Yan Mu froze at his words.
His mind went blank with a thunderous roar.
He stood rooted to the spot, his face deathly pale.
Only then did Gongsun Yun realize his question had been too abrupt, and a flicker of fluster crossed his eyes.
His lips parted, but he had no idea how to explain.
He abruptly released Yan Mu's hand, his face flushing crimson.
Thinking he was angry, Yan Mu instinctively caught his hand, panic flashing across his face.
His voice held a barely restrained unease as he ventured cautiously, "If it's true... A-Yun, would you hate me?"
Gongsun Yun lifted his eyes.
Seeing the terror in Yan Mu's eyes, as though he feared Gongsun Yun would leave him the very next moment, he quietly turned his face away, a flicker of compassion in his gaze.
"No. There's nothing wrong with liking someone..." he replied.
Suddenly, he lowered his head.
That's right.
There's nothing wrong with liking someone.
There's nothing wrong with my liking Miss Zi Ying, either.
The mistake was meeting the wrong person at the right time.
He stared dazedly at Yan Mu.
At the friend and classmate who had been by his side day in and day out for over ten years.
A bitter smile curved his lips. "A-Mu, why do you like me... You shouldn't like me. There really isn't anything good about me... I'm not worth your-"
"You are wonderful, A-Yun!" Yan Mu immediately protested.
He gazed steadily at him, his lips slightly parted.
With a solemn expression, he reaffirmed, "You are wonderful!"
A-Yun was a pampered young heir... yet when Yan Mu fell ill, he would stay beside his bed, bring him tea and water, and pat him gently, telling him not to be afraid, that he was there, that he should sleep.