Li Qingyuan didn’t know how to describe his current feelings.
The bow and salute from the two academies earlier had indeed been shocking. It had taken him a long while to recover from it. But what truly disturbed his emotions, what turned his world upside down and left him unable to utter a single word, was not that scene from before.
It was the words of the young girl before him.
And the eyes she looked at him with.
Bright as the stars.
Radiant and dazzling.
She said, “Li Qingyuan, you are very good.”
She said, “You deserve a sincere apology from everyone, and you deserve to be treated well by everyone.”
A tingling warmth spread through his heart, mixed with a faint sourness. Li Qingyuan could even feel his hands, clasped behind his back, trembling lightly—more violently than before.
He recalled the words Jing Yubai had said to him last night.
“I originally thought she was the type to act recklessly, doing things only to satisfy her own happiness and satisfaction. But now, seeing how tightly she has kept this a secret, without revealing a single word to you, I realize I was wrong.”
“She must have thought through all the consequences and knew exactly what she would face. And yet, she still did it… without regard for the consequences.”
This fool—
Did she even know what she was doing?
The people from Buzhi Hall and Pingshuo Hall were still some distance away from them. They couldn’t hear their conversation, and since Gu Wuyou had her back turned, they could only try to discern the mood from Li Qingyuan’s expression.
Li Qingyuan had always been accustomed to disguising himself.
No, it wasn’t even really a disguise.
It was merely a habit, formed day after day.
He was used to looking at the world with cold eyes, used to interacting with others in this way, so his face always carried that careless, indifferent demeanor.
But now…
It was as if he could no longer restrain himself.
The calm and detached mask he usually wore seemed to have been torn open.
He could only force himself to endure it, to hold back, but in the end, all he could do was lower his head—to prevent others from seeing the emotions in his expression at this moment.
“You…”
“Why…”
He didn’t finish his sentence, but Gu Wuyou seemed to understand what he wanted to say.
She continued smiling, her eyes curved, completely unbothered by the presence of dozens of people standing behind her. She simply looked up at Li Qingyuan, her gaze full of warmth, and asked,
“Are you happy?”
Happy?
Li Qingyuan lowered his eyes to look at her.
She had disregarded consequences, sought nothing in return, shattered the darkness underfoot just to stand before him—only to ask him one question:
“Are you happy?”
As if, as long as he was happy, everything she had done would have meaning.
This… fool.
Li Qingyuan couldn’t see his own expression, but he could imagine that at this moment, his sharp, phoenix-shaped eyes must be filled with an overwhelming surge of emotions—excitement, shock, and something else, something even he couldn’t put into words…
At the same time.
He knew that the emotions in his heart, this very moment, this very scene before him—
And the person who had created all of this—
He would never, ever forget for the rest of his life.
He would remember this day for a lifetime.
Even after a long, long time had passed, he would never forget that once, there had been a silly little girl who had spent all her effort, disregarding consequences and expecting nothing in return, using a stubborn and childish way to bring him back.
The tremor in his heart could no longer be concealed. He couldn’t even tell if it was a pounding thump thump thump or a chaotic ba-dump ba-dump ba-dump anymore—it was all a mess. For a brief moment, he even wanted to place his broad palm over his chest.
Then, tell her—
“Happy.”
“I am very happy.”
Not because the truth had come to light.
Not because his injustice had been cleared.
He had never cared about those things.
It was only for her.
Only for… her.
The sun was shining brightly now.
Even the cold wind didn’t feel so cold.
Apart from the young men and women of Buzhi Hall and Pingshuo Hall, several academy instructors were also standing in the corridor. They had all come out after hearing the news.
At first, they thought it was just a dispute between the two academies. But upon rushing over, they were surprised to find such a grand scene instead.
Xu Fu, dressed in a long robe, appeared refined and scholarly. At this moment, he casually remarked to the man beside him, Pan Shu, “See? I told you there was no need to rush. Look, everything is fine.”
He spoke with an air of ease, completely forgetting how, just moments ago, upon hearing the news, he had shattered a teacup and sprinted over in a panic.
Pan Shu had known him since childhood. Hearing this, he merely glanced at him without saying much, then strode forward with a stern expression, dispersing the crowd with authority.
“Are you all going to class or not? Get moving!”
He was the academy’s notorious demon.
The students of both academies feared him. Seeing him approach, they naturally scattered like startled birds. Some headed toward Buzhi Hall, others toward Pingshuo Hall.
Gu Yu, too, had been caught in the crowd and was being pushed toward Pingshuo Hall. But just as she was about to leave, something came to her mind, and she struggled to break free.
Sure enough—
That troublemaker Gu Wuyou was still standing face to face with Li Qingyuan.
Breathing heavily, she rushed over, grabbed Gu Wuyou’s hand, and urged in a low voice, “Hurry up, let’s go.”
