chapter

Gu Xiuyi has a high body temperature, and his fingers are not delicate due to years of fitness. When he touches the skin on the inside of Ji Ruan's wrist, it brings out a strange numbing sensation.

He seemed to be looking at Ji Ruan's hands very intently. His tone of voice was soft, but just enough to move people's hearts, like ripples suddenly appearing on the water.

Perhaps such behavior itself does not have any meaning, maybe this is the tone he uses when he is relaxed, but if the person sitting now is Ji Ruan from the original book, he might be moved again.

The heartbeat of an eighteen-year-old can always be delivered in every little detail, and every subtle movement is given special meaning.

He is worthy of being the protagonist in a sad novel. He can be very gentle to you but will not fall in love with you; after you fall in love with him, he will still remain just ordinary and gentle. But when you are really about to lose him, he suddenly seems to love you deeply and acts as if he has suddenly realized something.

But Ji Ruan hated this kind of complicated and entangled feelings.

Gu Xiuyi admired his hands, and he also looked at Gu Xiuyi quietly.

To some extent, he is actually a somewhat cold-hearted person like Gu Xiuyi, but Gu Xiuyi is like that due to his nature and upbringing, while Ji Ruan is just lazy.

He has no need for love and is too tired to actively express his love. If he is not the only one in a relationship, he is actually too lazy to want it.

Fortunately, his relationship with Gu Xiuyi was not based on emotions. They just got along half-heartedly, pretending to become more familiar with each other every day, and finally parted ways decently.

Ji Ruan gently pulled out his hand, slightly opened his five fingers towards the dazzling chandelier in the living room, looked carefully at the ring on his ring finger, and said slowly: "Mr. Gu, I have a question I have wanted to ask you for a long time."

It was the first time that Gu Xiuyi heard Ji Ruan call him "Mr. Gu". He propped up his chin and smiled: "Hmm?"

Ji Ruan tilted his head up, and the angle made him look innocent: "Is there any difference between the rings you specially made and the finished ones in the store?"

He really didn't realize that men's plain rings were not suitable to be too flashy. In Ji Ruan's eyes, all styles were similar.

Gu Xiuyi didn't react much after hearing this. He just tilted his head and smiled: "Maybe it's because I'm picky. Song Ling and the others all said so."

Ji Ruan raised his eyebrows. So you knew that too?

Gu Xiuyi understood his look, shook his head without comment, stood up and patted Ji Ruan on the back: "Okay, go change your clothes, it's time to go out."

·

The old house of the Gu family was built on the outskirts of the city. It is an ancient garden-style building that has stood the test of many years and has been renovated many times.

The car stopped in front of the quaint gate and a butler respectfully led them in.

This house is exactly like the large courtyards in period dramas, with blue bricks and black tiles, shaded by ancient trees, and stretching as far as the eye can see.

Entering the gate and passing through the lobby is a deep rockery garden with towering trees and several ornamental streams flowing through it. Even the temperature is much cooler than outside.

Ji Ruan and Gu Xiuyi walked side by side, and the housekeeper stood in front of them at a distance, neither too far nor too close, and remained silent.

After walking for a while, the surrounding scenery remained unchanged, and no buildings similar to the main house were seen. Ji Ruan sighed slightly: "Is this a residence or a royal park?"

Gu Xiuyi turned his head to look at him: "Are you tired of walking again?"

"..." Ji Ruan glanced at him and touched his nose: "Not yet."

Gu Xiuyi calmly stated the facts: "We still have to go through at least a corridor to reach the main hall."

"Is this true?!" Ji Ruan's expression was slightly out of control.

There was an arch bridge in front of them. There were some spots of moss on the steps that had not been cleared away. Ji Ruan and Gu Xiuyi were arguing and didn't pay attention. He stepped on it and almost slipped. With a scream, he staggered and grabbed Gu Xiuyi's arm.

Gu Xiuyi turned his head and saw Ji Ruan patting his chest in shock: "It's so slippery..."

