Chapter 394: A Six-Month Appointment

“Xiao Li’s body is no longer an issue. He has been by my side since he was a child, and because of his status as the young master of the Zhou family, he has faced many restrictions. Therefore, I thought it would be good for him to go out and gain some experience while he is still young; training is a good thing. If he can follow Master Su and learn even a fraction of Master Su’s skills and wisdom in dealing with the world, it would be a tremendous blessing for our Zhou family.” Zhou Xiongfeng spoke with great sincerity.

“Clan Leader Zhou, I have finished all my affairs in the capital and intend to return home to live a peaceful life. If Young Master Zhou follows me, I fear he will only be wasting his time.” Su Yan was indeed not lying; the end of the year was approaching, and at the very least, she wanted to focus on staying by her father's side during this period.

“If that is the case, then Master Su has even less to worry about. Xiao Li has nothing else to spare but time, and besides, there are some matters that even Master Su might not be able to control.” Zhou Xiongfeng’s last sentence was clearly loaded with subtext.

Su Yan took a deep breath; she could, of course, hear the implication behind his words.

As it happened, she had just promised to do him a favor in the treasury.

“Very well, if Clan Leader Zhou insists. However, there is one thing I must remind you: if Young Master Zhou stays by my side, I can guarantee he will not suffer from the persecution of evil spirits, but as for other forms of safety, I may not have that much energy to spare.”

Disciples of families like theirs would always have enemies out in the world; she had no interest in acting as someone else's nanny.

Zhou Xiongfeng was already beaming with joy. “Rest assured, Master Su, Xiao Li will definitely not cause you any trouble.”

Su Yan remained noncommittal. She made an agreement with him that she would notify them before leaving the capital, and told him to let Zhou Li focus on recuperating his health for the next few days.

Zhou Xiongfeng had originally intended for Su Yan to continue staying here during her time in the capital, but he was firmly rejected by her resolute attitude.

Zhou Xiongfeng had no choice but to personally arrange a vehicle to see Su Yan off.

After leaving the Zhou residence, Su Yan immediately went to the publishing house.

She had been unable to contact Gu Yang, and her heart felt unsettled. Her teacher’s whereabouts were also uncertain; he had not appeared to look for her.

Upon arriving at the publishing house, she was immediately ushered into the reception room. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she felt that the people at the publishing house were looking at her with particularly complex expressions when she entered.

After about ten minutes, the person she waited for was not Gu Yang, but a panting Lu Feng.

He had clearly rushed back from outside specifically for this, and there was even a layer of sweat on his forehead.

The moment Su Yan saw it was him, she had an ominous premonition.

“Sister-in-law, you’re finally back.”

Before she could even speak, Lu Feng spoke up impatiently.

“Hello, Brother Lu. Where is Brother Gu? Is he not at the publishing house?”

After greeting him, Su Yan went straight to the point.

Lu Feng’s breathing steadied a bit, but his expression had also turned quite grim.

“Gu Yang left.”

Su Yan visibly froze, clearly not understanding for a moment what he meant by "left."

“I don't know where Gu Yang went either. He refused to tell me, only saying that he would return after a period of time.” After thinking it over, Lu Feng decided not to tell Su Yan the words Gu Yang had previously said to him.

Since Gu Yang said he could find a way to solve it, but now even his person couldn't be found, telling her would only cause Su Yan unnecessary worry.

“What do you mean you don't know where he went?” Su Yan still found it absurd.

Gu Yang had a job here; how could he just leave like that?

Knowing she would surely find it hard to accept, Lu Feng could only explain to her patiently.

“You know Gu Yang’s temperament; once he decides on something, no one can change it. I tried to persuade him to wait for your return, but he insisted on leaving as soon as possible.”

“When did he leave?” Su Yan’s low voice was straining to suppress her emotions at this moment.

Lu Feng said cautiously, “Just yesterday.”

Su Yan’s expression turned extremely grim. “He even gave up his job?”

If it weren't for encountering an extreme situation, Gu Yang would absolutely never make such a move.

But she simply could not guess what on earth he had encountered?!

Lu Feng nodded helplessly. “Yes, he resigned. But you can really rest easy; he was in good spirits when he left, so there is definitely no danger.”

This was the only comfort he could offer her.

However, this was the first time he had seen Su Yan look so solemn; it seemed there was indeed a foundation of affection between her and Gu Yang.

“By the way, he left a letter for you. It’s in my office drawer. I’ll go get it for you right now.”

He didn't know when Su Yan would arrive, so it was impossible for him to carry the letter on him at all times.

“Okay.” Su Yan’s mind was currently a tangled mess, unable to form a coherent thought.

Lu Feng retrieved the letter as quickly as possible and handed it to Su Yan.

Su Yan knew his relationship with Gu Yang, so she did not hesitate and opened the envelope directly.

The key was that she could no longer wait to leave this place.

Lu Feng wanted to look, but since this was a letter Gu Yang had written to his fiancée, it wasn't appropriate to be too blatant; he merely watched Su Yan’s expression while she read to judge what was written inside.

*“Yan Yan, when you see this letter, your heart must be filled with unease and doubt, right? I’m sorry I didn't wait for you to return. It is because I was afraid that once I saw you, I would never be able to bear leaving again.”*

Just the opening sentence caused Su Yan’s heart to sink to the very bottom.

*“You don't need to worry about me. I am simply going to the place where I most need to be right now. I promise you that I will return safely in six months. It’s just that for these six months, I cannot be by your side. No matter what happens, you must handle things calmly. Also, I am temporarily entrusting everything at home to you.”*

*“Yan Yan, do not come looking for me. I hope that during the time I am away, you can be safe and happy. We will see each other in six months.”*

The contents of the letter were simple and not heavy, yet they contained none of the information Su Yan wanted to know.

So, he really just disappeared so mysteriously? Even a goodbye was only told to her through a letter.

However, there was one thing she could be certain of: Gu Yang was likely not in danger at the moment.

He was not the type of person to be indecisive; if his life were truly threatened, he would never say they would meet again in six months.

This realization temporarily eased the heaviness in Su Yan’s heart. After reading it once more, she refolded the letter.

“How is it? Did Gu Yang say where he was going in the letter?” Lu Feng was even more anxious than she was.

Su Yan shook her head. “He only told me not to worry and said he would return in six months.”

Lu Feng was incredibly disappointed; he had thought Gu Yang would leave some sort of explanation for Su Yan.

“Since this is his choice, let us wait patiently. Fortunately, six months isn't a long time. He certainly won't be able to bear leaving you behind.”

Su Yan did not speak. Yes, six months was indeed not a long time for them; as long as Gu Yang could return as promised, that would be enough.