DREB CHAPTER 90

Li Yan stood in his room, staring at Lu Zerui’s toys that now filled half the space. Leaning against the wall, he felt powerless and defeated.

You must be out of your mind.

Did you really believe that just because he called you “mom” a few times, you could actually raise him? He’s so close to you, but does he know you never wanted him, that you never wanted to give birth to him, and that when he was born, you even considered strangling him?

Does he realize he’s just the final piece to settle the score?

The Lu family never rejected Lu Zerui, and Lu Lianning never intended to marry someone else.

In truth, Lu Lianning had raised Lu Zerui fairly well. The boy was taller than most children his age, charming, likable, and doing well in kindergarten.

But what could he gain by staying with you? You didn’t even attend university. Your financial situation and the education you can provide fall far short of what he’d have with the Lu family. He is Lu Lianning’s only heir—the precious young master of the Lu family.

And with you? Are you going to make him eat cabbage leaves with you?

Would you even dare answer when he calls you “mom”? Back then, he was so tiny, so innocent, knowing nothing. Yet you almost ended his life.

Li Yan squeezed his eyes shut, exhaling deeply.

Thankfully, it seemed like Lu Zerui had lost interest. He’d probably had enough of staying here.

That night, Li Yan didn’t go to bed at his usual time. Instead, he took out a large sack and began packing Lu Zerui’s toys one by one. When he finished, he hesitated for a long time before deciding to keep the small paper frog that Lu Zerui had folded for him.

It would be his only memory.

This should have ended long ago anyway.

The next day, Li Yan went to a jewelry shop and bought a ring. It wasn’t expensive, just a plain silver band with no design.

After paying, he slipped the ring into his pocket and walked out.

The sky was gloomy and threatening rain. It had been like this since morning, with the air feeling cold.

Li Yan zipped up his jacket and blended into the crowd, looking no different from the hurried passersby.

Instead of going home, he headed deep into the forest. The chill in the air was sharper here, and the wind rustled loudly through the leaves.

Few people ever came to this place; the ground was overgrown with weeds, making it hard to walk.

He reached Chen Yaxin’s grave, crouched down, and looked at her photo, frozen in time. Finally, he spoke, “After all these years, I still haven’t given you anything proper.”

Then he fell silent.

A light drizzle began to fall, making the air even colder.

Li Yan pulled the ring from his pocket, dug into the soil, and buried it.

The rain started to pick up, but he had brought an umbrella, having noticed the cloudy sky that morning.

He opened the umbrella and began his walk back home.

The rain hammering down on the umbrella was loud, and under that clamor, he shouldn’t have been able to hear anything else. But just as he was about to leave the dense forest, he heard the distinct snap of a branch breaking behind him.

Li Yan froze. His grip tightened around the umbrella handle as he quickly turned his head, but all he saw was the forest of bare trees, battered by the rain.

A few leaves fell, knocked loose by the downpour.

Li Yan kept moving forward, but after several more steps, he suddenly turned back.

This time, his steps were frantic. He was almost running.

By the time he reached Chen Yaxin’s grave, panting and clutching the umbrella, he quickly crouched down and began digging at the spot where he had buried the ring. As expected, it was already gone.

In disbelief, he kept digging with his hands, dirt and grit filling his fingernails and scraping his fingers red. Rain-soaked mud trickled down his palms.

He dug out a hole larger and deeper than before, but still, the ring was nowhere to be found.

Li Yan inhaled sharply, pushed himself off the ground, and reopened the umbrella. He started walking back, his steps heavy in the mud.

As he continued, the streets grew emptier on his way back. The night was falling, and with the rain pouring like this, it wasn’t long before there wasn’t a single person in sight.

He was heading toward home, but it was still quite a distance away.

His pace slowed with each step until, finally, he came to a stop. He stood there, looking back at the empty street behind him.

In the end, he threw his umbrella to the ground, exposing himself fully to the rain. Within moments, he was drenched. His frail body could hardly withstand the cold as icy rainwater seeped into his clothes.

Just then, Lu Lianning appeared at the corner of the street and hurried over. He pressed his lips together and looked at Li Yan, trying to act casual. “What a coincidence. Didn’t bring an umbrella?”

The large black umbrella could easily cover them both. Although Li Yan’s head was now shielded, his soaked clothes continued to drip. His eyes were red as he stared at Lu Lianning, leaving no room for pretending to be stupid. “Give me the ring back!”

