Ye Tiancheng wanted to place his hand on Su Muxian's shoulder, but then thought it wasn't appropriate and didn't actually act. Instead, he stared into Su Muxian's eyes.
"I'm sorry! I really don't remember the past clearly. We should all move into a new chapter. Su Muxian, let yourself go and let me go too. You should go find your own happy life. There must be the right person waiting for you in the future."
Hearing Ye Tiancheng say this, Su Muxian sneered, "Ye Tiancheng, it seems you've completely moved on. Congratulations. Heh, it seems I was being overly sentimental. Then I should leave."
His heart suddenly felt reluctant, but there was no longer any reason to keep her.
"Su Muxian, it's raining so heavily. Why don't you wait until it eases up a bit? Do you want me to give you a ride?"
Su Muxian hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
After a while, the rain had lessened considerably. Ye Tiancheng drove Su Muxian, intending to take her home. This was the basic courtesy of a gentleman; he couldn't just leave a girl to fend for herself.
Since she had come to find him, Ye Tiancheng felt a sense of responsibility. He thought he should at least see her home.
The two of them didn't speak for a long time as they drove. The rain grew heavier, the sound of it hitting the car windows particularly noticeable, even somewhat deafening.
Ye Tiancheng didn't speak not because he was afraid of Su Muxian, but because he didn't want to create more complications. This would make it harder for Su Muxian to move on from their past relationship, trapping herself in a cage from which she couldn't escape.
However, they were already halfway there. If they didn't speak now, there might be no other chance. Ye Tiancheng finally broke the damnable silence.
"I know you must regret knowing me, but I don't regret knowing you. It was your initial appreciation that gave me a glorious period, and only then did I realize you were my lucky star. It's actually quite interesting. With you by my side, I'm lucky; without you, I'm unlucky."
"I've heard from Miss Lin. As long as I'm alive, you will continue to be unlucky. I don't want this. I want you to regain your former glory, but I don't know how."
Su Muxian's words suddenly filled Ye Tiancheng with immense fear. This was wrong. Excessive insistence would only lead to a more tragic outcome. "Don't overthink things, Su Muxian. Those are just legends, they can't be relied upon. You might have been tricked by someone. Anyway, I never believed them."
Even though Ye Tiancheng knew those things were true, he didn't want Su Muxian to believe them. If he had to sacrifice the woman he loved for a glorious future, Ye Tiancheng would rather die.
"What if? We could try. If I open the door and jump out of the car, can your bad luck end then?"
Hearing Su Muxian say this, Ye Tiancheng's scalp tingled. Su Muxian didn't sound like she was joking, which was terrifying. Was she planning to sacrifice herself?
"Su Muxian, please don't be reckless. Your life is precious and shouldn't be wasted on a scumbag like me. Please calm down and don't do anything you'll regret. You're still too impulsive."
Ye Tiancheng's words clearly came too late. Su Muxian's hand was already on the car door, ready to open it.
"Ye Tiancheng, do you know what I hate most about you? I hate your self-righteousness the most. You think you're doing what's best for me, but I'm living in so much pain. You have no idea that for me, living is an ordeal every single day. If I could bid farewell to this world, it might be a great relief for me."
"Su Muxian, don't say foolish things." As he spoke, Ye Tiancheng was already slowing down. His legs felt weak, and he was not at all prepared for what was about to happen.
"I want to escape this pain, Ye Tiancheng. If you don't love me and are unwilling to be with me, then I'd rather die."
As if she had finally gathered the courage to say what was on her mind, Su Muxian was about to open the car door when Ye Tiancheng slammed on the brakes.
At that moment, diagonally across from them, a large truck swerved head-on into them. Ye Tiancheng instantly lost consciousness. When he woke up, he was in the hospital.
When he woke up, Ye Tiancheng was disoriented for a long time, unsure of where he was. Looking at the white ceiling and smelling the disinfectant, he finally realized he was in the hospital.
After struggling to clear his head for a while, Ye Tiancheng finally uttered his first words upon waking.
"Where is Su Muxian?"
Seeing Xiao Pang, Ye Tiancheng's first reaction was to know how Su Muxian was. Xiao Pang looked dejected, likely meaning things weren't good.
"Brother Ye, even the doctors think it's a medical miracle that you're unharmed after the car was hit like that, only falling into a coma. As for Miss Su Muxian, she wasn't as fortunate. You've been unconscious for a day, and Miss Su Muxian hasn't woken up yet. The doctors think she might become a vegetable."
It turned out that when one is extremely sad, there are no tears. At that moment, his heart felt as if it had been ripped apart. Ye Tiancheng was filled with regret. He wished he hadn't offered to drive Su Muxian home.
He tried hard to recall what had happened to cause the accident. When he slammed on the brakes, the car body had begun to twist, its path wobbling erratically. The approaching car from the opposite direction was also extremely suspicious. All the doubts converged, making it impossible for Ye Tiancheng to process everything at once.
