Led by the guard, Gu Ming walked into the large manor. After passing through several courtyards and winding corridors, he finally arrived at a small, secluded yard.
The guard stopped and said to Gu Ming, “The Second Young Miss is waiting for you in the courtyard ahead.”
After speaking, he bowed and withdrew.
Watching the guard leave, Gu Ming stepped into the courtyard.
There was a small banyan tree inside, and beneath it sat a stone table surrounded by several stone stools. Atop the stone table were some snacks and a pot of tea.
Gu Ming scanned the area but did not see Ling Yuyan, so he prepared to sit on a stone stool to wait for her.
Creak —
Just then, a door suddenly opened, and the figure of a girl who looked like the little sister next door stepped out from the room.
Ling Yuyan had changed into a set of casual home clothes that were far less formal than her usual attire.
“You’re here, Mister Wuming.” She gave a light laugh and walked out slowly.
“You are the Second Young Miss of the Ling Family. Why do you live in a place like this?” Gu Ming glanced around the courtyard, looking puzzled.
“Is it too shabby?” Ling Yuyan’s eyes curved into crescents.
Gu Ming nodded and said, “It doesn’t match your status.”
“But I like it here.” Ling Yuyan placed her hands behind her back, her gaze fixed on the banyan tree.
‘Is there a story here?’
Gu Ming sensed it keenly.
“Aren’t you going to ask why?” Ling Yuyan smiled at him.
“If you don’t want to say, there’s no point in me asking. If you do want to say, I don’t need to ask; you’ll tell me anyway,” Gu Ming said.
“Hehe.” Ling Yuyan covered her mouth and giggled. “Girls don’t like it when boys talk like that.”
Gu Ming was stunned for a moment.
“So — ” Ling Yuyan moved with light steps and pointed a finger at Gu Ming’s chest. Her lively eyes flicked upward. “Hurry up and ask.”
“Why?” Gu Ming went along with her wish.
“Good boy.” Ling Yuyan took a few steps back to maintain a safe distance from Gu Ming. She leaned forward slightly and gave him a mischievous smile. “Girls like bad boys. Since you’re so obedient, no girl will ever like you.”
“Thanks for the advice!” Gu Ming said through gritted teeth, his face clouding over.
“However, I’m different.” Ling Yuyan looked back at the banyan tree. “I like the obedient type.”
Gu Ming: “…”
“Heehee.” Ling Yuyan covered her mouth, her eyes curving into crescents again. “Mister Wuming, did your heart just flutter?”
“No,” Gu Ming answered truthfully.
“Ah — ” Ling Yuyan looked completely crushed, her shoulders slumping. “I’m so hurt.”
“Are you hitting on me?” Gu Ming’s lip twitched.
“Yes,” Ling Yuyan said matter-of-factly. “Don’t boys like proactive girls?”
“I do,” Gu Ming said. “But you aren’t my type.”
What?!
Ling Yuyan was shocked once again, looking quite flustered.
“Then what type of girls do you like?” she asked, appearing unwilling to lose.
Gu Ming hesitated. He decided not to reveal his preferences, considering she was a girl.
“I’m not saying.”
“Boo — “
Gu Ming ignored her reaction and asked, “Do you like me?”
Ling Yuyan shook her head, then covered her mouth and gave a wicked smile. “Are you disappointed?”
“No, I’m not,” Gu Ming replied truthfully.
Ling Yuyan was crushed yet again.
“I’m just curious why you’re flirting with me,” Gu Ming said.
“Because you beat my big brother,” Ling Yuyan said seriously.
Gu Ming was somewhat speechless. He asked tentatively, “So, you want to get revenge for him?”
“No.” Ling Yuyan turned around, her back to Gu Ming. “It’s because when I was a child, I told my mother that I would marry a man more powerful than my big brother.”
“…” Gu Ming hesitated before saying, “I think that’s just a childhood joke. You shouldn’t take it seriously. Your mother probably forgot about it long ago.”
“My mother is no longer here,” Ling Yuyan said calmly. “This is the courtyard where I lived with her.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.” It took Gu Ming a long moment to squeeze out those words of comfort.
“Do you want to hear it?” Ling Yuyan blinked. “My past.”
“Not really,” Gu Ming replied honestly.
“Say it! Say you want to hear it!”
Ling Yuyan quickly pressed toward him, and Gu Ming was forced to step back repeatedly. Even so, the distance between them narrowed significantly.
Ling Yuyan’s nose was almost touching Gu Ming’s. As their eyes met, her warm breath brushed against his face, accompanied by a girl’s unique fragrance that was so pleasant it cleared the mind.
Ling Yuyan’s cheeks flushed slightly, but she was the one who took a few steps back to open up the distance.
“When I was little, my health was poor. I could hardly leave my bed. Therefore, my father didn’t like me and sent me here to live or die on my own.”
“My mother couldn’t bear to leave me, so she moved in to take care of me.”
“One day, my mother stole a Secret Treasure from Lingyun Pavilion and fused it into my body. Only then did my condition slowly improve, and I was eventually able to get out of bed.”
“However, my father eventually discovered that Mother had stolen the Secret Treasure. He was furious and sent people to arrest her immediately.”
“Before she was taken, Mother warned me over and over again not to say anything, no matter what, because it would bring me mortal danger.”
“But I never imagined that my father would actually use torture to interrogate her just to find the location of the treasure. He completely disregarded their marriage of more than ten years.”
“My mother refused to speak, even if it killed her.”
“But I couldn’t bear to see her suffer. In the end, I took the initiative to tell my father the truth.”
“I really didn’t want to watch my mother endure the whip.”
“And yet, after Father heard the truth, he actually wanted to kill me to take back the Secret Treasure.”
“Just as I was about to die at his hands, Grandfather arrived and saved my life.”
“But my mother… she had endured too much torture. Father had also issued a death order forbidding any physician from treating her. So, she passed away shortly after.”
After hearing this, Gu Ming felt a knot in his stomach. He hadn’t expected this girl to have such a past.
However, he was somewhat confused and asked, “Since your grandfather was able to protect you, why didn’t you go to him from the start?”
“My grandfather just thought I was a waste to lose; he didn’t truly want to protect me,” Ling Yuyan said sadly. “Because my Fusion Rate with the Secret Treasure is as high as 99%, he decided to hand Lingyun Pavilion over to me, even though I’m a girl.”
“Why didn’t your father fuse with that Secret Treasure?” Gu Ming asked.
“Him? He was tested before. His Fusion Rate with the Secret Treasure was only 40%, and Grandfather wouldn’t allow it.” A sneer touched the corner of Ling Yuyan’s mouth. “Because of my poor health and the fact that my father despised me, everyone in the Ling Family except me had been tested. But the results showed that not a single person had a Fusion Rate exceeding 50%, including my big brother.”
Hearing this, Gu Ming couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Ling Yuyan.
“By the way, where was your big brother?” Gu Ming thought of something and asked, “Why didn’t he stop your father from abusing your mother?”
“At that time, my big brother was away traveling.”
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