The truth of many things is often more cruel than you imagine.

After resting at home for nearly a week, Lu Aicao's injuries were finally almost healed.
Because Yang Xingxue had asked her tutor for leave for her, after returning to school, Lu Aicao only had to report to the Academic Affairs Office.
What she didn't expect was that as soon as she reported in and walked out of the office, she ran into Yang Jianye who was waiting at the corner of the corridor.
The moment he saw Lu Aicao, his eyes lit up with a stack of information in his hand, and he hurried forward to stop her.
There were people coming and going in the corridor, and Lu Aicao felt a little uncomfortable.
Many people know Yang Xingxue's father, but now he comes to find Lu Aicao. In the eyes of others, he is likely to fabricate many scandals again.
So the moment Yang Jianye said he had something to talk to her about, Lu Aicao suggested going to a coffee shop outside the school to talk.
Lv Aicao didn't want to be misunderstood by others, so she kept her distance from Yang Jianye all the way and pretended to be unfamiliar with him. It was not until she walked into the coffee shop and sat down that she asked, "Uncle, what do you want to talk to me about today?"
Perhaps Yang Jianye was not used to coffee shops, places frequented by young people, or perhaps he was uneasy about what he was about to say. This experienced man in the business world actually showed a hint of embarrassment when facing Lu Aicao.
"Nothing. I came to school today to handle your scholarship matter."
"Ah...you still want to support me?" Lu Aicao was surprised.
"Of course, what uncle said counts." Yang Jianye smiled amiably, then mustered up the courage to ask, "Aicao, I heard from the school that you are the only one in your family?"
"Well, just me." Lu Aicao drank the coffee foam he ordered for her and answered calmly on the surface. She didn't know what this shrewd man wanted to do, so she could only respond accordingly.
"I've heard about your mother. But why have I never heard you mention your father?" Although Yang Jianye spoke calmly, he felt a dull pain in his heart.
Not long ago, he got Lv Aicao's information. When he saw her mother's name, the despair that everything was settled almost drowned him like a flood.
For so many years, he thought she had her own life, got married, had children, and had a happy family. However, what he didn't expect was that she actually gave birth to Lu Aicao for him, and passed away before she could tell him about it.
She has always been the proud and beautiful Lu Ruoping, but she has already become haggard and weathered.
Somewhere unknown to him, she lived proudly with her daughter, never showing up, never disturbing him, making him feel at ease as if he had never met her.
After all, he owed her too much, and he couldn't think of any other way except to make it up to Lu Aicao.
The moment she heard this, Lu Aicao stopped stirring the coffee with the spoon, and the temperature of her palms turned cold because of hatred.
The person in front of me had clearly guessed my relationship with him, so why could he remain so calm even though he knew that my mother had passed away?
How could he still be so calm and confident in trying to get me to say something?
I'm afraid he was so scared after knowing that he had such a daughter that he rushed to verify it.
The coffee foam she swallowed churned in her stomach, bringing her an inexplicable feeling of nausea. For a moment, she even wondered why this man didn't go with her mother.
But she knew that she couldn't show such bad emotions. She didn't want compensation, she wanted revenge.
Lu Aicao bit her lips hard, suppressing all her emotions. When she raised her head again, there was only indifference in her eyes.
"My father abandoned me a long time ago. I have never met him."
"I heard that he is a very irresponsible man, otherwise why would he abandon my pregnant mother."
"Maybe he's already dead, or he's at the end of his rope and no one cares about him."
"He will get his comeuppance."
She said as if it didn't matter.
But to Yang Jianye, every word sounded like a torture. The person sitting in front of her was her own flesh and blood, but in her heart, she wanted to wipe out her own existence.
"Haha... Indeed, this kind of man is worse than pigs and dogs." Yang Jianye said perfunctorily, and then he couldn't suppress his inner emotions. He grabbed Lu Aicao's wrist as if he wanted to grab something, "Aicao, from now on, just treat me as your relative. If you have any problems, ask your uncle for help. Your uncle will definitely help you. This way you will have someone to rely on in the future. Don't worry, your uncle has no other intentions. I just think you have a hard time and you are Xingxue's friend, so I want to help you."
