What to do if you receive the wrong package?

Gu Yan never imagined that her journey to leave the manor would be so difficult, and that it would even cost a life.

After an unknown amount of time, Gu Yan finally woke up. She opened her eyes and looked at the unfamiliar wooden bed ceiling, feeling the soft bedding beneath her, as if everything that had happened before was just a dream.

Unfortunately, it is not.

He rubbed the back of his neck, which was still a little numb, looked at the empty room, and got up.

"Where did everyone go?" Before she could even put her shoes on, the door was pushed open, and she saw little Bai Hongsheng running towards her with red eyes and sobbing.

"Waaaaah, second sister, you're finally awake! Eldest brother hasn't woken up, and neither have you. Are you two like Mother, abandoning me?"

Gu Yan squatted down, opened her arms and hugged Bai Hongsheng who had run over, gently comforting her, "Our Shengsheng is so well-behaved, how could Second Sister not want you? Big Brother is just too tired and fell asleep. He will wake up when he has rested enough."

"Really, Second Sister? Big Brother won't be like Mother and never again... Mmm..." Before Bai Hongsheng could finish speaking, Gu Yan covered his mouth.

"Pah, pah, pah, Second Sister never lies. Look, Second Sister has woken up. With Second Sister and Eldest Brother around, no one can bully you."

Bai Hongsheng nestled obediently in Gu Yan's arms, nodding, but his hands gripped her hem tightly, refusing to let go. Gu Yan looked at the little boy, not yet six years old, with heartache. He should have been carefree at that age, yet he was forced to experience these distressing things. She stroked Bai Hongsheng's hair, then turned and sat on the footstool by the bed, asking softly, "Sweetie, do you know where you are?"

“I heard those two older brothers say that this is an inn.”

"Where are those two older brothers now? Can you take me to find them?"

Bai Hongsheng nodded, then shook his head, and said hesitantly, "The older brothers are in the next room with my eldest brother. But the older brother in white just said that my second sister also needs someone to keep her company, so he asked me to come and keep you company."

"Thank you, Shengsheng, for coming to keep me company. With Shengsheng by my side, I feel much more at ease, Second Sister." Having confirmed the location of her eldest brother and the two saviors, Gu Yan was in no hurry.

"Does your wound still hurt, Second Sister?" Bai Hongsheng asked with warm concern, blinking her bright, watery eyes.

When the wound was mentioned, Gu Yan noticed that her body had been bandaged up, and even the area between her thumb and forefinger was thoughtfully covered with gauze.

"Thank you for your concern, Sheng Sheng. It doesn't hurt as much anymore." Just as she finished speaking, a gurgling sound came from Bai Hongsheng's stomach. Gu Yan stroked Bai Hongsheng's soft hair, looking at the child's slightly shy, red face, suppressing a smile.

"Sheng Sheng, are you hungry? Second sister suddenly feels a little hungry. Why don't we eat something first?"

Bai Hongsheng lowered his head and nodded shyly.

Gu Yan led the little boy out of the room and called the waiter to order some light food. He also asked the waiter to send some to the next room. He then whispered to the waiter to buy two bright red candied hawthorns.

After leading Bai Hongsheng to finish his meal, Gu Yan coaxed him to bed to rest. Looking at the sleeping Bai Hongsheng, Gu Yan got up, tucked him in, and went to the next room.

After knocking on the door and receiving permission, Gu Yan pushed it open and entered. To his surprise, besides the two young heroes, Bai Heming on the bed was also awake. Gu Yan quickly walked to the bedside and excitedly asked, "Brother, how are you? Are you feeling unwell?"

Before Bai Heming could answer, the young swordsman in white interrupted, "He was only slashed a dozen times and bled almost all over, but otherwise he's fine."

After hearing the white-robed man's words, Gu Yan felt even more guilty. She knew why Bai Heming had appeared at the Bai residence, but it was precisely because of her that Bai Heming had been put in danger, even to the point of having his life in peril.

"Big brother, I'm sorry." Gu Yan lowered his eyes, tears welling up in them, unable to bear looking at Bai Heming's pale face.

