Chapter 22: Chapter 22: Inexplicable ForgivenessChu Mengyao watched Ye Fan trembling on the sofa, and after a moment of surprise, a deep sense of tenderness involuntarily arose in her heart. She gently moved to Ye Fan’s side and embraced him.

    She remembered how she used to be scared of thunder when she was a child, just like Ye Fan, unable to sleep. She thought of her mother comforting her, and although she didn’t know if Ye Fan had a nightmare or something sad came to mind, she couldn’t help but give Ye Fan a hug, feeling that this was the greatest support she could offer to him.

    Just as Chu Mengyao expected, Ye Fan quickly calmed down in her arms, becoming peaceful and serene.

    "Don’t be afraid, I’m here with you. Don’t be afraid." Chu Mengyao’s voice carried unprecedented gentleness.

    She gently patted Ye Fan’s head, just like a mother soothing a child who had a nightmare.

    Soon, under Chu Mengyao’s comfort, Ye Fan fell asleep in her arms.

    Looking at Ye Fan’s peaceful expression as he fell into a deep sleep, Chu Mengyao gently stroked his cheek, pondering in her heart, "I wonder what he’s been through, shivering alone in the dark in the middle of the night."

    She could guess that Ye Fan’s past must have been very difficult, but she didn’t know to what extent.

    Originally, Chu Mengyao intended to lay Ye Fan down on the sofa, thinking she couldn’t hold him like this forever, but seeing his relaxed sleeping posture, she dismissed the idea, continuing to hold him, watching Ye Fan sleep, her gaze softening.

    At some point, Chu Mengyao also fell into a deep sleep.

    In the morning, when the first rays of sunlight streamed into the villa and shone on them, Ye Fan was the first to wake up. At that moment, Chu Mengyao lay on the sofa, his head rested on her legs, and her hand still on his face.

    Ye Fan slowly lifted his head and then sat up, looking at Chu Mengyao with an unusually tender gaze.

    Recalling how Chu Mengyao comforted him last night, a deep sweetness and happiness emerged within him.

    For countless nights, whenever he was startled awake from nightmares, he would tremble in loneliness. But in Chu Mengyao’s arms, this was the most wonderful night, with no more nightmares, and for the first time, he had a sound sleep.

    Ye Fan gazed at Chu Mengyao’s perfect face, the gentle sunlight falling on her hair, enchanting and serene.

    "I’ll stay by your side to protect you, not letting the assassins of the Poisonous Spider succeed. Whoever dares to harm you will be against me." Ye Fan silently vowed, never promising lightly, but this was his promise to Chu Mengyao.

    Ye Fan left the sofa to go wash up.

    Chu Mengyao slowly opened her eyes, rubbing her numb leg, recalling the scene of comfortingly embracing Ye Fan, her face slightly flushed. They hadn’t known each other long, yet within this short time, quite a few awkward things had happened.

    Her aversion to the opposite sex was well-known in their circle. She couldn’t understand why she didn’t feel any repulsion towards Ye Fan; instead, she felt something peculiar towards his emotions, a feeling she had never experienced before.

    During breakfast, neither of them mentioned the events of last night.

    Chu Mengyao didn’t press Ye Fan on his ordeal. After all, everyone has their secrets, and expecting complete openness from others is unrealistic.

    "I apologize for the incident with Zhang Lu’s clothing, making you upset. I’ll pay more attention in the future to avoid such occurrences again." Ye Fan looked at Chu Mengyao, still remembering what had upset her. He could only think that it was his tearing of Zhang Lu’s clothes that had made her unhappy, though unbeknownst to him, Chu Mengyao was upset because he had seen the exposed skin through Zhang Lu’s torn clothing.

    Ye Fan’s apology should have been directed at Zhang Lu instead. If she knew, Zhang Lu would be furious. Why apologize to Chu Mengyao when Zhang Lu was the one who deserved it more?

    "It’s okay, it’s all in the past." Chu Mengyao spoke generously. She didn’t know why she was suddenly upset. While Ye Fan didn’t pinpoint her source of sadness, she also couldn’t find a reason for her own grief. So, since Ye Fan apologized, she could only forgive him.

    Nevertheless, Ye Fan’s words satisfied Chu Mengyao, though no joy showed on her face, a peculiar happiness blossomed inside, unexpectedly delighting her.

    "Join me for a birthday party at noon. A friend of mine seems to be in some trouble and has warned in the circle that she won’t live past the month. Originally, her birthday was next month, but she had to celebrate it early. Given my current situation, she was afraid of the danger I might face and didn’t invite me, but with you by my side, I feel very safe." Chu Mengyao spoke slowly, her gaze resting on Ye Fan, seemingly seeking his opinion.

    "No problem, with me around, rest assured, I won’t let you face any danger." Ye Fan’s gaze was firm.

    Chu Mengyao reminded, "Be mentally prepared. I have no male friends, so appearing with me will certainly attract a lot of trouble."

    "Don’t worry, I can handle any trouble," Ye Fan replied confidently.

    "That’s good." Chu Mengyao felt reassured.

    Police Station.

    Zhang Lu scrutinized the few stones in her hand, her eyes thoughtful. The more she pondered, the graver her expression became.

    After leaving Chu Mengyao’s villa, she simultaneously hated Ye Fan and realized something extraordinary about him. He could easily evade her attacks and counter effectively, a skill quite exceptional. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She already suspected that the incident with Asan and others was somehow connected to Ye Fan, so she revisited the scene, especially where the six assassins of the Poisonous Spider were captured. Through careful observation and searching, she found several stones with bloodstains and bits of flesh.

    After detailed examination, the DNA on the stones matched that of the six assassins, which made her immediately conclude that these stones were the murder weapons.

    "Ordinary roadside stones, picked up as weapons, took down six assassins from the Poisonous Spider in one go. This capability is beyond my reach. For such a stone to penetrate an assassin’s kneecap, the force required must be immense." Zhang Lu stared at the stones, her gaze exceptionally astonished.

    "Ye Fan, let’s see. You better pray you don’t leave me any evidence, or else, I won’t let you get away with it." Zhang Lu murmured viciously, contemplating how to gather evidence against Ye Fan.

    "Captain, we’re ready to go, when should we move out?" A male detective interrupted Zhang Lu’s thoughts.

    "Let’s move out now." Zhang Lu suddenly stood up and proceeded with the task.