The mermaid Qing Ge led Zhao Shuning into the bamboo forest on the other side.
After showing her the way, the mermaid vanished.
Zhao Shuning had no idea why the beauty was in such a hurry. She wasn't going to eat the mermaid.
After the mermaid left, Zhao Shuning followed the path and found the small bamboo hut.
But what she saw next made her jaw drop in shock.
Xing Chen was there.
Xie An was there too.
It was obvious that they were both in physical form.
More importantly, there was also a copy of herself.
It wasn't that she didn't want to show up at this moment. It was just that the situation was so awkward. If she showed up now and interrupted this scene, it would definitely be extremely embarrassing for the three of them in the future.
In the small yard, under the cherry - blossom tree, Xie An and the copy of Zhao Shuning were looking into each other's eyes.
Xie An was holding the copy of Zhao Shuning's face with both hands.
The copy of Zhao Shuning was looking at him in a daze, her big eyes looking extremely cute.
Xie An seemed very nervous. His palms were sweating. He knew clearly that the woman in front of him wasn't his senior. It was a fake Zhao Shuning. But every time he saw this face, his heart would start to race.
Since it was a fake, it should be okay to tell her his feelings, right?
At least he was facing the face of his senior.
"Senior."
"Hmm? What's wrong, Xiao An?"
Zhao Shuning in the bamboo forest almost spat out a mouthful of blood. How could she talk in such a coquettish way? No wonder those mermaids said that she was different from the woman in Xie An's imagination.
Now it seemed that they were not just different; they were worlds apart.
Xie An was still nervous when facing this face.
"Senior, I have something to tell you."
"Hmm."
"I know this might sound absurd, but senior, these are all my sincere words."
Zhao Shuning in the bamboo forest pricked up her ears.
It was not right to eavesdrop on her own gossip, but she just couldn't contain her curiosity.
In the yard, Xie An hesitated for a long time. Finally, it seemed that he had made up his mind.
Then he stood up solemnly, faced Zhao Shuning, and said, "Senior, I've liked you for a long, long time."
What!
Zhao Shuning felt like her head was about to explode!
What was going on?
Wasn't Xie An supposed to like Xing Chen?
That day, Xie An had even fed Xing Chen medicine with his own mouth!
"Although I know you're not the real senior, that's why I dare to say these words. Only when facing your substitute can I say this."
"If I go out and see the real senior, I'm afraid I'll never be able to say these words in my whole life."
"Senior, I like you. When you saved me in the Dark Swamp and gave me the pill, I already had different feelings for you."
"You were the first person in so many years to call me Xiao An so gently instead of Viper. You were also the first person to tell me that although fame is important, moral integrity is the cornerstone of being a person."
"Senior, later you even gave me Zhu Yan. I've always remembered your help to me."
At this point, Xie An's excited mood began to calm down a bit.
"I know that maybe in this life or the next, I'll never have the chance to stand on the same level as you, senior. But I want to tell you that as long as it's something related to you, I'll do my best."
"I don't want to see senior sad."
At this moment, Zhao Shuning heard a thud.
Then she looked at Ye Xingchen standing beside the yard.
She almost forgot that Ye Xingchen was also there. It was just that from Xie An's position, he couldn't see Ye Xingchen.
Xie An also heard the sound.
He turned his head and looked at Ye Xingchen.
Ye Xingchen's expression was extremely disappointed at this moment.
He quickly bent down, lowered his head, and picked up the medicinal herbs on the ground.
The fake Zhao Shuning stood still, smiling.
Xie An quickly walked over to help Ye Xingchen pick up the medicinal materials.
"Ye Xingchen, what's wrong with you?"
"Nothing."
A few days ago, as soon as Xie An appeared, Ye Xingchen knew that this was the real Xie An. As soon as he confirmed this, the fake Xie An disappeared.
During the few days that Xie An was there, Ye Xingchen was very happy.
They discussed many things every day, walked together, picked herbs together, and made delicious food together.
Looking at Xie An, Ye Xingchen wanted more and more things.
He thought that his feelings for Xie An must be a bit different.
But today, Ye Xingchen realized how naive his previous thoughts were.
"Xie An, you should go. This place doesn't belong to you."
"I'm going to take you with me."
Ye Xingchen stopped what he was doing and said dejectedly, "Is it because of sister?"
Xie An was stunned.
He didn't know how to answer. He came to save Ye Xingchen. Half of the reason was because of his senior, but the other half was because he really regarded Ye Xingchen as a true friend.
A true friend he could confide in and trust.
Ye Xingchen quickly adjusted his expression.
He stood up and showed a smile.
"Xiao An, I was just joking with you. I knew you liked sister a long time ago."
Ye Xingchen had seen that Xie An liked sister a long time ago.
He also just regarded Xie An as a friend he could confide in. But this time, seeing Xie An's figure in the Secret Sea, Ye Xingchen was still surprised.
At least, he didn't expect that Xie An would come to the Secret Sea for him.
During the subsequent days of getting along, Ye Xingchen began to have different feelings for Xie An.
What an unforgivable thing this was!
"Ye Xingchen, I'm sorry."
Xie An didn't know why he was saying sorry. He just saw Ye Xingchen acting so abnormally, so he could only say these three words.
"What's there to be sorry for? It's very normal."
Ye Xingchen picked up the basket and went back to the bamboo hut.
This time, Xie An didn't follow him.
The bamboo door closed in front of Xie An.
Zhao Shuning in the bamboo forest watched this scene, feeling disheartened.
She just wanted to gossip, but she couldn't even understand the gossip clearly.
Her younger brother's expression was so lost and so distressing.
Xie An didn't say anything wrong, but seeing Ye Xingchen like that, he seemed to think that he had done something wrong.
Zhao Shuning stepped into the yard.
The fake Zhao Shuning immediately disappeared into thin air.
This was Zhao Shuning's own ability. Even without the mermaid's scales, she had the power to make the substitute disappear.
Inside the Secret Sea, her abilities hadn't disappeared.
Xie An turned around.
Zhao Shuning happened to walk under the cherry - blossom tree.
"Go back."
Xie An's tone was cold, and there was even a bit of regret in it.