0158 167 To continue the lost learning of the sages and to usher in an era of peace for all generations.

When you're far from home, food is the best way for a traveler to express their homesickness.

After drinking two cups of tea and finishing a bowl of knife-cut noodles, Zhou Xiye felt comfortable in her stomach, and her blood was busy embracing the delicious food. Suddenly, the string in her mind relaxed a little.

Across from her, Li Ling had just finished her noodles. She held a tissue between two fingers, carefully pulling it out as if afraid of touching the tissue box, and then elegantly pressed it to her lips. Zhou Xiye propped his head up with his hand, watching Li Ling's affected way of pulling out the tissue with a smile.

"We've already eaten, so there's no need to complain about this tissue, is there?"

Li Ling threw the tissue into the trash can, rolled her eyes at Zhou Xiye, and said, "I'm a little full, let's go for a walk."

"Alright, a hundred steps after a meal, and you'll live to ninety-nine..."

The two stood up, glanced around the table to make sure nothing was missing, and then turned to leave.

"When did you become so talkative?" Li Ling suddenly asked Zhou Xiye after they walked out. A gust of wind blew in her face, and she pulled her collar to block the wind.

Zhou Xiye shook his head, tilted his head back, and sighed, "Why has the sky turned so gloomy and cold?"

Li Ling hadn't been paying attention at first, but upon hearing this, she looked up at the sky. Patches of dark blue clouds covered the heavens, the air cold and rough, like grains of sand. The two paused, exchanged a smile, and then continued walking side by side.

Li Ling unconsciously reached out and took Zhou Xiye's arm. Both were startled. As Li Ling tried to pull her hand away, Zhou Xiye stopped her, saying, "Let's go, didn't you say you were too full?"

Zhou Xiye smiled, "Don't worry, I'll definitely ensure your safety..."

Li Ling turned her head away, a cold wind blowing past, and she moved closer to Zhou Xiye. "You were cuter when you were little. Now, you really mean three different things in one sentence... Zhou Xiye, how did you become like this?"

Hearing this again, Zhou Xiye still smiled, his heart unmoved. "What do you mean? I think you just like me to revolve around you and treat you like a princess."

This time, Li Ling sighed, "People change. You've changed, so of course I'll change too. Being a princess is great, but when the castle collapses, a princess is worse off than an ordinary person."

Zhou Xiye nodded. "That's true, but I think it's very irresponsible of you to disappear overnight without leaving me any contact information after your family's downfall..." She turned to look at Li Ling, "...it's irresponsible towards friendship."

Li Ling frowned as she looked at Zhou Xiye's slightly flushed cheeks. "You've only had a few cups of tea, why do you look drunk?"

Suddenly, Zhou Xiye pulled Li Ling aside and a scooter sped past. Zhou Xiye looked into the distance, frowning. "It's time to regulate scooters..." The two started walking forward, and Zhou Xiye said, "There are some things I've always wanted to say, but I haven't found the right opportunity. Now it's just the two of us."

Li Ling understood that Zhou Xiye's visit to have dinner and reminisce was actually a way to settle old scores and new grievances. "It's not that I didn't want to contact you, it's just that I really couldn't... Back then, my dad called the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, but no one answered, no one helped, and he was barely able to protect himself."

“I know all that you’re saying. I’ve inquired about your family since I came to Beijing,” Zhou Xiye said, looking ahead. “It’s a big deal, but having someone vouch for you means your grandfather and father’s efforts weren’t in vain. In the end, they can give you a normal life…”

“Normal life…?” Li Ling almost burst out laughing. “Zhou Xiye, many of my family members have fled overseas. Every day they pray that no one will remember this matter again… There are also quite a few people in Qincheng Prison. When I went to visit them, they were still thinking about getting out… Our family is no longer like a family. I don’t know what normal life is like.”

"Having a job, eating on time, and having friends is enough."

"I have no choice, I don't know how to live."

Zhou Xiye stopped in his tracks. "If you don't know how to live a normal life, then you shouldn't be a spy."

"I want revenge."

Li Ling also stopped, and the two stood facing each other on the side of the road.

"Then go find the person who ruined your family like this. Why would you do such a thing? To betray your country?"

"I love my country, but I hate this organization."

Zhou Xiye looked on incredulously. She shook her head. "If you're a liberal, then you should understand even better that all choices are..."

“I really just wanted revenge. Who was the person who reported my family? It was my grandfather’s mistress. She was only a few years older than me. She was pregnant with my grandfather’s child and also gave birth to a brother for my father.”

