Gu Yuyao hadn't set foot in Beijing for a long time. In fact, she hadn't seen this grandfather of hers for years since her brother's burial. She didn' have many memories of him except for that one time; when the old man had to save her from her mother's beating once.

  Her mother's grief was too much that the moment she saw Gu Yuyao returning home from school, she started to get hysterical and cursed her own daughter for Gu Zihao's misfortune.

  The old man, being the patriarch of the family had allowed her to live with him for months with very few interactions between them. Even now, Gu Yuyao wasn't sure why the old man was looking for her when she'd been fine living alone for a long time without their help.

  The money they keep on sending to her account hadn't been touched and it piled up to a hefty amount. An amount that would be enough to allow her to live lavishly. Yet, her pride wouldn't allow her to use it.

  She really didn't know why she should meet him, except for the sole reason to tell him to stop bothering her and let her be happy with He Lianchen. What good could this meeting bring them except for opening old wounds that would never heal no matter how much she grieved?

  Wouldn't it be better for the old man to leave her be?

  So why now? Why now when she was ready to live happily with He Lianchen? Had her parents' death been that impactful on the old man that he relentlessly sought after the only direct descendant he had?——

  The moment He Lianchen woke up, his hand reached out to find the remnants of Gu Yuyao's warmth beside him. He cracked his eyes open and frowned. Where did she go? Sitting up and slipping out of the bed, he walked naked toward the connected bathroom to see if she was there but didn't see her.

  "Yaoyao?"

  There was no response. Suddenly, fear shot through him in realization. He Lianchen hadn't cursed for a long time. In fact, he rarely snapped out or got angry even if he was dealing with the devil himself.

  Feng Tianyi knew how to annoy him to death, but there was no one in this world that could infuriate him like Gu Yuyao.

  Goddamn it. They'd spent the night together! He'd only been asleep for a few hours and now she's missing again? He thought that she loved him, that she wouldn't put him in an arm's length again after her confession.

  So why? Why did Gu Yuyao leave him again? Did he need to wait and waste another ten years just to be with her again?

  He pulled the bathrobe and covered his body before checking the other parts for the apartment, feeling nervous all over.

  Wasn't this the same thing that happened when Gu Yuyao vanished from his life ten years ago? She just walked out of his life like his feelings didn't matter to her.

  The next time he opened his eyes, he caught a glimpse of her handwriting on her nightstand. It was clearly hers, as he read the content of the message.

  She'd been found and she was going home? But why didn't she wake him up before leaving? Why was she afraid of the Gu family?

  He Lianchen gathered his clothes and dressed up. He decided to drop by at his own place to change his clothes before driving towards the Peach Blossom Garden, where the devil currently resides.

  The moment he arrived at the guesthouse, he found the empress talking to the devil. The two gave him a knowing look as he joined them for breakfast. The Tang twins couldn't be seen, so He Lianchen assumed that they were still asleep and wouldn't be joining them this morning.

  He Lianchen cleared his throat before saying:

  "They found Yaoyao. She was gone the moment I woke up."

  Tang Moyu hummed and sipped her coffee with cream that Qin Jiran had prepared for her.

  "I know. She gave me a call this morning," she replied.

  He Lianchen scowled at that. Gu Yuyao called Tang Moyu to inform her what was happening instead of waking him up? Why couldn't she trust him at all? What else should he do to prove that she could rely on him?

  His mouth tightened, his grip on his cup almost broke it. Thankfully all the tea sets and silverware the empress and the devil had were of high quality and weren't easy to break.

  "She told me to wait, but how can I stay still knowing that she would be alone?" He glared down at his cup. "I need to follow her…"

  "No." Tang Moyu gave him a pointed glare. "You are not going to do that, He Lianchen. This is a fight Yuyao has to face herself."

  He Lianchen shook his head and turned to the devil, who seemed calm next to the empress.

  "You understand me right? If it was Tang Moyu who'd run away from you, you would follow her even if it's to the pits of hell."

  Qin Jiran hummed and shook his head. If he was in He Lianchen's situation, he would give Tang Moyu an earful before dragging her ass back with him. She would never dare to leave him like that.

  "No. I would have pulled her out of it and would give her a quick recap of what being in a relationship means so she wouldn't dare to escape again."

  Tang Moyu's eyes widened at that. What the hell were these two talking about?