“Whoa—”
The coachman tightened the reins, bringing the galloping horse to an abrupt halt. The sudden stop made the horse restless, its thick hooves stomping the ground several times before gradually calming down.
“Fifth Miss, what’s wrong?”
Once the horse was steady, the coachman immediately turned around, his voice filled with urgency. “Did something happen?”
Gu Wuyou gripped the carriage curtain, craning her neck to look back at the long street behind them. However, from where she was, she couldn’t see anything beyond. She had no idea if that figure was still there.
“Quickly, turn the carriage around,” she urged anxiously. But seeing the coachman still looking stunned and unresponsive, she didn’t waste any more words. Instead, she leaped straight out of the carriage.
“Fifth Miss!”
The coachman’s voice rang out from behind her.
Gu Wuyou didn’t look back as she ran toward the long street, calling out, “Just wait here.”
She wasn’t mistaken. That figure just now had to be the Great General.
There weren’t too many people on the street yet. Vendors had just set up their stalls on both sides, calling out to sell breakfast. Amid these voices, Gu Wuyou kept running forward. As she got closer, she finally saw that figure again.
It really was the Great General!
The anxiety in her heart instantly eased, and her flushed face, reddened from running, gradually bloomed with a smile. She stood still, gazing at the familiar figure not far away, her smile growing wider.
Just as she was about to step forward—
She saw another figure.
It was a young woman in yellow, standing right in front of the Great General, speaking with him.
Her steps froze, and the smile on her face stiffened.
Gu Wuyou stood blankly, looking ahead. The Great General had his back to her, so she couldn’t see his expression. But the woman in yellow was facing her directly.
Huang Fu?
Why was she here?
Gu Wuyou’s impression of Huang Fu wasn’t deep. She only knew that she was the daughter of Huang Chang, the Minister of the Imperial Stables. She had always been timid, with hardly any friends at the academy. She was the kind of girl who wouldn’t even dare to lift her head when spoken to.
Yet now, she was standing in front of the Great General, talking to him?
Did they… know each other?
Gu Wuyou told herself not to overthink, but a young girl’s heart was always like this—the more she tried not to let her thoughts run wild, the harder it was to control them. The tangled mess in her mind only grew more chaotic.
Her feet hesitated—should she continue forward or turn back?
In the end, she did nothing.
Like a fool, she stood frozen in place until the two figures in the distance finally separated. Until Huang Fu was helped onto a carriage. Until that white-clad figure hesitated slightly, then turned and walked into an alley.
Only then did she snap out of it and chase after him.
Her emotions were still in turmoil.
There were countless questions she wanted to ask her Great General.
From the moment she woke up, she had been following her plan—to find the Great General and meet him at the best time in their lives.
But she had overlooked the most crucial question.
Did the young Great General already have someone he liked?
In her previous life, when they met, he was already twenty-four or twenty-five. But now, he was only sixteen.
If he already had someone in his heart, then… what should she do?
She didn’t know.
All she knew was that she had to follow that figure, that she had to find him.
She stepped into the alley after him.
But the moment she entered, she was completely lost.
The alleys in the capital twisted and turned, leading in all directions.
And before her, several paths lay ahead.
She had no idea which one her Great General had taken.
From waiting all morning without seeing the Great General, to now suspecting that he might have liked someone when he was young, Gu Wuyou finally couldn’t hold it in any longer. Her eyes slowly turned red, and beneath the hood, her face was filled with disappointment and grievance. She rubbed her reddened eyes while lowering her head, continuing to walk forward aimlessly.
This alley was clearly not as warm and peaceful as Uncle Zhang’s place.
The deeper she walked, the noisier it became. Quarrels, curses, the cries of children… all kinds of sounds continuously filled her ears. A few steps further, she could even see a drunkard standing on the side, staring straight at her.
Everything here felt unfamiliar and unsettling.
Gu Wuyou had never been to such a place before. Her small hands clutched tightly onto her cloak. She knew that the best course of action right now was to turn back and stop going forward. She was alone—if she encountered any danger, she would have no way to defend herself.
But there was a stubbornness in her heart, pushing her to keep moving forward.
