"I know you may wonder whether this is using her, making Min'er a shield. There is a little of that in it, but it is mostly because I understand her. She should have told you that she yearns for life in the mortal world. Has she ever expressed a wish to travel there?" Gong Chenying looked calmly at Li Yan, her eyes earnest.
Li Yan paused at her words, then nodded. What Gong Chenying described was indeed something Zhao Min had revealed: a longing that slipped out without her noticing. He had also sensed her fierce yearning for familial affection, as though it had become a stubborn knot in her heart. Whenever she was with him, she would tilt her lovely, fair face toward the full moon and ask about his experiences in the mortal world, never mentioning cultivation.
Seeing his dazed expression, Gong Chenying said softly, "Min'er may not be fond of talking, but among our peers, Eldest Senior Brother and I understand her best. There is nothing strange about that. Besides, there is another reason for her to come: you. It was only a guess, but when I suggested going out with you to have a look, she actually agreed. With her temperament, if she believes something is wrong, there is absolutely no room for compromise...
"Over this past while, I have also thought things through. Perhaps I was the one who intruded where I shouldn't have. It is already more than I could ask for that Min'er still treats me as she always did. But does she truly not mind?" Bitterness filled Gong Chenying's voice. Over the past year, whenever she had a spare moment between cultivation sessions, she often thought about the entanglement between the three of them. From Zhao Min's silence and Li Yan's gaze,