Little Pink Starfish

The Person Who Treats Me Best in This World

A personal attendant of Gu Xingnuo came running to the room where the Second-in-Command was staying. After saluting, he whispered to Gu Xinglang, “Third Young Master, the eldest young master asks you to come over. He’s with General Li in the western corner flower hall.”

Gu Xinglang nodded to the servant and looked at the Second-in-Command.

The Second-in-Command quickly asked, “What instructions does His Highness the Consort have?”

“Keep an eye on her,” Gu Xinglang said, pointing to Miss Zhao Third.

“Yes!” the Second-in-Command replied immediately.

Two attendants came in and carried Gu Xinglang away.

After the two of them left and only Miss Zhao Third and the Second-in-Command remained in the room, the Second-in-Command thought for a while before saying, “Our princess is not a bad person. She won’t hurt you.”

Miss Zhao Third wiped her tears. Her Highness the Princess may not be a bad person, but she wanted the lives of her entire family!

The Second-in-Command said, “You’re a noble young lady—why would you run away from home?”

Miss Zhao Third cried even harder. She already regretted it, wasn’t that enough?

Seeing that the more he spoke, the harder this chubby young lady cried, the Second-in-Command gave up and asked, “Do you want some breakfast?”

Not all chubby people are food lovers, but Miss Zhao Third was. She nodded at him, “Eat.”

The Second-in-Command scratched his head and walked to the door, saying to the guards outside, “The young lady wants breakfast. Bring some over.”

The guards who worked for Gu Xinglang…

Miss Zhao Third had such a big heart. As the daughter of the Zhao family, she’d been captured by the Gu family, and yet here she was, still thinking about breakfast?

At this time, in the flower hall, Li Yuanle saw Gu Xinglang. After exchanging formal greetings, the young general asked, “Brother Gu, now that Qinghui is also here, can you finally tell me what this good news is?”

The Gu brothers exchanged a glance, and the eldest said toward the inner hall, “Miss, please come out.”

Li Yuanle stared blankly at the person who walked out from the inner room.

Li Wan kept her head down, nervously twisting the corner of her clothes with one hand.

Li Yuanle slowly stood up and took a few steps toward her, his voice trembling, “You… you are…”

Li Wan lowered her head and took a step back.

Gu Xinglang tried to speak, but the eldest Gu brother stopped him with a shake of the head.

Li Yuanle looked at Li Wan and thought—was he still drunk? He pinched his own thigh hard. The pain told him he was, in fact, awake.

Li Wan stopped moving, but still didn’t dare to lift her head. She had escaped from the palace and knew very well what kind of disaster she had brought upon her family.

Li Yuanle strode up to her, his voice unreadable—whether with joy or anger—as he said, “Little sister?”

Li Wan whispered, “Fourth Brother.”

“You—” Li Yuanle murmured, “You’re not dead?”

Li Wan replied softly, “Mm.”

“Not dead… that’s good,” Li Yuanle murmured.

Just for that one sentence from her fourth brother, Li Wan’s nose stung and tears fell from her eyes.

“Let’s all sit down and talk,” Gu Xingnuo said at that moment.

The Li siblings sat down across the tea table from each other.

Li Yuanle picked up a teacup and downed the contents in one gulp. Then he finally snapped out of it—his sister not being dead was good, but who was it lying in the mourning hall at the palace? “How… how did you get out of the palace?” he asked.

Li Wan whispered, “I escaped.”

The teacup in Li Yuanle’s hand fell to the ground. “You escaped from the palace?”

Li Wan nodded.

There was a buzzing sound in Li Yuanle’s head, as if it were about to explode. Escaping the palace—this was a crime that could wipe out nine generations!

Seeing her brother’s face go completely pale, Li Wan couldn’t bring herself to say anything more, no matter how much she wanted to apologize.

After a long daze, Li Yuanle turned to Gu Xingnuo and said, “She couldn’t have escaped the imperial palace alone.”

Gu Xingnuo smiled. “That’s right.”

Seeing Gu Xingnuo still able to smile at this moment, Li Yuanle nearly jumped up. “Brother Gu!” he shouted.

Gu Xinglang said, “Things are already like this. What’s the point in shouting?”

Li Wan said, “Fourth Brother, if I die, will the family be safe?”

“Nonsense,” Li Yuanle immediately said to his sister, “Would I ever hope for your death? As long as you’re alive, everything else can be handled. Don’t worry about the family.”

“I believe the Li family’s daughter is already dead,” Gu Xingnuo said at that moment. “That would be best for everyone.”

Li Yuanle said, “What’s going on? You owe me an explanation.”

“Xiong Xiong,” Li Wan said, turning to her brother.

“Who?” Li Yuanle’s face darkened with anger.

“Sit down,” Gu Xingnuo said to the flustered general. “Xiong Xiong isn’t here right now. Even if you want to kill him, you can’t.”

“That thief,” Li Yuanle said in disbelief, “he had the ability to break into the palace and get someone out?”

“There was an assassin in the imperial palace the night before,” Gu Xingnuo said. “Not only did the assassin kill people, but he also set a fire. The princess happened to be in the palace at the time and knew about Xiong Xiong and Miss Li. So she took advantage of the chaos to get Miss Li out of the palace and found the body of a maid who had unfortunately died in the fire to replace her.”

It wasn’t that Gu Xingnuo didn’t trust Li Yuanle, but this was about setting a fire in the palace. They themselves were already traumatized—Gu Xingnuo had no intention of letting Li Yuanle suffer the same shock. He would rather die than let anyone else know the full truth.

Li Yuanle knew Gu Xingnuo hadn’t told him everything, but he also understood—if Gu Xingnuo wouldn’t say, he couldn’t ask.

“Li Wan is dead,” Gu Xingnuo looked at Li Yuanle and said. “What are you planning to do now?”

Li Yuanle’s face turned livid and he said nothing. Hand over his sister to that scoundrel? How could he ever accept that?

Gu Xinglang asked, “Miss Li, what are your plans?”

Li Wan stayed silent, head lowered.

Li Yuanle slammed the table. “Our Li family can still support one more person.”

“Keep Miss Li locked in the Li residence for life?” Gu Xingnuo asked.

This time, Li Yuanle was silent. Never leaving the residence for life—wasn’t that just another kind of prison?

Gu Xingnuo looked at Li Wan and said, “Li family sister, there are some things you should speak for yourself. Your fourth brother and I are both your elders. If it’s your wish and it’s within our power, we will help you make it happen.”

Li Wan looked up at her fourth brother.

Li Yuanle forced himself to stay calm. “Say it. Whatever your plans are, with your fourth brother here, what is there you can’t say?”

Li Wan clutched her sleeves tightly and, summoning all her courage, said to him, “I want to be with Brother Xiong.”

“You—!” Li Yuanle slammed the table and stood.

Tears streamed down Li Wan’s face. “He doesn’t mind what I’ve become,” she said to her brother. “I don’t think I’ll ever meet someone else who’ll treat me as well as he does. Fourth Brother, where else could I find someone who would break into the palace for me, someone willing to die for me?”

Li Yuanle stood looking at his sister. The scar on Li Wan’s face stabbed like a blade into his eyes.

“If possible,” Li Wan said, “can we just pretend I died? That the daughter of the Li clan of Chengzhou no longer exists in this world?”