Was it blind filial piety?
Gu Yizhou recalled the car accident from years ago—specifically, the words his father had spoken as blood gushed from his mouth after using his own body to shield him from the most fatal impact: "Ah-Zhou, don't blame your mother. If I die, promise me you'll take good care of her and your younger brother."
It was a promise exacted by the father who loved him most—a promise paid for with his very life. Gu Yizhou dared not break his word. And so, all these years—no matter how cruelly Xiao Ying treated him—he had accepted it all with quiet resignation. Gu Yizhou remained silent for a long while, then leaned down to plant a kiss on the space between Su Mianmian's brows.
"There, don't overthink it. Are you hungry? I've ordered some food from Yunshang Zhai. Didn't you say the wild mushroom and pigeon soup there was delicious the last time we went? Drink plenty of it when it arrives later."
Su Mianmian let out a soft "Oh," then lifted her gaze to look at Gu Yizhou, her eyes looking moist and dewy. "But right now... I actually feel more like having some milk tea..." Gu Yizhou was left speechless. Later that evening, Su Mianmian tossed and turned restlessly in her hospital bed.
Gu Yizhou was still attending to some work matters; hearing the commotion, he walked over and gently stroked her head. "Did you drink too much milk tea? Is your stomach upset?"
Su Mianmian knew he was teasing her. Earlier that afternoon—regarding that large cup of milk tea—Gu Yizhou had repeatedly warned her not to finish it all. Yet, in the brief moment he stepped out to take a phone call, he returned to find nothing but an empty cup.
Su Mianmian wore a crestfallen expression. "It's not my stomach; it's my back. It hurts so much." "Your back?" Gu Yizhou frowned, then seemed to recall something. "Did my mother hurt you there when she visited this morning?" Su Mianmian nodded. "I think so, though it didn't feel that painful at the time."
Gu Yizhou's gaze darkened. He bent down and reached for the covers over Su Mianmian. "Let me take a look." Su Mianmian felt a sudden flush of embarrassment and clutched the blanket tightly. "Um... maybe I should just go to the restroom and check it myself?"
Gu Yizhou maintained his posture, poised to lift the covers; his tone was gentle and coaxing, yet carried an underlying note of firm authority. "Mianmian, we are husband and wife. We've already held each other, already kissed... sooner or later, we'll go even further than that. So, it's really nothing—I'm just taking a look at your back." Hearing this, a faint blush slowly spread across Su Mianmian's delicate cheeks; she silently let go of her grip. "Good girl." Gu Yizhou lifted her covers and gently guided her to lie face-down on the bed. Su Mianmian felt Gu Yizhou's large hands brush against the hem of her pajamas, then gently roll the fabric upward.
His fingertips—ever so slightly rough—grazed her skin with a touch so light it was almost imperceptible; yet, wherever they passed, a fine layer of goosebumps rose in their wake. Su Mianmian's mind began to wander, and the heat rising to her face intensified. "Is... is something wrong?" Su Mianmian had very fair skin, which made the dark bruise on her back stand out all the more conspicuously.
In the depths of Gu Yizhou's jet-black eyes, a dark intensity swirled and surged. "There's a bit of bruising. Wait right here—I'll go find a doctor to prescribe some ointment for it." Gu Yizhou carefully tucked the covers back around Su Mianmian. He left the room for only a moment before returning, a tube of ointment in his hand.
Su Mianmian turned her head to watch as Gu Yizhou squeezed some of the ointment onto his palm; only after warming and spreading the salve did he lift her clothes once more. His fingers, now coated in the creamy ointment, began to gently rub it into the bruised skin on Su Mianmian's back.
Su Mianmian felt a sensation that was at once cool and slightly ticklish; instinctively, she gave a little twitch. "What's wrong? Does it hurt?" Su Mianmian bit her lip and answered honestly: "It doesn't hurt... it just feels a little ticklish."
