"Mianmian," Gu Yizhou called out to her, his voice husky and resonant. Su Mianmian murmured, "Hm?" Upon seeing the wound on Gu Yizhou's forehead, her brows furrowed deeply. "That cut is so deep. Your mother looks so frail—where on earth did she find such strength?" Receiving no reply from the man, Su Mianmian stepped back slightly and lowered her gaze to look at Gu Yizhou's face.
"Why did you call me just now?" Gu Yizhou's eyes lingered for a moment on Su Mianmian's soft, rosy lips. Although he genuinely felt an urge to do something—to act on his feelings for her—he was afraid of shattering the quiet serenity of the moment. "It was nothing; I just wanted to ask you to be a little gentler with your hands."
Su Mianmian murmured, "Oh," and picked up a cotton swab once more to disinfect the area around the wound. Her movements were indeed gentler this time; as the antiseptic was applied, a cool, soothing sensation spread across his skin. Once the bandage on his forehead had been replaced, Su Mianmian knelt down by Gu Yizhou's feet to tend to the wounds on his hands.
Gu Yizhou gazed down at the crown of Su Mianmian's head—at her soft, jet-black hair—watching as her small, fair, and delicate hands gently cradled his own large ones. From the depths of his memory, a scene from the past suddenly overlapped with the reality before him. "Big brother, why are you sad?"
"Whenever I'm sad, I love eating yummy treats. Oh! I still have two candies in my pocket—how about I share one with you?" That small, childlike hand had reached out to cup his own, placing a colorful piece of candy right into his palm.
"Here, eat it. Once you've finished it, you won't be sad anymore." That little girl, too, had a head of glossy, jet-black hair—though hers was adorned with two butterfly-shaped hair clips, the crystals on them catching the sunlight and refracting a kaleidoscope of colors.
Gu Yizhou reached out his other hand and gently stroked the top of Su Mianmian's head. "Mianmian, how about I get you a pair of butterfly hair clips?" Su Mianmian had just finished tending to his hands and was in the process of packing away the first-aid kit; hearing his words, she didn't even lift her head.
"No way! I'm already a junior in college—wearing butterfly clips would be way too childish." Gu Yizhou's chest vibrated slightly as he let out a soft chuckle. "That's true. My Mianmian has truly grown up." *His* Mianmian? Su Mianmian's face suddenly flushed crimson.
Using the pretext of sending a message to Song Zhi, she quietly escaped the intimate atmosphere. "ZhiZhi, I won't be heading back to school tonight; don't wait up for me." Song Zhi replied almost instantly. First came a mischievous meme. Then, messages flooded in one after another.
"Student Su Mianmian, don't tell me you've run off to fool around with Mr. Z again?" "By the way, did you manage to smooth things over with Mr. Z?" "Spill the details! What method did you end up using?" *Did* she smooth things over?
Su Mianmian looked up at Gu Yizhou, who was sitting on the sofa playing with Tangtang; his features were gentle and mild, and the corners of his lips even curved into a faint, subtle smile. "I suppose you could say I did." "What do you mean, 'suppose'?" "Su Mianmian, your attitude is seriously problematic!"
"Did you actually use the method I told you about? Since you two are together right now, you need to turn on the charm—act cute, be coquettish—pull out all the stops!"
Seeing that Su Mianmian wasn't replying, Song Zhi grew anxious and bombarded her with a chaotic flurry of memes. Su Mianmian simply ignored them and sent back a single line: "ZhiZhi, you seem awfully idle—did Cheng Yuli not come looking for you today?"
Sure enough, the moment that message went through, things on Song Zhi's end went completely silent—quiet as a mouse. Su Mianmian smiled as she set her phone down, turning her gaze toward the pair—one human, one cat—on the sofa. She reached out her hand and called out, "Tangtang."
In the past, whenever Su Mianmian called Tangtang's name, the cat would invariably stretch languidly, strut over with its graceful feline gait, and obediently let Su Mianmian pet it.
But now, Tangtang merely lifted its noble head ever so slightly, let out a soft "meow," and then settled right back down onto Gu Yizhou's lap. Su Mianmian let out a puzzled "Huh?" and, looking suspicious, rummaged through the coffee table to find a cat treat stick; she tore it open and held it out to entice Tangtang.
"Tangtang, do you want a treat? Come over to big sister, won't you?" This time, Tangtang didn't even bother lifting its head; instead, it let out a rumbling purr of pure bliss as Gu Yizhou continued to stroke it. *What the heck!* It had only been a few days since Gu Yizhou started looking after the cat!
Su Mianmian had to admit it: she was jealous, and her cheeks puffed out slightly in a pout. "You little rascal, Tangtang! What is the meaning of this? How dare you ignore me!"
Gu Yizhou's lips curled into a slight smile as he ruffled the top of Tangtang's head. "Why don't you move back here from school? Otherwise, as time goes on, Tangtang's affection for you is bound to fade." *How could that be?*
After all, back when Tangtang was being raised at the Su family home, she had only gone back once a week herself—yet Tangtang had never once refused to acknowledge her. After thinking it over, Su Mianmian quickly reached a conclusion. "Gu Yizhou, have you been feeding it delicious treats every single day?
