Even with her typically slow reactions, Su Mianmian finally grasped the meaning behind Gu Yizhou's words. Her face—already flushed with embarrassment—instantly turned an even deeper shade of crimson. "But... we've only been officially married for less than a month!" Su Mianmian felt that, at the very least, a couple should develop mutual feelings for one another first, allowing intimacy to unfold naturally when the time was right. But clearly, Gu Yizhou could wait no longer.
He pulled Su Mianmian even tighter into his embrace, his voice low and deep, carrying a faint hint of grievance. "Has it really only been a month? It feels like an eternity to me." Su Mianmian found herself powerless against Gu Yizhou's tone—a blend of gentle coaxing and subtle seduction. Biting her lip, she pondered the matter for a long moment before finally offering her answer.
"How about... we wait until your birthday?" She recalled seeing Gu Yizhou's date of birth on their marriage certificate; from today, there were still a little over two months to go. When calculated in days, it felt like a long wait; yet, when viewed in the grand scheme of things, it could pass in the blink of an eye.
This was the deadline Su Mianmian set for Gu Yizhou—and, just as importantly, the time she allotted herself to become fully prepared. His "little bunny" would finally belong to him completely. Having received the answer he desired, Gu Yizhou lifted his head from the crook of Su Mianmian's neck, his eyes shimmering as if holding a swirling galaxy of stars.
"It's a deal. No backing out now." After helping Gu Yizhou change the bandages on his wounds, Su Mianmian retired to the bedroom to rest, while Gu Yizhou headed to his study to attend to some business matters. For the entire week that followed, Su Mianmian would head straight home every day after her classes ended.
Under her meticulous care, the wound on Gu Yizhou's forehead visibly improved day by day. The injury on the back of his hand healed more slowly, yet it too reached a point where it no longer required bandaging. Before long, the National Day holiday arrived. On the very first day of the break, Gu Jingyu called to come over and collect on a debt.
"Sister-in-law, does that promise you made last time—to treat me to a delicious meal—still count?" At that moment, Su Mianmian was still lingering lazily beneath the covers, her eyes barely open. "It counts! Of course it counts. Have you decided what you'd like to eat yet?"
Hearing Su Mianmian's languid voice over the phone, Gu Jingyu exclaimed, "Sister-in-law, it's already past ten o'clock! You're not still sleeping, are you? My big brother really spoils you rotten!" Ten o'clock? Su Mianmian held her phone away from her ear and glanced at the alarm clock; the alarm set for eight o'clock was already switched off.
Su Mianmian felt a bit bewildered. Had the alarm actually gone off, only for her to turn it off and then drift back to sleep, forgetting all about it? Feeling a twinge of shame, Su Mianmian said, "I rarely sleep in this late usually. Um, could you text me the restaurant's address later? I'll head over as soon as I'm ready."
After hanging up, Su Mianmian hurriedly got out of bed to wash up. Once she was dressed and ready, she stepped out to look around but couldn't find Gu Yizhou anywhere. Figuring he must be in his study, Su Mianmian walked up to the door and gave it a knock. "Come in."
Su Mianmian pushed the door open and saw that Gu Yizhou was in the middle of a video conference. He was wearing a white dress shirt—buttoned up with meticulous precision—and sat at his desk, facing his laptop with a stern, icy expression.
"This proposal is far from optimal. We gave you ample time to prepare during the preliminary stages—and *this* is the kind of work you hand in?" Having delivered that line, Gu Yizhou raised his eyes to glance at Su Mianmian, then extended a hand toward her. Su Mianmian understood his meaning: he wanted her to come closer.
Su Mianmian tried to tread as lightly as possible; she stopped about two paces away from Gu Yizhou and whispered, "I made plans to go out for a meal with Jingyu. I just wanted to let you know." Gu Yizhou's eyes flickered upward at the corners; he extended his long arm, took hold of Su Mianmian's hand, and pulled her down to sit on his lap.
"Hey! You're in the middle of a video conference!" Getting caught wrapped in just a bath towel last time had left her mortified for days; if his colleagues saw her sitting on his lap this time, who knew what kind of gossip they'd start spreading about her!
Su Mianmian struggled, attempting to stand up, but Gu Yizhou whispered into her ear, "I've turned off the webcam; they can't see anything on this side." Only then did Su Mianmian settle down. "Well, I still need to go. Jingyu is waiting for me." Gu Yizhou took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You're going out to eat with Gu Jingyu, leaving me all alone here at home?" Su Mianmian looked a bit sheepish. "Jingyu said she's intimidated by you—she claims that if you were there, she'd get indigestion and wouldn't be able to eat properly." Gu Yizhou chuckled softly. "And what about you? Do you feel the same way?"
Su Mianmian nodded, then shook her head. "I'm a little intimidated by you, but I certainly won't get indigestion; I actually love eating with you." Gu Yizhou had always possessed impeccable taste in food; every time he took her out to eat, he would completely redefine her understanding of gourmet cuisine. This remark finally succeeded in appeasing Gu Yizhou.
He gave her rosy cheeks a gentle pinch. "In that case, sit with me a little longer. I'll let you go in ten minutes." Su Mianmian fell silent, sitting quietly on his lap as she listened to him conduct his meeting. Su Mianmian had rarely—if ever—seen Gu Yizhou in work mode before.
