quarrel

The last rumble of thunder cut across the sky, and though the rain hadn't completely stopped, the slanting drizzle no longer hindered their progress.

Gu Nan didn't want to stay in the pavilion for even half a second longer. She glanced quickly at Lu Yushi, her hand gripping the hem of her clothes unconsciously clenching. She feigned nonchalance and said, "I'm leaving. My coat..."

He paused subconsciously, his voice lowering slightly: "I'll give it back to you later."

Lu Yushi turned his head, quickly staring at the gray sky, and slightly raised his chin: "It's still raining."

"It's alright." Gu Nan deliberately avoided eye contact, her tone rapid, as if this would prevent Lu Yushi from refusing again.

Raindrops continued to fall from the corner of the corridor, splashing into a puddle beneath the pavilion. Gu Nan stared intently at the ripples spreading in the puddle, silently saying, "Once we get to the foot of the mountain and my phone has a signal, I'll message Sun Qian and tell him to come pick you up as soon as possible..."

The sound stopped abruptly.

Gu Nan attributed her unusual thoughts to the fact that she felt indebted to those who had fed her.

With her mind preoccupied, she tried to sound casual as she said, "Um... the coat, thanks... hey?"

Before her raised right foot could even touch the ground, Lu Yushi grabbed her arm from behind. His icy palm was incredibly penetrating, sending shivers down her spine even through three layers of fabric.

A low moan escaped his throat uncontrollably.

The next second, Lu Yushi withdrew his right hand, a fleeting apology in his eyes, so quick it was as if she had imagined it.

"It's rained, the mountain road is difficult to walk on, let's go together."

Gu Nan instinctively refused: "No..."

Before she could finish speaking, Lu Yushi stepped past her and out of the pavilion first. The rain instantly soaked his shirt, which was already mostly wet, and the damp clothes clung to his broad back.

His back had smooth, clean lines that were firm and strong, just like that day.

Gu Nan's eyes flickered, and she controlled herself to avoid his gaze, showing no signs of the same excitement she had felt that day.

She pursed her lips tightly, quickened her pace, and caught up with his back.

As Lu Yushi had said, the mountain path after the rain was wet and slippery, with water rolling on the moss, and one could easily slip and fall if one was not careful.

Lu Yushi walked ahead of her, always keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far. He took each step slowly, and each time he lifted his foot, he steadily maintained his posture.

The steps were long and winding, and the mountain path worn smooth by countless footsteps seemed to stretch on forever.

She deliberately avoided physical contact with Lu Yushi, carefully choosing where to stand. Knowing the reason for her resistance, she insisted on blatantly blaming it on his cold hands.

It seems that this can calm a restless heart.

She found excuses for herself with every breath. At the Ganfeng Winery, in order to avoid Master Wan, she took the initiative to kiss him. Until she left, she felt no strangeness at all.

The reason I'm feeling so confused right now can only be because of my coat.

Leaning slightly forward to maintain balance, she refused any opportunity to make physical contact with Lu Yushi.

We made it to the foot of the mountain without any major incident.

His tense nerves relaxed slightly, and he let out a long sigh of relief. Just as he was about to speak, he caught a glimpse of something in the distance.

A middle-aged woman wrapped in a long trench coat paced anxiously back and forth under the eaves, occasionally looking up towards the mountain road. She held the thick coat in her arms, crossed them in front of her chest, muttered something, and her eyes were red, as if tears were glistening.

Gu Nan's heart sank. She cursed her phone for having no signal and strode past Lu Yu. As they brushed past each other, her elbow bumped into Lu Yu's right hand, which was almost simultaneously reaching out to support her.

Those hands were still icy cold.

Ignoring the sudden pause in her breathing, she almost rushed to the middle-aged woman, her voice filled with barely concealed urgency: "Auntie."

His eyes scanned her up and down, and he asked anxiously, "Why did you come here? Aren't you cold? Didn't I tell you not to go out in the rain? Does your back and legs hurt?"

He was both anxious and angry, and his concerned questions turned into accusations.

Gu Shuping stopped her from squatting down to massage her legs. She took out a warm cashmere coat from her bosom and reached out to put it on her shoulder, but then noticed the men's suit jacket draped over her shoulders and subconsciously looked behind her. The man's clothes were soaked through and clung tightly to his body. Even in his disheveled state, his tall figure still exuded an air of extraordinary presence.

