Gu Yizhou curled his lips. "Don't you think it's a little late to be thinking about this now?" "Late for what? Why is it late? Are you saying I'm actually going to have a scar?" Su Mianmian felt as though she was on the verge of tears.
Gu Yizhou's eyes crinkled slightly at the corners, and a faint curve played upon his lips. "I think it's highly probable. So, the next time you decide to play the hero, you'd better think twice about the consequences." Su Mianmian's composure instantly crumbled at the mere thought of having to walk around with such a long scar across her face for the rest of her life.
A faint flush of red spread across the corners of her eyes; the very next second, large, heavy teardrops began to fall in rapid succession. Gu Yizhou had only intended to tease her—and perhaps teach her a lesson in the process—but he hadn't expected the girl to be so quick to tears, bursting out crying at the drop of a hat. He suddenly felt a pang of panic.
"Hey, hey—calm down. I only said it was *possible*, not that you're *definitely* going to have a scar. Besides, even if you do get a scar, it's no big deal; I certainly won't mind." "You might not mind, but *I* do!" Su Mianmian wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, sobbing even harder than before.
Watching Su Mianmian's "fierce-but-cute" outburst, Gu Yizhou felt an inexplicable urge to laugh. Yet, afraid of upsetting the girl even more, he stifled his amusement, gently cupped her waist, and pulled her into his embrace.
"There, there—stop crying now. I'll have a specialist come over tomorrow to take a look at you. Let's just wait and see what the expert has to say, okay?"
Su Mianmian's sobbing gradually subsided. As she pulled away from Gu Yizhou's embrace, she noticed a large, damp patch on the front of his shirt where her tears had soaked through. She suddenly felt a belated flush of embarrassment. "Maybe you should go take a shower, too—and change your clothes while you're at it."
When Gu Yizhou emerged from his shower, Su Mianmian was lying on the hospital bed, staring blankly into space. He walked straight over to her, lay down beside her, and gathered her into his arms. "Did you sleep too much this afternoon? Is that why you can't fall asleep now?" Su Mianmian nodded. "Gu Yizhou, may I ask you something?"
Gu Yizhou lowered his head and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Go ahead." By now, Su Mianmian no longer felt much resistance toward Gu Yizhou's embrace; her small hands toyed with the buttons on his pajamas as she spoke. "The day after your younger brother's memorial—what did you go back to the old estate to do?"
Gu Yizhou hadn't expected Su Mianmian to ask him about this; he paused for a couple of seconds in contemplation. "Did Gu Jingyu tell you that?" Su Mianmian offered no verbal reply, her silence serving as tacit confirmation.
Gu Yizhou pulled her even closer into his arms. "It was nothing much. She had given you a jade pendant, hadn't she? I simply went to return it to her." So that was the reason. "If it was just a matter of returning an item, why did you end up getting into an argument with her again?"
Gu Yizhou didn't want to reveal too many details to Su Mianmian, fearing it might frighten her. "Perhaps she was displeased that I took back something she had given away and returned it to her." Su Mianmian simply murmured, "Oh."
"She was against you marrying me right from the start. Later, she explicitly told me not to mention the matter of the jade pendant to you—yet I went ahead and told you anyway. She must dislike me even more now, shouldn't she?" Gu Yizhou was quick-witted; he instantly detected the underlying implication in Su Mianmian's words.
"How did you know she was against me marrying you?" Su Mianmian realized she had let a slip of the tongue, though she had intended to ask him about it eventually anyway. "Jingyu told me that, back when you were trying to register our marriage, you went so far as to defy your mother—and even knelt in the ancestral shrine for three days and three nights."
Having finished speaking, Su Mianmian lifted her head, tilting her chin upward to gaze at Gu Yizhou. "Gu Yizhou, why have you never told me about this?" A dark, swirling intensity swirled within Gu Yizhou's pitch-black eyes; he gazed at Su Mianmian for a few seconds before a faint smile touched his thin lips.
"That girl... she's only met you a handful of times, yet she goes and spills every little detail to you." Su Mianmian frowned. "Don't try to change the subject." Gu Yizhou lowered his head and planted a soft kiss on the corner of Su Mianmian's mouth. "I'm not changing the subject. It wasn't exactly good news, so there was no need to burden you with it."
Su Mianmian looked a little displeased. "But isn't marriage all about sharing both the joys and the burdens? You've endured such a massive grievance for my sake, yet I remained completely in the dark about it all. It makes me feel like such a failure."
Gu Yizhou chuckled softly. "Silly girl, I didn't feel aggrieved in the slightest. Besides, we weren't even married back then. If I had started dumping my troubles on you before we'd even tied the knot—would you have still dared to marry me?"
Su Mianmian blinked a couple of times. "Well, you could have told me *after* we got married! And also, Jingyu said…" Su Mianmian's voice trailed off as Gu Yizhou suddenly lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers. As he kissed her—gently shifting his lips and teasing her with his tongue—he murmured softly against her mouth:
"Silly girl, asking too many questions just gives you a headache." Su Mianmian was compelled to yield to his kiss. She hadn't even finished her question yet; she still wanted to ask him—since Jingyu had explicitly stated that he had full autonomy over his own marriage—why, then, had he insisted back then that he would marry no one but a daughter of the Su family?
But as the intensity of Gu Yizhou's kiss deepened, that question was quickly swept from Su Mianmian's mind.
