I Don't Know You Guess

Just as Leng Qingqiu was trying to comfort herself, Gu Yan pulled her out into the courtyard.

Although it was already the season of frost, the high-hanging sun and its direct rays made Leng Qingqiu's body feel a wave of warmth.

Stepping on the lawn of the courtyard, Leng Qingqiu felt a bit dazed.

It seemed like it had been a long time since she had left that study.

Time was so precious to her that she had no time for rest at all.

And since Gu Yan had arrived, in just a few days, all of her set plans seemed to have been thrown into disarray.

This courtyard once held many memories of her and her family.

Gu Yan held Leng Qingqiu's hand as they walked along the garden path. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the two of them.

Gu Yan sensed that Leng Qingqiu seemed to be reminiscing about something, so he didn't disturb her, quietly holding her hand.

A falling leaf drifted down, and Gu Yan reached out to catch it. Looking at the surrounding scenery, he chuckled softly, "Qingqiu, your family's courtyard is quite beautifully maintained. The plants are arranged just right."

Hearing this, Leng Qingqiu, who had been lost in memories, came back to herself.

She lifted her head towards the blue sky and white clouds. If she could still see, she believed the sky would be beautiful at this moment. She seemed to be recalling something as she smiled and said, "Yes, I know it must be very beautiful."

"This was my father's favorite courtyard when he was alive."

"All the landscaping and plant arrangements here were designed by him."

"After he passed away, I took on the responsibility of maintaining this courtyard."

As she said this, Leng Qingqiu's mood became slightly downcast.

Damn it, Gu Yan, you idiot, he thought to himself.

Gu Yan took a deep breath, not knowing how to comfort her.

Leng Qingqiu noticed this and shook her head, saying, "It's not your fault."

"After all..."

She looked towards Gu Yan, as if confirming something, her tone becoming a bit strange: "My father's death has nothing to do with you."

Although she could be fairly certain that the events of that year probably had nothing to do with Gu Yan.

But... who could guarantee that the Gu family wasn't involved?

It was precisely this concern that made Leng Qingqiu maintain a certain distance from Gu Yan.

Sometimes she also thought that by using Gu Yan, she might be able to confirm whether the Gu family was involved in that incident from years ago.

Gu Yan heard the unusual tone in Leng Qingqiu's voice.

Comparing it with the original plot, Gu Yan could more or less guess Leng Qingqiu's concerns.

Because of that incident years ago, Leng Qingqiu simply couldn't and wouldn't trust people like them.

Realizing this, Gu Yan tightly grasped Leng Qingqiu's hand and said in a serious and solemn tone, "Qingqiu, please believe me, I will protect you forever. I will protect you forever and ever."

"I won't let anyone hurt you again."

Leng Qingqiu heard these words and smiled slightly.

She felt a hint of amusement in her heart. Protect her?

There were too many things in this world that Gu Yan didn't know about - the ancient martial arts world, the warriors.

Those were beings who could block bullets with their bare bodies.

How could Gu Yan, an ordinary person, possibly stay with her until the end?

However...

His tone was so serious that Leng Qingqiu... couldn't bring herself to mock him.

She stopped thinking about it and smiled slightly, "Protection isn't just about words, but it's good that you have this determination to protect me."

"Hmm..."

Leng Qingqiu thought for a moment, then reached out to touch Gu Yan's cheek, a smile curling at the corners of her mouth, "Anyway, thank you."

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

With the autumn breeze blowing, the rustling sound of leaves accompanied their conversation, as if nature was composing a moving melody for them.

Time seemed to stand still in the courtyard at that moment.

Gu Yan felt the cold palm on his cheek and saw Leng Qingqiu's smiling face. For a moment, he was stunned.

Thump! Thump!

Even though Leng Qingqiu had already lowered her hand and turned away.

But...

Gu Yan reached out to touch his rapidly beating heart. This... this...

Oh no...

I think I've fallen in love.

This time, for real, I think I've fallen in love with Leng Qingqiu.

And Leng Qingqiu, who had turned her back, felt her face growing warm.

Damn it...

Why did I say something like that?

It's so embarrassing, how could I say such a childish thing?

This is awful, it's all Gu Yan's fault for saying nonsense.

No, no, I need to get back to the study quickly.

Just as Leng Qingqiu was thinking about asking Gu Yan to take her back to the study.

