Chapter 151: Many thanks for the reminder, young master.

"No need."

Jun Ci withdrew his gaze indifferently. "I have said it before: I will not go to see her again."

"Yes, you said you wouldn't go to see her, so you chose to protect her from the shadows instead? You actually went to the royal hunt, didn't you? You were there when the Third Prince and Shen Sinian set off for the campaign as well, weren't you?"

Liu Yuli sighed softly, his voice dropping low. Amidst the clamor of the crowd, no one else could hear him. "What is this even for? To be honest, you are just torturing yourself."

"..." Jun Ci placed a black stone on the board. "Only this way can I feel at ease."

He knew that there was no longer any possibility between them, but he simply wanted to catch a glimpse of her. Only then would his pain subside.

Regret was the most useless thing in this world. He did not want to disturb Shen Nanyuan, and he knew that everything he had done in the past was already a deep chasm between them. There was no medicine for regret, and time would never turn back.

He just wanted to see her.

Because he... was forever haunted by a nightmare.

In the dream, everything was as it used to be: Shen Nanyuan loved him, while he treated her with disgust and impatience, holding Lin Yan in his heart and longing only to marry her.

But later, after the new emperor ascended the throne, the Great General of the State was found to have colluded with foreign enemies. Consequently, the entire manor of the Duke of the State was executed, and no one was spared—she was among them.

She withered away during what should have been the most vibrant time of her youth.

She vanished forever in the winter of that year.

He could not even find her remains.

This nightmare was so vivid that he had awakened in tears more than once.

In the nights when he was startled awake, amidst the boundless depression and agony, he would suddenly feel a sense of relief.

He was relieved that it was only a dream, relieved that even though he and Shen Nanyuan were now like strangers, she was at least alive and well.

Therefore, seeing her doing well now was enough to fill his heart with joy; he had no other extravagant hopes.

Liu Yuli shook his head. "How long do you intend to go on like this? If she marries into the palace, it will be difficult for you to see her in the future. Jun Ci, you cannot be like this. You must force yourself to adapt."

"I know."

Jun Ci spoke, as if discussing the most trivial of matters. "I will adapt."

The nightmare did not come as frequently as it once had; lately, he only dreamt of it once in a very long while.

Thus, he was slowly finding some peace.

Jun Ci’s eyes were calm. "You don't need to worry about me."

Liu Yuli said nothing, gently placing his white stone onto the chessboard.

If only doing were as easy as saying.

***

During her time at the Duke’s manor, Shen Nanyuan had actually tried using a bow and arrow several times.

But each attempt ended with her being unable to draw the string or the arrow falling weakly to the ground after traveling only a meter.

There were not many people at the archery range, and each station had partitions on both sides. She and Gao Xueluo found an unoccupied target, picked up the bow and arrow, and tried to draw it, but it was no different than at the manor—she simply couldn't pull the bow.

Gao Xueluo tried it with great interest, her brows knitting together instantly. "Didn't Liu Yuli say this was easy? When this place was first renovated, I saw him shoot; he hit the bullseye on his first try."

"Of course it’s easy for him; he has a lot of strength."

"I thought..." Gao Xueluo remarked, "he was just a weak scholar who talked too much."

Hearing this, Shen Nanyuan couldn't help but let out a low laugh.

But Gao Xueluo, seemingly unwilling to admit defeat, gripped the bow and pulled with all her might. After nocking the arrow, she let go, but the arrow drifted listlessly and landed on the ground not far away.

Gao Xueluo: "..."

A low, soft chuckle came from nearby.

"The young lady lacks strength; that is only natural."

Shen Nanyuan and Gao Xueluo were startled. They turned their heads toward the sound and saw a man dressed in ice-blue silk robes walking toward them. His facial features were distinct and deep; his chin was slightly tilted, and he wore a lazy, half-smiling expression.

He raised an eyebrow. "Young ladies, it would be best not to linger at the archery range, lest you be accidentally injured."

He was very handsome, yet for some reason, he had an air of being a bit of a rascal.

Shen Nanyuan lowered her eyes. "Thank you for the warning, sir."

They had no intention of staying here anyway, so she continued, "We shall take our leave now."

The man appeared frivolous; it was better to keep their distance to avoid any trouble.

Behind them, the man stood with one hand behind his back, watching their wary expressions as the corners of his mouth curled upward.

They didn't look like girls from ordinary families, but they were certainly cautious.

Since the Linglong Restaurant opened in the capital, customers had been flocking to it in an endless stream. Even Shen Jinyu, who favored the Mingyue Restaurant, had switched sides and ran to Linglong Restaurant every day. Just as it was written in the book, Liu Yuli was very successful in business.

This was perhaps the only thing in the book that had truly come to pass.

Meanwhile, Shen Sinian’s letters home arrived one after another, as if he were a chatterbox. Each letter was a long-winded affair covering several pages. Xiao Yan would sometimes add a few sentences at the end, and sometimes he wouldn't, but every time he did, Shen Sinian would drop hints. Yet, it was precisely because of these letters that Lady Shen and the others could rest a bit easier.

In the blink of an eye, it was May, which Shen Nanyuan considered the most comfortable season of the year.

It was neither too cold nor too hot. In such weather, she would leave the manor a bit more frequently, though she usually only went to Linglong Restaurant, as it had everything one could want, and Gao Xueluo had been appearing there quite often lately.

This had led to her and Liu Yuli becoming somewhat familiar with each other.

Once they became acquainted, it was clear that Liu Yuli treated Gao Xueluo differently than he treated others.

With others, Liu Yuli was always gentle and polite, but the moment he saw Gao Xueluo, he would 'snap' his fan open, stroll slowly toward her, tease her intentionally, and then burst into laughter when he saw her bristle with irritation.

Then, he would start to soothe her.

However, it was also common for both of them to get so angry at each other's words that they would both bristle.

Shen Nanyuan sometimes thought Liu Yuli was a very mature person, but whenever Gao Xueluo was around, he seemed incredibly childish. She would occasionally crack a joke at his expense as well.

Looking at it this way, it seemed that Gao Xueluo would likely be very happy in the future.

Ever since Shen Yi, Xiao Yan, and Shen Sinian had begun their respective campaigns against Northern Liang and Sangluo in the north and south, only reports of victory had arrived. The imperial court grew increasingly appreciative of the Third Prince, and the Emperor’s face was always filled with smiles whenever he mentioned Xiao Yan.

This caused the unease in Gu Shengyu’s heart to grow ever more intense.

From the moment Xiao Yan set off on the campaign, he had thought that such a day might come, and in his heart, he even hoped that he would simply die in battle. But the constant string of victories made him increasingly anxious.