Gong Yu looked fixedly at Murong Ye and asked casually, "Do you still remember that I told you where I come from?"
Murong Ye nodded. He did not understand why Gong Yu suddenly brought this up.
Gong Yu paused for a moment, seeming to be hesitant about something. But eventually, he said, "When I was around 10 years old, my mother pa.s.sed away. I had a very negative phase at that point in time. Once, when I was in a bad mood and went to a secluded mountain in the suburbs alone, I was bitten by a venomous snake, and that was also when I met my master by coincidence. He saved me and I stayed at his place until I recovered before leaving the mountains. Afterward, I even worshipped him as my master. He taught me martial arts and how to practice. Master"s temperament was a little strange, but deep in his bones, he was not actually a bad person."
"Could it be that Kuang Youzhi is the master whom you are talking about?"
"My master was indeed called Kuang Youzhi. I still felt very strange at that point in time because we did not have the surname "Kuang" on our side. I asked Master about his past but he also kept silent about it. As Master"s character had always been very eccentric, I did not bother about it."
"Then why would he appear there?"
"I also do not know. Actually, I am also uncertain if my master was the person whom you all are referring to. However, I feel that there are many areas of coincidence, so I guess that he probably is. Furthermore, the most formidable thing about my master was not his martial arts skills but his medical skills. His medical skills had indeed reached the acme of perfection, so even if he really was not the person, you could actually still give it a try. Perhaps he would really have a solution."
"Then... What do we have to do now in order to find him?"
"We would only know if we go back to ask."
"Then you intend to bring Xiao Xi there?"
"Actually, I also do not know if that person is Master, nor do I know if Master would still be there now since I left so many years ago. Furthermore, there is also no way to know if we could still go back. I am also not very sure if we could come back after going there."
Murong Ye suddenly felt a little helpless. He did not know how to deal with the situation and could only remain silent.
Murong Qingtian was completely muddled up as he listened from aside, and now that he saw the expressions of Murong Ye and Gong Yu, he was even more confused than ever.
"What do you guys mean? What kind of charades are you playing?"
Murong Ye and Gong Yu exchanged a look and turned to look at Murong Qingtian. Murong Ye said, "Let us think of the solution for this. Father, you could just help to take care of Niannian."
Although Murong Qingtian"s heart was filled with doubts, he was not a pushy person. He could tell that the two of them intentionally did not want to tell him, and thus, he did not continue to press on.
Afterward, the two men walked out of Murong Qingtian"s study and Gong Yu did not head back straight to the room. Instead, he went to Murong Ye"s room.
Upon walking through the door, Murong Ye asked straightforwardly, "What are your current plans?"
"I intend to bring Xiao Xi back there and give it a try! If we could not return, we might have to entrust Niannian in your care."
"Could not return?" Murong Ye became a little hesitant. He stared fixedly at Gong Yu and his eyes fully showed that he could not bear the thought of them leaving.
"This is just a possibility. Certainty is not something that anyone can say for sure."
"Then is there something that I could do for you?"
"I will draw a few technical sketches. Because we can"t show up there dressed like this, you could find someone to help us make them into clothes. This time, when we go back, if there are no hiccups, we do not wish to disturb the family. We would try our best to go back there silently, find Master, cure the disease, and then return here silently."
"All right. Do you still need anything else beyond making a few sets of clothes?"
"Also prepare some dry goods and items. We do not know if we would be able to find Master immediately upon returning there. If we could not find him within a period of time, we would temporarily need to manage our own food and shelter because we will not have the currency used there and we do not wish to alert the family. It would still be very inconvenient. Although I still have some money with me from when I first arrived here, back then, I did not expect myself to use it again, so it is very limited."
"All right then, I will get someone to prepare a sufficient amount of dry goods. Is there anything else that you need?"
"Nothing right now."
Both of them fell into dead silence and the atmosphere became slightly odd and also melancholic.
Gong Yu continued to sit for a while before getting up and leaving the room. Sometimes, the silence between men contains a lot of things. It is a kind of spiritual exchange and understanding.
When he returned to the room once again, Tong Nan had already left for some other matters. She was actually largely afraid of facing Gong Yu.