She had to find the Great General and get a clear answer.
Clenching her teeth and ignoring the stares, she continued forward with her head down. But she hadn’t gone far before someone suddenly grabbed her arm. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Gu Wuyou immediately bristled, her entire body tensing in a battle-ready state.
Without even looking, she lashed out, hitting and kicking wildly, not caring where her strikes landed. At the same time, she shouted, “Let go of me! Do you know who I am? If you don’t let go, I’ll—”
“—It’s me!” Li Qinyuan gritted his teeth, enduring the pain from her repeated kicks.
Huh?
The Great General’s voice?
Her hands and feet froze mid-motion. Gu Wuyou cautiously lifted her eyes to look ahead—and sure enough, it was the Great General! The despair that had just filled her heart instantly lifted, and she nearly threw herself into his arms without hesitation.
But then she remembered the grievances of the entire morning, along with that uncertain answer.
Her excitement quickly faded.
She pursed her lips and stared at him without saying a word, just fixating her gaze on him.
Li Qinyuan had no idea what was going through her mind. His body ached from the kicks, and if not for his pride, he would have crouched down to rub his legs. Who would have thought such a small girl could hit so hard?
He shot her a glare, clearly annoyed.
Then he turned back and fiercely glared at the large men who were still eyeing them, scaring them off. Only then did he grab Gu Wuyou’s arm and lead her into a quieter alley.
Once they were away from the crowd, Li Qinyuan let go of her arm and stood in front of her, his tone sharp with displeasure. “Why aren’t you at the academy? What are you following me for? Do you even know what kind of place this is? How dare you come in here alone?”
He was furious.
He had originally thought that if she couldn’t find him, she would obediently go to the academy. And for a while, everything had gone according to his expectations. Who could have guessed that even after getting onto her carriage, she would still spot him?
By the time he noticed her, she was already on the long street.
Not wanting to meet anyone, he had randomly picked an alley and gone in, thinking that she wouldn’t be able to find him and would give up. But he hadn’t expected this little pepper to be so bold—rushing into such a chaotic alley without hesitation!
Did she even realize what could have happened to her if he hadn’t shown up just now?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He was just about to scold her again, to knock some sense into her so she wouldn’t recklessly do whatever she pleased—
But then, the little pepper, who had been keeping her head down the whole time, suddenly lifted her face.
By now, the sky was gradually brightening.
Even though this alley was more secluded and dimmer than other places, there was still some light filtering through the clouds.
Gu Wuyou stood right within that faint glow. Dressed in a vibrant red robe, she leaned against a moss-covered, weathered wall. Her lifted face was as dazzling as ever.
But—
Her eyes were slightly red, and the once bright and clear apricot eyes were now watery and glistening.
“You…”
Li Qinyuan, who had been fierce just moments ago, suddenly felt a wave of panic in his chest when he saw Gu Wuyou like this. The harshness on his face vanished completely, replaced by anxiety and helplessness. He raised his hand, wanting to wipe her eyes, but then realized it would be improper.
Standing stiffly in place, he asked anxiously, “You—you’re crying?”
Could she have been brought to tears by his scolding?
But he had scolded her before! In the beginning, he had even pinned her against a wall and threatened her properly. Back then, this little pepper hadn’t cried—she had even smiled, as if to say, You wouldn’t really do it.
What was different about today?
He was completely flustered, at a loss for what to do. He had no idea how to comfort someone, so he could only say anxiously, “Alright, alright, don’t cry, okay? I won’t scold you anymore, isn’t that enough?”
But just as his words fell—
The little girl, who had only had reddened eyes, suddenly burst into tears with a loud “waaah,” and her tears poured down like broken pearls.
Li Qinyuan had seen many people cry before, all kinds of crying, but this was the first time he had ever seen such a beautiful girl standing in front of him, crying because of him…
He couldn’t even describe what he was feeling—it was just a complete mess.
A mess so bad that he couldn’t even stand still.
He paced back and forth in place, then finally stopped, glancing toward the entrance of the alley. As if guilty of something, he quickly blocked the view from the outside, then lowered his head and clumsily used his sleeve to wipe her tears.
