Chapter 33: Redemption (Part 1)

  The old family house.

  A study filled with the scent of lavender.

  A huge two-story study, three walls of which were carved into floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, while the other wall was lined with several floor-to-ceiling windows. Between the windows hung decorative paintings adorned with intricate enamel patterns. In the center of the room stood a large desk. However, Gu Huanlin stood beside an autumn-colored sofa in front of the bookshelf, and a girl knelt before her.

  Regarding the girl's astonishing words, Gu Huanli's slender fingers paused for a moment on the page of the high-quality wood-pulp printed book. She looked at the girl in front of her, seemingly uncertain, and slowly said, "Yingzi?"

  The girl's body stiffened, her muscles tensing up as well. She raised her head and gazed at Gu Huan's dark eyes, "Yes, I am Zeng Xiaoying, the daughter of Zeng Huaiyuan."

  "Cassio, are you kidding me?" Gu Huanli turned her head to meet his gaze, speaking in a low, mocking tone, and if she could, she would use every word she could think of to ridicule the foolish angel in front of her.

  Cassidy's bright blue eyes gazed into her deep, mysterious eyes and saw his own reflection staring back at him, suddenly bursting out laughing, the laughter reaching all the way to the bottom of his eyes, which only made Gu Huanli furrow her brow even more in confusion.

  Shouldn't she send the silly angel to Su Jinghua's place for a look...

  No no no, he should go get a head CT scan and an EEG...

  In the sky, clouds like thin fog floated by. The fine sunlight sprinkled into Zeng Xiaoying's eyes and Cassidy's eyes, but couldn't shine into Gu Huanli's deep eye sockets.

  That night may have been just a very short memory, so brief that only fragments of fireworks were left, lightly crossing the memory. However, that night changed the fate of many people, directly and indirectly.

  How many years did Cassady live?

  Is it because he has seen the memories of too many people, seen too much love and hate, joy and sorrow, that he has become tolerant, that he has become benevolent?

  This issue is indeed worth exploring, but what it contains is still an unsolved mystery. However, some words are not suitable to be said, and knowing that they should not be said yet still saying them out loud can only result in drinking one's own bitter regret, secretly grieving, or being completely overwhelmed by sorrow.

  "Miss Zeng, I'm sorry, but I've fully recovered now and don't need you to atone for your father's mistakes. We should all believe that the law will mete out justice fairly to everyone." Gu Huanli smiled lightly, her elegant and warm voice filling the quiet study.

  It was such a study, with such a huge bookshelf, and the victim in front of her who was obviously much younger than herself, all gave Zeng Xiaoying an intangible pressure. The sunlight filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, scattering softly and breaking into pieces on the ground.

  No, from the deeply hidden iron gate with intricate carvings, to the old mansion's deep and serene courtyard, the lush trees, the winding path lined with flowers, and even the foreign man who walked out of the door to invite her in, everything made her feel uneasy. She had seen him before, his eyes were warm, and his demeanor was polite. It made her wonder about his status in this family. He didn't seem like a servant, but he also didn't seem like the master.

  So as she walked through the iron gate, she asked, "Excuse me, who are you?"

  "Under Miss Cassidy, Mischa Collins is the private tutor of the young lady." He said with a smile that was warm and engaging. His eyes were quite sharp, as if he had already seen through what she was thinking. "Currently also living in the Gu's house. Come on, I'll show you the way downstairs."

  After walking for a long time and turning several corners, she finally saw the U-shaped four-story building that looked even more elegant under the reflection of the maple trees. The house was not new, but it was quite exquisite, with white marble steps and walls. Zeng Xiaoying took a quick glance, but didn't have time to look closely, because her heart was already racing wildly, and she began to suspect that her idea of redemption was simply an unrealistic fantasy in the eyes of the young lady from such a wealthy family.

  As they stepped up the stairs, the maid standing inside the door immediately opened a carved yew-wood gate for them. Pushing open another door, inside was a spacious and majestic living room. Going upstairs, turning a corner, and going upstairs again, at the end of the corridor, she finally saw the girl who had been kidnapped by her father.

  However, she didn't dare to get close.

  Because beneath her feet was a thick, cream-colored carpet. Zeng Xiao Ying involuntarily looked down at her own shoes, she didn't want to dirty the host's carpet, even if it meant paying for cleaning fees, which she couldn't afford.

  But when the private tutor standing in front of her stepped aside, Zeng Xiaoying saw a little girl standing by the sofa with a book in her hand. Her black hair fell on her shoulders, and a few strands of hair brushed against her forehead. Her face was fair, her eyebrows were clear and beautiful, and her eyes were as dark as the night sky, shining like diamonds under the lamp.

  She wore a loose, creamy white blouse with a honey-colored camisole underneath, making her look like an autumn leaf, exuding warmth and freshness. So delicate, yet so serene.

