“You are my lifelong love. I only feel guilty towards you. How could I have any resentments? But something I want…” Yue Linze paused suddenly, then laughed, “There are two things. One would take a lifetime to complete, and the other can only be done at the right time, and might never be done in this lifetime.”
“What are they?” Tao Yu raised an eyebrow.
Yue Linze smiled and lowered his head, “I can tell you about one now, but not the other.”
He paused, grasping Tao Yu’s hand and looking down, “A Yu, I hope we can grow old together. This is what I want most in my heart now. As long as I can grow old with you, when we meet again, although I did unforgivable things, although I tell myself not to have wild fantasies, I still want this.”
Tao Yu was stunned, “What about the second one?”
“Let’s wait until we grow old, and I’ll tell you then,” Yue Linze laughed softly.
Tao Yu stared at him, seeing the candor in his eyes, suddenly understanding that his resentment had transformed into a desire that would not cause him pain, but if unfulfilled, this world would not disappear.
…Growing old together. Would the alternate personality dissipate only after achieving these four words?
After that conversation, Tao Yu had this understanding. Later, she pestered him into a simple psychological hypnosis, confirming that what was supporting his life now was this desire. Tao Yu had a plan.
In previous worlds, the alternate personality’s wish was always resolved after completion. Some wanted fairness, some wanted companionship. She would only disappear willingly after achieving their wish. This one was probably the same.
That meant she must stay here and spend a long life with him?
Tao Yu curved her lips, her eyes full of smiles. Although the lotus pond had not yet bloomed, she seemed to have already seen the beautiful scenery.
Since the alternate personality’s wish coincided with her own, she no longer needed to hesitate. She would stay in Wuhuan City and live life with him.
When the time was right, this world would naturally dissipate, the boss’s illness would be completely cured, and she would return to real life, pay off her debts, cherish everything here as a beautiful dream, and then live her ordinary and busy life.
Having made her decision, Tao Yu sighed in relief and stood up to stretch. Perhaps because this was the last world, she had been procrastinating and becoming less like herself. Now that she had made up her mind, she would accompany him through this life.
“What are you thinking about?” Yue Linze’s voice came from behind.
Tao Yu was stunned, turning back to see him standing before a patch of green, smiling as sweetly as summer. She couldn’t help but smile back and reached out to him, “You’re home early today.
Yue Linze walked over and held her hand: “The shrimp dumpling shop on the street will return to their hometown after today, and they probably won’t come back for ten to fifteen days. I deliberately came back early today, wanting to take you and Niannian to try it.”
“Really? Then let’s buy more today. They’ll be gone for so long, how will I survive? I must eat more,” Tao Yu laughed.
Yue Linze couldn’t help but tease her about her greedy appearance, which resulted in her merciless retaliation. The two of them bickered their way out to pick up Niannian, who hadn’t finished school yet. The housekeeper watched their playful backs with a smile until they completely disappeared from view before turning away.
If he had some doubts about Tao Yu’s motives before, after these few months of interaction, he was finally completely at ease. Besides, what good would worrying do? Tao Yu’s arrival had clearly made the city lord and his daughter happy, and this city lord’s mansion finally began to feel more like a home.
This was enough.
Life in the city lord’s mansion gradually got on track. Tao Yu no longer worried about other things, confidently becoming the city lord’s wife. Besides taking care of Niannian, she would wait at home for Yue Linze to finish work, finding life incredibly boring.
After waiting for the big one and the little one again, Tao Yu finally couldn’t stand this monotony. Although the real world was only three hours at most, here she was living day after day. Yue Linze was just over twenty, and they were far from their goal of growing old together – at least forty more years. She really couldn’t bear spending forty years like this.
One evening, after sharing her frustration with Yue Linze, he asked her to check locations for establishing a psychological counseling room in the city. This was exactly what Tao Yu wanted, and she immediately began working on it.
With the city lord’s support, she vowed to create the largest counseling room in Wuhuan City. Preparation alone took over half a year, and by the time the counseling room’s business stabilized, two years had passed.
Yue Linze had witnessed her hard work during this time. Just when he thought she could finally rest, she enthusiastically started opening branch offices and taking on students, becoming ten times busier than before. Previously, he and Niannian barely saw her during the day; now, they couldn’t see her at all.
One night, Tao Yu walked home with tired steps, occasionally coughing. She had barely gone far when she saw Yue Linze waiting under a lantern. She was stunned for a moment, then smiled and walked up, holding his hand: “Why are you here?”
“Waiting for you,” Yue Linze smiled.
Tao Yu nodded, holding his hand as they walked into the courtyard: “Why are you waiting for me today?”
“Because… today is Niannian’s birthday,” Yue Linze said, seeing her surprised expression and feeling helpless. “I knew you’d forgotten.”
The rest of the passage continues in this narrative style, exploring their relationship, Tao Yu’s work, and their eventual decision to travel together, emphasizing the importance of cherishing time with loved ones.
★ City Lord is Sick 20
When Yue Linze was about to wake up, he reached out beside him, but caught nothing, his hand falling on the cool pillow. He suddenly sat up, threw off the blanket and rushed down, and only gradually became clear-headed when his feet touched the stone floor.
“How can you walk barefoot on the floor? Isn’t it dirty?” Tao Yu, who had just walked around outside, came back and looked disdainfully at Yue Linze’s foolish appearance.
Yue Linze stared at her for a while before finally smiling. Already in his thirties, with traces of years at the corners of his eyes and forehead, his smile still carried a youthful innocence: “I couldn’t find you, and I was a bit worried.”
“…I’m not a child. What is there to worry about,” Tao Yu looked at him amusedly.
Yue Linze gave a light laugh, not explaining. Every morning without her, he would have a moment of collapse, thinking she had been shot dead by him, thinking they would never meet again in this lifetime, even though their marriage had steadily passed over a decade.
“Hurry and get dressed. Today is the day Nian Nian will take office. We absolutely can’t be late,” Tao Yu said, throwing clothes at him.
Yue Linze looked at the light blue clothing and was somewhat dissatisfied: “I’m already this old. Why am I still wearing such an unstable outfit? Aren’t there any darker colors?”
Tao Yu’s fingers trembled at his question, then she tried to remain calm: “How old are you? Just in your thirties, still very young. How can you not wear light colors? Besides, you look so good, you can wear anything.”Daddy! Mother!” Nian Nian, now grown into a young lady, ran out with curved smiling eyes, hooking her arm into Tao Yu’s and walking inside, “Mother, let me tell you, today’s scene was so grand, and there are many delicious things, you’ll definitely like it.”
