"You!"
Chu Feng was rendered speechless by this question.
Of course, he wasn't such a mean - spirited person as to wish for Bai Zheng to be in danger. Although he had never liked this fiancée of his, he had no intention of harming her.
"However, we found your jade hairpin with intertwined branches on the mountain path. You gave this hairpin to Zheng'er when you were young, and it was her favorite. She always wore it when she saw you. She wore it to the night banquet that day too. How could it end up on the mountain path..."
Seeing that Chu Feng remained silent and the on - lookers were still skeptical, Bai Di spoke up softly, "reminding" everyone of the solid evidence regarding the disappearance.
At the same time, she took out a handkerchief and opened it to reveal the very jade hairpin with intertwined branches that Bai Zheng had dropped.
Bai Zheng gave Bai Di a cold look. This look sent a chill down Bai Di's back. "Elder Sister, you've seen Chu Gongzi's attitude. That night at the banquet, I was just being impulsive and said some reckless things that offended you. After I left, I thought it over and came to my senses."
As Bai Zheng said this, she turned to Chu Feng. Her eyes, no longer aloof as before, now showed a hint of sorrow. "Brother Chu Feng..."
Chu Feng was stunned. Only then did he realize where the uneasiness that had been lingering in his heart since he saw Bai Zheng came from. She had always called him Chu Gongzi, but before, she used to call him Brother Chu Feng.
"I've been chasing after you for so many years, and I'm tired. That night at the banquet, the way you protected Elder Sister Di and distanced yourself from me made me completely give up..."
Bai Zheng's voice was soft, and her expression didn't seem overly bitter. But in her tone, there was clearly a deep - seated pain, helpless misery, and a resigned sense of giving up.
Chu Feng's heart was greatly shaken. Looking at Bai Zheng, who had a delicate face but a sorrowful expression, he suddenly realized that perhaps he had gone too far in the past.
"So," Bai Zheng turned to Bai Di, a hint of mockery in her eyes. "Since Elder Sister Di has repeatedly mocked my unrequited love and flaunted Chu Gongzi's infatuation with you, now that I've thought it through, I've decided to let go. It's not strange at all that I just casually threw this hairpin on the mountain path."
Hearing this, Bai Di's face turned pale. Her eyes instantly filled with tears. "Zheng'er, are you... are you blaming me? You've misunderstood me... Before, when we thought you were missing, Uncle and Aunt sent Zhuling to the general's mansion to inquire about your whereabouts and even pleaded with Father to send people to look for you."
Bai Di bit her lips until they were bright red, as if blood was about to drip. Her charming eyes were on the verge of tears.
"Ever since I heard about your accident, I've been so scared that I've been fasting and praying for you for several days! If you were just visiting Grandmother, why would everyone from the Bai Mansion come to me to ask about your whereabouts?"
Seeing Bai Di so aggrieved, Chu Feng felt heart - broken. The guilt that had just welled up in him disappeared instantly, replaced only by pity for Bai Di. He glared angrily at Bai Zheng.
Bai Zheng sneered inwardly. This Chu Feng was obviously a lovesick fool who lost his wits when he saw a beauty. He thought he could stay out of things as an on - looker, but he didn't realize that his own heartlessness was the last straw that crushed the former Bai Zheng.
As for Bai Di, from beginning to end, every word she said seemed innocent on the surface, but was actually full of venom.
Bai Yinan and his wife loved their daughter dearly and privately asked someone they trusted, General Bai Yizhang, for help. But obviously, Bai Yizhang didn't consider his younger brother's family as kin.
"How could that be?" Bai Zheng feigned surprise. "I left the banquet in a hurry that day and didn't take Zhuling with me, but I asked Uncle to send Du Zhong back to tell Father and Mother. Why, didn't Du Zhong tell everyone?"
"What evidence do you have? Since Du Zhong didn't come back, who knows if you're just making things up!" Chu Feng still refused to give up.
Bai Zheng smiled slightly. "Evidence? Chu Gongzi and everyone here can see for themselves. Does it look like I've just escaped from bad guys?"
It was obvious to anyone with eyes that Bai Zheng didn't look the least bit disheveled. Instead, she carried an air of unassailable pride, which had nothing to do with the words "escaped back".
"Moreover, if I had been captured by bad guys as Chu Gongzi said, those bandits would surely have demanded money from my father to ransom me. So, Elder Sister Di, why did my father only ask Uncle to look for me but not to rescue me?"
Bai Di's face turned pale. She really hadn't thought of this.
"Besides, on my way back from Ningcheng, Grandmother also asked me to bring back a lot of things."