Chapter 110 Heart in Turmoil (18) Senior Brother, do you really not like women...?

A night breeze swept by, and the lantern swayed and spun in my hand, casting shimmering shadows on the ground.

Song Qiling placed the lantern on the ground with a soft "click," then took a few steps forward, looked up at the figure on the roof ridge, and said gently, "Are you angry?"

She recalled that her junior brother was perfectly fine during the day, but his expression turned cold when Wan Hongling came to visit. She figured it was because she was busy entertaining guests and had neglected him.

Thinking of this, she felt a little relieved. "I have important matters to discuss with Miss Wan tonight. I didn't mean to neglect you. Would you like to come down first?"

Although it wasn't that cold at night, Gu Lianzhou had drunk quite a bit of wine, and now that he was sitting high up with no shelter, he was likely to get a headache from the wind.

She has little experience in taking care of drunkards, so tonight's encounter is likely to be difficult.

As soon as he finished speaking, a faint chuckle came from the eaves, short and casual.

Song Qiling slowly frowned.

There's a hint of provocation in that laughter...

She saw her junior brother resting one hand on his knee and the other on his chin, suddenly leaning forward as if to get a better look at her.

"Senior brother, have you ever treated me with the same intimacy you showed to Miss Wan?" He looked down at her, his eyes seemingly swirling with other emotions that Song Qiling couldn't decipher for a moment.

She paused, still unable to understand, "Miss Wan and I are just strangers who met by chance, how could we be intimate?"

Moreover, in terms of intimacy, their relationship is far less intimate than that between her and Gu Lianzhou.

"If tonight's events have caused you any misunderstanding, I can explain. Please don't be sarcastic or cryptic." She also expressed her frustration, "Get down."

Gu Lianzhou was stunned for a moment.

Now he looked down at his senior brother, who looked up with focused, unguarded concern, as if he could see no one else but him at this moment.

This feeling... isn't so bad.

So he shook his head, his voice tinged with alcohol: "No, it's cool here."

It's cool...

It's truly remarkable that he came up with such a lame excuse.

Song Qiling added helplessly, "My neck is sore."

"You're already feeling sour after just a short while?" Gu Lianzhou, perhaps having drunk too much, was completely devoid of his usual docile demeanor, and only dared to argue with her, "When you were alone with that girl in a room, why didn't you say you felt sour then?"

He loosened his collar, revealing his collarbone, but still felt unbearably hot. So he leaned back, bracing himself on the roof tiles, exuding a relaxed and roguish air.

“Senior brother, oh senior brother.” He lazily lowered his eyes, his tone drawn out, “You treat that girl differently after all.”

Song Qiling almost laughed in exasperation: "Where did you get that from?"

Gu Lianzhou shifted his gaze and slid it downwards: "Where else should I look? Look down at your waist. Why did the lucky bag's position change?"

Having said that, the man said nothing more, but picked up the wine pot, tilted his head back, and drank again.

As instructed, Song Qiling lowered her eyes to look at her belt. Sure enough, the position of the jade unicorn bracelet given to her by her junior brother had been switched.

"..."

He even noticed such a subtle detail?

If he hadn't pointed it out, she probably still wouldn't have realized it.

Come to think of it, are Gu Lianzhou's eyes somehow attached to her? No matter how you look at it, his behavior is definitely stranger...

"Oh, you see her?" Gu Lianzhou glanced at her, and due to the effects of the alcohol, he felt that the figure in front of him was swaying, as if there were double images.

He said unwillingly, "Senior brother, you said before that you disliked Wan Hongling, was that all a lie? Actually, you liked her to death, not only did you bring her into the house, but you also..."

"Shut up!" Song Qiling interrupted his unfinished absurd words, her heart pounding wildly.

She thought Gu Lianzhou was just drunk and acting crazy, but now it seems that he is not only perfectly sober, but his eyesight is as amazing as ever, so sharp that he can even remember the smallest hair.

Although they were only in the room for a short time, not enough for anything to happen, he still stubbornly believed that she had done something to Miss Wan.

He wasn't a three-year-old child; he naturally understood that there was no such thing as a simple relationship between men and women, especially since she had locked the door and loosened her belt...

Anyone in that situation would inevitably overthink it.

But... but why does he care so much? Why is he so sullen? Why does he... drown his sorrows in alcohol?

Is she the one who's gone mad, or is Gu Lianzhou the one who's gone mad?

The faint light shone through the paper lanterns under the eaves, illuminating Song Qiling's face and revealing her current panic and helplessness.

The two looked at each other in silence, the surroundings so quiet that even the rustling of withered leaves sweeping across the ground could be clearly heard.

It felt like a fleeting moment, yet also like an eternity. Song Qiling finally slumped, resigned to her fate with a deflated sigh: "Nothing happened between me and Miss Wan. Don't make wild guesses and slander my innocence. I just..."

She paused, then added with difficulty, "I just told her that I don't like women... I hope she won't give her heart to the wrong person."

Gu Lianzhou paused, and the drunkenness in his eyes instantly dissipated.

"Don't like... women?" He slowly uttered these five words, his expression growing increasingly confused.

What nonsense is my senior brother spouting? He's even made up such an absurd excuse just to coax him down.

What does it mean to like something? What does it mean to dislike something?

If you don't like women, then what does my senior brother like?

It can't be...

Silence spread through the night.

After a long while, he slowly raised his hand, his knuckles pressing against his throbbing temples, and murmured, "...I really drank too much."

Seeing his expression, Song Qiling simply turned her face away, bluntly said "Believe it or not," and went into the house.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept past behind me, and a figure nimbly flipped off the roof, his clothes fluttering in the wind, landing lightly and almost without making a sound.

Gu Lianzhou strode forward and reached out to block the door.