Xuanxuan was seated at the side and chatting with Murong Yunxi. Gong Yu did not interrupt the two after entering the room. Instead, he sat down at the desk off to the side, took out some paper and a pen, and began to draw the technical sketches.
Fortunately, Gong Yu had some foundation in drawing, so it was not too difficult to draw these fashion sketches. Since it would suffice to switch between a few different fabrics and prints, he roughly drew two to three styles.
After he finished drawing the clothes, he drew a design for two pairs of shoes.
When he finished drawing everything, he went up to Murong Yunxi and said softly and gently to her, "Xiao Xi, I am going home to get something. Xuanxuan will stay here and keep you company, all right?"
Murong Yunxi smiled gently. "All right. If you have something to do, get busy with your matters. You do not need to revolve around me constantly. I am fine."
Gong Yu rubbed the top of Murong Yunxi"s head lightly and turned to instruct Gu Yuxuan. "Xuanxuan, I am entrusting Xiao Xi to you. If have any problems, give me a call any time."
An hour later, Gong Yu appeared at the foot of the Dijing International Apartment.
It had been a very long time since he had been here. Murong Yunxi as well had not returned in a very long time.
Standing here once again, Gong Yu could vaguely remember the time that he had chased Murong Yunxi here back then. If he did not have chase Murong Yunxi back here shamelessly, could it be possible that he would lose Murong Yunxi forever?
There was no way for him to know that. But he knew that he would never let go of her hand this time since he had grabbed onto it. Even if her eyes could never be cured, he would still stay with her and never abandon her. This was the only promise that he could give to her now. Of course, he would do everything in his power and at all costs to help her cure her eyes.
Gong Yu returned to his apartment. Someone would come to clean it regularly, so even though n.o.body lived here during this period of time, it was still very clean.
Gong Yu scanned one round across the room, which remained the same. While the area in this apartment was still quite large, he had been living in Murong Ye"s villa and the old house of the Murong family during this period of time, so now that he had returned here again, he actually felt that it was slightly cramped.
Perhaps humans are like this some times. When you have something better, you will have a different opinion about what you originally perceived to be good.
He quickly walked to his room and took out a small storage box from the lowest compartment of his closet. Inside the storage box were items that he had brought with him when he first arrived. Although they were already slightly old, he could not bear to throw them away. He never expected them to actually be of use now.
He opened the lid of the box, and the first thing that caught his eye was the little white bear that carried so much magic. It was also that little bear that tied him up with Murong Yunxi.
He picked up the quiet little bear and stroked it gently. Although it had been a long time, it had been well kept and it still felt good to touch it now. The little bear was also considered clean and did not appear to be old.
Back when he had first arrived here, he slept on the streets. Some thought that he was a beggar, and when they saw him hold onto a little bear like this, they could not help ridiculing him to be a little crazy. There were even people who wanted to buy his little bear, some even offered a considerable price. However, he did not sell it. At that time, he still found it quite strange that such a little bear could actually be sold for such a high price. Later, he then learned from Seventh Brother that this little bear was a limited edition and its existence catered to a small market and commanded a nominal price.
Subsequently, he continued to keep it. It had always been stored in this box along with these items that he had brought along with him and the box was never opened again. It seemed as if he had sealed those memories here.
Afterward, Gong Yu picked up a money bag. It was a bag full of coins inside, but over here, these were nothing worthwhile. Fortunately, he did not discard them back then. Perhaps he would still have use for them during their trip back this time.
Further down, he picked up a set of clothes. It was a full set that covered from the inside to the outside. However, the clothes were already slightly worn out. Back when he arrived here, as he was sleeping on the streets, he did not have clothes to change into. Thus, when he was taken home by Seventh Brother, this set of clothes already had an unpleasant, rancid stench. Afterward, he washed the clothes and stored them as well.
Lastly, there was a portrait and a shield.
It was a portrait of Murong Yunxi. He looked at the portrait and became slightly dazed. At that point in time, Murong Yunxi still had a hint of immaturity and childishness. When he saw her once again, she was already a mother and no longer had the feeling of immaturity. This showed how cruel time had been in sharpening Murong Yunxi.
