Meng Ruyi was truly curious. Why was it that every time she met Gu Ling, it was almost always in front of her own house? And couldn't Gu Ling tell that she was avoiding him? Why did he always try to get close?
When Gu Ling saw Meng Ruyi, his eyes lit up and he was about to rush forward in a hurry. But when he saw the evasive looks on their faces, he gave a sad smile and just stood there quietly watching them.
[LMAO. Why is Gu Ling so unpopular everywhere? It was the same in the original book. Poor little Gu was bullied by the other six male leads together.]
[Gu Ling: Poor thing, unloved.]
[What's Meng Ruyi being so high - and - mighty about? And Song Huaizhi. One is a side character and the other is a villain. Why do they have to bully my precious Gu?]
[Yuck! Precious? If you don't like it, just leave. No one's going to indulge you!]
It was astonishing.
It seemed that as long as Gu Ling appeared or suffered grievances, the barrage in the comments would always start to argue.
Meng Ruyi sighed inwardly. Knowing that she still had to do the superficial courtesy, she walked shoulder - to - shoulder with Song Huaizhi up to Gu Ling and asked, "Does Young Master Gu have something to say?"
Gu Ling looked into Meng Ruyi's bright eyes. There was no trace of surprise in them. Instead, there was a hint of weariness. When she looked at him, she was far less relaxed than when she looked at Song Huaizhi. He felt as if the words were stuck in his throat. He stammered, "I..."
Both of them just stood there quietly looking at him, their expressions calm.
Suddenly, Gu Ling came to his senses and realized what he was doing. He felt a lump in his throat and a strange feeling welled up inside him, making his face turn slightly red. He suddenly felt very aggrieved. Biting his lips, he said, "Why are you avoiding me?"
Gu Ling was only an eleven - year - old boy. Since childhood, he had been the center of attention in the capital. No one had ever made him feel wronged. Most people were like dogs eyeing a bone when they saw him. Many children of his age even fawned on him everywhere as told by their parents. This time when he came to this small town with his mother, Gu Ling had vaguely sensed the undercurrents of power struggles in the capital. The Gu family, standing at the forefront of the storm, had naturally noticed it early on.
Gu Ling's temper had improved a lot, but he still had a touch of arrogance. He didn't understand why the two people in front of him were indifferent to him.
"We're not avoiding you," Meng Ruyi replied politely as usual. She had no obligation to fawn on this young master. She only maintained a superficial peace with him.
"You..." Gu Ling knew she was lying, but he couldn't bear to expose her lie bluntly. So he glared at them fiercely and then strode quickly towards the adjacent courtyard.
Meng Ruyi watched him leave. She saw him push the gate open forcefully and then slam it shut with a "bang". "Will he take revenge on us?"
"Don't worry," Song Huaizhi said with a hint of sarcasm in his expression, but his tone remained the same as before. "Soon, the Gu family will be very busy."
Intuition told Meng Ruyi that "busy" in Song Huaizhi's words must not be a good thing. Because as soon as he said this, the barrage in the comments was like boiling water, surging out all at once. It made Meng Ruyi's vision blur for a moment, and she almost stumbled.
[Holy crap!!!! Song Huaizhi knows something! Help! I was laughing one second, and the next second I got goosebumps!]
[I just couldn't help swearing. If I hadn't checked the protagonist list, I would have thought Song Huaizhi was the main character!]
[Oh my god, it must be an illusion. How could Song Huaizhi know so much? It must be a coincidence. Otherwise, how could the Song family have been wiped out?]
Meng Ruyi lowered her head and pondered. All the words were stuck in her heart, but she didn't dare to ask. Song Huaizhi was really too dangerous. Every time Meng Ruyi let her guard down, she would be shocked by his mystery the next moment. Then she would shrink back into her shell like a frightened little animal.
Seeing the confusion on Meng Ruyi's face, Song Huaizhi suddenly let out a soft laugh. A mocking smile appeared on his handsome face. "What? Ruyi, what are you thinking?"
Meng Ruyi was startled. She stopped involuntarily and stared at Song Huaizhi, lost in thought. It had only been a few months since they first met, but the young man in front of her had grown taller and was now a head taller than her. At this moment, when he stared at her, there was a sense of looking down on her, which made Meng Ruyi catch her breath. Her heart stopped beating for a moment and then started pounding even more violently.
"I want to know," Meng Ruyi didn't dare, or rather, didn't want to hide it from him anymore. She continued, "Does Brother Song know what's going to happen to the Gu family next?"
"Yes," Song Huaizhi was satisfied with her straightforwardness, so the sense of oppression around him lessened a bit. "The Gu family came here because the one above is starting to be dissatisfied. The Crown Prince has grown up, perhaps a bit too fast. So the Gu family has become a bit too conspicuous."
Meng Ruyi suddenly looked up and met Song Huaizhi's cold, night - like eyes. The power struggle she had never imagined was unfolding in front of her eyes. Even the name of the most noble person had reached her ears. Meng Ruyi was in a daze for a moment before she realized what the cooperation between them meant.
She was growing too slowly. She had to speed up to keep up with the person in front of her.
After Song Huaizhi finished speaking, he just looked at her calmly, giving the girl in front of him some time to react. To his surprise, Meng Ruyi's reaction was unexpected. He didn't see fear in her eyes, only a faint light seemed to be burning in them. Looking closer, Song Huaizhi found that the light was actually the reflection of the bright moon in the girl's eyes, but it was as bright as a flame.
"I understand," Meng Ruyi looked at him seriously. "Brother Song, I'll learn faster. I was wrong today. I want to say sorry to you."
"It's okay," Song Huaizhi just replied and walked forward. "As long as you understand."
Meng Ruyi followed his steps, thinking carefully about what she should do next.
......
Song Huaizhi was right. In the next few days, even when Meng Ruyi went out with him, they didn't meet Gu Ling again. Moreover, the adjacent courtyard had returned to its initial tranquility, as quiet as a stagnant pool. This made Meng Ruyi a bit uneasy.
However, Meng Ruyi didn't have much time to think. She forced herself to immerse in her studies. All she saw when she opened and closed her eyes were books and Song Huaizhi's still - handsome face, which made Meng Ruyi break out in a cold sweat just by looking at it.
The number of comments in the barrage also decreased. Meng Ruyi saw that the remaining ones occasionally mentioned the male and female leads. It seemed that things were more lively over there, so many comments had gone to watch the excitement. Only a small number of friendly ones had stayed.
In a blink of an eye, the New Year was approaching. When Meng Ruyi saw the lanterns hanging in front of the Meng Mansion, she couldn't help rubbing her eyes, thinking she was seeing things.
Time was passing so fast!