The more he thought, the more his head hurt. Xiao Pang reminded Ye Tiancheng to focus on recovering first.
In truth, Ye Tiancheng couldn't recall clearly what had happened, but it seemed like someone was pursuing them.
"Xiao Pang, this car accident is not simple. It needs to be investigated thoroughly."
"The Su family has sued you, accusing you of premeditated murder. Brother Ye, you'll have to undergo an investigation during this time. You're physically fine now, and people are waiting outside. They'll probably take you away soon."
It seemed bad news just kept coming. Ye Tiancheng's heart no longer felt any turmoil. Things were already bad enough; they couldn't get any worse.
"Alright, I can accept the investigation. Since I didn't do anything, even if they want to frame me, they won't succeed. I won't admit to it. I need to protect myself so I can save Su Muxian."
In fact, Ye Tiancheng didn't have much confidence. After all, Su Muxian, who knew the truth, was in a coma. No one could testify for him, and the Su family had immense influence. They would surely try their best to get Ye Tiancheng, and he wasn't sure if he could protect himself.
"Xiao Pang, before I go, can I see Su Muxian? I'm very worried about her."
"Brother Ye, it's better not to. She's bandaged like a mummy, so you won't see anything. Hurry up and go for your investigation. You must cooperate fully now and not give them any leverage, otherwise, they'll find an opportunity to destroy you."
Xiao Pang's words were always accurate; at least they wouldn't harm Ye Tiancheng. Ye Tiancheng, wearing a hospital gown, was about to be taken away. Before leaving, he saw a familiar figure at the corner of the corridor.
Hou Mingzhu had come. It seemed she still cared about him...
Actually, when Hou Mingzhu didn't appear in the hospital room, Ye Tiancheng knew Hou Mingzhu must be angry.
Ye Tiancheng quickly spoke to the law enforcement officers, hoping to see Hou Mingzhu. They agreed. Ye Tiancheng went over to speak with Hou Mingzhu, who put on her sunglasses again, seemingly unwilling to talk to Ye Tiancheng.
"Ye Tiancheng, I find you truly disgraceful. You're dating your mistress and get into a car accident. Now it's all over the news, and you've made it to the headlines. Is this how you intend to be a live-in son-in-law for our Hou family? Is your goal to embarrass our family?"
No wonder Hou Mingzhu seemed unwilling to talk to him. It was a misunderstanding. Ye Tiancheng quickly explained.
"Since our wedding, I haven't seen Su Muxian again. Su Muxian came to my home this time. After we spoke for a while, the rain outside became too heavy. I had agreed with Su Muxian to live our separate lives and not meet again, but I was worried about Su Muxian, so I intended to take her home. I didn't expect an accident to happen on the way."
Hou Mingzhu was willing to believe Ye Tiancheng, but the facts were undeniable, and everyone's story was that Ye Tiancheng and Su Muxian couldn't forget their past love. They argued in the car, and Ye Tiancheng harbored murderous intent, deliberately crashing the car into the oncoming truck.
"Ye Tiancheng, even now, you're still hiding from me? As for the truth, everyone already knows. I feel so ashamed."
Being spoken to like this by Hou Mingzhu, Ye Tiancheng was still able to maintain some rationality at this critical moment.
"Hou Mingzhu, don't worry. The truck that hit us was likely sent by someone. I think it's my enemy. I'm being taken away for investigation now, and I can't do much. Can you help me investigate who those people are who want to harm me?"
"Heh, Ye Tiancheng, at this point, you've cuckolded me and made me a laughingstock for everyone. Now you want me to do favors for you? I really don't know what you're thinking. You always have some self-righteous ideas. You don't think I'm still infatuated with you and willing to do anything for you, do you?"
"Hou Mingzhu, I didn't mean that. I never intended to use you."
Ye Tiancheng's apologetic expression, at a certain moment, also made Hou Mingzhu feel a pang of sympathy.
Regardless of what had happened, Ye Tiancheng had narrowly escaped death in that car accident. Although there were no visible injuries, he looked mentally unwell, his face somewhat haggard.
"If you don't want to use me, then you'd better go in for your investigation. Once you're convicted, I'll proceed with the divorce. Even if our Hou family is not doing well, we are still one of the four great families. We can't have someone with a criminal record as a live-in son-in-law. Our Hou family cannot afford such disgrace."
Hou Mingzhu's words made Ye Tiancheng feel ashamed. It was true; the four great families could not have any blemishes. If he were indeed convicted as a murderer, he would surely be kicked out of the family. Ye Tiancheng felt a pang of sadness but didn't know what to say.
After giving Hou Mingzhu one last look, he was taken away by the law enforcement officers.
Subsequently, Ye Tiancheng was locked up. In the detention center, Ye Tiancheng slept in a corner. The room held over a dozen people who were also undergoing investigation.
Ye Tiancheng just wanted to sleep well and ensure his personal safety. He remained very low-key throughout, not even saying a word, not wanting to cause himself trouble.