What followed was a sensation of utter softness and languor throughout her body; the only sounds she could hear were Gu Yizhou's heated breathing and her own faint, barely audible moans… The next day, Song Zhi arrived quite early, bringing with her a large bouquet of fresh flowers for Su Mianmian.
At that moment, Su Mianmian had just finished her morning ablutions; Gu Yizhou was holding a hairdryer, gently drying the strands of her hair that had gotten damp while she washed her face.
The man was dressed in a gray dress shirt with his cuffs rolled up slightly. His head was bowed, his gaze focused intently as his long, slender fingers—with their distinct, well-defined knuckles—threaded through the woman's lustrous black hair.
Su Mianmian stood about 1.6 meters tall—certainly not short by female standards—yet standing before Gu Yizhou, she appeared petite and delicate, looking as though he could easily scoop her up with just one arm.
Coupled with her rosy, youthful face—radiant with the fullness of youth—her appearance blended seamlessly with Gu Yizhou's steady, reserved demeanor. The combination was surprisingly pleasing to the eye, creating a perfectly harmonious picture without the slightest hint of discord. Song Zhi sat watching them for a while, an involuntary, fond smile—the kind a doting aunt might wear—spreading across her face. After Gu Yizhou finished blow-drying Su Mianmian's hair, Gao Ze arrived right on cue with breakfast. Gu Yizhou selected a few light dishes and watched intently as Su Mianmian finished eating them before finally having a bite himself. Today, the hospital dean—accompanied by a team of medical specialists—personally conducted rounds to examine Su Mianmian.
The entourage was so massive that it packed the ward to the brim. An uninformed outsider might have assumed Su Mianmian was suffering from some rare, incurable disease. After asking Su Mianmian a series of basic questions with meticulous care and confirming that there were no major complications, the dean breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Turning to Gu Yizhou, he spoke respectfully, "Going forward, Mrs. Gu's symptoms of dizziness and nausea should gradually subside. If there are no further issues in three days, she will be cleared for discharge." Gu Yizhou nodded; just as he was preparing to escort the dean out, he felt a small hand tugging at his trousers.
Gu Yizhou looked down suspiciously at the culprit, only to see Su Mianmian mouthing a silent reminder to him: "Ask if my injury will leave a scar." Gu Yizhou caught on immediately, and the corners of his mouth curved upward slightly. "Dean Xu, I have one more question: will the wound on my wife's forehead leave a scar?"
Dean Xu exchanged a glance with the specialists, then turned his attention to Su Mianmian. He had been present yesterday when the attending physician cleaned Mrs. Gu's wound; it wasn't particularly deep—in fact, it didn't even require stitches. "May I ask if Mrs. Gu has a tendency toward keloid scarring?
For instance, if you've had minor bumps or scrapes in the past, did they leave any scars after healing?" Su Mianmian thought for a moment, then shook her head. Dean Xu smiled. "In that case, Mr. Gu—and Mrs. Gu—you can rest completely assured. With the appropriate application of scar-reducing ointment, the likelihood of any scarring is virtually nil."
Upon hearing this, Su Mianmian finally felt relieved; blushing slightly, she watched as Dean Xu and his large entourage filed majestically out of the ward. After seeing Dean Xu off, Gu Yizhou returned to the room and gave Su Mianmian's cheek a gentle pinch. "You spend all day scaring yourself," Su Mianmian grumbled. "Actually, *you're* the one who scared *me*." Gu Yizhou gave a slight smile and glanced at the watch on his wrist. "I have a very important meeting this morning. I've asked Song Zhi to stay here and keep you company; I'll be back as soon as the meeting is over." Su Mianmian nodded obediently. "You don't need to rush back. It's fine if you handle some work at the office after your meeting; I can manage just fine on my own." Gu Yizhou didn't say anything more; he simply bent down to plant a kiss on her forehead, exchanged a brief greeting with Song Zhi, and then took his leave.
No sooner had Gu Yizhou stepped out than Song Zhi let out a string of expletives—three "Holy sh*t"s in a row. "Su Mianmian, what did I ever do to deserve this? Feeding me such a massive dose of PDA first thing in the morning!" she exclaimed. "Speaking of which—your brother-in-law... oh wait, I suppose I should call him my *sister's* husband now? Hmm, that doesn't sound quite right either. I guess I'll just stick to calling him 'Mr. Z'."
"Before, I always thought Mr. Z was the 'aloof and ascetic' type. I never expected him to be such a doting husband—drying your hair for you, feeding you breakfast... it looks like he wants to cradle you in the palm of his hand and spoil you rotten." She winked. "So, my beautiful Mianmian, facing a handsome face like that every day—be honest—do you find yourself walking around in a daze?" Su Mianmian actually *was* feeling pretty dizzy—especially after last night.
She was already suffering from a mild concussion, and then Gu Yizhou had subjected her to a flurry of deep, lingering kisses. By the end of it all, she was practically spinning; she had to bury her face in Gu Yizhou's arms for quite a while just to regain her bearings.
Of course, Su Mianmian wasn't about to confess that to Song Zhi. If Song Zhi found out, she'd undoubtedly tease her about it for the next three hundred and sixty-five days straight. Changing the subject, Su Mianmian deftly turned the tables and shifted the focus onto Song Zhi. "By the way, what did Cheng Yuli come to see you about yesterday?"