After dinner, Hua Qingcheng called Hua Qingguo to the study alone.

"Sister~"

Hua Qingguo gently pushed open the door of the study and his eyes fell on the slender figure standing in front of the desk with her hands behind her back. Just like when he was a child, he called out to Hua Qingcheng affectionately.

Now in her thirties, Hua Qingcheng still looks stunning, her figure as graceful as ever. Furthermore, nearly seventeen years have passed since she began her reign, and the years have honed her, imbuing her with a powerful aura that inspires awe.

Hearing the voice, Hua Qingcheng slowly turned around and looked at the handsome figure in white walking towards her. In a trance, she seemed to see the vigorous and elegant Bai Yuheng of the past.

"Master Bai~" Hua Qingcheng was distracted for a moment and couldn't help but shout.

However, when she realized that she had mistaken her brother for Bai Yuheng, she shook her head violently, trying to dispel the absurd thoughts in her mind.

After all, Bai Yuheng had been buried in the Yousi River seventeen years ago, and the person in front of her was none other than her brother Hua Qingguo, with whom she had no blood relationship but with whom she had a deep affection, like a real sibling.

As for Hua Qingguo, when he heard Hua Qingcheng call him "Master Bai," his whole body suddenly stiffened and he stopped in his tracks. He felt as if he had been struck by an invisible force, and he fell into an indescribable state.

Hua Qingguo felt a slight soreness in his eyes, and a mist involuntarily filled his bright eyes. He looked at Hua Qingcheng with a complicated expression. His eyes were filled with confusion, pain, and longing, as if countless emotions were intertwined, making him unable to bear it.

Seventeen years!

Time passed quickly like flowing water, but for Hua Qingguo, these seventeen years were filled with laughter and warmth.

However, now, after seventeen years, he heard this woman call him "Master Bai" again.

At this moment, Hua Qingguo seemed to have returned to the past, back to the time when he was Bai Yuheng, the one who deeply loved Hua Qingcheng without knowing it.

When a thought arises, thousands of mountains and rivers appear; when a thought disappears, the world changes dramatically.

Hua Qingguo's thoughts could not help but drift back to his past life, recalling every detail of his acquaintance with Hua Qingcheng. Those beautiful times had now become a secret buried deep in his heart.

Ever since Hua Qingcheng broke into the room of Bai Yuheng, who was then Bai Yuheng, and saw him bathing, his attention was unconsciously attracted to this woman.

Hua Qingcheng's beauty, intelligence, bravery and kindness all touched his heart. However, fate's trick of death eventually separated them.

Now, when Bai Yuheng heard Hua Qingcheng call out "Master Bai" again after seventeen years, all the memories instantly flooded into his mind, making him unable to let go.

However, after realizing his own gaffe, Hua Qingguo quickly suppressed his complex emotions. A wry smile played on his face. He looked at Hua Qingcheng and said, "Sister, today is indeed Master Bai's death anniversary! Mother and Father pay their respects to him on this day every year. Even if they can't always go to Youzhou's Yousi River, they still offer their respects to Master Bai from afar at home."

Hua Qingguo's voice was low and somewhat sorrowful, as if he were reminiscing about the past. His eyes gradually grew deeper, as if he had traveled through time and returned to seventeen years ago.

Hua Qingguo continued, "Every time they perform a memorial ceremony, Mom and Dad would prepare rich offerings, burn incense, and kowtow to express their deep respect for Master Bai. They say that Master Bai is a great man, someone they will always admire. I think that's why they cherish their friendship with Master Bai so much."

As Hua Qingguo spoke, tears began to flow from his eyes. They trickled down his cheeks and landed on the ground, creating a splatter of glistening tears. His eyes, filled with endless sorrow, moved everyone.

Upon seeing this, Hua Qingcheng hurried forward, hugged Hua Qingguo in her arms, gently stroked his hair, then patted him on the back, saying softly, "I'm sorry, Qingguo! It's my fault. I mistakenly thought you were Master Bai. Because of Master Bai, we've never celebrated your birthday in a grand manner in the past seventeen years. Do you ever feel wronged?"

Hua Qingcheng's voice was filled with guilt and self-blame. She hugged Hua Qingguo tightly, as if she wanted to make up for her debt to her brother. She knew that Hua Qingguo had always been a sensible and worry-free child who would not easily express his emotions, but deep down he must have had unspeakable grievances.

Hearing Hua Qingcheng's words and feeling the woman's warm embrace, Hua Qingguo raised his head slightly, as if trying to stop his tears from falling. However, the more Hua Qingcheng engraved Bai Yuheng in her heart, the more deeply he was moved.

"Qingguo, what's wrong with you? Why are your tears flowing more and more like a flood?" Hua Qingcheng looked at her brother crying and felt distressed. She quickly reached out and gently wiped the tears from the corners of Hua Qingguo's eyes, gently comforting him: "If you keep crying, Mom and Dad will see it and they will probably blame you for bullying you!"

"Sister~"

Hua Qingguo raised her head slightly, glanced at Hua Qingcheng with tearful eyes, then leaned lightly on her shoulder and said leisurely: "Qingguo is fine, it's just that I feel a little sorry for that Master Bai you mentioned..."

Hearing her brother's words, Hua Qingcheng's heart finally relaxed a little. She gently patted Hua Qingguo's back and couldn't help crying, saying, "Master Bai risked his life to save mother, father, and you, Qingguo. He surely doesn't want to see you live in pain. You... must live the life that belongs to Master Bai well and experience the prosperity of this prosperous world for him!"

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