Behind the iron door was a small room. There was no one inside. The walls were covered with photos.
Lu Shiyan slowly walked to the wall and examined them closely, only to find that the subject of all the photos was him.
Even though I had long sensed Su Ning'an's impure intentions towards Lu Shiyan, I never imagined it had reached such a terrifying extent.
I looked carefully at the photos. The earliest ones dated back to when she first came to the Lu family with her adoptive mother.
Most of the photos were taken secretly. During that period, Lu Shiyan was youthful, his brow carrying a hint of coldness, especially when looking at Su Ning'an—his eyes were mostly filled with disgust and hatred.
He had deep feelings for his mother and couldn't accept his father remarrying, especially to that so-called "white moonlight," the lifelong resentment of his mother's heart.
As time passed, the disgust on his face gradually lessened.
His gaze softened, and the expression he directed at Su Ning'an lost its previous emotions.
In the last two years, the photos were no longer secret shots but pictures of the two of them together.
I looked at them one by one. Initially, Lu Shiyan was probably forced into the photos by her, so his expression seemed awkward and unnatural, and their poses weren't intimate.
But later, the two became increasingly close. Lu Shiyan no longer rejected her presence.
Even in front of the camera, he would Su Ning'an and make a peace sign.
They had been to many countries, witnessed sunrises and sunsets in many places.
No wonder I saw less and less of him over the past two years, and he became increasingly busy, often on business trips.
So, he took Su Ning'an with him every time he traveled.
Each photo was like a thorn piercing my heart. Standing in this room, I was the biggest joke.
More cleverly, these photos weren't arranged randomly. One wall had a large heart, and the adjacent wall connected to form his portrait.
Lu Shiyan took a step back, his expression extremely complex. "This... this is..."
Su Ning'an pressed her body against his, wrapped her arms around his waist, and buried her face in his chest.
"Brother, I liked you from the first moment I saw you. I was too young back then, didn't understand that this kind of liking was love. I just simply wanted to see you every day."
"So you took so many photos of me?"
"I'm sorry, Brother. I liked you too much. I knew you hated me, wouldn't let me get close. If I couldn't see you, I could only use these photos to comfort my longing."
As Su Ning'an said this, rolled down her face. "I really didn't mean to compete with Sister for you at first. I just... just liked you too much."
To be honest, if I hadn't seen how she treated Grandma, I might have been convinced by her acting.
Clearly, Lu Shiyan fell for it. Probably, his heart was surging right now.
He lifted Su Ning'an's chin and kissed her.
Su Ning'an naturally wrapped her arms around Lu Shiyan's neck. I saw a triumphant smile in her eyes.
And I smiled too.
This is Lu Shiyan's so-called love for me.
Perhaps he had unknowingly fallen for Su Ning'an without realizing it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stood in front of her to defend and protect her, even while suspecting her.
What he couldn't let go of were the years we shared, not me.
If the first two times were Su Ning'an's deliberate seduction, this time it was Lu Shiyan's genuine feelings.
Su Ning'an whispered in his ear: "Brother, this is my secret world. No one will know. No sound will escape."
And I, standing behind the door, listening to their passionate sounds, felt nothing but utter disgust.
I returned to Grandma's side, knowing Lu Shiyan had been won over by Su Ning'an. Finding out what happened to me was impossible now.
Grandma was already asleep. I gazed out at the heavy snow falling like goose feathers. The New Year was approaching.
I instinctively touched my flat abdomen.
That child hadn't been inside me for long, hadn't even taken form, yet I still cared about that little life.
What a failure of a mother I was.
What a pitiful father it had.
Lu Shiyan had completely forgotten about my miscarriage. Probably, even the matter of the poisoned orchid would be dismissed with a few lies from Su Ning'an. He'd believe her and expose Lu Yanchen's plan entirely.
How could I have loved such a weak-willed, easily swayed man for so many years?
I wished I could go back in time and slap some sense into my past self.
Turning around, I found Grandma staring straight at me, worry in her eyes.
I reached out and stroked Grandma's hair, even though she couldn't feel it. My tone was gentle. "Grandma, I'm fine."
She probably wanted to ask what happened. I just sighed softly. "Lu Shiyan is unreliable. Su Ning'an can with just a few words. So, Grandma, you need to get better quickly."
Grandma blinked. I told her about the news Lu Yanchen had uncovered.
"That orchid had toxins on it. The amount was small, probably just recently sprayed on. Fortunately, Uncle had someone dispose of the orchid."
Even so, Grandma's situation wasn't optimistic. Lu Shiyan, with no brains and no discernment, after sleeping with Su Ning'an, who knew what would happen next?
Uncle's plan was completely ruined.
"Grandma, I can't do anything. I can't protect you. The most urgent thing is for you to recover quickly yourself."
Grandma's gaze was firm, not filled with fear of the unknown.
She was telling me not to be afraid.
Just like when I was a child, no matter what happened, be resolute, don't fear, everything has its course.
These past few days, Lu Shiyan hadn't visited again. Su Ning'an came less frequently too, occasionally seeming only to check on Grandma's condition.
Seeing Grandma showed no improvement, she felt relieved. Probably afraid Lu Yanchen would catch her, she didn't dare act recklessly for now.
This gave Grandma a bit of breathing room. Actually, Grandma's hands could move slowly now, though she still couldn't form words.
I always felt Su Ning'an was brewing some new scheme. not seeing Lu Shiyan made me uneasy, I took the opportunity to go to his side.
Fortunately, he hadn't taken off the prayer beads, so I could find him anytime.
But I clearly didn't expect to see such a scene upon arriving.
In his office, where he had just ordered all of Su Ning'an's belongings thrown out last time.
At this moment, he was pressing Su Ning'an against the floor-to-ceiling window.
A gust of wind blew in, and the photo frame on his desk containing our picture fell with a thud.