"You!?" Yang Ze couldn't help but wonder if he was hearing things.

Who was the woman in front of him? The young lady of the Lin Family, the future matriarch of the Lin family and one of the most talented and powerful people in the entire Yuyang city.

And now she was saying that her mother was a drunkard and abused her daily?

Even an idiot wouldn't believe her words.

For a moment, Yang Ze couldn't help but be angry. Was she joking? Was she trying to make fun of his misery? The more he thought about it, the more he found the woman unpleasant. Was she purposefully mocking him because he violated her in the Duality Sect?

"Why?" Lin Yue let out a mocking smile. "Why can't it be me?"

She wasn't aware of what Yang Ze was thinking, but she could feel his disappointment and anger. She couldn't help but let out a forced smile. Did he think she was making fun of him?

"Oh, I don't know." Yang Ze spoke in a flat tone. "How could someone like 'me' know about the harsh life of the 'Young Lady' of the Lin family, who just happened to be one of the most 'talented' people of the Yuyang city?"

"How could I know your 'struggle' and hardship?" His voice was full of ridicule. "Must have been hard living the life of a pampered young lady and the future matriarch."

"..." The more Lin Yue listened to his words, the angrier she got. By the time Yang Ze finished speaking, she almost wanted to pat him dead. But in the end, held back.

She just sat there in silence for a long time before suddenly bursting out in laughter.

"Hahahaha.... YES." She let out a self-deprecating laugh. "The most pampered young lady, whose life has been nothing but honey and milk."

She reached out to the wine jar, hoping to drown herself in it, but before she could even reach to it, Xiao Ruolan grabbed it and hid it behind her while glaring at her angrily. She had already drunk half of it and now wanted more? She wasn't going to let this unruly woman drink her precious wine anymore.

"...." Lin Yue's hand froze mid-air as she looked at Xiao Ruolan, hiding the wine jar like a protective mother hiding her children. In the end, she just gave up.

"What a beautiful life." Her words were soft, almost inaudible.

Looking at her painful expression, Yang Ze was already beginning to regret what he had just said. He was so lost in his past life's painful memories that he assumed Lin Yue was making fun of him. But now, looking at her expression, it didn't seem to be the case.

"I...." He wanted to apologise to her, but before he could do it, Lin Yue exhaled a mouthful of turbid air before whispering softly.

"Do you want to hear my story too?"

"...." This time, Yang Ze was really surprised. He truly wasn't expecting her to be willing to talk about her life. He just looked awkwardly at her. On one hand, he didn't want to have too much interaction with her, much less know her delicate past, while on the other hand, he was overwhelmed with curiosity. It would be a lie to say that he wasn't interested.

He hesitated for a while, but couldn't come to a decision, and it was at this moment that Xiao Ruolan, who was sitting quietly, finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Sure." She too wanted to know what the so-called miserable life Lin Yue was talking about. After all, she was the young lady of the Lin family. How could her life even compare to the man beside her?

"...." Lin Yue didn't pay any attention to Xiao Ruolan but instead looked at Yang Ze, as if wanting to hear his answer. She couldn't care less about Xiao Ruolan.

"Please." In the end, Yang Ze could only nod his head in response. He had to admit that the allure of wanting to know her secret was just too much.

"Hmm..." Lin Yue gave him a deep gaze before a smile ran across her face and then...

"Haha..."

"Not telling you."

Yang Ze was stunned for a long time. It took a while for him to come back to his senses before his eyes went wide and his nose flared in anger.

"You..." He wanted to curse her, but looking at her giggling face, he held back. In the end, he just let out a sigh before shaking his head and smiling in response.

He didn't feel bad, even though she was purposefully teasing him; instead of anger, he just let out a helpless smile.

When was the last time someone joked with him? It was either people asking for a favour or mocking him. When was the last time he sat with someone and had such small conversations?

"By the way, how did you come to know Lin Wan?" Lin Yue was expecting him to throw a fit in anger after being teased by her, but to her surprise, he was rather calm. If it were her, she would have definitely gotten into a fight.

For a moment, she couldn't help but admire him. She had seen him many times, and regardless of the situation, he would try his best to stay calm; something that she could never do.

"Do you really want to know?" Yang Ze didn't expect her to ask him about Lin Wan. Though the two of them were intimate, it was only physical intimacy. The two of them knew nothing about each other.

"Mmmm..." By now, Lin Yue's face was slowly covered in a shade of red. The wine she drank before has begun to take effect. She could feel her emotions getting out of control, as well as a desire to be free, to do just whatever she wanted.

"Heh." This time, it was Yang Ze who smirked first before opening his mouth to whisper softly.

"Not telling you."

"YOU..." Lin Yue gritted her teeth in anger, but before she could even say anything, Xiao Ruolan, sitting beside her, suddenly burst out laughing.

"AAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHHAA."

Xiao Ruolan's laughter caught both Lin Yue and Yang Ze by surprise. The two of them didn't expect that the usual cold and emotionless Xiao Ruolan would laugh at such a silly thing.

The two of them just looked at each other before smiling in response.

It wasn't until a few minutes had passed that Xiao Ruolan finally stopped laughing. She then took the jar, put it on her lips and gulped down what was left inside before clicking her tongue in pleasure.