As she spoke, she cast an annoyed glance at Li Qingyuan. She had no idea what kind of spell this Li Qilang had cast on Gu Wuyou. Even now, with Old Pan coming to drive people away, she was still standing there like a fool. Did she really want to stir up endless rumors?
Gu Wuyou let out a soft “mm” and didn’t resist, allowing Gu Yu to pull her away. But even as she left, she still remembered to say to Li Qingyuan, “Then, I’ll head back first.”
When she spoke, a gentle smile played at the corners of her lips, and her voice was as sweet as ever. But before she could even hear a response, an irritated Gu Yu had already dragged her away.
Li Qingyuan watched her retreating figure, but he did not forget to answer.
As if murmuring to himself, he softly replied, “…Alright.”
His hand remained hidden behind his back. It wasn’t until his fingertips brushed against the warmth of the oil-paper package that he remembered—he had forgotten something.
Knowing that she liked meat pies, he had deliberately gotten up early, wound his way through several alleys to Aunt Lan’s shop, and carefully packed some up to bring here—just to find an opportunity to secretly hand them to her.
But now, it didn’t seem appropriate to call her back.
Not to mention that so many people were watching, but after she had gone to such lengths for him today, if he handed this to her now, who knew what others would say?
He didn’t care about his own reputation.
His name was already rotten beyond repair.
But in his heart, he always hoped for the best for her.
The young Li Qingyuan didn’t yet understand what it meant to love someone.
He might not even fully grasp what it meant to like someone.
But still—he stubbornly wanted to protect this hard-won beauty.
He wanted to protect the bright and radiant smile on her face.
—
Jing Yubai and the others didn’t leave with the crowd. Instead, they ran over to Li Qingyuan.
Fu Xian was the boldest, stepping forward and slinging an arm around Li Qingyuan’s shoulders with a grin.
“Qilang, how do you feel? Happy or not? I have to say, that move of Little Chili’s was truly something. I have no idea how that little head of hers even thought of it, but watching from the side, I was really shocked.”
Hearing Gu Wuyou’s name, Qi Xu added from the side, “Ah Xian, you should stop picking on her from now on. She’s actually quite nice.”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it.”
Fu Xian muttered under his breath, “As long as she doesn’t mess with me, I won’t mess with her.”
With Fu Xian and Qi Xu’s playful banter, Li Qingyuan’s turbulent emotions were gradually tucked away. He glanced at the group and smiled.
They must have put in a lot of effort for today’s event.
In the past, he didn’t like them doing things for him.
But now—
Looking at Qi Xu and Fu Xian still bickering, and Jing Yubai smiling at him, he silently said in his heart: “Thank you.”
Not far away, Pan Shu had already driven off most of the crowd. But when he turned around, he was immediately annoyed to find the most troublesome few still lingering. His face darkened as he strode over.
“What are you all standing around for? What, is the scenery here so breathtaking? Should I move some tables over so you can have your lessons right here?”
Xu Fu chuckled as he approached. Hearing these words, he laughed and said, “Look at you, always so impatient.”
Then, completely disregarding his old friend’s dignity, he exposed him in front of the group, saying, “Your Mr. Pan here, his bark is worse than his bite.”
“Who’s got a soft heart?!” Pan Shu’s face turned red, but with his naturally dark complexion, the flush wasn’t obvious. However, his voice betrayed a trace of embarrassment and frustration from being exposed.
“Oh?”
Xu Fu feigned surprise, turning back to look at him. “Then tell me, who was it that ran up to me in such a hurry yesterday when I returned to the academy? Who was it that urged me to thoroughly investigate Qilang’s case?”
“I was just—” Pan Shu opened his mouth to argue, but the moment his gaze swept over the grinning faces around him, he felt as if all the authority he had built up over the years had crumbled. Irritated, he snapped, “What are you four brats looking at? Get to class! If you’re late again, I’ll give you all failing marks at the semester’s end!”
“Hahaha.”
“You wouldn’t dare~”
Qi Xu and the others had never liked Pan Shu much before, but at this moment, it felt as if all past grievances had vanished. They couldn’t help but tease him, laughing as they ran toward Buzhi Hall, undeterred even as Pan Shu chased after them.
Li Qingyuan watched the scene unfold, a trace of laughter appearing in his own eyes. Just as he was about to follow them, Xu Fu spoke at the right moment.
“Come on, let’s go together.”
Li Qingyuan glanced at him, then nodded.
By now, most of the academy’s students had returned to their classrooms. The roads were nearly empty, save for a few serving girls and young attendants passing by.
After walking a few steps, Xu Fu finally spoke.
“I thought you would never come back.”
Li Qingyuan remained silent.
He had indeed thought that before. He held no special attachment to this academy. The few people he cared about—he could still see them outside of it.
