HBWMA -Chapter 328 Saying Goodbye to the Past

Whale Port.

Su Residence.

This was the countless time Su Yun had jolted awake from a nightmare.

Her fragile eyelids trembled uncontrollably as she clutched her violently pounding heart and sat up. Fine beads of sweat covered her forehead.

She had been haunted again.

This time, she dreamed that unseen hands shoved her through an iron gate. A group of people madly tore at her clothes. She struggled desperately and cried for help, but the iron gate had been firmly welded shut—there was no escape at all.

Despair. Helplessness. Fear.

Layer upon layer of shackles pressed down on her, suffocating her breath.

She saw the cracked ceiling above her spinning wildly, watched the world in front of her collapse piece by piece—then her face turned into Su Miao’s.

All the pain, sin, and filth were transferred away.

Su Yun turned toward the window. Moonlight filtered through the milky-white lace curtains, casting the shadow of tulips on the wall. Only then did she regain a bit of awareness and lift her head to take in her surroundings.

Soft bedding, a faint fragrance in the air, and a comfortably warm room—all of it reminded her that those hardships were already in the past.

She rubbed her throbbing temples and picked up the phone from the bedside table.

4 a.m. A new day, though the sky was still dark.

Leaning against the headboard, she stared blankly at the screen.

Just as the screen dimmed, it suddenly lit up again. A sudden message filled her vision:

[Honored Hunter Player, welcome to the Secret Garden.]

Su Yun’s unfocused gaze instantly sharpened.

Zhou Yanheng.

She had once received an invitation from him before—but back then, she was merely prey for entertainment.

What did Zhou Yanheng mean now? Didn’t he say their game was already over?

A faint surge of turbulence flashed in Su Yun’s eyes.

A new game?

At 9 a.m., Su Jingliu sat in the main hall dressed neatly, drinking coffee.

Under the guidance of a maid, Su Yun walked into the living room. “Grandfather.”

Since receiving that invitation, she hadn’t slept at all. Her eyes carried faint traces of redness.

Su Jingliu immediately noticed her fatigue and asked with concern, “What’s wrong? Didn’t sleep well? Are you still not used to things here?”

Su Yun shook her head. Living in the Su family—what was there to not be used to?

Su Jingliu poured her a cup of coffee. “There’s nothing important today. Grandfather wants to take you somewhere.”

“Alright.” Su Yun lowered her head and glanced at her clothes, a bit hesitant. “Should I go get ready first?”

“No need. This is fine.”

She didn’t say anything further.

Having been absent for sixteen years, she didn’t know how to properly be a Su family young lady. Everything she did still felt stiff and awkward.

Su Jingliu saw this and gently patted her shoulder. “Don’t be nervous. It’s just a trip to relax.”

The car sped all the way forward. Whale Port City seemed to have shrunk overnight—the once distant, towering buildings were now nothing more than passing scenery outside her window.

Su Yun leaned toward the window.

Ahead, five escort vehicles cleared the road, while ten SUVs followed behind. At every intersection they passed, traffic police had already set up blockades, and all passing vehicles were forced to wait outside the Su family’s designated route.

Such treatment was a world apart from her life before the age of sixteen.

Who could have imagined that just three days ago, she was still a pitiful creature with no way out in life—yet now, merely stepping outside, she could cause the traffic of half a city to be rerouted.

The car drove away from the bustling city and toward the ruins. The closer they got to the outskirts, the more solemn Su Yun’s expression became.

She turned back to look at Su Jingliu, her eyes filled with unease.

Su Jingliu knew what she was thinking. He gently patted the back of her hand to reassure her.
“Don’t worry. Grandpa is here.”

That sentence might have comforted Su Miao, but it could not comfort Su Yun. She had lived in darkness for too long; even the slightest disturbance could cost her everything. In this world, aside from herself, no one could truly make her feel at ease.

“Old Master, we’ve arrived.”

