In the middle of the night, the wind howled and thunder roared as torrential rain instantly merged into a solid curtain. The dark sky looked as though it had been torn open countless times, rain pouring down desperately while trees swayed violently in the storm.
“Mother, Mother… wuwu, Mother…”
Gu Qiran mumbled in his sleep, tossing restlessly on the bed.
Luo Qingqing was a light sleeper and woke from the noise. Throwing on an outer robe, she hurried to the bedside. “Qiran, what’s wrong? Wake up quickly.” Thinking he was having a nightmare, she tried to rouse him at once.
She gently shook his shoulder, only for him to suddenly grab her hand tightly. Tears streamed endlessly down his face as he kept muttering, “Mother… Mother…”
It seemed he was trapped in a nightmare.
One of Luo Qingqing’s hands was held firmly by him, while the other wrapped around his small body as she softly comforted him. “Mother’s here, Qiran, don’t cry anymore. Don’t cry, mother’s here. We’re little men now, we can’t cry like this. Be good, Qiran.”
Luo Qingqing coaxed him for quite a while until half her body had gone numb from kneeling beside the bed. Only then did the little boy in her arms finally stop sobbing.
Now she did not dare move, nor did she dare pull her hand away for fear of waking him. She decided to wait until he fell into a deeper sleep first.
For some reason, she suddenly felt as though she had become a mother ahead of schedule.
At that moment, Gu Jing’an stood outside the door.
The heavy rain beyond the eaves still raged wildly, just like that day. The rain back then had been just as fierce as tonight’s, yet it still could not extinguish the great fire.
That year, he had been twelve.
He watched that man lead troops into battle, never once sending a letter home.
He watched his mother pinned beneath a burning beam, telling him to live on properly.
He watched her continue smiling gently at him until the very last moment before the flames swallowed her whole.
He hated the cruel Gu family servants who stood by coldly without a single person trying to put out the fire.
He hated the filth and ugliness of imperial power that treated human lives like insects.
Most of all, he hated that man, who could not even protect his own wife and children, yet still dreamed of protecting the entire Great Zhou.
The remaining shadow guards from his maternal grandfather’s side had saved him, saved Qiran, and saved Xuanning, but they could not save Mother alone.
A single tear fell from his narrow Phoenix Eyes, blending into the rain and disappearing without a trace, just like him tonight, as though he had never come at all.
“Favorability value increased by twenty. Current favorability value: positive ten. Total accumulated points: one thousand.”
The system’s icy voice jolted Luo Qingqing fully awake.
Why has Gu Jing’an’s favorability suddenly increased now? She had not even done anything.
“Would the host like to exchange rewards?”
Luo Qingqing rubbed her hands together, grinning so widely her eyes nearly disappeared as she asked slyly, “What rewards can be exchanged, dear System Lord?”
The system secretly cursed in its heart.
How shameless. This definitely wasn’t the same person who had threatened it with a knife earlier. Even a turtle wasn’t as flexible as her.
Putting on an aloof tone, it replied, “One thousand points can be exchanged for three wishes. Wishing to return is not allowed, but anything else, I’ll do my best to fulfill.”
“Then can you give me a phone? This place is so boring I’m about to grow mushrooms.”
The system nearly choked.
Wishes were considered second-tier rewards, and she wanted to waste one on this?
“…Fine, but you only get one hour per week.”
“Deal.”
Having something was better than having nothing. Being content with what she had was one of Luo Qingqing’s greatest strengths.
“I’ll save the other two wishes for now. I’ll look for you after I’ve thought about them.”
“I am a noble System Lord, not someone you can summon whenever you like. Only I can come find you,” the system huffed arrogantly.
“Where’s my knife? My neck suddenly feels itchy.”
As she spoke, Luo Qingqing even sat up and pretended to search around.
“…I’ll appear whenever you look for me.”
I may not be human, but you’re definitely a dog. I’m a dignified System Lord. Since when have I ever suffered this much humiliation? Luo Qingqing, you are the worst host I’ve ever had!!!
