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

Gu Yan returned to her room, closed the door, and leaned against it, letting out a long sigh of relief.

The back of my shirt was still a little damp, from the tension I felt during the scene in the yard earlier.

He raised his hand to touch his lips, but quickly put his fingertips down after they touched his lips.

The sensation seemed to linger, soft and cool, carrying her cool fragrance.

He paced back and forth in the room a few times, forcing himself to switch his mind into analytical mode.

To be honest, this time, Chief Minister Fu summoned the elites of the country, and even the Four Great Masters personally came out.

Hopefully, my life can be extended a little, so I won't have to count down the days like I do now.

But then he thought again, no matter how long it was extended, it couldn't withstand too much contact with the female lead.

Every kiss makes one piece fall off, every hug makes another piece fall off. This isn't dating, this is killing me!

And then there's Lin Yan, judging from the description of him in the Book of the World.

That bastard will definitely not give up so easily; he's made such a fool of himself.

Having spent so many years in high society circles in Europe and America, what he cares about most is his reputation.

He'll definitely find a way to retaliate after being publicly kicked out today, and he won't be slow in doing so.

Just then, his phone rang again. He took it out and saw that it was a message from Shen Youyao.

The message said she had arrived in Shanglu and was staying in a dormitory next to the martial arts examination center.

When asked if it would be convenient to meet, they said that their mental strength hadn't improved significantly recently.

She asked Gu Yan for help, and her tone and wording were very careful, with each sentence ending with a soft, gentle phrase.

Gu Yan stiffened slightly and instinctively typed a reply.

"It's not convenient right now. I've been quite busy lately. Let's talk about it in a few days."

After the message was sent, the other party remained silent for several seconds.

The message "The other party is typing" appears at the top of the dialog box, flashes briefly, then stops, then flashes again.

It was as if someone was repeatedly typing and deleting, hesitating for a long time.

Then another message popped up, and Shen Youyao replied like this.

Why doesn't Gu Yan want to see me?

"I saw online that if someone doesn't want to meet someone, it means there's someone new, and they're tired of them, right?"

Gu Yan was completely dumbfounded and stared at the screen for several seconds.

This speaking style is completely unlike Shen Youyao's; Shen Youyao always speaks very cautiously.

Before sending a message, I had to think it over for a long time. Why would I use such a tone? Why would I question him so directly?

She does resemble Shen Youwei quite a bit, that powerful personality who controls everything deep within Shen Youyao's consciousness.

He quickly typed a reply, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

"How about tomorrow? I'll come see you tomorrow; I really have something to do today."

There was another moment of silence on the other end, longer than before, so long that Gu Yan started to get nervous.

He held his phone, staring at the chat window, his finger hovering above the screen, afraid to put it down.

Then the other side replied with a "good" emoji, which was a kitten nodding.

She seemed to have returned to her usual well-behaved self, completely different from before.

Gu Yan breathed a sigh of relief and placed her phone on the bedside table.

He decided to put these thoughts aside for the time being and picked up his phone to play a few games to distract himself.

As night fell, I got sleepy, my eyelids started to droop, and I fell asleep quickly after turning off the lights.

Soon it was dawn, and sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, drawing a golden line on the floor.

Gu Yan changed her clothes, pushed open the door, and went out.

As expected, Fu Wanqing was still standing in the courtyard waiting for him, holding a bowl of soup, just like always.

Today she is wearing a light green short-sleeved shirt with white shorts.

Her long pink hair was tied into a high ponytail, making her look fresh and clean.

The soup bowl was still steaming with white vapor; she had gotten up before dawn to cook it.

But this time Gu Yan felt something was strange; why was Fu Wanqing staring at his face?

To be precise, it seems like I was constantly looking at his lips.

Her gaze never left his mouth, her amber eyes filled with scrutiny.

It was as if she was identifying some kind of trace, or confirming something she didn't want to confirm.

Gu Yan felt a little guilty for some reason, and the scene under the ginkgo tree yesterday flashed through her mind.

He took the soup bowl from Fu Wanqing's hand, lowered his head, and began to drink.

It's as delicious as ever, with a clear broth and a wonderful flavor.

But he always felt that gaze was still on his face, and he didn't look away even when he was drinking soup.

He could even feel that gaze sweeping over his lips, inch by inch.

He finished his soup and looked up to find Fu Wanqing still watching him.

The meaning behind that gaze was hard to define; it was as if he were studying something he didn't quite understand.

He coughed, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and tried to make his voice sound natural.

"What's wrong? Did I not wash my face properly?"

Fu Wanqing paused for a few seconds, her eyes filled with complex emotions, and her lips moved as if she wanted to say a lot.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and something seemed to be swirling deep within her amber pupils.

It was as if he was organizing his thoughts, or perhaps hesitating whether or not he should ask.

Finally, she spoke softly, her voice lower than usual, so low that only the two of them could hear her.

"What did you and Miss Chen do yesterday?"

Gu Yan almost choked on her own saliva, coughed twice, and placed the empty bowl on the stone table.

The bowl made a soft sound as it hit the stone surface, and he used this action to look away.

He tried to keep his face calm, but his heart was in turmoil.

"An old friend of Miss Chen is looking for her. She doesn't like that person very much and asked me to help her fend him off."

Fu Wanqing was silent for a few seconds, then took the empty bowl from his hand and held it to her chest.

Then he continued, his tone carrying a subtle, almost imperceptible probing.

"You didn't do anything to Miss Chen, did you?"

"I saw Miss Chen in the garden last night, and she seemed to have a rather flushed face."

"A person sat in a wheelchair, lost in thought, and didn't move for a long time despite the wind blowing."

Gu Yan shifted her gaze to the roses in the flower bed, speaking as casually as possible.

"Really? Maybe it's because of that person. That person really didn't know how to talk."

Fu Wanqing narrowed her eyes slightly, took a step forward, and moved closer to him.

Her toes almost touched the tips of his shoes as she looked up at him.

"Master Gu isn't lying to me, is he? Look me in the eyes and say it."

Gu Yan looked down and met those amber eyes, her heart skipped a beat.

Her eyes were so bright that he felt his lies would be exposed.

He quickly spoke, his voice tinged with unconscious nervousness.

"That's not true. I never lie to women."

At this moment, Fu Wanqing moved a little closer, and the two of them were so close that they could feel each other's breath.

Gu Yan looked at the girl, whose beautiful face and long pink hair gave her a serious beauty in the morning light.

That seriousness was completely different from his usual carefree and playful demeanor.

It's like a cat that usually only knows how to act cute suddenly perking up its ears and staring at its prey.

His amber eyes held something he couldn't understand, yet his outward appearance remained as bright as ever.