Guan Qingshu frowned; he knew exactly who the other person meant by "cousin sister" – wasn’t that Yang Dani? In the past, the mere mention of that name would irritate and disgust him, but at some point, hearing that name started making him feel depressed instead.
At that moment, however, he felt conflicted.
Had it been the past, he would not have hesitated at all; he would have simply chosen not to return home, fearing the entanglement of running into Yang Dani. But now, he was genuinely conflicted, and the reason for his dilemma was that he could sense Yang Dani no longer cared about him.
The last time he went behind the village to find her, before he could even speak, she had thrown him to the ground without a shred of mercy – he could hardly get up the next day, and he still ached from the fall.
Logically, he should have felt relieved and happy that she no longer pestered him, but for some reason, he felt a profound sense of emptiness instead. It seemed that he didn’t want this outcome; he often found himself wanting to see her, even wanting to confront her and ask, why could she just stop liking him like that?
Yet such thoughts only brought him deep frustration. Of course, he did not understand whether it was wrong for Yang Ruxin to stop liking him, or for him to start caring about it.
Standing there, the prodigious Guan Qingshu felt, for the first time, how difficult life’s decisions could be.
In the end, Guan Qingshu decided to go home. Even when he reached the entrance of the town, he deliberately looked around, half-expecting to encounter her as before. He thought that if she still pestered him, he would ignore her or scold her... or perhaps something else... But regretfully, even after a long search, he did not see that familiar figure.
"Could she have not left yet? Should I wait? But what if she’s already on her way and I need to hurry to catch up?" Guan Qingshu stood at the town entrance, his mind a mess. He even regretted not asking Yang Rusong about Dani’s purpose of visit and when she planned to leave.
As for Yang Ruxin, after scolding Yang Rusong, she headed to the town entrance, only to find Gu Yao already waiting there, causing her to frown, "How come you are here so early?" She thought it would be troublesome to bring those people to the Governor’s Office.
"Someone took over," Gu Yao said indifferently, "I explained the situation, and what happens next is out of our hands." Then he started to push the cart and walked on.
Yang Ruxin glanced at him, "Was it Young Master Qi who took over?"
Gu Yao paused for a moment, then nodded, "Yes."
Yang Ruxin’s eyebrows twitched slightly; she was genuinely curious about his identity but also knew that sometimes knowing too much about certain things is dangerous. So, she swallowed her curiosity instead and looked at Gu Yao, "I think the mastermind behind these men must be quite influential. It would be best to find out who it is. Who knows, it might even lead to uncovering a bigger manipulator." If Qi Yong could take the initiative to investigate, it would probably be much easier.
"Some things are not as simple as you think," Gu Yao said with a smile.
Yang Ruxin wanted to retort – how was her thinking simple? She might not have experienced much, but she had watched plenty of TV dramas in her previous life, okay? If it’s someone at the top of the pyramid, isn’t it just about that position? She suddenly frowned – did that mean that the young master was Qi Yong’s rival?