After learning who the person was that defeated Gan Yixue, forcing him to wander abroad and settle here, the girls no longer had much appetite. Each wore an expression heavy with thoughts.
Kurosaki Satsuki might have been an exception. The story reached her only through Inori's translations, stripped of the impact of the elder's firsthand account. To her, it was simply a tale of someone remarkable, worthy of respect, without stirring deeper feelings.
Perhaps it was also because she knew little about Chu Lian—nothing of her family background or of what her mother truly did. From the start, her impression had been that Chu Lian was the daughter of some great hidden clan with deep ties to the cultivation world.
So after hearing Gan Yixue's story, she only thought that Chu Lian's mother was impressive. The elder's experiences were moving, and she became more convinced that Chu Lian was indeed the successor of some hidden family. Beyond that, she felt nothing more.
In a way, her instinct and judgment were correct. But having already "forgotten" Chinese, her conclusions at this moment couldn't be called accurate.
"Hey, Chu Chu, did you know about Mother's past?" Chu Lian deliberately used the word "past," hinting that she had begun to seek out their mother's history.
It was clear Chu Chu understood the implication. But she, too, knew nothing. She could only shake her head: "Chu Chu doesn't know. From as far back as I can remember, I always lived with Mother and Big Sis. I never saw her leave home for more than three days, except for work."
Chu Chu bit her finger, hesitant. "Maybe Sister Chu Ke and Brother Chu Ren know. They're older than us. But why have they never mentioned it?"
Beside them, Li Xiu'er's eyes were equally blank. She had always known her aunt was formidable, but had never imagined she was also this skilled in cooking. Wasn't she supposed to reveal her mysteries only at home? Just what was her aunt's past?
While the girls puzzled over it, Chu Lian grew helpless. She hadn't found the answers she sought, and she already knew that at this moment it was impossible. So she stopped asking and instead noticed Cai Ya watching her with a peculiar expression. Tilting her head, she asked: "Cai Ya, what is it?"
"It's nothing. I just thought of something happy, so I got lost in it." At Chu Lian's question, Cai Ya's cheeks flushed, pink spreading to the tips of her ears. She seemed very shy.
Of course, she couldn't tell Chu Lian the real reason for her joy.
When she first met Chu Lian, she had investigated her family background, learning about her parents and even her grandparents. She had thought Chu Lian's family was simply a wealthy household, and had lacked confidence in a future with her.
But on this journey, Chu Lian's strength kept growing. She revealed secrets of the cultivation world even Cai Ya's family didn't know. And now, hearing Gan Yixue's tale of the woman who defeated him—Chu and Li Mingxue, Chu Lian and Chu Chu's mother—Cai Ya realized she had underestimated them.
No, it wasn't just her. Anyone unaware of their true background would have underestimated them. The greatest concealment lies in plain sight—surely that phrase was made for people like them.
What made her happiest, however, wasn't that Chu Lian's family was powerful. It was that she could use this as reason to persuade her own family. Growing up in such a vast clan, she knew that if she didn't find someone truly suitable, what awaited her was inevitably a marriage shackled by interests and profit.
She didn't want such a fate. She didn't want to marry someone she didn't love, nor be bound by destiny's chains. She wanted to resist, to be free, to find someone she loved and spend her life with.
But such conditions were almost impossible. Families like the Zhao or Wang clans might be suitable matches, yet the one she liked wasn't among them. It was the girl who had stolen her first kiss not long after they met.
Yes—she liked another girl. Someone more outstanding, more admired, more perfect than herself. Before, she had worried about her family's disapproval. But after hearing this story, she no longer feared opposition from her clan.
No matter how favored she was, she was still a girl, destined never to inherit power in the family. Even her children would not become the core of the clan. So whether she had descendants or not made no difference. Which meant—even if her partner was another girl, as long as she insisted, she could succeed.
She knew well how the elders in her family thought. As long as there was profit, they cared little about the result. Whether she married a fool, or an old man, it mattered not. So why would it matter if her partner came from a mysterious family, even if she was a girl and couldn't bear children?
It was cruel, cold, and infuriating—but this was the sorrow of all daughters of wealthy clans. Born into privilege, yet shackled by it. Enjoying the family's benefits meant repaying it with one's life—it was simply cause and effect.
Yes, the reason for her blush just now was that she had imagined her and Chu Lian's "love" being accepted by her family, the two of them stepping into the hall of marriage. This daydream had been shattered by Chu Lian's question, leaving her flustered under the gaze of the girl from her dream.
"You're all acting strange. I can't figure out what's going on in your heads." Seeing Cai Ya's shy expression and misty eyes, Chu Lian was puzzled.
Since her rebirth, she had learned to fully embrace the role of a girl. With abilities like "Loli Heart," "Orchid in the Valley," and "White Rose" awakening one after another, her demeanor was now indistinguishable from any other girl's.
But a girl's thoughts were endlessly winding, and this was something she still hadn't learned. Sometimes she seemed a little oblivious, so expecting her to grasp such subtleties was asking too much.
Inori, however, understood Cai Ya's expression. Knowing she had to rescue the embarrassed girl, she spoke a few words to Kurosaki Satsuki, then took Chu Lian's hand with a smile. "It's almost ten past one. Shouldn't we be heading to the meeting point?"
"Ah, it's that late already?" Absorbed in the story, none of them had noticed the time pass. The meal, though lavish, wasn't large—just enough for ten, with portions slightly increased to account for a few big eaters.
Eating while lost in thought, time had flown without notice.
So when Inori spoke, the girls were surprised. Thankfully, she had reminded them, or they would have been late for the 1:30 gathering.
Although Gan Yixue's tale and the secrets revealed had dampened their appetites, the food he personally cooked was so exquisite that even without trying, they had finished everything.
One recently recovered white-haired girl even ate two portions. Clearly, despite her words of indifference, she couldn't resist good food. From this alone, one could glimpse how harsh her past years had been.
"Please, don't spread what Elder Gan told us. It's a secret. I don't want others questioning me about my mother, so I'm counting on you." After the waiters cleared the dishes, Chu Lian pressed her hands together before her lips, speaking earnestly.
"Don't worry, Lian-chan. Nana would never say a word." Ruriko Nana was too delighted—why would she ever reveal it? The more mysterious and powerful Chu Lian was, the higher her chances of success. Angering her would be unthinkable.
"My father taught me never to reveal others' secrets to outsiders. So you can rest assured, Chu Lian." Lux Lyle gracefully set down her white napkin and smiled. Her stance was the same as Ruriko Nana's, and what she said was true.
"Hearing such a story is already an honor. Why would I ever reveal it? Unless you yourself told it, you needn't fear me saying anything." Liu Yanran spoke next, after Ruriko Nana and Lux Lyle. She knew her bond with Chu Lian wasn't as close as the others', and so she felt the need to state her position clearly. Though she regretted not being closer, she was glad for this gradual intimacy.
"Thank you, everyone…" Chu Lian didn't need to ask the others. Without her permission, they would never speak of it. That was her trust in them, and what they would surely uphold.
After checking to ensure nothing was left behind, Chu Lian and the others left together, heading toward the place where they had gathered that morning.