After adjusting her sleeping position and tucking herself back under the blanket, Luo Qingqing grinned mischievously and said, “Goodnight, little system.”
Then she drifted off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.
The next morning, the sky was a clear wash of blue.
At dawn, urged awake by the crowing of roosters, the sun rose lazily and cast down its first rays of light. Golden sunlight streamed warmly into the room, filling it with gentle warmth.
Luo Qingqing was already awake. The two children’s school break had ended, and they needed to return to class today.
“Qiran, Xuanning, wake up. Time to get up! You’re going to school today.”
The two children were shaken awake one after another by Luo Qingqing. Once she confirmed they would not fall back asleep again, she got up and headed toward the kitchen.
Gu Jing’an had risen even earlier and was already cooking porridge.
He had changed into the clothes Luo Qingqing bought yesterday.
The deep blue robe outlined his lean waist beneath the tied sash. He wore black trousers and long boots, while his black hair was tied loosely with a smoky gray ribbon, appearing casual yet elegant.
Standing amidst the smoky kitchen, he looked strangely out of place, like an immortal exiled from the heavens who had accidentally fallen into the mortal world.
Luo Qingqing observed him for quite a while before smiling lightly. “Do the clothes fit?”
Gu Jing’an had long noticed her gaze. He had thought she would praise him, just as she praised Qiran, but she did not.
An unfamiliar emotion suddenly filled his chest, frustrating enough to remind him of that morning.
In order to match that dark blue robe, he had spent an entire quarter of an hour choosing a hair ribbon.
What was wrong with him?
He had wasted so much time on something meaningless just to make Luo Qingqing praise him for looking good?
Luo Qingqing sensed that the kitchen atmosphere had suddenly turned colder.
Something felt off.
Last night, his favorability had risen, and she had even gained three wishes from it. She still had not properly thanked Gu Jing’an. Maybe she should praise him first. After all, who didn’t enjoy being complimented while wearing new clothes?
“Dark blue suits you well. The moment I entered the cloth shop, that fabric caught my eye immediately. I thought it would definitely look good on you once you wore it, and it turns out my judgment wasn’t bad after all.”
Gu Jing’an lightly pressed his lips together, the darkness in his eyes growing deeper and purer as he replied indifferently, “It fits well. Your taste is excellent.”
After breakfast, Gu Jing’an took the two children to school.
Luo Qingqing finished brewing medicine and carried it inside. Being alone in the same room as Shen Huaiyu made her rather uncomfortable. She sat there stiffly as if on pins and needles while waiting for him to finish drinking it. The moment she took back the empty bowl, she immediately turned to leave.
“Madam Gu, please wait.”
Shen Huaiyu pulled out a jade pendant from beneath his pillow and handed it to her.
“You saved my life, and I have no way to repay such kindness. Gold and silver would only insult the two of you. This jade pendant is my personal token. If you ever encounter difficulties in the future, come find me in the capital.”
The jade felt warm to the touch. It was clearly a fine piece of jade.
Since it was a personal token, it probably could not be sold.
At that moment, Luo Qingqing screamed internally:
You should just insult me with gold and silver instead. Please, insult me thoroughly. I’m willing, absolutely willing!!!
Yet outwardly, she maintained calm composure and gracefully thanked him.
Shen Huaiyu insisted on leaving before lunch. Seeing she could not persuade him to stay, Luo Qingqing packed him some food and water to take along.
As she escorted him to the entrance, Shen Huaiyu gazed at her intently and said softly, “We will meet again someday.”
Luo Qingqing merely smiled faintly without replying. She genuinely had no idea what she was supposed to say.
Turning away, Shen Huaiyu’s thoughts churned endlessly.
Luo Qingqing looked far too much like that person.
He needed to return to the capital and thoroughly investigate what had happened back then. Perhaps it would finally ease the knot in his grandmother’s heart after all these years.
During these past few days living alongside Gu Jing’an, he had also realized that this man was no ordinary person. Once Gu Jing’an entered officialdom through the imperial examinations in the future, they would surely meet again.