Chapter 26: The Elixir of Righteousness—Like Me, It Is Truly Bitter

"Er, Liuhua, it must have been your loose tongue, right?" Chen Luo stood by Wen Wan’s side, casting a mildly reproachful glance at You Liuhua.

Liuhua stuck out her tongue, "You can’t blame me! Sister-in-law wanted to know, I couldn’t hide it from her. Besides, a hero’s scars are badges of honor—there’s nothing to fear if people know about them."

"My goodness, it hasn’t been long, but you’re already calling her sister-in-law so naturally?"

"Don’t change the subject! Tell me honestly, are there any lasting effects from your injury?"

Wen Wan’s tone was severe, her eyes brimming with worry and tenderness as she pulled Chen Luo’s head closer. Her slender fingers parted his hair, revealing a scar five centimeters long, and her heart clenched painfully at the sight.

A grinding sound of teeth echoed—so tense it was audible to both Chen Luo and Liuhua.

"I will find that murderer and tear them to pieces, grind their bones to dust!" The icy, murderous words chilled the air. To You Liuhua, Wen Wan's pronouncement sounded as if it had been uttered from the depths of the underworld.

The aura of a ruler, decisive and merciless, was now on full display, utterly unmasked before the two of them.

"Wen Wan, enough," Chen Luo gently took her hand, stroking the back of it in an effort to soothe her. "It’s been years since that happened. I’m fine now. Apart from sometimes getting sleepy and not remembering much from before I was thirteen, there’s really nothing else."

At his words, Wen Wan’s eyes widened as a sudden realization struck her.

"You can’t remember anything before you were thirteen? Then do you still remember ever meeting me? Was it a lie when you said you’d seen me before?"

Chen Luo scratched his head awkwardly. "I’d been meaning to ask you about this. I have a vague impression of you, as if I know you instinctively, but the details just aren’t clear. When you asked if we’d met before, I thought you meant the time I gave you flowers in school."

Wen Wan froze, her gaze shifting over Chen Luo’s face with conflicting emotions—first anger, then worry, and finally, despair.

"Sister-in-law, what’s happening with you two?" You Liuhua sensed the shift in atmosphere and quickly spoke up.

"I’m sorry, I have something to attend to. I need to leave." Wen Wan picked up her bag and walked out without a backward glance, stepping into the waiting Rolls-Royce and heading for the Imperial Mansion.

Watching her leave, Chen Luo felt a pang of distress rise within him. It was the first time Wen Wan had left without saying goodbye. Was she angry with him? Would she ever speak to him again? Was he about to lose her?

You Liuhua, seeing Chen Luo’s bowed head and silence, sighed softly.

"Brother Luo, I don’t know what happened between you two, but every hero bravely pursues love. Whatever the problem is, you have to face it head-on—never just sit back and do nothing. So, as your resident magician, I advise you, Hero, to go after her! You blockhead!"

Her outburst jolted Chen Luo to his senses. He looked up with a smile, shoved a bottle of herbal cooling tea into her arms, and said, "Thanks, Liuhua. I’ll go right now. Don’t forget to drink that to cool off!"

With that, Chen Luo dashed out of the milk tea shop, flagged down a taxi, and shouted to the driver as soon as he got in, "Driver! Quick—take me to the Imperial Mansion!"

Back in the shop, You Liuhua watched Chen Luo’s hurried figure disappear, feeling a sour ache in her heart.

"So this is how it feels when the magician sends her beloved hero off to pursue the princess, like in all those anime stories."

She twisted open the herbal tea, took a gulp, and muttered, "So bitter—just like my mood right now. So very bitter…" Unable to restrain herself any longer, she covered her face and wept.

...

In the back seat of the Rolls-Royce, Wen Wan was also in tears, hugging her knees, her entire body curled into a ball. Mo Lan, who was driving, glanced at her in the rearview mirror.

"President Wen, what’s wrong?"

"He really doesn’t remember me. He truly doesn’t. It wasn’t a lie—he wasn’t deceiving me; it was just my own misunderstanding. But it’s not his fault. The injury wiped out his childhood memories. It’s not his fault, but it hurts so much that he’s forgotten those precious moments we shared."

"But if he’s forgotten, then the bond we once had is gone. How am I supposed to love him from now on? What right or reason do I have to love him?"

Wen Wan clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, drawing blood that stained her dress.

"It’s all that murderer’s fault! Who could have dared to harm Chen Luo so cruelly six years ago?"

"Maybe it really was because he saved me that he suffered their revenge!"

"It’s all because of me! I’m a jinx—a wretched, cursed jinx!"

Hearing Wen Wan’s scattered, agonized words, Mo Lan pieced together their meaning.

"President Wen, please calm down! No one would target a child without reason. There must be someone orchestrating things behind the scenes, and most likely, it’s someone in the capital. What we need to do now is find out who’s behind it—and above all, keep Chen Luo safe so they can’t strike again!"

Mo Lan’s words rang like a bell, dispersing the confusion and pain clouding Wen Wan’s heart.

"You’re right." Wen Wan regained her usual decisive composure, her eyes burning with a terrifying resolve. "But tracking down a murderer from six years ago is slow work—far too inefficient."

"Then, President Wen, what do you propose?" Mo Lan asked cautiously.

"Prepare to move. Detonate some of the traps we laid before—give my so-called elder brothers in the capital a little surprise. Let’s see who reacts first."

"Yes, ma’am!" Mo Lan replied with awe, her respect for Wen Wan deepening.

It was a bold, open strategy—setting off the traps and secret agents planted for years around the heirs in the capital, forcing the real culprit into panic and exposing themselves. Whoever reacted most violently would likely be the mastermind behind it all.

"If we’re going to do this, let’s make as much noise as possible! I want everyone to know—anyone who dares harm Chen Luo will be left with no refuge in life or death, doomed to eternal damnation!"

...

Hangzhou Tower, luxury shopping district.

"Xiwei, have you calmed down yet? If not, we can keep shopping," Liu Feng said ingratiatingly to Tang Xiwei, his arms loaded with luxury shopping bags.

Tang Xiwei seemed mollified, hanging onto Liu Feng’s arm. "Darling, I’m still a little upset. But if you do one thing for me, I’ll forgive you."

"Anything—just name it and I’ll do it!"

"Didn’t Chen Luo’s little girlfriend say they were planning to open a milk tea shop? I want their shop to go bankrupt—ruined completely!"