"I'll tell you how I met Lin Wan." With a flushed face and hazy eyes, she slowly began to narrate her first meeting with Lin Wan.

"I was seven years old when I first met her." She then looked at Lin Yue sitting beside her before adding another sentence. "And you."

"If I remember correctly, it was some kind of celebration. I didn't want to come, but my grandma dragged me forcefully. She wanted me to get familiar with other Young Ladies of the major families."

"So..." Picking up the jug, she tried to take another sip before realising she had already finished it. "So, I was dragged against my will."

"And it was there when I first met Lin Wan."

Lin Yue, sitting beside her, just let out a soft laugh while her eyes looked at the distant scenery. But her hazy eyes didn't seem to be looking at the scenery; instead, they seemed to be replaying the scenes of events that occurred twenty years ago.

"You see, she was a lot like me." Xiao Ruolan's voice paused for a moment before she continued.

"I believe it was just after her family was massacred and she was adopted by the Lin family."

"Yes." Lin Yue nodded in response.

"Hmm." Xiao Ruolan exhaled a mouthful of air before speaking further. "She was just sitting there quietly. Like a lifeless doll."

"I saw Lin Yue trying to drag her to make new friends, but she just never budged."

"At that moment, I felt like she was similar to me, so I went there and sat beside her."

Speaking till here, Xiao Ruolan let out a soft smile.

"She didn't even pay any attention to me. She just ignored me as if I wasn't there."

It was at this moment that Lin Yue, who was completely intoxicated after drinking half the jar of wine, shouted in excitement. Her previous prideful appearance was gone, replaced by a playful girl whom Yang Ze met at the Slave Mountain of the Lin family.

"I wanted to make so many friends, but I didn't want to leave Lin Wan, so I had to sit there with her."

"And just when I was anxious and wondering if I was going to make any friends, Xiao Ruolan came to us."

"I was so... so happy." Lin Yue kept chattering nonstop.

"I thought I finally found a friend, but this woman..." She pointed at Xiao Ruolan in anger.

"She didn't even say a word. She just sat there in silence."

The more she spoke, the angrier she got.

"I tried talking so many times to her, but she just ignored me and then... Then the three of us sat there in silence till the celebration was over."

"Hey." Xiao Ruolan suddenly jumped up in anger. "I wasn't ignoring you purposefully."

"Then....?" Lin Yue raised an eyebrow.

"I..." Xiao Ruolan hesitated for a moment, but under the influence of alcohol, finally let it out.

"At that time, I didn't know how to have a conversation."

"I was even more anxious than you."

"..."

"..."

Xiao Ruolan's revelation caught Lin Yue by surprise, who stared at him with wide eyes as if in disbelief. It wasn't until a few more moments had passed that her lips curled up before she suddenly burst out in laughter.

"Pfff... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA."

"LIN YUE." Xiao Ruolan was red with anger and embarrassment. She didn't know why she talked about it, but since she had already spoken, Lin Yue's exaggerated response annoyed her to no end.

"HAHAHAHAHA" Lin Yue's laughter didn't stop as she kept laughing while pointing her finger towards Xiao Ruolan.

"Who... hahahahaa.... who would have thought." She didn't finish her sentence, but her laughter was enough to express everything.

"Hmph!" Xiao Ruolan just snorted in response before picking up the jar of wine once again and taking it up to her mouth before turning it upside down with he mouth open underneath it, hoping to drink just one more drop of it.

"Then, what happened?" Yang Ze was now fully engrossed in their story. He wanted to know how the three of these women, who have almost nothing in common, became friends.

"Then..." Lin Yue's laughter stopped as she exhaled gently, still immersed in memories.

"We met a few more times after that in a similar situation." Xiao Ruolan replied softly before adding further, "And then, it was Lin Wan who started the first conversation."

"She was the one who got the three of us together. She was the one who bound us, and even when we got into that stupid fight, it was she who tried to amend things."

"Truly... the best friend I ever had."

By now, Xiao Ruolan's smile had faded as her eyes got hazy and her breathing ragged, as if trying to fight her urge to burst out crying.

"Hmmm... Truly, the most stupid person I ever met." Lin Yue let out a hollow laugh, forcing herself to finish the latter half of her sentence. "And the person that was closest to me."

The two of them didn't say a word after this but just sat there in silence.

Xiao Ruolan took out another Jar of wine from god knows where before pouring two cups of wine. She picked up one and handed another to Lin Yue.

"To Wan'er." Xiao Ruolan whispered softly.

"To my dearest elder sister." Lin Yue raised the cup before gulping it down.

The two of them didn't say a word after that but just kept on drinking the wine. It was as if what they were drinking wasn't wine but grief.

They have lost the most important person in their lives, and they couldn't even get revenge.

The only thing they could do now was to drink their sorrows and remember the fond memories they had with Lin Wan.

Yang Ze, on the other hand, didn't disturb them. In his eyes, it was their grief... it was their sorrow, and it was their way of handling the loss of someone so close to them.

He just sat there in silence, looking at the picturesque scenery of the two woman drinking in sorrow, trying their best to go through their grief...

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