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Lu Zhiyuan and Gu Ci drove in silence for about twenty minutes, then turned onto an elevated road. Gu Ci furrowed her brow and asked, “This isn’t the way to Blue Fields Villa. Where are you taking me?”

“Who once said, Til go with you to the ends of the earth,’ but now seems afraid?” replied Lu Zhiyuan.

“Promises have long turned empty. I almost forgot,” Gu Ci sighed.

“I haven’t forgotten,” Lu Zhiyuan said.

Lu Zhiyuan drove up to a hill in the outskirts, all the way to the side of an observation deck. Gu Ci remembered this place. During her high school years, she once ran away from home and came here to stargaze. It was deep in the night, and there was no one around. Birds and crows were cawing in the mountains, and she was so scared that she wanted to run away. However, she twisted her ankle, so she hid in the observation deck, feeling frightened. She held onto a piece of wood to muster courage, thinking that when it got light, she would descend the mountain.

In the middle of the night, thunder and lightning struck. Gu Ci shivered in fear. It was Lu Zhiyuan who found her and carried her down the mountain. At that time, her relationship with Lu Zhiyuan was already extremely strained, and she had no idea how he managed to find her.

She was young at the time and didn’t think about it. The outskirts were more than fifty kilometers away from home, and there was no public transportation at night. Lu Zhiyuan was still underage. How did he come up the mountain to find her? She didn’t ask, and in that thunder and lightning weather, as long as there was someone with her, even if it was her arch-enemy, it was fine.

“That day, why did you come to this mountain?” Lu Zhiyuan asked.

Gu Ci looked up at the starry sky, which was different from the thunderstorm years ago. Tonight’s starry sky was exceptionally beautiful, the air on the mountain was fresh, and you could see the Milky Way stretching across the sky. In the city center, you couldn’t see such a magnificent view.

In her heart, Gu Ci thought it was because she had seen the starry sky that Lu Zhiyuan had posted on social media. She had checked to see where in City A had the most beautiful starry sky, so she took a bus to the outskirts and hiked up the mountain by herself.

She didn’t expect the unexpected, forgetting to check the weather forecast and twisting her ankle.

“I forgot,” Gu Ci chuckled. “When you’re young, you want to do something out of the ordinary to get your family’s attention.”

But she didn’t know that there was no one in her family who cared about her.

Gu Ci asked, “Lu Zhiyuan, you’re not here to reminisce with me, what do you want?”

“If Jiang Junlin wants you to become the leader of the underworld, turn him down,” Lu Zhiyuan said.

“This is about the dark web of the underworld, and it has nothing to do with you,” Gu Ci stared directly into Lu Zhiyuan’s eyes. “What’s your reason?”

Lu Zhiyuan stared at her firmly, as if starlight had fallen into the depths of his eyes. Gu Ci, however, didn’t flinch. She wanted to break free from Lu Zhiyuan, and to do that, she had to be honest with him.

When you’re already infatuated, there’s no need to resist too much.

Liking someone is not something to be ashamed of.

“Jiang Junlin becoming the leader of the underworld is something that’s already known, even though it hasn’t been widely exposed. If you become the underworld leader, you’ll become a target. Cici, you’ve been given a new lease on life. Study hard, finish medical school, become a good doctor. Your future is bright, don’t get involved in these matters,” Lu Zhiyuan advised.

Gu Ci self-deprecatingly smiled, “I have a broken body and an incurable heart condition. What kind of future do I have?”

This remark was intentionally meant to prick at Lu Zhiyuan’s heart.

She regretted saying that as soon as the words left her mouth. She couldn’t bear it either. She always wanted to hurt Lu Zhiyuan. No matter how much pain she felt inside, she wanted to hurt him. But if Lu Zhiyuan’s story was true, his pain was deeper and more profound than hers. What was she doing? This was the person she wanted to love and cherish. Why did she want to hurt him?

“Cici, 1 won’t harm you,” Lu Zhiyuan reassured.

“Brother won’t harm me either,” Gu Ci replied firmly. “Perhaps you think that if my brother pushes me into this, I’ll be a target and can help control you. But the truth is, my brother is not in a good situation, and the dark web underworld is too complex. He needs someone to hold the fort. If something happens to him, I’ll be the leader of the underworld, and he can only entrust it to me.”

Lu Zhiyuan furrowed his brow. “He could entrust it to Dr. North and Qin Wan. Why insist on you? Jiang Junlin wants you to restrain me; that’s his true intention.”

“I know!” Gu Ci wasn’t naive. Jiang Junlin had been straightforward about it too. “You don’t need to say it again; my brother has already discussed this with me.” “Have you made up your mind?” Lu Zhiyuan asked.

Gu Ci nodded, “I’ve made up my mind!”

Lu Zhiyuan closed his eyes, his voice slightly hoarse. “Alright, I understand.”

With that matter settled, there was nothing more to say between them.

Gu Ci looked up at the stars in the sky. “When I was a child, I liked climbing to the rooftop to watch the stars. Once, after being pushed off by Gu Chuyun and falling, 1 developed a slight fear of heights. Later, in prison, everything was healed. Lu Zhiyuan, 1 still like looking at the stars to this day. I’m happy that we can watch the stars together on the Lantern Festival.”

Gu Ci took a deep breath, suppressing the bitterness in her heart. She didn’t want her bitterness to turn her into a demon.

“I don’t care why you married me back then, whether it was out of pity or sympathy, 1 owe you a statement. I really like you, and it’s because I like you that 1 married you,” Gu Ci said, looking at Lu Zhiyuan in the moonlight. “When I got out of prison and saw you standing in the sunlight, 1 felt ashamed of myself, like a moth drawn to a flame, self-deprecating, cowardly. I didn’t even have the courage to say ‘1 like you.’ 1 was afraid to hear you say that you married me out of pity. I didn’t even have the courage to bear the weight of a failed relationship. Did you pay any price to pull me back from the brink of death?”

“No!” Lu Zhiyuan denied. “Your return and Ziyu’s return were opportunities, not because of me.”

“Is that really so?” Gu Ci didn’t believe him. “I hate it when people lie to me.”

Lu Zhiyuan dared not meet her gaze. Gu Ci’s love had always been intense, like a blazing fire that could burn not only her but also the one she loved. When you love someone, you want to dig your heart out and present it to them, saying, “I really love you, please believe me.”

She didn’t understand that love didn’t require proof. The person who loves you will always hold you in their heart, and even if you dig out your heart, it won’t prove anything to someone who doesn’t love you.

“Will Ziyu… leave?” Gu Ci asked anxiously. This was something she had never dared to think about or ask. She could only ask Lu Zhiyuan, “Will he… go back?” “Do you want him to leave?” Lu Zhiyuan gently inquired.

Gu Ci shook her head. “What will he do if he goes back? That cold world has no you, and no me. So, people won’t have a good ending there. He’ll be all alone, and I can’t bear to see him in such a lonely and desolate state. I just want him to stay here and be well.”

“I understand,” Lu Zhiyuan restrained himself and said gently, “1 will fulfill all your wishes, no matter how difficult. I will make them come true for you.”

No matter how difficult, no matter the cost, 1 will fulfill Gu Ci’s wishes.

Gu Ci felt relieved, and her whole body relaxed. She gazed at the thousands of lights in the city and smiled. “Seeing the stars from a high place and looking at the thousands of lights are all beautiful. Lu Zhiyuan, Happy Lantern Festival!”

Lu Zhiyuan followed her gaze and also smiled. “Cici, Happy Lantern Festival..”