Gu Jingyu casually plucked a hibiscus blossom, absentmindedly turning it over in the palm of his hand.
"Ever since Eldest Brother and Second Brother began living apart, Second Brother's health actually improved somewhat compared to before. Our Eldest Aunt was absolutely delighted—so much so that when Second Brother turned eighteen, she went out of her way to throw a birthday banquet specifically for him." *A birthday banquet held exclusively for Gu Yichen?*
But the two brothers shared the exact same birthday; by what right could Xiao Ying be so blatantly biased? Su Mianmian clenched her fists in indignation, yet she didn't want to interrupt Gu Jingyu's story.
"According to my mother, that birthday banquet was precisely where the trouble began. On that day, the house was filled with friends who had come to celebrate Second Brother's birthday. Eldest Aunt had specifically instructed Eldest Brother to stay confined to his own room and forbade him from stepping out."
"But for some unknown reason, Eldest Brother suddenly appeared at Second Brother's banquet that day—and even ended up getting into an argument with Second Brother over a piece of cake."
"In truth, it was nothing more than a brief verbal spat, and Second Brother seemed perfectly fine at the time. Yet, just a few days later, Second Brother's health began to deteriorate once again."
"Eldest Aunt became convinced that Eldest Brother's presence at the banquet had triggered Second Brother's relapse. She stormed into Eldest Brother's room and gave him a brutal thrashing."
"I heard that the bamboo switch she used lashed against Eldest Brother's back until his clothes were stained crimson with blood. Eventually, Grandfather could no longer bear to watch; he purchased a separate property elsewhere and had Eldest Brother move out of the ancestral home. Only then did the household finally find some peace."
"Eldest Brother lived away from home for two years, never once returning to the ancestral residence during that entire period. Yet, Second Brother's health continued to go from bad to worse. When it became clear that Second Brother was nearing his end, Eldest Aunt tracked down Eldest Brother's whereabouts and demanded that he distance himself even further from Second Brother."
Su Mianmian's eyes welled up until the rims were bright red. "So... that's why Gu Yizhou left the country all alone—and stayed away for seven whole years?" Gu Jingyu nodded. "But what good did it do? Less than six months after Eldest Brother left, Second Brother passed away anyway. All that talk about their horoscopes clashing—it was nothing but utter nonsense!"
As a mother, she had blindly lent an ear to malicious gossip, using a completely unverified pretext to ruthlessly torment her own flesh-and-blood son for twenty long years! Su Mianmian had grown up under the loving care and protection of her parents; witnessing Xiao Ying's physical and verbal abuse of Gu Yizhou earlier that day, she had assumed she was seeing the cruelest mother in the world. But now, having listened to Gu Jingyu's words, she realized she had merely glimpsed the tip of the iceberg!
No wonder Gu Yizhou always wore such a distant, detached expression whenever he returned to the ancestral home; no wonder he had forbidden her from accompanying him on the anniversary of Gu Yichen's death. He had known exactly what would unfold, and—from start to finish—he had wanted to spare her from getting entangled in the complex affairs of the Gu family estate.
…On the drive back, Su Mianmian kept replaying Gu Jingyu's words in her mind. Her slender brows were tightly knitted together, and her expression was one of deep distress. Feeling a warm hand gently stroking the top of her head, Su Mianmian looked up, meeting Gu Yizhou's eyes—eyes as dark and deep as ink.
"What's wrong? You've been looking so down ever since we left the ancestral home." Su Mianmian blinked slowly, suddenly recalling the incident when Gu Yizhou had struck Tang Yunzheng. At the time, Gu Yizhou had asked her if she was trying to shield Tang Yunzheng.
Until today, Su Mianmian had assumed Gu Yizhou's outburst of anger stemmed solely from his possessiveness over her.
But now, she believed the truth might be that Gu Yizhou suffered from a profound lack of inner security—a deep-seated insecurity born of being abandoned in childhood, and of always being the one left unchosen in the eyes of Xiao Ying. A sharp, aching pang of sorrow suddenly spread through Su Mianmian's heart.
Her eyes slowly began to well up with glistening tears. "Gu Yizhou… regarding the matter with Tang Yunzheng, I want to offer you my sincere and solemn apology right now. I never should have defended another man right there in front of you."
"And one more thing I want to tell you: please, trust me. From this day forward—no matter what happens—I promise to stand firmly and unwaveringly by your side." Su Mianmian had suddenly become quite sentimental, and that final declaration of hers sounded—to an outsider's ears, at least—a little baffling. Gu Yizhou, a man of such keen perception, pondered for a moment before furrowing his brows. "Did Gu Jingyu say something to you?"
Su Mianmian nodded, and as she did, tears dripped onto Gu Yizhou's leg. Though separated by a layer of fabric, the tears seemed to seep deep into his heart, burning him so intensely that his heart gave a violent jolt. Su Mianmian's soft, delicate voice was thick with emotion.
"I know everything about what happened between you and Gu Yichen. The reason your mother treats you so poorly is simply that she's foolish; she's completely blind to all the kindness you've shown her. But you mustn't hurt yourself for the sake of someone who doesn't care about you at all."
