Do Not Speak Ill of My Mother!
Chapter 160: Secrets of the 160 System

Chapter 160: Secrets of the 160 System

Admiring the stars and the moon, Yan Yueqing smiled, "Tong Bao really has a sense of romance."

The system remained silent.

Yan Yueqing sensed that the system was not in a good mood. Since there was nothing else to do, she decided to follow its advice and comply—why not do something to cheer Tong Bao up?

The tea garden under the moonlight was shrouded in mist and fragrant with the scent of tea.

Following the corridor across the stream, the wind gently jingled the wind chimes hanging beneath the eaves. The whole world unfolded like a slowly unfurling scroll, peaceful and tranquil.

Yueqing found herself at the pavilion before she knew it.

There, a dark figure was already seated.

Upon hearing footsteps, the man slowly turned around.

It was Jun Lii.

Yueqing halted, "Mr. Jun, what a coincidence, you are out for a stroll too."

Jun Lii however, slowly smiled, "It’s not a coincidence. I was waiting for you."

Yueqing instinctively thought about turning around, but the other person stood up.

His tall figure was like an orchid amidst white jade, exuding a gentle aura.

"May I invite you to have a cup of tea?" There was none of the cold harshness on Jun Lii’s face that he had during the day.

On the contrary, his smile was very gentle, and even his brows and eyes seemed softer.

Yueqing approached with suspicion, her heart filled with caution.

Something was odd!

Definitely odd!

Jun Lii poured her a cup of water with graceful poise.

Yueqing really wanted to ask, offering something for nothing, did you poison it?

But then she thought, this is her own home, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to do such a thing.

So, she carefully picked up the tea cup and took a light sip.

A stream of coolness and sweetness filled her taste buds.

This taste!!

Yueqing was shocked!

Zihu’s best-made peppermint tea?!

She instinctively looked at Jun Lii. He appeared calm, raising his cup to her in a toast, "I’ve always wanted to say... welcome back."

Welcome back.

My Ah Xing...

Unfortunately, these four words were not spoken out loud...

They went down with the peppermint tea in his cup.

The melancholic and handsome man’s heart was overwhelmed with immense sadness.

Yueqing looked at him, inexplicably feeling a warmth in her eyes.

She felt intimately familiar with him... yet as if she didn’t know him at all?

Two extreme and complex emotions were stuck in her chest, making her breathing somewhat rapid.

Looking up at Jun Lii, Yueqing felt even more puzzled.

He was still him, no mistake...

But he didn’t seem like the same person from the daytime...

The Jun Lii of daytime was prejudiced and harsh towards her, his expression indifferent and filled with dislike!

The current Jun Lii seemed as if he had a different soul altogether, his gentle gaze shining brightly...

Looking at her as if she were his most treasured possession?

Although such a description felt overly narcissistic, Yueqing couldn’t shake off this feeling.

And that gaze, she had seen it on only one person.

Su Zihu!

Her Zihu...

But Zihu was not Jun Lii.

Or could it be... Jun Lii has two personalities? Jun Lii by day, Zihu by night?

It couldn’t be, could it?!

When she was with Zihu, she never felt that he had split personalities!!!

Besides, split personalities might be explained, but how could one account for two completely different faces?

Seeing her caught up in her imagination, the corners of Jun Lii’s lips lifted into a slight smile, "Regardless, I’m very grateful to heaven for giving us the chance to meet..."

This was their first encounter, and also their last.

"Seeing you again makes me very happy."

Jun Lii’s words seemed as if they had weathered many turbulent years, hiding a sense of helplessness and hardship.

After all the twists and turns, he had still come before her.

Yan Yueqing didn’t know how to respond.

Because her head started to hurt a bit, as if it had been numbed, and a strong wave of drowsiness assailed her.

She tried hard to keep her eyes open, but she saw double images of Jun Lii...

One was a smiling Jun Lii, the other a sorrowful Jun Lii looking at her...

The latter seemed much older than the man before her now.

His eyes and brows bore marks etched by time.

Even so, he was still strikingly handsome, with a fragile air as if he might vanish at any moment.

Holding on to her last bit of consciousness, Yan Yueqing asked the biggest question in her heart, "Are you... Zihu?"

Her head spun, and she collapsed onto the table, fast asleep.

Jun Lii reached out, slowly caressing her face.

His long, slender fingers touched her as though she were some white jade, with a pitiable lightness of touch.

It seemed he was afraid of waking her...

"I will always be your Zihu."

He responded quietly.

Unfortunately, Yan Yueqing couldn’t hear him.

"You shouldn’t have done this..." Suddenly, a faint voice arose in the air, "If she knew this was the last time, she would hate you for drugging the water. Moreover, if you leave like this, she will be very upset upon learning the truth."

"Then don’t tell her. It’s just my greed—wanting to say a proper goodbye before leaving..." Jun Lii smoothed her hair, "You’ll protect her, right?"

The system didn’t respond.

Jun Lii spoke as if to himself, "If they can get back on track in the future, show him the memories I’ve left behind."

Of course, the system knew which "he" Jun Lii referred to but was slightly silent: "Is he really you... in the end?"

"I struggled with that question for years, and I never found an answer..." Jun Lii smiled faintly, "Yet what I’ve experienced is also what he’s experienced, isn’t it?"

"But—"

"There’s no need to dwell on it." Jun Lii said quietly, "After all, all I strived for was to hope she would come back. Just seeing her again... For me, that’s enough..."

The system felt stifled: "At the cost of your physical body, you dragged me into the time stream, knowing full well that there was only a 1% chance of success!"

"Even if there’s only a 0.1% chance, I must try." Jun Lii’s expression held an ancient and foreign fatigue. His gaze towards her, however, was unfailingly tender, "You have no idea... how many years I’ve waited for this moment..."

The system choked up, "I was within your body, I could protect that wisp of consciousness, but now on her—"

"That was Xiao Wang and Xiao Yan’s wish." Jun Lii cut it off softly, "The original purpose of creating you was not to protect me but to protect her."

"I—"

Jun Lii shook his head, "You know, as part of the exchange, the physical body perishes... My soul had long been shredded in the stream of time, what’s left is just a trace of consciousness."

And consciousness...

Will inevitably dissipate.

The system was deeply distressed, "If you hadn’t done those things, perhaps you could have—"

"They’ve never seen their mother... I must fulfill the children’s wish." Jun Lii held the sleeping girl in his arms, "Let’s go, accompany me to take her back to her room to rest. The night wind is strong, lying on the stone table, she’ll catch a cold."

Even his last sentence was a word of concern.

The system said nothing, quiet as if it had never existed.

Under the moonlight, the camellias bloomed furiously.

With Yan Yueqing in his arms, Jun Lii took one step after another, as if he intended to walk out his entire life, long and remarkable.