I raised stunning young ladies, but they all wanted to possess me.

Gu Yan followed Pei Youyi back to the courtyard, and the two of them did not speak a word the whole way.

He looked at Pei Youyi's back in front of him; the curve of her waist swaying was very beautiful.

But he wasn't paying attention to that right now; his mind was filled with the hug he'd just had.

Soft, warm, and fragrant with orchids, it fits snugly against my skin.

He shook his head. No, he couldn't think about this. He had sworn to have nothing to do with the female lead.

That can't be related to the female lead's mother, what's going on here?

He quickened his pace and walked into his yard, closed the door, and leaned against the door panel.

"I'm probably overthinking it. Aunt Youyi is just too happy. She's just a junior."

He was talking to himself, as if trying to convince himself.

"Yes, it means being a junior. She said it, so it means being a junior."

He took a deep breath, walked to the bedside and sat down, touching his face, which was still a little hot.

"I hope I'm just overthinking it, otherwise I really can't live like this."

He had just lain down when his phone rang, ringing several times in a row.

He picked it up and saw that it was a message from Bai Zikong, several messages popped up one after another.

Bai Zikong: "Master Gu, are you there?"

Bai Zikong: "I added you during Miss Chen's last big operation, do you remember?"

Bai Zikong: "I heard that Miss Chen seems to have fallen ill after you left."

Bai Zikong: "No one can get close to Miss Chen now, Aunt Tian is almost going crazy with worry."

Gu Yan was stunned for a moment. Cecilia was sick, the white-haired young lady who was in a wheelchair.

He remembered that her illness was troublesome, and only he could get close to her; no one else could.

Just as he was about to reply, Bai Zikong sent another message.

Bai Zikong: "Master Gu, please don't forget Miss Chen."

Gu Yan stared at the message, completely dumbfounded.

What do you mean, "Don't forget Miss Chen"? You're the male lead, shouldn't you be saying that?

He rubbed his eyes and looked again. He wasn't mistaken; Bai Zikong had told him not to forget Cecilia.

"What's going on? The male lead is telling the male supporting character not to forget the female lead. Is that reasonable?"

He rolled over, typed a reply, and his fingers moved very quickly.

Gu Yan: "Zikong, I know about Miss Chen's matter, but I believe you can solve these problems."

Gu Yan: "You are Bai Zikong, you are very strong, you must believe in yourself."

After sending it, he felt that what he said was quite apt, as it neither exposed his own shortcomings nor discouraged the male protagonist.

A dozen seconds later, Bai Zikong replied with a message, which was quite long.

Bai Zikong: "Master Gu, please stop teasing me, okay?"

Bai Zikong: "I have absolutely no feelings for any of your girlfriends, really not."

Bai Zikong: "I sincerely wish you and Miss Chen a long and happy marriage."

Bai Zikong: "Think it over carefully. I won't say any more, or it would be impolite."

Gu Yan stared at the screen, her mouth agape enough to fit an egg.

What the hell is this about a girlfriend? What the hell is this about a perfect marriage? What is all this nonsense?

He sat up abruptly, his hands trembling as he typed.

Gu Yan: "Wait, Zikong, what did you say about a girlfriend? Miss Chen is not my girlfriend."

Gu Yan: "Are you mistaken about something? I only treated her illness."

The message was sent and showed as read, but the other party did not reply.

After a long while, there was still no reply; Bai Zikong seemed to have made up his mind not to say anything more.

Gu Yan threw her phone on the bed, then put her hands behind her head and leaned against the headboard.

"The male lead says the female lead is my girlfriend. Is that reasonable? What exactly is wrong with this?"

He thought about it for a long time but couldn't figure it out, but Cecilia's illness did worry him a bit.

But then I thought, how could the female lead be so easily killed? In the original story, she survived until the very end.

Moreover, the plot hasn't even started yet, and he already made his move a while ago.

"It should be fine, Bai Zikong will handle it, he's the male lead."

He lay down and closed his eyes, but his mind was still a jumbled mess.

For the next few days, Gu Yan lived like she was in a war.

Every morning before dawn, Pei Yuran would block his door with a bowl of porridge that looked awful.

"Have breakfast." She stood in the doorway, her icy blue eyes fixed on him, her tone brooking no refusal.

Gu Yan looked at the bowl of porridge; it was still so thin, and the rice grains were still not cooked properly.

He took it and drank a sip. It was so salty that his brows furrowed, but he still swallowed it.

"Delicious." He squeezed out two words, and Pei Yuran's eyes lit up.

Then Lin Jinyu rushed over from behind, carrying a delicate breakfast.

"Xiao Yan, eat mine. I got up early to make it. It's much better than her bowl of dishwater."

She pushed the fried egg and porridge in front of Gu Yan, her golden eyes full of smugness.

Pei Yuran looked at her, her voice as cold as ice.

"He didn't say it tasted bad."

Lin Jinyu smiled, a bright smile, but her eyes were full of fire.

"He's just being polite to you. Have you even tried it yourself? Would you dare to take a bite?"

Pei Yuran fell silent, looking down at her bowl of porridge without saying a word.

Gu Yan quickly smoothed things over, eating both portions, and then ran off to find Pei Zhanyue to learn swordsmanship.

Pei Zhanyue's courtyard was in the most remote corner of the Pei family's residence, and he would wait by the stone table every morning.

Seeing Gu Yan arrive, he put down the piece of wood he was holding and stood up to stretch his limbs.

"Here we are. Today we will practice chopping and slashing. There are no fancy moves in the sword technique. It's just about chopping, slashing, thrusting, and parrying."

He picked up a wooden knife, handed it to Gu Yan, and took one for himself.

"Watch closely, when you chop, you don't use your wrist to exert force, you use your waist, and the waist rotation drives the shoulder."

He demonstrated, and the wooden sword brought down with a whooshing sound, creating a gust of wind.

"The shoulder leads the arm, the arm leads the wrist, and the force originates from the ground and is transmitted to the tip of the knife."

Gu Yan tried to imitate him by slashing with her sword. Her movements were fairly standard, but her strength was far inferior.

Pei Zhanyue walked over, patted his shoulder, and then squeezed his arm.

"Your movements are correct, but your physique is too weak. Your little body is as thin as paper."

He shook his head, his tone filled with heartache, but also a touch of helplessness.

"Skills can be practiced and improved gradually, but physical abilities can't be rushed."

"You've never practiced martial arts before, and your muscles and bones aren't even open yet. It's unrealistic to expect you to become stronger in a short time."

Gu Yan gripped the wooden knife tightly. He knew he was physically weak, always had been, but he didn't want to give up.

"Senior, I know I'm not in good health, but I will train hard."

Pei Zhanyue looked at him, a hint of tenderness flashing in his sharp eyes.

"I'm not saying you can't learn it, I'm saying you have to take it slowly, you can't rush it."

He paused, as if thinking about something, and spoke after a long while.

"Later, when the time is right, your master will go to the secret realm to find some good things for you."

"Some rare and precious herbs can cleanse the meridians and marrow, improve physical condition, and are much faster than you can cultivate them yourself."

Gu Yan was stunned. Looking at Pei Zhanyue's aged face, a warm feeling welled up in her heart.

"Senior, are you aware of my physical condition?"