They are still close to me today despite their negative feelings

"...Let's go then. I feel like I really want to chat with someone tonight."

No longer walking alongside the boy, Wu Yuehua quickened her pace slightly, as if she wanted to lead the way.

Only she knew that she didn't want the other person to see the slight blush on her cheeks.

Even if it could be considered a slip of the tongue due to drunkenness, she was still embarrassed.

……

As a relatively unpopular tourist attraction, Yun Shen Temple had long since closed to visitors. Bypassing the temple, which was free to enter anyway, the girl skillfully pushed open a somewhat hidden door, revealing a well-trodden path.

"The proper route for worship shouldn't go this way..."

After explaining to Ning Ruoyu, Wu Yuehua noticed that the boy didn't seem to care. She nodded, frowned, and continued fiddling with his phone, then continued leading the way.

This is a back path of a temple. On this somewhat dark road, unlike in the past, Wu Yuehua is no longer alone.

"The cemetery behind Yun Shen Temple isn't actually here, right, junior?"

"Ah."

"Then why didn't you ask? Weren't you worried I'd lead you the wrong way?"

Perhaps sensing the somewhat heavy atmosphere of the boy behind her, Wu Yuehua deliberately asked in a more relaxed tone.

"You trust me that much?"

"Senior."

However, Ning Ruoyu did not seem to respond directly to Wu Yuehua's teasing. Instead, she suddenly asked a question.

"Please forgive my offense. Your brother is applying to a special university for graduate studies, and your father and brother don't have tombstones, right?"

"..."

Wu Yuehua stopped in her tracks.

The silence that flows between the two is the loneliest melody in the world.

"Junior, don't be so smart."

She finally spoke softly, without giving a clear answer, yet it seemed to answer everything.

She continued walking forward.

"There can't be a tombstone. In fact, if there really were such a thing, my mother and I would probably be gone by now."

“For so many years, I could only come here secretly to find them. At first, I didn’t even know exactly where they were buried in this mountain. Especially my father, I was too young to understand at the time.”

"I roughly know the location, so it's not exactly... just wandering around aimlessly. In the end, my brother couldn't stand it anymore and secretly told me. Well, I know that my brother originally didn't plan to tell me because I really seem too immature, but I kept running up this mountain every day, so he had no choice."

"Yeah, you know now, I'm actually pretty unreliable. At least that's what my mom thinks right now."

Wu Yuehua tried to force a smile, but failed, so she gave up trying. After all, Ning Ruoyu was standing behind her and couldn't see the pathetic look on her face.

"Senior sister..."

"This is something I can't tell anyone. Um, I never even thought I'd tell you one day."

As if to interrupt Ning Ruoyu, Wu Yuehua continued speaking on her own.

“You see, at first you seemed very impetuous. Everyone said you were bragging and spreading rumors everywhere. But after getting to know you, although it wasn’t that exaggerated, at the karaoke bar, I felt that you were a very complicated person.”

"For me, complexity means danger. Compared to you, who I don't know anything about and seems to associate with those strange people, a classmate like Gu Yin, who is simple and straightforward, feels like a safe bet for me to befriend. Ah, but I really like Chu Gu Yin, and it's not just because she's simple-minded."

"So I never expected that the first person to know my biggest secret would be you, junior. Life really is a long and precise slap in the face." Wu Yuehua chuckled a few times. "Well, later I actually found out that you are a good person, but, after all, this is my family's own business, so there was no need to tell you, right?"

"Just like you were keeping a safe distance from me just now! I also think it's better for everyone to keep their distance in their daily interactions! After all, my secret is neither interesting nor interesting, and it's also dangerous and heavy."

But why did she still say it? She didn't continue.

Perhaps it was because the image of the boy she saw when she woke up the next morning after being taken in for the night was too vivid; or perhaps it was because the boy who skipped class with her that time she lingered at the school gate that made her feel so helpless; or perhaps it was simply because tonight, when she ran out of the house alone, she found that he was always by her side.