Her eyes flickered, and before the man could look up, she quickly looked away, grabbed Gu Nan's arm, patted it, and comforted him, "I kept calling you but the line was always busy, so I guessed you'd gone up the mountain. It's raining so hard, I was getting anxious, and I couldn't sit still at home by myself, so I thought I'd come over and try my luck."

As he spoke, the man stopped a short distance from the two of them.

Gu Shuping could no longer pretend not to see, so she nudged Gu Nan, who had thrown herself into her arms, and asked, "And who is this?"

Gu Nan subconsciously turned her head, the movement so small as to be barely noticeable to the naked eye. She controlled herself from looking at Lu Yu, her mind filled with excuses: a stranger or a friend?

Lu Yushi said calmly, "I am..."

There was an abrupt pause, and Gu Nan spoke first: "Passerby."

Almost simultaneously: "Her boyfriend."

The air seemed to freeze, and a light rain began to fall.

Gu Shuping's face darkened completely. She quickly composed herself, nodded politely to Lu Yushi, their eyes met briefly, and she said in a gentle, slow voice, "The signal here is bad, and we probably won't be able to find anyone to come and meet you for a while. Why don't you go inside and sit down to warm yourself up?"

"Aunt," Gu Nan hesitated, "he has something to do..."

“It won’t make a difference.” Turning around and opening the car door, Lu Yushi first pushed Gu Nan into the back seat. He took half a step forward, and Gu Shuping quickly turned her head from inside the car, a perfectly timed smile on her face. She blocked the doorway with her body, her gaze calm. “It’s messy in the back. You don’t mind sitting in the passenger seat, do you?”

Lu Yushi paused, lingering for a moment on that face that was deliberately polite and silently refusing, before calmly opening the passenger door and getting in.

The car had a strong leather smell. The windows were closed, and there was a faint smell of medicinal oil in the air. Lu Yushi adjusted his posture and glanced at the middle-aged woman driving in the driver's seat.

When the middle-aged woman first looked him over, he sensed something and looked up, but she quickly looked away, their eyes never meeting. However, because he looked up so quickly, the surprise on her face as she looked away didn't completely disappear, and her feigned ignorance and question about needing Gu Nan's introduction sounded more like a perfunctory gesture.

Lu Yushi understood perfectly well that she recognized him, but was just pretending not to.

The three people in the car each had their own thoughts.

Gu Nan pulled his coat over his body, turned his head to look at the rain outside the window, the scenery receding into his eyes, clearly nothing was in sight.

From the moment she got on the bus, the worry that had been etched on Gu Shuping's brow never eased.

Lu Yushi closed his eyes to rest.

No one tried to break the suffocating silence inside the car.

The car was parked directly at the entrance.

Gu Shuping said calmly, "The washroom is over there. There are no men's clothes in the house, but there is a new bathrobe that has been washed but not worn. You can change out of your wet clothes and wear it for now."

Lu Yushi glanced at Gu Nan, who was silent with her head down, and without saying anything, he thanked her and walked in the direction Gu Shuping pointed.

With a "clatter".

The door was locked.

The two people standing in the living room both breathed a sigh of relief, but not entirely.

Gu Shuping's gaze darkened, she shook her head silently, and sighed: "Go wash first, I'll bring your clothes over later."

"Auntie."

Gu Shuping knew what she was going to say, but still interrupted, "Go first, or you'll catch a cold."

"I..." Gu Nan opened her mouth, but found that even if she spoke, her explanation would be weak and powerless.

He entered the master bedroom with his head down, closed the door behind him, and leaned against the door, trying to calm the churning emotions in his chest.

The person in the mirror looked exhausted, and the oversized suit jacket covered his thighs, concealing half of his disheveled appearance.

She pushed her clothes aside, letting her suit jacket slide to the ground and get covered in dust.

Warm water flowed down from my head, washing over my entire body and awakening a long-lost warmth, numbing all my senses.

She just wanted to be a completely bad person.

Her aunt, however, insisted that she not give up her conscience.

She wanted to get ready as soon as possible, but her mind was in turmoil, and she didn't know how to explain her relationship with Lu Yushi to her aunt when she went out.

It's nothing but manipulation. She can't possibly treat Lu Yushi sincerely, and do you think Lu Yushi would treat her sincerely? How could someone in that position be so preoccupied with romantic feelings?