However, Lu Aicao did not appreciate it. She pulled her wrist away, unable to restrain her indifference and alienation, and smiled faintly: "Thank you for your kindness, I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."
Without waiting for Yang Jianye to react, Lu Aicao stood up, put on his bag, and walked out without looking back.
She didn't care what his reaction was, and she didn't care what his reaction was.
Because no matter what he tried to do, whether to make amends or anything else, she would never forgive him, never.
"So, what you mean is that Yang Jianye already knows that you are his daughter? On the other hand, it can be basically confirmed that Jing Zhuoran is the murderer who killed your aunt?" Liang Bo, who came to the cake shop to visit Lu Aicao, analyzed the situation carefully while helping her pack bread.
During the National Day holiday, students went out to play and went home, and the business in the store slowed down. Xu Yuan and his classmates signed up for a small tour group to go out for two days, so only Liang Bo was left to accompany Lv Aicao who worked in the store.
"That's what I think. Jing Zhuoran clearly wanted to say something to me that day, but was interrupted by a sudden accident. When I asked him about it again later, he said it was nothing." Lu Aicao sighed.
"Well, it seems that he is going to escape to the end." Liang Bo sneered.
At this moment, the wind chimes at the door began to jingle.
The two looked up at the same time. Yang Xingxue hurried in and stopped subconsciously when she saw Lv Aicao and Liang Bo, who looked like a gangster, standing behind the counter.
Liang Bo glanced at the tattoo on his arm and put down his sleeves in disappointment.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't know you were on duty today. " Yang Xingxue walked forward with a wry smile. After so many things happened, she had figured it out. Since it had affected her life, why should she be so persistent?
"I came here to buy some cakes today. I really didn't mean to... disturb you." When she said the last few words, her voice became very low.
Lu Aicao smiled friendly and said, "Okay, I'll help you choose."
Lu Aicao picked out a few cakes for her just like she did for other guests.
Yang Xingxue said as if she was just chatting: "It's okay, it doesn't have to be too sweet, Jing Zhuoran doesn't like it."
"Oh, where is he? I haven't seen him recently." Lu Aicao asked casually.
"He's been busy planning to go abroad lately."
"Going abroad?" Lu Aicao almost knocked over the cake because her hands were unsteady. "Why so sudden?"
"I don't know what's wrong with him. Anyway, his family arranged it in a hurry." Yang Xingxue didn't notice anything unusual about Lu Aicao. He just lowered his head and took out the money.
"Then you too..." she asked tentatively.
"I haven't thought about it yet." Yang Xingxue smiled and handed her the money.
Another sleepless night.
Lv Aicao lay on the wooden bed in the school dormitory, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. Because it was a holiday, everyone else in the dormitory was away, leaving her alone in the empty room.
Maybe it was because it was autumn, but the stars and the moon outside the window were particularly bright. She finally couldn't stand it anymore and got up.
In fact, ever since she knew Jing Zhuoran was going abroad, she felt like a huge rock was pressing on her heart, and every second she breathed was oppressive.
Her intuition told her that Jing Zhuoran just wanted to escape, otherwise why would he be in such a hurry to leave.
Can't let him go!
If he left, his mother's death would really be unclear.
No matter what, she would keep him.
Lu Aicao clenched his fists tightly, and his cold face looked extremely solemn under the moonlight.
Jing Zhuoran, your retribution has not come yet, why do you think you can escape?
Pasata Bar is the most famous bar in the city.
Its prime location, luxurious decoration, and expensive drinks quickly made it one of the favorite places for celebrities in the city.
Lv Aicao was no stranger to bars. But she had never been to such a place since her mother passed away. This time, in order to find the missing Jing Zhuoran, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and break in.
After all, Liang Bo had bribed his connections and spent a long time investigating this, so he could only succeed and not fail.
With delicate makeup and carefully selected clothes, Lv Aicao mixed in with the crowd. Fortunately, she had worked in a bar for a long time, which allowed her to see all kinds of customers and handle many difficult situations. Soon, she was mixed in the crowd.
Many people came over to chat with Lv Aicao when they saw her, but she ignored them and went straight to the group of people sitting in the corner. Among them, the most conspicuous one was Jing Zhuoran.
