Yan Liang was starting to panic.

He had always been a man of impeccable morals, cold-hearted and ruthless, but unexpectedly, in his old age, he lost his integrity, was unfairly blamed, and was branded as a heartless man and a womanizer.

...Ah, and there's also this fabricated fetish of homosexuality.

His friends watched from the sidelines, and Yan Liang looked conflicted, because both Hua Guniang and Dongfang insisted that Yan Liang had provoked Dongfang.

"I...have never provoked you, Dongfang," Yan Liang said with difficulty. "Is there some misunderstanding?"

Dongfang Bubai remained silent, unaware of whether Yan Liang had offended him. He could only stand firmly beside the young woman to express his stance.

"Think it over carefully. If there's a misunderstanding, you should just say it." The young woman looked at the bewildered young man, reached out and grabbed Dongfang's wrist, then turned and left the courtyard.

They were separated from Mu Rufeng's courtyard by only one wall, and the two of them were heading in the direction that Mu Rufeng's courtyard was.

Yan Liang thought to himself, "How can I come up with a solution? It's all baseless, and I can't figure it out even if I rack my brains."

One yellow and one red floated away, shimmering in the sunlight like scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

...Stop thinking, stop thinking.

Yan Liang wiped his face, pretending nothing was wrong, and looked up at the onlookers. Each person's expression was subtly ambiguous.

Don't overthink it! I'm not that kind of person!

Yan Liang spoke with righteous indignation.

Lu Xiaofeng nodded: "Of course we know you're not that kind of person... but aren't you going to chase after him?"

Yan Liang: "...But she doesn't want to see me."

Not wanting to dwell on the topic any longer, Yan Liang cleverly changed the subject, greeting the Prince of Taiping, who had been quietly watching the show from the sidelines: "It's been many years since we last met. How have you been, Your Highness?"

"Long time no see... You seem to be in good health this time."

The Crown Prince of Taiping gave a response that didn't sound very friendly; it was cold and indifferent, with a slight upward tilt at the end.

Yan Liang laughed it off, but Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Man, who had witnessed Yan Liang's physical condition deteriorate from weak to even weaker, were reminded of Yan Liang's situation back then by these words.

Hua Manlou frowned slightly, while Lu Xiaofeng wore a bitter smile—from just this sentence, he could tell that Gong Jiu had obviously been aware of Yan Liang's secret for a long time, which was probably related to Gong Jiu's own secret.

Gong Jiu glanced at Bai Yutang, then at Zhan Zhao, and said thoughtfully, "You have quite a few friends."

Yan Liang was quite proud of himself: "Who told me to be so likable and popular?"

Lu Xiaofeng: "Pfft."

Yan Liang: "...Hey."

Bai Yutang gloated and tattled, "Lu Xiaofeng said that you're not only not annoying, but how could you possibly be likable?"

Lu Xiaofeng: "...Hey."

Gong Jiu watched coldly. He had come here only to confirm Yan Liang's identity and prove that his long-held suspicions were correct, but the scene before him was beyond his expectations.

Yan Liang's origins are unknown. He has appeared in the martial arts world twice, with different faces. To ordinary people, this should be both strange and illogical. However, Yan Liang's friends do not seem to care too much about this. As far as Gong Jiu is concerned, Yan Liang's way of getting along with Lu Xiaofeng is still the same as before.

Since Gong Jiu's rebirth, although some people have noticed his changes, no one has dared to ask. He also has no one to tell.

＊

After Dongfang and Hua Guniang reunited, they seemed to find pleasure in teasing Yan Liang together, always leaving Yan Liang speechless. At first, Yan Liang had nothing to say and even felt a little aggrieved—back then, it was clearly Dongfang who teased Wang Lianhua with him, but now Dongfang had turned against him and joined the enemy.

But he was quick-witted and insisted that he had never provoked Dongfang and that he was devoted to Hua Guniang. He was deeply affectionate and loyal, and he was as wronged and sincere as he could be.

