CHAPTER 275: CHAPTER 249: BETRAYED MY YOUTH, BETRAYED MY LOVE (1)

It’s easy to know who took Ren Yixuan away.

To the Rong Family, Ren Yixuan falling into Yin Shixiu’s hands is not an optimistic situation.

Rong Jing was a bit unsettled; it’s not just about Su Xiaomeng’s reputation but also about the confidential projects of the Rong Group that Ren Yixuan knows...

On the other side.

Bai Sidong was sitting in his office, watching the surveillance footage on his computer screen over and over again.

It was the complete footage from the night at the hotel where Su Xiaomeng and Ren Yixuan had gone into the hotel, up until the next day when Su Xiaomeng left.

He made a few marks at some key points...

Bai Sidong was resting his chin on his hand, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk...

After a long while, he called Yin Shixiu, "Is Xiaomeng with you?"

"...Mm, yes, uncle."

"Come over to my place, there’s some good news and... I’m not sure if you’d consider the other news good or not."

When Su Xiaomeng and Yin Shixiu arrived at the police station, it was already past eight in the evening.

Only a few staff were on duty at the station, and the building was lit only on the second floor.

Bai Sidong came down to meet Su Xiaomeng and Yin Shixiu, and the three went into the office.

He asked them to sit across his desk, and then he sat on the leather chair, turned the computer screen towards them, and played the monitoring footage he had edited.

"This footage shows Ren Yixuan and Su Xiaomeng entering the hotel at around nine at night, up until lunchtime the next day when Su Xiaomeng left the hotel."

Su Xiaomeng sat beside Yin Shixiu, watching the screen expressionlessly, unconsciously holding Yin Shixiu’s hand. Her heart could not be as calm as she appeared.

Even though she was willing to face it bravely, and the man beside her would protect her, forgive her...

Standing once again before the nightmare, watching the events unfold, her heart was still bitter and painful.

Bai Sidong glanced at them and continued explaining, "The footage at the beginning shows him checking in with the front desk, then entering the elevator, then the room. This footage is no different from what the Rong Family submitted; at least, the Rong Family did not tamper with it."

"Uncle, this footage is so lengthy; you can’t expect us to just sit and watch it passively?"

Bai Sidong pointed at the marked places below the video, "Follow these marks and pay attention to the times."

Yin Shixiu raised an eyebrow and did as Bai Sidong instructed, and then...

Su Xiaomeng slowly lifted her head, gradually widening her eyes, furrowing her brow deeper and deeper, then slowly relaxing...

Many emotions passed through her eyes.

Surprise, shock, confusion, puzzlement, and then... discomfort, bitterness.

Her heart was repeatedly struck by the footage before her, by the things that happened after she was unconscious that night.

Sometimes... the truth is so simple that it’s laughable and helpless.

Between her and Ren Yixuan, who had changed?

During that period, she often asked herself this question.

Sometimes, she felt so foolish asking and asking.

Everyone changed, he changed, she changed, and the bond between them that was irreplaceable changed.

She admitted this, especially when he bluntly said he wasn’t happy; in that moment, she clearly felt how much hatred he had in his heart.

However, at this moment, watching the footage of someone going in and out of the hotel room with worry, urgency, and haste, her heart felt like it was pricked by needles, not painful enough to render her breathless, but the pricks went deep into her heart.

The foolish question resurfaced.

She doubted again...

Doubt followed by a faint answer.

Many people, many things, they change with time, with the environment.

She and Ren Yixuan both changed, her feelings for him changed too, but Ren Yixuan towards her —

Yin Shixiu and Su Xiaomeng remained silent as they finished watching Bai Sidong’s marked footage, he pursed his lips, looking at Su Xiaomeng...

Tears flowed silently from the corner of her eyes.

Bai Sidong shrugged, "He brought Xiaomeng into the room for only five minutes, then hurried out, went downstairs to ask the front desk something, then left in a rush; fifteen minutes later, he ran back panting, carrying a bag of medicine."

"When I investigated at the hotel, the front desk staff said Ren Yixuan asked them where the nearest pharmacy was."

"I traced it to the pharmacy, pulled out the record of Ren Yixuan buying medicine that night..."

Su Xiaomeng looked at the desk, quietly listening to Uncle’s words.

Beside her, Yin Shixiu felt a mixed bag of emotions; even knowing Su Xiaomeng had been violated didn’t stir such complex feelings.

"A small bottle of glucose saline, a drip, a box of anti-inflammatory pills, and a box of antipyretics."

Bai Sidong tapped the table, looking at Su Xiaomeng, "Why? I don’t really understand... Why buy these? For someone who was forced to take ecstasy, why give her this medication?"

Uncle’s question was the same puzzlement in Yin Shixiu and Su Xiaomeng’s hearts?

Why...

