Their lips met, and a long while later, Bai Jinghong pulled away.
Yun Mengxi kept her eyes on Bai Jinghong the entire time, as if unwilling to look away for even a moment.
Before, she had been filled with sadness and conflict, even secretly mustering the courage deep inside, making up her mind to forget Bai Jinghong.
But the moment she saw Bai Jinghong, all that courage and determination shattered like bubbles.
Only upon lying in Bai Jinghong’s embrace did she realize this was what her heart truly yearned for.
Her empty, broken heart suddenly felt warm and whole again.
The sadness, despair, and pain that had tormented her for so long vanished instantly. She didn’t want to think about anything anymore, just felt that this was enough, even for a lifetime.
“If you’re angry inside, you can beat me up.”
Bai Jinghong smiled.
Yun Mengxi’s eyes were still red as she gently shook her head.
Seeing her state, Bai Jinghong quickly said, “You have to stop crying now. Look at my shirt—you could wring water out of it.”
At this, Yun Mengxi finally couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
Just at that moment, Volcano arrived with the congee.
“Young Master…” Volcano called softly.
Bai Jinghong motioned him over and took the congee.
In Yun Mengxi’s condition, she had to get some food in her stomach first.
Two days without eating and only drinking—how could any woman endure that?
After feeding her the congee and coaxing her to rest, Bai Jinghong finally walked out of the ward. He lit a cigarette and tossed one to Volcano.
“Volcano, any news on Ye Chen?”
Volcano nodded. “Young Master, according to reports, Ye Chen is injured. Miss Jiang did it. He took three bullets.”
“Huh?” Bai Jinghong was taken aback. “Why wasn’t I informed of this sooner?”
Volcano lowered his head. He couldn’t say that when he was about to report, he was cut off and told, “I don’t want to hear it.”
Seeing Volcano’s reaction, Bai Jinghong also realized.
He truly hadn’t been in the mood for any reports these past two days.
“Tell Ah Kun to take out a portion of Ye Chen’s sister’s ashes. Package the rest as a gift box. I want to deliver a present!”
“And the Dragon Gate is quite a nauseating force. We must take advantage of Ye Chen’s unstable footing and resolve this quickly.”
“I’m somewhat interested in this Dragon Gate myself.”
Bai Jinghong flashed a wicked grin. Killing Ye Chen and taking control of the Dragon Gate—how sweet was that?
On the surface, the Dragon Gate was centered around its legacy. Once Ye Chen died, he’d take the Dragon Head Ring.
Then he’d hand it to his trusted men, have them occupy various key positions, push someone out front as the Dragon Lord, and hide behind the scenes himself. How delicious.
The Dragon Gate under Old Dragon Master had been formidable, but many already refused to accept Ye Chen sitting on the Dragon Lord’s throne.
So it was by no means an ironclad board. Infiltrating it would be incredibly easy.
Combined with his own connections, he could infiltrate from all angles. If he could seize the Dragon Gate, he could directly operate under the banner of serving the nation.
Then his grandfather might just have a shot at the position of Number Two in the world!
Bai Jinghong looked at Volcano in front of him. “Do you want to be the Dragon Lord?”
Volcano paused. “Young Master, you mean… wave your hand and a crowd kneels, shouting ‘Willing to die for Dragon Lord,’ and then I smirk crookedly? That kind of Dragon Lord?”
“Yeah, exactly that one.” Bai Jinghong laughed.
Volcano chuckled innocently. “That should be Brother Kun and the others’ thing. If they become Dragon Lord, won’t the Dragon Gate belong to you in the future, Young Master?”
“Though it won’t be easy. That organization is immensely huge!”
As one of Bai Jinghong’s trusted confidants, Volcano naturally knew quite a bit.
Bai Jinghong shook his head. “You don’t need to worry about that. All of you have a chance. Just practice how to do that crooked smirk for now.”
“It’s also strange. The Dragon Gate people recognize the Dragon Head Ring and strength, sure. But if you can’t do the crooked smirk, it seems they still won’t accept you.”
Bai Jinghong blew out a puff of smoke, rubbing his forehead. “I’ll go get some fresh air. You stand guard. If anything happens, contact me immediately!”
