Chapter 272: Chapter 272 He Has Always Been Deceiving Her Lin Zhiyi watched Gong Chenâs retreating figure, her eyes suddenly turning cold, yet her expression betrayed no surprise.
She looked up at the grey, overcast sky, her bitter smile seeming so pale in comparison.
Finally, everything was as she had predicted.
In her previous life, the car accident involving Liu He and Gong Shiyan must have been related to this collaboration.
Gong Chen had deceived her.
He said the accident occurred because Liu He and Gong Shiyan were helping her find evidence of Song Wanqiuâs crimes.
In reality, it was just to divert her attention.
So that she wouldnât realize that the mysterious husband she married, who was Gong Shiyan, was right in front of her.
Nor did she notice that right after the accident, Gong Chen immediately had a major collaboration with President Wen.
In fact, everything had traces to follow. Song Wanqiu never mentioned the accident in front of her.
With Song Wanqiuâs two-faced natureâpublicly one way, privately anotherâsuch a good opportunity would surely have been used to the fullest to provoke and mock her.
Unfortunately, at that time, whenever she thought of Liu Heâs mutilated corpse, she would spend the entire night restless and in a daze.
What forcefully kept her going was her hatred for Song Wanqiu and Xingxing.
But in the end, Xingxing also died.
Only now did Lin Zhiyi realize that her former self had lived within a vast lie.
Lin Zhiyi took a deep breath, withdrew her gaze, and turned to leave.
...
Parking lot.
The car door was open; Sang Ran clutched it, gasping for breath.
Gong Chen supported her and stuffed several pills into her mouth.
After a moment, Sang Ranâs complexion slowly improved, and she leaned against Gong Chen, unable to resist hugging him tight.
"Sorry, I realized I left my bag in your car only when I went to take my medicine."
"Do you want me to take you to the hospital?"
"No need, Iâve honestly had enough of hospitals. Can I just lean on you like this for a while?"
With a plea in her eyes, Sang Ran looked at Gong Chen.
Gong Chen hummed in acknowledgment, sat in the back seat, and allowed her to lean on him.
As Sang Ran breathed in his scent, she closed her eyes in comfort, even affectionately rubbing her cheek against his coat.
Until...
Gong Chenâs voice carried a chilling tone, "How did President Wen and He Yao get to know each other?"
Sang Ranâs heart skipped a beat; she opened her eyes and looked up at him.
But no matter how carefully she observed, she couldnât decipher his thoughts.
"I was abroad for rehabilitation, and it just so happened He Yao was injured in a fight with a burglar who broke in and had to be hospitalized. My aunt often visited me, and thatâs how they got to know each other."
"Do you know why President Wen invited you for a meal today?"
Gong Chenâs voice suddenly dropped by a degree.
Even the air around them seemed to freeze.
Sang Ranâs pupils dilated slightly, but she kept her head down and remained silent.
Almost concurrently, Gong Chen increased the distance between them, and with it, the warmth and sense of security dissipated.
The chilly wind blowing in from outside the car door nearly froze Sang Ran.
In a panic, she grasped Gong Chenâs hand and nodded, "My aunt said she learned something interesting and wanted me to come and see. I really didnât know that Zhiyi and He Yao were here to discuss marriage. Believe me."
"Mhm."
Gong Chen responded indifferently, subtly withdrawing his hand.
Sang Ran looked down at her empty palm, biting her lip, "You seem to be quite concerned about... He Yaoâs marriage."
"Not at all. Since weâre planning a collaboration, I have to understand the other partyâs background."
Gong Chen leaned back into the seat, answering nonchalantly, though the veins on the back of his hand were slightly pronounced.
Sang Ran moved closer to him, "Although He Yao looks rough, heâs actually a good person. If he and Zhiyi hit it off..."
"You should head back first; itâs windy outside," Gong Chen interrupted.
Clearly, he didnât wish to continue this topic.
Sang Ran paused but still managed a smile and nodded, "Okay."
Gong Chen got out of the car and turned around.
