“I…” Gu Liyan was speechless.

"Since your feelings aren't strong, why have you been searching for her for so long?" Mo Han said with a smile while sipping her tea. "But it's for the best, it'll make you give up on the idea..."

Gu Liyan stood up. "No, no, even so, I still like her!"

Gu Liyan was certain he liked her; otherwise, he wouldn't have instinctively lunged at her to shield her from the bullets.

"It's your own feelings, you decide!" Mo Han glanced at Gu Liyan and said, "Don't let yourself regret it."

Gu Liyan nodded seriously. "I understand, Senior Brother. Then... do you know where she lives now?"

Looking at Gu Liyan's fawning smile, Mo Han felt the kid was more and more like a fox—

Liu Mengxian walked dejectedly towards her residence, her mind filled with mixed emotions as she kept recalling the conversation between Gu Liyan and Wang Qi.

"He'd rather go see that woman than bother with my affairs? Does he really not like me anymore..." Liu Mengxian said dejectedly, patting her face as she went to the doorway. "Liu Mengxian, cheer up! You have more important things to do now!"

Pushing open the gates of the Liu residence, Liu Mengxian walked in, looking lost and dejected. Just then, she heard a familiar voice...

"Why did you take so long to get back? Did you get distracted on the way?"

Liu Mengxian shuddered and abruptly looked up at the person who had spoken, "Xiao, Xiao Li..."

Gu Liyan looked up at Liu Mengxian, who was staring blankly at him without moving, and smiled. "Aren't you going to invite me in for a seat?"

Liu Mengxian, like a fool, seemed to have lost her soul, stiffly pouring tea, then spilling it all over the floor.

"Alright, no need to bother anymore, I won't drink your bitter tea," Gu Liyan said.

Liu Mengxian chuckled dryly as she put down her teacup, "If you don't want to drink it, then don't. This tea was brewed the day before yesterday..."

Gu Liyan's face stiffened, and he looked at Liu Mengxian with heartache: What kind of life does this woman live?

Seeing Gu Liyan's gaze, Liu Changxian thought he was disgusted with her, and hurriedly said, "I, I have tea in my room! I brewed it the day before yesterday!"

"The day before yesterday?" Gu Liyan frowned.

"Ah, no, no, it's because the water quality in the city is bad, so I brewed a lot, so..." Liu Mengxian stammered.

Before Gu Liyan could even speak as he stood up, Liu Mengxian looked at him with a wronged expression and asked weakly, "Are you leaving?"

Gu Liyan glanced at Liu Mengxian and said, "No, let's go to your room for tea."

After saying that, he didn't need Liu Mengxian to lead the way and walked confidently towards Liu Mengxian's room. Seeing that Gu Liyan didn't intend to leave, Liu Mengxian smiled.

Gu Liyan had expected an awkward reunion, but upon seeing her, everything felt just like the first time they met—not this first time, nor the previous one, but that clumsy little flower fairy…

Upon arriving at Liu Mengxian's door, Liu Mengxian suddenly remembered something and hurriedly stepped forward to block the doorway. Gu Liyan was taken aback and looked at her in confusion, "What's wrong?"

"I...I suddenly remembered that there are...mice in my room! Yes, mice. Shall we go to my lab instead?" Liu Mengxian said awkwardly.

Gu Liyan sized up Liu Mengxian and said with narrowed eyes, "You wouldn't be thinking of tricking me into the research lab so you can use my blood for your experiments, would you?"

"Ah? No, that's not it!" Liu Mengxian hurriedly shook her head.

Without a word, Gu Liyan stepped forward, pushed her aside, and entered. Liu Mengxian covered her face, looking ashamed.

The room was a mess; the bed wasn't made, and clothes were scattered all over the floor, looking like they'd only been worn once and weren't going to be washed again.

Gu Liyan's expression became increasingly amused. He turned to look at Liu Mengxian and couldn't help but ask with a smile, "You wouldn't be too tired to clean my clothes and tidy my room, would you?"

"I... I was planning to save up for a week before taking a shower!" Liu Mengxian hurriedly explained, "Who knew the water quality was bad, so..."

Gu Liyan picked up the undergarment at his feet and asked with a smile, "Is that why you threw it away?"

Liu Mengxian's face flushed red instantly. She snatched the undergarment from Gu Liyan's hand and hid it behind her back, glaring angrily, "You, how could you take my...that, that!"

Seeing her shy and bashful appearance, Gu Liyan couldn't help but burst into laughter, laughing so hard that he slumped into a chair.

Liu Mengxian pouted and stomped her feet in anger, "What are you laughing at? I've even washed my hands raw taking care of you. What's wrong with being lazy at home!"

Upon hearing Liu Mengxian's words, Gu Liyan stopped laughing and looked up at her. Her eyes were filled with tears, making her look pitiful. Although Gu Liyan felt sorry for her, there were some things he needed to clarify...

"Thank you for taking care of me, but there are some things we should talk about clearly. Tell me, who exactly is Liu Changxian to you?" Gu Liyan asked in a questioning tone.

"Liu Changxian is my brother, the heir to this family. The Liu family has always passed down the family business to sons, not daughters. I inherited the Liu family by taking my brother's place, otherwise the Liu family would have been divided up by the Liu family in the capital!" Liu Mengxian said angrily.

Gu Liyan's expression changed slightly as he pressed on, "Then, how did your brother die?"

“My brother turned into a snake-man at night for some reason. I didn’t recognize him and accidentally killed him,” Liu Mengxian said after a moment’s hesitation.

Gu Liyan's eyes widened. "Your brother turned into a snake-man? How is that possible? Are you sure you didn't see wrong?"

Liu Mengxian angrily threw down the bodice in her hand and said fumingly, "I've said everything I need to say. Believe it or not, it's the truth! I'll take responsibility for my actions. If you want to accuse me of murder, then arrest me."

Gu Liyan looked at Liu Mengxian, unsure of what to say. If he said that, wouldn't he be... misunderstanding her?

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!