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

"Never mind, there's no point in saying it now," he murmured to himself.

He pushed open a heavy wooden door, the hinges making a dull thud, and gestured for him to enter.

"Mr. Fu has already told me to have a meal and rest first, and then go see Celia."

"I've had some of Shanghai's specialty dishes prepared, all of which Master Gu used to love. I'm sure you'll enjoy them."

Gu Yan interrupted Chen Sinian directly, her voice not loud but firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Old Chen, let's go see Cecilia first. There's no rush to eat. We can eat after we've seen her."

"I came to Shanglu not to eat, but to see her. Only after seeing her will I feel at ease."

Chen Sinian paused for a moment, blinked behind his gold-rimmed glasses, and then smiled.

That smile was much more genuine than before; there was light in her eyes, and it was no longer just a polite gesture.

He felt a surge of relief; Master Gu was still the same Master Gu, still thinking of his daughter.

"Okay, okay, okay, Master Gu is right. We should look at the person first. I was too hasty."

He turned and led Gu Yan through the corridor, his pace quickening, almost jogging.

The corridor was long and wide, with oil paintings on both sides, all of them landscape paintings. The lights were warm yellow, making people feel very comfortable.

Fu Wanqing followed behind Gu Yan, and Zhao Tiegu followed at the very back. The four of them walked down the corridor.

The footsteps clattered clearly in the quiet house, like a song without melody.

Chen Sinian stopped in front of a white door, took a deep breath, and his chest heaved violently.

His hand rested on the doorknob, pausing for two seconds, as if he needed to muster the courage to push the door open.

Then he pushed open the door, his voice trembling slightly, carrying a cautious tenderness.

"Cecilia, Master Gu has come to see you. Can you hear him? He's here."

The room was so quiet that you could hear the ticking of the wall clock.

The curtains were half-drawn, and the setting sun shone in from the other side, casting a golden glow on the floor.

A young girl lay on the bed, her long white hair spread out on the pillow like a freshly fallen snowflake.

Her skin was very, very white, almost bloodless, almost transparent.

Her eyelashes were long, casting a small shadow on her cheeks, and trembling slightly with her breath.

Her icy blue pupils were hidden by her eyelids, obscuring the clear eyes that Gu Yan remembered.

Cecilia Chen lay there quietly, like a sleeping porcelain doll, like a flower about to wither.

Gu Yan's expression changed as soon as she took a step inside.

An invisible magnetic field surged out of the room, crashing against him like a tide.

The feeling wasn't pain or itching, but an indescribable discomfort, as if someone was stirring something in his head.

His temples were throbbing, his heartbeat became irregular, and he was having some difficulty breathing.

Standing behind him, Zhao Tiegu narrowed his eyes and took out a warm, white jade pendant from his pocket and handed it over.

"Wearing this can isolate mental energy fluctuations; it's an old item I brought back from the North."

Gu Yan took the jade pendant and held it in her hand, a warm current spreading from her palm throughout her body.

The discomfort lessened instantly, my temples stopped throbbing, and my breathing became steady.

He turned back and nodded to Zhao Tiegu in thanks, then continued walking inside.

The closer he got to Cecilia's bed, the stronger the magnetic field fluctuations became, but the jade pendant blocked most of it.

He walked to the bedside and looked down at the girl on the bed. Her long white hair was spread out on the pillow, and she was as quiet as a painting.

Just as he approached, a faint blush appeared on Cecilia's pale cheeks.

It was as if someone had lit a small lamp inside her cold body, the light shining through her skin.

Gu Yan noticed this change, and the seven-colored light deep in her pupils flickered slightly.

He activated his Eyes of Emotion, and the Mirror Flower Seal operated silently, sensing Cecilia's spiritual world.

He saw her inner castle; it was a white palace frozen in ice, its doors and windows tightly shut.

But there were cracks in the ice, and faint light shone through the cracks, indicating that she was still alive and struggling.

Gu Yan withdrew her supernatural power and breathed a sigh of relief. She could be saved; as long as he made contact with her, he could save her.

But that came at the cost of his lifespan; every contact was burning his life.

He recalled his dashboard, where the lifespan section read "two years and ten months".

Two years is only a little over two years, which is neither long nor short. It's enough time to do a lot of things, but also enough time to do very little.

He sighed, a deep and long sigh, as if he wanted to expel all the air from his chest.

Then he turned and walked out, his steps not as fast as when he came in, and he seemed a little heavy.

Chen Sinian stood at the door, his eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses fixed on Gu Yan's expression.

Upon seeing Gu Yan emerge, he hurried to greet her, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement.

"Master Gu, my daughter's complexion has improved a lot since you went in. You truly deserve the title of Imperial Jade."

"Did you see that just now? Her face turned red. I haven't seen any color in her face in a long time."

His voice trembled, not from fear but from excitement, as if he had seen the first ray of light in the darkness.

Looking at his expectant face, Gu Yan felt a surge of indescribable emotions.

"Boss Chen, I'll come see her again tomorrow. I'm a little tired today, so I'll go back and rest now."

His voice was very calm, unnaturally calm, as if he was suppressing something.

After saying that, he turned and left without waiting for Chen Sinian's reply or looking back at anyone.

He walked alone down the long corridor, his footsteps making a clear, clattering sound in the quiet space.

Fu Wanqing stood at the door watching his back, a hint of worry flashing in her amber eyes.

She hadn't known Gu Yan for long, but she had never seen him like this before.

His back looked somewhat lonely and heavy, as if he were being weighed down by something.

She quickly followed, her steps light and silent, keeping a respectful distance.

Zhao Tiegu and Chen Sinian stood there, watching the two disappear one after the other at the end of the corridor.

They exchanged a glance. Zhao Tiegu's expression remained unchanged, but a hint of seriousness appeared in his eyes.

Chen Sinian pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his lips moved a few times, but no sound came out.

He knew Gu Yan must be having difficulties, but he dared not ask and could not ask; he could only wait.

Gu Yan returned to the guest room she had stayed in at the Chen family's house before, and the room was still the same.

The curtains are light blue, the bed sheets are white, and there's a potted green plant on the table that's growing very well.

He walked to the table, picked up the kettle, filled it with water, and put it on the heater to boil.

When the water boils, steam rises from the kettle spout, drifting white under the light.