59: Mentor Cao advised Gu Ling Shuang

Cao Bu pointed at the stone stool opposite him, gesturing for her to sit down.

Gu Lingshuang hesitated for a moment, set down the fish food in her hand, walked over, and sat down opposite him; her eyes were no longer as vacant as before.

"Big Brother, what exactly did First Smoke say?"

Cao Bu said slowly, "She said that even if she could only leave a single wound on Gu Yun, she would not give up."

He stared into Gu Lingshuang's eyes and added, "I recall that you and First Smoke are best friends, right?"

"If your best friend can move on, can you not?"

"Or are you saying that you are not even as good as Gu Chuyan?"

These words pierced straight into Gu Lingshuang's heart.

She clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles turning white.

Gu Chuyan's talent was inferior to hers, yet she could still think of going into seclusion to seek revenge; why should she remain depressed forever?

Cao Bu saw the light reignite in her eyes and curled his lips.

As expected, best friends hate seeing the other person be better than themselves.

This Gu Lingshuang was not the type to willingly admit defeat either.

But after a short while, Gu Lingshuang's expression grew desolate again, and she sighed softly, "Big Brother, let's just forget it."

After saying this, she stood up, intending to leave.

Cao Bu was a step faster and reached out to press down on her hand resting on the stone table.

Gu Lingshuang paused, the warmth on the back of her hand making her heart stir slightly.

She remembered how Cao Bu had stood up for her back then, and a flicker of emotion inexplicably rose in her heart.

She turned to look at Cao Bu, only to see his eyes were clear, devoid of any superfluous emotion.

The two stared at each other for a moment before Gu Lingshuang shyly looked away, but Cao Bu said, emphasizing every word, "Do you not want to become an existence he can only look up to?"

Who "he" was, Gu Lingshuang knew better than anyone.

This sentence was like a heavy hammer, striking her heart.

She could not accept that the person who had once sworn he loved her had later discarded her so easily.

Cao Bu did not give her a chance to retreat, continuing, "Become strong, and be the woman he can never have."

"Make him regret the decision he made that day for the rest of his life."

"Make him a laughingstock of the Spirit Realm in the future."

Boom!

These words exploded in Gu Lingshuang's mind, and she was completely stunned.

That's right, if she could become an existence that Lin Dong had to look up to, then the other party would surely regret his choice from back then.

Slowly, the colors in her eyes grew more intense.

In a trance, she saw that many years later, Lin Dong was kneeling before her, begging to get back together, and she kicked him away, pointing at his nose as she said, "You disdained me back then, but you cannot afford to pursue me now!"

The scene made her incredibly excited; she wished this day would come immediately.

Watching the uncontrollable smile on Gu Lingshuang's lips, Cao Bu held back his laughter.

This woman was probably imagining the plot of how to suppress Lin Dong.

Suddenly, Gu Lingshuang snapped back to reality, tightly grasping Cao Bu's hands with both of hers, her tone excited: "Big Brother, thank you!"

The atmosphere in the pavilion instantly became ambiguous.

The two stared at each other, and a flicker of attraction welled up in Gu Lingshuang's heart, though it quickly faded.

She hurriedly pulled her hand back, lowered her head, and hid a sense of desolation in her expression.

She stole a glance at Cao Bu.

She hadn't interacted properly with Big Brother before, but now it seemed that aside from his low cultivation, Big Brother had nothing but good points.

It was just a pity that she didn't know if Big Brother would mind her past.

Cao Bu wore a gentle smile on his face and took the initiative to start a new topic, chatting about things that Gu Lingshuang used to be interested in.

Gradually, the smiles on Gu Lingshuang's face increased, and she began to talk more.

Under the shade of a tree not far away, Leng Yue watched all of this.

She had tried using similar words to advise her daughter before, but it hadn't been as effective as the way Cao Bu said it.

Only now did she realize that for the same meaning, how one says it is truly an art.

She let out a sigh of relief, smiled, and turned to leave.

Cao Bu chatted with Gu Lingshuang until the afternoon before standing up to leave.

Just as he walked out of Moyue Residence, the System's notification sound rang in his mind:

"Ding! Detected that Leng Yue and Gu Lingshuang's favorability towards the Host has significantly increased. Inheritance rate for each increased by 1%, total inheritance rate increased by 2%."

"Congratulations to the Host, you have received 2 lottery chances."

Cao Bu was delighted but didn't stop walking, heading towards Cangfeng Residence.

While passing by Xiang Xiao Courtyard, a furious shout suddenly came from inside: "Get out! All of you, get out!"

He stopped and looked at the entrance of Xiang Xiao Courtyard.

A group of Maidservants and guards stood there trembling, no one daring to enter.

Cao Bu rubbed his chin; this was the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

Immediately, he walked towards Xiang Xiao Courtyard.

Before he even reached them, his voice had already carried over: "What is going on?"

Seeing it was Cao Bu, the Maidservants and guards quickly saluted: "Greetings, Steward Cao (Ninth Elder)."

The news of Cao Bu holding the concurrent position of Ninth Elder had spread throughout the Gu Clan, and everyone felt surprised; it was rare for an outsider to rise to the upper echelons of an Imperial Clan.

The lead Big Maidservant quickly replied: "Steward Cao, it is the Young Mistress. We saw that she was dead drunk and tried to persuade her, but we were driven out."

Cao Bu stepped forward a few paces and peered inside through a crack in the door.

In the pavilion within the courtyard, Li Xinxue was slumped over the stone table, clutching a wine bottle in her hand, dead drunk, with a dozen empty wine bottles scattered around her.

"How long has she been like this?" Cao Bu turned back to ask.

The Big Maidservant replied: "Replying to Steward Cao, ever since that day, she has been like this. She sleeps when she is drunk, and continues drinking when she wakes up."

She paused, her tone urgent: "Steward Cao, can you please persuade the Young Mistress? If this continues, the Young Mistress will be ruined."