Gu Yan's voice came over: "Qingqiu! I've got inspiration again!"

"Inspiration? What kind of inspiration?"

Leng Qingqiu was startled, asking with some confusion.

"I just composed another song in my head! Qingqiu, do you want to hear it?"

Gu Yan's words made Leng Qingqiu feel a bit curious.

He composed another song?

Just now?

Although she had heard Gu Yan's "Confession Balloon" before, that was something he had created many years ago.

And now, in just a few minutes, how could Gu Yan possibly compose a decent song?

Leng Qingqiu naturally didn't believe it, but since he was interested, she didn't have the heart to interrupt him. So she nodded and said, "Alright, go ahead and sing."

"But after you finish singing, I'm going back to the study to read."

Hearing this, Gu Yan nodded and smiled, "Okay."

Leng Qingqiu just thought she would quickly humor him, so she perked up her ears to listen.

The next second, a voice that made her heart tremble rang out.

"I hear raindrops falling on the green grass."

"I hear the distant school bell ringing."

"But I don't hear your voice."

"Seriously... calling my name."

"When I fell in love with you, I didn't understand feelings."

"Only after parting did I realize how deeply it was etched in my heart..."

The melody of the song was soft and melodious, giving a warm and relaxed feeling. Leng Qingqiu felt as if she was enjoying a warm cup of tea, with a touch of tranquility.

What is this feeling?

Leng Qingqiu clutched her chest. This song seemed similar to "Confession Balloon" in that they were both songs about love between a man and a woman.

Compared to "Confession Balloon", this song seemed more like it wanted people to cherish the happiness in front of them.

"It sounds so good..."

Leng Qingqiu murmured, involuntarily letting her guard down and quietly listening to Gu Yan's singing.

...

......

And the song came to its climax.

"It turns out you are the luck I want to hold onto the most."

"It turns out we and love were once so close."

.....

...

"Meeting you was so fortunate."

"But I've lost the right to cry for you..."

....

....

As the song ended.

Gu Yan stepped forward and took Leng Qingqiu's hand, his expression gentle and his voice soft as he said, "Qingqiu, I love you, I don't want to leave you."

"I also don't want you to leave me. Please let me protect you for a lifetime, okay?"

Leng Qingqiu was still immersed in the song she had just heard. When she heard Gu Yan's words, she came back to her senses.

Leng Qingqiu looked up at Gu Yan. Although she couldn't see his face, she could feel his love for her.

It was pure and passionate.

Ah... forget it.

Leng Qingqiu sighed and replied calmly, "No."

"Huh?!"

Gu Yan was dumbfounded. Just as he was about to protest,

He heard Leng Qingqiu say softly, "You're too weak. Let me protect you instead."

"Being my man might get you killed quickly."

Leng Qingqiu wasn't joking when she said this. After all, as the controller of "Night" and carrying a deep, bitter grudge,

Her life was destined to be a thorny path of no return!

On Gu Yan's side, when he heard Leng Qingqiu's words, far from finding them chuunibyou, he felt extremely happy.

Because, her saying this, doesn't it mean...

"Qing... Qingqiu, do you mean by saying this...?"

Gu Yan swallowed hard, hesitant and somewhat in disbelief.

"?"

This guy, do I have to spell it out?

Leng Qingqiu frowned slightly, shook off Gu Yan's hand and turned to walk towards the house: "I don't know! Figure it out yourself!"

"Hey! Qingqiu! I'm sorry! Qingqiu!"

Gu Yan quickly trotted after her, sticking close.

This made Leng Qingqiu's face show a look of disgust, but she didn't reject him.

She sighed in her heart.

Enough. Let's just consider it as a small compensation for Gu Yan, in exchange for utilizing the Gu family's resources behind him.

.......

.......

Tianye Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd.

This was the pharmaceutical technology company founded by the Shen family.

Their main products were skincare and cosmetics.

Inside the CEO's office.

Shen Wan'er had been very unhappy lately.

She frowned as she looked at the series of data on her computer screen.

Across from her, her private secretary Zhang Qing lowered her head nervously: "Ms. Shen... I don't know what happened, but all the companies that were previously cooperating with us have suddenly cancelled their orders and withdrawn their investments."

"Our company's production lines have already been suspended."

