"I hate myself for only caring about being sad and heartbroken, leaving you alone in the capital."
"Sister Wanwan, I know you don't like me, and I know there's no future for us."
"But... I just hope you can take good care of yourself, stay safe and healthy, and be free from illness and disaster."
Su Wanwan felt a pang of sadness. She sat up and looked intently at Gu Ziyu, the words she was about to say feeling incredibly heavy.
"Ziyu, I don't deserve your affection."
"It was my fault. I shouldn't have agreed to your marriage. It caused you so much suffering."
Gu Ziyu's eyes were slightly red as he stared at her blankly for a long time.
"Sister Wanwan, don't be so formal."
“If it weren’t for you, I would have been beaten to death when I was ten years old.”
"If we can't be husband and wife, let's become sworn siblings. I just want to stay by your side and protect your safety."
He had no idea that the persimmon he wanted to pick when he was ten years old would have such a strong aftereffect and taste so bitter.
At that time, all he knew about Su Wanwan was that she was a quiet little girl with little presence.
She has no airs at all.
Despite being the granddaughter of a high-ranking official, she was raised in Qingning Palace and could be more arrogant than many domineering noble ladies.
But she didn't.
Instead, they were timid and hesitant.
They looked at people with extreme caution, as if afraid of saying or doing something wrong.
She was even more timid than the new maidservant they had just bought into the household.
He picked a persimmon and threw it at her, but she didn't dare to make a sound and just quickened her pace to leave.
It's utterly boring.
This made him very indignant, so he picked more persimmons and threw them at her, hoping to make a fuss.
result.
When he was being held down to be beaten, this timid little girl rushed up to stop them and took the blame upon herself.
One hundred strokes of the cane.
He was terrified, thinking he was going to die there.
This incredibly foolish little girl just rushed out without hesitation.
Forgive past grievances.
They showed no fear whatsoever.
His mind was completely blank at the time.
She watched helplessly as she was also forced to the ground, and a board taller than herself fell heavily on her.
That scene, even after many years, remains etched in his mind, never fading in the slightest.
From then on, he seemed to suddenly become sensible.
He was still all smiles and mischievous, but he was also working incredibly hard at his studies.
He managed to secure a spot as the Crown Prince's companion, a position that many others would fight tooth and nail for.
He studied reading and calligraphy, practiced martial arts, and socialized—he didn't neglect a single aspect of it.
So much so that his parents and elder brother thought he wanted to inherit the title and even gave him a warning.
But he knew that he had no interest in the title; he only wanted to become stronger.
I hope that one day, that terrible sledgehammer won't fall on the person who wants to protect him.
However, after many years, he seems to have been standing still.
My goal always seems so far away.
Su Wanwan looked at Gu Ziyu with a confused expression, feeling guilty.
She already had someone she loved.
He was destined not to give Gu Ziyu what he wanted.
Seeing her like this, Gu Ziyu could no longer hold back and hugged her tightly, tears welling up in his eyes.
His young life was smooth sailing.
Even though he had spent several years training on the frontier and fighting on the battlefield, he did not suffer any major losses because of his family background and solid basic skills.
The only obstacles were in her love life and marriage.
However, he felt that he owed Su Wanwan, and that he deserved to suffer as much as he could.
He Ying was going out to prepare tea for Gu Ziyu.
When she returned, she found a tall, slender man standing at the door.
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