Wu Yuehua clenched her fingers.

"So now you know what my mom and I are arguing about? The security situation in Lucheng has deteriorated recently, and my mom wants me to go back with her. But, well, unlike before when I wanted to be independent, I've really run into a problem that prevents me from going back. Although I feel very sorry for her, I really can't go back right now."

“I couldn’t even tell her about this, because it would make her suffer just like me. So in the end, I just ran away in a huff—how about that, I’m really pathetic, aren’t I? Useless and immature. Little by little, I’m not like my father’s daughter or my brother’s sister.”

Wu Yuehua said this.

"They are all real heroes. But what about me? In the end, I'm just a useless guy hiding behind a screen, trying to tell others how great they are, but only able to write lousy stories."

“…I see. That’s why the novel I’m writing now is called ‘Police Embroidery Years’,” Ning Ruoyu said softly.

The girl silently stopped. Before them lay a slightly raised mound of earth and a hastily written, unmarked stone tablet. Moonlight shone on the tablet, casting a cold, eerie glow that made it appear all the more forlorn.

“In my situation, I have a significant advantage when it comes to entrance exams,” Wu Yuehua continued. “The only thing I can do is to do my best even when I don’t have this advantage. Only in this way can I avoid embarrassing my father and brother.”

"Although I know it's okay for Ning Ruoyu to say these things, I still have to remind you not to tell anyone else." Wu Yuehua finally turned her head, her expression towards the boy showing a hint of tenderness.

"If I tell you, I might really die. I'm not scared, but what about Mom? So, you have to promise me."

It's like the deepest trust, and also like the most painful sorrow.

In an instant, a thousand thoughts flashed through the boy's eyes, giving Wu Yuehua the illusion that the other person seemed to be seeing certain past events through her.

With a slight smile, Ning Ruoyu raised her hand and, to Wu Yuehua's somewhat surprised expression, held up four fingers.

"I won't tell anyone. And nobody will die because of it. I swear."

It was clearly a solemn declaration, but it used a pun, which made Wu Yuehua smile.

"Okay, I completely trust you now, senior. Thank you for your blessing. As a friend who entrusted me with this secret, I won't hold back anymore. Let's help each other with work and studies!"

“This is not a blessing,” Ning Ruoyu said softly, shaking her head.

"It's a promise."

He bent down, picked up a stone, and threw it at the trunk of a large tree behind him.

"Your tracking technology is so bad, get out here."

Unlike the solemnity of his earlier oath and the gentleness of his earlier soft voice, the words he uttered were filled with hostility and disdain.

In an instant, I felt like I had become the master of this moonlit landscape.

[Next chapter preview: She held up four fingers, smiling sweetly, just like the bright spring sunshine of that year.]

When I said that name, I didn't dare look into the eyes of the senior student behind me.

"Then you probably only looked at the guest list. I didn't attend the banquet."

"That's a perfect deal, double happiness!"

Uh, it's a misunderstanding... Okay, fine. I'm too lazy to explain.

Chapter 112: You're the Worst Guest

"...Didn't you say you went shopping? Why are you back so late?"

"Hey, sorry about that, something came up in the middle. Is everyone alright?"

"Well, I borrowed some millet from the grandpa and grandma next door and cooked some porridge. The little ones are sleeping soundly."

"Wow, as expected of Xiao Ning~ So reliable~ Although you're just a little kid to me, you're a very capable little kid!"

"...You're so annoying. Seriously, where have you been? Those guys have been on edge the whole time, and I finally managed to get everyone else to sleep."

"Haha, well, there really is something going on."

"stare--"

“?(? ? ??)”

"...Never mind, it's best not to do that again next time. Without you, I can't take care of them all by myself. And those children will be very uneasy if they don't see you. They trust you after all; I'm not very familiar with them."

