On the way to the old house, Su Mianmian was still pondering Gu Yizhou's words. He said he wanted to spend some time alone with her… Su Mianmian's palms were slightly damp.
She glanced furtively at the man beside her, engrossed in his documents. His profile was perfect, his thick eyelashes drooping slightly, his nose high and straight, his lips neither too thin nor too thick, without a single lip line.
Su Mianmian felt that Gu Yizhou seemed to have two faces. On the surface, he appeared aloof and cold, seemingly unapproachable. In private, however, he was gentle, considerate, and adept at being direct. He often uttered a blunt yet ambiguous remark, leaving Su Mianmian defenseless.
"What's wrong? Are you a little bored?" Gu Yizhou suddenly looked up, catching Su Mianmian red-handed. Su Mianmian's eyes flickered, her cheeks flushed red. "No, I just wanted to ask who lives in the old house, and whether I need to buy some gifts."
Gu Yizhou closed his folder upon hearing this. "I've prepared the gifts, you don't need to worry about that." "As for who's in the old house, there's my second uncle's family, my grandfather, and I think my mother too." What did he mean by "I think his mother too"?
Su Mianmian found Gu Yizhou's words a bit strange. When Gu Yizhou got engaged to her sister, she had a school event and didn't attend, so she hadn't met Gu Yizhou's family.
Later, her sister ran away from home to escape the engagement, and the Gu family came to demand an explanation, only bringing her second uncle and a few other elders.
Su Mianmian hadn't thought about these things before, but now, thinking about it carefully, since Gu Yizhou had a grandfather and a mother, it shouldn't be her second uncle's turn to come for such an important event.
Su Mianmian had doubts, but remembering that wealthy families always had secrets unknown to outsiders, she didn't ask further. ...The Gu family's old house was a typical Chinese garden courtyard, with pavilions, terraces, and ancient-style buildings.
The landscape design, centered around water and adorned with rocks, creates a scene of layered mountains and flowing water, while also presenting a vast and serene atmosphere of small bridges and flowing streams.
Gu Yizhou, dressed in a black Chinese-style suit, moved with elegant poise, seemingly blending into a traditional Chinese ink painting. The butler led the two through a long corridor to the front hall, where someone was already there to greet them. "A-Zhou, you're back."
The butler then looked Su Mianmian up and down. "This must be Mianmian. It's been so many years; you've grown into a beautiful young woman." Gu Yizhou nodded slightly and introduced her to Su Mianmian, "This is your second aunt."
Su Mianmian looked at the dignified woman in a moon-white cheongsam, somewhat surprised, as she had no recollection of seeing her before. She obediently greeted her, "Second Aunt." Jiang Wan responded kindly, "Come in, everyone's waiting."
Gu Yizhou nodded, glancing at Su Mianmian and gesturing for her to take his arm. Su Mianmian felt a little shy. After all, their most physical contact had been yesterday when he picked her up from school and wiped her hands with disinfectant wipes.
After a moment's hesitation, she stepped forward and took his arm. Their arms touched, and even through the thin fabric of their clothes, Su Mianmian felt a current run through her body, making her heart tremble slightly.
The hall was filled with people, and everyone's attention was drawn to the two of them as they entered. Su Mianmian, as the newlywed, was especially scrutinized.
Su Mianmian tightened her grip on Gu Yizhou's sleeve slightly. Gu Yizhou seemed to notice and gently patted the back of her hand to reassure her.
Seated at the head of the hall was an elderly man with silver hair, dressed in a dark blue Tang suit, leaning on a sandalwood cane. His face was stern, exuding an air of authority. Gu Yizhou introduced, "This is Grandpa."
Su Mianmian was somewhat intimidated by the old man's imposing presence, but still respectfully greeted him, "Grandpa." The old man grunted in response, neither angry nor pleased. "I heard you're still in university?" Su Mianmian nodded, "Currently a junior."
The old man nodded. "A-Zhou said he wants to wait until you graduate before having the wedding. You young people all have your own opinions now, so decide for yourselves." He then gestured to the butler beside him, who understood and presented a set of fine Hetian jade jewelry.
"This was A-Zhou's grandmother's dowry, and I'm giving it to you now as a congratulatory gift for your marriage registration." Su Mianmian felt it was too precious and hesitated to accept it. She looked up at Gu Yizhou, and seeing him nod slightly, she politely accepted it, "Thank you, Grandpa."