As he wiped, he muttered in a low voice, “Alright, alright, fine—you can scold me back if you want. I won’t talk back.”
Even he felt wronged.
It wasn’t like he wanted to scold her. She was just a young girl, walking into a place full of shady people. What if she had been bullied? With her lousy, three-legged-cat skills, the only reason she hadn’t been beaten up was because he wasn’t willing to lay a hand on her.
But Gu Wuyou didn’t say a word—she just kept crying.
She hadn’t cried like this in a long time—recklessly, unrestrained, pouring out everything she felt. She didn’t have to think about anything, just cry as much as she wanted…
Through her tear-filled apricot eyes, she looked up at Li Qinyuan without blinking.
It was her Great General.
Even though the young Great General was completely different from the one in her memories—fierce, awkward, unable to apologize properly—he was still the one she liked and loved the most.
And just the thought that this Great General might have liked someone when he was younger—she couldn’t help but cry even more.
“You—”
Seeing that she was crying harder and harder, Li Qinyuan was completely exasperated. He had never comforted anyone like this before, and now, the first time he tried, it wasn’t working at all—in fact, she was crying even more!
“What do you want from me?”
He gritted his teeth as he asked. If it were anyone else, he would have turned around and walked away without hesitation.
He thought that speaking fiercely would scare her into stopping, but when his gaze landed on her red-rimmed eyes, his voice softened involuntarily, filled with helplessness and defeat. In a low, almost pleading tone, he said:
“Alright, alright, if you’re really that upset, just hit me a few times to vent. I won’t fight back, okay?”
That was his final concession.
If she kept crying—
He was really going to leave her there!
“…I won’t hit you.”
Gu Wuyou sniffled softly. “I just have a question for you.”
Li Qinyuan let out a breath of relief. “Ask away.”
“You…” Gu Wuyou, with her tear-filled eyes, hesitated over how to phrase her question. But no matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t come up with a good way to ask. In the end, she simply threw caution to the wind and asked bluntly, “You—you know Huang Fu well, don’t you?”
“Who?”
Li Qinyuan was completely dumbfounded.
Huang Fu? A man or a woman?
The moment Gu Wuyou heard his response, the tears she had just stopped shedding immediately welled up again. A few drops rolled down her cheeks, and her red-rimmed eyes grew even more pitiful. Her small mouth quivered as if she was about to cry again…
Seeing her like this, Li Qinyuan was so anxious he nearly jumped. He pressed his hand against the corner of her eyes, as if trying to stop the tears from falling, and hurriedly said, “Hey, don’t cry!”
“Who’s Huang Fu? I really don’t know them!”
He was about to die of injustice.
He had never even heard this name before!
Gu Wuyou carefully studied him. Seeing that her Great General was nothing but panicked—without a hint of dishonesty—she finally held back her tears. Her voice was still hoarse as she said, “But just now, you two were standing together and talking.”
She paused.
Then added, “I saw it.”
Li Qinyuan finally realized who she was talking about. “Oh, her.” He frowned, looking speechless. “I don’t even know her name. Do you think I know her well?”
“Then you—”
Gu Wuyou had just opened her mouth to ask what they had been talking about when Li Qinyuan, as if he had predicted it, immediately cut her off with a fierce warning. “You’re not allowed to ask what we talked about!”
As he spoke, he continued to wipe her tears, his face stern.
He thought he was being gentle, but he had miscalculated his strength. The slight redness on her delicate face deepened into visible marks. Even he was startled by it. He pursed his lips and muttered under his breath, “Why are you so delicate?”
His words were full of disdain, but his hands softened considerably.
After wiping away her tears, he looked at the little girl standing in place. Though she had stopped crying, she still looked extremely aggrieved. Li Qinyuan sighed and finally relented. “I really don’t know her well. Just now… we didn’t talk about anything important.”
Although she felt that the Great General was still hiding something, Gu Wuyou chose not to press him further.
Instead, she fidgeted with her hands and asked hesitantly, “Then do you…” She stole a glance at him before quietly finishing, “…like her?”
“Wha—what?”
Li Qinyuan froze.
He looked at Gu Wuyou, completely dumbfounded, as if his brain had stopped working for a moment.
