Bian Zhizhi didn't know how she managed to walk from Wei Yanqiu's study back to her own room.

The tear stains on her cheeks had long since been dried by the wind.

I went back to my room and locked the door.

She sat on the floor for an unknown amount of time, until the chill penetrated the carpet.

When I got up, my legs felt like they were being pricked with needles.

The packing was so fast it was almost violent.

When her finger hovered over Wei Zixian's number, she didn't hesitate and pressed delete.

Jewelry and cards were stuffed into the bottom of a box, as if this would seal away the past few months.

She called her parents and got straight to the point:

"Dad, Mom, listen to me. Let's leave here, leave this city. Let's go somewhere else."

We'll find the best hospital over there for Dad's surgery.

Pack only the most essential documents, medical records, and a change of clothes. Don't take anything else. Leave tonight.

The parents on the other end were clearly shocked. Bian Zhizhi's tone and decision were too sudden, but they could tell from their daughter's words that the situation was serious.

They didn't ask any further questions, only saying, "Okay, Zhizhi, we'll do as you say. We'll pack right away."

She then dialed the number of a close friend from her university days who came from a wealthy family and was known for her loyalty.

After listening to her quickly explain the situation, her friend replied without hesitation:

"Come to Yantong City! I happen to be in Sheng'an on business these few days, and I can get back to Yantong tonight! I have a car and accommodation available. I have enough seats in my van, and there's also a bodyguard car with me, so safety is absolutely no problem! Don't be shy, I'll send you the address. Just come straight here when you arrive! I'll have someone pick you up!"

All communications were completed in the shortest possible time, swiftly and efficiently, without any delays.

Bian Zhizhi turned off unnecessary apps on her phone and deleted some chat history.

She restored the room to how it was when she first arrived.

The healing materials had already been organized and categorized and placed in the activity room.

Finally, she stood in the center of the room and looked around at the room where she had lived for several months.

She glanced at her phone.

On the screen, in the contacts list, the three words "Wei Zixian" lay quietly.

Her finger hovered over the dial pad and text message icon above the name for a few seconds.

Then, she hardened her heart and pressed delete.

The action was so fast that it left no room for regret.

It's as if this way, along with that chaotic memory, can be erased from my life.

At 11 p.m., the Wei residence was shrouded in silence.

Most of the servants had already gone to bed, and only the corridor lights were left on.

An inconspicuous black sedan silently drove out of the side door and picked up Bian Zhizhi, along with her parents who looked terrified.

At a secluded spot outside the city, they met up with a luxury van and a black bodyguard SUV sent by their friend.

There were no pleasantries, only a rapid transfer of luggage and boarding of passengers.

The convoy drove into the starless and moonless night, quickly merging into the traffic on the intercity expressway, and sped off towards Yantong City, a completely unfamiliar southern city.

Bian Zhizhi leaned back in the car seat, staring blankly at the increasingly unfamiliar scenery outside the window.

Her parents sat beside her, holding each other's hands tightly, looking worriedly at their daughter's unusually silent profile. They wanted to ask her something, but ultimately remained silent.

On this cold winter night, Bian Zhizhi and her parents vanished completely from the Wei family's sight and from Wei Zixian's world, like water droplets evaporating.

There was no farewell, no explanation, not a single word or any clue left behind.

Only empty rooms, silent activity rooms, and weekly healing reports that are destined never to be issued again.

Wei Zixian noticed Bian Zhizhi's disappearance ten hours later.

No one told him.

Butler Li and the servants were strictly ordered by Wei Yanqiu to keep quiet, and their unified statement was that "Miss Bian has taken leave due to an emergency at home."

It was this house that first revealed the secret.

He pushed open the door to her room; it was ajar. Something was wrong.

She usually closes the door when she leaves, but last night she was in such a hurry that she didn't even have time to close it.

Her scent had dissipated from the room; the faint fragrance of jasmine mixed with the smell of hand cream was completely overwhelmed by the lemony scent deliberately created by the air freshener.

The white hand cream that she had used up to a point of being deflated was gone from the dressing table.

The wardrobe is half empty.

Her usual sweaters, beige wool skirt, and light blue cardigan are all gone.

