If it weren’t for her time-traveling, she had planned to marry a man and have children.
At night, Gu Youyou felt cold, as if falling into an ice cave. She tightened the quilt around her, and in her drowsy state, she heard the sound of spring thunder and rain outside, mixed with voices that sounded somewhat familiar.
Gu Youyou was startled and hurriedly reached out beside her.
There was no one beside her, just empty space.
No wonder she felt cold.
Gu Youyou turned on her side, listening intently to the noises outside.
The rain that night was not light, accompanied by bursts of spring thunder. The voices of people talking in the yard were not loud, and had Gu Youyou’s ears not been exceptionally gifted, she wouldn’t have noticed at all.
"Is everything taken care of over there?" Jin Zijin’s voice was colder and calmer than she had ever heard, an unfamiliar feeling for Gu Youyou.
If she wasn’t certain the man was Jin Zijin, she might have thought he was someone else.
"All is ready, just waiting for you to return!" A strange man’s voice, respectful in tone, which seemed young, probably about the same age as Jin Zijin.
Gu Youyou listened somberly, this stranger was likely tied to Jin Zijin’s true identity.
So late at night, under thunderous weather, they met and had this cryptic conversation.
Definitely up to no good!
Gu Youyou silently got up and lay beside the window, peering through the slightly open window to observe the situation outside.
Two men stood in the courtyard, indifferent to the rain pouring down on them.
With thunder and lightning intermingling, standing in the courtyard was truly unsafe, they seemed not to fear accidentally being struck by lightning.
The man opposite Jin Zijin was dressed in black, wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, obscuring his face.
He was slightly shorter than Jin Zijin. Gu Youyou saw him pat Jin Zijin on the shoulder and murmured in a low voice, "If there is nothing else, I should leave. Take care!"
The stranger’s words sounded somewhat helpless, treating Jin Zijin like a friend rather than the respectful tone of a subordinate as before.
This only compounded Gu Youyou’s confusion about their identities.
"Alright, we’ll talk about everything when I return," Jin Zijin’s voice softened too.
The stranger turned to leave, but Jin Zijin called him back.
The man stopped and turned back.
"Yes," Jin Zijin nodded slightly and said, "Doctor Zhou from Jisheng Hall in Qingshui Town has gone to Beijing. Find a way to get him back as soon as possible!"
The man looked surprised and paused, but without asking further, he nodded slightly.
Just then, a powerful flash of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the secluded little courtyard as if it were daylight, startling Gu Youyou, who also glimpsed the man under the bamboo hat.
It seemed the man also saw Gu Youyou inside the house behind Jin Zijin.
In just a glance, darkness fell again.
But at that moment, Gu Youyou saw a silver object flying rapidly towards her.
Startled, she saw it was something thrown by the stranger, and intuition told her it was dangerous and should be avoided.
However, the silver object flew so fast, there was no time to dodge. She could only watch as it flew towards her.
Gu Youyou’s heart jumped to her throat.
But just then, the color in Jin Zijin’s eyes darkened, and he kicked a puddle on the ground.