The car came to a stop beside a dusty dirt road. Even the most luxurious vehicle could not avoid being covered in grime here.

“Want to get out and walk with Grandpa?”

Su Yun looked at Su Jingliu in confusion. She did not understand why they had come here for a walk. This area was not only dilapidated and backward, even the people were the same.

But she had no choice. She still obediently got out of the car.

Su Jingliu gestured for her to come closer, and after a moment’s hesitation, Su Yun stepped forward to support him.

Together, step by step, they crossed the muddy ground and arrived at the entrance of a dark alley.

“A-Yun, what do you think of this place?”

Su Yun looked around. She did not know how to describe it. This was the place she had grown up in—where all her misfortunes had taken place.

“I’ve already bought this land. Not just here, but also there, and there.” Su Jingliu pointed toward rows of dilapidated concrete houses in the distance. “From now on, it belongs to you.”

Su Yun froze.

She was very good at hiding her emotions, but this moment of shock came too suddenly—she could not conceal it in time.

Su Jingliu pointed toward the deep, dark entrance ahead, speaking calmly.

“Grandpa owes you. I’ll never be able to repay it in this lifetime. This small gift will be my compensation to you.”

“The foundation is still this land, but this time, you can tear everything down and rebuild it. You can build schools, hospitals, amusement parks, parks—anything you want, as long as it makes you happy.”

Su Yun was a smart person. She immediately understood the deeper meaning in his words. Her voice trembled slightly.

“Really?”

“Yes.” Su Jingliu nodded. “Grandpa will even show you a magic trick.”

He pointed lightly at the row of concrete houses at the end of the alley.

“Bang—”

A thunderous explosion echoed through the air.

Rows of concrete buildings collapsed all at once, kicking up a sky full of dust.

Su Yun stared in disbelief at everything around her. Those things she once thought were unshakable—turned out to be so fragile in the face of true power.

A world that has been overturned requires a new order. As the guide, Su Jingliu had to ensure Su Yun returned to the right place.

He looked up at the sky, now obscured by thick dust, and spoke in a grave tone.

“Child, do you know what the Su family has paid to obtain this half-day’s power that blocks the heavens?”

“When your father was young, he was kidnapped by political enemies of the Su family. He narrowly escaped death several times before surviving. Your uncle faced over a hundred assassination attempts. The last time, he lay in the hospital for half a year. As for A-Zun, when he was young, he was betrayed by a friend, fell into water, and nearly drowned…”

Su Yun froze, looking at Su Jingliu in disbelief.

Su Jingliu turned back to her.

“In this world, everything is balanced. No matter how great the glory, it is always a double-edged sword. Misfortune and power never exist separately.”

“A-Yun, Grandpa knows you have been fixated on the past. But life is not only about the past. You are only sixteen—your life has just begun. If you cling too tightly to past suffering, you will only harm yourself.”

Su Yun’s fingertips trembled slightly as she clenched her fists.

“You are a smart and restrained child. Grandpa knows that. You must have paid a great price to stand before us unharmed. I admire your intelligence and endurance, and I do not blame you for any choices you made in extreme circumstances. Even I, at your age and with your experience, cannot guarantee I would have done better than you.”

Su Yun stiffened slightly and looked up.

“You know what I did? You don’t blame me?”

Su Jingliu shook his head.

“Those things are not important. What matters is the result—you and Miao Miao both came back.”

“People cannot be too greedy. We cannot both demand that you survive and also expect you to live perfectly according to our wishes. In times of war and desperation, even blood relatives can become food on the table; loving couples can turn against each other overnight. That is human nature.”

“Let the past pass. We will let go of it all. From today onward, your life will no longer be limited to being discarded or exchanged. You will have more choices.”

“Just like this piece of flattened wasteland before you—you can rebuild anything you want.”

Su Yun let out a soft sob as tears welled up and fell uncontrollably.

Su Jingliu patted her head gently.

“Don’t cry. Since you’ve already come home… then properly say goodbye to the past.”