Wait, and Wait

Slow to warm up?!

When the words fell on Yu Zhen’s ears, they struck her as nothing short of mockery. She snapped angrily, "Guo Zhou, don’t you dare try to fool me!"

"How could I fool you? My dad is really slow to warm up."

Guo Zhou swore earnestly, "But don’t worry. Over this time, I’ve talked to him about it many times, and he’s started to soften."

"I believe we’ll get an answer today."

Yu Zhen didn’t believe him at first.

She wasn’t stupid.

But she had no other choice now, and… did Guo Zhou say today?

Well… maybe she could wait.

Her resolve loosened slightly, and she was about to ask Guo Zhou for some money, when… Guo Zhou vanished.

She followed him with her eyes and saw him hurry away, leaving a parting remark: "Yu Zhen, wait for me. Tonight, I’ll come find you and give you an answer."

"A good answer!"

Yu Zhen couldn’t catch up, so she waited.

Full of hope, she waited.

From day till night.

From night till day.

From today till tomorrow.

From tomorrow, a full seven days.

Guo Zhou… didn’t show up again.

Just as she was about to break down and risk everything by seeking the Tongxin Alliance, Guo Zhou appeared.

His face was beaming.

"Yu Zhen, my dad agreed."

"He agrees to let us marry and to raise the child."

Yu Zhen was overjoyed, her earlier fears swept away: "Really?!"

"Of course it’s true. Would I lie to you?" Guo Zhou pledged sincerely. "Here’s what we do: pack up a little, and I’ll hire a carriage to take you home."

"Don’t worry, I’ve already rented a nice house for you. You just move in, and I’ll take good care of the child."

"Good, good, good!"

Yu Zhen’s hollow heart finally felt satisfied.

But…

As soon as she turned her head, Guo Zhou was gone again.

She kept waiting.

From day to night.

From night till dawn.

From dawn to night again.

Day after day, night after night…

Guo Zhou… had vanished again!

This time it was worse. He disappeared for a whole month. She couldn’t find him, couldn’t afford food or shelter, and was forced to take her child and find work.

She still waited, clinging to hope.

"He must have run into some trouble. Something delayed him."

Yu Zhen could only console herself with that.

She kept telling herself until even she believed it.

Mainly because she had no choice. Without belief, she had no support, no hope.

In the long, lonely nights, she poured all her hope into Guo Zhou.

Then, Guo Zhou came again.

"Yu Zhen, last time, my dad backed out. Oh, I never thought my dad would not only be slow to warm up but also go back on his word."

"But don’t worry."

"This time, I’ve convinced him completely."

"Look, he even wrote a guarantee."

"The only obstacle left is my mom."

Yu Zhen’s spirits, which had just soared, plummeted: "And your mom?"

"Yeah, but don’t worry. My mom is easy to handle. Once you’re home, she might give you a cold shoulder for a few days, but she has a sharp tongue but a soft heart."

"She’ll agree easily."

"Pack your things. The carriage is waiting outside."

Yu Zhen was overjoyed.

But having learned from last time, she didn’t even bother packing. She grabbed her child and ran to find the carriage. She found it and climbed aboard. Just then, the driver leaned over.

"Madam, could you please pay the fare first? Otherwise, we can’t get moving."

"F… fare?"

"Yes, ma’am. You don’t ride a carriage for free, do you?"

"What? Didn’t Guo Zhou pay?"

"No. He just said he’d pay on arrival, but I’ve been waiting a long time and haven’t seen him. He probably forgot in the rush. But it doesn’t matter if you pay or he pays. Madam, could you?"

"I…"

Yu Zhen wanted to cry but had no tears.

How the hell was she supposed to pay?

She had to get off the carriage, bitterness toward Guo Zhou rising again.

"Guo Zhou was never this scatterbrained before."

But resentment aside, she still relied on him. And this time, Guo Zhou vanished yet again.

From day to night, to tomorrow, to seven days later, to a month later—Guo Zhou finally came.

"Oh, last time was just ridiculous. I don’t know how, but my mom hid all the money. I didn’t have a single coin on me."

"But, Yu Zhen, don’t worry. This past month, I’ve been fishing on my own and made a decent amount."

"I’ll take you away now."

And then… Guo Zhou unexpectedly disappeared again.

Yet again!

Yu Zhen waited once more.

And waited.

Spring turned to summer, summer to autumn, autumn to winter… even the child grew up.

Guo Zhou never gave her a definite answer.

Maybe because the pressure of raising a child had eased a little, Yu Zhen finally figured it out.

"That bastard Guo Zhou. Isn’t he just stringing me along?"

"Every time I get desperate and think about reporting him to the Tongxin Alliance, he gives me a sliver of hope."

"He gives me hope but never follows through, then pulls away, and gives me hope again…"

"Where the hell did Guo Zhou learn this?"

"He’s turned me into this wreck!"

"Well, since I’m already miserable, Guo Zhou, you’re not getting off easy either."

After enduring the harsh realities of life, Yu Zhen finally woke up. She did what she had only thought about but never done before.

She went to the Tongxin Alliance.

And reported Guo Zhou!

…

"I really got reported."

"I’m genuinely afraid the Tongxin Alliance will come for me. They’re terrifying. So…"

Guo Zhou said, his face full of worry, "General Zhang Shi, someone like me—can I come here for protection?"

Zhang Shi was dumbstruck.

Listening to Guo Zhou’s story was more thrilling than the tales from the storytellers he heard as a child—truly epic, full of twists and turns!

It really opened his eyes.

"So this is what love-struck fools in the capital are like? I’ve got to learn this!"

Thinking this, Zhang Shi gave Guo Zhou his assurance.

"It’s not even your child. You have no obligation to raise it. This has nothing to do with you. I’ll take responsibility for this matter."

"By the way, after all this time, have you figured out who the child’s real father is?"

"I have," Guo Zhou said. "After some inquiries and putting pieces together, I’m fairly certain."

"That child is probably blood from the Shen Family at the Linjiang Shazui Water Fort. And more than likely… it’s Chief Shen Du’s child."

Zhang Shi was shocked: "Who?"

"You mean whose child?"

Guo Zhou said, "Shen Du."

Zhang Shi: "Holy shit?"

"Holy shit!"

…

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