Zhang Yunyun stared blankly at her.
"Thank you." After a long while, Zhang Yunyun finally found her voice and said sincerely to the person in front of her, "Sister Ruyi."
...
After finishing the grilled fish, everyone was in high spirits. Originally, Song Huaizhi wanted to take their time getting back, stay overnight in the temple halfway up the mountain, and then slowly make their way down the mountain the next day.
Hearing this, Gu Ling immediately looked like an eggplant beaten by frost. Pretending to be nonchalant, he said, "It's not very safe on the mountain, right? How about we go down the mountain earlier?"
[Gu Ling is so cute hahahaha. He's clearly scared, but he still tries to look nonchalant. He's so cute!]
[Gu Ling: Scared, but can't say it out loud.]
[The self - esteem of a young man. Even Yunyun beside him is about to burst out laughing.]
Song Huaizhi gave him a sidelong glance but said nothing.
"Right?" Gu Ling continued bravely, "It's summer now. There are so many mosquitoes, snakes and such on the mountain! If Sister Ruyi and Zhang Yunyun were bitten, they'd be so uncomfortable!"
Hearing his full - of - holes excuse, Meng Ruyi knew that Gu Ling was really scared, but he still didn't dare to admit it because of his pride.
"Okay."
To Gu Ling's surprise, Song Huaizhi actually agreed to his request.
"I knew it!" Gu Ling took the opportunity and walked forward with his things, walking faster than anyone else.
After going down the mountain, they still stayed in that same house.
After dinner, Meng Ruyi and Zhang Yunyun went back to their room.
The candlelight was dim, flickering from time to time, casting the shadows in the room onto the window.
Meng Ruyi had been walking all day and was so sleepy that she could hardly keep her eyes open. Just as she was about to undress and go to bed, her eyes were involuntarily drawn to the lamp shadow and she stared at it.
Suddenly, she wasn't that sleepy anymore.
So Meng Ruyi simply started to read the bullet comments.
[Baby Yunyun isn't asleep yet. I'm going to bed. Good night, everyone.]
Meng Ruyi subconsciously said good night in her heart, with a gentle look on her face.
[How come Yunyun has grown up so fast in the blink of an eye? So has Ruyi. Oh my god! In the blink of an eye, both of my daughters are old enough to be betrothed! Why do I feel that time has passed so quickly!]
[Me too. Oh my god! In the blink of an eye!]
The chatting atmosphere at night was much more gentle, with a rare warmth that was hard to find during the day, like many old friends who had known each other for a long time were chatting.
Four years had really passed in the blink of an eye. Meng Ruyi subconsciously agreed.
So she was already at the age where she could be betrothed?
In a daze, she realized that she was already fourteen. Beside her was her good friend. She had just witnessed her friend's moment of infatuation today. If everything went smoothly, Yunyun might marry that person.
But what about herself?
"Ruyi?" Zhang Yunyun lowered her voice and whispered tentatively, "Are you asleep?"
"I'm not asleep yet!"
Meng Ruyi thought Zhang Yunyun had fallen asleep. Hearing this, she was almost startled. She turned around and said, "Can't you sleep?"
The light in the room was dim. Meng Ruyi could barely make out Zhang Yunyun's face.
Zhang Yunyun looked at her. When their eyes met, for some reason, they both felt inexplicably amused and laughed until they were out of breath.
"Wait." After laughing for a long time, Meng Ruyi couldn't take it anymore. So she sat up, looked at her and said, "If you can't sleep, get up and chat for a while."
"No problem." Zhang Yunyun got up quickly, leaned against the head of the bed, casually pulled the quilt up to her waist, and then said, "It's so strange. I was so tired just now, but now I'm not sleepy at all."
"Me too."
Meng Ruyi responded, looking at Zhang Yunyun with a faint smile.
An indescribable melancholy spread between them, like bitterness but also with a hint of sweetness.
Meng Ruyi's thoughts were in a mess, and Zhang Yunyun couldn't even figure out her own heart. They were close friends, but at this moment, there seemed to be a distance between them.
"I was thinking." Zhang Yunyun murmured, "What do you think of Li Yun?"
In terms of talent, Li Yun must not be too bad. Although Zhang Yunyun didn't like Song Huaizhi very much, she still admired his ability.
If he said so, Li Yun must be good.
But the relationship between people is always very strange. Li Yun is quite talented, but no one knows what kind of person he is.
Zhang Yunyun felt that he should be a gentle person, but how could she draw a conclusion just from one meeting?
Moreover, he may not even have feelings for her. If she was being self - indulgent here, it would be so embarrassing. If Li Yun knew...
Zhang Yunyun couldn't even imagine that kind of embarrassing situation. She subconsciously took a deep breath, which made her feel cold all over. Her heart was pounding even faster.
"I don't know either." To be honest, Meng Ruyi was startled at first. After the misunderstanding was cleared up, she didn't pay much attention to this matter. Her mind was attracted by Zhang Yunyun.
When they first met when they were kids, Meng Ruyi knew that Zhang Yunyun was decisive in doing things. She was sometimes impulsive and always single - minded.
Even the fact that she fell in love with Li Yun was unexpected to Meng Ruyi. Moreover, after Zhang Yunyun realized her feelings, she didn't hesitate at all and directly told Meng Ruyi about it.
Meng Ruyi didn't dare to draw a conclusion casually, for fear of disturbing Zhang Yunyun's thoughts.
Zhang Yunyun was silent for a while, and her voice became even lower. "Actually, I don't like this person that much and I don't have to marry him... I just..."
She suddenly felt that she was worldly. Looking up, she saw that Meng Ruyi was still looking at her with clear eyes. Her gentle gaze fell on her, quietly waiting for her answer.
"Because he is very suitable." Zhang Yunyun calmed down and explained to Meng Ruyi, "He has a humble background and a poor family, but he is very talented. If I marry him with my dowry, as long as he is not too bad, my life won't be too hard."
Zhang Yunyun felt that when she said this, she seemed to turn into a cold and terrifying shell for a moment.
"No." Meng Ruyi's expression remained unchanged. She said to Zhang Yunyun, "You don't have to think so much, Yunyun."
"I've said before that my mother has taken you as her adopted daughter, so now you're like my elder sister. No matter what you choose, we will support you."
"So you don't have to think too much and don't wrong yourself." As Meng Ruyi said this, seeing Zhang Yunyun in a daze, she pinched her face and said with a smile, "Don't be polite. You've secretly helped me a lot over the years."
"But our relationship is not just a transaction. We are friends."
"Ruyi..."
"Hey! Don't be too touched. I'm going to the capital. If I make a big mistake then, I might even implicate you."
Meng Ruyi's eyes were very serious. Seeing the gratitude on Zhang Yunyun's face, her heart skipped a beat.
"It's so good!" Zhang Yunyun moved quickly, hugged Meng Ruyi tightly, buried her head in her shoulder and said in a muffled voice, "Ruyi! I must be a man in the next life so that I can marry you."