Yu Qizhe's expression was slightly restrained. He was terrified at the thought of what happened that day. No wonder Liu Ziqi felt that he could not protect Yu Jiao.

When you have someone you want to protect, you always hope that you can be stronger so that you can protect her from the wind and rain.

"Jiaojiao, are you willing to forgive me?" When Yu Qizhe said this, his peach blossom eyes looked deeply at Yu Jiao. Although his face was calm, the fingers holding the teacup tightened slightly.

Yu Jiao was startled by his question and didn't know how to answer.

She had already fled that day, and it was difficult for her to accept it psychologically for a while.

At first, she felt uncomfortable for a long time because of Yu Qizhe's so-called "brother-sister relationship" and took his words seriously.

But in the end, it was because of his elder brother's interference that Yu Qizhe distanced himself from her because of this difficulty.

When Yu Jiao suddenly heard Yu Qizhe say with certainty that she still had him in her heart, it was hard for her not to be angry. After all, she had been so sad and shed so many tears, and she forced herself to move her heart away from Yu Qizhe.

Don't hear, don't ask, don't think, don't remember.

Why on earth could the phrase 'brother-sister love' easily negate the relationship between them when he didn't want it?

When he wants it, he can easily regain the relationship with just a firm "you still have me in your heart".

Perhaps she was too young and hot-headed. She was too sure that Yu Qizhe liked her and that she must be the most important person in Yu Qizhe's heart. Otherwise, why would she be angry because Yu Qizhe chose a career in politics and broke up with her because of his elder brother's coercion and inducement?

But after what happened with Duan Ben Gong, Yu Jiao felt that she had been too picky about matters of the heart. Yu Qizhe was just a small official who had just entered the Hanlin Academy. He dared to break into the prince's palace to save her, which showed that what he said that day was true. For her, he had already put his official career aside.

Seeing that Yu Qizhe had been looking at her quietly, he waited patiently for her reply.

Yu Jiao was silent for a while, rubbing the wall of the cup with her fingertips, and said softly, "Yu Qizhe, aren't you afraid that my elder brother will attack you again after returning to Beijing?"

Yu Qizhe hadn't heard her call his name like this for a long time. Every time he heard her call him "Fifth Brother", his heart felt uncomfortable.

A slight curve appeared at the corner of his lips, "Don't be afraid, even if he attacks me again, I will never make you sad again." He slightly tilted his head to look at the floating dust dancing in the light and shadow, "When I first came to Beijing, I thought a lot and was afraid of many things. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to gain a foothold in the capital, that the Liu Mansion's threshold was too high, and that... you have seen too many children of aristocratic families in the capital, so you will no longer like someone like me who is boring and comes from a poor family." At this point, Yu Qizhe laughed at himself.

"But I forgot that the one I should care about the most is you." Yu Qizhe turned his head and looked at Yu Jiao, his eyes gentle and focused, "Whether you can gain a foothold in the capital, the high status of the Liu Mansion, these are all just external things. It is because of you that these are particularly important to me. The most wrong thing is to make you sad because of these."

He would never allow himself to say those words that hurt Yu Jiao again. Such a foolish act of putting the cart before the horse would be remembered once.

A warm current flowed through Yu Jiao's heart. After hearing these words, her heart felt like it was soaking in a hot spring.

She thought to herself, how childish and stupid she was. Why did she have to choose between love and career in Yu Qizhe's heart?

Love should be the unity of tolerance and possessiveness. What's the contradiction between Yu Qizhe's desire for a bright future and his liking for herself?