Her aunt forbids her from taking advantage of other people's feelings, but if they take advantage of each other, should she be blamed for being immoral?

She tilted her head back, letting the water flow directly over her cheeks, trying to wash away the chaotic thoughts in her mind.

"Bang bang bang".

There was a knock on the bathroom door, and Gu Shuping called from outside, "Nannan, the ginger soup is ready. Come out when you're done showering."

Gu Nan was distracted and glanced at the time; more than half an hour had already passed.

So you've been thinking about this for so long.

After all this time, we still haven't found a reasonable explanation.

It can't be liking someone, after all.

She hurriedly turned off the water valve, grabbed a towel to wipe away the water droplets, changed into clean clothes, took a few deep breaths in front of the mirror, and pushed open the door with a relaxed smile: "Auntie."

Gu Shuping stood outside the door, holding a bowl of ginger soup and handing it over. The soup was steaming hot. She smiled kindly and said, "It's just right, not too hot anymore."

Gu Nan obediently lowered her head and sipped half a bowl of the contents from her hand.

The warm liquid slid down my throat, carrying a hint of spiciness.

She glanced towards the living room and casually asked, "Where is he?"

"Who?" Gu Shuping's smile faded considerably. Her hand holding the bowl remained steady, and she did not move an inch as she stood in the doorway.

He sighed inwardly; his aunt must have recognized Lu Yushi.

I probably recognized him at first glance, so I distanced myself and sent him to the passenger seat, silently protesting their being together.

How could someone as astute as Lu Yushi not see through his aunt's intentions?

My head felt like it was going to explode, but I took a deep breath and forced a smile: "Auntie."

It sounded like a plea, yet also tinged with helplessness, hoping that her aunt would stop interfering.

The last vestige of a forced smile vanished from Gu Shuping's face. She gazed at the child she had raised, her eyes falling on the stubbornness in the child's eyes. Shaking her head helplessly, she knew the child didn't want to talk about it, but deliberately pressed on, asking, "Who is he?"

Silence fell after the words were spoken.

Gu Nan silently took the bowl and placed it on the table, then slumped onto the edge of the bed, exhausted, in silence.

The two stood there, letting the silence spread.

Gu Shuping was both angry and heartbroken: "Lu Yushi, right?"

Gu Nan touched his pocket, his urge to smoke reaching its peak, but he was also frustrated and had to suppress it. He said with difficulty, "Aunt, let's... wait until he leaves before we talk about it."

“I let him go.” Gu Shuping’s voice was unusually calm.

Gu Nan suddenly stood up, her voice rising: "Auntie!"

But when he met his aunt's gaze, his imposing manner suddenly vanished.

Silently sitting back down, her eyes reddening with despair, she said, "Auntie, I can't do it."

Lin Jianye is utterly rotten; he can't stand by and watch his enemy live a better life every day. Why should he be able to gain a large number of mindless idiots who blindly believe in him by giving away a little money every year?

Fortunately, Meng Qing accompanied Su Wanting up the mountain. If it had been her, if she had overheard those people praising Lin Jianye and defending his hypocrisy without considering right or wrong, she probably would have…

Nails dug into the palm, using pain to stop the sudden surge of violence.

She thought that after venting her anger abroad for several years, she had been able to control herself and laugh in front of her enemies, but upon seeing Su Wanting's news, she still couldn't help but smash a chair.

The emotions that had been suppressed for too long burst open, leaving a gaping wound, and then they were unstoppable. Hatred broke through reason and gushed out.

She tried her best to control her trembling voice, not wanting her aunt to be upset because of her loss of control.

“Aunt, don’t you find it ironic? He burned down the entire family of the master who raised him and helped him establish his career, and yet he’s become a philanthropist praised by everyone. What’s so philanthropic about him? He’s so philanthropic that he didn’t leave us any way to survive, so philanthropic that he forced us to live in anonymity.”

The fire burned so cleanly that Lin Jianye was able to evade justice for so many years, weaving a halo of philanthropy with money. Who would still believe that he was the real culprit who murdered his master's entire family?

"Nannan." Gu Shuping's eyes were full of heartache.

"Aunt, I can't stand it." Gu Nan wiped her eyes, turned her head away, and said in a cold voice, "Soon, at the latest next spring, I will definitely make Lin Jianye pay for his sins."