“Yes, Young Master!” Volcano hurriedly nodded.
After Bai Jinghong walked away, Volcano stood guard at the door of the ward.
At that moment, inside the ward, Yun Mengxi slowly opened her eyes.
Though utterly exhausted, she truly couldn’t sleep. She was afraid that if she fell asleep, Bai Jinghong would leave.
Then she looked towards the ward entrance. Only that big man, Volcano, was standing there.
She thought for a moment and couldn’t help but call out, “Hey… can I ask you some questions?”
Hearing Yun Mengxi’s voice, Volcano immediately turned around.
“Miss Yun, the Young Master hasn’t left. He just went to get some air. If you need anything, this subordinate will report it right away.”
Yun Mengxi shook her head. “I just want to ask you some things.”
The woman in front of him was the Young Master’s woman—one of the future Young Madams of the Bai family. There was no room for neglect.
Volcano didn’t hesitate and nodded.
“You… what do you think your Young Master is like as a person?” Yun Mengxi couldn’t help wanting to ask.
Volcano paused. He had been handling matters for Bai Jinghong for years; his observational skills were top-notch.
Instantly understanding how to respond, he opened his mouth:
“Young Madam, you should already have the answer to that in your heart.”
“Although our Young Master’s reputation outside might not sound great, that’s all just surface stuff.”
As Volcano answered outwardly, he was inwardly grumbling. With the way the Young Master agonized over you, you’ve already won big, you know?
“Just surface stuff?” Yun Mengxi muttered.
Volcano quickly replied: “Of course! Hearsay is false, seeing is believing. The onlooker sees more clearly than the player.”
“I’m not just singing our Young Master’s praises. When it comes to outsiders and enemies, he might be somewhat ruthless. But towards his own people, he truly is beyond reproach.”
Volcano secretly thought this might also be an opportunity.
This Young Madam probably still feels somewhat hurt over last time’s incident. If he could help soothe her, the Young Master would surely reward him.
“Ahem… Young Madam, perhaps you were hurt because of certain things, but that doesn’t define everything.”
“As the saying goes, good things come after trials. The last time you encountered might have been a violent storm. But if you always hide at home, you’ll never see the clear sky.”
“And that storm will become a terrifying memory. If that happens, your world will likely only ever be stormy.”
“But think about it from another angle. Open your heart and step outside to look. You’ll see sunny weather and feel the warmth of basking in sunlight.”
Volcano had racked his brains to come up with this analogy, using every bit of knowledge he had.
Yun Mengxi was actually listening, seemingly lost in thought. She remained silent for a long time.
Only after a long while did she suddenly ask, “Th… then based on your understanding of your Young Master… does he… like me?”
Volcano smiled sheepishly. “Young Madam, there’s no need to overthink that. If I may speak out of turn, you’ve already won!”
“I’ve been with the Young Master for many years and have never seen him agonize over anyone. Because of what happened with you, he was truly furious!”
“He even stopped eating his meat sandwich!”
In that moment, Yun Mengxi suddenly felt clarity wash over her. Her entire being relaxed immensely.
“Thank you,” Yun Mengxi said with gratitude.
Volcano quickly waved his hands. “I wouldn’t dare. Young Madam, please rest well!”
With that, Volcano hastily closed the ward door.
A short while later, when Bai Jinghong returned, he saw Volcano leaning against the wall, seemingly deep in thought.
He didn’t interrupt and went straight into the ward.
Just as he was about to check on Yun Mengxi, she suddenly opened her eyes.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t slept at all? Can’t fall asleep?”
Bai Jinghong was surprised.
Yun Mengxi gave him a soft, beautiful smile, just like before.
She slowly sat up and pulled Bai Jinghong down to sit beside her.
“What’s wrong? Feeling unwell somewhere?” Bai Jinghong asked.
Yun Mengxi shook her head. Then, placing both hands on Bai Jinghong’s face, she spoke gently:
“Jinghong, tonight… come to my place, okay?”
Even Bai Jinghong found it hard to make sense of.
Logically, without having explained the reasons behind his actions, Yun Mengxi should still harbor at least some resentment, some nagging feeling inside.
But that single sentence had already said everything.
The past was like smoke dispersed by the wind. She had completely forgotten all that had come before.
