The next morning, at dawn.
Gong Zhijing woke up in the large bed of the hotel. The curtains were tightly drawn, blocking out the sunlight from outside.
The room was dim, and beside her, there was a steady, deep breathing sound.
Gong Zhijing turned her head to look. Ling Yuchen was facing away from her, sleeping soundly.
She sat up very quietly, rubbing her sleepy eyes. Her mind was not yet fully awake.
After staring blankly for a while, she carefully got out of bed and went into the bathroom.
The wedding was over, everything was finished, and life had to get back on track.
But she couldn't leave the Gong family immediately after getting married. She wanted to stay with Gong Ye for a few days, then stay at the Ling family's for a few days, and then return to Linglu Mountain.
When she came out after washing up, Ling Yuchen had already woken up.
He was sitting on the bed, looking down at his phone. The room was very dim, and Gong Zhijing didn't notice his furrowed brow.
She walked to the closet and took out clothes, preparing to change out of her pajamas.
"Let's go back to the Gong family today. I want to stay for a few more days and accompany my dad."
Ling Yuchen looked up at Gong Zhijing, his gaze dark, his brow still tightly furrowed.
How could he tell her?
Before the wedding, Gong Ye had called him into his study and told him his plans after the wedding.
He said he knew Gong Zhijing was always worried about his future life.
She was afraid he would be lonely, afraid he would have no one to take care of him, so she wanted him to find someone else.
But he would never find someone else. He had his own plans for his life.
The people he could never let go of in this life were his late wife and his tragically deceased family.
So he would spend the rest of his decades protecting them, guarding their graves. He was content being alone, and he could visit them several times a day.
He would leave after the wedding.
All his assets would be left in Gong Zhijing's name. After he left, they would be sent to the Ling family.
When Ling Yuchen woke up, he had just received a text message from someone at the old mansion.
The message said that Gong Ye had sent something over, and it was for him. He immediately knew what it was about.
Gong Zhijing changed her clothes and casually turned on the light in the room. Seeing that Ling Yuchen was still sitting on the bed without moving, she looked at him.
Only then did she notice that his expression was not right, and she immediately asked, "What's wrong with you? Why do you look so miserable?"
Ling Yuchen took a deep breath and then looked at Gong Zhijing.
"I have something to tell you, come here!"
"What is it?"
Looking at his expression, Gong Zhijing's heart skipped a beat. She had a feeling it wasn't good news.
Ling Yuchen didn't answer her, he just said, "Come here, I'll tell you."
"Tell me quickly, what happened? Your expression is making me so uneasy."
As Gong Zhijing spoke, she walked over.
Ling Yuchen hugged her tightly, his heart filled with worry.
He knew that Gong Zhijing would definitely not accept it, but this was Gong Ye's own decision. He had tried to persuade him at the time, but Gong Ye's attitude was very firm.
"Tell me quickly!"
Now Gong Zhijing was even more certain that something she didn't know had happened, and it wasn't a small matter.
What could make Ling Yuchen care so much about her feelings?
Besides the child, there was only...
"Is it my dad..."
She had noticed Gong Ye's unusual behavior during this time and was still harboring hidden worries.
"Alas, why are you so smart." Ling Yuchen's tone was full of helplessness.
Gong Zhijing panicked and immediately grabbed Ling Yuchen's hand, asking, "What happened to my dad?"
"He's fine, it's just..."
Ling Yuchen hesitated, which made Gong Zhijing even more anxious.
"Speak, what happened to him?"
Ling Yuchen thought that she would have to know sooner or later, so he said, "He said he would leave all the Gong family's assets to you and spend the rest of his life at the cemetery, guarding your mother and the other members of the Gong family."
Gong Zhijing's heart beat faster, her panic and unease growing.
"Why does he have to go guard the grave? What is he doing?"
Tears slid down her cheeks. Gong Zhijing felt as if her heart had been cut with a knife, only pain and heartache.
Once her emotions got out of control, her mind would tend to wander.
She thought, was it because she had asked her dad to find someone else before, which made him uncomfortable?
Or did her dad feel like he was a burden and would cause her trouble, so he made such a decision?
These thoughts made Gong Zhijing feel even more distressed and guilty.
Ling Yuchen could do nothing but hold her, holding her tightly.
"I want to go see my dad!" Gong Zhijing said.
"Okay, I'll go with you."
Ling Yuchen readily agreed.
The two changed their clothes, packed their things, and then left the hotel.
Ling Yuchen drove, taking Gong Zhijing all the way to the cemetery.
The journey wasn't far, but Gong Zhijing felt as if this short distance had taken a very, very long time.
She was eager to see her father, to see him quickly, to see him immediately.
No matter how far the road, one would eventually reach the destination.
As soon as the car stopped, Gong Zhijing rushed directly to the cemetery.
At the entrance, soldiers with guns were still on guard.
Gong Zhijing was not afraid and went straight up to ask, "Where is my dad?"
"The commander went up the mountain early this morning."
"Thank you."
Gong Zhijing said thank you and then ran towards the mountain.
The stairs leading up were very steep.
She ran up eagerly, and after only a few steps, she was out of breath.
Ling Yuchen followed behind her. Seeing this, he quickly stepped forward and extended his hand to her.
Gong Zhijing immediately understood what he meant and placed her hand in his palm.
Ling Yuchen pulled her up, which immediately made her feel much easier.
Soon, they arrived in front of the Gong family's tomb.
There was a figure squatting on the ground, which was Gong Ye.
Gong Ye was holding a towel and meticulously wiping the tombstone.
It was already clean, but he still wiped it very diligently.
"Dad."
Gong Zhijing immediately burst into tears, her heartache intensifying.
The squatting figure stiffened, then slowly stood up and turned around to look.
When he saw Gong Zhijing and Ling Yuchen, there was no surprise in his eyes, only helplessness.
"Why are you here? Why aren't you at home? What are you doing here?"
Gong Zhijing, crying, walked towards him.
"Dad, why are you so silly? Why did you run here alone?"
Gong Ye smiled, his tone indifferent.
"What's bad about this place? Your mother is here, and so are Grandpa, Grandma, brothers, and sisters.
This place is very good. I like it very much. I can come here every day to see your mother and talk to her.
I'm not lonely at all. I'm happy when I see them."
Looking at the genuine smile on Gong Ye's face, Gong Zhijing found herself unable to speak the words of persuasion.
She had never seen such a smile before, and even his eyes were shining.