When the group returned to the manor, Nan Min went straight to his room. Hong Ye stood aside and began to speak.
"The results regarding the ranks will be out in a week. Tomorrow, Nan Min and Ling Er will follow the Sect Master."
Hearing Hong Ye's words, the girl with her head down couldn't help but widen her pupils slightly. Xi Chu, standing beside her, was also looking at her. She raised her hand and looked at Hong Ye.
"Can I go too?"
"Everything will be arranged by the Sect Master. Rest well tonight. Since Nan Min is not here, Ling Er, please tell him later."
Originally, she wanted to refuse, but looking at Hong Ye's irresistible smile, she gave in and nodded. Before she knew it, she had walked to Nan Min's room.
She stood there in a daze for a while. Just as she was about to leave, the door opened. Nan Min was also a bit surprised to see her standing at the door. They looked at each other for a while.
Just as Nan Min was about to close the door, she grabbed his hand. Her face was a bit tense. "Can I come in and talk to you for a while?"
Nan Min's hand that was closing the door paused. Looking at the hand on his, he quickly pulled it back and nodded. Yong Shan Ling also nodded stiffly and followed him into the room.
Nan Min poured a glass of water and placed it in front of her. "So, what's the matter?"
"I'm sorry. What I said in the forest was just something I blurted out without thinking."
"It's okay. I don't really care."
"Really! I'm really sorry! I've regarded you as a friend these days, but when I heard you had other motives, I might have felt a bit betrayed..."
"Yeah..."
The conversation hit a dead end again. She looked at her hands and couldn't think of what to say for a moment.
"Oh, right. Sister Hong just said that you and I will go out with the Sect Master tomorrow. It seems we're going to Country L for something."
Hearing her words, Nan Min couldn't help but be stunned. A hint of bitterness appeared on his otherwise expressionless face as he mumbled something.
"Is it finally coming?"
"What's wrong?" Seeing the slight change in Nan Min's mood, she was a bit worried that she might have said something wrong again.
"It's okay. I got it. You must be tired today. Go and rest. We'll probably leave quite early tomorrow."
"Yeah..." Looking at the cold Nan Min again, she suddenly felt like a failure.
After leaving the room and seeing Nan Min close the door without hesitation, her heart ached for no reason. When she got back to her room and turned on her phone, she saw a constant stream of messages, calls, and countless voicemails.
On the other side, Fang, the assistant who had been staying up late for several days, was on the verge of collapse. But at that moment, seeing the red dot flashing on the computer screen, a hint of surprise appeared on his face.
"Mr. Mu! Mr. Mu! Miss Yong Shan has turned on her phone!"
Mu Yijie was a bit nervous for a moment. He quickly and shakily took out his phone and dialed Yong Shan Ling's number. But after a few rings, just when he thought there was no hope, the call was answered.
She looked at the incoming call on her phone and knew that Uncle Mu must have known she was missing. While feeling guilty about whether to answer or not, her body had already answered the call before her mind could react.
"Ling Er, where on earth are you! Where did you go again? Okay, just tell me your location first. I'll come and pick you up now. When you come back... we can talk about everything later, okay?"
Hearing Mu Yijie's trembling voice, she felt a bit heart - rending. Looking at the scenery outside the window, she was even more determined to finish that thing. After Mu Yijie finished speaking, he found that the other side didn't say a word.
He was a bit nervous. After a few seconds, Yong Shan Ling slowly spoke.
"Uncle Mu, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I know you must have been overworking yourself these days, right?"
Saying this, she couldn't help but smile. The longing in her heart surged towards her like a flood.
"I came here to do something I have to do. I'll come and find you after I'm done with this. Uncle Mu... will you wait for me?"
"I will."
"Don't worry, Uncle Mu. I won't regret this departure..."
Saying this, she could no longer control her emotions. She quickly hung up the phone. Looking at the darkened screen, tears dripped onto it one by one.
She was really scared. If he just told her to go back, she would abandon everything now and fly into his arms. But she couldn't. If she went back, everything now would disappear like smoke, and the thorn in her heart would never be removed. How could she feel at ease in the future?
Looking at the hung - up phone, Mu Yijie stood there stunned for a moment, as stiff as a statue. He sat down on a chair, holding the table. But hearing her voice, he felt a bit relieved, and sleepiness also came over him.
"Mr. Mu, although we've located Miss Yong Shan, her phone was turned off right after the call. We can only confirm that Miss Yong Shan is in the capital of Country R."
Mu Yijie picked up a cigarette and walked to the balcony. He lit it, rolled up his cuffs, and looked at the ink - black sky. His frowning brows relaxed a bit.
"Book a flight to Country R for tomorrow. You've been tired these days. Go back and rest well."
Hearing the order to be free, Fang, the assistant, was almost in tears. Finally, he could go back to his big bed. He walked away in a floating manner.
In the middle of the night, even the gentle breeze carried a hint of coolness, but she still couldn't fall asleep. Looking at the black - screened phone, she felt a bit helpless. Suddenly, a warmth came from her back.
She was startled and a bit scared, but she was still pressed onto the bed, just like that night before. She was even more certain in her heart.
"Gu Li, is that you?"
Just as a pair of hands were about to cover her eyes, she suddenly showed some resistance.
"Don't!"
"Can we talk..."
"Sure." The man behind her finally spoke. His embrace, full of warmth, slowly surrounded her from behind.
His voice sounded a bit hoarse and deep, but with an indescribable charm that tempted people to fall for him.
"Are you the Sect Master?"
"Yeah."
Although she had already been a bit certain in her heart, she couldn't help but be shocked.
"You..."
Suddenly, all the words she had wanted to say seemed to disappear. She didn't know where to start.
"Is there anything I can do to compensate you?"
Maybe this was the only and rather vulgar thing she could think of now.
"I only want you."
The man rubbed against her from behind, getting even closer to her, but she didn't feel any disgust at all, which made her a bit scared. She tried to think more about Mu Yijie.
"I already... have someone I want to spend my whole life with."
"Then just make him disappear. Then there'll only be us."
Hearing his words, she was a bit scared. "What do you want to do! You can do whatever you want to me, but please don't touch him."
"I only want you."
The man still repeated this sentence.
"I've said that my heart only belongs to him."
"Forget about him."
"Can you easily forget about me?" she retorted with a bit of amusement.
"No."
"Me too. I can't forget about him either."
The two were silent for a while. Then she spoke again.
"Do you have any other conditions? I'll try my best to meet them if I can. You can ask for as much money as you want, although I don't have much..."
"Go to sleep."
"No..."
Before she could stop, she fell into a deep sleep. Gu Li sat up, looking at the sleeping girl. He stroked her face, from her eyes to her nose, to her lips, and to her neck, greedily wanting to possess her.
The night light shone on the faces of the boy and the girl. Everything seemed a bit beautiful.
"Go to sleep, my girl."
"You can only be mine."