Since the car accident, Jing Zhuoran started to live a life of feasting and drinking, always coming here to drink. Lu Aicao vaguely felt that his becoming like this was related to his mother's matter.
After stopping steadily, Lv Aicao called out Jing Zhuoran's name softly. The voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the group of people who were having fun to hear. Even though the music in the bar was noisy, she could still feel that at this moment, the surroundings became much quieter.
Jing Zhuoran stopped raising his glass, his cheeks flushed with a slight drunkenness, and two buttons of his collar undone, looking like a playboy who was obsessed with life and debauchery.
In this way, he was no different from the group of men and women around him who were dressed in exaggerated and strange clothes.
"You——" Jing Zhuoran was obviously shocked.
"Hey, Zhuoran, new girlfriend?"
"Wow, what if Xingxue finds out?"
"Sister, Jing Zhuoran has a girlfriend!"
"Don't talk nonsense!"
…
The group of people were chattering, but Jing Zhuoran put down the bottle, straightened his clothes, came to Lu Aicao, and asked in a low voice: "Why are you here? How did you know I was here?"
The person who wanted to avoid the most was standing in front of him at this moment. It was impossible not to be shocked. But Jing Zhuoran didn't know what was wrong with him. There was an irrepressible joy in his heart.
"I have something to talk to you about." Maybe it was the lighting or the music that made Lu Aicao seem extremely gentle. She raised her head and looked at him intently, then gently pulled his wrist. "It's too noisy here. Let's talk outside."
The moment their skin touched, Jing Zhuoran heard his heart skip a beat. At this moment, he threw all his concerns behind him and nodded in Lu Aicao's expectant eyes.
The night breeze was cool, blowing Lu Aicao's thin clothes and smooth long hair.
Before she said she was cold, Jing Zhuoran put his coat on her very naturally. This made them look more like a couple, or in other words, an ambiguous couple.
"I came to see you this time just to ask you, are you going abroad?" Lu Aicao looked at him tenderly, as if water could drip out of her eyes at any time.
Under the influence of alcohol, Jing Zhuoran was a little confused and said, "Yes..."
"Why are you leaving?" Lu Aicao questioned him as if she was questioning someone she loved. Even if it was just a play, she wanted to keep him.
"I..." Jing Zhuoran sighed, "I don't want to either."
Jing Zhuoran thought about the time when he almost blurted out the secret. If he stayed in the country any longer, he might not be able to bear the condemnation of his conscience and tell Lv Aicao about it. Moreover, Lv Aicao's existence was like a poppy, tempting him to keep getting closer.
However, he never expected that Lu Aicao would gently hug him from behind at this moment.
"Didn't you say that you would always take care of me? How can you take care of me after you leave?" Lu Aicao said this against her will, but it tore a huge hole in Jing Zhuoran's already shaken heart.
He just stood there in a daze, his heart pounding like a drum.
So be it. Even though he knew the closer he got, the more dangerous it would be, he still clearly allowed himself to continue sinking.
That night, Jing Zhuoran promised to think carefully before deciding whether to go abroad.
From that day on, Jing Zhuoran began to send messages and call Lu Aicao without any scruples, caring about her and asking about her well-being like a boyfriend.
When Lu Aicao is free, she will pay attention to him, and when she is not free, she will use the excuse of being busy to get rid of him.
She had expected these things, but she didn't expect that a simple hug could bring so much.
To Jing Zhuoran, whose heart was in turmoil, that action was like a signal, indicating that he could boldly break into Lu Aicao's life.
But in fact, this was just Lu Aicao's delaying tactic. She would never let him escape the punishment of the law, never.
Yang Jianye also gradually became involved in Lu Aicao's life. He bought two of everything under the pretext of giving gifts to his daughter and gave the extra one to her.
After Yang Xingxue knew that his father was trying his best to ease the relationship between his mother and Lu Aicao, he also became proactive and his relationship with Lu Aicao gradually eased.
However, all this superficial harmony collapsed on Yang Jianye’s birthday.
