Good Night

A heavy stone finally fell from Gu Chengyin's heart, and he let out a long sigh of relief.

He had finally nipped this dangerous sign in the bud!

A relaxed smile appeared on his face. He rubbed Gu Xiaoli's head as a reward and said gently,

"So, don't think about how to be a maid anymore. Just be my sister with peace of mind."

"Now, go back to your own bed and sleep, okay?"

Gu Xiaoli was very obedient. She seemed to have completely accepted her new identity as a sister, nodding and replying, "Okay, brother."

After saying that, she started to move, preparing to get out of the warm covers.

Gu Chengyin also breathed a sigh of relief. He looked to the side and suddenly noticed a light brown female official's dress hanging on the bedpost, with a softer white inner dress draped over it.

Looking at the size, it seemed to be...

Gu Chengyin didn't even turn his head. He accurately placed one hand on Gu Xiaoli's head and, without any explanation, pressed her right back into the blanket.

At the same time, he used his other hand to quickly tuck the corners of the blanket back around her, wrapping her up tightly, leaving only the part above her nose exposed for breathing.

"Mmh?"

Gu Xiaoli was a bit dazed by this sudden suppression, letting out a muffled sound of confusion from under the covers.

Looking at Gu Xiaoli's large eyes, which were filled with bewilderment and grievance due to his rough actions just now, Gu Chengyin realized that his suppression must have frightened her.

"It's okay, it's okay, it's brother's fault." Then he changed the subject and asked, "Is Xiaoli tired today?"

Gu Xiaoli's attention was indeed diverted.

She blinked, seemingly forgetting the little episode just now, shook her head, and a serious expression appeared on her face.

"Xiaoli is not tired."

Gu Chengyin continued to ask,

"It's good that you're not tired. Do you know what stage we are at now? Tell brother."

Mentioning this, Gu Xiaoli's eyes brightened a bit more, and she said clearly,

"Sister Yun Ying asked Xiaoli to fill in a lot of data, which are the missing parts in those account books."

"Some numbers don't match, some entries are incomplete, and some look fine but contradict other records when compared."

"Xiaoli filled them all in, and the incorrect data has also been corrected."

"Sister Yun Ying said this saved a lot of time and energy."

"Otherwise, we would have to retrieve a large number of Luoshan Stone flakes from the Inner Library as samples, and then check, fill in, and correct the data one by one."

"The workload would be very large, and it would be easy to make mistakes, requiring several times more manpower."

Gu Chengyin listened patiently and nodded slightly.

Gu Xiaoli continued, "But because Xiaoli has already sorted out the missing and chaotic data, we can directly start building the chain of evidence on this basis."

"Her Highness said that once the chain of evidence is almost built and the nodes and directions are confirmed, we only need to extract the most crucial small portion of the Luoshan Stone flakes."

"They can just be added as direct evidence, so we don't have to dig out tens of thousands of flakes, saving so much effort."

She finally concluded, "Sister Yun Ying also said that if it weren't for Xiaoli, they would have to check the data first and then build the chain of evidence, which would make them busy to death."

After speaking, she looked at Gu Chengyin eagerly.

A sincere smile appeared on Gu Chengyin's face, a heartfelt gratification.

"Your Sister Yun Ying is absolutely right."

He reached out and gently rubbed Gu Xiaoli's furry head exposed outside the blanket, his movements gentle.

"It's really great to have you here."

Feeling the warm touch from the top of her head, Gu Xiaoli's world-weary calmness was finally broken.

Her eyes curved into crescents, and an incredibly happy smile bloomed on her face.

She looked just like a little kitten receiving its owner's affection.

Gu Chengyin's mood also relaxed a lot. His gaze swept over the brocade quilt and then looked at the deep night outside the window.

He immediately made a decision, stood up, and said to Gu Xiaoli, "You should sleep here tonight, to save the trouble of going back and forth. It wouldn't be good if you caught a cold."

After speaking, he prepared to turn and leave, but his wrist was suddenly tightly grabbed by a small hand.

"Brother!"

Gu Xiaoli's voice carried obvious panic and confusion, "Where are you going? Did Xiaoli do something wrong?"

She grabbed very tightly, as if afraid that Gu Chengyin would disappear once she let go. A layer of mist covered her large eyes, filled with unease.

Gu Chengyin paused his steps. He could feel that Gu Xiaoli seemed to lack a sense of security?

He turned around, softened his voice, and comforted her, "Xiaoli didn't do anything wrong, and I'm not angry."

"Then why is brother leaving?" Gu Xiaoli continued to hold his wrist and asked.

Gu Chengyin patiently explained, "Because you are my sister now."

"Brothers and sisters cannot sleep in the same bed."

"So I'm not leaving, but going to another room to rest."

However, upon hearing this, Gu Xiaoli frowned her delicate brows.

She thought for a moment, and then said in a soft, uncertain tone,

"But, when Xiaoli was in the palace, I heard that many brothers and sisters from noble families sleep together..."

Gu Chengyin, "..."

After fiercely despising these noble families in his heart.

Gu Chengyin said in a solemn tone,

"Xiaoli, what you heard is all wrong. It's incorrect, it violates human ethics and morals, and it will be despised by everyone."

"In a normal family, the brother protects the sister, and the sister respects and loves the brother, but there must be appropriate distance and boundaries between them, especially after they grow up."

"This is what is right, and what is worth respecting and learning. Do you understand?"

Gu Xiaoli nodded, seemingly understanding but not fully, and replied softly, "Xiaoli understands, that is wrong."

"Yes, exactly."

Gu Chengyin breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally twisted her skewed concepts back a bit.

He emphasized again, "Now, close your eyes and go to sleep like a good girl. There are still many things to be busy with tomorrow."

After speaking, Gu Chengyin gently patted the blanket roll wrapping Gu Xiaoli.

Then he stood up and carefully tucked the corners of the blanket for her, ensuring she was wrapped tightly.

"Good night, sister Xiaoli."

Gu Chengyin said warmly, then walked to the table and extinguished the lamp.

The room plunged into darkness again, with only the faint starlight and moonlight outside the window outlining blurred silhouettes.

Listening to Gu Chengyin's footsteps gradually fading away and finally disappearing outside the door, the room became completely quiet.

Gu Xiaoli was wrapped in the warm blanket, which still held a scent that made her feel at ease.

It had been far too long since she last smelled this familiar scent.

Gu Xiaoli mimicked Gu Chengyin's tone from just now, using a voice that only she could hear.

Facing the empty room, she murmured softly,

"Good night, brother."

"Good night, Niangniang."