He had instinctively denied it without a second thought.
But clearly, that denial hadn’t been very convincing. Even someone like Qi Xu—who spent all day thinking about where to find good food—had looked at him with suspicion for a long time.
Not to mention Jing Yubai, that little fox.
As a result, he tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep well. In the end, he had to spend an entire hour practicing swordsmanship in the freezing wind of the courtyard, exhausting himself to the point of collapse before he finally managed to sleep for a few hours.
When he woke up, it was still very early.
The sky was still a dim gray. He lay in bed, staring at the green canopy above him for a long time. Then, for some inexplicable reason, he got up and left the house under the early morning sky. By the time he realized what he was doing, he had already arrived in the alleyway.
Before the age of ten, Li Qinyuan used to think a lot.
He thought about how to make his father satisfied, how to make his mother happy—his mind was always occupied with something.
But after the age of ten, he stopped thinking about such things. He lived each day as it came, aimlessly drifting through life, without much joy or sorrow. He just got by.
So now, with his head suddenly filled with so many thoughts, he truly didn’t know where to begin sorting them out.
But there was one thing he could be sure of.
Even he didn’t fully believe the denial he gave yesterday.
And everything about yesterday and today—all the inexplicable feelings and restless thoughts—came from that little chili pepper.
Just like now…
He sat there in a daze, his gaze drifting toward that blue fabric curtain again and again, waiting for a figure he had thought he wasn’t expecting.
The curtain fluttered slightly.
Li Qinyuan, who had been lazily sitting, immediately straightened his posture. His eyes locked onto the curtain, watching as someone lifted it. A gust of wind swept in before the person entered, and then…
“What’s wrong?” Uncle Zhang, carrying a tray, looked at him curiously. If he weren’t holding something, he would’ve checked his own face—was there something on it?
“Nothing.”
Li Qinyuan withdrew his gaze and returned to his usual demeanor. Only the hand resting on the table unconsciously clenched into a fist.
Uncle Zhang didn’t think much of it. After placing the food down, he advised, “Eat early and go home to rest. You look exhausted.” Then, with a sigh, he added, “Your academy is so far from here. Running back and forth every day is such a hassle. If you really like the food, just send someone to pick it up next time.”
“It’s fine.”
Li Qinyuan had never been much of a talker, and right now, he wasn’t in the mood for conversation. He picked up a clean pair of chopsticks and a spoon, drinking his soy milk while eating a bun.
His attention only returned when he saw the scallions floating in the soy milk.
Perhaps because it wasn’t too busy at the moment, Uncle Zhang wasn’t in a rush to leave. He pulled up a chair and sat beside him. “Why hasn’t the little girl come yet today? At this hour, she should’ve arrived long ago.”
Li Qinyuan’s hand paused for a moment. After a while, he took a sip of the soy milk, chewing slowly.
Then, in a calm and indifferent tone, he said, “She probably won’t be coming anymore.”
Although the engagement rumors had ended and no one at the academy would bring it up again, the incident had still happened. Given the nature of the Duke of Ding, he likely wouldn’t allow his beloved daughter to visit the academy anymore.
Naturally.
She wouldn’t come here either.
Uncle Zhang was momentarily stunned. He had just blurted out “Why?” when, suddenly, the curtain behind him was lifted.
A young girl in a red dress, with her hair styled in a ru-yi bun, entered with a bright, beaming smile.
Before she even saw anyone, she was already calling out, “Uncle Zhang, are you inside?”
Her crisp and sweet voice rang through the room, and Li Qinyuan froze as if stunned. The soy milk in his mouth had yet to be swallowed, but the moment he heard that voice, his head jerked up abruptly.
Then, he saw that the little girl he had just claimed “wouldn’t come again” standing not far away.
The early morning sunlight bathed her figure, making her appear bright and full of life.
“Huh?”
Gu Wuyou spotted him too.
The smile on her face instantly grew even more radiant. She let go of the curtain and ran toward him, only stopping when she reached his side. Her small hands clutched the red cloak she was wearing, as if unsure how to address him, so she simply looked at him with both shyness and amusement. “You… why are you here so early today?”
When Gu Wuyou looked at Li Qinyuan, her eyes were filled with nothing but him.
“You…”
Li Qinyuan opened his mouth, but his voice was even raspier than before.
“Mm? What about me?” Gu Wuyou tilted her head slightly, looking at him in confusion.
He stared at her for a long time before finally lowering his head, feigning indifference. But the brows that had been furrowed since he entered had clearly relaxed, and even the heaviness in his expression had visibly lightened. “…Nothing.”
Gu Wuyou watched as her Great General went from dazed to his usual cold self. She wasn’t intimidated at all. Instead, she continued to smile and sat down across from him. Then, she turned to the equally stunned Uncle Zhang and cheerfully said, “Uncle Zhang, I’ll have soy milk again today, and two meat buns!”
She was starving—she needed to eat more.
Uncle Zhang finally snapped back to his senses, quickly stood up, and responded with an “Aye!” before saying, “Sit tight for a bit, I’ll bring them right out.”
“Okay~” Gu Wuyou replied with a bright smile.