Zhou Xiye opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Li Ling laughed, "Are you trying to say that evil people get their just desserts? But let me tell you, Zhou Xiye, that lover is living a very good life now. She has her own family, and her parents are still alive... Back then, she was with my grandfather only for money. She used my grandfather's money to study abroad, and then got a job at the provincial TV station through my grandfather's connections. Everything she has now is because of my grandfather. And she betrayed my grandfather, plunging our whole family into dire straits."

“I won’t condemn you for my sense of justice, Li Ling. You have to take responsibility for the path you chose. But you shouldn’t have used my life to gain their trust.”

"How can you be so sure it was me? Didn't you tell Ling Xingzhi too?"

“But the information I gave you was different,” Zhou Xiye paused, “but I didn’t lie. Putting the two things together, that’s the truth.”

"So what? Zhou Xiye, what are you trying to do? Report me? Say I'm a spy?"

What benefit would I gain from reporting you at this time?

"So what benefits do you want from me?"

The two stood face to face. Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiye immediately calmed down. "I don't want to get anything from you..."

Li Ling took a step closer. "Do you know who I'm with right now?"

Zhou Xiye looked at her, Li Ling's figure reflected in her pupils, "She was my grandfather's political enemy. He was very good to me. Even if you reported me, he would help me resolve everything."

"You used to hate these things the most!"

"Yes, I hate all this. Then let me ask you, Zhou Xiye! Are the things you're doing now really what you envisioned for yourself? Are your ideals still there? Are your original aspirations still there? Do you still want to continue the lost learning of the sages and bring peace to all generations?"

A barrage of arrows rained down, but Zhou Xiye remained motionless, staring at Li Ling.

Li Ling also looked at Zhou Xiye, at the face she had always looked up to, the youthful face overlapping with the now mature Zhou Xiye. She had changed, yet it seemed as if nothing had changed; her features were more defined, the sharpness in her eyes had softened, becoming a real knife, a sword drawn, sure to draw blood.

In that instant, Li Ling thought of her high school days, when Zhou Xiye liked to lie on the table and listen to her tell stories about high-ranking officials and secrets of the inner circle, stories that made one's blood boil.

"I want to do great things in the future, I want to be a high-ranking official!" Zhou Xiye exclaimed after listening to Li Ling's words, her head resting on the table.

But Li Ling looked down on Zhou Xiye, a student disliked by her family. If it weren't for the fact that she always ranked first in her exams, she wouldn't have become good friends with Zhou Xiye.

"Become a high-ranking official? You're so vulgar," Li Ling said with some disdain.

Zhou Xiye smiled shyly, "What's so vulgar about that? Wu Zetian was also from Shanxi. We have the genes and the environment, so we're bound to do great things!"

"So what do you plan to do after becoming an official? Money? Men? Power?"

Zhou Xiye thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, those are too vulgar. I want to 'continue the lost learning of the sages and usher in an era of peace for all generations.'"

A piercing horn blared, jolting the two women awake. They each took a step back, and several cars drove between them. Zhou Xiye looked at Li Ling through the cars, and Li Ling looked back at her. The distance wasn't far, but the immense gap between them, widened by time, was clearly visible.

With the car gone, the two walked side by side again. Zhou Xiye took out his phone from his pocket and said, "I'll call a car to pick us up."

Li Ling reached out and snatched Zhou Xiye's phone. "No need, just let them come and pick you up. I'll walk back myself."

"Alright..."

Li Ling smiled at this moment, "I'll walk the path I've chosen myself. Don't look so gloomy as if I've encountered some insurmountable obstacle. I've been through everything. Zhou Xiye, I'm not a princess, I'm a knight who protects myself."

"Alright, then let's see who has the best skills. If... we meet again, I won't let you get away with it."

After hearing this, Li Ling looked at Zhou Xiye thoughtfully, "Are you just going to let me go like this?"

“…When I was in high school, my younger brother didn’t get into a top school, and my mom wanted to use my spot to get him in,” Zhou Xiye said calmly. “Then, I found out that you told your dad that I was a good student and that I should stay in school, so you added an extra spot for the school and waived my tuition and boarding fees.”

Li Ling was stunned; she never imagined that Zhou Xiye would know about this.

"Power, like money, can do good in the hands of a good person, but it turns bad in the hands of a bad person, amplifying evil a hundredfold. I wasn't your grandfather's lover, but I know that a drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of gratitude. Looking back on my journey, everyone I've met and every bit of help I've received has brought me to where I am today, shaping me into who I am. To continue the lost learning of the sages and to usher in an era of peace for all generations is a distant dream for me now, but I..."

Zhou Xiye pursed his lips and said solemnly, "...But I will not give up."

Li Ling smiled and nodded after listening, then turned her head to look away, it was unclear what she understood. "Well... I wish you success."