Thinking he hadn’t understood her question, Gu Wuyou furrowed her brows, just about to explain when the boy beside her suddenly let out a furious growl.
“What nonsense is in your head? I just learned her name—how the hell would I like her!?”
He stared at Gu Wuyou’s innocent yet strikingly bright face, feeling like he was about to explode from frustration.
What was this little girl thinking all day? What kind of ridiculous nonsense was running through her tiny brain?!
He shot her a fierce glare, his chest still heaving in exasperation. In the end, he forced himself to calm down, deciding not to argue with a little girl. With a barely contained scowl, he finally said, “Let’s go. I’ll take you out of here!”
If he stayed with this little girl any longer, he felt like he might actually drop dead on the spot.
“…I—I still have one more question.” Gu Wuyou stood in place, looking at him, refusing to move. She clearly wouldn’t leave until he answered.
Li Qinyuan, who had already turned toward the alley’s exit, forcibly stopped in his tracks. He silently recited the Clear Heart Sutra a few times before gritting his teeth and turning back to her. “Speak!”
“Then… do you have someone you like right now?” Gu Wuyou asked softly. Her gaze remained fixed on Li Qinyuan, but there was a hint of hesitation and uncertainty in her voice.
“You—”
Li Qinyuan stared at her in shock. When he finally processed her words, his chest heaved uncontrollably.
He felt like he was really on the verge of dropping dead.
His tongue pressed hard against his back molars as he forcibly suppressed his temper, reminding himself—Don’t argue with this clueless little girl.
It’s useless. You’ll just get even more pissed off.
But even so, his voice still carried an unmistakably fierce edge. “No!”
This shameless little pepper! Who else had the guts to ask such things so boldly?
“We’re leaving!”
This time, without even looking back, he strode toward the alley’s entrance, afraid that if he stayed a second longer, this ridiculously bold little girl would throw out another question that would drive him to an early grave.
—
The young Great General was so fierce!
He yelled at her at the slightest thing!
But—
The moment she realized that the Great General didn’t have someone he liked yet, Gu Wuyou instantly brightened up. Lifting her skirt slightly, she ran after him, calling out as she followed, “Wait for me!”
No one responded to her.
But the man who had been walking briskly ahead still slowed his steps, silently accommodating her pace.
Gu Wuyou noticed this, and her smile grew even brighter. She quickly caught up with him in two or three steps, standing at his side. In a small voice, she said, “I—”
Before she could finish, she was cut off by his fierce retort:
“Stop asking me all these ridiculous questions!”
“Mm.”
Gu Wuyou blinked, glanced at his expression, and then said softly, “I just meant that it’s already very late. Even if I go to the academy now, I won’t make it in time for the first class.”
Li Qinyuan paused mid-step, raised a brow, and turned to look at her. “So?”
A radiant smile immediately spread across Gu Wuyou’s face. “So today, can I—”
“No!”
Li Qinyuan shut her down without a second thought.
When he saw her pitiful, wronged expression, he suddenly felt a lot better—like the suffocating frustration in his chest had finally eased.
Finally! He had won this round!
So satisfying!
Feeling smug, he strode forward. But before he had taken more than a few steps, he suddenly heard a loud grumble.
His steps halted.
He turned around to look.
The little girl had turned bright red, one hand clutching her stomach, the other covering her face—she didn’t even dare to look at him.
“You—”
Li Qinyuan frowned. “Didn’t you eat at Old Zhang’s before you left? How are you hungry again?”
“Mm…” Gu Wuyou wanted to cry. This is so embarrassing!
How did she fail to hold it in?!
And worst of all, under the Great General’s gaze, her desire to cry only grew stronger.
Wuuu… This is so humiliating.
“I’m going to the academy!”
As soon as she said this, Gu Wuyou lowered her head and ran forward.
But she had barely taken a few steps before something tugged at her hood from behind. Her feet immediately came to a halt, unable to move forward at all.
Confused, she turned around.
Behind her stood the young Li Qinyuan, one hand gripping her hood, the other pressing against his forehead—he looked as if he had completely given up.
“…Forget it.”
He sighed and said, “Come with me.”