Chapter 26: Heartache

Having just struggled in the lake, Chen Yage was already exhausted. Leaning against the door, she unknowingly drifted into sleep. In her haze, a clamor of hurried footsteps roused her. She opened her eyes with a start—Li Bai was standing right in front of her, with Dujuan, Shuiniu, and Yueji gazing at her in unison.

Puzzled, Chen Yage asked, “Brother Bai, where did you all go?”

Before Li Bai could answer, Wang Chaotian emerged from behind him. His eyes were red and swollen, as though he had been crying.

What on earth had happened? Chen Yage grew even more bewildered. She stepped toward Wang Chaoyun, concern in her voice, “Uncle Wang, what’s wrong? What happened?”

Wang Chaotian lowered his head, and, just like that, this grown man began to weep. Chen Yage was at a loss, unsure how to comfort him. The faces of Dujuan, Shuiniu, and Yueji were all ashen. Noticing Dujuan’s body was turned awkwardly aside, Chen Yage pushed her away—and there, before her, lay a corpse dressed in red. Staggered by the shock, Chen Yage nearly fell, but Li Bai’s quick reflexes kept her from hitting the ground.

The body on the floor was none other than Chaoyun, whose ethereal singing had graced the daylight hours. Now, her eyes were tightly shut; her delicate face was waxen and bloodless. Her hair, wet and tangled, clung to her skin, and her red dress fit closely to her lifeless form. Chen Yage could hardly believe that the body she had glimpsed in the lake belonged to Chaoyun. Yet the crimson dress was too familiar, too glaring to ignore—she could not forget that moment of terror, when she had struggled for her own life in the water.

“How could this be? No, it can’t be! It can’t...” Chen Yage’s voice trembled as she stepped back again and again, her legs giving way as she collapsed into Li Bai’s arms.

“Where did you just go? Why weren’t you in your room?” Yueji seized Chen Yage’s hand, her tone sharp and accusing.

“I went to Moon Lake,” Chen Yage replied softly.

“So you’re the one who killed Chaoyun! You killed her! I’ll kill you! I’ll avenge Chaoyun!” The moment Wang Chaotian heard that Chen Yage had been at Moon Lake, his emotions erupted. He lunged at her, hatred burning in his eyes, as though he would strangle her then and there.

Dujuan and Shuiniu hurriedly restrained him. Chen Yage explained desperately, “It wasn’t me! I didn’t kill Chaoyun. When I saw her, she was already dead. It wasn’t me—please, it wasn’t me!”

Yueji sneered, “You say you found Chaoyun, but why didn’t you save her? I think you’re just wracked with guilt and fled before anyone could see you!”

On any other day, Yueji’s unreasonable accusations and twisting of facts would have driven Chen Yage to fight back. But now, without any evidence, she was helpless. She turned pleading eyes to Li Bai, clutching his arm and meeting his gaze. “Brother Bai, it wasn’t me. Please, tell them it wasn’t me. We went to Moon Lake together—you can testify. And I had no reason to harm Chaoyun; why would I ever do such a thing?”

Yueji cut in, “You say you went to Moon Lake with Li Bai, but he returned an hour ago. He was injured—Dujuan got medicine for him from me. But you weren’t in the house then; you were still by the lake at the very time Chaoyun was killed. Unless you can tell us who the real killer is, you can’t escape responsibility for Chaoyun’s death!”

Chen Yage ignored Yueji’s words and looked once more at the silent Li Bai. She believed he would trust her—he must! But unexpectedly, Li Bai pushed her hand away and, with doubt in his eyes, asked, “Yage, are you sure you didn’t kill Chaoyun?”

Ghosts—everyone fears them! Once, Chen Yage had thought them the most terrifying thing in the world. Only now did she realize that the despair of facing a ghost was nothing compared to the agony of being doubted by someone you love.

Love can destroy worlds; it can shatter even the strongest heart.

Chen Yage sank to the floor, her eyes vacant as she stared at Li Bai, murmuring, “It wasn’t me. I didn’t kill her. Why don’t you believe me? Why?”

She had thought herself a Lin Daiyu in a past life, having repaid all the debts of love to Jia Baoyu and shed all her tears. She believed she would never cry again in this life. But no matter how hard she tried to hide it, tears still fell.

“Yage, I believe you!” Shuiniu stepped forward and helped Chen Yage to her feet, saying resolutely, “Mother, we cannot accuse Yage without irrefutable evidence.”