Shen Ping originally wanted to hold a decent cocktail party for her husband, which would also be very helpful for business talks. However, Yang Jianye just wanted the family to have a warm meal together. Shen Ping had no way to change her husband's mind, so she had to give up. But what she didn't expect was that this family dinner invited an outsider, Lu Aicao.
Why is she sitting here?
Shen Ping was so angry that she was shaking, and she couldn't even force out a smile - it turned out that the banquet was not held because of this little girl. What was even more hateful was that Yang Xingxue and Yang Jianye, even including the prospective son-in-law Jing Zhuoran, all cared about her. This fact made her simply unacceptable. Everyone was deceived by Lu Aicao, and only she was sober.
The way Yang Jianye looked at Lv Aicao was clearly more affectionate than when he looked at his own daughter. And Jing Zhuoran's attitude towards Lv Aicao had long exceeded the proper distance between them. As for his silly daughter, she could not see or understand anything, and she called "Aicao, Aicao" affectionately like a fool.
Crazy, this world is crazy. Shen Ping watched the family dinner, which she seemed to be a stranger to, and drank the wine in her glass one sip after another.
Lu Aicao seemed to be unaware of anything. She finished the banquet that was prepared entirely for her and accepted Shen Ping's cold and hostile gaze throughout the meal.
She knew everything, but pretended to know nothing.
When leaving, Shen Ping could no longer hold back and grabbed Lu Aicao in a place where no one else could notice.
"Don't expect you to achieve anything. Stay away from our family as soon as possible. If you want to ruin our lives, don't blame me for being rude."
"I don't plan to do anything. But I think you should think carefully about why they are so enthusiastic about me." Lu Aicao gave her an impeccable smile, then pulled her hand away and walked away without looking back.
She knew very well that Shen Ping's attitude and level of vigilance had reached this point, so she could only speed up her pace. Otherwise, she would be in danger before she found any evidence that could destroy these people.
On the third day after the family dinner, a heavy rain fell. The air was filled with a damp smell, moss grew wildly, cold wind blew in, and fallen leaves covered the ground.
After finishing her studies, Lv Aicao went to work in a cake shop. The owner did not turn on the air conditioner to save electricity, so Lv Aicao wrapped herself in a heavy coat and worked like a brown bear until eight o'clock in the evening.
During this period , Jing Zhuoran sent her three messages; Yang Jianye called her and told her not to work anymore; Xu Yuan called her and told her to take care of herself and chatted with her for a while; Liang Bo sent her a message asking if he wanted her to be picked up.
After thinking about it, this was probably the first time in all these years that so many people cared about her.
She should be happy, right? No matter whether the people who care about her are her relatives or her enemies, why does she always feel empty in her heart?
After locking the door with the cake maker and saying goodbye to each other, Lu Aicao carried the pastries given by the boss and walked back to school alone.
Although the heavy rain had stopped, it was still drizzling. The road was bumpy and muddy, and the air was so cold that she had to put her hands in her pockets.
Just like that, she accidentally touched her phone. She rarely played with her phone on the road, but she couldn't help but take it out. Her finger slid across the screen and finally stopped at Le Chengyu's column in the address book.
I haven't seen him for a week since he said that, and I don't even know what news he has from him.
Where did he go? Was he busy? Why didn't he show up again?
Countless questions hit her heart like raindrops, making her feel inexplicably irritated. It turned out that the empty feeling in her heart was because of him.
I stopped at the intersection and there was a red light ahead.
Lu Aicao breathed a sigh of relief, but finally put the phone into his pocket . He looked at the hazy crescent moon in the dark night, rubbed his cold hands, and took a deep breath as if to comfort himself.
Stop at red light and go at green light.
Lv Aicao strode forward, and at this moment, a pair of hands grabbed her from behind. The sudden force made her suddenly alert. She turned around, but the person behind her covered her mouth. At the same time, another pair of hands held her. Before she could react, the two people dragged her into a dark alley nearby.
At this second, Lu Aicao knew that the danger he feared was coming!
The dark night, the cold wind, the swaying yellow leaves, and the cold and wet soil on the ground all indicate the coldness of this season.
Another slap hit her face, and Lv Aicao's left face quickly turned red. She stared fiercely at the two gangster-like men in front of her. The two men exuded a kind of desperate ruthlessness, which was completely different from ordinary gangsters.
