Gu Yizhou was sleeping soundly when, quite unexpectedly, Su Mianmian landed a sharp slap right on his chest. Instantly, all traces of sleepiness vanished. "Mianmian, it's the crack of dawn—are you trying to murder your own husband?" Su Mianmian's face flushed crimson in an instant.
She sat up in bed, looking at the groggy Gu Yizhou—who was clutching his chest—with a look of deep remorse. "I'm so sorry! I was having a nightmare." Gu Yizhou sat up as well, watching Su Mianmian with an amused expression. "A nightmare about getting into a fight?"
Su Mianmian gazed at the handsome face before her; recalling how, in her dream, his clothes had been stained crimson with blood while he remained utterly silent, her heart gave a painful clench. "Uh... I suppose so." Gu Yizhou ruffled her hair gently. "It's still early; why don't you go back to sleep for a little while?"
Su Mianmian shook her head. "No, I won't go back to sleep. I need to head to school a bit early today." This marked the very first time Su Mianmian and Gu Yizhou had woken up at the same time. Standing side-by-side at the bathroom sink to brush their teeth, they both felt a sense of something rather magical.
Su Mianmian stole glances at Gu Yizhou; his skin was quite fair—and remarkably smooth. Without his glasses, Gu Yizhou exuded a softer aura, shedding that usual "keep-your-distance" aloofness he typically projected. His long, narrow eyes possessed a striking clarity—the whites distinct against the black of his irises—and his double eyelids featured a deep crease that was perfectly proportioned.
After washing his face, Gu Yizhou caught a glimpse in the mirror of the young girl stealing glances at him. The corners of his thin lips curved upward slightly; choosing not to call her out on it, his large hand—still wrapped in gauze—reached out to playfully flick the bunny-ear headband Su Mianmian was wearing. "Would you do me a favor and shave my face?"
Su Mianmian hurriedly spat out the toothpaste foam in her mouth and gave her face a thorough rinse; her bright, clear eyes held a hint of endearing goofiness. "How do I do that? I don't know how to shave." Gu Yizhou smiled. "I'll teach you."
He scooped Su Mianmian up with one arm, lifting her to sit on the edge of the sink counter. He found his shaving cream and showed her how to apply it, then walked her through the proper technique for using a razor. Su Mianmian held the razor in her small hands, her face etched with intense concentration.
Beneath the strokes of the razor, the snowy-white, dense foam was swept away in clean, neat rows. Finally, Su Mianmian took a towel and carefully cleaned Gu Yizhou's face once more. Gazing at Gu Yizhou's clean chin and the perfect curve of his jawline, she thought to herself: *Turns out shaving isn't all that hard after all.*
Satisfied with her work, Su Mianmian looked up—only to find herself caught completely off guard by the smiling depths of Gu Yizhou's eyes. She instinctively leaned back, asking, "W-what are you smiling at?"
Gu Yizhou leaned forward, pressing the tip of his nose against hers. "I'm smiling because our Mianmian is so clever—she masters things the moment she learns them. So, I want to give you a reward." Their breaths mingled, and Su Mianmian's senses were filled with the scent of shaving lotion.
Su Mianmian sensed that something was amiss—especially when, as he spoke, his thin lips brushed ever so faintly against hers, like the soft flutter of a feather. Acting on pure instinct, she pushed Gu Yizhou away, clamped her hand over her mouth, and mumbled through her fingers, "Let me down! I don't want a reward!" *The little bunny has gotten smart.*
*Though... that just makes her even cuter.* Gu Yizhou smiled and reached into his pocket, pulling out a piece of candy. "I had someone bring this candy back specifically from abroad. Are you sure you don't want it?" ...Walking along the paths of A University's campus, Su Mianmian felt increasingly mortified the more she thought about it.
*What on earth was that?* She had thought Gu Yizhou was about to kiss her, only for him to suddenly pull out a piece of candy instead. It made her look utterly ridiculous—standing there with her hand clamped over her mouth, wearing an expression of total defensiveness!
While Su Mianmian was still wallowing in her embarrassment, she spotted Song Zhi and Cheng Yuli in the distance, seemingly deep in conversation. After Cheng Yuli finished speaking, he turned and walked away. Song Zhi, left standing alone, began punching the air and kicking her legs toward Cheng Yuli's retreating figure; she looked absolutely furious.
Su Mianmian had never seen anyone manage to provoke Song Zhi to such an extent before. It seemed Cheng Yuli really was her nemesis. "Zhi-Zhi, what are you doing? Why the long face so early in the morning?" Song Zhi turned around, and upon seeing Su Mianmian, her expression crumpled even further. "Mianmian, let me tell you—that guy, Cheng Yuli, is a total jerk! So what if I slept with him? It was a first for both of us; neither of us took advantage of the other. Why did he have to show up at my doorstep and demand that I take responsibility for him?" Su Mianmian's lips parted slightly. "He actually wants you to take responsibility?
What exactly does that entail?" Song Zhi blew a frustrated breath at the bangs on her forehead. "He says his mom set him up with a girlfriend, and he wants me to help him—to convince the girl to back off." "That's it?"
