Life in the Luc family's "prison" entered a new phase, even more bizarre than the "cold war".
Luc Bac Than had changed.
He was no longer the cold, commanding and supervising tyrant. He... was trying to be a "husband", a "father" in a clumsy and pitiful way.
That morning, An Lac Vi walked downstairs and saw Luc Bac Than... in the kitchen.
He, the high and mighty Luc Tong, was wearing an apron (obviously Mrs. Ly's), his face covered in flour, trying to... fry an egg. The result was a burnt mess.
"What... are you doing?" An Lac Vi was stunned.
Luc Bac Than turned around, his expression a little unnatural. "I... heard Mrs. Ly say you like to eat fried eggs with soft-boiled eggs."
An Luo Wei didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She just coldly walked past. "Thank you. I'm not hungry."
She only took a carton of milk for Xiao Tao, completely ignoring his "sincerity".
Lu Bei Shen looked at the plate of burnt eggs, then at her cold back, a hint of defeat flashed through his eyes.
The journey of "breaking the ice"... was harder than he thought.
He didn't give up.
He no longer forced her to eat. Instead, he had the chef make all the dishes she liked, quietly placing them on the table.
He no longer tried to talk to her. Instead, he spent time playing with Xiao Tao. He built legos, read fairy tales to her... but always did it in the living room, where An Luo Wei (who was working on the sofa) could see.
He was using his actions to prove: 'Look, I can be a good father.'
An Luo Wei saw everything. She didn't say anything. But the ice wall in her heart... seemed to have a small crack because of those actions.
That night.
After dinner (still silent), An Lac Vi was reading a fairy tale to Tieu Dao in the playroom.
The story was about a sea king and a flower fairy.
Luc Bac Than walked in. He didn't say anything, just quietly sat down in a corner of the room, pretending to read the documents, but his eyes didn't leave her and her mother.
His existence was no longer as oppressive as before. It was... quiet, and a bit lonely.
Tieu Dao finished listening to the story, and fell asleep in An Lac Vi's arms.
She gently stroked her son's hair, intending to carry him back to the bedroom.
"Let me."
Luc Bac Than had been standing there for a while. He reached out, carefully picking up the small body that was sleeping soundly.
In that moment, his hand accidentally touched hers.
An Luo Wei immediately pulled her hand back as if she had been electrocuted.
Lu Bei Chen paused. The pain was evident in his eyes. He didn't say anything, just silently carried Xiao Tao back to the room.
After putting his son on the bed, he turned back. An Luo Wei was about to go back to her room.
"Wei Wei."
He called out to her, his voice strangely soft.
She stopped, but didn't turn around.
"That year... at Zhu Xian Tai." He began.
An Luo Wei's heart tightened. "I don't want to hear it."
"I'm not begging you to forgive me." Lu Bei Chen said, his voice full of fatigue. He kept a safe distance, not stepping closer. "I just want you... to know the truth."
"The truth that my eyes saw... was that I stood and watched." She was bitter.
"That's right." He admitted. "I stood and watched. But not because I betrayed you."
"I never agreed to marry Su Jin. I disobeyed the Emperor's order. That day, when I arrived at the Tru Tien Dai, I saw her holding the Thi Than knife."
He took a breath, his voice trembling. "I was about to take action... but she used half of another high immortal's soul to threaten me. That half of the soul was implanted in her body. If I killed her then, that high immortal would also be dismembered."
An Lac Vi stiffened. There was more to this?
"I hesitated..." Luc Bac Than's voice was full of regret. "I tried to find another way. Just for a second, Vi Vi. My one second of hesitation..."
"And in that one second... she stabbed you."
This explanation... matched her memory perfectly. The memory of him... just standing there, motionless.
"It's my fault." He said, his voice breaking. "My mistake was not being decisive enough. My mistake was not being strong enough to protect everyone. My biggest mistake... was letting you despair to that extent."
He looked at her back.
"But Wei Wei," his voice was like an oath, "I swear on my Emperor's soul... I have never betrayed you. Not for a second."
An Luo Wei stood still.
She wanted to turn back, wanted to scream that he was lying.
But... she couldn't.
Because the pain and regret in his voice... was too real.
Could she... have misunderstood him... for thirty thousand years?
The thought scared her.
"I..." She whispered, her voice faltering. "I don't believe it."
With that, she quickly walked back to her room, slammed the door, and locked it.
She leaned against the door, her body trembling.
She raised her hand, covering her mouth to keep from crying out.
A hot tear... rolled down her cheek.
The seed of truth... had been planted.
The wall of hatred she had built... had begun to crack.