"You're still being stubborn, aren't you?" One of the tattooed men pulled Lu Aicao's hair without any mercy and slapped her face hard.
Lu Aicao groaned in pain, and finally couldn't control her tears and flowed down.
This was the eighth slap. Lu Aicao counted silently in her heart.
"Tell us why you approached Yang Xingxue and what your purpose is, and we will let you go, okay? Otherwise, we can only continue, and don't blame your brothers for being ruthless then!" Another man threw away the cigarette butt in his hand and stepped on it impatiently.
"I didn't get close to her. If becoming friends naturally is considered close, then I have nothing to say. Also, Jing Zhuoran and I don't have any improper relationship, and I didn't seduce Yang Jianye." Blood flowed from the corners of Lu Aicao's mouth. She looked at the two people with cold and fierce eyes, and said word by word, "No matter how many times I ask, I always give the same answer."
I heard a man's cold laughter and another man swore.
Lv Aicao clenched her fists tightly and told herself in her heart that she must hold on. No matter what they did, she must not tell the truth. She knew who had hired these people, and she could also estimate what these people could do at most.
It's not like I haven't seen gangsters before, so there's nothing to be afraid of.
"Snapped!"
Another slap hit her hard in the face. Her frail body couldn't withstand such a strong force and she fell heavily to the ground.
The man came over and grabbed her collar, pulling her face close to him: "Do you believe I will destroy you now? Anyway, the boss has given me enough money."
"I believe it." Lu Aicao nodded, "But I really have nothing to say. Even if you really destroy me, you won't get the answer you want."
"You're still being stubborn!" Another man rushed over and ripped off Lu Aicao's coat. "I think I need to teach you a lesson before you give in."
Lv Aicao knew what he was going to do, and had anticipated what he would do. But even so, out of instinct, she screamed in fear. Tears flowed out like a broken dam, and Lv Aicao had never been more desperate than now.
"Let her go!" A familiar male voice suddenly sounded behind me.
Before anyone could react, Le Chengyu had already rushed over. With his long arms and legs, he grabbed a man and punched him without thinking. The other man tried to hit him, but he was also kicked to the ground. In just two or three seconds, the two men were lying on the ground, screaming.
"Do you still want to come up? Come at me!" Le Chengyu was like an angry lion, protecting Lu Aicao and roaring at the two thugs.
The two men never thought that anyone would come to rescue her. After exchanging glances, they ran away.
Le Chengyu didn't have time to care about them. He immediately rushed to Lu Aicao and picked her up from the ground.
"Wormwood, wormwood?"
He called gently, but sweat dripped down his forehead due to nervousness.
Lu Aicao opened her eyes in a daze. After seeing that it was him, she curled up in his arms, hugged him, and cried wildly.
Fortunately, fortunately you are still here.
Le Chengyu originally wanted to send Lu Aicao to the hospital, but in the end he was defeated by his selfishness. He just held Lu Aicao and returned to his apartment.
The injured Lu Aicao was still in a coma. He gently placed her on the sofa, then took out the medicine box and began to treat her wounds.
Under the warm light, Lu Aicao's pretty face was bruised and blue, with blood at the corners of her mouth and large and small scratches on her arms. The more Le Chengyu helped her apply medicine, the more uncomfortable he felt.
He did not appear by chance. In fact, ever since Lv Aicao was injured last time, he had been silently guarding her when he was not in school, protecting her as much as possible. This time was no exception.
When she was working, he would go to the shop across the street to drink coffee. When she got off work, he would follow her and not feel relieved until he saw her return to school. For her now, not disturbing her is the best way to protect her.
What he didn't expect was that today, he just stopped to answer a phone call, and the accident happened suddenly. After hanging up the phone, Lv Aicao, who was standing at the intersection, disappeared magically, leaving only the unclaimed cake on the ground. He went to several places before he found her at the entrance of the alley. When he rushed in, he found that she was already lying on the ground injured and unable to get up.
She looked like his favorite parrot when he was a child, which was lying on the ground dying after being deliberately injured by a neighbor's child. The feeling was not just anger, but more of heartache, sadness, and grief.
