I became the God Brother of the Regent King after Transmigration!-Chapter 164 - 111: Timeless Elegance (Part 2)

Gu Lan coughed and explained, "Peeking at others is not what a gentleman does, and, that’s because Brother Hang and I have a deep brotherly bond... Speaking of him, I hope Advisor Xie won’t spread the word about Rong Heng leaving the palace."

Xie Yun’s eyes showed a trace of deep meaning: "Didn’t he come last time too? I naturally won’t say anything, but are you really that deeply bonded as brothers?"

Gu Lan said calmly, "What else, a sisterly bond?"

Xie Yun shook his head and said softly, "Lan, have you heard the phrase, ’the most ruthless is the Emperor’s family’? Fifth Prince Rong’s identity, being with you, involves too much. The person involved is confused, while the bystander sees clearly. Do you only have brotherly feelings for Rong Heng?"

"Of course it’s..."

As Gu Lan spoke, the scene of Rong Heng carrying her through the heavy rain suddenly appeared in her mind. She remembered how he bent down beside her, teaching her to write hand in hand, and how his deep and sharp eyes awakened her.

"Of course it’s brotherly feelings. I’m a man, would I fall for Rong Heng?" Gu Lan came back to her senses and said calmly.

Xie Yun’s face showed an inscrutable expression, reminding Gu Lan of the cotton pad he placed on her office chair during her physiological period.

In the next moment, Xie Yun spoke, "Are you truly a man?"

Gu Lan’s eyes trembled uncontrollably. She swallowed, feeling her Adam’s apple still firm, and her waistband tightly fastened... A flawless disguise, could it be too small?

Xie Yun was being straightforward; he knew she was a woman.

Xie Yun reached out and gently brushed Gu Lan’s hair.

It was like a teacher comforting a student who failed a test; after all, he was also her class teacher, and Gu Lan did not resist. She was just very puzzled.

"Rest assured, I won’t tell anyone. It’s just that all these years... it’s been hard on you. Presumably, it’s because Dingyuan Marquis Mansion needed a boy to inherit the title, that’s why you’ve had to endure this. If there were equality between men and women in this world, you wouldn’t have to be like this." Xie Yun’s voice was guilty yet tender.

A woman, having to portray a man every day, studying at the Imperial Family Academy, practicing martial arts, and facing countless assassination attempts, Xie Yun didn’t know how Gu Lan had managed all these years.

Gu Lan was only concerned about where she went wrong, "So, how did you find out exactly?"

"I’m sorry... it’s my fault. I promised someone I would take good care of you, yet I missed so many years."

Xie Yun felt very guilty. All these years, he thought as long as Gu Lan was in the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, she would be safe, so he neglected her.

But he was also amazed by how the little Lan in swaddling clothes had grown up to be so beautifully pure.

He had once told Sister Luan, as he watched the infant Gu Lan, that he would work so that in Dayan, there would be no more class conflicts, that children from poor families could learn to read, that the people could live in peace, and women could lead troops in battle. He believed that when little Lan grew up, she could live the life she wanted.

Only Sister Luan believed in his words, and little Lan carried his heavy ambitions in his heart.

Gu Lan asked, "The person you promised, is it Gu Changting?"

Xie Yun raised his head, his eyes reflecting the vast galaxy, gentle yet helpless.

"If I had known how adorable little Lan would be, who would care about Gu Changting’s life or death? I only looked after him somewhat because he was too naive as a child, fearing he might not even know if he got harmed. After all, he is also surnamed Gu, and if something happened, Sister Chengluan would be saddened."

"Chengluan—"

It was the first time Gu Lan heard this name, feeling both familiar and strange. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Xie Yun looked at Gu Lan’s visage, his voice warm:

"Lan, you look a lot like your aunt, Gu Chengluan.

Your guise as a man bears a six to seven-part resemblance to her."

When he first saw Gu Lan on the carriage, he recognized her immediately.

Ordinary people, upon seeing Gu Chengluan and Gu Lan, would only think there was a family resemblance between aunt and niece, just like how Gu Changting had seen Gu Chengluan when he was young, but never paid attention to it.

But he had seen Gu Chengluan dressed as a man in the past...

Before this, Xie Yun didn’t know Gu Lan was a woman, but after seeing her face, he understood everything.

In the past, Sister Chengluan didn’t tell him that Gu Lan was a girl; he never expected little Lan would follow the same path as Gu Chengluan.

Gu Lan suddenly remembered that Marquis Gu and Second Young Master Gu had a sister, her aunt, but she had died in battle alongside the old Marquis in the Northern Territory twelve years ago.

At that time, Gu Lan had just turned three. Gu Chengzhao then inherited the Dingyuan Marquis title and headed to the Northern Territory to pacify the sudden turmoil at the Qiangrong Royal Court.