EBE Chapter 201, Part 1
Chapter 201, Part 1
Lan Yin was imprisoned in the underground prison behind Zhaomengtai Mountain, where she was interrogated by Lan Yu himself.
Li Xi then realized that Lan Yu was the most ruthless of the three.
It is said that Lan Yin is a tough nut to crack.
She was interrogated by Lanyu using various methods for a week, but she kept her mouth tightly shut, and no one could pry a single word out of her oyster-shell-hardened lips.
That day, when Li Xi went to Luo Wen's place to play with Xiao Wan, she suddenly heard Lin Nuo say, "Lan Yin is dying, but she refuses to tell the truth about what happened back then."
"Miss Xi, she neither protests her innocence nor confesses, and intends to hold out until she dies. What do you suggest we do?"
Lin Nuo was at his wit's end.
No one expected that this seemingly delicate woman could be so resilient.
They were able to withstand even the interrogation methods used on Lanyu Island; they were indeed a tough nut to crack.
"You won't listen to either soft or hard tactics?"
Lin Nuo shook her head: "I won't eat any."
"Lan Yu tortured her, but she refused to talk. We had no choice but to even bring up Grandpa Lan Cheng."
"But even when facing that old man, Lan Yin still refused to tell him."
"..."
Li Xi suddenly asked, "Did my maternal grandfather visit her?"
Lin Nuo frowned. "The patriarch is so eager to kill her, how could he possibly go back to see her?"
"My grandmother never went there either."
“The underground prison is stinking and has a terrible environment. The old lady is in poor health and it is inconvenient for her to go to such a place.”
Li Xi then said, "I'll give it a try."
Lin Nuo had the same idea.
Li Xi changed into casual clothes and followed Lin Nuo to the dungeon in the back mountain.
This place is different from the dungeon where Brother Xing was imprisoned; it's much darker and damper here.
This is the Fifth Family's internal prison, specifically used to deal with traitors and criminals within the family, so naturally, even more ruthless methods are employed.
Lan Yin was locked in a forbidden room.
There was only one wooden chair in the room, and Lan Yin's limbs were locked to the chair legs and armrests.
She had her head down, still wearing the same hoodie and cargo pants she had been wearing when she was arrested.
She lost over ten kilograms in just one week after being brought in, and even her eye sockets became sunken, making her look like a terminal cancer patient.
Hearing footsteps, Lan Yin knew who it was without even looking up.
"Miss Xi."
"It's your turn this time."
After speaking, Lan Yin looked up at Li Xi with a blank expression.
Li Xi walked up to Lan Yin and squatted down.
Looking at Lan Yin's calm expression, Li Xi said bluntly, "Aunt Lan Yin is quite adept at playing; she has more kinds of toys in her room than I've ever seen before."
Lan Yin was taken aback.
Li Xi leaned close to Lan Yin's ear, her voice wickedly seductive: "Want to share with me how you taint that person in your heart when you're playing with toys?"
Lan Yin immediately broke down, yelling, "Shut up!"
"I won't allow you to slander him like that!"
Li Xi's eyes grew even deeper.
"Aunt Lanyin does indeed have someone she admires."
"who is it?"
Li Xi smiled enigmatically and directly stated the name, "Is it our former patriarch's Fifth Master?"
Lan Yin pursed her dry, cracked lips and sneered, "None of your business."
Li Xi found it strange that Lan Yin's anger subsided in an instant.
She was very emotional when she defended that person earlier.
Why do I feel calmer now when I hear the name of my sweetheart?
why?
Li Xi suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and continued to provoke Lan Yin: "Like a little mouse hiding in the dark, watching the person you admire being affectionate with another person, it must be very uncomfortable."
"For so many years, you have remained devoted to him, but in the end, he didn't even know how you felt."
Are you really willing to accept this?
It's unclear what words struck a nerve, but Lan Yin's expression turned somewhat sinister, yet she kept repeating the same thing: "None of your business."
“How can it not concern me?” Li Xi smiled meaningfully and said, “Since I’m going to do a good deed to the end, I’ve decided to do him a favor and convey your feelings to him.”
"Shouldn't you thank me, Aunt Lan Yin?"
Lan Yin maintained her indifferent attitude, saying, "Whatever."
"At this point, I have no way out. Say whatever you want."
Lan Yin seemed to be determined to give up entirely.
