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

No one dared to bully her, and no one could push her to the brink.

Her isolated campus life, those days when everyone avoided her, will all change.

Thinking about this, Gu Yan suddenly realized that she had indirectly changed Shen Youyao's life.

Although he didn't personally intervene, he gave her sister courage.

He smiled slightly, nodded, and said, "Of course that's great."

"I'll come see you then. Just do your best."

"Anyway, with your sister around, getting first place is definitely not a problem."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Youyao's expression changed.

She looked up at Gu Yan, her gaze serious and completely different from usual.

"I won't rely on my sister; I'll rely on myself."

"I won't let my sister help me with this martial arts exam; I'm going to rely on my own abilities."

Gu Yan froze, the beautiful scene in her mind shattering instantly.

He even subconsciously took half a step back, and his voice rose a few decibels.

"What did you say? Rely on yourself? Youyao, you're only a C-level now."

"No, no, let's rely on your sister instead. This isn't the time to be stubborn."

Shen Youyao took a step forward, her voice still soft, but with a firmness she hadn't shown before.

"I've already talked to my sister, and she said it's up to me. She also said it would be more interesting for me to take the exam myself."

Gu Yan felt a throbbing sensation in her temples.

He took a deep breath and tried to reason with her, making his tone particularly gentle.

"Youyao, listen to me, the martial arts exam is no small matter."

Think about it, what if you get hurt? What if something happens to you? How am I supposed to explain this to your parents?

Besides, you have the advantage of having an older sister, so why not take advantage of it? It's not like you're cheating.

Shen Youyao did not back down; she pushed up her black-rimmed glasses.

Those deep brown eyes looked up at him intently, their light shining brightly.

"Brother Gu Yan, please believe me just this once. I can't be protected by my sister forever, and I can't be protected by you forever either."

"You can't be by my side 24/7 every day. One day I'll have to rely on myself."

"And I want to be valued by the country through my own abilities, not because of my sister."

Gu Yan opened her mouth, wanting to say something to refute her.

But he looked into her eyes and saw a stubbornness he had never seen before.

He suddenly realized he couldn't refute it, because he understood that feeling.

He himself was the same; he could have easily relied on the system to get by, but he still followed Pei Zhanyue and practiced sword by sword.

He swallowed those words and let out a long sigh.

"Okay, then be careful. Don't be reckless, safety first."

"If all else fails, just call your sister; she'll definitely be waiting nearby."

Shen Youyao nodded vigorously, and a big smile finally bloomed on her face.

That smile was different from her usual timid smile; it was genuine happiness.

"I will, thank you, Brother Gu Yan."

She waved to Gu Yan and then turned and jogged towards the martial arts exam center.

Her light blue dress fluttered under the streetlights, and her ponytail swayed behind her.

She ran a few steps, then turned back, cupped her hands around her mouth, and called out to him.

"Remember to come see me, you promised."

Gu Yan stood at the street corner, watching Shen Youyao's figure disappear into the distance behind the sycamore trees.

Her ponytail swayed one last time under the streetlight, then disappeared around the corner.

He sighed softly and put his hands back in his pockets.

I hope Shen Youyao can be happy every day.

That girl with black-rimmed glasses, that girl who always spoke cautiously.

There was another girl living inside that body.

She shouldn't have to bear so much.

She should be smiling happily like she was just now.

He flagged down a taxi on the roadside, opened the door, and sat in the back seat.

The streetlights outside the car window receded one by one.

The shadow of the sycamore tree flashed quickly across the glass.

He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes for a while.

My mind is still replaying everything that happened today.

The Lamp Demon's claws, Shen Youwei's crimson giant, and the black cracks of the masked man in the black robe.

And then there's Shen Youyao's soft line in the movie theater, "I really like Brother Gu Yan."

What happened that day was enough for him to process for several days.

Gu Yan opened her eyes as the car turned onto the tree-lined road leading to the Chen family mansion.

He sensed something was wrong; it was too bright outside the house.

Moreover, you can vaguely see many figures.

He sat up straight, looked ahead, and froze.

The main gate of the Chen family mansion was brightly lit, and two rows of people stood from the gate into the courtyard.

Everyone was wearing the Chen family uniform and stood ramrod straight, as if they were waiting for some important person.

The lanterns under the porch were all lit up, illuminating the entire driveway as if it were daytime.

Several black special operations vehicles were parked nearby, their engines still running.

The car headlights cast two long beams of light into the night.

The taxi stopped at the door, and Gu Yan paid the fare and opened the car door.

The moment his foot touched the ground, two rows of people bowed to him simultaneously.

Their movements were so synchronized that it looked like they had rehearsed.

"Welcome back to Master Gu's residence."

The sound echoed in the night, shaking several leaves off the ginkgo tree by the door.

Gu Yan stood there, stunned, one hand still holding onto the car door.

He had lived in Shanglu for so long and had never seen anything like this before.

Chen Ssu-nien had been very polite to him before, but this time it was clearly different.

This is a higher level of treatment.

He took a deep breath and stepped into the gate, where he saw Aunt Tian at the front of the crowd.

Aunt Tian stood in the center of the porch, her hands clasped in front of her, her back ramrod straight.

Today she wore a dark gray formal suit, unlike her usual outfit of an apron and a rolling pin.

His expression was serious, and he quickly came to greet Gu Yan after she got out of the car.

"Master Gu, you're finally back."

Her voice carried a hint of barely suppressed tension.

Gu Yan walked up to her and asked in a low voice.

"Aunt Tian, ​​what's going on? Why are there so many people? What happened?"

Aunt Tian looked at him, remained silent for a second, and then sighed softly.

"Master Gu, please come in with me. Miss is waiting for you inside."

"You'll find out once you go inside."

Gu Yan followed her through two rows of bowing servants and walked inside.

He continued to ask in a low voice as he walked.

"Didn't we agree this morning that we wouldn't tell Cecilia about what's happening outside?"

"I'm afraid she'll worry. She's only just recovered and can't be stressed."

Aunt Tian paused for a moment, then continued walking forward.

She pushed open the main hall door and stepped aside to let Gu Yan go in first.

She only answered after he entered the main hall.

His voice carried a hint of helplessness and heartache.

"Master Gu, you're in danger. You can't keep quiet about something like this happening."

"And it can't be hidden anymore, you can see it in the news."

"Although the higher-ups have suppressed it, it's impossible for Miss not to know."

She pointed to the large-screen TV hanging on the wall on the side of the main hall.

The screen was showing the evening news, with aerial footage of the sycamore-lined avenue.