This aligned with the personality she displayed, though one couldn't say if she was an old softie in this regard; all that was known was that she was deeply in love.
And a rather peculiar sort of lover at that.
After speaking, Yu Yan tossed out a sentence saying that if they had any more questions, they should just ask, then lowered his head to eat his fried chicken, looking as if he were truly starving.
Li Chonglou recalled that, from Yu Yan's words, everything seemed to make sense.
The only thing he couldn't quite understand was why Zhiwei harbored such strong animosity towards Yu Yan, even after having won Fei'er over. Was it due to his mental illness?
However, he didn't voice this doubt, merely smiling slightly and saying, "We were just curious. We don't have any more questions. That matter is in the past. We still have people to find."
Yu Yan suddenly looked up.
"Um, Brother Hua, I know this is very embarrassing, but I still want to ask, can you help me again?"
Both of them froze, and Yu Yan quickly clasped his hands together.
"I know I've already wasted a lot of your time today, but could you see this through to the end and help me one last time?"
Li Chonglou frowned. "What else do you want us to help you with?"
Yu Yan hesitated for half a moment, appearing as though he had something to say but couldn't bring himself to.
Big Bao couldn't stand it when people acted like this. If you have something to say, say it; otherwise, don't bother. He was most impatient in this regard, so he directly spoke up, "If you don't say it, we're leaving."
He was an assassin, and some missions required not just lives, but also intelligence. It was often during these times that he encountered situations like Yu Yan's.
But as an assassin, time was of the essence. Sometimes, it even meant infiltrating an enemy's stronghold, where every second of delay was a minute of life-threatening danger!
On one occasion, he had almost lost his life due to a target's hesitation. Before that, he would usually try a forceful approach before resorting to gentler methods. Generally, once someone reached the stage of hesitation, they wouldn't be far from speaking.
But after that incident, with a psychological scar, he had completely changed his approach to such matters. Soft or not, speak up or face consequences! If that didn't work, he would simply abandon the task. Since then, he had made his intentions clear for every mission beforehand.
If it's about lives, I can guarantee it with 100% certainty – it's either the target's life or my own. But if intelligence is also required, the guarantee drops to only fifty percent.
Either he speaks, or he dies!
Yu Yan hadn't expected that Big Bao, who usually spoke very little and seemed quite approachable, would have such a temper. After all, being a former assassin, even a slightly stern tone could make people uncomfortable.
Perhaps startled, Yu Yan immediately poured out everything on his mind.
"Actually, all these years I've been trying hard to reconcile with Fei'er. In fact, when two people are truly together, they start to notice many of the other's flaws. I feel Fei'er already has me in her heart."
Upon hearing this, their expressions immediately soured.
"Uh, so you were the one trying to poach someone else's partner?"
This wasn't just about mental illness; even someone without it would do such a thing! The surface relationship between the three of them was still that of good friends. To have your friend constantly eyeing your partner – for most people, this was the height of melodrama!
Their impression of Yu Yan plummeted, and their expressions fell.
Seeing this, Yu Yan became anxious and continued, "Don't misunderstand me. Fei'er has always had me in her heart, but..."
"But" again. He had skipped over it just like that before. Big Bao directly stood up.
"Miss Yu, if you're not sincere, then forget it. Let's pretend we never met today."
"I say, Brother Bao, don't rush."
Seeing that Big Bao had sat down, Yu Yan's shoulders sagged, and he said softly, "Fei'er truly wanted to be with me back then. Over the years, I've also felt her feelings for me. The reason she chose Zhiwei instead of me was that she was forced."
"Zhiwei and Fei'er were neighbors, and their families knew each other when they were young. The previous generation already had hopes for the two of them, and Fei'er's mother always wanted to hold her grandchild."
Yu Yan's expression carried a hint of sadness.
"At that time, Fei'er's mother was seriously ill. Zhiwei, knowing about her and me, directly approached Fei'er and told her he would tell her mother about us."
Yu Yan lowered his head.
"We all know that in China, such matters are difficult for people to understand, given the different customs. Fei'er was worried about that. I had already agreed with her that I would slowly explain and persuade my family to accept it."
"Zhiwei's interference made Fei'er panic."
The rest was not hard to understand. With this added concern, coupled with her parents' support and their childhood relationship, Fei'er ultimately chose to comply.
However, as she grew older, especially after Fei'er's mother passed away, she gradually realized that life was ultimately her own. While being overly concerned about others' opinions might bring temporary comfort, it was oneself who would lie awake at night, unable to sleep.
Li Chonglou and Big Bao then understood. Strictly speaking, the third party wasn't Yu Yan, but Zhiwei.
However, there were no absolute right or wrong in such matters. Zhiwei's actions back then were wrong, but what if their lives together had been satisfactory over these years?
Who would dare say that Fei'er's change of heart wasn't due to Yu Yan's efforts behind the scenes?
From this perspective, Yu Yan wasn't much better; he could also be said to have disrupted someone else's happiness for his own selfish desires.
But from another angle, as an old saying goes, if a bull doesn't want to drink, no one can force its head down.
So, if one were to truly tally this up, it would be difficult to assign blame to anyone. Different perspectives would yield different answers.
Li Chonglou directly ignored this point and returned to Yu Yan's previous statement.
"What do you want us to help you with?"
Yu Yan's expression lit up, and he quickly said, "I want you to persuade them to come back. I know they didn't return with you because they don't want to see me anymore, but I've secured an appointment with Dr. Chi. Dr. Chi can definitely cure Zhiwei's illness!"
What was going on now?
Where did this Dr. Chi suddenly come from? Li Chonglou and Big Bao were both bewildered.
Yu Yan explained, "You don't know, Zhiwei's mental illness, apart from occasional emotional outbursts, also involves violent tendencies. Fei'er hasn't had a good life these past few years with him; there were several times I accompanied her to the hospital."
"That's why I've been looking for ways to treat Zhiwei's illness. This Dr. Chi is considered the most authoritative expert in the field. I pulled many strings to get an appointment with him."
Yu Yan's voice suddenly grew quieter.
"I was thinking, even if Fei'er can't be with me, at least she can have a better life."