But Li Xi's eyes were heavy, without the slightest hint of pleasure.
In the corridor outside the dungeon, Lan Yu and Luo Wen stood silently together. They had overheard Li Xi and Lan Yin's conversation and felt uneasy about it.
It seems that Lan Yin really is impervious to reason.
Even bringing up her secret crush on Fifth Master couldn't sway her emotions.
"wrong."
Li Xi suddenly stood up.
Lan Yin looked up at Li Xi with a strange smile, "Miss Xi, is something wrong now?"
“The person you admire is not my maternal grandfather,” Li Xi said.
Lan Yin's eyes visibly stiffened for a moment.
But she quickly regained her nonchalant attitude of watching the joke, and even had the mood to mock Li Xi, "Who said I admire the old patriarch? You are the one who said I don't admire the old patriarch."
"Miss Xi, tell me, do I have any romantic feelings for the old patriarch?"
Li Xi's breathing became erratic. She looked at Lan Yin with a complicated expression and said, "The person you admire does live in Zhaomengtai, but he is not my maternal grandfather."
Lan Yin looked at her with a smile, curious about whose name Li Xi would mention this time.
But when she actually heard the name Li Xi said next, her face turned pale—
"The person you admire is Ms. Zhou Zhiwei."
Lan Yin's eyes widened suddenly. "Shut up!"
"Li Xi, what nonsense are you spouting!"
"I only have love and respect for Aunt Wei. If you're going to spread rumors, at least find someone reliable to do it!"
Seeing Lan Yin's exasperated reaction, Li Xi's expression became even more complicated.
"My thinking was narrow-minded."
"You are a highly educated woman who graduated from a prestigious international finance university. With your abilities, you could easily become a top performer in the family management team, just like Lanyu."
"Yet you were willing to stay in this small Zhaomengtai, serving Ms. Zhou Zhiwei for your entire life. You moved into Zhaomengtai when you were 21. For decades, you worked diligently and took very few days off."
"Back then, in order to protect Ms. Zhou Zhiwei, he was even injured by the enemy and almost became a vegetable."
"All signs pointed to the truth, but I was misled by my own narrow-mindedness."
Li Xi was deeply shocked.
Looking at Lan Yin, whose mind was completely in turmoil, she murmured absently, "The person you love can never be with you, not because he has a family background or children."
"It's because you're never one of her criteria for a partner."
She should have thought of that sooner...
Lan Yin looked panicked and completely lost her composure.
"Li Xi, stop talking..."
This secret love story, which she had kept hidden for decades, was finally exposed.
Lan Yin closed her eyes, tears of despair and fear streaming down her face. "Don't tell her, okay?"
Are you afraid that she'll dislike you if she finds out your feelings?
Lan Yin nodded painfully, "She has always treated me like a daughter and never had any other thoughts about me. It was I who had evil intentions."
"Aunt Wei is old, Miss Xi, please don't tell her the truth, just let her leave in peace, okay?"
Looking at Lan Yin's tear-streaked face, Li Xi's strange feeling finally disappeared.
Previously, Li Xi deliberately mentioned in front of Lan Yin that her person was the Fifth Master, just to test her attitude.
Knew it.
Even the most deep-thinking person will feel fear when facing someone they truly like.
“I can hide your feelings for her from her. In exchange, you must tell her everything you did to my mother and Aunt Lanqing back then.”
Now that things have come to this, Lan Yin no longer needs to hide it.
"...good."
Li Xi used a rope to untie the handcuffs on Lan Yin's wrists.
Lan Yin flexed her wrist, then stared intently at the red prayer rope on it.
"...That year, Aunt Wei took me, Miss Meng, and Lan Qing to a temple to worship Buddha. In the temple, Aunt Wei hung her prayer ribbon on the Bodhi tree."
"Back then, I was young, and my crush was overwhelming. I couldn't resist my wicked thoughts, so I secretly ran to the Bodhi tree and took the blessing ribbon that Aunt Wei had tied."
Lan Yin gently stroked the rope on her wrist and said, "I tore it to pieces, twisted it back together, and braided this red rope for good fortune."
"No wonder you've been wearing it all these years." The cord had long since changed color and could never be cleaned properly.
Kolan always wore it, which shows how special it was to her.
"Then what does this have to do with my mother and Aunt Lanqing?"
Lan Yin's eyelashes trembled wildly.