Gu Yin stayed with Nan Yin for the entire afternoon. Nan Yin enjoyed drinking, but Gu Yin didn't have much of a craving for alcohol. What if one of the young ladies got drunk later? He… had to keep an eye on her.
As expected, it wasn't long before Nan Yin started to show signs of intoxication, her face flushed and her eyes hazy, clearly having had a bit too much.
Was she… unhappy today? But didn't she seem happy just now? What was wrong now?
"Is Yin'er unhappy today? Did something happen?" Gu Yin asked gently.
"...No, I just suddenly felt like drinking..." Nan Yin, already a bit tipsy, became noticeably downcast.
Gu Yin watched her without speaking. He was waiting, waiting for Nan Yin to decide to speak on her own. No matter when she was willing to talk, he had time to listen. If she really didn't want to talk, then he would… just wait.
"Gu Yin..." Nan Yin called his name.
"Mm," Gu Yin replied. As long as he heard her voice, he would answer her. He wanted Nan Yin to know that he would always be by her side whenever she needed him.
"I will be grown up after my capping ceremony," Nan Yin said.
"Yin'er can remain a little girl forever," Gu Yin told her.
"But... I can't," Nan Yin looked at Gu Yin with a hint of confusion.
"No... I can't always be a little girl. I have to take care of Father, take care of Mother, take care of Ah Su, and also take good care of the Nan family." Nan Yin's speech was becoming increasingly slurred.
"I'm grown up now, I have responsibilities… I understand everything, so I can't always be so immature… Gu Yin, from now on, I might not be able to ride horses like this, or come out here to drink." Nan Yin leaned closer to Gu Yin.
"Yin'er…" Gu Yin wanted to say more, but the words got stuck in his throat. He wanted to say that she didn't need to grow up, that he was always there, and that he could help her with anything she wanted. Even if a thousand pounds weighed on her shoulders, he would carry it across a thousand mountains for her.
"Shh…" Nan Yin made a shushing gesture with her hand.
"Don't speak… Listen to me." Nan Yin was indeed quite drunk. She reached out and clung to Gu Yin. "Gu Yin… I actually understand everything… With my identity, I can't be this carefree forever. Mother taught me so many principles since I was young because she knew that one day I would have to face them alone. That's why she passed those things on to me… But I'm so tired…" Nan Yin said. Gu Yin watched her without a word.
"I am my father's daughter. My father… Yuan Dynasty's Grand Marshal, a God of War, holding immense power… They all want it, even His Majesty wants it…" Nan Yin desperately wanted to stand up, but Gu Yin held her back. Nan Yin lost her balance and fell into Gu Yin's arms. "Be careful, don't move around, you're drunk…" Gu Yin's voice was deep. Nan Yin in this state made his heart ache.
"I'm not drunk… I just want to be drunk…" Nan Yin's gaze drifted away. "Gu Yin… I'm so sad. Why do adults only care about power? Will I become like them when I grow up?" Nan Yin asked Gu Yin.
"No… Yin'er can become the person you want to be. Just do what you want to do," Gu Yin comforted her, but it was clear Nan Yin wasn't paying attention.
"I will, I'll definitely become someone I myself hate… Mother said that overly kind people are always bullied, so one cannot just be a good person, and one cannot just do good deeds. Perhaps people are not born bad, but all good people in this world don't have very good endings…" Nan Yin looked at Gu Yin, her eyes like tranquil autumn water, full of sorrow.
"Yin'er, I will help you…" Gu Yin told her.
"You can't help me. How can you help me? How I become as a person cannot change because of your help. Gu Yin… I want to be a good person… Can I be?" Nan Yin looked at him with longing.
"Gu Yin, don't you know everything? Then can you tell me, will I be a good person in the future?" Nan Yin asked him. Gu Yin looked at Nan Yin and fell silent.
"You can't?" Nan Yin's eyes visibly dimmed.
"...Yes, Yin'er will be a good person," Gu Yin finally said.
"Really?" Nan Yin suddenly became happy, her eyes instantly regaining color and light.
"Really, Yin'er will be a good person, a kind person." Gu Yin himself didn't know where he found the courage. He reached out and embraced Nan Yin. "So Yin'er, be happier." Gu Yin said gently.
"Mm… I'll be happier…" Nan Yin looked at him. The distance between them was very close. Nan Yin looked at him and then began to smile. "Gu Yin…" she called his name.
"Mm, I'm here," Gu Yin replied.
"You are truly handsome. You look even more handsome in white," Nan Yin said, even tracing Gu Yin's eyebrows with her finger.
"Then do you like it, Yin'er?" Gu Yin lowered his voice, a hint of bewitching charm entering his tone.
"Mm, I like it…" As she spoke, Nan Yin's gaze fell upon Gu Yin's lips, and before she knew it, she kissed him. In that instant, Gu Yin's eyes widened, and he froze there. The sun was nearing its setting, and the girl was gently embraced by the boy at the waist, kissing the boy's lips.
Nan Yin only touched his lips lightly before pulling away, but for Gu Yin, that single moment felt as beautiful as a century. He stood there, stunned, unsure how to react.
"Gu Yin… your lips are soft… but a little cold," Nan Yin was still smiling foolishly, perhaps completely unaware of what she had just done.
"This is my first time kissing a boy. So this is what kissing feels like…" Nan Yin found the sensation rather marvelous.
Gu Yin looked at the little girl before him, completely speechless. His Yin'er had just kissed him…
"Gu Yin, what does it feel like to like someone?" Nan Yin suddenly asked.
What does it feel like to like someone? Gu Yin didn't know either. He only knew that he wanted his Yin'er to always be happy and joyful, to let her do as she pleased, and no matter what happened, he would be there to support her.
So, to like someone, it probably meant wanting to be good to them, wanting to protect them until old age…