Chapter 498 Interlude: Sinister Shadow

? "My father came to meet you that night? Why wasn't I informed about this?" Meng Renshu's facial expression hardened.

"There are many things the servants in our house didn't tell you." Li Caiyi replied weakly.

Meng Renshu remembered how no one even reported to him about her deteriorating health and became more suspicious. "Did they bully you?"

'This chapter is updated by Nov elB i n',

Her silence was all answer he needed. "Say it, what did they do to you?"

"Why do you want to know about that? We aren't here to speak about the servants' behavior."

Meng Renshu didn't need to hear it from her because he already had an idea. Sadly, he only came to know about this after her funeral.

How could Meng Shuchun frequently visit her and take her things away without him knowing? Those servants must be in cahoots with his mother and sister.

"Why didn't you tell me then?"

"When did you have time to listen to me?"

That answer was like a punch to his face.

Meng Renshu realized he had asked a stupid question. Then, he seemed to remember something. "Was that why you asked me to hire our own servants?"

Li Caiyi didn't answer immediately. "I realized the problem because I was always in the house, but you were different. Those people are there under your mother's order. I knew it would put you in a difficult position if I suggested you send them back, so I proposed that idea. But you still refused the idea in the end."

It felt like a sharp knife had found its way to his heart. Every word that came out of her mouth was very depressing. He thought he had done a good thing. His wife would be safe and not lonely if she had many people in the house.

Those people were handpicked by his mother, so he never thought they'd bully her when he wasn't looking.

Even if Li Caiyi told him that those servants secretly scheme behind their back, he probably would choose to trust his mother more than her.

No wonder she hated him so much. He was the one who allowed this to happen, all because of his pettiness after getting rejected by her.

He clenched his jaw tightly. "When did you notice this?"

"About a year after our wedding."

That was when they started to grow apart. The small crack between them must have been reported to Qing Xiangjun, and that's when his mother used this chance to frequently invited his wife to social events. He initially thought that perhaps his mother had begun to warm up to her, so he allowed it.

The time they spent together became less and less. Sometimes they didn't talk for months.

Meng Renshu couldn't believe that his family would try to sabotage his marriage. If they were so against having Li Caiyi as his wife, then why did they agree to it in the first place? Was it really just to fulfill the old promise between the two families?

He knew his father's temperament best. Behind his generous persona, he was actually very calculative and shrewd. A sentimental reason such as family ties wouldn't be enough to change his nature.

How come he never questioned it before? Why did it have to be someone from the Li family? Did he have another agenda by taking Li Caiyi as his daughter-in-law?

Thinking back, his parents urged him to remarry once the mourning period for Li Caiyi had ended. Did they plan this to happen?

After Li Caiyi's death, the ties that bound the Meng family to the Li family had severed entirely. The Li family suffered a backlash from the incident, and their reputation plummeted.

A vicious woman tried to kill her own sister and then selfishly ended her life with her lover. That was how people remembered her.

Having such a wife, Meng Renshu was pitied by the whole nation. No one would blame him if he were to remarry so soon.

He didn't think much of it then because he thought there was nothing wrong with parents worrying over their son, but what if the public reaction was premeditated? The fact that the matter he tried very hard to cover was leaked easily was also a point to be considered.

Meng Renshu could feel a black shadow looming over him. An eerie and sinister shadow, which eventually gobbled his wife and took her away from him forever.

"Brother Renshu!"

'ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ No(v) e lBin ᴏɴʟʏ.',

He jolted from his thoughts when someone shook him awake. When he raised his face, he could see the face he longed to see. If he reached out his hand, he could feel her warmth.

So close, yet so far.

What did ever do to deserve someone like her? Why was he always late in noticing the most important thing?

"What happened? Your face is very pale, and you sweat a lot!"

She was still worrying over him, even after the hardships he put her into. His heart was filled with so many emotions, but only bitterness came out of his mouth.

"I'm really sorry. For every pain I have caused you. I wish there was something I could say except for sorry, but no words come to my mind."

Li Caiyi stared at him before calmly returning to her seat. "Let's calm down first. I haven't even finished my story yet."

"Xiaoyi, what are you thinking when you decide to jump from that building?"

"...I thought that was the best decision. People will talk for some time, but they will eventually forget about me. Had I stayed alive, the stain would follow me everywhere I go, and it'd harm people around me. It was the best ending for everyone."

'',

Meng Renshu slammed the table furiously. His face contorted like he was in so much pain. "How could you say that?! Do you know how much I...."

His words trailed off. However, Li Caiyi was unfazed. "And I don't wish to continue that life anymore. I wanted to be selfish for once. Can you really blame me for that?"

He could feel a strong sense of alienation from her, and it tore him from the inside.

'So she wanted to tell me that I shouldn't care, as she didn't care about how I felt too?' Meng Renshu thought as he let out self-deprecating laughter.

Who was he kidding? The Li Caiyi in front of him wasn't the same one he used to know. He was the one who changed her into the person who could utter such a cold line.

"Meng Renshu, it seems you are the one who's still not ready for this conversation."

He laughed again, this time with more spite and sourness. "That's right. I wasn't ready to hear how much my family had wrecked our marriage behind my back. Only I didn't know anything, and it made me feel stupid and pathetic. I can only have myself to blame. Go ahead and laugh if you want."

"....I wasn't going to laugh at you," Li Caiyi paused briefly to gather her thoughts. "We are not meant to be, but we were happy at some point. Those happy memories were already enough for me."

The more he heard her, the more he drowned in a sea of guilt. For someone who could act so cold, she sure was a softie. She might be content just with memories, but not him. This conversation only fueled his desire to make her the happiest woman in the world.

And to do that, he first had to gouge the rotten part that tormented his dear wife.

"Forgive me for my outburst. I think I'm fine now. Can you please continue your story?"

"Are you sure? You don't look well, though. I don't want to be responsible if something happens to you."

"Don't worry about that. It won't be good if you keep meeting with me like this. Your boyfriend might feel jealous again. Of course, I won't be against the idea of you wanting to meet me more often."

Li Caiyi's brows twitched. "You are right. Let's end this conversation today so we both can save our time."

"Sounds good for me," Meng Renshu smiled provocatively. "Sorry for the interruption. You can continue now."

He switched his gear so fast, and it threw her off. Li Caiyi couldn't predict what he'd do next, so she upped her vigilance.

"As you know, I was taken into interrogation soon after that. I answered truthfully every question given to me. But then I learned from the officer that they found my fingerprints on the poison bottle of poison…."