"It's alright, don't overthink it. You're my sister, it's only right that I protect you." Bai Heming glared at the white-clad man who interrupted, and quickly reassured him.

Gu Yan wiped away her tears and gave Bai Heming a smile: "Brother, you've survived this ordeal, you're sure to have good fortune in the future. From now on, we'll protect each other."

After saying that, he bowed deeply to the two young heroes and said, "Thank you for saving my life."

The young swordsman in white rose to greet him, saying, "Please rise. It is the duty of those who help those in need when they encounter injustice. Moreover, these people are using the Seven Star Stone as a pretext to commit despicable and unjust acts, and everyone has the right to kill them."

"I admire your noble character. My daughter's name is Bai Yanhuai, this is my elder brother Bai Heming, and this is my younger brother Bai Hongsheng. May I ask your esteemed names?"

The man in white first pointed to himself, then to the person next to him, “Next is Li Hengzhi from Kunlun Ruins, and this is my good friend, Jiang Si from the Qingfeng Sword Sect.”

"Young Master Li, Young Master Jiang, I will never forget your great kindness. If you ever need my help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Haha, Miss Bai, you're too kind. I've met your elder brother a few times, so we're practically friends. It's only right that I lend a hand when a friend is in trouble." Li Hengzhi finished speaking and then raised an eyebrow at Bai Heming with a smug look.

Gu Yan looked at Li Hengzhi with slight surprise, then at Bai Heming. She never expected that her "lifesaver" would actually know her older brother.

"Ahem... Young Master Li, you flatter me. I am of humble status and am afraid I am not worthy to be your friend. Thank you very much for your help this time. Please do not hesitate to ask if you need anything, and my sister and I will do our best to do so."

"Really? Then how about..." Li Hengzhi began, then leaned close to Bai Heming's ear and whispered a few words, casually brushing a few stray strands of hair from Bai Heming's ear. Li Hengzhi's actions were extremely natural, but Bai Heming stiffened as the warm breath touched his ear, and his originally pale face gradually flushed red.

Gu Yan didn't hear the specifics, but he saw his previously weak older brother immediately "regain his strength," pull out a cushion from beside him, and throw it at Li Hengzhi, accompanied by a short and forceful "Get out of here."

Li Hengzhi wasn't angry at all. He still smiled and placed the cushion next to his older brother. "Don't be angry, don't be angry. I'll shut up, okay?"

Gu Yan was somewhat confused, her round eyes filled with bewilderment. She stared blankly at everything unfolding before her. She could only turn her pleading gaze to the other person in the room—Jiang Si.

"Don't worry about them. If you really want to do something, why don't you pay for the next few days' accommodation first?" Jiang Si said helplessly, trying to reassure Gu Yan, who was looking as anxious as a little rabbit.

"Huh?! Oh, okay." Gu Yan, who hadn't quite caught off guard, quickly agreed. Luckily, she had prepared in advance and put the money and jade pendant together, otherwise she would be starving now.

Gu Yan efficiently found the innkeeper, paid the room fee, and gave the waiter some tips, asking him to run errands for her, such as getting medicine from the pharmacy and decocting it. Within a few days, her once bulging purse was now more than half empty.

No matter how much money you have, it's useless if it only comes in and doesn't come out.

Gu Yan leaned against the balcony railing with a headache, stuffing food into his mouth while looking up at the clouds in the sky. The clouds were being blown by the wind and moved quickly, soon completely obscuring the moon.

"What are you looking at?"

The sudden sound startled Gu Yan, causing him to loosen his grip on his right hand. A whole piece of hibiscus cake fell from his grasp, making Gu Yan prick up his shoulder in distress to look down.

So you were secretly eating.

"You're the one who's cheating, you're all..." Gu Yan turned her head angrily, wanting to argue, only to find that it was Jiang Si who was talking to her.

"Young Master Jiang, it's you. Aren't you resting yet, so late?"

"Yeah, I just got back after taking care of something."

"Oh, you've worked hard. Want a piece? It's quite delicious." Gu Yan felt that Jiang Si's gaze was fixed on the snack bag, so he silently picked it up and handed it over.

