"Ah Li, if you don't come back soon, Yuan Gun Gun really won't be able to hold on any longer."

"Without you, every day feels so long. How can there be so many days in a year and so many minutes in a day? I'm so scared. I need a hug."

"..."

"Ah Li, will you come back?"

"Will they never come back?"

The girl's sobs gradually subsided; under immense mental torment, she lost consciousness and fainted.

An Yuan'er didn't mean to mention Yi Chenli in front of Lan Jingtang, to hurt his feelings.

That moment was the girl's most instinctive cry in despair. The first person she thought of was Yi Chenli, no one else.

The girl's clothes were torn, her hair was disheveled, and her face was covered in tears.

When she arrived, she was a delicate and beautiful porcelain doll, but now she is a pitiful, broken, and fragile creature.

Lan Jingtang immediately took off his outer robe, which completely covered the girl, leaving only her smiling face exposed, making her appear even more petite and adorable.

Lan Jingtang secretly blamed himself for not taking good care of the girl. Even if the girl mistook him for Yi Chenli, Lan Jingtang didn't mind.

He coaxed her in Yi Chenli's tone, "Round and chubby, I'm here."

In her drowsy state, the girl heard this voice and instinctively gripped the person in front of her even tighter.

Lan Jingtang picked up An Yuan'er and prepared to leave. At the same time, Gu Chuzhi, who had been hit on the head with a wooden stick, stood up irritably, clutching the wound on the back of his head.

He blocked Lan Jingtang's path, gritting his teeth as he said, "Lan Jingtang, how dare you ruin my plans? Leave the person here."

Lan Jingtang stared coldly at him, his voice chilling: "Gu Chuzhi, what if I let everyone know your true colors?"

"If you want to remain hidden in the shadows and manipulate Yi Chenxuan forever, I advise you not to provoke those you shouldn't. Yi Chenxuan sees Yuan'er as his mortal enemy. If you really get involved with her, I'm afraid the trust and alliance between you and him will soon break down, won't it?"

Lan Jingtang had always sensed that there was a hidden hand behind Yi Chenxuan, but this hidden hand had never shown itself before, and Lan Jingtang had no way of finding it.

But people always have their flaws exposed eventually.

Finally, one day, Lan Jingtang discovered that the person behind Yi Chenxuan was Gu Chuzhi.

If Yi Chenxuan is the one who is openly evil and wicked, then Gu Chuzhi is the mastermind behind Yi Chenxuan's misbehavior; he is truly evil to the core.

And yet, this man still cherishes his reputation immensely. He and Yi Chenxuan only interact privately; to the outside world, he is the most upright and aloof Lord Gu, indifferent to power struggles.

But in reality, it's quite ironic.

Lan Jingtang skillfully grasped Gu Chuzhi's concerns; he cared about his image and didn't want to be infamous.

Gu Chuzhi remained silent for a long time. A cold wind blew by, which cooled down his body considerably, and he gradually came to his senses from his madness.

Just now, he lost control and went berserk because of An Yuan'er's resistance and rejection.

Lan Jingtang's words echoed in Gu Chuzhi's ears, and Gu Chuzhi could only say unwillingly, "Lan Jingtang, next time, you won't be so lucky to take someone away from me. An Yuan'er has always been mine, do you understand?"

Lan Jingtang only said three words: "You're talking nonsense!"

Who would have thought that someone like Lan Jingtang would one day utter such vulgar words?

Lan Jingtang strode away with An Yuan'er in a hurry.

Gu Chuzhi shouted at Lan Jingtang's retreating figure, "You think you can get her like this?"