The girl in front of him, whom he didn't even want to touch, was actually treated like that! Le Chengyu had never felt so angry before, and he would never let those two people escape.
While he was calling his police friend, Lv Aicao gradually woke up. Looking at the unfamiliar furnishings around him and the figure he had been thinking about in front of the French window, Lv Aicao subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief and finally pulled himself out of the nightmare.
After hanging up the phone, Le Chengyu turned around and saw Lu Aicao half lying on the sofa, looking at him weakly, with moist mist in her clear eyes.
"Are you awake?" Le Chengyu smiled with relief, quickly helped her up and held her in his arms.
With her slender fingers firmly grasping Le Chengyu's collar, Lu Aicao rested her head on his solid chest. She had never felt the sense of security more than now.
Le Chengyu responded to her tenderly, gently stroking the back of her head.
"I'm scared to death." Lu Aicao murmured.
"You scared me to death." Le Chengyu scolded, "Can you please stop working? You get off work too late, and I'm worried. I can help you find another job, okay?"
Lu Aicao lowered her head and said nothing, but rubbed his chest lightly.
The warm tears were stained on Le Chengyu's shirt, and Le Chengyu's heart was also wet. He couldn't help but straighten her up and said solemnly: "Lv Aicao, you can refuse my kindness, but please ensure your own safety at all times, okay? If I hadn't been with you all the time, the consequences for you today would be disastrous! If Shen Ping can find someone to beat you up today, she can use more powerful means to cripple you tomorrow. Can you put aside your revenge plan and be an ordinary, happy girl, isn't that good?"
Looking at Le Chengyu's excitement, Lu Aicao knew that he had already seen through everything.
"I can't be happy..." Lu Aicao's voice trembled and she cried aggrievedly, "Le Chengyu, I also want to be happy, but I can't. When my mother just passed away, I dreamed of her every night. I dreamed of how she looked when she left. I dreamed of her looking at me and asking, 'Aicao, do you miss your mother?'
"Yes, how could I not miss her? She has been my only relative since I was little. Because she gave birth to me secretly, she severed ties with her family, and was expelled from school for getting pregnant before marriage. She had no education, no family, and no money, but she still insisted on raising me. She suffered all kinds of hardships for me, but she still never thought of abandoning me. She raised me up, but her body was exhausted. I thought that I could repay her well when I went to college, but she left.
"Do you know how it feels when your loved ones leave you? It's so painful. You no longer have any spiritual support in your life. You have to endure every second to get by.
"Later, I learned my mother's secret, the person who abandoned her and made our lives miserable, and even found out that the person who killed her was still at large! Tell me, how could I give up everything and live my life without thinking about anything?"
"You mean..." Le Chengyu looked at Lu Aicao in shock.
"Jing Zhuoran is not simply related to my mother's death as you think. He is the one who hit my mother to death!" Lu Aicao grabbed her collar to control her surging emotions.
"In his eyes, the death of my dearest person is just a stain that hinders his beautiful life, a stain that he wants to get rid of as soon as possible! Why can he still get away with it by finding someone to be a scapegoat?"
"Yang Jianye, when he was young, he already had a wife, but he cheated on my mother. After my mother became pregnant, he resolutely left her. Why? Why does my mother have such a hard life, while these people live better than anyone else! Le Chengyu, I can't do it! I can't do it!"
"If I can get revenge, I'll even sacrifice my life! As long as I can get revenge!" Lu Aicao shouted hysterically, tears pouring out like a flood.
Le Chengyu was deeply shocked.
So this is what happened... Jing Zhuoran was the murderer...
Le Chengyu sat down next to Lu Aicao in shock. At this point, he didn't know what reason he had to dissuade her, because if this happened to him, he wouldn't be able to let it go easily.
He reached out his hand and gently wiped away the tears on Lu Aicao's face: "Okay, I will no longer persuade you or stop you in the future. I will help you, but I hope you will protect yourself."
The moment she finished speaking, Lv Aicao stopped sobbing. She looked at the man in front of her in surprise, and saw a glimmer of warm light in his dark pupils, as if it was the only light in her heart.