  How could Father bring himself to hurt such a lovely little girl!

  Zeng Xiaoying's sense of justice made her kneel down in front of Gu Huanli, the victim. Yes, she had thought about it for a long time. Although her father would be put on trial, what he had harmed and owed could not be repaid simply by being locked up.

  What's more...

  Zeng Xiao raised her head and gazed at the slender Gu Huanli, saying in a soft but unadorned tone, "Miss Gu, my family is very poor. Although the final verdict has not been announced yet, I know that my father does not have the money to pay for those civil compensations. It's only right that a daughter repays her father's debts, and although I'm only fifteen years old, I have two hands, I can work hard, even if it means letting me be a maid who cleans the courtyard."

  " Fifteen years old?" Gu Huanli's gaze at Zeng Xiaoying gradually welled up with a sentiment of "pity" or "admiration", but this couldn't change her decision. "My family doesn't need a maid. You should still be in middle school, right? Staying up all night and day to guard my house will inevitably delay your studies. Moreover, the Gu family's old mansion is not in the city center, and it's really too dangerous for you to return home alone so late at night."

  Listening to Gu Huanli's warm and considerate words, Zeng Xiaoying's eyes were filled with tears. Since her father was taken away, no, since her mother passed away, there had been no one who cared about her.

  "I'm sorry..." Zeng Xiao Ying choked out, "I know that even if I said a million apologies, it wouldn't be enough to make up for my father's sins. But this is the only way I can think of to atone. If I don't repay this debt, I don't think I'll ever have peace of mind. Besides, I still need to investigate the truth."

  The truth?

  These two words unexpectedly piqued Gu Huanli's interest, she looked up at Cassidy and secretly speculated in her heart, could it be that this was the reason he had decided to bring Zeng Huaiyuan's daughter into the old Gu mansion?

  "Teacher, get us some red tea," said Gu Huanli. As she spoke, she reached out her hand to Zeng Xiaoying and said softly, "What's on your mind? We have plenty of time. By the way, have you had breakfast?"

  "I... I've eaten already." Zeng Xiao Ying lowered her head and said intermittently, "Miss Gu, just let me kneel like this. Only in this way can I avoid being overwhelmed by the guilt in my heart."

  "But having someone older than me kneel in front of me, not only has my private tutor's eyes shown disapproval, if my brother were to know, he would probably scold me for being impolite and slow to attend to the guest." Gu Huan Lian's hand paused mid-air, a sweet smile spreading across her childish face, "If you don't get up, then I won't be able to sit down. But do you know, my feet are really tired?"

  The sound beside her ear was as pleasant as the oriole's song, while the clear and gentle eyes in front of her were filled with candor, sincerity, and unspeakable tenderness. Especially the subtle coquettish tone in her words made Zeng Xiaoying surrender completely. She trembled and stretched out her hand to place it on Gu Huanli's palm, but put all her strength into her legs and struggled to stand up.

  "This is just-brewed Darjeeling tea, along with freshly baked chocolate pear mousse cake and honey lemon pound cake." As Cassidy served the two girls fragrant tea and aromatic cakes, he said, "Dr. Su called earlier and asked me to apologize on her behalf. She has some personal matters to attend to, so she'll be able to continue your psychotherapy this afternoon."

  Gu Huanli slightly raised an eyebrow, this is a rare occurrence, it seems that the beautiful Dr. Su has been forced by her family to go on another blind date again. When I see her in the afternoon, how should I tease her? Although thinking so, she still put down the teacup at the corner of her lips and let out sharp words with an immature tone, "I know. Let's choose Dr. Su's favorite strawberry mille-feuille cheesecake for today's afternoon tea."

  Zeng Xiaoying looked at the cake in front of her, and couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva. She didn't dare to eat it because she was afraid that her terrifying eating habits after being hungry for too long would scare the little girl in front of her.

  Gu Huanli nodded at Cassidy, who poured more red tea into Zeng Xiaoying's cup. Only then did she speak in a gentle voice, "Let's eat and talk at the same time."

  Zeng Xiaoying was silent for a moment, then lowered her head and replied respectfully, "Yes, thank you Miss Gu for your hospitality."

  "You're too polite." Gu Huanli smiled kindly, but her elegant smile couldn't conceal the hint of curiosity in her expression. She needed a reasonable explanation for the truth about Zeng Xiaoying's words.

  "Miss Gu, this is my mother's diary." Zeng Xiao Ying pulled out a somewhat worn-out diary from her backpack and handed it to Gu Huan Li with both hands. Her mouth corners slightly curled up, with a hint of self-mockery and bitterness in her smile. "I found this when I was sorting through my mother's belongings. Although my mother didn't have much education, the habit of keeping a diary she developed during her school days continued until the night before she passed away. Unfortunately, my father never got to see these. Perhaps, even if he did, he wouldn't care..."