Chapter 99: Yu Zi Xuan Remembers
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Yu Zhi Yi didn’t spare even a backward glance, her stride resolute as if the world behind her no longer existed. Her figure exuded an unyielding determination, moving forward without hesitation.
A sudden gust of wind swirled, and a hand reached out, attempting to grasp the sleeve of her robe. But it was futile. Just as the fingers neared, an invisible force deflected them away, creating an unseen barrier between the two.
Yu Zi Xuan froze mid-motion, indecision etched across his face. His heart ached as he watched her retreating form, her steps unwavering. A fleeting shadow of grievance clouded his puppy-like eyes before he clenched his jaw and gave chase.
This time, he was wiser. He didn’t dare touch her again. Instead, he rushed ahead and stood firmly in her path. “Sister Yi!” he called out, his voice trembling yet determined.
For a moment, Yu Zhi Yi halted. The imposing young man before her, though tall and resolute, seemed undone by the guilt pooling in his wide, tearful eyes. His lips quivered, the weight of unspoken words pressing heavily upon him.
“I have no ties to the Yu family anymore,” Yu Zhi Yi declared, her voice calm yet cold. “I am no longer your sister.”
“You are! You are!” Yu Zi Xuan’s voice cracked with urgency, desperation lacing his every word.
And then, he remembered.
The memories came rushing back, sharp and unrelenting, as if a dam had burst within his mind. He saw her – Yu Zhi Yi – standing tall, wielding her mystical arts to subdue the Grand Empress Dowager. In that moment, everything he had forgotten was laid bare before him.
He remembered the days in the Yu Mansion when no one believed in her. Not in her mystical arts, nor her remarkable abilities. Despite proving her worth time and again, the family dismissed her feats as mere trickery.
Her father, instead of praising her, rebuked her. Accusations of underhanded tactics tainted her achievements.
From then on, Sister Yi concealed her talents from the world. From everyone but him.
In those days, he wasn’t an outsider to her. He was her closest companion, her dearest younger brother. She shared her secrets with him, unguarded and unafraid.
Born into the Minister of Revenue’s household, with parents and four elder siblings, Yu Zi Xuan had always been the odd one out. His mental frailty left him overlooked and unloved. Even his siblings only feigned kindness in their parents’ presence, their true disdain evident when left alone.
But Sister Yi was different.
Her affection for him was unchanging, her care unwavering. While others saw him as a burden, she saw him as someone worth protecting. And though he had been slow-witted, he could sense her sincerity. Her kindness was his light in the oppressive darkness of his youth.
He also remembered that day… The day he returned home bruised and beaten after being tormented by ruffians. Sister Yi’s eyes darkened with fury as she looked at his wounds. Her small, frail hands trembled as she promised him, “Xuan’er, I won’t let anyone bully you again.”
And she kept her word.
Even when the family gave up on him, she never wavered. Through her efforts, his mind was restored. His parents began to value him, and his siblings treated him with respect. The mocking stares of outsiders disappeared. Yet in his newfound clarity, he… forgot her.
He abandoned her.
“Sister Yi, I don’t know how it happened,” Yu Zi Xuan stammered, his voice breaking. “After I regained my wits, I forgot everything from before. And… and the others, they told me you had wronged me. They sounded so convincing…”
Tears streamed down his face as he pleaded, “Sister Yi, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me!”
Yu Zhi Yi regarded him silently, her face betraying no emotion. Memories of their past resurfaced unbidden, vivid and piercing. Two small figures huddling together for warmth, seeking solace in each other during their harshest days.
But those days were gone.
“No,” she said quietly.
Yu Zi Xuan’s heart shattered at the single word. “Why?” he cried. “I know I was a scoundrel, but that’s because I forgot…”
“Yu Zi Xuan,” she interrupted, her tone even, “a person may lose their memory, but losing your memory doesn’t mean you lose your intelligence.”
He flinched as her words cut through him like a blade.
“In the vast Yu Mansion,” she continued, “you could have inquired about your life before the age of eleven. About the one who stood by your side. Even if your parents and siblings were oblivious, the servants who saw us struggle to survive together would have known. Even those who looked down on us would have remembered.”
Her gaze pierced through him. “Did you ask? Did you search? Your room was filled with traces of our bond. What did you do with those?”
He froze as her words unraveled his feeble justifications. He had noticed peculiar items in his room after regaining clarity. The talisman she had made for him, the cinnabar symbols meant to protect him… he had thrown them away, deeming them useless trinkets.
Now, he realized each of those items was a testament to her love and sacrifice.
Her voice softened but carried an unrelenting weight. “Memories may fade, personalities may change. But feelings… they too can vanish. Isn’t that normal?”
His lips trembled as guilt consumed him. She had been his salvation, his only source of light. And he had cast her aside without a second thought.
“I endured everything the Yu family put me through,” she said, her voice steady. “Not because I was weak, but because I owed them. I owed Yu Jiao Jiao ten years of peace and happiness. But you…” She shook her head, her pain hidden beneath an impenetrable calm. “You were the one who hurt me most of all.”