Seeing Gu Yizhou again, Su Mianmian still thought of that kiss from earlier, silently clutching her nightgown. "It'll take forever to dry completely. I'm sleepy, I want to sleep. Let it dry on its own."
Gu Yizhou stepped forward, pulling her hand towards the bed. "Sleeping with wet hair will hurt your head. Lie down on the bed, I'll help you dry it."
Su Mianmian lay on the bed, her head resting on Gu Yizhou's lap, feeling the gentle warmth of the breeze on her head, and soon fell into a deep sleep. ...The next morning, Su Mianmian was groggily awakened by a phone ringing. She fumbled for her phone with her eyes still closed.
As soon as she answered, Song Zhi's ear-piercing scream came through. "Ah! Su Mianmian, I'm doomed, I'm doomed!" Su Mianmian's sleepiness was instantly banished, and she slightly moved the phone away. "Zhi Zhi, what's wrong with you so early in the morning?"
Song Zhi seemed to be walking around, the surroundings were quite noisy. "I can't believe it myself, I slept with Cheng Yuli last night, slept with him!" Slept with him? Su Mianmian was now truly awake. "What...what happened?"
Song Zhi was almost in tears. "Last night, after you and Gu Yizhou left, Tang Yunzheng left too, leaving only Cheng Yuli and me. He said he was feeling a bit down and asked me to have a few drinks with him. I thought you already have Mr. Z, and it's kind of pitiful that he's been secretly in love with you, so I figured it would be better to just tell him the truth.
So..." A thought flashed through Su Mianmian's mind, "So you went drinking again, and then you got drunk, and finally..." Song Zhi wailed, "Su Mianmian, this is my first time! My first time is for my future darling husband!"
Su Mianmian was worried. She got out of bed, barefoot, and headed towards the bathroom, but stopped abruptly as she passed the walk-in closet. She had been listening to Song Zhi's phone call and hadn't noticed there was someone else in the bedroom.
Gu Yizhou, wearing a gray crew-neck sweater and gold-rimmed glasses, was calmly watching her. The room was quiet, and with her phone ringing loudly, Gu Yizhou must have heard what Song Zhi had just said. Su Mianmian felt a little awkward.
Song Zhi was still sobbing on the other end, "Su Mianmian, I'm so miserable! My first man isn't even my beloved husband, and he's a guy who doesn't like me at all, but secretly loves my best friend!"
Su Mianmian pursed her lips, silently turned her back to Gu Yizhou, and asked in a low voice, "Zhi Zhi, how do you know Cheng Yuli doesn't like you? And where are you now? Where is Cheng Yuli?" Song Zhi snorted a few times, "Him? He's still at the hotel. He was sleeping like a log when I left!" Su Mianmian: ... "So what are you going to do? Should I come find you now?" "No!"
Song Zhi glanced at the rearview mirror of a car parked on the side of the road, only to see that her exposed skin was covered with ambiguous red marks. Song Zhi was so embarrassed she wanted to explode on the spot. How could she face anyone looking like this! "I've made up my mind. This is a secret between heaven, earth, you, and me. As for Cheng Yuli, I'll never admit it, even if you beat me to death. Su Mianmian, you shut your mouth too!" With that, she slammed down the phone.
Su Mianmian held the phone, her big toe twitching helplessly. Song Zhi's sudden turn of events was truly beyond her comprehension. As she bit her lip in thought, her eyes caught sight of Gu Yizhou moving and walking towards her.
The familiar scent of sandalwood drew near, and the memory of last night's kiss instantly flooded back. Su Mianmian reflexively took two steps back. Gu Yizhou didn't notice her small movement and went straight to the bedside to get her fluffy slippers.
"It's already late autumn; you can't walk barefoot on the floor." He said, squatting down and placing the slippers beside Su Mianmian's feet. Just as his hand touched her ankle, Su Mianmian flinched and pulled her foot away from his grasp. "I...I can do it myself."
Gu Yizhou looked up at Su Mianmian, noticing her evasive gaze and flushed cheeks. He smiled knowingly. "Then come out for breakfast after you've washed up." Su Mianmian said "Okay" and headed into the bathroom.
After closing the bathroom door, Su Mianmian covered her face with her hands and let out a deep breath. Oh no! Now, every time she sees Gu Yizhou, the image of him kissing her last night involuntarily flashes through her mind.
Then her cheeks turn red, her legs go weak, and she can't even look him in the eye. Su Mianmian wondered if this was a lingering effect of the kiss.
After dawdling through her shower, she picked out a pink mohair sweater and beige pencil pants, then looked at herself in the mirror before leaving the bedroom. Gu Yizhou was already sitting at the dining table waiting for her.
Just as Su Mianmian was about to walk to the chair opposite Gu Yizhou, Gu Yizhou gestured to the seat next to him, his voice gentle. "Come here, sit next to me." Su Mianmian gave an "Oh," then abruptly turned her toes and walked towards Gu Yizhou.
The two ate in silence, neither speaking. Gu Yizhou had a small appetite and ate little, quickly putting down his utensils. He wiped his mouth clean and watched Su Mianmian eat her sandwich. Her cheeks were round and full, her pink lips moving like a cute little squirrel.
Gu Yizhou handed her a glass of warm milk. "Eat slowly, no rush." Su Mianmian thanked him, took a few sips of milk, which spilled onto her lips, leaving a faint milk stain.
Gu Yizhou noticed and gently wiped it away with a tissue, his eyes gentle and focused. His fingertips inadvertently touched her lips, bringing a slight caress. Su Mianmian's face flushed again, uncontrollably.
"Um, about what I told you to explain last night..." Su Mianmian pursed her lips. "I didn't mean to accept Tang Yunzheng's flowers. He'd given me flowers many times at school before, and I always refused.
Last night, I treated them to dinner to thank them for their help with the rumors. Tang Yunzheng brought flowers and gave them to me in front of so many people, so I thought I'd accept them for now and explain things to him after dinner.
Then, during dinner, Zhizhi said she wanted to play games, and I didn't want to spoil their fun, so I played a few rounds and had a few drinks. And then... and then you came over." Su Mianmian kept her head down the whole time, like a schoolchild admitting their mistake.
Gu Yizhou looked at the small pink bow in her hair, his heart fluttering slightly. "You mean, Tang Yunzheng gave you flowers several times at school too?"
Su Mianmian nodded, thinking that Gu Yizhou really knew how to grasp the key points. She'd said so much, and he'd only remembered this one thing? With a "confess and you'll be treated leniently, resist and you'll be punished severely" attitude, Su Mianmian lowered her head even further. "Not just flowers, but also gifts."
She raised her head again before Gu Yizhou could erupt, "However, I've kept all the gifts; I'll return them to him later." Gu Yizhou hummed in agreement, his expression unreadable for the moment. "Then who is this Mr. Z you mentioned to Song Zhi on the phone earlier?"
Su Mianmian blinked her dark eyes. "Mr. Z is you, the initial of 'Zhou.' Because you sent me pastries from Yixin Pavilion last time, Zhizhi has been very curious about you, and I didn't want to tell her your true identity, so…" Gu Yizhou took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, "So, I've now gone from being your secret husband to someone who doesn't even deserve a name, Mr. Z."
Gu Yizhou's tone was calm and even, but Su Mianmian could hear the deep resentment in his words. She lowered her head deeply, helplessly twisting her two delicate white fingers. Seeing this, Gu Yizhou reached out and gently lifted her chin. His alluring eyes seemed to pierce through Su Mianmian's gaze, looking straight into her heart. "Mianmian, I've sacrificed so much, won't you consider comforting me?"