Chapter 460 An Utter Failure

"Throughout the three years of highschool, Guiying was pretty much normal. I also f-finally relaxed because I thought 'she' was gone for good. Even my relationship with her improved!" Cai Lingyun chuckled, but it sounded anything but sweet.

Ai was about to say her mind but she paused, collecting her thoughts. She seemed to tie two and two to four and then said, "Isn't that because my Mom and Dad were actively supporting you?"

Jun quickly understood it. "Financially?"

She nodded. "Not exactly directly. But since Mom was a reputed professor, she had a wide reach to other schools and colleges of Xuanhua and neighboring cities. She took it upon herself to waive off Guiying's high school and his university fees, which reduced a lot of Cai Lingyun's burden. Not only that. My Dad had a wide network himself in terms of job opportunities since he had worked at many places, so he helped out Cai Lingyun get a decent part-time job to manage their expenses."

She shot him an angry stare. "Your relationship with Guiying didn't improve because you changed yourself. It's because the people around you were kind enough to help you and Guiying. It unconsciously made you relaxed and unguarded. You just didn't have any reason to hit Guiying anymore."

Cai Lingyun averted his gaze. It was an arrow shot right through his true thoughts.

Jun grabbed his collar and spoke with an alarming chill, further breaking his mask. "I bet you didn't want to tarnish your good and responsible image in front of Ai. You must have felt afraid if Cai Guiying would babble your secret to Ai if things went out of control, so you kept quiet. Right?"

Cai Lingyun felt it more and more difficult to maintain his composure. "Shut up, Liu Jun!"

"That's all you can curse right now," he pushed him back harshly.

Ai took a step forward and as he stumbled back to his feet, happy to see her approach him, she threw a vicious slap across his cheek. The sound resounded fiercely in the air, which carried the pain and suffering she felt on Guiying's behalf. "All because of you…"

Her eyes ached as tears fell. "You should have been there as her elder brother to support her, not to add to her sorrow! Do you think only you lost your parents? Or do you think only you had it hard?"

Ai, who always held her calm, felt a storm raging within her. Her feelings not only included her fury for Cai Lingyun but also helplessness at her own self.

The Guiying with which she spent her warm high school days always smiled so brightly. She always shone so radiantly. But she never knew of the darkness behind her smile and the despair laced in her radiance.

"How did I never understand…" She felt an utter failure as a friend. To think that Guiying suffered such a violent past and at the hands of her own brother tore her heart apart. "If not for you, Guiying wouldn't have suffered so much! There would have been no need to create an alter personality to protect herself! How could you stoop so low, Cai Lingyun?"

Jun pulled her arm and wiped her tears. "Don't waste your breath on him. He is insane."

Cai Lingyun suddenly charged at Jun without any warning, threatening to bang his head on the wall. But Jun was already alert and keeping a strict eye on Cai Lingyun's movements. He dodged just at the right second, grabbed his elbow and twisted it at the back.

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"Ahhhh!" The screams of agony escaped his mouth as he could feel his bone dislocating.

"You don't learn, do you? I would never lose to the likes of you."

Cai Lingyun directed his strong, resentful gaze towards Jun and this time, Ai too. Everytime Jun touched her or hugged - like how he has wiped her tears now, he felt all the emotions in his heart bursting out, craving for violence. He couldn't even bear Jun's sight, let alone see him touch the woman he loved.

Green nerves started to slowly appear on his forehead and hands. He was furious at everything. The state of how he was jobless, penniless and living like an almost homeless man coupled with Ai choosing some other guy than himself - he felt everything was going against him. The whole world was set to make his life miserable. All the negative feelings and frustration culminated into him growing even more violent and physical.

This time Jun, too, felt his strong resistance with the way he was trying to fight back and gain control. His eyes showed madness, making Jun feel sorry for Cai Guiying for the first time in his life.

Jun thought he would never hold anything else other than hatred for the woman who seemingly plotted against him and Ai in their past life. He still didn't know the reason behind it but keeping that part aside, he truly felt she didn't deserve to be treated by the only family she had.

A glimpse of his little sister Nuo flashed across his eyes. He and his brothers could never imagine even lifting a finger against her. It wasn't because of Jinhai's protectiveness or bias towards her.

It was simply that as her brothers, Liu Jian, Liu Nian, Liu Jun and Liu Jin would never allow any harm to befall Nuo. These were their strong feelings towards her and then there was Cai Lingyun, who treated Guiying like a punching bag.

Cai Lingyun yelled. "I will kill you! Don't look at me like I am some criminal. I did nothing wrong!" He looked at Ai and impatiently said, "You too, Ai! Don't act like you were any good! You…you have also disappointed Guiying!"

Ai widened her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"The writing competition during your last high school year! That was the first time in three years that 'that' person had appeared again. You know why? Because you participated in the competition!"