He appeared far more serious and stern than he did in his usual public persona. He was sparing with his words; whenever he did speak, his remarks were invariably incisive and straight to the point.
Su Mianmian watched the video conference window on the screen: a group of executives—who had initially been voicing their opinions freely—eventually fell into complete silence, each one sitting with their head bowed low. "The meeting is adjourned for ten minutes; we will resume our discussion after that," Gu Yizhou announced in a cold, crisp voice before ending the video call.
Su Mianmian let out a silent sigh of relief. Being a subordinate of Gu Yizhou's certainly wasn't easy; the sheer pressure he exuded was so intense that even she—sitting right beside him—found it almost overwhelming. "Why the long face?" Gu Yizhou shifted his position, placing his hands on Su Mianmian's waist to turn her so she was facing him.
Su Mianmian pouted. "You're a little bit scary when you're working." *A little bit?* That was an understatement—he was absolutely terrifying! Gu Yizhou curled his index finger and gently tapped the tip of her nose. "I would never be scary toward *you*." That, at least, seemed to be true.
As Su Mianmian sifted through her memories, she recalled that back when Gu Yizhou was still her prospective brother-in-law, he had indeed been a bit aloof—but he had never once spoken a harsh word in her presence. Later, after they had officially registered their marriage, he had shed even that aloofness; toward her, he was nothing but gentle, attentive, and utterly doting.
Suddenly, a flicker of curiosity arose within Su Mianmian as her small hands unconsciously toyed with his necktie. "Tell me—if my sister, or perhaps some other woman, had been the one to marry you back then... would you have treated her just as well?"
Gu Yizhou tilted his head to the side. He noticed that after asking such a question, the tips of the young woman's ears had turned a deep shade of crimson; a faint, amused smile curved the corners of his lips. "No. I would only ever be this good to *you*." *Only to her?* Su Mianmian raised her eyes to look at Gu Yizhou, attempting to gauge the sincerity of his words.
Gu Yizhou did not avert his gaze in the slightest, allowing Su Mianmian to scrutinize him. As their eyes met, for the first time, there was no undercurrent of flirtation between them. Su Mianmian watched him for a few seconds before giving up; she had actually managed to read sheer sincerity in Gu Yizhou's eyes. But... why?
Was he treating her well not because she was his wife, but simply because she was *her*? ...Su Mianmian often lived by a certain motto: if you can't untie a knot in your heart, just tie it into a pretty bow instead. Consequently, she didn't dwell too much on Gu Yizhou's remark.
Who cared what the reason was? As long as he treated her well, wasn't that enough? By the time she stepped out of the taxi, Su Mianmian was in an exceptionally good mood. Gu Jingyu had already ordered their food and was simply waiting for Su Mianmian to arrive. The moment he spotted her, his eyes instinctively darted behind her.
"Did my big brother really not come?" Hearing this, Su Mianmian smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "Relax—he didn't come." "Phew! Thank goodness." Gu Jingyu gave Su Mianmian a thumbs-up. "Ditching your brand-new husband at home just for my sake—now that's what I call loyalty!"
Su Mianmian chuckled. "Wasn't it *you* who gave me strict instructions *not* to let him come? Besides, I'm going to pack some food to take back for him later, so I won't be leaving him at home to starve."
Gu Jingyu let out a meaningful "Oh." "You really are a thoughtful sister-in-law; no wonder Big Brother dotes on you so much. By the way, have the injuries on Big Brother's body healed yet?" "They're just about healed. There are still some faint scars on the back of his hand, but they're barely noticeable now."
Hearing this, Gu Jingyu curled his lip in disapproval. "Auntie really is ruthless—to strike her own biological son with such heavy hands."
As they ate and chatted, Gu Jingyu suddenly recalled something. "Sister-in-law, did you know? The day after the anniversary of Second Brother's passing, Big Brother went back to the ancestral home again. I'm not sure what it was about, but he got into a huge argument with Auntie. My mom told me that Auntie was so furious she didn't even step out of her room for days."
Gu Yizhou went back to the ancestral home the day after the memorial? And he got into *another* argument with Xiao Ying? Su Mianmian frowned; her immediate thought was, *Surely Xiao Ying hasn't laid a hand on Gu Yizhou again, has she?*
But upon careful reflection—she had been at home the entire time during that period—she didn't recall noticing any fresh injuries on him. Her heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, finally settled. Su Mianmian shook her head. "I didn't know he had gone back; he didn't mention it to me." Gu Jingyu let out a soft "Oh."
"Perhaps my brother didn't want to worry you, Sis-in-law. It really seems my brother is absolutely head-over-heels in love with you." *Love her? And head-over-heels at that?* Su Mianmian let out a sudden, amused chuckle. "Others might not know, but surely *you* do? Your brother and I are in a marriage of convenience—do you understand what that means?
"There was no courtship period whatsoever; we went straight to marriage." So, how could one even speak of love—or the lack thereof? Gu Jingyu, who had been resting his elbows on the dining table with his chin propped in his hands, suddenly sat bolt upright at her words, his expression turning serious. "Are you implying that my brother doesn't like you?"
"Sis-in-law, if you don't believe me, just go to the ancestral estate and grab anyone at random to ask! Who *doesn't* know that, back when he was trying to get you to register your marriage, my brother knelt in the ancestral shrine for three whole days and three nights?!"