7
Li Yue Haili was led into the forest, and as they walked, she couldn’t help but wonder if she was too quick to trust others.
From her experience, following Feng Yongyuan anywhere had never led to anything good.
She recalled an incident where she followed him into the forest, only to find herself lost for two days and two nights before a kind villager found her.
Not only had she not been angry at the time, but she even studied small-game hunting and outdoor cooking in case it happened again.
Looking back, she still wasn’t angry—just amused by her own foolishness.
Perhaps her heart had truly grown numb to resentment.
When had she forgotten how to be angry?
It might have been in her sixth life, or maybe her seventh.
She couldn’t remember.
She only knew that at some point, she learned to smile and be indifferent to everything.
Yet, despite her detachment, she never forgot the feeling of love in her heart.
However, beneath that love, she no longer felt jealousy, rage, or even much pain.
Because Feng Yongyuan had never treated her well, she had grown accustomed to the pain—accustomed to seeing him with other women, to the point where she no longer felt envy.
She was so used to it that her tears had long since dried up.
So, being held by him like this felt strange and new.
As they reached the middle of the forest, a terrifying roar shook the air.
The surrounding trees trembled, causing leaves to fall.
Looking toward the sound, Li Yue Haili saw a towering brown bear, over a zhang tall, surrounded by several guards wielding swords.
Behind them was a woman with a pale face.
Her skin wasn’t fair and delicate; it was slightly tanned from the sun.
Her hair was disheveled, and her clothing torn, but there didn’t seem to be any serious injuries—just a look of deep shock.
“Mother,” Li Yue Haili called softly, shaking free from the boy’s grip and rushing toward her.
She wasn’t foolish enough to recklessly attract the bear’s attention but carefully circled around to reach her mother safely, with Feng Yongyuan following closely behind.
“Ying Ying, why are you here?!
It’s dangerous!”
“Are you hurt, Mother?”
“I’m fine.
Luckily, they arrived in time.
I don’t know why this bear came out of the deep forest and found me.
Fortunately, I’ve trained in martial arts a little.
Though I couldn’t fight it off, I was able to run for a while.
But its sense of smell is too keen—no matter how I tried to hide, it kept finding me.
By the way!
Where are your father and brother?!”
Li Yue Haili’s eyes darkened.
By scent… and a brown bear that shouldn’t be here…
“They’re safe, Mother.
They’re probably worried about you by now.
I’ve asked the Second Prince’s heir to send someone to inform them.
Father is likely waiting at the cabin, as searching for you in the forest could cause us to miss each other.”
“Second Prince’s heir?” Shen Xuefei repeated in confusion.
She turned and saw the handsome young boy, almost like an immortal, standing next to her daughter, and her expression shifted to one of surprise.
“Aunt,” Feng Yongyuan nodded politely, “just call me Yongyuan.” He smiled warmly, his gaze shifting to Li Yue Haili.
“Ying Ying, just wait a little longer.
I’ll make sure we have bear paw soup to nourish you today.
Bear skin is valuable, but its color doesn’t suit you.
I’ll find you a fur cloak made of snow-white ermine instead, would you like that?
You look beautiful in white.”
Li Yue Haili was left speechless, the words she had meant to say to her mother completely evaporating.
Where did he get the idea that she looked good in white?
And why were his eyes shining with excitement while talking about bear paw soup?
She didn’t like it and had never eaten it.
How could he assume that she would enjoy such things?
Feng Yongyuan’s eyes crinkled with his smile.
In their previous life, Ying Ying had despised bears to the core.
She would go to great lengths to eat bear paw soup, almost as if she was trying to wipe out their species.
No matter how much money it cost, she had insisted on drinking the soup daily.
He knew that she didn’t genuinely enjoy it.
It was her way of dealing with the grief and anger from losing her mother, an attempt to quench her unrelenting sorrow.
As for the white cloak, in the future, his Ying Ying often wore white…
until Li Zhengqing died.
After that, she never wore anything colorful again.
Though she did indeed look stunning in white, in this life, he wanted her to wear it with happiness, not as a mourning garment for someone else.
Even though he knew she wouldn’t remember these things, he still wanted to take care of everything for her in this life.
Li Yue Haili, of course, couldn’t understand Feng Yongyuan’s thoughts.
However, the young man also didn’t realize that the things she knew about him were similarly forgotten by him.
One side remembered only the deep bond of love, while the other could recall only the bitterness of resentment.Suddenly, there was a loud crash as the wild bear collapsed, surrounded by the guards of Second Prince’s heir.
Feng Yongyuan quickly stepped away to give orders, and soon they all began returning to the cabin, bringing the defeated bear with them.