He had not even dared to imagine such a warm scene.

  When he was young, although he had been the most favored prince of his parents and the Queen, he had also been under a lot of pressure. He had to be outstanding and could not lose to any child of the same generation or even older in the royal family.

  There was once when he had just finished training in combat and happened to arrive just in time for the cultural examination. When the results came out, he, who had always been first in the exams, was locked up for three days when he came in second.

  He never dared to relax. His parents had taught him that he had to be the best prince.

  Their parents were united because of their interests, and their marriage was one where they seldom got together. Both of them were headstrong, and apart from normal gatherings in the royal family, they rarely accompanied their children.

  Ye Qing did not really understand the feeling of having his parents by his side, let alone being like the Little Gugu now, who was leaning in his mother’s arms and listening to her tell stories.

  Before he recalled Ah Dai’s memories, he was like his father, living for the royal family. He did not consider his happiness because he knew that he would not receive the royal family’s blessings if he was with her.

  He could imagine the ending. A marriage without blessings could only end in divorce.

  That was why he was unwilling to give her a promise.

  He was afraid that he could not give her the happiness she wanted.

  He was used to putting the interests of the royal family first. As Sihan said, he was used to following the rules and would not break the rules or break through the restraints easily for a woman.

  When he heard the love story between Sihan and Nan Zhi, he thought that he would never go crazy for a woman.

  He thought that he was mature and steady. Love was not the most important thing in his life.

  Looking at it now, it was really ironic!

  If it was not for Gu Meng’s undying love for him in the past few years, he would not have become a crazy person for a woman!

  After Little Gugu fell asleep, Gu Meng got out of bed and saw the man standing at the door. She took the initiative to say the first thing to him. “Let’s take a walk outside!”


  They walked side by side to the courtyard.

  The temperature in the fishing village was a little low at night. Ye Qing wanted to take off his jacket and put it on Gu Meng, but Gu Meng moved a few steps to the side, putting some distance between them.

  Gu Meng lowered her head and walked forward. She was organizing her thoughts when the man’s strong and muscular chest suddenly pressed against her from behind.

  “Xiaomeng,” the man said softly by her ear, his voice gentle and doting. “Marry me. If you don’t like the royal family, we’ll go back to the fishing village and live. I’ll be your Brother Ah Dai.”


  Hearing his words, Gu Meng froze.

  Was he willing to give up his status as a prince for her?

  She was really shocked, but after the shock, she felt heavy.

  If he had made a promise to her earlier, they would not have ended up like this!

  She lowered her slightly trembling long eyelashes, wanting to pull his hands away from her waist when he suddenly kissed her.

  Numerous kisses landed on her cheeks and lips.

  Gu Meng furrowed her eyebrows and pushed his hands away, retreating from his arms.

  She took a deep breath and tried to suppress the surging emotions in her heart. She turned back and held up the ring she was holding to him. “I’ve already booked a date for my marriage to Brother Fu. We……” Standing in the familiar courtyard, many memories of the past flooded her mind like a tidal wave. She felt terrible, but there were some things she had to make clear to him. “We…… can’t go back.”


  Tears welled up in her eyes and she choked. “Seeing you educate Little Gugu so well, I don’t hate you and don’t blame you anymore. I came back this time because I didn’t want to disappoint Little Gugu and because I wanted to tell you what I was thinking.”


  “Brother Fu has done too much for me. He broke a leg and has stomach cancer. I don’t know how long he can live, but I can’t abandon him and return to your side.”


  “Maybe this is God’s punishment for us. If we miss it, we miss it. We can’t go back to the past!”


  “Brother Ah Dai, we’ll be friends in the future. We’ll be Little Gugu’s parents, but we can’t be lovers or husband and wife anymore.”


  Ye Qing looked at Gu Meng, whose eyes were filled with tears. He wanted to go forward and hug her tightly, but his legs felt like they were filled with heavy lead and he could not take a step forward.

  She was only a few steps away from him, but it felt like they were thousands of miles apart.

  His last hope had been crushed by her words.

  His heart sank.

  Before she came, he had prepared countless things to say to her.

  He had also expected that she would reject his ring and was prepared to propose again!

  But now, what else could he say or do?

  She was right. Everyone had to pay the price for their mistakes!

  He had not cherished her properly in the past. He had broken her heart and lost her.

  It was not for a year or two, but for a lifetime!

  He looked down at the ring lying in her palm. He took it slowly and threw it into the grass outside the yard.

  He looked at her with red eyes and only managed to squeeze out a sentence after a while. “I’ll explain to Little Gugu, you don’t have to worry about him being angry at you.”


  The tears in Gu Meng’s eyes fell immediately.

  All kinds of emotions surged in her heart.

  She covered her face with her hands and nodded. “Thank you, Brother Ah Dai.”


  Ye Qing had hurt her before, but Brother Ah Dai had not.

  He would always understand her, dote on her, and respect her!

  Ye Qing went forward and pulled the teary Gu Meng into his arms. “I won’t cause you any more trouble in the future.”
……

  Now that the two of them had returned to being friends, they got along more easily.

  Sitting in the yard, Ye Qing smoked while Gu Meng looked up at the stars in the sky.

  “When do you plan to hold the wedding?”


  “There’s still half a month to go.”


  “I’ll convince Little Gugu to be your flower girl then.”


  Gu Meng looked at Ye Qing. “Are you going too?”


  “Of course.” Ye Qing’s hand that was not holding a cigarette stroked the top of Gu Meng’s head, just like how Brother Ah Dai used to touch her head. There was an almost unnoticeable tenderness in his eyes. “Are you afraid that I’ll snatch you away?”


  “You won’t.”


  The two of them chatted for a long time, talking about their lives in the past two years and their future plans. When they returned to the house, it was already one in the morning.

  “You can sleep in the room with Little Gugu while I sleep in the car.”


  Gu Meng nodded. “Okay.”


  Staring at her back as she entered the house, Ye Qing tried to suppress the urge to hug her again. He turned around, his eyes turning red.

  He stood in the courtyard for a long time. His heart felt like it was missing a piece. It was empty and he did not know how to fill it.

  No matter how miserable she felt, he would not make things difficult for her or create any trouble for her!……