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

Gu Yan suddenly thought of something and tentatively spoke.

"By the way, Youyao, where did Huaheng go?"

There was a sudden silence on the other end of the phone.

It was so quiet you could hear a faint electrical hum.

Several seconds passed before Shen Youyao spoke.

"have no idea."

Just those three words, and not a single more.

Gu Yan coughed a few times and quickly changed the subject.

"Okay, let me know when you get to Shanglu and I'll come pick you up."

"Think about what you want to eat in advance, eat more, you're too thin."

"Get some rest early, don't stay up late reading."

Shen Youyao hummed in response, her voice still muffled.

Gu Yan said goodnight and hung up the phone.

He put his phone back in his pocket, leaned back in his chair, and looked up at the night sky.

The stars are shining brightly, and there are no clouds tonight.

He was already planning what to do next.

Our first goal in this trip to the South China Sea is to find enough life-sustaining substances.

I need to stabilize my lifespan; I can't let it keep slipping away day by day like this.

Once my lifespan stabilizes, I'll head to South Africa.

Take Grandpa away from this place of trouble, and don't worry about anything else.

Thinking of this, he slowly exhaled and got up to walk towards his room.

On the other side, the night in Jinghai was very quiet.

Shen Youyao was still holding her phone, sitting alone on the bed.

She was wrapped in a thin blanket, and her phone screen was already dark.

But she didn't put it down; her fingers were still gripping the edge of the phone.

The eyes behind the black-rimmed glasses were hidden under her bangs.

I couldn't quite make out her eyes; her lips were pressed tightly together.

Slowly bend your knees up and wrap your arms around your calves.

Her chin rested on her knees, and she curled up into a tiny ball.

There's an empty corner in my heart.

He still asked Hua Heng.

Does he not want me to go? Does he think I'm in his way?

Then a voice echoed in my mind; it was another woman.

Shen Youwei's voice carried a light laugh; it wasn't loud, but it was clearly audible.

"Did you hear that? Your good brother still wants to dump you on Hua Heng."

"I've told you so many times, but you still won't believe me."

"If you had let me come back then, I would have had children by now."

"Can he still escape?"

"You're just too timid. Timid people can't grasp anything."

"Let me go to Shanglu this time, and I'll make sure everything is clear for you."

Shen Youyao didn't speak, burying her face in her knees.

The thin blanket slipped down her shoulders a little, revealing her fair arms.

The next day arrived quickly.

When Gu Yan opened her eyes, sunlight had already squeezed in through the gap in the curtains, drawing a golden line on the floor.

He lay in bed for a long time, staring blankly at the crack in the ceiling.

The scene from yesterday morning kept replaying in his mind: Cecilia hugging his neck, and Fu Wanqing pushing open the door and rushing in.

That scene nearly killed him; he still gets cold sweats when he thinks about it.

He silently prayed for a moment, hoping that this wouldn't happen again today; he really couldn't take it anymore.

I took a deep breath, rolled out of bed, and stepped barefoot onto the cold floor.

As I reached the door, my fingers rested on the doorknob, the cool metallic touch traveling through my palm.

After hesitating for two seconds, I pushed the door open.

The sunlight suddenly flooded in, making him squint slightly.

A person was standing in the courtyard; Fu Wanqing was holding a bowl of soup and standing in the morning light.

Her long pink hair cascaded over her shoulders, the ends curling slightly as it swayed gently in the morning breeze.

She wore a light blue slip dress today; the dress was made of thin cotton and clung to her body's curves.

The skirt was very short, swaying gently above the knee.

Two thin shoulder straps hung on her snow-white shoulders, as if they would slip off at the slightest touch.

The neckline was cut neither too high nor too low, just enough to reveal her delicate collarbone.

Sunlight shone from behind her, casting a soft golden glow on her.

A pair of long, straight legs, so white they seemed to glow, were visible beneath the skirt.

She was wearing a pair of white sandals, her toes round and cute.

A morning breeze blew by, and her long pink hair and light blue skirt fluttered at the same time.

She stood in the light, so beautiful it seemed unreal, like a painting, or a dream yet to end.

Gu Yan paused for a second before snapping out of her daze, her throat feeling dry.

"You got up so early."

Fu Wanqing had already run over with the soup in her hands, her sandals making a clattering sound on the stone pavement.

Her skirt swayed gently with her steps, making her look like a butterfly emerging from the light.

She held the soup bowl high, with steam rising from its rim.

"I made the nourishing soup before dawn."

"I simmered it over low heat for almost two hours, and added red dates, goji berries, and longan."

"Drink it while it's hot, it won't taste good when it's cold."

As she spoke, she scooped up a spoonful of soup, bent down, and gently blew on it.

He touched his lips to the spoon to test the temperature, his movements very careful, as if he were doing something very important.

Then, he stood on tiptoe and brought the spoon to Gu Yan's lips.

This action brought her very close to Gu Yan, close enough to smell the fragrance in her hair.

The taste was faintly sweet, like a freshly ripe peach that had just been peeled.

Gu Yan lowered her head to drink the soup, but her gaze unconsciously slid down a little.

The neckline of the light blue slip dress opened slightly as she tiptoed.

The curve of the girl's chest was white and soft, gleaming faintly in the morning light.

Her skin was truly white, not pale but a healthy milky white.

It resembles a piece of fine mutton fat jade, or freshly cooked tender tofu.

Gu Yan felt a sudden heat in her nasal cavity, and a warm current flowed out from her nose.

He quickly looked away to see the flowerbed in the distance.

But it was too late; a drop of blood dripped from his nose.

It landed on the stone slab, splashing out a small, dark red flower.

Fu Wanqing was stunned for a moment, blinked her amber eyes, and then her face turned red.

Her cheeks turned red all the way to her ears, and from her ears to her neck, she looked like a boiled shrimp.

She quickly withdrew the spoon, took half a step back, and held the soup bowl in front of her chest.

She turned her head away, not daring to look at Gu Yan, her ears turning so red they were almost bleeding.

But she wasn't angry; she just gave a soft hum.

"It seems that Master Gu is not as saintly as people say online."

"I thought you really weren't interested in women."

There was an indescribable quality in her voice; it wasn't anger, but rather a hint of smugness.

Gu Yan took out a tissue from her pocket and wiped her nose, her movements very composed.

His expression was calm, showing no signs of emotion, as if he were dealing with a very minor matter.

"Your soup is too nourishing; that's why you had a nosebleed."

Fu Wanqing turned her head and glanced at him, her amber eyes filled with disbelief.

But she didn't pursue the matter further; she simply smiled, a hint of smugness in her expression.

She placed the soup bowl into Gu Yan's hands; the porcelain bowl was still warm.

Gu Yan picked up the bowl and drank it all in one go. The soup was sweet and had a strong red date flavor.

He wiped his mouth and put down the empty bowl.

"By the way, do you have time this afternoon?"