"Okay, thank you." Jiang Si, who hadn't eaten dinner, suddenly felt hungry when he saw Gu Yan, whose cheeks were bulging from taking a big bite of hibiscus cake.

He picked up a piece of mung bean cake, then looked at the half-eaten hibiscus cake in Gu Yan's hand and asked, "What are you eating?"

Gu Yan deftly stuffed the half-eaten hibiscus cake in his left hand into his mouth, chewing quickly a dozen times while rummaging through his pastry bag. After forcing it down, he finally spoke, "Cough cough, I was eating hibiscus cake. There was one left, but it just fell in..."

"Oh, so which of the others do you think tastes best?"

"The mung bean cake you just picked is pretty good, it has sweet red bean filling inside. This golden cake is also good, it has soft and chewy pumpkin filling inside. And this peach blossom pastry, it really has filling made from peach petals. And this..." Gu Yan leaned closer to Jiang Si, pointing and carefully introducing the cakes.

Finally, she simply shoved the entire bag of pastries into Jiang Si's arms, saying, "They say seeing is believing. Everyone's tastes are different. Try these and you'll know which ones are good next time."

"Thank you. How about I consider these as a purchase from you?" Jiang Si suggested, holding the bag of pastries.

"No, no, these snacks aren't expensive," Gu Yan quickly waved his hand in refusal. "However, Young Master Jiang, could you tell me how my elder brother met Young Master Li?"

It's said that one is obligated to those who feed them and accept gifts from them. Looking at Gu Yan's expectant and bright eyes, Jiang Si found it hard to refuse.

“It is possible, but this is not the place to talk. Sorry to disturb you.” Jiang Si looked around and found that there were too many people around. He had no choice but to reach out and pull Gu Yan over, hold her firmly around the waist, and carry her from the terrace to the roof of the inn. Only after they were on their feet did he let go and take a step back.

"I apologize for my abruptness. Please forgive me."

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Gu Yan waved her hand awkwardly, thankfully it was already late, which concealed the blush on her face. She took the lead and sat down on the ground, otherwise, standing in such a high place, she always felt that she was going to roll down at any moment.

Jiang Si sat down to the side, thought for a moment, and then said, "Actually, Hengzhi and Young Master Bai's acquaintance stemmed from a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?" Gu Yan repeated. Was it really that dramatic?

Jiang Si nodded. "Have you heard the recent rumors?"

"Is it about the rumors surrounding the Seven Star Stones?"

“That’s right. Actually, Hengzhi and I were also entrusted by our sect to come to Wuzhou to search for information about the Seven Star Stones. But when we arrived in Wuzhou, we found that there were explorers everywhere looking for information, and some of them used extremely unscrupulous methods.”

"Take those bastards who broke into the Bai residence, for example," Gu Yan added in a low voice, his head slightly lowered.

"That day, when Hengzhi and I finished gathering information and were on our way back to the inn, we encountered a group of thugs bullying a flower girl. Before Hengzhi could intervene, we saw the group of thugs respectfully hand the flower girl over to Young Master Bai."

"Ah, Young Master Li, you don't think my brother is in cahoots with those thugs, do you?"

Jiang Si nodded. "Just as you said. Hengzhi is a person who hates evil. When he saw Young Master Bai leading a crying girl into the inn, he rushed up with his sword without saying a word. Fortunately, Young Master Bai's martial arts skills are not low, and with the girl's timely explanation, an accident was avoided."

"But if that's all there is to it, my older brother shouldn't be like this..." Gu Yan was at a loss for words. To say he disliked him was one thing, but every time Young Master Li tried to chat with his brother, he could sense his brother's happiness; to say he didn't dislike him was another, but every time they only exchanged a few words, his brother would tell him to get lost.

"That's just how the two of them met. There were some other things that happened afterward, and if you want to know, you'll have to ask Young Master Bai yourself."

Gu Yan shook her head, still wanting more; she dared not ask her older brother about his gossip.

However, to be fair, the way her older brother and Young Master Li interact is quite intriguing.

Ahhh, I really want to shout: I'm totally shipping them!