Gu Yizhou then introduced her to the others present. Besides her second uncle and aunt, there were their two children. Gu Yizhou's son, Gu Jinghui, was a few years younger than him, with handsome features and a refined, scholarly air.
His daughter, Gu Jingyu, was sixteen years old, with beautiful, dark, sparkling eyes that suggested a lively personality. Several other distant relatives were also present, and Su Mianmian politely greeted them all.
Having greeted all the relatives, Su Mianmian still hadn't seen Gu Yizhou's mother. A little puzzled, she quietly tugged at Gu Yizhou's sleeve. "Why haven't I seen your mother?" Gu Yizhou's expression darkened for a moment, then vanished.
"She should be in the ancestral hall. I'll take you to see her later." Before she could finish speaking, the old man spoke up, "Take your wife to offer incense to your father." Gu Yizhou nodded, his hand naturally taking Su Mianmian's, and led her towards the ancestral hall.
The ancestral hall door was open, and from afar, a thin woman could be seen kneeling on a prayer mat before the altar. Hearing Gu Yizhou and his companion's footsteps enter, she remained motionless, showing no reaction whatsoever. Gu Yizhou was the first to call out, "Mom."
Seemingly anticipating no response, she continued, "I brought Mianmian to see you." The woman ignored her, not even turning around, her back still turned to them. "I have nothing to see. Offer incense to your father and brother, then leave."
Her tone was icy, devoid of warmth. Su Mianmian frowned slightly, not because of Gu Yizhou's mother's neglect, but because she sensed a deep-seated rejection of Gu Yizhou from his mother. She couldn't fathom the reason why her own mother would reject her own son so much.
After offering incense, the two silently left the ancestral hall. Su Mianmian had many questions, but none seemed easy to voice. Looking at Gu Yizhou's cold face as he emerged from the hall, Su Mianmian squeezed his fingers. "Are you alright?" Gu Yizhou seemed to be recalling something. Hearing Su Mianmian speak, he snapped out of his reverie, his face warming slightly. "Worried about me?"
Su Mianmian struggled to find the right words. "Your mother…" "She's always been so cold. I'm used to it. As for you, you'll have very few opportunities to spend time with her in the future, so don't worry about it."
Su Mianmian said "Oh," suddenly feeling a pang of pity for Gu Yizhou. To outsiders, he represented power and wealth. At such a young age, he controlled the entire Gu Group, wielding immense influence and having everything at his fingertips.
But in reality, his father had died young, his mother was frigid, and his grandfather wasn't close to him at all… "What are you thinking about?" Gu Yizhou looked at the young woman beside him, his brows furrowed, his expression one of deep compassion, which he found somewhat amusing. "You're not pitying me, are you?"
Su Mianmian's brows furrowed even more. She looked up, meeting Gu Yizhou's eyes, her tone serious. "Don't be afraid, you have me now. I'm family too, and I'll treat you well."
Gu Yizhou's slightly upturned lips froze, his calm eyes rippling as if a pebble had been thrown in. Looking at the slightly immature face before him, he momentarily felt a pang of illusion, the features slowly overlapping with those from a deep memory.
After a while, Gu Yizhou's smile deepened, and he reached out to ruffle Su Mianmian's fluffy hair. "I'll take you to see a little creature." Su Mianmian hadn't expected that the little creature Gu Yizhou was taking her to see was a blue and white British Shorthair kitten.
The little guy was only two months old, with round, soft, adorable eyes and a pink nose. It meowed incessantly whenever it saw Su Mianmian. Su Mianmian couldn't put it down. "What's its name? It's so cute."
Sunlight shone on the two fluffy little heads of the two, bathing them in a warm golden glow. Gu Yizhou, one hand in his pocket, watched quietly, when suddenly he heard a "click." Turning around, Gu Jingyu awkwardly stuck out her tongue, holding up her phone.
"Big brother, sister-in-law," Gu Yizhou said calmly, "What did you take a picture of?" Gu Jingyu turned her phone over to show him, "The scene of you and sister-in-law together just now was so beautiful, I couldn't resist taking a sneaky picture."
Gu Yizhou glanced at it, his thin lips parting slightly, "Send it to me."