Her aunt always advised her to wait until everything was fully prepared before taking action. Lin Jianye held a god-like position in those people's hearts, and without solid evidence, they couldn't shake Lin Jianye's image in other people's minds.

Taking rash action would not only alert the enemy, but also result in being drowned in spittle by the opportunistic and unscrupulous masses.

She had been enduring it all, watching Lin Jianye rise steadily in rank, even fantasizing about marrying into the Shen family and gaining a foothold in Beicheng.

They kept waiting. The fire was so big, and the evidence disappeared so perfectly. Lin Jianye couldn't have done it alone. Master Wan was an accomplice. They escaped death several times after the fire, but the perpetrator had nothing to do with the two of them.

She knew there was someone behind her.

Her eyes drooped to the ground, her long eyelashes trembling uncontrollably like butterfly wings, concealing the unfathomable rejection in her eyes.

There are no more than five families in the northern city, including Lu Yushi.

She was willing to perish together with the enemy as long as she could get revenge.

She tightened her knuckles on her wrist: "Aunt, having a conscience isn't necessarily a good thing. When I deliberately approached Lu Yu, I used him. Do you really think he was sincere towards me?"

Gu Shuping was both anxious and angry. If she were certain that Nannan was only using her, she wouldn't be so angry. Lu Yushi was a man of deep thoughts and wouldn't show his true feelings. If he really liked her, that would be fine, but what she feared was that Lu Yushi wasn't sincere.

She rarely spoke harshly, always gently admonishing Nan Nan to be careful. But when she got angry, she scolded, "You still want to be with him if he doesn't have genuine feelings for you? If he knew you were approaching him to use him, or even to use him against people he has connections with or cares about, what do you think he would do? Tell me, do you think he would lay a hand on you? Boyfriend/friend relationship, how could you even think of that?"

Gu Shuping choked up and saw right through Gu Nan's thoughts: "You're gambling, gambling that he'll fall for you, gambling that you won't make the slightest mistake."

Gu Nan's eyes flickered violently, but she didn't reply.

Gu Shuping's fingertips trembled: "Did I say something wrong?"

Gu Nan straightened her back, as if this would make her more persuasive to the other party and to herself: "As long as... as long as he has feelings for me, things will be easier."

"And what about you!"

Gu Shuping's voice was agitated, each word seemingly squeezed out from between her teeth, trembling with tenderness: "What will you do when he finds out the truth in the future, when he knows that you were deceiving him and using him from the beginning?"

She swallowed hard and stared intently at Gu Nan: "Even if you're lucky and clever enough to arrange everything flawlessly and keep him in the dark until the very end, and Lin Jianye falls and we get our revenge, what about you?"

Gu Nan's eyes lit up as she hugged Gu Shuping back, saying softly, "Then we'll leave here. We'll go abroad, anywhere we want to go."

Gu Shuping slapped her hand away: "You know what I'm asking."

“Aunt,” Gu Nan’s voice deepened, her eyes resolute, “There is no such possibility. I could never fall for Lu Yushi in my life. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

Her tone was flat, revealing no emotional fluctuations, yet it carried an undeniable authority.

Gu Shuping stared straight at her, trying to see through her truest thoughts from her face.

Nothing was gained.

He sighed deeply, hugged her, and felt her body stiffen. His heart felt like it was filled with stones, making it hard to breathe, and he felt only heartache.

“Nannan, what I mean is, you can like him, and your aunt doesn't mind you being with him. But if you have feelings for him, be open and honest with him, and don't take advantage of him. If you're just using him, then… then…”

I choked up at one point, rejecting the possibility from the bottom of my heart.

Gu Nan reassured everyone: "It's just exploitation."

The resolute answer did little to reassure Gu Shuping, whose mind was still filled with the tense atmosphere between Nan Nan and Lu Yushi at the foot of the mountain.

After the fire at the Cloud Villa, Nan Nan was soaked in the rain all night. Since then, Nan Nan has developed a fear of the cold. She had worn Wan Yi's coat before, but Xiao Ji always wrapped her up tightly and accepted the kindness without hesitation. However, it was only with Lu Yu Shi that she saw Nan Nan's apology.

If she had even a little bit of a sense of righteousness, she could convince herself to let things go.

His arms tightened around her, and his eyes were filled with despair.

She wanted revenge, she wanted justice for her unborn child, and she wanted to seek justice for her innocent and tragically deceased husband.

But if these things require Nan Nan to suffer, she would rather give them up.