But now, a strange new feeling had surfaced.
It was as if, for the first time, he had opened his eyes and truly looked at these people and this place. The people he once thought were insignificant were actually quite interesting. The things he used to dislike were, in truth, not so bad.
The world wasn’t as terrible as he had once believed.
And the place he was in—it wasn’t as dreadful either.
At least… it was much better than he had imagined.
Closing his eyes, he let the warm breeze brush against his face.
For the first time, in a place he had once found utterly unbearable, he felt a sense of belonging.
Xu Fu glanced at him, a faint smile appearing on his usually gentle face.
He raised a hand and lightly patted Li Qingyuan’s shoulder, speaking only one sentence.
“It’s good that you’re back.”
Li Qingyuan heard this but didn’t say anything in response.
He simply opened his eyes and smiled at Xu Fu.
The two continued walking toward Buzhi Hall.
On the way, Xu Fu caught sight of the object in Li Qingyuan’s hand from the corner of his eye. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “You went to Aunt Lan’s?”
“Mm.”
Li Qingyuan didn’t think there was anything to hide.
Xu Fu still remembered what the Gu family’s little girl had said. Thinking of his own flustered reaction yesterday, he looked at the usually composed young man beside him and couldn’t help but ask, “For that Gu family girl?”
Hearing this, Li Qingyuan’s eyes widened in shock. He turned to look at Xu Fu, his face full of disbelief—his usual calm completely shattered.
Right now, his mind was occupied with only a few pressing questions:
How did Old Xu know? And… how much did he know?
Xu Fu clicked his tongue at his reaction. “You already took the little lady to Aunt Lan’s place—did you really think you could still keep it a secret?”
After speaking, he gave Li Qingyuan a knowing pat on the shoulder, the gesture full of a seasoned elder’s amusement.
“It’s fine. Right now, I’m speaking to you as a senior.”
Then, he chuckled and added, “She’s a good girl. Don’t bully her.”
With that, he turned and walked away, the tension from yesterday finally dissipating.
The sunlight was truly bright today.
“Oh, right—”
Xu Fu suddenly stopped, turning back with a smile. “Regardless of the circumstances, you did hit someone this time. It’s not a good look. To prevent others from following your example, you still need to be punished.”
Clearly unafraid of Li Qingyuan running away, Xu Fu decided to make things difficult for him. He smirked and said, “The sweeping duty at the Moon Gate is yours.”
After delivering his sentence, he didn’t even wait for a response. Grinning, he walked off without a care.
Li Qingyuan watched as Xu Fu disappeared into the distance. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but no words came out.
From childhood until now, when had he ever faced such an awkward situation?
He almost wanted to throw away the scorching-hot package in his hand—
But he couldn’t bear to.
Gritting his teeth, he glared at the oil-paper package, unsure who he was angry at. He stood there for a long time until he spotted a young servant passing by.
“Young Master Li.”
The servant greeted him respectfully, just as he always had.
Li Qingyuan let out a faint hum, then handed over the package. “Take this to Pingshuo Hall, give it to—”
Mid-sentence, he suddenly changed his mind. “Forget it. Find someone to bring Princess Leping to meet me at the Moon Gate.”
After saying this, his expression turned cold, and he lowered his voice, emphasizing, “Remember what to say and what not to say.”
The academy’s attendants were all sharp. How could they not know what should and shouldn’t be said?
And considering this was about Li Qingyuan, the academy’s feared troublemaker, and that noble young lady from Pingshuo Hall—
Even if someone gave him ten times the courage, the servant wouldn’t dare gossip.
Quickly and quietly, he responded, “Yes, I understand.”
Watching the servant hurry off, Li Qingyuan stood in place for a while longer before finally heading toward the Moon Gate.
—
At that moment, in Pingshuo Hall—
After the chaos of the morning, no one was feeling the awkwardness they had originally expected.
Instead, their faces were flushed with excitement.
Someone even exclaimed, “That wasn’t as hard as I thought—it was actually pretty fun!”
“Yeah! When I saw each of you step forward, I was so pumped! Especially seeing the stunned faces of the Buzhizhai crowd—ugh, it just felt so satisfying!”
“Let’s see if they dare look down on us again!”
Initially, when Gu Wuyou had suggested they apologize to Li Qingyuan, the girls had felt reluctant and embarrassed.
Even though they knew they had been in the wrong, as young women, the idea of apologizing to an unrelated man still felt humiliating.
But now—
They felt proud.
Excited.
If this were a battlefield, they’d probably think they had just transformed into majestic female marshals, galloping on warhorses, wielding silver spears.
If you make a mistake, you admit it.
There was nothing shameful about it.
Being evasive, hiding and covering up—that was what truly made people look down on you!
Before class started, a group of girls were chattering excitedly about what had happened earlier.
Only Xu Wan’s expression remained sour.