That shield was indeed a shield that symbolized his ident.i.ty in that era. He had been away for so many years, and he did not know if there was a place for him there. Perhaps Emperor Yu"s mansion, which had belonged to him back then, would no longer exist now! Could it be that everyone thought that he, Prince Yu, was already dead?
Gong Yu did not want to think too much. Since he had chosen to give up back then, the choice was made. Now that he could be happy with Xiao Xi, he no longer had regrets.
But were there truly no regrets? Gong Yu touched his chest with one hand, and somewhere, it still seemed to feel somewhat different.
Very few things had been brought over by Gong Yu. These few mere items were already everything that he owned.
He put the items back into the storage box, lifted the box up, and walked out of the bedroom. He surveyed the entire room once more before turning and leaving.
Gong Yu did not return straight to the Murong family"s old house. Instead, he went to Seventh Brother"s place. Before his departure, he would eventually need to go to bid him farewell. If there were some unexpected circ.u.mstances, perhaps they would never meet again in the future.
Half an hour later, Gong Yu appeared at the door of Seventh Brother"s place.
Seventh Brother was slightly surprised when he saw Gong Yu. When Gong Yu returned to the country, he did not bother to hit up Seventh Brother. He originally thought that Gong Yu would still be in the United States at this time.
"Hey punk, you could bear to come back now?" Seventh Brother mocked him as he looked at Gong Yu, but he still made way for Gong Yu to enter through the door.
"..." Gong Yu turned sideways and entered. His expression was dark and he did not speak.
"What do you mean by returning to the country at this time? Are you still leaving?" Seventh Brother asked casually. Actually, he had expected Gong Yu to say that he would not leave anymore, say some dispensable things to him, and then inform him that he would return to work.
"I"m still going to leave, but this time, I do not know when I will come back, nor do I know if I will be able to come back," Gong Yu said indifferently. It was vague and brief without a trace of emotion.
Upon hearing this, Seventh Brother was stunned for a moment. "What do you mean?"
He did not understand the meaning behind Gong Yu"s words, and he even felt that he had to be joking. "What does he mean by "I don"t know if I will be able to come back"!"
"It is the literal meaning. Perhaps I will not come back after leaving this time!"
"Gong Yu. Dude, why the f*ck did you not die in the United States? Why did you return? If not, you might as well leave directly! Don"t f*cking come and inform me." Seventh Brother flared up instantly with a hint of anger and contempt. He did not expect Gong Yu to be like this.
"You should just f*cking revolve around women. Don"t f*cking think of doing things by yourself. You should just live off a woman your entire life since the Murong family had plenty of money that is sufficient for you all to spend in your lifetime..."
Seeing Seventh Brother curse in rage like that, Gong Yu knew that he was really furious. He was angry about his irresponsibility, angry that he never truly treated him as an equal, and even angrier over the fact that he had said that he might never come back again.
Gong Yu listened as Seven Brother continued to curse until he did not know what other words he could use to swear at him and until his mouth turned dry from cursing.
Gong Yu listened quietly to the end. When he finally stopped, Gong Yu then went forward and hugged Seventh Brother.
Gong Yu had never hugged someone like this even when he was back in that world. He was never like this even with his closest childhood friends.
"Seventh Brother, I am sorry! I will definitely repay you for what I owe you if I can still come back."
Seven Brother found Gong Yu to be increasingly abnormal. Pushing Gong Yu away, he looked fixedly into his eyes and asked, "Where the f*ck are you going to?"
"In short, it is a place that is very far away."
"Are you ill? Have you come down with some incurable disease? Or did you offend someone and they are seeking you out for revenge? If not, are you going to a very dangerous place? Or..." Seven Brother racked his brain to think of all the various possibilities.
"No, none of that. Stop guessing blindly." Gong Yu gave a brief casual smile. However, the smile was faint and fleeting without much deep meaning.
"Then why the f*ck are you being so melancholic at my place? I f*cking thought that you are going to die!"