Su Mianmian let out a sigh of relief; she had thought Cheng Yuli was demanding that Song Zhi marry him on the spot. "Zhizhi, surely that's not too difficult for you, is it?" Song Zhi's lips twitched. "Not difficult? I have to pretend to be his girlfriend! Think of the damage that does to my reputation!"
"Even though I'm not exactly a 'pure maiden' anymore, I've honestly never been in a relationship before. If I go around with a fake boyfriend by my side like this, what handsome guy is ever going to dare to pursue me?" Su Mianmian rolled her eyes playfully. "There is another option, Zhizhi: you could turn the fake into reality! Cheng Yuli is handsome and smart; once you two graduate, he's practically guaranteed to become a top-tier lawyer." "Oh, thank you so much,"
Song Zhi said, rolling her eyes. "It's true that Cheng Yuli is handsome, but he's absolutely not my type. Unless every other man on earth drops dead, there's no way I'd ever be interested in him."
As she finished speaking, Song Zhi spotted a small pebble on the ground and, venting her frustration, kicked it away with all her might. The very next second, a balding male teacher let out a yelp of pain, clutching his backside. "Who? Who's pulling pranks behind my back? Step forward right now!"
…Meanwhile, at the Gu family's ancestral estate. Butler Jiang led Gu Yizhou through the winding courtyards. "Young Master, what brings you back so early today?" Gu Yizhou's expression remained calm, and his stride was steady. "I came back to check on my mother."
Butler Jiang sighed. The Young Master truly was a filial son; he had returned just yesterday covered in injuries inflicted by his mother, yet here he was again, bright and early this morning, still worried about her and coming to visit. "The First Madam is doing much better; she managed to eat a little solid food last night, and she ate a proper meal again this morning." Gu Yizhou gave a noncommittal "Mm," offering no further comment. As he reached the entrance to Xiao Ying's private quarters, his footsteps paused briefly. Butler Jiang, understanding the cue, bowed slightly, turned, and withdrew. Gu Yizhou knocked twice on the door. A maidservant opened it; upon seeing that it was Gu Yizhou, she immediately curtsied. "First Young Master." Just as she was about to announce his arrival to Xiao Ying, Gu Yizhou walked straight into the room. Xiao Ying was reading Buddhist scriptures; hearing the sound of footsteps, and assuming it was the maidservant, she asked, "Who has come calling so early in the morning?" Gu Yizhou replied in a low, steady voice, "It is I." Xiao Ying's slender brows furrowed; without even lifting her head, she continued turning the pages of her scriptures. "Who gave you permission to enter? Get out!" Gu Yizhou remained neither servile nor arrogant. "Rest assured, once I've said my piece, I will leave immediately. From now on—even if you were to beg me—I would not come here to see you again." It was rare for Gu Yizhou to speak to Xiao Ying in such a tone. Xiao Ying slowly raised her head, her gaze tinged with a hint of lingering resentment. "She told you, then?" Gu Yizhou placed the wooden box he was holding onto the table. "She is my wife; she keeps nothing from me." Gu Yizhou placed particular emphasis on those four words—"my wife"—as if to remind Xiao Ying of something. Hearing this, Xiao Ying's frown indeed deepened, and the words she spoke were laden with bitter grievance. "If Yichen were still alive, she would not be your wife." Gu Yizhou's expression remained utterly unruffled. "As you said yourself: *if*. But alas, there are no 'ifs' in this world. In the space designated for 'Spouse' on Su Mianmian's records, the name currently written is mine—Gu Yizhou. And for the rest of her life, for the rest of *our* lives, those three characters are the only ones that will ever appear there." Xiao Ying trembled with rage at his words; she raised her hand to slap Gu Yizhou, but he intercepted her arm mid-swing. Xiao Ying stared in disbelief, clenching her teeth tightly. "You... you truly have lost all sense of propriety!" Gu Yizhou held fast to Xiao Ying's wrist—a wrist as frail and withered as dry bone—refusing to let go. "For all these years, you've bullied me, and I've accepted it—because I am your son. Even though neither of us wishes to admit it, it is a reality no one can change. But if you dare bully Su Mianmian—let this be a warning to you: don't even think about it—not in this lifetime!"
Having delivered his ultimatum, Gu Yizhou violently shook off Xiao Ying's hand, rose to his feet, and walked out. The moment he stepped through the doorway, the jarring sound of shattering objects rang out behind him, accompanied by Xiao Ying's venomous curses. "Gu Yizhou, the one who deserves to die is *you*!"
"You are the one who caused the deaths of your father and your younger brother!" "Now that they are both gone, what right do *you* have to go on living so well? What right do you have to even think about getting married and having children?!"
Listening to this torrent of abuse, Gu Yizhou's expression remained utterly unperturbed—as if the person being cursed and reviled were not him at all. Passing through the front hall, Gu Yizhou stepped inside to pay his respects to the Old Master. The Old Master was sipping his morning tea; upon seeing Gu Yizhou, his expression betrayed no particular surprise.
"Coming over first thing in the morning to confront your mother—what exactly did she do to your wife yesterday?"