"I surely know she's different. Otherwise, why would I be so angry? Dongfang, tell me, after more than forty years of friendship, am I still no match for that girl you met for the first time? Have you never really regarded me as a friend?"
Dongfang Yuxi replied, "No, you are my friend."
"What about her?"
Dongfang Yuxi paused for a moment.
Then he said, "She's my kin, as close as the marrow in my bones."
Jun Xuanmo was stunned.
Dongfang's appraisal of this woman was so high.
On the other hand, Jun Xuanmo was also happy because this was the first time in so many years that Dongfang had acknowledged him as a friend.
It turned out that even among brothers, they sometimes minded the order of arrival. But once they got recognition and affirmation, all the grievances seemed so insignificant.
"Master of the Jun Family, thank you for taking such good care of Xiaoyuer all these years."
"This... You don't have to thank me."
Jun Xuanmo scratched his head awkwardly.
Then he said, "Do you two want to talk? I'll leave first then."
Dongfang Yuxi's expression changed subtly.
Zhao Shuning said, "No need."
Jun Xuanmo asked, "Huh?"
"Come and sit down. I think Xiaoyuer will be happier with your company."
Xiaoyuer craved family and friendship.
Now that he knew Jun Xuanmo had always regarded him as a close friend, he must be feeling mixed emotions. If Jun Xuanmo stayed to accompany him, he would surely be very happy.
Sure enough.
Dongfang Yuxi didn't object.
So Jun Xuanmo sat down.
To be honest, at first, Jun Xuanmo only regarded Dongfang Yuxi as a special guest in the Jun Family.
But later, as Dongfang Yuxi did his best to safeguard the interests of the Jun Family and helped it rise higher and higher,
Jun Xuanmo gradually regarded him as a friend. As time went by, knowing that Dongfang was hard to get close to, he wanted to stay by his side and be his kindred spirit when he needed to pour out his heart.
It was just that Dongfang Yuxi was really a blockhead. For so long, he always thought he was alone in Qingyun Country and that no one would regard him as a friend.
Now that Jun Xuanmo had said these words, Dongfang was actually very gratified.
After they sat together and talked for a while, Jun Xuanmo was called away.
Now, only Zhao Shuning and Dongfang Yuxi were left.
Dongfang said, "Sister, you haven't come to find me for all these years."
Zhao Shuning replied, "I was in a deep sleep for more than thirty years."
"Ah?"
She continued, "Previously, my abilities were very weak. I didn't dare to expose my identity rashly for fear of being hunted down by those people."
"Sister, your death back then was really related to the four great families, right?"
"Yes, but they were not the real culprits. They were just accomplices."
"Sister, I can help you."
Zhao Shuning smiled gently.
"Now, don't I need your help? I'll leave the matter between me and Buran to you."
Dongfang smiled tenderly.
Then he said, "I'll surely go all out for sister's matter."
"Don't you think it's a waste of your talent to do this?"
"Of course not. Any matter of Sister Ling is a big deal, let alone a major event in life. However, there's one thing I don't quite understand."
"What is it?"
"Doesn't sister always like...?"
Zhao Shuning nodded.
Dongfang Yuxi suddenly stood up and said excitedly, "Could it be that the person you married is...?"
"Yes, it's him."
Dongfang Yuxi became even more excited.
"How could this be? His Majesty the Emperor is always elusive. How could he suddenly marry you? Sister Ling, you... No, His Majesty the Emperor is far more proficient in reading the celestial phenomena than I am. Even if we were to choose an auspicious day, he would be more authoritative than I am."
"I think it's better for you to help with this."
On the one hand, Buran was too busy with the affairs of the world.
On the other hand, next month was the anniversary of Buran's parents' death. She didn't want to distract him. Moreover, Buran had no experience in choosing an auspicious day and really didn't know how to do it.
Thirdly, she wanted to use this as an excuse to see what her former Xiaoyuer looked like now.
"Sister Ling trusts me so much. I surely won't let you down."
Zhao Shuning smiled.
Then she looked at Dongfang Yuxi and asked, "What about you and Su Mu?"
Dongfang Yuxi put away his smile.
If it were someone else who brought this up, he wouldn't be as calm as he was now. But the person asking this question was Sister Ling.
When the question came from her mouth, Dongfang Yuxi didn't find it so harsh.
"Sister Ling, I..."
"Xiaoyuer."
"Sister Ling, the grudge between me and Su Mu can't be settled for the time being."
"I know. I didn't come here to ask you to reconcile with him. This is your business. I'll respect whatever decision you make." After all, I'm not you. I didn't experience the pain you went through back then, so I have no right to forgive anyone on your behalf.
"Sister Ling, then why...?"
"Xiaoyuer, if I hadn't suddenly come this time, we would have been deceived by you for a long time. Even I trusted you completely."
Dongfang Yuxi quickly explained, "Sister Ling, I've never done anything to let you down. Never."
"What I'm saying is that you've been hiding the fact that you didn't erase your memories. Xiaoyuer, if you didn't want to forget that memory back then, you could have told me instead of shouldering it alone and making us all think that you had become happy."
Dongfang Yuxi lowered his head.
His voice was slightly hoarse as he said, "I just thought that I was already a big trouble for Sister Ling. Carrying me as a burden was already very heavy. I didn't want you to be troubled because of my memory."
"So you deliberately pretended to have forgotten everything to make me feel at ease."
Dongfang Yuxi smiled indifferently.
"But Sister Ling is still smart. You've seen through me now."
Zhao Shuning felt extremely heart - wrenching.
She could only say, "Dongfang, you child, just like Zhiruo, make people feel heart - broken."
"Let's not talk about this. Sister Ling, if I had known that choosing an auspicious day was for you and His Majesty the Emperor, I wouldn't have been so impolite from the beginning. Here, I'd like to apologize to you first. I hope His Majesty the Emperor won't take this to heart either."
"We're not such narrow - minded people. By the way, since I came in, there's not a single fishpond in the huge Jun Family. There's none in your yard either. Don't you like watching fish the most?"
Dongfang Yuxi smiled charmingly.
He said, "I used to be afraid of getting sad when seeing the scenery. But from now on, I shouldn't have to worry about it."
He even planned to dig a lotus pond in his yard where he could raise fish and plant some lotus leaves.
"Then I'll have someone send some fish over in a few days?"
"Okay."
The two looked at each other and smiled. Their words were full of warmth, and the atmosphere in the yard was extremely cozy.