heart on her in this life, he would never let go!

Yet she ignored his sincerity and more than five years of waiting, and actually fell for another man.

All his heartfelt devotion became a joke in the end—he suddenly found himself ridiculous, pathetic, pitiful. In an instant, he heard the sound of his own heart shattering. Even though he was brought to his knees, his dignity, or more precisely, his pride, would not allow him to cling on further, so he decisively left and blocked out all news about her.

He thought that would sever his thoughts of her, but in reality, it was merely self-deception; he couldn't forget her at all, constantly thinking about her, longing for her, dreaming of her.

Only when he heard the terrible news about her did he realize, it didn't matter if she didn't love him—he just wanted her to live well, even if it meant merely watching her from afar, content and happy, which was better than never seeing her again.

"Ah Jiu, promise me, you must wake up! Ah Jiu, I'm begging you, don't leave me. Without you, my life is meaningless!"

Long Xuanmo repeated these words over and over, until at the end, he completely lost coherence, but he didn't care, constantly whispering softly into Yang Mengchen's ear.

On the other hand, Yang Mengchen drifted along, returning with Hang Qingming to the home that was once hers through marriage.

Father-in-law Hang Zijue was quietly reading the newspaper, while beside him mother-in-law Hou Jingya and the favored daughter-in-law Huang Meilin were whispering secrets, Hou Jingya looking delighted and pleased by whatever Huang Meilin had said.

In this household, she had the least say, followed by father-in-law. Mother-in-law was like the Empress Dowager, exalted and supreme, her commands irrefutable by anyone wishing for peace.

Upon seeing Hang Qingming's return, Hang Zijue put down the newspaper, looking at his son with a complex expression.

Hou Jingya and Huang Meilin paused their conversation and stood to greet him.

Hou Jingya couldn't wait to ask, "Mingming, how much inheritance did that woman leave you?" Upon reading in the newspaper that the woman had died, she was so delighted she wanted to buy firecrackers to celebrate.

Hang Qingming gave Huang Meilin, who was hiding behind her mother, a cold glance, then looked at his mother with eyes full of helplessness, disappointment, and sorrow, and without a word sat down on the sofa. He poured himself a glass of water to drink, only for it to be snatched away by his mother. Looking at his forceful and domineering mother, he sighed inwardly.

"Speak up, how much did that woman actually leave you in her will?"

Hang Qingming shook his head.

"Impossible!" Hou Jingya clearly didn't believe it: "She kept saying she loved you, how could she die without leaving you anything in her will?"

Huang Meilin was equally incredulous, but with her head lowered, no one saw her expression.

Hearing his mother refer to Ah Meng as "that woman," rage flared within Hang Qingming. He wanted to rebuke his mother but ultimately, it turned into a sigh.

"I have always said that woman is outwardly gentle and humble, but in reality, she's deceitful, cunning and heartless. Despite that, you father and son wouldn't believe me. Now you finally understand—she was worth billions, but after her death, not a penny was left to Mingming.

All that talk about her deep love for Mingming, it was all just a sham!" Hou Jingya's face was filled with spiteful bitterness, lacking the grace one would expect from her background, not to mention her usual image as a lady of status.

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