It was getting late, and the sky outside had already darkened. Gu Yitong saw Zheng Yu preparing to leave. "Go say goodbye to Yi'er. He's been worried sick these past few days."
Zheng Yu's eyes suddenly lit up, and she nodded quickly before heading towards Gu Yi's room.
Gu Yitong sat on a stool and suddenly smiled. Yi'er would finally find his own happiness. She felt very relieved to entrust Yi'er to Zheng Yu.
When Zheng Yu entered the room, Gu Yi was sitting by the bed, his eyes red.
"Wh-why are you here?" Gu Yi was surprised that Zheng Yu had come to his room. He stood up in a fluster, lowering his head, not wanting Zheng Yu to see that he had been crying.
Zheng Yu closed the door, walked up to Gu Yi, took his hand, and sat down on the stool. She gently touched Gu Yi's slightly red eyes. "Did you hear just now?"
Gu Yi nodded. After leaving earlier, he hadn't returned directly to his room but had hidden on the other side of the wall to eavesdrop on their conversation. He had expected Gu Yitong to make things difficult for Zheng Yu, but he hadn't expected Gu Yitong to say such things.
His sister had always been thinking of him; he had been too willful.
"Don't be sad. Yitong just wants you to be happy, so she can rest easy. We'll treat her well together from now on."
Seeing Gu Yi being moved again, Zheng Yu quickly changed her approach. "Yitong hasn't lost a brother; she's gained a sister who is even older than herself. From now on, I'll have to call her 'sister' too."
Hearing this, Gu Yi finally broke into a smile through his tears.
"That's more like it. Your eyes are all red. If she sees them later, she'll think I bullied you," Zheng Yu said, gently pulling Gu Yi into her embrace.
Gu Yi's face flushed slightly, and he pushed back a few times. "My sister..."
Zheng Yu knew what Gu Yi meant and held him even tighter. "Don't worry, Yitong sent me over. So, she won't come over and be nosy."
Hearing that it was his sister who sent her, Gu Yi's face turned even redder. He stopped resisting and nestled obediently into Zheng Yu's arms, burying his face deeply.
"You've lost weight these past few days. You must have been worried about me and not eating properly."
Gu Yi had worn a veil outside, so his face couldn't be seen clearly. Now, looking at his face, he had lost a lot of weight, and holding him, she could feel how much thinner he had become.
Although they had only hugged for a short while that day before Gu Yitong discovered them, the feeling at that moment was unforgettable. The innocence of the person in her arms, his body trembling slightly from shyness and nervousness, were all vividly remembered by Zheng Yu.
"But I could only worry about you; I couldn't help at all." Gu Yi felt a little disappointed when this was mentioned.
"How could you not help? You helped me immensely." Zheng Yu moved closer, adjusting Gu Yi in her arms to a comfortable position.
"I was locked up alone for these two days, and when everyone falsely accused me, I thought of you every moment. You gave me spiritual support."
"I regret it every day, regretting why I didn't seek your sister's permission sooner. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had to meet in secret a few days ago, and we could have made many shared memories."
"I also regret not telling your sister and dating you secretly back then, which put you in a difficult position when you were discovered. So, I've decided that after I get out, I must get your sister's permission and be with you openly."
"So, you gave me courage and helped me a lot."
"Oh, and this outfit, I picked it out specially today. I did a good job today, didn't I?"
When it came to clothes, Zheng Yu was very proud. She didn't know who gave her the courage, but it certainly wasn't herself.
"You picked out this outfit yourself?" Gu Yi swallowed and asked with difficulty.
"Yes. Usually, my clothes are all put together by the servants. We haven't seen each other for a long time today, and I'm here to seek your sister's permission, so of course, I have to take it seriously."
Gu Yi pulled himself out of Zheng Yu's embrace and sat there, carefully examining Zheng Yu's outfit again. "I thought the outfit you wore this morning was quite nice."
"That outfit was..." Zheng Yu was about to say that the outfit was put together for her by the servant Amen, but then she suddenly realized, "How did you know what I was wearing this morning?"
"Ah? I, I saw you this morning."
"Were you secretly watching me?" Zheng Yu guessed, then smiled and looked at Gu Yi, her eyes full of contentment and joy.
"It's getting late. You, you should go back quickly." Gu Yi didn't know how to answer and urged Zheng Yu to leave.
Indeed, Zheng Yu had been here for quite some time, and the door was closed with Gu Yitong outside. He really couldn't be so unrestrained on the first day.
"Then I'll be going. Tomorrow morning, I'll come to see you as usual."
Gu Yi was a little reluctant as Zheng Yu was really leaving. "Then go back. It's dark outside; be careful on your way."
Gu Yitong had been listening to the sounds from Gu Yi's room. Why hadn't she come out yet? Gu Yitong was about to explode from waiting outside. This Zheng Yu was pushing her luck, not only closing the door but also staying inside for so long.
With a creak, the sound of the door opening came from Gu Yi's room. It seemed Zheng Yu was finally leaving. Gu Yitong cleared her throat and walked out of her room.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she came out, she saw Gu Yi standing at the doorway, looking at Zheng Yu with reluctance. They were saying their tearful goodbyes.
Was it necessary to be like this? It's not like they wouldn't see each other again.
"A'Yu, you're leaving? Then hurry up and go. Uncle Zheng is probably waiting for you to return."
??? You're already asking me to leave?
"Yi'er, then I'm leaving." Zheng Yu first looked at Gu Yi tenderly, then turned to Gu Yitong. "Yitong, I'm leaving!"
"Mm, go ahead." Hurry up and leave, hurry up and leave!