"..." He paused, pulled Ji Ruan's hand down and held it: "If it's slippery, walk slowly."

Gu Xiuyi’s hands were so big that they could cover Ji Ruan completely. Their skins touched and the rings on their hands bumped into each other. Ji Ruan was slightly startled.

The butler in front heard the noise and turned back quietly. When Ji Ruan saw it, he immediately understood. He shook hands with Gu Xiuyi without any burden and interlocked their fingers.

Afraid of slipping again, he looked down at the ground and walked very carefully.

Gu Xiuyi was looking at the red carp in the pond aimlessly, then he realized that Ji Ruan had stopped talking, so he turned around and looked at him.

The little boy held his hand and walked step by step in a very delicate manner.

“…”

Gu Xiuyi didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Should I prepare a sedan chair for you?"

Ji Ruan heard the joke in his words, rolled his eyes silently, and without raising his head, he just squeezed Gu Xiuyi's hand hard: "Mr. Gu, you are not suitable for joking."

Gu Xiuyi's low laugh sounded beside his ears: "Well, that's it..."

He was holding a bag in his hand, a brown paper bag, sealed tightly, which he brought back together with the ring from the afternoon, but it was obviously a very important thing that had nothing to do with Ji Ruan.

Ji Ruan remembered something when he saw this, and asked Gu Xiuyi: "This is my first time visiting your house, don't I need to bring some gifts?"

Although he didn't know what the environment of that family was like, he had to bring something when meeting his marriage partner's parents for the first time so as not to be disrespectful. However, this time it happened so suddenly that Ji Ruan had no time to think about it.

Gu Xiuyi did not answer immediately. He looked at Ji Ruan with a hint of surprise in his eyes, and then shook his head: "No need."

He seemed to think for a while before continuing, "When you go in and see the people inside, don't worry about them. Just make yourself comfortable."

This sentence sounded like a comfort, but also more like an emphasis.

The corridor was built on a large pond, and the wind was stronger than anywhere else. Ji Ruan frowned and coughed twice, "What?"

His throat had not fully recovered, and when he coughed the tail of the sound was drawn out.

Gu Xiuyi stood a little closer to him and explained, "My grandfather, father, stepmother, and two brothers live in there. The older one is my stepmother's son with her ex-husband, and the younger one is her illegitimate son with my father."

He looked at Ji Ruan, his eyes showing no emotion: "So when you see them, you can ignore everything. Don't pay attention to what they say or do. If you feel annoyed, you can turn off the cochlear implant."

Ji Ruan laughed softly: "Don't you dislike me turning off my cochlear implant casually?"

Gu Xiuyi said in a steady tone: "It's okay this time, it doesn't matter."

Ji Ruan raised his eyebrows. It was indeed a complicated feud among the wealthy families. Gu Xiuyi seemed to have no feelings for those so-called "family members".

But Ji Ruan has always been impatient to dwell on these intrigues, and even when watching TV dramas, he never watches palace fighting. He used his simple brain to perfunctorily think about it and asked Gu Xiuyi:

"So they're bad guys?"

Bad guy?

Gu Xiuyi's forehead twitched slightly.

It had been a long time since he had met a kid like Ji Ruan who simply defined people as "good" and "bad".

One could even say that he had long ago stopped trying to define human nature.

Gu Xiuyi couldn't give an answer to this question for a moment.

After a while, he looked into Ji Ruan's warm eyes, and his back unconsciously relaxed a lot: "From my point of view, you can say that."

He curled the corners of his lips: "So you don't have to think about anything else, just follow me."

Ji Ruan nodded thoughtfully. It just so happened that he didn't like to think about complicated things.

He has always been good at simplifying things.

The housekeeper was still secretly observing them from the corner of his eyes. Ji Ruan hugged Gu Xiuyi's arm affectionately and whispered, "Anyway, I can just pretend to be deaf and dumb, right?"

In response to him, Gu Xiuyi laughed softly: "Yeah."