This was what he thought.

"..."

The black-haired girl opposite him was momentarily stunned. Her Sakura lips parted as if unsure of what to say, and a faint blush rose on her cheeks.

It was the first time in her life that she had been praised so directly, especially by someone looking at her so sincerely... Yet she knew it wasn't meant for her, so besides feeling strange, there was also a trace of embarrassment. At the same time, she became increasingly intrigued and curious.

Was this person really the type to say such things? Doing this kind of thing, it was completely unlike the other men of the Martial Family from this era.

At least from her impression, those men should not talk like this, even if their love was deep. When communicating, they wouldn't be so... so... emmmm, she couldn't find the right words for a moment.

Alright, it seems the flattery was quite effective…

Gu Mo felt relieved, took a breath, and was about to smoothly transition to the main topic. However, as his gaze swept over the top of the girl's head, he saw the words displayed in the air and suddenly raised an eyebrow.

——"Saito Hidechika (100%)."

Initially, it just showed "Hidechika." It was later when the girl and the old man recognized each other as father and daughter, after thinking it over, the name self-corrected and added the surname prefix at the front.

Seeing this, Gu Mo finally realized the thought that flashed through his mind but he couldn't grasp while he was thinking earlier.

He had been struggling with identifying who was who between the sisters because the idiotic system, although it gave him the ability to see IDs and health bars, didn't mean he could see beyond the surface. Targets he couldn't confirm would only show up as question marks, and only when he confirmed them would they be displayed.

However, it was all based on his own knowledge, which didn't guarantee it was the truth. If he wrongly identified the younger sister as the older one, the system would still tag them incorrectly based on his perception…

So——

At the time, dim-wittedly leaving the room, the two sisters followed him out in succession... He recognized the sisters while still in the room; one was the younger sister, the other the elder sister. But after leaving the room, it was likely that the pre-conceived notion still subconsciously influenced him.

So when he turned around, the system marked it based on his perception. Additionally, in his agitated state of mind at the time, he didn't think it through, saw the ID, and assumed he had confirmed it... But who could guarantee it was still the case?

Thoughts raced like lightning in his mind, and Gu Mo couldn't help but feel alarmed.

Outwardly, he kept a calm demeanor, maintaining his expression as if nothing happened, merely smiling at the black-haired girl before him, altering the words he was about to speak.

"Without realizing, in a blink, so much time has passed. I will never forget the first time we met, by Daming Lake during the peak of summer, where lotus flowers covered the entire surface of the lake."

He seemed to be reminiscing about something, his gaze tenderly fixed on the girl, the words his way of corresponding to the recent events, as if indeed moved by the event just now, showing no sign of testing intentions.

"Countless layers of lotus leaves spread out, endless green stretching to the sky. That's where I first met you, or rather, where you saved me..."

Ultimately a woman at heart, Miss Saito couldn't help but feel a yearning from the vivid descriptions of the scenery, unforgettable beauty of summer lakeshores, and the unexpected meeting that summer.

——Although she didn't know where Daming Lake was, it sure sounded like a beautiful place…

——So that's how their encounter was...

Of course, her immediate reaction was not slow either.

The black-haired girl lightly bit her lip, seemingly recalling something with the man's whispered words, her expression looked a bit unnatural as she turned away, her gaze wandering uncertainly.

Considering Hidechika's own nature, such a reaction seemed normal... if the premise itself wasn't mistaken.

Gu Mo almost broke into a cold sweat, realizing he indeed was misled by his preconceptions, luckily he responded in time and cautiously tested her first.

"..."

"..."

Silence followed; time ticked by quietly.

The black-haired girl furrowed her brow again slightly, turning her head to look at him with some perplexity, tilting her head gently as if to express a question.

Gu Mo felt a bit restless but took a deep breath, intending to follow on the previous topic seamlessly, dispelling Miss Saito's suspicions so she would think he meant to say such things. To prevent her curiosity from lacking satisfaction, which might cause her to pay more attention subconsciously, disrupting his plan to leave...

After all, the journey from Lushan City back to Thirteen Sakura Village was quite a distance, it would take some time. If he couldn't handle this well, even if he seized an opportunity to escape, he might be caught up along the way, so he couldn't afford to be careless.

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