Gu Yizhou couldn't quite articulate the emotions swirling within him at that moment. The young girl standing before him, earnestly lecturing him, still possessed an air of childlike innocence. She was, by nature, a timid little kitten—yet earlier that day, for his sake, she had bared her tiny, sharp fangs at Xiao Ying.
The image of her spreading her arms wide to shield him, standing protectively behind her—Gu Yizhou felt certain he would cherish that memory for the rest of his life. In that moment, Gu Yizhou yearned to pull Su Mianmian into a tight, fierce embrace.
But in the end, he merely raised his hand to gently wipe the tears from Su Mianmian's cheeks. "Alright, I'll do exactly as you say. From now on, I won't let myself get hurt again." Su Mianmian sniffled; the heavy knot of sorrow in her heart finally began to dissipate.
Glancing at a roadside sign, Su Mianmian whispered a reminder, "This doesn't look like the way back to school." Gu Yizhou gave a soft "Mm." "I've taken the day off anyway, so we'll just head back to Yuejing Tiancheng tonight." Su Mianmian protested, "I have an 8:00 AM class tomorrow! I can't be late."
Gu Yizhou took Su Mianmian's small hand in his. "I'll take you to school tomorrow—I guarantee you won't be late." He then gestured toward his own hand, which was wrapped in gauze. "The doctor said I can't get my hand wet. If you come back with me, you can at least help me out a little."
With him having put it that way, what reason did Su Mianmian have left to refuse? She let out a quiet sigh, then leaned against the windowpane, watching the raindrops trace winding paths down the glass. "Mianmian." Gu Yizhou suddenly called her name.
Su Mianmian turned to face him; her eyes, still glistening from her recent tears, held a look of pure, crystal-clear clarity. "What?" Gu Yizhou curled his lips. "Aside from taking you to the ancestral shrine to burn incense for my younger brother today, did my mother say anything else?" Su Mianmian's eyes darted around nervously.
"No... nothing else." Gu Yizhou watched her silently, saying nothing himself; yet, his gaze was so penetrating that Su Mianmian felt her current attempts at concealment were completely transparent—only serving to draw more attention to what she was hiding. Sure enough, nothing could be kept from him.
Unable to hold out for even five seconds, Su Mianmian's shoulders slumped in defeat. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a quaint, antique-looking wooden box. "Alright, she also gave me a jade pendant, saying it was a wedding gift for us."
Gu Yizhou gazed at the intricately patterned wooden box resting in Su Mianmian's palm, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. "When Grandpa asked you about it earlier, why didn't you mention it?" Su Mianmian lowered her head even further. "Your mother told me not to tell anyone."
Upon hearing this, a trace of cold severity hardened Gu Yizhou's already solemn expression. "Did the 'anyone' she mentioned include me?" Su Mianmian nodded. "She said that when it comes to gift-giving, the sentiment is what matters; there's no need to make it public knowledge."
Gu Yizhou took a deep breath and accepted the wooden box from Su Mianmian's hands. His long, distinct fingers lifted the lid; he took a single glance inside, then immediately closed it, cradling the box in his own palm. "You cannot accept this item. In a few days, I will return it on your behalf."
Su Mianmian nodded. In truth, she herself had only taken a cursory glance at the jade pendant when Xiao Ying first handed it to her, noting only that it appeared to be of exceptionally high quality. "It certainly does seem quite valuable. In that case, please do return it for me."
As she spoke, Su Mianmian suddenly remembered something. "Or perhaps I should go return it personally? I'm worried that if she gets upset, she might end up taking her anger out on you again." Gu Yizhou gently ruffled the top of Su Mianmian's head. "Have you forgotten?
I just promised you that I wouldn't let myself get hurt again—and I fully intend to keep that promise." ...Gu Yizhou's hand was wrapped in bandages, making it indeed quite inconvenient for him to do anything. When it came time for his shower, Su Mianmian went out of her way to find him a waterproof glove to wear, even carefully securing the opening with a rubber band.
As it turned out, however—when Gu Yizhou emerged from the shower—water had somehow managed to seep inside the glove anyway, soaking the gauze underneath. As for the bandage on his forehead? That, naturally, went without saying.
Su Mianmian fetched the medicine kit; once she had laid out the ointment, gauze, and antiseptic swabs, she walked over to Gu Yizhou's side. He was seated on the sofa, clad in a black silk bathrobe.
His collar hung slightly open; as Su Mianmian peeled back the gauze from his forehead, a mere downward glance revealed the subtle contours of his pectoral muscles beneath the neckline. Su Mianmian felt a sudden flush rise to her face, and the movements of her hands faltered.
The gauze had stuck slightly to the wound, causing Gu Yizhou to wince and furrow his brows. "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry—I didn't mean to do that," Su Mianmian apologized profusely, gently blowing on the wound on his forehead as she spoke.
Her warm, fragrant breath drifted across Gu Yizhou's brow, yet the sensation seemed to tickle deep within his heart. He remained seated while Su Mianmian stood over him; his gaze was fixed directly upon the pattern of pink strawberries adorning her pajamas—and the gentle rise and fall of her chest beneath them.
Gu Yizhou's Adam's apple bobbed, and a sudden wave of intense heat surged through his entire body.