Juan recalled the time. "In the past, the Mu boy relentlessly ran after you and you didn't bother to give me a glance. He was hurt but still wanted the best for you. Then you tolerated the extreme pain to give him four wonderful sons. I guess you two are even now."
Mu Lan looked at Mu Liang who was playing with rice ball number four. Her lips curved up. "I owed it to him. What he did for me, I could never forget that. I know how it felt to be heartbroken."
Juan said, "So, he isn't your first love. You lied to him then."
"Come on, if I didn't fall for my cousin, I wouldn't through my life to save him. But thanks to my sacrifice at that time, I knew how Liang Liang must have felt when he confessed to me. I'm not that heartless, you know." Mu Lan suddenly caught a loop in his words. "Hang on, how do you know that? Did you spy on us?" She told Mu Liang that he was her first love during the honeymoon period.
"I have no interest in spying on a newlywed couple." Juan denied it firmly. However, Kilimanjaro kept an eye on them to make sure they were safe. To Juan, it wasn't spying, it was guarding.
Kilimanjaro was the one who suffered. He regretted that he had the power to hear. He nearly jumped from a tower in embarrassment. Luckily, Altan Yul was there, his most trusted comrade. Altan protected him from falling.
However, Juan firmly denied her and she had no reason not to trust him. She went out to look for Carlo. In the corridor, she met Antonio.
He saw her first and asked, "Little baby, don't you want to take some rest?"
Mu Lan answered, "I will but I need to talk to Carl first. By the way, thanks for helping me back there. Though I usually don't like getting help from others, I badly needed it. I didn't want to destroy the whole snake clan."
"No worries!" he gave her a wink.
She asked, "Do you know in which room Carl is with others?"
"He is in the clinic," Antonio replied.
"Okay, thanks." Mu Lan left.
She went to the clinic and realized that Carlo already hypnotized Li Han. In the other room, Professor Ryuren and LI Shen were talking while sitting. Professor looked alright but Li Shen looked exhausted. Even if Professor Ryuren knew something, Li Shen had no clue that Carlo was altering his father's memory instead of physical check-up.
Mu Lan hugged her father from behind and asked, "Are you hungry?"
"I had lunch at my brother's place. I'm fine for now." Professor Ryuren smiled at her. "Lanie, you didn't have the time to take lunch. You must be hungry."
Mu Lan remembered, "Oh yeah, now that you mentioned it, you are right. Because of the excitement, I almost forgot. I'll check if there is anything in the kitchen. But first, I have to talk to Carlo. He looks busy."
Professor Ryuren patted her arms. "He will finish soon…. Ah! Speak of the devil."
Mu Lan looked up and saw Carlo and Li Han. Li Han saw her and apologized to her once again. "Xiao Lan, I'm really sorry."
Mu Lan sighed. "It's alright, uncle. Whatever happened in the past, let's keep it in the past and love forward. I won't hold a grudge against you or cousin Shen."
Li Shen flinched upon hearing her words. He still didn't dare to see her face. He was drowning in deep sorrow after being betrayed by the one he trusted the most and the one he didn't trust, wanted to love him dearly but he unjustly shoved her away. After knowing all this, he didn't know how to face her.
Carlo looked at Li Shen and said, "Now it's your turn, come."
Li Shen stood up and dragged his body to the next room.
Carlo gazed at Mu Lan. "Do you need something, kid?"
Mu Lan nodded and followed after Li Shen. She saw that Li Shen sat on a chair where his father was sitting a while ago. She stood in front of him and called out to him, "Li Shen."
Li Shen hang his head and said, "Xiao Lan, I don't know how can I apologize enough to make-"
Mu Lan cut him off. "You can do something that will not make me hate you."
Li Shen finally looked at her with hope. "Tell me what I can do for you, Xiao Lan. If it makes you like me, I'll do whatever you want me to do."
Mu Lan stared at him for a couple of seconds before telling, "I want Carl to alter your memory and you will forget how you met me and your feelings for me. You can do that, right?"
Li Shen confusedly looked at her. He didn't seem to understand what she just said. After a pause, he grabbed her right hand and begged her, "Please don't erase my memory of you. Please don't be so cruel to me." His lips were trembling while he spoke. His eyes glistened with tears. He knew that he was wrong to hurt her. But she was the only one he ever thought of, how could he possibly want to forget everything about her. It was the only thing he had left to live on.
Mu Lan snatched her hand away from him and replied in a cold tone, "I'm crueler than you think."
Carlo touched her left shoulder and asked solemnly, "Are you sure about this?"
Mu Lan nodded and left the room.
"Xiao Lan!" Li Shen called for her desperately. He stood up and wanted to run after her but Carlo used his mind trick to obey him.
Mu Lan reached her room and took a bath. As the cold water washed away her tiredness, a drop of tear mixed with the water. After cleaning herself, she changed her clothes and went to the kitchen.
Pedro was in the kitchen. He looked at her and said, "You look exhausted. Here, drink this." He gave her a bowl of soup.