"That's because you're a cocky little brat, Xiao Ning, who seems cold on the outside but is warm on the inside~ Oh, don't look at me like that, I'm your older sister~"

"Huh? Are you kidding me? I don't see you that way. I don't have any brothers or sisters, nor do I need any."

"...Okay, okay, I understand. I promise I won't disappear for so long without saying a word again. And if I really have to go for a long time someday, I'll definitely let you know!"

"Fa si oh~ hehe~"

She held up four fingers, smiling sweetly, just like the bright spring sunshine of that year.

……

"...Tsk."

Behind the tree, the person clicked their tongue and walked out with a somewhat helpless expression.

"So this is the 'King of the Silver Night'? He's just as terrifying as they said, without a single flaw."

The person who would call me by such a creepy nickname is most likely not from this world. Those who have heard of me in this world would probably show some disgust and aversion. Even those in the highest echelons of society wouldn't use such a nickname.

"Eh?"

I shielded Wu Yuehua behind me. My senior seemed to be still in a daze, not quite having reacted yet.

"Why didn't you subdue me quickly? Letting me walk out freely, should I say you were careless or overconfident?"

"Do you think I can't subdue you now? Should I call you careless or overconfident?" I retorted.

"..." In the darkness, the other person seemed to be awkwardly silent for a while, but quickly shook their head.

"Impossible. At this distance, even you can't do anything to me."

"See, isn't it clear to you? Although I'm confident I haven't noticed, once I get even a little close enough to be dangerously close to you, you'll quickly pull away—I'd like to subdue you, but that's too much trouble. Let's be frank here."

I paused for a moment, then gave the answer I truly didn't want to mention, but which was the only answer I had at that moment.

"—'Wu Sui An'."

When I said that name, I didn't dare look into the eyes of the senior student behind me.

I know that was the worst possible outcome. But it is the only truth that can explain everything at this moment.

Looking back now, it's clear that the rumors provided by the intelligence provider were misinterpreted. The examples of replacements he cited included both positive and negative ones, suggesting that even villains hated by the world could potentially be replaced.

—So, someone like Ning Ruoyu, who is universally condemned as an antithesis, is also universally praised as a hero. If she were impersonated, it would indeed be a deadly nightmare.

"...Damn. No wonder he got to sit in the first seat at the annual meeting, he's fucking awesome."

Amidst the cursing and swearing, the person revealed their true face under the moonlight.

He was a man who looked handsome, but his face was full of ferocity, making him somewhat intimidating.

"!"

I could sense the turmoil and unease in Wu Yuehua's heart beside me.

The man stroked his stubble and smacked his lips.

"Hey, even though I'm already sure, let me ask you one question: do you recognize me?"

"This is the first time I've heard of it here."

I carefully considered my choice of words.

"Haha, that's true, that's true. Alright. How could the great 'King of the Silver Night' possibly remember the name of a nobody like me? After all, at the annual meeting, you were chatting and laughing with those old fogies in the first seat, while I was eating a boxed lunch outside the banquet."

The man's words seemed casual and nonchalant, but his tone was full of displeasure and jealousy.

"Then you probably only looked at the guest list. I didn't attend the banquet."

Actually, I always politely decline invitations to those annual meetings. Everyone's used to it.

"Ha, that's even more annoying. Are you showing off that even if you don't go, you're still an indispensable figure in the underworld?"

The man named "Wu Sui'an" mocked.

"No, that's not it. I just don't care." I really couldn't understand why this man cared so much about such a thing.

"...Hmph, whatever."

"Wu Sui'an" coldly skipped over the topic.

"So what if you were once legendary? Aren't you still an unknown nobody? I'm the one who truly achieves great things in this world. You wasted such a good opportunity playing house? 'King of the Silver Night,' you're so disappointing."

"You are no longer worthy of that title! You are even less worthy of sitting in the first seat!"

"That's a perfect deal, double happiness!"

I truly believe this.