Gu Yizhou's chest gave a slight tremor as he let out a soft chuckle. Then, as if deliberately teasing her, his fingers began to wander playfully across her smooth, delicate skin. Su Mianmian was ticklish to the point of squirming; sensing that things were taking an unexpected turn, she rolled over, intending to grab the hand that was tormenting her. However, she hadn't anticipated using quite so much force.
Caught completely off guard, Gu Yizhou was pulled forward until his entire body came to rest directly atop hers. Their eyes locked, and an electric current seemed to arc through the intense, lingering gaze they shared. Su Mianmian felt Gu Yizhou's breathing grow increasingly hot and heavy, while his eyes seemed to burn with a surging tide of desire.
Sensing the danger of the moment, she hurriedly tried to pull away—but Gu Yizhou would not allow her to escape. He grasped both of Su Mianmian's hands in one of his own, lifting them high above her head, while with his other hand, he slowly removed his glasses.
Then, he lowered his head and captured her lips—at first pecking gently, tracing their contours, before gradually deepening the kiss, storming her defenses and fiercely savoring her sweetness. Although Su Mianmian had kissed Gu Yizhou several times before, she felt that his technique seemed to shift and evolve with every kiss.
Their lips twisted and ground together—sometimes deep, sometimes shallow; sometimes urgent, sometimes slow. As for her, every time he kissed her, she would completely lose the ability to resist; she felt as if she were floating upon the ocean waves, needing to cling tightly to the one piece of driftwood—her only lifeline—lest she be swallowed whole by the sea.
Gu Yizhou sensed the subtle shifts in Su Mianmian: from her initial resistance to her subsequent compliance, and finally, to her current state of complete surrender. Gu Yizhou knew that the young girl had begun to truly accept him. With that thought in mind, he deepened the kiss once more.
A soft moan escaped Su Mianmian's lips, her voice sounding sweet and tender; unconsciously, she arched her lower back upward, pressing her abdomen right against his cold belt buckle—the sudden chill sending a shiver through her entire body.
Gu Yizhou, however, felt as if an electric current had surged through him, leaving him tingling from head to toe. He nuzzled her earlobe, his breath warm against her skin as he whispered, "Sweetheart... I can't wait until my birthday..." Su Mianmian's cheeks were already flushed crimson, and hearing his words, she felt a fresh wave of shyness and embarrassment. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, her voice soft and pleading: "But you promised me..." Although she no longer felt any real aversion to intimacy with Gu Yizhou, she still wanted to save that ultimate step for his birthday—to offer it to him as a special gift.
Gu Yizhou, of course, had no desire to take her right there in the hospital; yet, the fire raging within him right now—a fire the young girl herself had ignited—was so intense that even two cigarettes wouldn't be enough to quell it. He took Su Mianmian's small hands in his and kissed them gently, his voice husky and laced with entreaty: "Then... will you help me out? Please?"
...The next day, Su Mianmian slept soundly until ten o'clock in the morning; when she finally woke up, her hands were aching so badly she could barely move them. Recalling the events of last night, Su Mianmian—a young girl as pure and pristine as a jasmine blossom, still innocent of the world—couldn't help but feel her face flush and her heart pound. "Awake?"
Gu Yizhou approached, impeccably dressed, with a smile playing at the corners of his eyes and lips. His current demeanor—dignified, self-possessed, refined, and noble—was a stark contrast to the man who had whispered pleas and used a mix of coaxing and seduction just the night before; they seemed like two entirely different people. Feeling a mix of shame and indignation, Su Mianmian rolled over and pointedly ignored him.
Gu Yizhou curled his lips into a smile; he knew the young girl had had a strenuous night—she had even spent her sleep whimpering and complaining that her arms felt weak. He leaned down to plant a kiss on the crown of Su Mianmian's head. "Since you're awake, why don't you go wash up? The hospital director will be coming by shortly to make rounds; once he gives us the all-clear, we can complete the discharge paperwork and head home."
