Miss Truth
Chapter 123 - 79 Ge Lan, I’ll remember you for her

Chapter 123: Chapter 79 Ge Lan, I’ll remember you for her

Bloodstains spread out beneath the hem of her dress, forming vaguely shaped clots.

Based on these clots, Yin Wanwan couldn’t have been more than three months pregnant. Ran Yan looked at her pale face and let out a light sigh, without slowing the pace of administering aid.

Yin Wanwan, seeing the blood clots on the ground, screamed and clutched Ran Yan’s hand, "Yan, I’m so scared, I’m so terrified."

Ran Yan cradled her head in her arms and gently soothed her. Her voice was calm and collected, not particularly gentle, yet it held a power that could stabilize one’s heart, "Wanwan, don’t be afraid. I’ll be with you, and after you’ve had time to recover, things will be as before. Trust me."

For a daughter of the Yin Family, losing her chastity, how could she ever return to how things were before! As Ran Yan spoke these words, she dared not look directly into her eyes, fearful that her gaze wouldn’t seem sincere enough.

After a moment of silence, when Ran Yan looked down again, Yin Wanwan had already passed out.

Ran Yan watched as this scene dissipated before her eyes like smoke, abruptly shifting to the area near the Pingjiang River.

Under the clear moonlight, a beautiful young girl in a blue dress with her hair up in a youthful style earnestly said to Ran Yan, "My lady, hide here and don’t move, and by no means make a sound, promise me."

Ran Yan guessed she was Ge Lan, the one Madam Xing had mentioned, and nodded in response.

Seeing the hesitation in Ran Yan’s expression, Ge Lan again urged in a lowered voice, "My lady, you mustn’t make a sound."

This time, Ran Yan responded resolutely.

Taking a deep breath, Ge Lan clenched her delicate hands tightly, slightly trembling. Ran Yan could see her extreme nervousness, yet she turned and offered a reassuring faint smile, "Rest assured, my lady, there will be no trouble."

From the distance of the Pingjiang River, vague noises could be heard. Ran Yan gazed at the stars in the sky, where the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl stars were closely aligned—it must be the Qixi Festival without a doubt. Yin Miaomiao was supposed to be drowned in the Pingjiang River impersonating Yin Wanwan on this very day, and it was also when Ge Lan disappeared.

Just as Ran Yan’s attention drifted back, Ge Lan suddenly dashed out from her side.

Before she had a chance to call out to stop her, a man’s low roar was heard, "Quick! She ran that way, catch her!"

Another voice, slightly hesitant, said, "But my lord, that lady might be the legitimate daughter of the Ran Family!"

The man immediately interrupted, "The legitimate daughter of the Ran Family all the more must be silenced! Otherwise, if she goes back and reports to the officials or tells Ran Wen, our Yin Family will be finished! Killing Wanwan will have been in vain!"

Ran Yan surmised the voice to be Yin Wenshu. She had briefly seen this man at the Yin residence, with his scholarly appearance, a fair complexion with a handsome beard, and a somewhat stern demeanor—a gentleman’s image. However, at this moment, his voice was filled with a sinister chill, brimming with murderous intent.

"All right then." The reluctant person turned and ran off.

Ran Yan peeked out from the bushes and saw Yin Wenshu, dressed in a wide-sleeved luxurious costume, standing with his hands behind him by the river. She watched him overseeing two strong men dragging a woman with a plain cloth over her face toward the Pingjiang River.

At first, the girl didn’t struggle, but upon touching the water, she abruptly regained consciousness; unfortunately, her face was covered so tightly, it seemed as if her mouth and tongue were also bound, and she could only let out muffled sounds.

Soon after, a black-awning boat emerged from the nearby reeds. The two strong men dragged the girl onto the boat, then rowed towards the center of the river.

Ran Yan’s lips pressed tightly together as she watched Yin Wenshu with a heavy gaze, rage building inside her. Even a beast would not eat its offspring, and here was a man of letters, a scholar, who proved less than a beast, watching indifferently as his own daughter died before him. Had he no feelings at all!

Harrowing cries came from the center of the river. Earlier, Yin Miaomiao seemed not to understand, clearly having been asleep in her bed, why she would end up blindfolded and dragged into the water; now, comprehending that this was no dream, her struggle and screams were too late.

Yin Miaomiao’s crying was not quiet, but the noise from that place was too far away; no one could hear her despair—no one but Ran Yan...

With a loud splash, water burst into the air, and the crying stopped abruptly.

Ran Yan wanted to stand up, but her body felt as though it was fixed in place, unable to move. After struggling for a while, she realized that this was a dream, a memory of the Ran Yan from the past. In those memories, everything was predestined.

"Wanwan, don’t hate your father. For the sake of the Yin Family, I had to sacrifice you... I had no choice..." Yin Wenshu choked up for a moment, then quickly turned and walked away.

As Yin Wenshu’s footsteps faded into the distance, a piercing cry for help came from the reeds to the south, but it was abruptly cut short, as if someone had cruelly stifled it.