It gets cold quickly on the mountain. As soon as the sun began to set, the wind grew even colder. The entire temple was bathed in a pale golden light, taking on an air of late - afternoon melancholy. After seeing Gu Ling, Meng Ruyi dragged Song Huaizhi around the temple for a while.
The moment she saw Gu Ling, Meng Ruyi's first reaction was to run away and tell Xu Fanglian that she wanted to go home. But it was already late, and they might even run into those people on their way down the mountain.
Moreover, was this really just a coincidence?
Meng Ruyi didn't think things were that simple. Gu Ling was too special. He was one of the male leads in that book, and theoretically, he had a strange constitution that attracted plot - related events wherever he went.
Song Huaizhi was the same. He was the villain in the book, and there was an inexplicable attraction between him and the protagonists. Even though he detested every protagonist and at first wished never to see Gu Ling again, fate had brought them together.
So Meng Ruyi suspected that even if she managed to take her family down the mountain safely and bring Song Huaizhi back to the Meng Mansion, could they really escape the crisis? Instead of calling this an accident, it was more like this damned plot had made Gu Ling appear here.
There was a huge tree ahead. Meng Ruyi followed Song Huaizhi under it and found there was actually a well behind the tree. The well - rim was very clean, exuding a sense of serene Zen.
Meng Ruyi sat down. Sensing the faint sweet fragrance from Song Huaizhi drawing closer, she turned her head and saw him sitting beside her, silently looking at the tree.
She might know as much as Song Huaizhi. And Song Huaizhi had been very resistant to Gu Ling from the start. So what was he thinking now? Would he be desperate? Or would he try to run away?
Meng Ruyi subconsciously looked at Song Huaizhi. The young man's handsome side - profile was well - defined. There was a hint of coldness in his eyes, and his lips were slightly pursed as he looked at the tree. His expression remained unchanged, as if nothing had happened.
But Meng Ruyi noticed that Song Huaizhi's hand was constantly rubbing a brocade pouch. She wondered what was inside.
"Yu Yu, guess what kind of tree this is?"
Song Huaizhi let out a soft smile. Sensing Meng Ruyi's gaze on him, he still spoke slowly and unhurriedly.
"I don't know."
Meng Ruyi was still young and couldn't suppress her restlessness. She glanced at the tree a few times, her thoughts wandering.
"It's a tea tree." Song Huaizhi's gaze was far - reaching, as if he was looking at something strange through this tea tree. Meng Ruyi stared at him intently and saw a look of eagerness she had never seen before in his eyes, as well as a hint of indescribable anger.
"This tea tree has been growing for hundreds of years. When it was just a young sprout, none of us existed. Perhaps that was the heyday of the previous dynasty."
Song Huaizhi's voice was very soft, and his gaze drifted far away. He looked at the leaves of the tea tree, then up to the top of the tree, and finally at the distant mountains. The faint light at the junction of the mountains was gradually dimming.
Meng Ruyi looked at him.
Song Huaizhi had come here from somewhere else. Even Meng Ruyi, a local, didn't know the origin of this tea tree. Why did he know? Did Song Huaizhi also have subtitles like she did?
Why did Song Huaizhi know so much, far more than what was appropriate for his age? Meng Ruyi even suspected that he knew things that the subtitles didn't.
"Brother Song knows so much!"
Meng Ruyi knew that Song Huaizhi wasn't on guard against her at all now, so she couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"Indeed." Song Huaizhi didn't deny it. A faint curve appeared on his lips as he withdrew his gaze from the distance and looked at Meng Ruyi.
"Don't be afraid." Song Huaizhi seemed to be thinking about how to comfort her, but after thinking for a long time, he still couldn't come up with a reasonable way. So he just said, "Anyway, if you're going to die, I probably won't survive either."
Meng Ruyi: "..."
"I don't believe it. You're so good at martial arts. How could you die with me?" Meng Ruyi was too lazy to say false words like "Brother Song, how could we die?" She just glanced at Song Huaizhi, then pursed her lips and let out a sigh.
Meng Ruyi had been on edge ever since she saw the subtitles. But now that she knew the crisis was approaching, she had become calmer.
"Forget it." Meng Ruyi let out another sigh, then said to Song Huaizhi, "Instead of thinking about these things, we'd better discuss how to deal with the situation."
"Okay."
Song Huaizhi nodded and then began to analyze the current situation.
"At first, I speculated that they would choose a night to act and kidnap Gu Ling first. After all, General Gu was injured after Lady Gu gave birth to Gu Ling, and it's difficult for him to have offspring."
Meng Ruyi:!!!
[Holy shit! How does Song Huaizhi know this? It wasn't mentioned in the original book! Did the author improve the setting when revising the text?]
[It should be an improved setting. Although it still seems a bit off, some things seem normal when it comes to Song Huaizhi.]
[It seems normal when it comes to Song Huaizhi +1]
[LMAO. I can't believe I'm getting this kind of gossip. What was Song Huaizhi doing in the capital? Could he have been eavesdropping all day?]
[I can't imagine little Song squatting by the wall. Hahaha, this is today's laugh!]
"So kidnapping Gu Ling would be their best choice."
Meng Ruyi suppressed her shock and nodded at him.
"But I didn't expect that the Gu family is either over - confident or has completely given up. They actually came up the mountain at this time." Song Huaizhi said, his eyes dimming slightly. "They must have their own plans. They should come to find us tonight."
"Let's wait and see what they're up to." Song Huaizhi said, then turned to Meng Ruyi and said, "When you go back tonight, pretend to be sick. Then ask Uncle and Aunt to gather together. It's better for the family to take care of each other. Try not to separate."
"No problem." Meng Ruyi nodded, then continued to Song Huaizhi, "I was worried about coming up the mountain this time, but I couldn't bring too many people from the temple. So I only brought Lianqiao and four loyal servants. They were all born into the family. Brother Song, you can ask Mother to borrow them later."
"Not bad." Song Huaizhi thought this was a pleasant surprise. He had thought Meng Ruyi hadn't made any preparations, but now it seemed that she had grown a lot.
"After this is over, we must really take advantage of the Gu family!" Meng Ruyi changed the subject. Suddenly changing from her dejected state, she said to Song Huaizhi, "Gu Ling is such a jinx! In the end, we got involved!"
Meng Ruyi was angry. Her little face was puffed up, which made Song Huaizhi can't help but let out a soft laugh. He agreed, "Of course. We must really take advantage of them."
After the discussion, Meng Ruyi took the medicine that Song Huaizhi somehow got. It was said that after taking it, she would look haggard. Meng Ruyi was a bit skeptical about the effect because the medicine was sweet and had a faint medicinal fragrance. It was actually a bit delicious.
Just as she stepped into the room, Xu Fanglian exclaimed in shock, "Yu Yu!"