Gu Yizhou walked over to the Old Master, took a seat opposite him, and poured himself a cup of tea. After taking a sip, his thin lips parted slightly.
"She gave Mianmian the personal jade pendant that Gu Yichen wore when he was alive." The Old Master's hand, clutching his teacup, trembled; tea spilled over and scalded the back of his hand, yet he remained completely oblivious. "What is she trying to do?"
Gu Yizhou's well-defined fingers slowly rotated his teacup. "Grandfather, I came here solely to inform you: no matter what she intends to do, if she causes Mianmian any harm—from this day forward—I will disown her." Having delivered his message, Gu Yizhou turned and walked straight out.
The Old Master stared blankly at his retreating figure for a long while before instructing Butler Jiang, "Keep a close watch on the First Madam lately; don't let her do anything foolish." ...Concerned that Gu Yizhou's wound might need its bandages changed, Su Mianmian headed straight home from school that evening.
Unexpectedly, Gu Yizhou was not at home. After playing with Tangtang alone for a while, and noticing that it was getting late, Su Mianmian went to the bedroom to take a shower.
She had just wrapped herself in a bath towel and was blow-drying her hair when Song Zhi called, urgently asking Su Mianmian to snap photos of her class notes from that day and send them over. Thinking that taking a few photos would take no more than two minutes, Su Mianmian didn't give it much thought.
However, just as she rushed out to the living room, finished taking the photos, and sent them to Song Zhi, she heard a faint sound coming from the direction of the study. Before she could even react, the study door was suddenly pulled open from the inside.
Immediately following, a stream of five or six men and women—all dressed in formal business attire and wearing solemn expressions—filed out. The moment they caught sight of Su Mianmian, their footsteps froze in unison. A single thought flashed through all their minds: Had their CEO Gu—a man usually known for his utter indifference toward women—actually been *keeping a mistress*?
Gao Ze emerged from the back of the group; seeing everyone standing in the hallway, he looked somewhat bewildered. "Why is everyone just standing here?" As the words left his lips, his gaze cut through the crowd and landed upon Su Mianmian—wrapped in a bath towel, hair still dripping wet, and standing there utterly dumbfounded. "Madam!"
Gao Ze exclaimed in astonishment. Only then did Su Mianmian finally snap back to reality. With a startled cry of "Ah!", she clutched the bath towel at her chest and, in a panicked scramble, darted behind the sofa to hide. *Mrs.? President Gu is married? Since when?*
The executives exchanged glances in unison; before they could even make sense of the situation, a tall figure strode swiftly past them.
Hearing Su Mianmian's startled cry from outside, Gu Yizhou rushed out. He crossed the living room in a few long strides and immediately spotted Su Mianmian hiding behind the sofa—trembling like a frightened rabbit, the corners of her eyes flushed crimson.
His gaze then fell upon the large expanse of snow-white skin she had left exposed, and his brows furrowed tightly in displeasure. "Gao Ze, escort the executives out," Gu Yizhou commanded in a cold voice. Without even turning his head, he took a few quick steps toward Su Mianmian, took off his suit jacket, and wrapped it around her.
Behind them, the sound of hurried, scrambling footsteps faded away, followed immediately by the loud *bang* of the front door slamming shut. Once the house had fallen completely silent, Gu Yizhou gently patted Su Mianmian's back in a soothing gesture. "It's alright now. Don't be afraid; they've all left."
Su Mianmian buried her face against Gu Yizhou's chest, her eyes welling up with tears from sheer embarrassment. Her voice trembled with a tearful catch. "When did you guys come in? How did I not hear a thing?"
Gu Yizhou hadn't expected Su Mianmian to come home today. Since he had a bandage on his forehead, it was inconvenient for him to go into the office; as luck would have it, a crucial meeting was scheduled, so he had simply asked Gao Ze to bring the executives to his home instead. He never imagined such an unexpected mishap would occur.
He pressed a kiss to the crown of Su Mianmian's head. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you were coming back today; otherwise, I wouldn't have had them come over to the house." He tilted his head to catch a glimpse of Su Mianmian's face, but she wouldn't let him look, burying her head even deeper against his chest.
It was simply too mortifying. The mere thought of having been seen by so many people while wrapped only in a bath towel made Su Mianmian feel on the verge of tears. And indeed, the tears began to flow. As Gu Yizhou felt the front of his shirt grow damp against his skin, his heart filled with a mixture of tender concern and deep self-reproach. "There, there. Let me carry you inside so you can get dressed and I can dry your hair—how does that sound?" Gu Yizhou said, scooping up Su Mianmian, who was still crouching on the floor, and heading toward the bedroom. After gently setting Su Mianmian down on the sofa inside the walk-in closet, Gu Yizhou stepped back out. A good while passed, yet Su Mianmian still hadn't emerged.