All told, it had only been three days since she'd left home. Yet to Su Mianmian, it felt like an eternity. The moment she returned, the very first thing she did was go check on Tangtang. For the past few days, it had been Gao Ze coming over to feed the cat.
Tangtang remained as aloof and elegant as ever, though it seemed to carry a hint of melancholy; no matter how much Su Mianmian tried to coax it into playing, it offered absolutely no reaction. Listless and sullen, it wouldn't even touch its usual favorite treat—dried fish—doing nothing more than giving it two half-hearted licks before turning away completely.
Growing a bit worried, Su Mianmian scooped Tangtang into her arms and went to find Gu Yizhou. "I think there's something wrong with Tangtang." Gu Yizhou, who had just emerged after changing into his loungewear, listened to Su Mianmian's description, then took Tangtang into his own arms and stroked the cat for a while. "It does seem less lively than usual."
Su Mianmian looked concerned. "Should we take it to the vet to get checked out?" Gu Yizhou gently stroked Tangtang's head. "Let's observe it for a little while first. It might just be feeling a bit down because the house has been empty these past few days."
Su Mianmian murmured an "Oh," then stood on her tiptoes to reach up and pet Tangtang, who was nestled in Gu Yizhou's arms. "Oh, little Tangtang... are you feeling sad because you haven't seen us?"
Gu Yizhou lowered his gaze. Bathed in the sunlight streaming through the window, the soft crown of her head rested close to Tangtang's fluffy fur—a scene of such warmth and tranquility that Gu Yizhou felt his heart melt into a boundless ocean of tenderness. "Mianmian, how about moving out of the dorms?" Gu Yizhou suggested. "Animals can suffer from depression, too, you know. Look at him—he hasn't seen us for just three days, and his mood has already plummeted like this. What if I have to go away on a business trip again in the future while you're stuck at school...?" Su Mianmian pursed her lips. "I was actually just about to bring that up with you." She tilted her head back to look at Gu Yizhou. "Huairui Corporation has come to our school to recruit interns. My advisor recommended me for the position. I plan to go in for an interview after the break; if I pass, I'll be interning at Huairui." A faint smile curved the corners of Gu Yizhou's lips. "That works out perfectly. Yushuiwan is quite close to Huairui, so we can move there when the time comes." Su Mianmian looked at him with a hint of suspicion. "You know about Huairui Corporation?" Gu Yizhou remained outwardly composed. "Huairui has such a prominent reputation in the industry; it would be hard *not* to know about it." Su Mianmian simply murmured, "Oh," and didn't give it a second thought. "But I don't really want to move to Yushuiwan. I actually quite like it here." Although she hadn't lived there for very long in total, she seemed to have already developed a certain fondness for the place. Gu Yizhou gently pinched her rosy cheek. "Yushuiwan features a vast rose garden filled with every variety of rose imaginable. Once you see it, I'm certain you'll fall in love with the place." A rose garden? Every variety of rose? Suddenly, Su Mianmian found herself looking forward to Yushuiwan with a newfound sense of anticipation. ...In stark contrast to the miserable holiday Su Mianmian had spent cooped up in the hospital, Song Zhi's break seemed to be unfolding in a far more "entertaining" fashion. First, she had gone head-to-head against four opponents—taking on a whole squad of "green tea girls"—at the Yunfan Club. Next came a half-day "tour" of the police station, where she spent hours giving her statement. And now, at this very moment, she was strolling through a shopping mall with her arm draped chummily over the shoulder of a young, beautiful, and elegant lady—embarking on a wild shopping spree. "Auntie, that outfit brings out your complexion beautifully! You simply *must* go inside and try it on." "Auntie, this dress looks as if it were tailor-made just for you! Hurry up and put it on—let me feast my eyes on how stunning you look!" She chattered away excitedly in the front, while Cheng Yuli watched from behind with a look of sheer delight. That's right—Cheng Yuli's second condition had just been freshly unveiled. Keep pretending to be his girlfriend, win over his mom, and make sure she completely gives up any idea of playing matchmaker for him!