Finally, rejected. Thoroughly, completely rejected.

But her heart had already been given away for so long—how could she possibly take it back now?

Meng Duo’er could barely stand upright, her face burning, her whole body burning, everything around her suddenly hollow and empty, as if she could barely keep her footing.

Suddenly, it all felt like a dream.

Truly.

It wasn’t that Baili Weisheng’s rejection felt unreal—it was that even her own confession, her own courage, had begun to feel unreal as well.

Could she be dreaming right now?

Why did she feel so unsteady, so hollow inside, her mind empty, everything gone, the world collapsing around her?

This… this had to be a dream!

“Let go of me!” Baili Weisheng suddenly said, impatiently.

After a long moment, Meng Duo’er finally lifted her head to look at him, her gaze dazed, stubbornly asking, “Why.”

“Liking someone doesn’t need a reason. Not liking someone doesn’t need one either,” Baili Weisheng said, his patience holding.

“I need one…” Meng Duo’er murmured, her voice suddenly very, very small, all her earlier resolve gone.

Baili Weisheng sighed quietly. He thought, wasn’t this exactly the opportunity he’d been waiting for—a reason to finally make this girl give up on him?

This girl was already in her thirties. If she kept holding on, she really would end up unable to marry.

“You’re too old,” Baili Weisheng said.

At these words, Meng Duo’er’s head snapped up to look at him, disbelief and incomprehension flooding her face.

“I’m undying, indestructible, ageless. What about you? In a few more years, you’ll grow old. I have no interest in being with an old woman!” Baili Weisheng said with utter disdain, careless and cavalier, every inch the heartless man.

Yet it was precisely these words that made Meng Duo’er’s legs give out beneath her, collapsing to the ground in an instant.

A reason!

If disliking someone truly needed a reason, then Baili Weisheng had just handed her a perfect one—so perfect she couldn’t argue against it, could only accept it, could only acknowledge it.

“Let go of me!” Baili Weisheng urged, seeing her collapse to the ground, genuinely afraid she might start crying.

He couldn’t bear to see her cry! And he had no way to comfort her!

Meng Duo’er sat dejectedly on the ground, her back to Baili Weisheng, seeming not to have heard a word he said, her hands pressed against the ground, trembling constantly…

But to Baili Weisheng’s surprise, she suddenly raised her hand and swept it sharply through the air, and the barrier shattered.

Baili Weisheng let out a quiet sigh and was about to leave.

But Meng Duo’er spoke up. “Scholar, if one day I too become undying, indestructible, and ageless—would you be with me then?”

How badly must she want to be with him, to ask such an impossible condition?

Undying, indestructible, ageless—how could that possibly happen?

She was from the Dream Clan, essentially no different from an ordinary person—she wasn’t a human Gu.

It was simply impossible.

Even knowing it was impossible, she still had to ask, still had to hypothesize it—even if he answered yes, she should have known it would only be a kind lie, only a way of deceiving herself.

If love needed conditions, then it wasn’t love at all.

But Meng Duo’er was just that stubborn. She didn’t even know when the tears had started, blurring her vision, but she looked at Baili Weisheng earnestly, insistently, and asked again, “If one day I become undying, indestructible, ageless—would you be with me then?”

“Of course!” Baili Weisheng answered without a moment’s thought.

In his mind, this hypothetical was completely impossible anyway.

Agreeing to it was no different from not agreeing at all. If this deception would bring the woman some comfort, he’d play along.

“If you were, I’d accept it. But unfortunately, you’re not… Miss Meng, you’re not young anymore. Find yourself a good man and get married.”

Baili Weisheng said this flatly, without the slightest trace of lingering attachment, and with that heartless, effortless grace, his figure flickered and vanished completely from sight.

And Meng Duo’er finally bowed her head, covering her face with both hands, breaking down into uncontrollable, choking sobs.

The dream was over.

That was it.

Between him and her, it had come to an end.

The floodgates of her tears broke, her sobbing hoarse, especially desolate in the quiet of the night, her slender figure trembling so much it was heartbreaking to witness.

How was she old? How did she resemble a woman in her thirties at all? Her heart had always remained frozen in time, back ten years ago—she hadn’t changed at all!

Unfortunately, Baili Weisheng hadn’t changed either. When alone with him, there had seemed to be something there—but when it came down to it, if he didn’t like her, he simply didn’t like her.

Meng Duo’er couldn’t help but regret it now. If she’d never confessed, perhaps they could still be together. If she hadn’t shown her feelings so plainly, if she’d just gone on interacting with him the way she had ten years ago, perhaps they’d have grown a little closer, shared a few more jokes.

Right now, she cried so bitterly, so painfully—never in her life had she felt this heartbroken. She didn’t know if she’d ever recover, didn’t know what to do at all—she just cried, cried endlessly.

Baili Weisheng, where will you ever find something undying, indestructible, ageless!

Baili Weisheng, you’re not carefree at all—you’re the loneliest person of all.

Baili Weisheng, are you planning to stay alone like this for the rest of your life?

Baili Weisheng, who in this world would ever be with you?

Baili Weisheng, do you know—even though that person hasn’t appeared, and perhaps never will, I find myself jealous of her anyway.

Who, in the end, will walk beside you to the ends of the earth, be the one you cherish and long for, the one you tend to with such care, the one you’d protect with your life?

Baili Weisheng, do you know—your heart is a home. Who will you ever bring home?

The world was cruel like that. No matter how bitterly you cried, no matter how broken you fell apart, the world kept turning as it always had, and time waited for no one.

The sky finally began to brighten through the haze, and by the time the sun rose, true morning arrived, and Meng Duo’er was still crying, as if she might never recover.

Meanwhile, back at Prince Yao’s manor, things had already grown lively again.

Ziqing and Jun Beiyue were eating breakfast—if not for Jun Beiyue insisting she eat, she’d probably already have rushed off to see Baili Xiaosheng.

Having finally finished eating, she was about to head out when she saw Guxi walking in toward her.

“Mistress, this subordinate has something to ask of you.” Guxi got straight to the point, without preamble.

Ziqing, puzzled, gestured for him to sit.

Guxi wouldn’t dare sit, and instead dropped straight to one knee, saying respectfully, “This subordinate requests the mistress grant Shiliang a death sentence.”

At these words, Ziqing froze, only then remembering the matter of Shiliang, who had been confined in the dungeon this whole time. Ever since Shiliang had been brought back, Ziqing had been so busy she hadn’t had any time to attend to it.

If Guxi hadn’t brought it up, she probably wouldn’t have thought of it for a while yet.

Looking at Guxi, Ziqing’s expression turned complicated.

Although Ziqing had no wish to see Shiliang reduced to this state either, and hoped she could simply die and be released from it all, Shiliang, after all, was no longer her own person now. Shiliang belonged to Baili Xiaosheng—she was an extremely useful weapon in Baili Xiaosheng’s hands!

Before Ziqing could answer, Guxi spoke again. “Mistress, this subordinate would like to go see her.”