Sang Ran rolled down the window and called out to him, "Third Young Master, the wedding dresses I ordered have arrived. Would you come with me to take a look?"
"Mhm."
...
Private hospital.
Lin Zhiyi brought some snacks that Liu He loved to eat.
The marks on Liu Heâs face had already faded a lot, but due to constant fear and poor sleep, she looked extremely haggard.
"Mom, eat something first. There has been some progress with the situation."
Hearing about progress, Liu He finally gave a bit of a response.
"Zhiyi, did you find that man?"
"Not yet, but it wonât be long." Lin Zhiyi stuffed chopsticks into her hand and asked, "Mom, can I ask you a question?"
Liu He nodded weakly, "Ask."
"If Song Wanqiu hadnât run into trouble and kept targeting me, what would you have done?"
At these words, Liu Heâs eyes reddened, and she almost couldnât hold onto her chopsticks.
"Zhiyi, do you also think Iâm incapable? In fact, seeing that you were in so much trouble, I wanted to go fight Song Wanqiu to the death. It was your uncle who talked me out of it."
"Uncle? What did he say?"
Lin Zhiyi pretended not to care as she poured soup for Liu He, but her attention was entirely on these words.
However, she didnât dare to make it too obvious, for fear of worrying Liu He.
After taking a couple sips of soup, Liu He steadied her emotions before speaking, "Your uncle only found out later that Song Wanqiu had saved Lao San, which is why Lao San kept tolerating her."
"Actually, I found it strange at the time. Men may not understand women, but how could I not understand them?"
"Song Wanqiu could act as noble as she liked, but at her core, she was someone who feared death and coveted life. How could she risk her life to save Lao San? I sensed there was something fishy."
"But by the time I wanted to investigate, something had happened to Song Wanqiu. Then Xiao Ran appeared, and as the truth came to light, I didnât pursue it."
After listening, the box Lin Zhiyi was holding fell to the ground.
The soup spilled all over her, the hot oil seeping into her skin.
Yet she felt no pain at all, only a boiling rage surging through her veins.
Even so, her face grew paler and paler.
Because through Liu Heâs words, she finally understood something.
Perhaps Gong Chen hadnât lied to her.
In her previous life, she and Xingxing had been terribly bullied by Song Wanqiu, and every time Liu He saw them being verbally attacked, she broke down in tears.
But their influence in the elite circle was too insignificant.
With Liu Heâs mentality, she would do as she now said, starting from the fact that Song Wanqiu had saved Gong Chen.
The witness that she and Gong Shiyan braved the storm to meet, Lin Zhiyi knew who it was.
Sang Ran.
Gong Shiyan and Wen Qing knew each other. To find Sang Ran and confirm the credibility of the whole affair was even easier than getting information from Gong Chen.
Perhaps they had met her, or perhaps not.
But regardless, after their accident, Gong Chen was definitely the first to know of Sang Ranâs existence.
And he was the first to know that Song Wanqiu was an imposter.
Yet he did not expose Song Wanqiu and even concealed the existence of Sang Ran.
The only reason could be that he wanted to protect Sang Ran.
By that time, Song Wanqiu had used nearly all her schemes and plots against Lin Zhiyi.
If she knew her identity had been discovered, her first move would be to eliminate Sang Ran.
So Gong Chen never mentioned Sang Ran.
Yet he made Lin Zhiyi live with the guilt of losing her mother and then her daughter.
In the end, she committed suicide.
Sang Ran, who had never appeared from beginning to end, remained unblemished.
And like now, she was the little princess held precious in everyoneâs hearts.
Reborn to Outshine My Ex and His White Moonlight ï¤Chapter 271: Please Join Us for a Wedding Banquet Next Week Rebirth of a Village Girl ï¤Chapter 1123 - 286: Retribution, Recognizing Each Other_3 Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress ï¤Chapter 828 - 825: Prosperous Mountains and Rivers Lin Zhiyi felt a wave of dizziness and her body began to fall backward.
"Zhiyi!"