Chapter 681: Never Tricked You
Ge Dongxu didn't think much about it, but he briefly looked at Wu Yili in surprise before nodding his head.
Previously, Wu Yili would occasionally ask him out for a meal to improve his diet, but ever since returning from Santai City, she hadn't invited him to a meal again.
The reason she hadn't invited him was naturally because Wu Yili knew that Ge Dongxu was not any impoverished student.
...
In winter, Mingyue Lake was much more desolate than usual, and there were far fewer pedestrians and tourists.
"There's a bench ahead; let's go sit down for a bit." Not long after they started walking, Wu Yili saw a wooden bench under a willow tree by the lake and pointed to it.
"Sure!" Ge Dongxu nodded and walked with Wu Yili to sit on the wooden bench.
After the two of them sat down, Wu Yili turned her head and stared continuously at Ge Dongxu, her eyes gradually reddening.
"What's the matter, Teacher Wu? Is something troubling you, or has someone been bullying you?" Seeing Wu Yili staring at him and her eyes getting misty, Ge Dongxu was startled and flustered.
"Your hair has gotten whiter! Your skin isn't as radiant as before either, almost like you're sick. You don't need to make such big sacrifices for my sake." Wu Yili didn't respond to Ge Dongxu. Instead, she touched his head affectionately, then his face, her tears flowing uncontrollably.
Then, Wu Yili suddenly hugged Ge Dongxu's head, pulling him into her arms.
The fullness and firmness, the fragrance that rushed to his nose—even though Ge Dongxu was a distinguished man, he was caught off-guard in that moment.
"Teacher..." Ge Dongxu wanted to push Wu Yili away to explain that, although the softness was enticing and her concern melted his heart, things weren't as they seemed, and he couldn't just go along with it, deceiving Wu Yili's feelings.
"You don't need to say anything, no need to explain, I know it all! Why do you have to be so foolish? It was like this back on Baiyun Mountain, and it's the same now!" Wu Yili held Ge Dongxu's head even tighter.
"Teacher, it's really not what you think. The reason my hair has gotten whiter and my skin looks worse is because of the cultivation," Ge Dongxu said, feeling the overwhelming temptation making it harder to allow Wu Yili to keep holding him, finally mustering his resolve to push her away "heartlessly."
"You still want to deceive me? Even though I don't understand cultivation, I am, after all, an environmental science expert. I know some basic common sense and logic. You look lifeless now, nothing like your vibrant and energetic self from before! You still say there's nothing wrong, still blaming it on cultivation? If cultivation can make someone turn out like this, then it's better not to cultivate at all!" The more Ge Dongxu said this, the more heartbroken Wu Yili felt.
"How can I explain this to you?" Seeing tears welling up in Wu Yili's eyes again, she seemed desperate to pull him into her arms again to comfort him. Ge Dongxu's head ached at the thought; he scratched his head, genuinely at a loss for words.
These past days, he had been immersed in the mysteries of winter's concealment and hadn't noticed such a significant change in his appearance, nor had he thought deeply about the misunderstandings it could cause others.
"Explain? How else do you want to explain?" Wu Yili, seeing that Ge Dongxu still didn't want her to worry or feel guilty even at this point, wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, glaring at him angrily.
"Teacher, it's not what you think. Look at this willow branch now—it has no green leaves and looks quite desolate, right? But can you say that it is sick?" Ge Dongxu saw Wu Yili staring at him angrily, thought for a moment, casually plucked a bare willow branch, and pointed to it as he spoke to Wu Yili.
"Of course not, it's just that winter has come," Wu Yili replied, her face showing a hint of confusion.
"Exactly, winter has come. My current situation is just like the winter phase of cultivation. After this phase, I will be like this willow tree, not only sprouting new buds but also growing thicker and stronger. This might sound mystical and incredible to you, but that's actually the case," Ge Dongxu explained.
"Can it really be that miraculous?" Wu Yili began to somewhat believe Ge Dongxu's words, as she knew he was a miraculous young man who could change his destiny against the odds.
"Of course! I don't think I have ever lied to you up till now," Ge Dongxu said.
Wu Yili was silent upon hearing this, as scenes of her past with Ge Dongxu flashed through her mind.
At Baiyun Mountain, when she first saw the dark-complexioned young Ge Dongxu, she didn't believe he could save her, yet he did.
At the school's Taekwondo Association, Ge Dongxu told her he knew martial arts, which she doubted, yet Ge Dongxu defeated the black belt fourth dan president of the Taekwondo Association with ease.
When they were dining at Emerald Residence, Ge Dongxu told her he was wealthy and that his master was very skilled, so he knew medical skills too, which Wu Yili didn't believe. Yet, he ended up changing her grandmother's fate against all odds.
When they were climbing Mount Santai, he fought the grandson of a CEO from a Fortune 500 company. She thought this would cause big trouble, yet Ge Dongxu even fiercely beat up CEO Park, and nothing bad happened.
All these experiences were overturning her understanding of Ge Dongxu. All of these also indicated that up till now, Ge Dongxu really had never lied to her.
Thinking that Ge Dongxu had never lied to her, and if everything was really as Ge Dongxu said, then she had just misunderstood him...
At that thought, Wu Yili's face gradually turned red.
"Think about it, have I ever lied to you up till now?" Ge Dongxu, although clever, still lacked experience in emotional matters and understanding of women. Seeing that Wu Yili hadn't replied for a long time, he thought she was still doubting his words and even added another line.
Wu Yili saw Ge Dongxu staring intently at her, and he even specifically added another line. Even though she was a university professor, she blushed deeply, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. At last, seeing Ge Dongxu still staring and waiting for her affirmative answer, she finally snapped in embarrassment, stretched out a finger and pinched Ge Dongxu's thigh fiercely, saying angrily, "You'd die if you lied to me even once!"
Having said that, Wu Yili stood up, clacking her mid-heel shoes, and walked away as though fleeing.
"Ah!" Ge Dongxu watched Wu Yili's graceful retreating figure running away. Her words echoed in his ears, and he was stunned.
After a while, Ge Dongxu finally realized where the problem lay and hurriedly got up to chase after her.
"This, this, Teacher, that misunderstanding is also understandable, actually, it's not that much..." Ge Dongxu chased after her, seeing Wu Yili just walking with her head down and began stammering an explanation while walking beside her.