The young woman insisted that Yan Liang had homosexual tendencies, and after dragging Bai Yutang into the mess, she also implicated the others.

"—I'm just friends with them."

Yan Liang patiently explained.

"But why are all your friends men? And they're all quite good-looking, stop making excuses!"

Disappointment filled the girl's eyes.

The men, who were caught in the crossfire, remained silent. Being praised for their good looks by a young woman was a good thing, but in this situation... they simply couldn't feel happy.

“I have girls among my friends too! Like you, Miss Hua!” Yan Liang said loudly, “I also have a friend named Yi Yaoqing! She’s a woman too!”

"—So you were seeing other women behind my back?" The young woman seemed incredulous. "Back then, we called each other friends...!"

……Hello.

The Flower Girl's character has completely changed!

Yan Liang fell silent again. He even missed the shy and delicate young girl from back then. This young girl now... he couldn't handle her.

Dongfang Bubai sat to the side, leisurely sipping tea, but judging from the situation, he was clearly on the side of the flower girl.

There are now even more people in the Mu residence.

Dongfang Bubai naturally wouldn't leave after arriving, but what puzzled Lu Xiaofeng and Yan Liang was that Gong Jiu also stayed.

When asked why, Gong Jiu said, "Well... I have some connections with Wuyan Pavilion. If I let him stay here and be humiliated by you, Tang Yang will probably hold a grudge against me when he comes."

Yan Liang: "...I wouldn't humiliate you. Is that how you see me?"

Gong Jiu remained noncommittal.

Lu Xiaofeng was the one with the most complicated feelings. Even in the Mu family mansion, Gong Jiu made no attempt to hide his inexplicable disgust for Lu Xiaofeng.

With no certainty of getting an answer, Lu Xiaofeng asked Gong Jiu again why he treated him that way.

As expected, Lu Xiaofeng received no answer, only a cold stare. Gong Jiu ignored Lu Xiaofeng and turned to leave. Yan Liang stood at the end of the corridor, lazily watching this end. The two walked towards each other, and as they passed each other, Gong Jiu glanced at Yan Liang with a strange expression—the young man in gray looked calm and even gave him a smile.

Lu Xiaofeng stroked his mustache, looking utterly helpless: "I really don't know when I offended him."

Yan Liang stood beside him, hands tucked in his pocket, feeling a little sympathy for Lu Xiaofeng. Gong Jiu's dislike for Lu Xiaofeng was clearly related to the reason for his rebirth; perhaps Gong Jiu had died because of Lu Xiaofeng, thus gaining the opportunity to be reborn.

No one is qualified to judge Gong Jiu's actions, but judging from the current situation, Lu Xiaofeng's life is not in danger, after all, Gong Jiu has countless opportunities to take revenge.

"While he's still here, why don't we try to build a good relationship with him?" Yan Liang suggested.

“…Do you think I haven’t tried?” Lu Xiaofeng sighed. “He’s completely unresponsive. No matter what I say or do, he seems to loathe me to the extreme.”

Although Yan Liang knew why Gong Jiu disliked Lu Xiaofeng, he could not tell Lu Xiaofeng the truth without Gong Jiu's consent.

But since Lu Xiaofeng was his friend, Yan Liang said, "I know."

Lu Xiaofeng turned his head to look at Yan Liang.

The young man in gray under the eaves stood with his hands tucked in his pockets, his posture languid but his expression earnest.

He said, "Gong Jiu and I are somewhat similar."

Yan Liang stopped talking at this point. Lu Xiaofeng was silent for a while before replying, "Even if you don't say it, I know you know. You have your reasons for not saying it—it seems that Gong Jiu has no intention of killing me now, so it's better to let it be."

"..." Yan Liang was silent for a while, then said quietly, "If I had known you knew I knew, I wouldn't have said anything."

