Chapter 1019: Jin, Wait for Me to Come Back

He seemed determined not to tell her.

Gu Jin gave a light snort and didn’t press further.

The two sat on the chaise longue—a sweet and charming woman leaning softly against the tall young man, her whole body relaxed and indulgent.

Lately, there had been few moments of such intimacy between them.

Now, with separation imminent, Gu Jin didn’t want to dwell on the issues that bothered her; she simply wanted to cherish the remaining time she had left with Xiao An.

An Mingji extended his arm, loosely encircling her waist.

In the deep of night, they whispered to each other, occasionally breaking into soft laughter.

The lovely atmosphere was hard to let go of.

Yet eventually, dawn would break.

At three in the morning, Gu Jin finally couldn’t stay awake. Her beautiful eyes slowly closed, leaning on An Mingji’s shoulder, her breathing slowed.

The person beside him fell into sleep, her gentle breaths through the soft fabric caressing An Mingji’s skin.

His lips ceased their movement, remaining still for a long time.

As dawn broke gently, An Mingji picked up Gu Jin, laying her on the bed inside, sitting at the bedside for a while longer.

That night, his eyes had turned red from staying up.

"Young Master, it’s time to leave."

Allen’s voice came from outside the door.

Rather than knocking, he used a voice loud enough to be heard inside to urge him.

Gazing at Gu Jin, who was immersed in sleep on the bed, An Mingji reached out to softly stroke her face. Before leaving, he gently pinched her cheek, finding the touch quite pleasant.

"Sister Jin, wait for my return." A smile of anticipation appeared on the young man’s face.

She was the person who moved his heart, the beam of light reaching out when he was at his most troubled, pulling him from the mire.

There would be more than kinship between them; he desired much more.

Upon his return, he would hold everything he wanted firmly in his grasp.

Before leaving, An Mingji didn’t steal a kiss from Gu Jin.

He would wait until his return to embrace her openly.

...

Gu Jin woke up when it was nearly noon.

In the spacious bedroom, she was the only one left.

The air still carried traces of the scent from when An Mingji accompanied her in the room the previous night.

Sitting on the bed, she turned her head to look outside the window.

Outside, the sun hung high; by this time, An Mingji had long since gone.

Inexplicable feelings of loss and wistfulness welled up inside her.

She did not like partings, especially face-to-face farewells with loved ones.

Before leaving, An Mingji hadn’t woken her up, which relieved her, but she also had a contradictory resentment that he hadn’t let her see him one last time before leaving.

A soft sigh echoed in the room.

Gu Jin also felt she might be being a bit too sentimental.

She shook away the messy thoughts in her mind, got out of bed, and walked out of the room.

...

Time passed quickly, and a new year arrived as expected.

Another year went by.

This year, Gu Jin was twenty-two—at an age where marriage should be considered.

This year, she accompanied Gu Dehao, her foster mother Ye Mei, and her younger brother Gu Jiayu back to Qingshan Village to spend the New Year with the elder and uncle’s family.

Minmin finally returned home.

Though her appearance had greatly changed, her temperament remained unchanged, and her affection for family was deeply ingrained.

Gu Jiajie explained to his parents that Minmin’s current appearance was due to her conscription, involving external operations during an action where she had no choice.

Although Gu Decang and Chen Hong felt worried for their daughter, seeing her well in front of them, they put aside previous concerns and were quite happy to see her.

Previously, Gu Jin and Gu Jiajie had kept making excuses to prevent them from seeing their daughter, leading to repeated doubts about whether she had been in trouble.

Now that they had seen their daughter, the heavy stone in their hearts was finally lifted.

The family reunited in harmony, celebrating the New Year happily together.