Chapter 259: Love Arises

Watching this scene, Gu Yang felt his heart being lacerated once again.

He had once hated the fact that he was still just a child, unable to do anything.

He had clearly promised to take good care of his younger sister, yet he could only watch helplessly.

Kong Xiangrou was dead, Su Yan was bedridden with illness, and Su Jianguo was in a state bordering on madness.

Su Jianguo would not allow anyone to approach Su Yan, including him.

Every day, he would wait at the entrance of the Su family home, waiting for those gates to open.

Day after day.

Finally, one day, Su Jianguo returned home with a Taoist priest, and it was on that very day that he and his parents saw Su Yan once again.

Looking at the girl who was as withered as a dried husk, he felt as if he were suffocating.

He could not believe that this was his beautiful, soft, and adorable little sister.

"I have to send Yan Yan away."

Su Jianguo's words struck him like a bolt of lightning, leaving his entire body cold.

"The Taoist said that if we want Yan Yan to live, she must leave my side."

"Jianguo, don't be impulsive. Looking at Yan Yan in this state, do you really have the heart to let her leave?"

"Yes, Jianguo, we can find the best hospital and the best doctors for Yan Yan."

His father and mother were anxiously trying to persuade Su Jianguo.

But he did not say a single word, not even one, merely staring unblinkingly at Su Yan.

Su Jianguo was already weeping uncontrollably, "I have already lost Xiangrou, I cannot lose Yan Yan too... I have arranged the car; we are sending Yan Yan away today..."

At this moment, his mind was a complete blank; he couldn't understand a single thing Su Jianguo was saying.

Su Yan never woke up; she was simply carried into the car just like that.

They stood at the doorway, his mother holding his shoulder, forcing herself to endure the pain.

"Xiao Yang, if you want to cry, then cry. But after you've cried, you must be strong and wait for your sister to come back."

But he did not shed a single tear; his heart held only one solitary thought.

Wait for his sister to come back.

His mother said something else afterward, but he could no longer hear her.

Afterward, he spent a long period of time living in a daze. He went to school and came home every day, and even his father and mother could not see any abnormality in him caused by Su Yan's departure.

He also felt that he was perhaps cold-hearted; his little sister had left while gravely ill, yet he wasn't even sad, let alone weeping.

The days passed one by one just like that.

He would only stand beneath the tree where he used to play with Su Yan, staring blankly in silence for long periods.

For a very, very long time afterward, he never walked that small path leading to the Su family home again.

Su Yan was gone, and his heart had closed off as well.

"Brother Gu Yang."

Suddenly, someone called him.

His heart trembled. He lifted his eyes to see Su Yan standing in the sunlight, smiling radiantly.

His heart began to race wildly again, wanting to throw his arms wide open to her.

But at that moment, another voice rang out beside him.

"Brother Gu Yang."

The same address, the same tone, the same intimacy.

Immediately after, he saw Kong Nian. She was standing on the other side of Su Yan, looking at him with the same expectant gaze.

He panicked, his wavering gaze drifting incessantly between the two girls.

One second.

Two seconds.

Finally, he took a step toward Su Yan.

Su Yan's smile brightened.

Kong Nian shouted in anger, "Brother Gu Yang, have you forgotten me? You promised you would always take care of me, you promised you would protect me for a lifetime."

Gu Yang felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

Those familiar vows acted as a physical weight, dragging at his footsteps.

"Brother Gu Yang..." Su Yan revealed an expression of shock.

"Brother Gu Yang, come to me. I am your Yan Yan." Kong Nian's voice seemed to carry a magical power, making him feel as if he were nearly suffocating.

His legs began to walk toward Kong Nian uncontrollably.

He struggled violently, trying to break free from the sense of restraint.

He wouldn't mistake her; he absolutely would not mistake her.

"Yan Yan, wait for me..."

But Su Yan had already shown him a look of disappointment, uttering the words that drove him to despair.

"Let's break off our engagement. I don't like you at all."

He was drenched in sweat, wanting to scream, but not a single sound could escape his throat.

Kong Xiangrou appeared, questioning him with tearful eyes.

"Xiao Yang, didn't you promise us that you would take care of Yan Yan for a lifetime?"

"No..." Gu Yang wanted to argue, but a splitting headache struck him. Watching Su Yan's body slowly begin to turn transparent, it felt as if his heart were being torn apart.

"Yan Yan..."

"Brother Gu, wake up!"

Su Yan sat by the bedside, attempting to wake Gu Yang, who was being tormented by a nightmare.

His face was completely covered in sweat, his expression pained, as he repeatedly called out her name.

Su Yan didn't know exactly what he was dreaming about, and since she couldn't wake him no matter what, she realized something was wrong.

After calming herself, she caught a hint of an unusual fragrance lingering in the air.

She quickly walked to the window and opened it to ventilate the room.

Then, she took a talisman from her Qiankun Bag and pressed it against the center of Gu Yang's forehead.

Gu Yang snapped awake, sitting up in bed and gasping for air.

"Brother Gu, are you alright?"

Su Yan observed his expression to assess the situation.

Gu Yang's eyes were still filled with panic. Seeing Su Yan so close, for a moment, he couldn't distinguish whether this was reality or a dream.

In the next second, he hugged her tightly, as if wanting to press her into his very body.

"Yan Yan, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

He repeated it over and over again.

It was because he had failed to protect her, leaving him to watch helplessly as she was sent thousands of miles away.

Su Yan clearly felt his terror and unease. Subconsciously, she stroked his back to help him calm down and regain clarity.

"It's alright. Everything is fine now, Brother Gu."

She didn't know what kind of terrifying thing he had experienced in his dream to be frightened like this.

A moment later, Gu Yang's rationality returned to his brain, and he truly felt her presence.

"Yan Yan, is it really you? Why are you here?"

This was his dormitory, and it was the middle of the night.

Seeing his eyes become completely clear, Su Yan's hanging heart settled.

"I was worried, so I came to check on you."

It turned out her worry was justified; something really had happened to him. If she hadn't arrived just in time, there was no telling how long he would have been trapped in that nightmare.

Gu Yang tried hard to steady his emotions, but that sense of dread refused to dissipate.

"I... had a nightmare?"

Everything in the dream had been too real. Not only had he dreamed of her, but he had even dreamed of Kong Nian.

Su Yan nodded. "Yes. You kept calling my name. What did you dream about?"

Someone had used incense on him that could plunge a person into an illusion.

Gu Yang took a deep breath. "I dreamed of us when we were children, and then..."

Su Yan stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

But Gu Yang suddenly stopped. He couldn't tell her that he actually couldn't distinguish which one was the real her from their childhood.

(End of Chapter)