Ever since that incident, she had felt as if everyone was targeting her.
Right now, the only person she could rely on was Xiao Yi.
Sitting beside Xiao Yi, her eyes reddened as she muttered bitterly, “They’re all so fired up now, but weren’t they cursing just the other day?”
Xiao Yi hadn’t been there earlier. Hearing the resentment in Xu Wan’s voice, she frowned slightly.
Xu Wan’s personality made it difficult to get along with her—she was petty and calculative.
But they had grown up together, after all.
So, she could only comfort her softly, “It’s over now. Don’t think about it anymore.”
Xu Wan had endured cold shoulders and harsh words for days.
Now, hearing Xiao Yi’s gentle tone, she couldn’t help but feel emotional. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at her, “Ah Yi, you’re the only one who still treats me well.”
Xiao Yi used her handkerchief to wipe Xu Wan’s tears and chuckled. “Isn’t Ah Yu also good to you?”
Had she not mentioned Gu Yu, it would have been fine.
But the moment she did, Xu Wan’s face dropped, and she huffed angrily, “You haven’t been in the academy these past two days, so you don’t know. Gu Yu doesn’t care about me at all now. I don’t know what spell Gu Wuyou cast on her, but she’s been following her around like a shadow—like they’re twins!”
Hearing this, Xiao Yi frowned as well.
She had indeed not been at the academy these past two days and wasn’t aware of what had happened.
But recalling how Gu Yu had defended Gu Wuyou this morning…
Her grip on the handkerchief unconsciously tightened.
Could it be that Ah Yu had really become close with Gu Wuyou?
—
At that moment, movement came from the doorway.
It was Gu Wuyou and Gu Yu entering together.
Gu Yu was speaking in a low voice, her little face scrunched in frustration, but the concern in her eyes was evident.
Beside her, Gu Wuyou tilted her head, listening with a sweet smile, occasionally responding with a soft “mm.”
The scene was unexpectedly harmonious.
At least, it was something Xiao Yi had never seen before.
She had grown up with Gu Yu and knew her personality better than anyone.
Ah Yu seemed proud and headstrong on the surface, but deep down, she had a kind heart.
She never meddled in trivial matters—
The more she cared about someone, the more protective she was of them.
And now, even though her face was full of frustration, her entire demeanor showed nothing but care for Gu Wuyou.
Xiao Yi’s face instantly paled.
—
“Don’t just say ‘mm mm mm’ and then forget everything later.”
Gu Yu hadn’t noticed Xiao Yi yet and was still scolding Gu Wuyou in a hushed tone, sounding both exasperated and concerned.
Gu Wuyou remained good-natured, smiling sweetly.
She wasn’t the least bit afraid of Gu Yu’s foul mood. Instead, she reassured her, “No, I remember everything. I won’t forget.”
Gu Yu wanted to roll her eyes.
What was the use of remembering?
She’d probably forget the moment she saw Li Qingyuan again.
Just as she was about to say more, a maidservant approached, bowed slightly, and spoke to Gu Wuyou.
“Princess Leping, someone is looking for you. They’re waiting at the Moon Gate.”
“Who?” Gu Yu asked.
“The message was delivered by someone else. I do not know,” the maidservant replied.
Gu Yu frowned at this.
“You don’t even know who it is, yet you’re delivering messages at random? Who taught you proper etiquette?”
She was about to scold her further when Gu Wuyou gently stopped her with a smile.
“It’s probably something important. I’ll go take a look.”
“Then I’ll go with you,” Gu Yu said, still frowning.
Gu Wuyou, however, shook her head. “Class is about to start. And this is the academy—it’s nothing serious. I’ll be back soon.”
“You—”
Gu Yu opened her mouth to argue further, but before she could, Xiao Yi’s voice came from behind.
She turned her head to see Xiao Yi sitting by the window, smiling at her with a soft, demure expression.
“Ah Yu, didn’t you say you’d help me catch up on the lessons I missed?”
On one side was Ah Yi.
On the other side was Gu Wuyou.
Gu Yu suddenly felt torn.
It was Gu Wuyou who helped Gu Yu out of her dilemma with a smile. “Go ahead. I’ll just take a quick look and come right back.”
“Then…” Gu Yu hesitated, unable to argue further. Instead, she reminded her, “Be careful.” Then, turning to the maidservant with a cold expression, she ordered, “Follow her. If anything happens to her, I’ll hold you accountable.”
The maidservant quickly responded, “Yes.”
With that, Gu Wuyou bid Gu Yu farewell and made her way toward the Moon Gate.
As soon as they arrived, the maidservant beside her whispered, “Princess, the person is waiting just outside. I will remain here.”
Gu Wuyou had already made a few guesses on her way over. Hearing this, she didn’t say much, simply letting out a soft “Mm” before stepping forward.