Gu Jin lowered her eyes, looking at their tightly clasped hands, with a hint of confusion in her eyes.

She hadn’t expected An Mingji to suggest leaving at this moment.

Instead of answering his question, she asked in return, "When are you leaving?"

"After handling Sister Min’s affairs, probably at the end of this month. If you’re bored, you can come with me and return after school starts," An Mingji said with anticipation.

Gu Jin shook her head, "There’s no time. With what happened to Minmin, my cousin at Shi Jiu Entertainment Company definitely can’t handle it. I need to stay and watch over it, and there’s also Night Paradise, Jiulan Hall, National Beauty, and at the end of the month, the Jiang Group is holding a shareholders meeting to prepare for overseas expansion—"

Speaking of these matters, not only did Gu Jin feel a headache, but An Mingji also frowned deeply upon hearing it.

He pressed his lips tightly, not releasing Gu Jin’s hand.

Fearing that if he let go of her hand, A-Jin would leave him.

An Mingji asked again, "A-Jin, will you wait for me to come back?"

His expectation was mixed with reluctance and an anxiety that only he knew in his heart. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Okay, I’ll wait for you to come back."

Gu Jin agreed with a smile.

Although she was smiling, her smile appeared somewhat forced.

Facing her such desolate expression, An Mingji wished he could abandon everything and stay by her side forever without parting.

He gritted his teeth hard, reminding himself not to act on impulse.

For the sake of their long-term future, a brief separation was necessary.

They stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, closely leaning on each other.

This was the first time they were so close; neither was willing to part.

Separation was imminent, and although neither said it explicitly, they were reluctant to leave each other.

...

Downstairs.

When Qiu Qianghai awoke, he saw Yu Shuo by his side, with a trace of confusion in his eyes.

Soon after, the memories from before he lost consciousness flooded back into his mind.

Minmin was gone, involved in some action, sacrificed herself to save others, and someone brought her ashes.

"Uncle, you’re awake?"

Yu Shuo hadn’t slept at all, worrying that his uncle might wake up midway.

Seeing him open his eyes, he carried a cup of water to the bedside.

"Have a glass of water first. It’s not yet dawn, you can sleep a little more."

Qiu Qianghai raised his eyes, filled with deep sorrow, and his voice trembled, "Where’s Minmin?"

Yu Shuo’s half-open lips slowly closed, pressing them tightly.

Qiu Qianghai sat up from the bed, reached out to grasp Yu Shuo’s wrist, shaking his body, "Has Minmin come back? Where is she?"

He looked frenzied and neurotic, no trace of his usual grace.

Seeing his uncle in such a pitiful state, Yu Shuo couldn’t help shedding tears, "Uncle, don’t be like this. Minmin is gone; she’s really gone."

"Impossible!"

Qiu Qianghai released his hand, got off the bed, and kicked over the chair by the bedside.

Afterward, he smashed everything in sight.

From the adjacent guest room came Gu Jiajie’s heart-wrenching cries, which Qiu Qianghai heard, and he was exhausted, sitting back on the floor.

The madness on his face still lingered, but his eyes gradually regained a clear calmness.

After a long time, Qiu Qianghai slowly raised his head, "Shuo, call your father, do it now!"

Without daring to delay for a moment, Yu Shuo took out his phone and dialed his father’s number.

"Shuo, what’s up for you to call so early?" Yu Qingli quickly answered the phone, his voice sounding very clear, without a trace of tiredness at this time.

Yu Shuo guessed that he might not have rested all night, or perhaps had gotten up early to handle business.