Even though Lin Ye had grown up close to Lin Lihua and the Lin residence could be considered a second home to him, he couldn't simply waltz into Yun Xuan's room uninvited.

No one said anything to let him go up to her room so he continued standing and feeling more awkward by the second.

Xia Rou finally relented and invited him to sit before asking a maid to call Yun Xuan.

Soon, Yun Xuan came downstairs holding the little boy in her arms. He was scared after what happened earlier and would cry if Yun Xuan left the room. She could only bring him along.

As soon as her gaze landed on Lin Ye, her displeasure was apparent and she didn't have any intention of speaking to him.

Xia Rou stood up. "He's not asleep yet? I'll boil a cup of milk for him. It will help him sleep sooner."

Yun Xuan bit the inner side of her lower lip. That was something a maid could do. Xia Rou's intention was obvious; she was giving them space to talk.

The little boy tried to wriggle out of his mother's embrace to follow Xia Rou when he saw her stand. Xia Rou picked him up and went to the kitchen.

Yun Xuan took the remote control and tried to find something interesting to watch but she couldn't find any so she turned off the television.

Now it was just the two of them.

"Xuanxuan..."

As soon as her name left his lips, Yun Xuan harrumphed and faced away from him, obviously not in the slightest interested in listening to him.

Lin Ye felt his heart beat faster in anxiety. "I'm sorry I deceived you..."

In that instant, none of those long speeches he had managed to come up with surfaced in his brain. It was blank like a sheet of paper.

There was no one else in the vicinity; Lin Lihua had returned to her marital home and Lin Zhou was in the study. Xia Rou must have instructed the maids to keep off the living room.

With that kind of silence, one could clearly hear the clock tick away the seconds.

"I can explain." Lin Ye finally broke the silence.

Yun Xuan merely cast him a side glance, not at all interested in listening to whatever excuse he was going to brew. "Did you have fun making a fool out of me?"

She didn't know what else to say to him. Although the truth was right before her eyes, it was hard to believe that Lin Ye was capable of making up such a lie and act it out so brilliantly.

The worst part was that Lin Ye had saved her son despite lying to her. It was hard to know what kind of attitude she should use to face him.

The man put a hand over hers lightly. "Can you at least let me explain?"

Yun Xuan remained silent, which he took as consent. "Soon after you got custody of little Feng, I realized I could feel my legs. So I tried to stand and this time I didn't need support."

Yun Xuan narrowed her eyes. So it happened that long ago? And why the hell was he telling her that? What she needed to know was why he hid the truth; not how he recovered.

He continued despite the displeasure written all over her face. "I haven't been seeing for that long. Just a few weeks. I wanted to tell you."

Yun Xuan shot over a displeased glare. Just a few weeks? That wasn't long?

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't find the right opportunity." He continued, making Yun Xuan cringe from the almost cliché excuse that she was not hearing for the first time. Were men addicted to this excuse?

"Soon after I left the hospital, I found out that my father and brother were looking for an opportunity to strike me down once and for all. When they found out about my condition, they changed their minds. After all, according to them, living was much more painful than dying in that state."

Yun Xuan blinked and looked at him.

"That's why when I recovered, I still put on an act while weaving a trap. I also want to get rid of them once and for all."

Yun Xuan studied his expression and minutes passed before she finally withdrew her piercing gaze. She didn't find anything false about his words. It was just her instinct to believe his words this time because of the level of trust he had shown her. It made it difficult for her to not reciprocate his trust.

So it had been because his family was seeking him out?

She seemed to remember that they didn't have a good relationship. It did seem possible that they would want to kill him...

She still felt he should have told her but she couldn't dwell on this forever. "What are you going to do now?"

The corners of Lin Ye's lips raised a little. He looked like he had been relieved of a death sentence. "It would be safe if no one saw me walk but since I cannot be sure of how many people saw me, I can only adjust my plans."

Yun Xuan went silent once more. Just when he was racking his brains on how to break the silence, he heard her voice again. "What about the medical test reports? They all stated that there was no improvement in your condition."

"I made a deal with the doctor."

She had guessed as much but it still displeased her hearing it from his mouth. "About that design software... did you really need it?"

Lin Ye's heart almost stopped beating for a moment. In truth, he didn't really need it. He could already see by then.

But if he brazenly admitted that even that had been a lie, that all the work she had been doing to help him out had been for nothing, wouldn't she be too angry?

For the first time ever, he was tempted to lie to her.