Yin Shixiu took a shallow breath, looking at Su Xiaomeng, "During that time, you often had a cold, a recurring fever..."

Upon hearing Yin Shixiu’s answer, Bai Sidong sighed lightly, "That’s why I said, I really don’t know if this can be considered good news..."

Yin Shixiu held Su Xiaomeng’s hand, his lips slightly curving upward, "It’s definitely good news."

Bai Sidong shrugged, "Since you think it’s good news, then it is. I’ll send this footage to the Rong Family and also give your father-in-law and mother-in-law a copy. As for yourself, since nothing happened, don’t do anything stupid anymore."

Indeed, nothing had happened...

So, nothing happened...

But... did really nothing happen?

Yin Shixiu held Su Xiaomeng’s shoulder as they left the police station, silent all the way, both seemingly pondering the same question.

Ren Yixuan bought some medicine and returned to his room, but after just a quarter of an hour, he came out again, sitting dazedly outside the door like a fool, leaning against it, while a few guests occasionally passed by in the corridor.

When Su Xiaomeng closed her eyes, she saw him sitting there in despair.

All his former vigor and spirit dissipated and vanished...

All his assertive dominance was nowhere to be seen...

A heavy cloud seemed to hang over his head, compressing his tall frame into a small heap.

He just sat there, huddled up... zoning out.

After staying there in a daze for a long time, he glanced at his watch, as if keeping track of time.

More than fifty minutes later, he went back into the room, only to come out again a quarter of an hour later, carrying that bag of medicine, with empty saline bags inside.

He threw away the medicine bag, then returned to his original position, sitting on the ground, head against the door...

No one knew what he was thinking at that moment...

Every half an hour, he would go inside, then come back out, and so the night passed by in a blur.

Ren Yixuan returned to his room a little after seven, and soon after, Rong Qiao appeared...

She, along with hotel staff, had them open the door for her.

Everything that happened next, Su Xiaomeng knew all about it.

"Do you feel hurt inside?"

Yin Shixiu broke the silence between them, asking mildly, his voice somewhat dry.

Su Xiaomeng turned to look at him...

Then slowly nodded, "It hurts a lot... I should be happy, I should feel relieved, but it’s like there’s a big stone blocking my heart..."

Yin Shixiu freed one hand to clasp Su Xiaomeng’s, and the car continued to drive steadily.

"Tomorrow, I’ll take you to see him."

When Yin Shixiu took Su Xiaomeng to the suburban villa where Ren Yixuan was kept...

It was three in the afternoon.

At that time, Yin Shixiu didn’t tell Su Xiaomeng what he had done to Ren Yixuan.

The female bodyguard supervising them led the way upstairs, quietly telling Yin Shixiu that the injection had been given to Ren Yixuan less than two hours ago...

Yin Shixiu acknowledged, knowing that the effect of that thing lasted around two hours.

So he took Xiao Meng in through the door.

Su Xiaomeng stood at the door, looking at the man curled up in the corner, locked in an iron cage.

His white shirt was stained with blood, mixed with dirt, his short hair disheveled, eyes listless, looking extremely wretched and downtrodden.

The once spirited, cunning young genius in her memory was now just a prisoner.

Su Xiaomeng watched with heartache, her chest tumultuous like a thunderstorm.

She slowly walked over, while Yin Shixiu leaned against a wall, eyes deep, watching the man trapped in the cage.

He wasn’t sure if it was the new stimulant hallucinogen being too effective, or the knots in Ren Yixuan’s heart causing it...

In just two days, the man before his eyes had become as dejected as a stray dog.

That scattered gaze only began to focus as Su Xiaomeng stood before him, with black pupils fixated on her...

Slowly glimmering with light.

Su Xiaomeng felt her throat dry, gulping several times before barely managing to speak, "Why..."

Ren Yixuan looked at her intently, not moving, not struggling, but Yin Shixiu knew.

At this moment, his body should be burning up, feeling like a million ants were gnawing at him.

Su Xiaomeng’s voice in his ear turned into a buzzing sound...

"Why?"

Her voice grew louder, and only then did Ren Yixuan hear clearly.

"Why what?"

He moved his lips, his voice even more parched and hoarse than hers.

Su Xiaomeng closed her eyes, "Why didn’t you, you didn’t..."

"Oh, so you found out... heh."

Ren Yixuan said indifferently, laughing self-deprecatingly...

Su Xiaomeng clenched her fists, emotions suppressed and building in her chest, leaving her at a loss for words.

Oh, so you found out...

He said it so simply, so lightly, unaware that his single lie tormented her beyond recognition, letting her taste the flavors of hell!

"Yin Shixiu said you self-harmed and even wanted to commit suicide... is that true?"

He still spoke lightly, his lips slightly curled, "Do I disgust you so much? Disgusting enough for you to self-harm? Wishing to tear off the skin I touched? Wanting to use your life to defend your dignity?"