Gu Yizhou called out from the other side of the door, "Mianmian?" Su Mianmian had actually finished changing ages ago, but feeling terribly embarrassed, she had been too shy to step out. Hearing Gu Yizhou call her name, she curled up even tighter, tucking her head further into her knees. "Mianmian, may I come in and dry your hair for you?"
Su Mianmian remained silent. Gu Yizhou waited a few more seconds, then—hair dryer in hand—he walked inside. Su Mianmian looked so small and fragile, huddled deep within the cushions of the sofa; she looked utterly pitiful. Gu Yizhou said nothing; holding the hair dryer in one hand, he used the other to gently comb through Su Mianmian's long hair.
Once her hair was nearly dry, Gu Yizhou crouched down in front of Su Mianmian and gently stroked her cheek. "Did you have any dinner tonight?" Su Mianmian nodded, her voice barely a whisper. "I ate at school." "Is there anything else you'd like to eat, then?"
"Like some pastries from Yixin Pavilion, or maybe some ice cream?" Su Mianmian's large, dewy eyes lit up ever so slightly. "But... didn't you say I wasn't allowed to eat ice cream?" Gu Yizhou's chest gave a soft rumble as he let out a low chuckle. "I'll make an exception just for today; I'll let you have some this one time."
Su Mianmian recalled how, the last time Gu Yizhou had forbidden her from eating ice cream, he had acted with such righteous conviction—she had truly believed she would never be allowed to eat ice cream again for the rest of her life. It seemed he wasn't quite as strictly principled as he let on, after all.
Noticing the conflicted expression on Su Mianmian's face, Gu Yizhou raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter? You don't want any?" Su Mianmian pursed her lips. "I'm just torn between flavors—I can't decide whether to have strawberry or chocolate." The smile on Gu Yizhou's lips deepened. "In that case... have both."
...It turned out his little bunny was actually quite easy to coax. Watching the young girl eat—taking spoonful after spoonful with obvious delight—Gu Yizhou finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was usually composed in the face of any situation, but the sight of her teary eyes just now left him momentarily at a loss for what to do.
"Mianmian, why did you come back so suddenly today? Did you forget something at home?" Only then did Su Mianmian remember her actual purpose; she raised her eyes to look at Gu Yizhou. "No, I came back to help you change your bandages." So, it was because of his wound that she had returned.
Gu Yizhou felt his heart swell with emotion; it seemed his little bunny had finally learned to worry about him. It was a good sign. "In that case, I'll go take a shower first. You can help me change them once I'm done." When Gu Yizhou emerged from the shower, Su Mianmian had already polished off both boxes of ice cream.
Her mouth was slightly agape, and she pressed her hands against her cheeks. "Phew—that was cold!" Gu Yizhou found Su Mianmian utterly adorable in that moment. Sitting on the sofa, he beckoned to her. "Come here."
Su Mianmian walked over, carrying the first-aid kit. Just as she drew near Gu Yizhou, he reached out, gave a sharp tug, and pulled her onto his lap. Gu Yizhou's ink-dark eyes held a faint glint of amusement. "Was it good?" Forced to sit on his lap, Su Mianmian dared not meet his gaze.
"Wh—what?" "The ice cream—was it good?" Su Mianmian nodded. Gu Yizhou replied, "I don't believe you—unless you let me have a taste." Su Mianmian felt a flush of embarrassment. "You should have said so earlier! I've already finished it all."
Gu Yizhou curled his lips into a smile and let out a low hum. "I'll taste what's inside your mouth, then." No sooner had the words left his lips than—before Su Mianmian could even react—he wrapped one arm around her waist, cupped the back of her neck with the other, and pulled her face down toward his.
The sweet scent of strawberries lingered in both their mouths; Su Mianmian's lips felt cool and refreshing, soft and yielding like a piece of jelly. Gu Yizhou found himself unable to stop.
From her initial resistance, Su Mianmian gradually yielded to him; her small hands clutched at Gu Yizhou's collar, and her eyelashes fluttered—a look of utter vulnerability. Gu Yizhou kissed her again and again; only when he sensed that the young girl was struggling to breathe did he—reluctantly—pull away.
Their foreheads rested against one another, and their breathing remained unsteady. Gu Yizhou's voice was low and husky, laced with a faint breathlessness. "No wonder Mianmian loves ice cream so much—it turns out it really does taste delicious." Su Mianmian, her mind reeling from the kiss and feeling slightly oxygen-deprived, flushed with embarrassment and shame at his words.
If only she had known—she shouldn't have eaten those two tubs of ice cream just now! She gave Gu Yizhou a gentle shove, attempting to slide off his lap, when she suddenly felt a strange sensation beneath her. Realizing exactly what it was, Su Mianmian's face turned crimson in an instant; she struggled even harder to break free and escape. "Don't move."
Gu Yizhou wrapped his arms around Su Mianmian's waist, buried his face in the crook of her neck, and took a deep, steadying breath. "Mianmian... how much longer do you want me to wait? Won't you at least give me a timeframe?"