Several books had been removed from the bookshelf, leaving glaring blank spaces. These were psychology and art therapy books that she had been frequently reading in the past few months.

He stood in the empty room for a long time, so long that the sun outside the window seemed to have shifted its position.

Then he turned and went to the activity room, to the restaurant, to the bench in the garden where she loved to sit, facing the black pine.

Every place is empty.

A faint trace of her presence lingers in the air, but she is gone.

Butler Li met him in the corridor and bowed respectfully: "Young Master, breakfast is ready."

Wei Zixian acted as if he hadn't heard him, and walked straight past him, his pace quickening until he finally started running.

He roughly pushed open every door in the main building, the doors slamming against the walls with loud bangs.

The servants were so frightened that they hid, and no one dared to step forward.

When Wei Yanqiu came out of the study, she saw her younger brother with bloodshot eyes, panting heavily, rushing from one door to another.

"Zixian!" She stepped forward and tried to grab him.

Wei Zixian abruptly flung her hand away, the force so strong that she staggered backward, her back hitting a decorative cabinet in the corridor. The celadon ornaments on the cabinet swayed, barely managing to stay upright.

He stared at her, his lips moved but he didn't say anything, but his gaze was like a knife piercing her.

Where is she?

"She had some family matters to attend to and went back home." Wei Yanqiu tried to remain calm, and reached out to pat his shoulder. "She'll be back in a while..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

Wei Zixian had already turned around and rushed downstairs, his footsteps pounding heavily on the stairs, sounding like he was both fleeing and chasing.

It rained in Yantong City this morning.

Bian Zhizhi rolled down the car window, and the damp, cold air rushed in, dispelling the stuffiness that had accumulated in the car all night.

The parents snuggled together and fell asleep in the back seat.

The father's head rested on the mother's shoulder, his breathing was heavy, and the lump in his throat made him restless even when he was asleep.

"We've arrived." Su Wan, in the driver's seat, turned on the turn signal.

The car drove into a quiet, upscale residential area.

The alley is lined with French plane trees, and red brick houses are scattered about, each with its own courtyard.

This area isn't the most upscale residential area in Yantong, but it offers good privacy and strict security.

Most importantly, it's less than a 20-minute drive from the top-tier private hospital in which the Su family has a stake.

"The house is in my name, it's usually empty, and someone cleans it every week." Su Wan parked her car in front of a three-story building covered in ivy. "It's fully furnished, you can move in first, and let me know if you need anything."

Bian Zhizhi looked back at her parents.

The mother, Lin Suxin, had already woken up and was gently patting the father's back. Her eyes were full of fatigue from the long journey and helplessness in the unfamiliar environment.

"Wanwan, thank you so much." Bian Zhizhi's voice was a little hoarse. She had barely slept during the more than twenty-hour drive.

Su Wan waved her hand, got out of the car to get her luggage: "Come on. When I was heartbroken in college, I drank myself into the hospital. Who stayed with me for three days and three nights? Hurry up and go inside to settle in. I'll take my uncle to see Director Chen this afternoon."

The house is better than I imagined.

The living room on the first floor is spacious, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a small garden, where late-blooming chrysanthemums are still in bloom this season.

The second floor has three bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, and the third floor is a small attic with natural light.

"The master bedroom is for your parents; it faces south and gets lots of sunshine." Su Wan pushed open a door. "Zhizhi, you'll be staying next door. The bedding has all been changed. The attic is empty for now; you can use it as a studio or study if you like."

Lin Suxin held her daughter's hand anxiously and asked, "Zhizhi, this house... the rent must be very expensive, right? We can't keep troubling Wanwan..."

"Auntie, you're being too polite." Su Wan put her arm around Lin Suxin's shoulder. "This house is just gathering dust if it's empty. Your presence will bring some life to the place. Besides, Zhizhi paid my 'security fee' in advance."

She winked at Bian Zhizhi.

Bian Zhizhi understood immediately.

On the afternoon before she left, she transferred a large sum of money from the "bonus" cards that Wei Yanqiu had given her to Su Wan's account.

It wasn't rent; it was the cost of buying the Su family's money to use their connections to erase all traces of their actions.

This money was well spent.

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