"Senior brother." His voice was low and his breathing was disordered, yet it carried an undeniable force. "Could you repeat what you just said?"

Ha, what kind of dream is this person having?

Song Qiling gritted her teeth, but didn't turn around. She exerted force on the door, but it didn't budge. Gu Lianzhou took the opportunity to squeeze in, gently closing the door behind him and blocking out the light from outside.

In the darkness, the two stood in the shadows behind the door, so close that they could feel each other's body temperature and their still-breathing breaths.

The series of movements after landing seemed to have exhausted Gu Lianzhou's forced clarity of mind. His breathing was slightly rapid and heavy, brushing against the stray hairs behind her neck, bringing a slight tickle.

"Get out." Song Qiling lowered her voice, her tone cold and unyielding, as she tried to break free from this unsettling confinement.

She reached out to push his arm, which was pressed against the door, but the muscles there were taut and he wouldn't budge, like an iron clamp.

"Senior brother," Gu Lianzhou called again, his voice even hoarser than before, lingering in a drunken haze, "You still haven't answered me."

Instead of backing down, the man, fueled by alcohol, pressed down on her with even more weight, his chin almost touching her shoulder.

Frustrated, Song Qiling turned to the side, trying to squeeze through the gap under his arm, but he grabbed her waist with his other hand even faster, blocking her way without using force.

The two struggled silently in the darkness behind the door, their clothes rustling as they moved.

Song Qiling got angry and scolded in a low voice, "Let go, what kind of behavior is this?"

Gu Lianzhou chuckled softly, his breath warm against her ear, tinged with the heat of alcohol. "Is it appropriate for Senior Brother and Miss Wan to be alone together in the room?"

...Bringing this up again, when will this ever end?

Song Qiling choked, knowing that arguing with a drunkard was futile. She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down: "Okay, let go first, and let me... light a lamp first."

After she finished speaking, Gu Lianzhou remained silent for a moment, seemingly judging the truthfulness of her words. Finally, he slowly loosened his grip on her waist.

Song Qiling immediately took two steps back, then, remembering something, opened her palm to him and said helplessly, "Give me the tinderbox."

No one responded.

Song Qiling: "?"

Just as she was about to lash out, Gu Lianzhou's muffled voice came from the darkness, tinged with guilt, "It broke. I accidentally broke it when I was lighting the lamp."

"..."

Okay, that's really great.

She sighed resignedly, giving up on him, and turned around based on her memory, groping her way to the cabinet by the wall.

Unable to move freely in the dark, he could only identify objects by touch. After much effort, his fingertips finally touched the familiar oil paper package and the slender candle.

She carefully secured the candle to the candlestick on the table, then fumbled for the flint and tinder.

In the darkness, the sound of striking the flint was exceptionally clear, and a few sparks briefly illuminated her focused profile and slightly furrowed brows.

After several attempts, a tiny flame finally ignited and lit the candle wick.

With a soft "hiss," the candlelight flickered on, its warm glow slowly spreading and dispelling the darkness in the bedroom.

Song Qiling subconsciously looked up at the doorway, only to find it empty. Startled, she quickly scanned the room.

Then, they froze in place.

On the newly made hardboard bed, Gu Lianzhou lay sprawled out like an octopus.

One of his legs was bent, and because of his tall stature, his foot was still on the ground. His other leg was casually draped over the bare bed board. His arms were outstretched, his head was resting on the cold wood, his eyes were closed, and his brow was slightly furrowed. He seemed extremely uncomfortable, yet too lazy to move.

The candlelight cast flickering shadows on his face, making the flushed red at the corners of his eyes, tinged with the effects of alcohol, appear exceptionally beautiful.

His long eyelashes cast a small fan-shaped shadow beneath his eyes, trembling slightly with his slightly heavy breathing.

Lying down like that, without even a cushion, doesn't it feel uncomfortable?

Song Qiling muttered to herself as she quietly walked to the bedside.

"Junior brother," she called softly, "get up, go back to your own room to sleep."

Gu Lianzhou's eyelids twitched, and he slowly opened them a crack.

In the candlelight, his eyes were not as bright as usual, but covered with a layer of watery, hazy intoxication, slowly focusing on Song Qiling's face.

He didn't respond for a moment, but just stared at her.

"There's nothing on the bed, how can you sleep? Get up." Song Qiling reached out to pull his arm, but just as her fingertips touched his forearm, he grabbed her wrist with his other hand.

The palm was burning hot, and the pressure was considerable.

She was startled and before she could react, the man used her strength to exert force suddenly.

"You..."

Caught off guard, Song Qiling was pulled forward and stumbled, falling sideways onto the hard edge of the bed.

Gu Lianzhou released her wrist, and while still lying down, he used his arms to prop himself up and sat up crookedly.

The movement stirred up a gentle breeze carrying the scent of wood and wine, causing the candlelight to flicker softly.

She felt a weight on her shoulder as her junior brother's forehead pressed heavily against it.

A heavy, warm touch came through her clothes, accompanied by the fragrance of osmanthus wine from his breath, which sprayed all over her neck.

Song Qiling froze, her fingers curled up, and she gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, daring not to move again.

"Senior brother." Gu Lianzhou's muffled voice came from her shoulder, lower than usual due to her posture, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor, "You really... don't like women?"

The air fell silent for a moment.

Occasionally, the candle wick would burst open with a tiny spark, making a soft "crackling" sound, which only accentuated the profound silence in the small space.

The fresh scent of new wood and the sweet aroma of osmanthus wine blend together and ferment silently.

Song Qiling sat stiffly, feeling the heavy weight on her shoulders and the burning breath on the side of her neck, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.

She glanced down at the talisman at her waist, opened her mouth, but ultimately could not answer.

Her current attire, whether it's true or not, is hard to say...