Before long, the servant returned to open the door, followed by Madam Yang.

Seeing that the person who came was her aunt, Anle blinked and smiled at her, "Aunt, where is Cousin Zhiyi? Why didn't she come out?"

Yang's smile looked somewhat forced, and her complexion was not as rosy as usual, appearing slightly pale.

"I've been sick these past few days and I'm bedridden. Come on, I'll take you inside."

Anle nodded, pursed her lips, and followed Madam Yang inside.

The servant glanced at Anle, who had followed him in. Ha, he still managed to enter his mansion!

The house the Duan family bought wasn't very big, but it was exquisite in every way. However, it was far inferior to the large house Anle bought in Hongcheng.

Anle had no interest in admiring the scenery. She felt a bit depressed. She was sick and bedridden, which meant she couldn't walk.

He sighed inwardly, lowered his head, and followed Yang silently, taking the narrow path around the front yard to the last courtyard.

The courtyard wasn't large, but it was quiet and secluded. As soon as you entered the courtyard, you could see Qiao Qiusheng and An Mancang sitting inside.

Anle smiled and jogged past Li Shi.

"father!"

Anmancang was pleasantly surprised to see Anle here.

"Le Wa Zi! What are you doing here?"

"I came here specifically to take everyone back." As she said this, her eyes glanced at Yang's face behind her, watching her reaction.

However, judging from her listless and dejected appearance, it seems that she also suffered a great setback here.

He didn't react much to what she said, he just glanced at her.

Upon hearing the sound, An Mancang glanced at Yang Shi behind An Le, then lowered his head, smiled at An Le, and picked her up, placing her on his lap.

“Le Wa Zi, your cousin can’t go back to her place yet, I’ll go back with you.”

Anle seemed to glean something from those words.

They only said they would go back with her, but didn't explain why Cousin Zhiyi couldn't go back. Could it be that she's going to stay here?

Anle wisely refrained from asking in front of everyone, keeping it to herself and planning to ask her father privately later.

"Then, Father, have you been living here these days?"

“Lewa, your father and I don’t stay here. We’re staying at an inn outside. We came to see Zhiyi today because she’s unwell and has fallen ill here.”

Upon hearing this, Anle glanced at Qiao Qiusheng, who was speaking to her.

"Uncle, what's wrong with my cousin Zhiyi? Why did she collapse?"

"I'm not used to the change in environment, and I'm not in a good mood here either. My body just can't take it. But it's okay. I saw a doctor at home, and I'll be fine after taking some medicine for a few days."

"Your cousin is lying inside. Go in and take a look." Qiao Qiusheng pointed to a room in the courtyard.

Anle nodded and jumped off Anmancang's lap. "Dad, I'll go in and see Cousin Zhiyi first."

The room door was closed but unlocked. An Le didn't dare make any noise, afraid of disturbing Qiao Zhiyi's rest. She carefully opened the door, tiptoed in, and went around to the screen between the inner and outer rooms. After taking a few steps closer, she saw Qiao Zhiyi lying on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her gaze was somewhat vacant, and tears were rolling down her cheeks as she silently cried.

His face was as pale as a sheet of paper.

His face looked noticeably thinner and lighter than when he was in Jincheng.

Although Anle had already foreseen that things wouldn't go well for her, she was still taken aback when she saw Qiao Zhiyi's appearance.

"Zhiyi, cousin?"

Upon hearing the sound, Qiao Zhiyi's somewhat unfocused eyes flickered. She turned her head and looked over, a glimmer of light appearing in her eyes. Qiao Zhiyi quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, propped herself up, and tried to sit up from the bed.

"Little cousin—"

"Cousin Zhiyi, lie down and don't get up. If you're not feeling well, you should rest." Anle felt a little uneasy seeing this.

Her cousin was gentle and always spoke softly, just like her older sister. However, she seemed a bit more delicate than her older sister, who was more reserved and lacked the demureness and scholarly air that Qiao Zhiyi possessed.

"Cousin Zhiyi, if you don't like staying here, why don't you leave?" Anle offered a rare word of advice.

She almost never gets involved in Qiao Zhiyi's romantic relationships, nor does she ever express her own opinions or views, but seeing Qiao Zhiyi like this now, she feels a little sorry for her.

Qiao Zhiyi bit her lower lip lightly, her eyes instantly filling with tears again. How could she not want to leave?

But she really liked Duan Qi, and Duan Qi was sincere towards her too. However, due to the difference in their current status, Duan Qi's family regarded her as an obstacle and stumbling block to his career and did not want her to be with him at all.

Because she could not bring any benefits to Duan Qige, she could not accompany him on his official career for long.

This reality severely hindered her relationship with Duan Qi.

But Duan Qi would still secretly come to see her every night, promising her that he would definitely marry her.

She believed that Duan Qige could definitely do it, but she didn't want to put him in a difficult position, and she didn't want to ruin Duan Qige's career path because of herself.

The one who can help Duan Qi now is not her, but the second young lady of the Cui family.

A look of desolation flashed in Qiao Zhiyi's eyes, and her gaze darkened. "Little cousin, what should I do? I don't want to leave Brother Duan Qi, I don't want to cause him trouble, and I don't want to hinder him."

But I was powerless. I could do nothing. I could only watch helplessly as he married another woman, handing him over to a woman who was capable of doing so.

I so wish I were the woman who could help him…

Anle scratched her head. There was nothing she could do about it. After all, there were more people who valued fame and fortune than those who valued feelings. And it just so happened that her cousin had gotten caught up in this mess.

but--

"Cousin Zhiyi, you never know what the future holds. Maybe you like this person so much now, but you might like someone else in the future?"

Anle made this rather unfunny remark, and then, realizing his embarrassment, coughed lightly and touched his nose.

Although what she said may seem somewhat inappropriate at the moment, it was all true.

At such a young age, they're already talking about love; naturally, those feelings will change.

When you are too young, your mindset is unstable, and your state of mind will naturally be different. As you grow up and your mindset matures, you may not like the person you like now in the future.

Perhaps in the future, I'll sigh and say, "Damn, how could I have been so blind to fall for this guy?"