"Bruce, are you okay?" she asked the man beside her across Mu Yijie.
There was nothing she could do. As soon as they got in the car, Mu Yijie directly sat between the two of them. With his feet crossed, he leaned against Yong Shanling, looking rather lazy.
"I..." Just as he was about to speak, his words were interrupted by a ringing phone.
Looking at the caller ID, Cruz frowned, looking a bit annoyed. In the end, he still answered the call. "Hello..."
"Have you had enough fooling around outside? Hurry back home right now!"
The person on the other end didn't seem to want to have a serious conversation with Cruz. The angry voice came clearly into everyone's ears.
Cruz looked at them apologetically. Ye Sen seemed to understand his dilemma and pulled the car to the side and stopped. Cruz immediately got out of the car.
"Cruz is leaving... He didn't even get to have a good few days of fun. Because of me, he even had to go through all these things."
She looked at Cruz's back dejectedly.
Mu Yijie ruffled her hair. "Don't think too much. Whether Cruz comes or goes is his own business. Actually, no one can interfere. It depends on him."
When Cruz got back in the car, it was as if nothing had happened just now. He still joked with her merrily, but the hint of melancholy in him just wouldn't fade away.
After the three of them returned to the villa, Cruz immediately started packing his luggage.
She looked at him dejectedly. "Are you really leaving?"
Cruz was putting his clothes into the suitcase. He turned around and looked at her, smiling playfully. "Don't worry. If I have time, I'll definitely come and play with you. Remember me, my girl~"
"Stop joking around. This bottle of wine is for you. It's a little token of appreciation from Ling'er and me." Mu Yijie threw the bottle of wine at him.
Cruz caught the wine and looked at the vintage. His eyes lit up. He almost threw himself into Mu Yijie's arms. "Mu Yijie, you're so nice! Don't worry. I'll miss you guys after I go back."
"Alright. I'm afraid I'll be late. I'll leave first. Bye, Shanling."
After Cruz left, the once noisy house suddenly became quiet. Listening to the sound of water in the bathroom, she suddenly felt a bit lonely lying in bed alone.
She didn't know when she fell asleep. When Mu Yijie came out of the bathroom, he saw her lying in bed, not even having changed her clothes. He couldn't help but shake his head.
After changing her clothes for her, he saw that she was pouting and frowning, as if she was having a bad dream. He gently smoothed the crease between her eyebrows with his hand, kissed her forehead, and smiled dotingly.
"Go to sleep, my girl."
The unconscious Yong Shanling seemed to have come to a village. She strolled by the river. A few children ran past her. As she walked, she came to the village. Many women were gathered together, chatting about something.
A peasant woman seemed to have caught her eye. She waved at her with a smile. Just as she was about to raise her hand, a child ran through her body and hugged the peasant woman tightly.
"Grandma, look! These are the fruits I picked with Brother A Xu."
The peasant woman lovingly stroked the little girl's head. "Be a good girl, Ling'er. Don't climb trees so often in the future. Girls shouldn't be so naughty all the time."
The little girl lowered her head aggrievedly. "Okay, grandma."
Yong Shanling felt a familiar yet strange aura from the little girl. She had such a familiar face, but Yong Shanling just couldn't remember who she was... And the name. Was it the same as hers? Her confusion was finally broken by a voice.
"Bai Ling, hurry up! We're going to catch fish in the river." A boy waved in the distance, calling the little girl in front of her.
Maybe the boy had just done something, for there were a few smudges on his face. But she didn't pay attention to this boy. Instead, her eyes were fixed on another boy standing beside him.
A boy who exuded a faint aura of coldness. Maybe his elegant aura didn't quite fit in with the environment here. Standing against the light, he lowered his head and stared at the pebbles at his feet, as if everything around him had nothing to do with him.
His sparse bangs covered his eyebrows. Under the sunlight, a beautiful halo shone on his well - groomed black hair.
Hearing the call in the distance, Bai Ling turned around slightly. Her tied - up hair suddenly fell loose. The gentle breeze blew up the girl's skirt and hair. The girl gently tucked the loose hair behind her ear, raised her hand, and shouted into the distance.
"Got it!"
Then, with a bright smile, she ran towards the two boys. Under the sunlight, the girl seemed to be glowing. Although she was wearing a simple dress and had no makeup on, her beauty was truly captivating.
The boy with his head down seemed to have heard the call in the distance. He slowly raised his head. Watching the girl running towards him, his originally calm heart suddenly started beating faster.
His pupils dilated slightly. As he watched the girl approaching step by step, he couldn't help but take a step back and hide behind the other boy.
Yong Shanling, who was following behind the girl, was slightly shocked when she saw the boy's face. "He looks so familiar. It seems like I saw this face just a few days ago. But she still couldn't remember who this boy and Bai Ling were."
"Why... Ouch, my head hurts so much." As she thought about it, Yong Shanling felt as if her head was about to split apart.
"Hey, Brother A Xu, who is he? I've never seen him before." The girl picked up the weeds beside her and tied up her hair as she asked curiously.
A Xu looked at the girl's fair face. He felt his face starting to turn red. Scratching his head, he introduced.
"His name is Gu Li. He seems to have just moved to the village recently. I just met him under a tree by the river."
"Oh~ Hello, Brother A Li! My name is Bai Ling. You can also call me Ling'er. Can we be friends!"
Bai Ling looked at Gu Li with a smile, while the latter hid behind A Xu and remained silent. The situation became a bit awkward for a moment.
A Xu waved his hand. "It's okay, Ling'er. He was like this when I first met him. But he's actually a nice guy. Let's go and play by the river."
After saying that, the boy took Bai Ling's hand. Gu Li, who was standing behind the boy, felt a bit uncomfortable seeing the boy holding the girl's hand. This was a feeling he had never experienced before.
He touched his heart, feeling indescribable. Yong Shanling looked at his face, trying desperately to remember, but to no avail. Looking at the boy's bangs, she wondered if she could recognize him if she pushed them up. Unfortunately, she couldn't touch them.
Gu Li ran forward, pulled apart the hands that were holding each other, and walked between the two of them. Bai Ling pouted and looked at him.
"Why did you pull our hands apart?"
Gu Li still didn't say a word and just walked on. Bai Ling pushed his shoulder. "Are you mute, Gu Li?"
Gu Li looked at the girl's profile. He immediately lowered his head again and slowly shook it. A Xu smiled and ruffled his hair. "This guy actually has a really nice voice."