"Long... long time no see," Gu Ling's smile suddenly froze. Looking at Meng Ruyi beaming, he almost embarrassingly lost his wits.
Fortunately, the person in front of him turned away to look at Song Huaizhi right after saying this, not noticing his gaffe.
Really...
Gu Ling couldn't quite tell what he was feeling inside. There was a tinge of sourness mixed with a bit of sweetness, and a sense of melancholy that was hard to put into words.
Compared to when he left, Meng Ruyi had changed so much.
The cute baby fat on the girl's cheeks had completely faded, replaced by a more refined and oval face. She had a well - proportioned figure with a touch of maturity.
Yet her gaze when looking at Gu Ling was still as gentle as ever.
Gu Ling's throat felt a bit dry. He said, "I'm back. From now on, you guys can swagger around in the capital! I'll back you up!"
Song Huaizhi gave him a half - smiling look after hearing this and didn't bother to expose him. Meng Ruyi pursed her lips and smiled, saying to Gu Ling, "Okay! Then I won't be polite. If there's anything, I'll definitely come to you."
After hearing the teasing in Meng Ruyi's tone, Song Huaizhi glanced at her and said, "Let's eat first. We'll talk business after the meal."
"Talk business?"
Gu Ling looked a bit confused. Scratching his head, he said, "What big event has happened recently?"
"Let's eat first," Meng Ruyi looked at his haggard appearance. Thinking that Gu Ling must have been on a rush, entered the palace at noon, and only came back now, she felt a bit pity and said, "If we talk about it now, you won't be able to eat."
Gu Ling was taken aback for a moment and then obediently nodded.
It was evening after the meal. At this moment, the lights were on in every household outside the window, exuding a strong sense of daily life.
Gu Ling hadn't seen such a sight for a long time. He couldn't help but stare out of the window for a long while.
The climate in the north was extremely cold with strong winds all year round. Every household often kept their doors and windows tightly shut, making it hard to see such a peaceful scene.
During times of unrest, one could even see the beacon fires almost reaching the clouds, followed by the sound of bugles.
After looking out for a while longer, Gu Ling turned to look at Meng Ruyi and Song Huaizhi and said seriously, "What's going on in the capital?"
He couldn't even get a moment of peace after just coming back.
Gu Ling wished he could pick up his sword and give a good thrashing to everyone who was being fussy and causing trouble. Then he'd drag them to the north and make them fight those ruthless enemies.
Sighing, Meng Ruyi said, "The crown prince embezzled money, and there's a problem with the dam. The rainy season is coming soon."
What!?
Gu Ling was stunned as if struck by lightning. He never expected the situation to be so serious. In an instant, he felt as if his butt was on fire and couldn't sit still at all.
"This!" Gu Ling murmured a few curses under his breath, not daring to say any swear words in front of Meng Ruyi.
"No way!" Gu Ling stood up abruptly. Frowning, he looked at the two of them and said, "Excuse me. I'll go tell my father now."
"No need," Song Huaizhi finally said calmly, "I've already sent someone to inform General Gu."
Gu Ling let out a sigh of relief.
"Then what should we do?" Gu Ling said, "A dam breach is no small matter! Are we just going to watch?"
"We've done our best," Meng Ruyi explained, "Now it all depends on this year's rain. We can only hope that God will show mercy and not let the common people become displaced."
Looking at the sadness in Meng Ruyi's eyes, Gu Ling felt as if his heart had been hit by something. It ached dully.
"What are you going to do next?"
Meng Ruyi curiously asked Gu Ling.
"I'm not sure, but my father might ask me to go to the academy and hide out with you guys for a while."
"That's a good idea," Meng Ruyi said, looking thoughtful, "Then you can still ask Mr. Lin to save a small courtyard for you."
"Of course," Gu Ling said without a hint of shame, "I'm half of Mr. Lin's disciple. I'm sure I can persuade Mr. Lin to save a courtyard for me."
Meng Ruyi: "..."
It was the familiar feeling. It seemed that Gu Ling hadn't changed at all.
The two of them chatted casually while Song Huaizhi just sat quietly on one side watching. Suddenly, Meng Ruyi turned around and saw his serene gaze fixed on her. She instantly felt a shiver down her spine.
[Hahaha, does this count as the "newcomer" vs. the "childhood sweetheart"! Poor little Song is trembling in fear. Hahaha, so funny!]
[Song Huaizhi has been just sitting there watching the two of them chat. Yu Yu didn't notice at all. I'm really worried for Gu Ling.]
[Scary! If it weren't for Yu Yu, Gu Ling would probably be dead by now.]
[Ah! More of this, please! I love this kind of tense situation! It's so exciting! Gu Ling is also not bad. Although he's not as powerful as little Song, he's still a loyal puppy!]
Meng Ruyi accidentally glanced at the bullet comments and almost fainted from shock. Instantly, her gaze towards Song Huaizhi became a bit guilty.
Forget it.
Song Huaizhi was at a loss with the person in front of him. He had to suppress his annoyance at being ignored. Raising his eyebrows, he looked at Gu Ling who was also looking at him beside Meng Ruyi and said, "Aren't you going back? It's getting late!"
Only then did Gu Ling realize that he didn't live next to them now and could go back whenever he wanted.
So Gu Ling sighed and asked, "Where are you guys staying?"
The implication in his tone was that he wanted Meng Ruyi and Song Huaizhi to go to the Gu family as well.
Unexpectedly, Song Huaizhi already had a plan. He said, "I've already reserved a nice room here. We'll visit General Gu and Mrs. Gu tomorrow."
"Okay."
Gu Ling left reluctantly. Before leaving, he said, "You guys must come tomorrow! I've brought gifts for you!"
After watching him leave, Meng Ruyi turned to Song Huaizhi and said, "Brother Song, shall we go back and rest first?"
"Not yet," Song Huaizhi said, "I'll take you for a stroll downstairs first."
Seeing that it was still quite lively outside, Meng Ruyi became interested.
As soon as they left the restaurant, Meng Ruyi saw a hasty figure.
It looked familiar. This person was...
After thinking for a while, Meng Ruyi was shocked. Turning to Song Huaizhi, she said, "That's Shangguan Xue up ahead!"
Something was wrong! It wasn't easy to leave the academy. Why did Shangguan Xue suddenly come out?
The two looked at each other and silently followed the person in front.
Shangguan Xue was wearing a veil and walked in a hurry, turning into a rather secluded alley.
Meng Ruyi and Song Huaizhi followed very carefully.
Going further ahead, they saw a young man in white standing under a tree. When Shangguan Xue saw the person in front of her, she stopped. After hesitating for a moment, she walked forward, looked him in the eye, and said, "Cousin."
Meng Ruyi couldn't see the man's face clearly, but she instinctively gasped.
This place was extremely secluded. When the two of them walked into a small courtyard, there was even no one guarding it.
Song Huaizhi led Meng Ruyi to a place separated from them by a wall and they started to eavesdrop.
The bullet comments suddenly went crazy.
[Ah! One of the male leads! The cousin! Why is the cousin here!]
[I still like this kind of gentle and handsome guy! The cousin gets extra points!]
[It seems that the cousin's progress is much faster than the other male leads! Wow!]
One of the male leads?
Meng Ruyi's breath caught in her throat.