"The batch of raw materials we purchased earlier is now just sitting idle in a warehouse."

"But... but the deadline for the final payment is approaching."

"If... if we can't find new partners..."

Shen Wan'er grew increasingly irritated as she listened.

She clutched her hair tightly, her eyes flickering with uncertainty as she stared at the data on the computer.

How could this happen?

Why did this happen?

Zhang Qing's words felt like needles piercing her heart.

All of their previous partners had cancelled their orders, and because they had maintained good relationships based on trust with these long-term clients, the contracts didn't include any clauses about penalties for breach of contract.

And the final payment for the large batch of materials they had purchased was due soon, but...

Now with all orders cancelled, their company simply couldn't afford to make that payment.

Without orders, they had no way of generating new income.

And the revenue from their own retail stores was just a drop in the bucket.

Previously, their company's main source of income had been the contracts and orders from other businesses.

"What should we do?" Shen Wan'er muttered, her eyes filled with anxiety.

Moreover, it was almost the end of the month, but they hadn't paid their employees' salaries yet.

Could it be... that she wouldn't be able to overcome this crisis?

Zhang Qing, seeing Shen Wan'er's distress, also showed an indignant expression: "Ms. Shen, those business owners are really despicable."

"It's as if they all agreed to cancel their orders at the same time."

"They... they used to be so friendly towards us."

Zhang Qing had truly witnessed how fickle the world could be.

Although she didn't know exactly what had happened, she could sense that this might be what they called 'no friends in business battles.'

Agreed...

As Shen Wan'er pondered these words, suddenly her expression froze.

Then she showed a hint of shock.

Wait... she seemed to have realized something.

If these people suddenly agreed to cancel their orders together, there could only be one reason.

Shen Wan'er's face turned grim.

Her fists clenched so tightly they creaked.

"Well, well, well, Gu Yan..."

"So this is how ruthless you can be?"

Shen Wan'er cursed under her breath.

She looked up at Zhang Qing: "You can go now. I have other ways to handle this."

Zhang Qing was startled for a moment, then nodded: "Alright, Ms. Shen."

Soon, only Shen Wan'er was left in the office.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

Then she took out her phone.

She opened her contacts and scrolled to a particular name.

It displayed:

[Gu Yan]

Shen Wan'er's expression turned very unpleasant as she looked at the name Gu Yan.

Damn it... she had said she wouldn't call him again.

But she never expected that to attract her attention, he would resort to such measures.

Shen Wan'er's expression became furious.

Gu Yan, your methods are truly cruel.

Thinking this, Shen Wan'er dialed the number again.

In her view, Gu Yan's previous action of turning off his phone and not answering her calls was just to get her attention.

Until now, when all other businesses had cancelled their orders.

Shen Wan'er was pretty sure she had guessed what he was trying to do.

He was using this to threaten her.

And now that his goal was achieved, Shen Wan'er was confident that he would definitely answer this time.

However........

To Shen Wan'er's surprise, as she dialed the number.

What she heard from the other end was.....

[Sorry, the number you have dialed is powered off.]

!!

Shen Wan'er's face froze. She looked at her phone in disbelief. This was the correct number, wasn't it?

How could this be?

If Gu Yan had turned off his phone before, he shouldn't still have it off now, right?

Could it be.....

Shen Wan'er thought of a possibility, but it seemed impossible.

In her mind, Gu Yan would never do such a thing to her.

"It can't be, it can't be."

For the first time, Shen Wan'er's face showed a trace of panic.

She quickly opened Gu Yan's chat window on her phone.

The last message was still from many days ago when Gu Yan had asked her out to confess his feelings.

With a nervous and uneasy heart, Shen Wan'er sent a message.

"Gu Yan, are you there?"

However.

What happened next left Shen Wan'er stunned.

As soon as she sent the message,

A red exclamation mark appeared next to it.

"He... he blocked me?"

Shen Wan'er muttered, her gaze becoming blank.

She suddenly felt a chill all over her body, and an inexplicable feeling of... wrongness welled up in her heart.

"Why, why would Gu Yan block me?"

"Why is this happening?"

"No... no, I must go and ask him in person!"

Shen Wan'er's tone became frantic and hurried. She quickly grabbed her car keys from the desk.

Hastily shouldering the branded bag Gu Yan had given her, she rushed out of the office.