"...Tell me already!"

Lu Xiaofeng called out in a low voice.

＊

Yan Liang and his friends enjoyed their time in Suzhou. The love-hate relationship between him, Dongfang, and Hua Guniang had become a recurring theme in their lives.

Five days after Gong Jiu and Dongfang Bubai arrived, Hua Manlou decided to return to Baihualou. He had been away for many days and was very worried about the flowers in Baihualou. Lu Xiaofeng, as his guard, escorted him back.

After agreeing with the two men to return Mu Rufeng, Yan Liang went to Baihua Tower to see them off.

Before leaving, Hua Manlou smiled at Yan Liang. At that moment, Hua Manlou was chatting and laughing with Dongfang, and Yan Liang understood the moment he saw Hua Manlou's smiling face: Hua Manlou knew Hua Manlou's true colors.

Although it's unclear when Hua Manlou learned of their prank, Yan Liang said he was happy to see Wang Lianhua exposed. He secretly told Wang Lianhua the night Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou left, and when she turned pale at Yan Liang's undisguised gloating and mockery, she ran away.

—Then he was tripped by Dongfang Bubai, who was hiding around the corner.

Yan Liang said angrily, "You—colluded with each other!"

Wang Lianhua said, "Sheep, shut up."

...Therefore, Yan Liang inexplicably acquired the nickname "sheep".

Zhan Zhao, Bai Yutang, Wang Lianhua, and Dongfang Bubai naturally stayed there. Gong Jiu and Yan Liang weren't exactly friends, but they felt quite comfortable staying at the Mu residence.

Apart from Zhan Zhao and Yan Liang, who are good-tempered, the other three don't get along well with Gong Jiu.

After all, they are all top-tier figures in their respective worlds... It would be strange if they could get along peacefully.

The Mu residence wasn't very large, and Yan Liang was a restless person. He would always win a game of rock-paper-scissors with a few friends, then excitedly run outside with his fortune-telling banner, stroll around the nearby bustling streets, and return carrying his things.

Bai Yutang's expression was strange: "You...you really are quite leisurely."

Yan Liang smiled and accepted it as a compliment.

They come from different places, and the system and the company behind it are not very reliable. It is said that the time-space channel has not been repaired yet, so they will have to wait for a while.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were devoted to the Song Dynasty, but they couldn't deny that they were happy to be able to spend more time with Yan Liang and their old friends.

Wang Lianhua and Dongfang Bubai, on the other hand, had nothing to do and didn't care too much about when they could go back. They continued to act out their melodramatic scenes to tease Yan Liang.

Yan Liang remained unmoved by the storm, and in the end, he even gave up on himself and decided to give the flower girl to Dongfang. He no longer objected and looked heartbroken.

This made Wang Lianhua, who always stirs up trouble, feel bored. Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were already used to it, and Gong Jiu ignored him—he really had no one to play with.

But the news that Gong Jiu told them on a whim rekindled Wang Lianhua's interest.

Tang Yang is still on his way, but others are also heading towards Suzhou and will arrive there soon.

"...A man named Fang Yingkan, whom Lord Ye rescued, brought a young man named Pang Yu from Wanmei Manor to Suzhou."

As Gong Jiu spoke, he observed the expressions of the people in front of him, paying particular attention to Yan Liang's expression.

When Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang heard Pang Yu's name, their expressions showed some worry; while Yan Liang's expression did not change much after hearing Fang Yingkan and Pang Yu's names, he was only slightly taken aback.

...Eh.

Yan Liang covered his face with his hands.

I'm happy to see my friends... but isn't something a little off?

Author's Note: The wolf and the jackal are in cahoots; they steal from the sheep, so Yan Liang, who was bullied, is the sheep. _(:з」∠)_ Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2020-05-14 22:47:13 and 2020-05-17 23:16:23!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Yansheng (1);

Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Yanran Weile (5 bottles);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!