Gong Yu thought about it for a moment and explained, "Xiao Xi is ill. She"s lost her vision. Now there is only one person who can cure her, so I am bringing her to find that person. However, we do not know that person"s whereabouts. Thus, we might wander outside for a long time until we locate him."
"There are many ways to look for someone. Communication is so rapid now. You should be able to find him through sending a Weibo, flashing an advertis.e.m.e.nt, or seeking help from TV or the radio."
"All right, don"t you worry. I will be fine and I will do my best to cure Xiao Xi and bring her back."
"Yes, you must f*cking come back. I could not handle this company alone. You have to come back and work hard together with me, do you understand?"
"Yes!" Gong Yu smiled faintly again. This time, it was more genuine and it made people feel as if there was finally sunlight shining in.
Gong Yu sat with Seventh Brother for a while longer. Seventh Brother nagged to him a lot about many things regarding the company. He also nagged about how many people had asked him to get Gong Yu to stage a show, and how surprised they looked when the group of people heard that Gong Yu had retired. He also discovered that those stars with potential whom he could sign to the company...
Although he was extremely naggy, Gong Yu listened seriously to every sentence and never once interrupted him.
Before leaving, he said silently in his heart, "Seventh Brother, thank you! This farewell may be an eternal farewell, but I will always remember you."
Gong Yu went straight to the kindergarten to bring Niannian home after school. Actually, he rarely picked Niannian up, and with regards to this, he always felt that he owed Niannian.
Perhaps he had placed more thought on Murong Yunxi. His concern for his daughter was still too little. He felt that he only devoted slightly more toward her during the period when she was hospitalized and could still be considered as a qualified father. At other times, he only focused on his role as a husband.
The moment the gates of Niannian"s kindergarten opened, many children fought to be the first to run out and rush into the arms of their parents. Only Niannian walked through the gate slowly with her head lowered.
When Gong Yu saw this, he was slightly surprised and called out to Niannian softly, "Niannian..."
When Niannian heard this familiar voice, she was stunned for a moment and looked up. Her pair of big, watery eyes flashed animatedly with radiance.
Again, she was dazed for a moment. After she managed to react to the fact that Gong Yu had come to pick her up, her heart was full of joy and her small face switched to have an excited expression.
"Daddy!" Niannian dashed straight into Gong Yu"s arms. Gong Yu bent down his big and tall body and pulled her tiny body into his embrace. He suddenly realized that he did not know how long it had been since he had hugged Niannian.
A strong sense of guilt grew in his heart, which made him extremely depressed. He actually only realized that he had done too little when he was already going to leave soon. However, it seemed to be too late already.
He embraced the soft, tiny body and said gently, "Is there something that our darling Niannian wants to eat or wants to play? Daddy will keep you company today. It seems that I have not spent time with my darling Niannian in a very long time!"
"Oh? Really? Is anything really ok?" One has to say that children are innocent. She completely did not realize that Gong Yu was acting unusual. Naively, she c.o.c.ked her small head and genuinely began to think deep and hard.
"Yes, I want to eat ice cream and also a piece of strawberry cake. I also want to eat the rib-set meal at the Baby Restaurant. Niannian also wants to buy the latest model Disney princess toy. Niannian also has not visited the amus.e.m.e.nt park in a long time. Grandpa always says that there are too many people there and that it is not safe since the good mixed with the bad. It is also easy for germs to spread, so he doesn"t bring me there. Right, I also want the latest children"s picture book set. My cla.s.smate bought it and said that it is very good."
Niannian chatted on incessantly and nagged a lot. Gong Yu listened attentively and nodded his head in approval.
In the end, Gong Yu satisfied all of Niannian"s suggestions, without missing a single one. Gong Yu only brought the soundly sleeping Niannian home when it was already very late at night.
Niannian"s small head lay on Gong Yu"s shoulder and Gong Yu carried her directly back to her room and tucked her in. Gently caressing her slightly tousled hair, he reminisced about Niannian"s happy smile today and every little detail.
Finally, Gong Yu gently planted a peck on Niannian"s forehead and silently murmured, "Niannian, daddy will do everything that he can to cure mommy"s eyes and bring her back. Wait for us patiently!"