Uncle Zhang soon left, and Li Qinyuan continued to lower his head, drinking his soy milk. With nothing else to do, Gu Wuyou occasionally sneaked glances at him, thinking she was subtle and unnoticed.
But Li Qinyuan had been trained in the military camp since he was a child—he could tell which direction a bird was flying from several meters away, let alone ignore someone staring at him from such close range.
If this had been before, Li Qinyuan would have felt nothing but annoyance under her gaze.
But today—
Along with the mild irritation, there was also an unfamiliar discomfort. His heart was pounding uncontrollably, and he felt an inexplicable sense of restlessness, almost as if he wanted to jump up and escape.
He did not like this feeling at all.
His grip on the soup spoon tightened, and under the pressure of this unease, he suddenly raised his head, glared at her with a scowl, and, before she could look away, pressed his voice down as he ordered, “Stop looking at me!”
“I…”
Caught red-handed, Gu Wuyou pursed her lips in grievance, then let out a soft, pitiful “Oh.”
A few moments passed.
Gu Wuyou, now facing away and no longer looking at him, secretly stole another glance in his direction. Noticing that the Great General had slowed his eating, she quickly prepared herself this time and immediately spoke up, “I—I actually have something to ask you!”
Then, she quietly added, “I wasn’t trying to peek at you.”
Afraid he wouldn’t believe her, she emphasized with extra conviction, “Really!” Her little face was full of sincerity.
But inside, she was feeling a little flustered.
Actually, she was lying.
She still wanted to look at the Great General.
But she couldn’t let him know. Otherwise, she wouldn’t even have the tiniest chance to sneak a peek in the future. Gu Wuyou wanted to sigh—why was the Great General so fierce when he was young? He wouldn’t even let her look at him, not even secretly.
Sigh.
How could Li Qinyuan not know what she was thinking? Whenever this little girl lied, her gaze would waver, her face would flush, and—most telling of all—her hands would unconsciously tangle together.
Right now—
He glanced at them. They were practically twisted into a knot.
He couldn’t even be bothered to expose her.
Swirling his spoon in the soy milk lazily, his long, narrow phoenix eyes met Gu Wuyou’s as he drawled, “What?”
Hearing him speak, Gu Wuyou immediately forgot about sighing. She quickly looked up at him and stammered, “Did you… did you defend me at Buzhi Hall yesterday? About… about the broken engagement? I heard people talking about it.”
While she spoke, she kept her eyes fixed on him, looking a little nervous yet full of anticipation. Her small hands clenched even tighter.
This time, it wasn’t because she was lying, but because she was genuinely anxious and hopeful.
Li Qinyuan was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected the matter at Buzhi Hall to reach her ears. Cursing inwardly, he immediately denied it aloud, “No.”
The moment she heard his response, Gu Wuyou’s face fell with disappointment. But she still looked at him expectantly and pressed on, “But… but I heard that Liu Yuan and the others got injured… And… and they said it was you.”
“They were being annoying.”
Proud and awkward as ever, Li Qinyuan continued frowning and denying it, looking utterly impatient. But seeing the girl’s crestfallen expression, he hesitated slightly this time. His tone was not as firm, and there was even a hint of uncertainty.
“…Oh.”
Gu Wuyou lowered her head in disappointment. Well, of course. She and the Great General weren’t even close right now. How could he possibly defend her? She had been so happy for nothing… Her heart felt a little sore.
No—not just a little. It hurt a lot.
Wait—
Gu Wuyou suddenly had a realization, as if inspiration had struck her out of nowhere. She abruptly looked up and caught the fleeting trace of concern in Li Qinyuan’s eyes. As expected…
The disappointment and gloom in her eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by a radiant smile. Her tone was filled with certainty as she declared, “You’re lying.”
“W-What?”
Li Qinyuan had been worrying about whether she had noticed his momentary concern. Now, hearing her words out of nowhere, his usually sharp mind went blank for a moment, and he even stammered.
“You obviously defended me. You’re lying.”
Gu Wuyou exposed his lie without hesitation, not even bothering to spare him any dignity.
“Who’s lying to you?!”
Li Qinyuan huffed in frustration. He had no idea where this little girl got the confidence to be so sure! Just as he was about to refute her, he suddenly saw the girl across from him stand up, lean over, and—
Her small hand pinched his ear.
Under his stiff and stunned gaze, she giggled, “Look, your ears are red.”
“When you lie, your ears turn red.”
“So—”
The girl’s smile was as bright as the sun, her eyes curving like crescent moons. With a triumphant little hum, she declared, “You totally defended me yesterday!”
The Great General in his youth was just a little liar.
Hmph.
Good thing she was smart.
Wasn’t this just her catching a little weakness of his?
Gu Wuyou was so close.
Li Qinyuan could even smell the faint sweetness on her body—not cloying, something between the scent of sugar and fruit. It smelled… really nice. He wasn’t sure whether it was the fragrance clouding his mind or if he was just too stunned by her boldness.
The spoon in his hand slipped, clattering into the bowl, sending droplets of soy milk splashing onto the back of his hand.
He was just about to say something when—
The curtain was suddenly lifted.
Uncle Zhang’s cheerful voice rang out, “Soy milk is ready—”
But the words abruptly stopped.
Clearly, he hadn’t expected to walk in on this scene.