Men Don't Cry, It's Not a Sin (2)

"You have to go home eventually. You can't stay by my side forever; you have your family. You've been here for eight years. Your childhood shouldn't just be me; it should also include your family. It's not too late yet; you can still have that." Ye Lang said softly.

"..." Hearing this, Tiger Girl fell silent. She quietly, yet tightly, embraced Ye Lang. She seemed to understand that after this embrace, a very, very long time might pass before they met again.

At this moment, Ye Lanyu and Long Anqi suddenly felt ashamed. They had only thought about having Tiger Girl take care of Ye Lang, never considering Tiger Girl's own situation.

Perhaps, only the most intimate friends could understand this. Ye Lang had never treated Tiger Girl as a mere female slave, but rather as his childhood sweetheart, his most intimate friend. How could he not have sensed Tiger Girl's longing for home?

In fact, in front of Ye Lang, Tiger Girl held nothing back. She had spoken of her family before, mentioning who was in her household. Sometimes, she would stare blankly under the moon, simply missing home.

Because of this, Ye Lang knew she wasn't an orphan. Not only that, but her parents and elders were all alive and well; she had a family that doted on her.

The Ye Lang of the past was still muddled and didn't know how to handle this matter, letting it drag on for eight years. The current Ye Lang knew this needed to be addressed, though he still had a bit of selfishness, wanting Tiger Girl to stay with him for another three months.

Of course, during these three months, he also did a lot, teaching Tiger Girl some martial arts and special survival skills.

Now, everyone seemed to understand why Ye Lang had suddenly requested to sleep with Tiger Girl. It turned out he had already made this plan back then, and during this period, he had been enduring the pain of separation alone, all while maintaining a normal facade.

Thinking of this, Tiger Girl's heart ached again. Naturally, she didn't blame Ye Lang for not telling her.

"But Young Master, if I leave, no one will take care of you. You're always so clumsy," Tiger Girl said, her voice tinged with a faint sadness.

"I won't be as clumsy as before. I can take care of myself, don't worry," Ye Lang said gently, wanting to reassure Tiger Girl.

"As if! You're not much better than before; you often get confused and are so silly," Tiger Girl directly pierced through Ye Lang's comforting words. Her understanding of him was even greater than his own.

Although Ye Lang had recovered his memories, his actions were just as Tiger Girl described. He sometimes got confused and was slow to react, whether it was due to past influences or if he was naturally like this.

Fortunately, these were minor issues, which made him seem endearingly cute.

Ye Lang didn't think much of these things, nor did Long Anqi and Ye Lanyu. Minor matters would be handled by servants; as long as he wasn't confused about the important things, it was fine.

Perhaps, the only one truly worried about this matter was Tiger Girl.

"It's okay, I'll know what to do by then," Ye Lang said casually.

"..." Tiger Girl said nothing more, just quietly spacing out.

At this point, no one in the courtyard made a sound. They just waited quietly for time to pass. Ye Lang and Tiger Girl both seemed to wish time would stop, to remain frozen in this moment.

But time could not stop for anyone. What was meant to come would eventually come. The arrival of Commander Anna forced Ye Lang to part with Tiger Girl and begin discussing the mission with Commander Anna.

His request was simple: ensure Tiger Girl was unharmed at all costs. If that couldn't be done, more help could be called.

For Ye Lang's request, the beautiful Anna was stunned, finding it hard to believe. Was this real?

This wasn't a request that was too high; it was actually too low. It was merely escorting Tiger Girl, which didn't require her entire mercenary group to mobilize, nor such a large commission. Just ten percent, no, just one percent of the commission would suffice.

Tiger Girl wasn't an important figure on the continent, at least not yet. Even if she walked alone on the road, no one would bother her except for lecherous individuals. Such a person naturally didn't require such a large escort.

Regardless, since Ye Lang made such a request and offered such a large commission, they would naturally do their best and not let Tiger Girl suffer any harm.

Afterward, many people asked Ye Lang why he paid a commission of millions of gold coins. A mere Tiger Girl wasn't worth that price, and even he himself didn't need that much.

Ye Lang didn't answer this question. He disdained answering it, disdained discussing Tiger Girl's value. Doing so would feel like an insult to Tiger Girl.

"Young Master, I'm leaving. You have to take care of yourself. I will be back." This was what Tiger Girl said in a reluctant, almost life-and-death farewell.

She would, of course, return. Her original plan was to stay home for a while and then have her family arrange for her to attend the Royal Academy. There were quite a few Orc students at the Royal Academy.

How could she possibly put her mind at ease about Ye Lang? She would never be able to put her mind at ease about him in this lifetime!

"I know. I'll take care of myself. If you don't come back, I'll come to see you," Ye Lang replied. With his understanding of Tiger Girl, he naturally knew she would return.

"Also, Young Master, before I return, don't sleep with the Seventh Princess. And no other girls either," Tiger Girl said softly. It sounded like teasing, but also serious.

"Don't worry, I'm not that kind of casual person!" Ye Lang replied very seriously.

"The next line is probably 'You're not a person when you get casual'..." Tiger Girl said with a smile, which made Ye Lang freeze for a moment.

"...Who taught you that?" After a moment of stunned silence, Ye Lang asked curiously. Logically, that phrase wasn't popular here.

"You did. You said it two years ago, at that time, you were..." Tiger Girl said softly, slowly and in detail recounting the situation at the time.

"..." Ye Lang just listened quietly. He had almost forgotten about this incident, yet she remembered it so clearly. And it was just a very, very small, trivial anecdote from their lives.

How many times has this happened? The members of the Anna Mercenary Group couldn't help but think to themselves. This wasn't the first time their farewells had veered off into other topics, filled with reluctance.

These two little ones were still so lingering and attached. What would they be like when they grew up!

However, everyone really liked the affection between the two, that very pure, pure affection devoid of any impurities. It reminded everyone of their childhood, of their childhood playmates...

What precious affection, yet how much of it could continue to last?

May they both maintain this affection forever! This was the wish of almost everyone present.