Otherwise, how could it have been bought off by you so quickly?" The curve of Gu Yizhou's lips widened even further. "You entrusted Tangtang to me, so naturally, I have to take good care of it." He paused, his narrow, almond-shaped eyes turning toward Su Mianmian. "If you move back in, I'll make you delicious meals every day, too."
Su Mianmian's rosy lips parted in astonishment; was that really what she had been implying? She had simply felt that Gu Yizhou was being *too* good to Tangtang—so good that the dog no longer felt a strong bond with *her*. Yet, the way Gu Yizhou had twisted her words, it suddenly sounded as if she were jealous of Tangtang!
"Fine, I'm done with both of you! I'm going to bed!" Su Mianmian stormed into the bedroom, huffily threw back the covers, and lay down on the bed. Just as she was tossing and turning, the bedroom door opened, and Gu Yizhou walked in after her. As the door closed behind him, the mattress beside her slowly dipped under his weight.
The familiar scent of sandalwood drifted into her nostrils. Su Mianmian, who had just been huffing and sulking in frustration, instantly felt the atmosphere turn somewhat—delicate. "Are you angry?" Gu Yizhou's low, husky voice drifted over from behind her. Su Mianmian clutched the blanket tightly with her small hands, biting her lip as she remained silent.
"If you're really that upset, then I'll just have Gao Ze come over to take care of Tangtang from now on. How does that sound?" That wasn't what Su Mianmian meant at all; she whipped around to face him. "I never said you shouldn't be nice to Tangtang!"
Their eyes met, and a hint of playful teasing flickered within the depths of Gu Yizhou's dark gaze. "Then what *did* you mean?" It dawned on Su Mianmian a moment too late: they were standing far too close to one another right now—a proximity that inadvertently brought to mind *that* kiss—the one that had left her blushing and her heart pounding wildly. A sudden wave of heat surged through her entire body. She averted her gaze imperceptibly, her voice unconsciously dropping to a lower tone. "I meant that you shouldn't feed Tangtang until he gets too fat. He doesn't like exercising as it is, and being overweight isn't good for his health."
Gu Yizhou let out a soft "Mm." "I understand. From now on, I'll only be good to you—and only you, Mianmian." How had the conversation circled back to that again? Su Mianmian felt that Gu Yizhou was deliberately twisting her words! "Can we turn off the lights? I want to go to sleep."
Gu Yizhou smiled, fumbling for the remote control on his bedside table before switching off the bedroom lights. The entire room was plunged into darkness, yet Gu Yizhou's presence felt even more palpable; Su Mianmian could even feel the warm breath he exhaled brushing against her face. Just as she was about to turn away, Gu Yizhou's low, hushed voice reached her ears.
"Mianmian, could you give me a hug?" Su Mianmian blinked her dark, luminous eyes. Then she heard Gu Yizhou continue, "Just a simple hug—nothing else." Su Mianmian bit her lip; the last time, he had claimed he only wanted a goodnight kiss—and look how that turned out!
"Mianmian, I'm really happy that you came to the old estate to keep me company today." At the mention of the "old estate," Su Mianmian was immediately reminded of the past—of how Gu Yizhou had been bullied by Xiao Ying—and her heart softened instantly. "Really? Just a hug?"
Gu Yizhou murmured another "Mm," yet in that simple sound, Su Mianmian detected a faint note of vulnerability—almost a plea for pity. She scooted closer to Gu Yizhou—inching forward once, then again—before slowly reaching out her small hands to wrap them around his firm waist.
The moment their skin touched, Su Mianmian felt her entire face flush crimson with heat. Resisting the urge to pull her hands back, she circled her arms around his waist, embracing him completely.
Her head rested against Gu Yizhou's chest, allowing her to hear the strong, steady rhythm of his heartbeat with crystal clarity—*thump, thump, thump*. Su Mianmian felt as though her eardrums were on the verge of bursting from the sheer intensity of those beats.
She held Gu Yizhou like that for about five or six seconds, until finally, Su Mianmian decided that was enough. Just as she was about to retreat, a large hand settled against the small of her back, drawing her close and nestling her into a broad, warm embrace. The very next second, a kiss landed softly upon the crown of her head. "Aren't you sleepy? Go to sleep now—be a good girl."
That night, Su Mianmian did not sleep soundly. In her dream, she seemed to find herself at the old Gu family estate, where she saw a young Gu Yizhou kneeling on the ground, his back held rigidly straight. Behind him stood Xiao Ying, wielding a bamboo switch and lashing it against his back—blow after blow.
The bamboo switch struck Gu Yizhou's back—clad only in a white shirt—leaving behind a series of hideous, ghastly welts. Su Mianmian's heart ached with unbearable anguish; rushing toward Gu Yizhou, she cried out, "Gu Yizhou! Didn't you promise me that you wouldn't let anyone hurt you ever again?
"Why didn't you dodge when she hit you?" Yet, Gu Yizhou seemed deaf to her pleas, turning a blind eye to her frantic cries. Helpless, Su Mianmian turned instead to push Xiao Ying away; she shoved several times, but her hands passed right through—unable to make contact with Xiao Ying's body.
Panic surged through Su Mianmian; summoning all her strength, she gave a sudden, forceful shove. Finally, her hands met with solid resistance—and at that very instant, a muffled, stifled groan reached her ears. Su Mianmian jolted awake from her dream!