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

Gu Yan opened the cabinet and found a jar of coffee beans, which Chen Sinian had prepared for him before, and it was still unopened.

The process of grinding soybeans, boiling water, and steeping them is slow and skillful, as if performing some kind of ritual.

The aroma of coffee slowly wafted out, filling the entire room, its bitterness tinged with a hint of sourness.

He sat on a chair by the window, holding a coffee cup, gazing at the night view outside without saying a word.

It was completely dark, and the lights in the distance shone one by one, like stars on the ground.

He took a sip of coffee; it was bitter. He didn't add sugar or milk, he just drank it as is.

A soft sound came from the doorway, and Fu Wanqing pushed the door open and walked in without knocking.

She walked to Gu Yan's side, bent down, tilted her head to look at his face, and blinked her amber eyes twice.

"Gu Yan, what's wrong? Are you in a bad mood? Is it that magnetic field that's making you uncomfortable?"

Her voice was very soft and gentle, lacking its usual cheerful chatter.

Gu Yan looked up at her, her beautiful face filled with worry, her brows slightly furrowed.

He shook his head, the corners of his mouth curving slightly, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"It's nothing, I'm just a little tired. I'll feel better after sitting for a while. You should go and rest."

Fu Wanqing didn't leave, but sat down in the chair opposite him, placing her hands on her knees.

"You're lying. You're clearly preoccupied. Your eyes don't lie."

"I won't force you to say anything, but I'll stay here with you. I'll listen whenever you want to talk."

Her tone was so serious that Gu Yan didn't know how to refuse.

Gu Yan sat on the chair by the window, holding the now-cold coffee, her gaze fixed on the pink-haired girl opposite her.

Fu Wanqing sat opposite him, her hands supporting her chin, her amber eyes fixed on him, her face full of anticipation.

That stunning face appeared exceptionally vivid under the warm yellow light, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, as if waiting for an important answer.

Gu Yan sized her up for a few seconds, and a thought suddenly came to her mind: it wouldn't hurt to reveal a little bit, since she would find out sooner or later anyway.

He put down his coffee cup, slowly circling his fingers along the rim, his voice soft and calm, as if he were talking about someone else.

"Wanqing, if saving someone requires me to pay a heavy price, do you think I should save them?"

He even had a faint smile on his lips as he spoke, as if he were talking about what to have for dinner.

He always felt that he was just an ordinary person with special abilities, not as great as those heroic biographies described.

What Imperial Jade, what Great Xia Pride—these titles were bestowed upon him, but he never felt particularly honored.

The last time he opened the panel, the lifespan column said two years and ten months, a number he remembered very clearly.

But that was in the past. I went through the great battle in the secret realm, used the Mirror Flower Seal so many times, and came into contact with so many female protagonists.

Although he didn't open the panel again, he knew in his heart that there was probably only a little over a year left, or even less.

He just didn't dare to look, didn't dare to face that ever-decreasing number, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.

Since it doesn't exist if you don't look at it, you don't have to be afraid if you don't look at it, and you can pretend that you have plenty of time if you don't look at it.

When he said this with a smile, his tone was as relaxed as if he were saying that the weather was nice today and that it might rain tomorrow.

But when Fu Wanqing heard these words, it felt like her heart had been squeezed hard, and the pain almost made her unable to breathe.

The feeling was indescribable; it wasn't the kind of pain you get from being pricked with needles, but rather a bittersweet and tight feeling that welled up from the bottom of your heart.

She didn't know why she was acting this way. Gu Yan was just saying something hypothetical; it wasn't like anything was actually going to happen.

But her body reacted faster than her mind, and she suddenly reached out and grabbed Gu Yan's hand, her fingers tightening around it.

Gu Yan looked down at the hand that was gripping hers. The girl's fingers were slender and fair, but her strength was frightening.

Her fingers wedged between his, as if afraid he would run away, gripping his fingers so tightly they turned white.

"What's wrong with Wanqing? I was just saying, don't take it seriously."

His voice remained calm, but his heart was in turmoil, wondering why she was reacting so strongly.

Fu Wanqing looked down at the two people's clasped hands, remained silent for several seconds, and then slowly raised her head.

There was something in her amber eyes that he had never seen before, not her usual cheerfulness, nor her curiosity.

It's a deep and earnest heartache, like the expression a child has when they first realize that adults can also get hurt.

Why do something you don't like?

Her voice wasn't loud, but she spoke each word very seriously, without her usual cheerful chatter.

"If you don't like it, why force yourself? If you don't want to, why agree to it?"

"No one is holding a knife to your throat, no one is pointing a gun at your head, you can say no."

She spoke slowly, but every sentence seemed to be carefully considered before being uttered, unlike her usual style.

Gu Yan was even more stunned. He thought that, given Fu Wanqing's personality, she would advise him to prioritize saving lives, since it was a life at stake.

She would say, "Of course we should save them, how can we just stand by and watch them die?" She would say, "You are the 'Golden Jade of the Empire,' you must live up to that title."

She would even jump up and pat him on the shoulder, saying, "What are you afraid of? I've got your back," and then laugh like a carefree little sun.

But she didn't. She said something completely different, which was completely unexpected and left him speechless for a moment.

Seeing that Gu Yan did not reply, Fu Wanqing continued speaking, her pace faster than usual, as if afraid of being interrupted.

"If you don't like it here, we can leave early, taking Grandpa with us, instead of waiting until tomorrow."

"Actually, I don't like it here either. The atmosphere in the Chen family is too oppressive. Everyone speaks very cautiously."

"I felt very uncomfortable there, and I didn't even dare to walk loudly, for fear of damaging their floor."

As she spoke, her tone carried a hint of complaint, but more than that, it was a childlike disdain.

"My sister is so amazing, the Fu family has enough of her, why did they need to find me?"

"They were doing fine before I came back, and they were still doing fine after I came back."

"Whether I go out or not, it's all the same. Whether I'm here or not, the Fu family will still be there. The sky won't fall and the earth won't collapse."

There was something indescribable in her voice; it wasn't a complaint or a feeling of grievance, but rather a sense of helpless acceptance.

As Gu Yan listened to these words, she felt as if something had gently scratched her heart; it didn't hurt, but it was hard to ignore.

Fu Wanqing suddenly smiled again, and that smile was still so bright, so bright it was almost blinding.