His gaze was full of scrutiny.

Lu Lianning met his eyes in silence, but eventually, his gaze began to falter. He looked away and said, “What ring? I haven’t seen any.”

He handed the umbrella to Li Yan. “You should go home. It’s pouring, and you need to get out of those wet clothes. I won’t be going with you. Just… just go.”

“I said, give me the ring!” Li Yan’s emotions exploded, his eyes blazing with anger. He lunged forward, grabbing Lu Lianning by the collar.

Lu Lianning looked into his face, then finally muttered, “No.”

The next second, Li Yan tackled him to the ground. Lu Lianning’s body hit with a dull thud, sending water splashing everywhere. His head smacked against the pavement, leaving him dazed. The umbrella flew off somewhere, and the rain drenched them both.

He wiped his blurred vision and looked up at Li Yan, who was still gripping his collar, seething with rage as he demanded the ring.

“What have you ever given me? A chipped plastic toy? Or those birthday wishes that were always damn late?” Lu Lianning looked deeply wronged, his eyes even redder than Li Yan’s. “Have you ever given me anything good?”

“But none of that matters… I forgave you. I forgave you for treating me badly, for always being cold and heartless toward me.” Lu Lianning’s breathing quickened. “So… so I hope you can forgive me too…”

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, Li Yan punched him in the face. He put all his strength into it, leaving half of Lu Lianning’s face numb, the taste of blood filling his mouth.

“I won’t forgive you! I won’t forgive you! I WON’T FORGIVE YOU!!!” Li Yan’s entire being seemed shattered by those words. He roared, his fists trembling with tension, gripping Lu Lianning’s collar as if ready to strike again. He was breathing heavily, looking completely out of control.

In that moment, Lu Lianning felt as though those words had strangled him.

What rained down on him wasn’t water anymore, but countless needles, sharp blades torturing him relentlessly.

What brought him back to himself were the scalding tears hitting his face.

Li Yan’s tears fell onto his cheeks. Even back when he thought he hated Li Yan, Lu Lianning couldn’t bear to see him cry. Now, he was even more unsettled.

He said, “Li Yan, don’t cry.”

Hearing him, Li Yan seemed unaware that he’d been crying. His eyelashes trembled slightly, and only then, seeing the blood trickling from the corner of Lu Lianning’s mouth, did he realize what he had done.

His body, taut like a drawn bow, gradually relaxed. His clenched fist lowered slowly, and he rose from Lu Lianning, struggling to push himself up from the ground.

The umbrella that Lu Lianning had dropped earlier lay in front of Li Yan, but he stumbled past it, heading toward home.

He walked for a long time, while Lu Lianning remained lying in the rain.

Li Yan had cried. Once again, he had made Li Yan cry. It seemed as though he could never be the one to bring him any happiness.

The tears felt like they were scorching his heart, a pain so intense it felt almost physical, spreading from his heart through his veins, reaching every corner of his body.

He felt like a helpless animal abandoned by the world, left to die in the freezing rain, with no one ever coming to claim him.

When Li Yan returned home, it was as if all the strength had drained from his limbs.

He closed the door and slumped against it, staring blankly at the hand he had used to hit Lu Lianning’s face.

Do you hate him?

Then why can’t you forgive him?

Why did you hit him?

Li Yan’s hand slowly fell to his side as he buried his face in his knees and cried.

He didn’t hear when Lu Lianning arrived; his footsteps were muffled by the sound of rain.

Lu Lianning stood outside the door and spoke through it, “Li Yan, it’s my fault. I was wrong. I never learned. I deserve to die a thousand times over. I’ve sinned terribly, and you’re right not to forgive me. I hope you continue to hate me.”

“You know, don’t you? You can hurt me easily now. You can take everything out on me. If it makes you feel a little better, if it makes you happy, you can hit me, you can curse me. I’ll never hurt you again.”

“You’ve done nothing wrong. So, stop crying and let yourself be free. Just please, don’t let go of me.”

Li Yan heard these words, and tears streamed down his stunned face.

He had never imagined that, after all these years, the first time Lu Lianning didn’t act unreasonably, didn’t twist his words, didn’t shift the blame, and instead honestly expressed his feelings and desires in a confession, it would be to wish for Li Yan’s hatred.

After a long silence outside, Li Yan slowly opened the door and saw a silver ring on the doorstep.

It was the ring.