Chapter 45 Canvas Shoes He collected them silently. He believed devoutly. ...

Liang Yizhi slowly squatted down.

That flower wasn't a fresh flower, but an immortal flower. It was made into a souvenir and sold in the camellia garden in Tongzhen.

She saw tour guides nearby urging their groups to buy the product.

But she never expected that Gu Yinyan would also be one of its buyers.

He is not someone who likes to believe in such fables, nor would he waste his emotions on them.

Yet this person actually brought this tourist souvenir home, knowing it was a scam, and even followed the rumors by placing it with all the other items associated with her.

He collected them silently.

Believe wholeheartedly.

Liang Yizhi could no longer calm down. She haphazardly put her things away and slammed the sliding door shut.

She went back downstairs to get her bag and hurried towards the door.

Aunt Jiang was cooking at home and setting the table. Gu Yinyan had informed her in advance that Liang Yizhi would be coming over for dinner tonight.

But as soon as she came out, she saw Liang Yizhi rushing out. She called out to her:

"Miss Liang, the food will be ready soon. Where are you going?"

"Thank you, Aunt Jiang, but I have something to do today, so I won't eat now."

Aunt Jiang: "Hey—wait a minute,"

It's raining outside!

Ignoring everything else, Liang Yizhi pushed open the villa's door and hurried out through the front yard.

She didn't know why she was leaving. She couldn't calm down at all; only one voice in her heart told her to leave that place temporarily, to leave... that person's side.

Pushing open the iron gate, Liang Yizhi walked towards the main road. She walked faster and faster, until her steps alternated between light jogging and light running.

Winter days are short, and night falls exceptionally early. The streetlights outside came on, and wet droplets of water splashed onto her face and the back of her hands.

Only then did Liang Yizhi realize that the light rain had started to fall.

She was breathing heavily, quickened her pace, and ran faster, as if trying to leave everything behind her.

While walking down a gentle slope, Liang Yizhi's wrist was suddenly grabbed.

Due to inertia, she couldn't brake to a stop immediately. A large hand gripped her shoulder tightly, stopping her in her tracks.

It was Gu Yinyan.

Liang Yizhi's tone was cold: "Let me go."

Where are you going?

“…I have an urgent matter.” Liang Yizhi didn’t even look up, her eyes darting away, and repeated, “Let me go.”

Gu Yinyan stared intently at her profile and said in a deep voice, "Look me in the eyes before you speak."

Liang Yizhi did not want to do as he said, and she immediately used all her strength to try to break free from the restraints.

She strained, and he strained even harder, his palms encircling her slender wrists, pulling her skin until it ached.

My wrist broke free, but was then gripped.

Break free again, then be held again.

"I said let me go!"

Liang Yizhi lost her patience and couldn't help but raise her voice. A raindrop accidentally fell into her mouth, tasting cold and bitter.

Fate played a cruel trick on them. She had only been out for a short while when the rain started pouring down harder and harder, relentlessly pelting them both.

The road was dark, and the downhill section was not very smooth, with depressions in the ground where small, shallow puddles of water had accumulated.

In an attempt to avoid being controlled by him, she reacted violently, stomping on the puddle several times. The dirty water and mud splattered all over her trouser legs and shoes.

Gu Yinyan ignored her, squatted down, and picked her up in his arms.

He carried her on his shoulders and walked back.

He wrapped his arms around Liang Yizhi's thighs, while her calves kicked wildly in the air.

Winter clothes are already thick, and with this outfit, she looked even more bulky, but Gu Yinyan carried her as if she were a light down comforter.

Liang Yizhi moved a few times, probably realizing they were almost back at the villa and no longer had the energy to argue with him.

Gu Yinyan entered the room and placed the person on the sofa.

Hearing the noise, Aunt Jiang peeked out from the kitchen, peering at the two of them through the door frame, and sensed a subtle tension in the air.

Gu Yinyan turned around, his profile cold and hard: "Aunt Jiang, you go back to your room first."

This is a way of kicking people out.

"Oh, okay." Aunt Jiang took off her apron, looking back every few steps.

Liang Yizhi kept her head down and didn't say a word after she entered the room.

Gu Yinyan stood in front of her, his body casting a shadow over her head.

After several seconds, he walked away.

Liang Yizhi listened to the heavy footsteps. The light in the area in front of her returned briefly, only to be completely blocked again.

He returned to her.

Gu Yinyan bent one leg and squatted down in front of her.

Gu Yinyan said, "Lift your foot."

Your shoes are wet.

Liang Yizhi had just stepped into several puddles outside, turning her canvas shoes from white to black, with the soles still wet from the rain, making the floor slippery.

She didn't say anything, so Gu Yinyan took matters into his own hands.

He untied her shoelaces, gently held her ankle, and took the shoes off.

The canvas shoes were thin, and Liang Yizhi's socks got wet.

Gu Yinyan held her up with his hand, pinching the top of her sock, and Liang Yizhi's feet began to dodge again.

A pair of warm hands on her ankle tightened their grip, restraining her. His brow furrowed slightly in displeasure as he whispered, "Don't move."

Gu Yinyan kept his head down. From this angle above, only the top of his dark hair could be seen; his bangs covered his face, and his expression was unclear.

Liang Yizhi noticed that his coat was covered in raindrops and looked quite disheveled. But he didn't seem to care and focused solely on changing her shoes.

The ends of her dark hair were damp with rainwater, and with the weight of the rain, they curled up a little.

Gu Yinyan helped her take off her wet socks, and then took out a new pair from somewhere and put them back on her.

She controlled her breathing and turned her face slightly away.

After changing my socks, my previously cold feet seemed to regain some blood flow and began to circulate heat.

Gu Yinyan put a pair of soft, thick cotton slippers on her.

Liang Yizhi suddenly asked, "Why did you bring me back?"

It's raining outside.

Gu Yinyan maintained his half-squatting position and looked up at her.

His eyes were sharp, his pupils were high, and he always looked at people with a cold and indifferent expression.

But now, with the perspective shifted, Liang Yizhi was able to read something in those eyes that she didn't want to understand.

Her lips trembled slightly: "...It's that simple?"

"Hmm." Gu Yinyan didn't avoid her gaze and said frankly, "You catch a cold every time you get chilled."

Just then, the doorbell rang.

He Man's voice pierced through the door: "Gu Yinyan! Liang Yizhi! Open the door for me!"

Liang Yizhi then seemed to wake from a dream, quickly wiping the water off her face and tidying her hair.

Gu Yinyan glanced at her, then went to open the door.

Upon seeing him, He Man immediately asked, "What kind of little meeting are you two having again?"

No one took her joke seriously.

He Man came to pick up the watch. She felt the atmosphere was strange. As she walked inside, she saw Liang Yizhi looking lost and bewildered.

She glanced at Gu Yinyan sideways, only to find that Gu Yinyan was also staring intently at the person on the sofa.

He Man keenly sensed an awkward atmosphere in the air.

She asked Liang Yizhi, "Yizhi, did you get the thing?"

"Yes. His watch."

She didn't call him by name.

He was the only one used.

He Man took the box, held it in her hand, and waved it at Gu Yinyan: "Thanks."

She observed their expressions and found them both strangely odd. They remained silent, yet seemed to harbor a secret concern for each other.

He Man, oblivious to the situation, asked, "Did you two have a fight?"

After all, this wasn't the first time such a situation had occurred. The two ignored each other, using He Man as a middleman to relay their message.

She thought it would be the same as every previous argument.

Liang Yizhi answered her again: "It's okay, Manman. I was just about to go back anyway, let's go together."

"Okay. I'll drive you home."

Gu Yinyan leaned against the door frame in the entryway, his hands in his pockets.

Liang Yizhi and He Man walked out one after the other, ignoring him. He Man, who was behind him, raised her fist and threatened him before leaving.

The door slammed shut.

Gu Yinyan leaned back against the wall with his head tilted back and his eyes closed. He tapped his head against the wall a few times.

He had just arrived home. It was only when Aunt Jiang came over to tell him that Liang Yizhi had suddenly left that he realized what had happened.

She went to his bedroom, entered his walk-in closet, and then ran away in a daze.

There is only one reason why she suddenly became like that.

The situation was so sudden that he hadn't had time to prepare.

And that's how it all happened.

What will she think of him?

Do you think he's an unfathomable psychopath? Or a complete fraud? He pretends to be her brother, but under the guise of a good friend, he keeps her around, taking up all her time and eavesdropping on all her secrets.

Which one is better?

He didn't know.

-

Liang Yizhi asked He Man to take her home.

She explained to He Man that she was in a bad mood because of Lin You. He Man then understood and, while driving, proceeded to berate Lin You mercilessly.

As Liang Yizhi listened to her venting her emotions, she felt as if she could breathe again in her chest.

She said goodbye to He Man and went home.

She didn't take out any of the gifts she had prepared to give.

After putting her things aside, Liang Yizhi didn't want to move for the time being, and unusually, she didn't want to turn on the light, immersing herself in darkness.

She lay back on the sofa and saw the violin case placed against the wall.

A red Bordeaux carbon fiber violin case.

That was a gift Gu Yinyan gave her when she graduated from high school. She liked it very much at the time.

I like bright colors, and I also like his taste in choosing gifts.

She treasured the violin case, but it was still inevitably bumped and knocked occasionally, leaving behind the marks and traces of time.

The violin case was placed in a dimly lit corner of the room, making its burgundy color appear even deeper. Yet, the surface of the case remained glossy, and as light streamed in, it seemed as if a pair of hands were tracing the rounded, undulating contours of the case.

This cello case probably costs a little over 20,000 yuan. The internal filling was also adjusted according to the size of her cello to ensure that the cello would not be damaged when placed in the case.

He really knows her very well.

Liang Yizhi was exhausted. She stood up to draw the curtains, wanting to change her clothes and rest.

The curtains were only halfway drawn when the track got stuck, and I couldn't pull them out no matter what I did.

Liang Yizhi looked up and suddenly remembered that Gu Yinyan had also helped her install these curtains.

During the renovation, only one track was left on the living room window, and Liang Yizhi chose white gauze curtains for aesthetic purposes.

When Gu Yinyan saw this, he felt it was unsafe and suggested she install two layers of curtains, one to block out the light and one to provide privacy. Liang Yizhi refused, finding it troublesome. She was carefree and thought she didn't need them.

So Gu Yinyan bought her new curtains and curtain rods and personally went to her home to install them.

The window was left a crack, not closed tightly, causing the white gauze curtain to billow slightly in the wind, its bottom swaying gently above the ground.

Liang Yizhi suddenly remembered that Gu Yinyan had been squatting in front of her, holding a bunch of tools, an electric drill and screws, looking very focused.

The way he knelt in front of her today, patiently helping her change her shoes, was eerily similar.

Memories of Gu Yinyan, bit by bit, seemed to permeate every corner of her being.

Things she once took for granted, things she hadn't paid attention to, things she had taken for granted, had long since seeped into her life in every aspect and become inextricably intertwined with her as a person.

No one will ever understand her like that again.

There is no one who can replace him.