Chapter 357 I Love You More Than You
Inside a private room of the teahouse.
After they sat down, Du Szeze subconsciously scrutinized Gu Jingxi.
The man didn't look thirty at all; he looked at most twenty-five. His face was as handsome as a painting, with clear yet soft features. He was gentle and non-aggressive. Just his exceptionally handsome face was enough to make any girl fall head over heels for him. No wonder my cousin was still devoted to him even though she knew he had a hidden illness.
He was not only exceptionally handsome, but also possessed a refined and elegant demeanor. His brows exuded a gentle aura, like the first warm rays of the morning sun, making him appear approachable. However, beneath this gentleness lay an unassailable aura of power.
This man is not simple. He seems gentle and harmless, but he is actually very shrewd. But that's normal. How can someone who can hold a high position be simple?
Gu Jingxi also sized up the young man in front of him. He was about eighteen or nineteen years old, with a handsome appearance and a gentle demeanor. He was no different from the young master of an ordinary official family, and there was nothing particularly special about him.
After a moment, Gu Jingxi withdrew his scrutinizing gaze and asked in a calm voice, "What does Young Master Du want to say to me?"
Du Sze was caught off guard by the question and snapped out of his daze. He saw Gu Jingxi calmly pick up the teapot and pour tea, placing the freshly poured tea in front of him. His mind went blank for a moment. In terms of seniority, Gu Jingxi had married his cousin, so he was his cousin. But in reality, their statuses were far apart. He dared not let Gu Jingxi call him cousin, let alone let Gu Jingxi pour tea for him.
Gu Jingxi poured himself another cup of tea and said, "Young Master Du, have some tea and tell me slowly."
The more easygoing the other party seemed, the more uneasy Du Sze felt, as if he were under pressure. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, calmed himself down, and after much deliberation, finally got straight to the point: "Lord Gu, my cousin A Yao has never experienced fatherly love since she was a child. You are so much older than her, and she feels the care from you, so she thinks it is romantic love."
Gu Jingxi found it amusing, but outwardly remained calm as he asked, "Does Young Master Du mean that I have fatherly feelings for her, but she has misunderstood them as romantic feelings? So you want to advise me not to imprison her for life, but to divorce her and give her freedom?"
Du Sze nodded and said frankly, "Yes, Lord Gu also knows his own situation. You are unable to give her happiness, and her marriage to you was a helpless move. Why do you imprison her for life with marriage? If it weren't for the fact that your Gu family raised an irresponsible scoundrel like Gu Xiuming, she should have had her own happiness instead of being tied to you and wasting her life."
Gu Jingxi wasn't annoyed. Instead, she asked him, "Young Master Du isn't me, so how do you know I can't give her happiness? Young Master Du isn't her either, so how do you know she won't be happy if she's tied to me?"
Du Sze felt that he was a cunning old man who couldn't find a wife, so he clung to his cousin. His face darkened, and he said indignantly, "Lord Gu, you think you can give your cousin happiness, but do you understand her? Do you know what she wants? She has never been able to express her thoughts since she was a child. Even if something happens, she only reports the good news and never the bad, swallowing her bitterness."
"Yeah?"
Gu Jingxi smiled dismissively: "If that's the case, then the A Yao that Young Master Du mentioned is completely different from the A Yao I know. She always talks to me about everything, whether it's the truth about Cheng Yu's death or the truth about her mother's death in childbirth. Has she told you any of these things?"
Upon hearing this, Du Sze was shocked and found it hard to believe. His cousin had never told him these things before, but she had told Gu Jingxi.
A moment later, Du Sze said sharply, "Did your cousin tell you that she likes children? She could have had both a son and a daughter, and a house full of children and grandchildren, but because of you, all of that has become impossible."
Gu Jingxi smiled and said, "So, we're planning to have a child next year. There's no need for Young Master Du to worry about that."
Upon hearing this, Du Szeze immediately thought of adoption and sneered, "So Lord Gu is thinking of finding a child for her to keep her in check? Everyone says Lord Gu is a man of noble character, but I never expected him to use such selfish means to entrap a girl. If you can treat her like this, it's clear you don't have much sincerity."
Gu Jingxi lowered his eyes slightly, his gaze deep, and asked in a low voice, "Young Master Du, you do love her, but over the years, she has been in dire straits. Did you do anything to save her from that suffering?"
Du Sze: "I..."
Gu Jingxi interrupted him: "You didn't, but you did think about it. It's just that you're not capable of doing it. You can't even save her from dire straits. You can only watch her struggle in agony. So why are you putting on such a righteous act in front of me?"
Upon hearing this, Du Sze was speechless.
Gu Jingxi continued, "And what you can't do, I can do. So who is it that can't give her happiness? You watched her struggle in the Meng family for so many years. Now that she's escaped the fire, what's the point of you caring about her now?"
Du Sze shook his head repeatedly: "I'm not, I..."
Gu Jingxi interrupted him again: "Don't tell me it's because you're young and your abilities are limited, and that you'll work hard to become stronger and save her from this predicament. That's many years from now! You can't protect her yourself, so you expect her to stay put and suffer until you become stronger, and not allow others to protect her? Is this how you love her?"
Du Sze was utterly devastated by these words, his face instantly turning red with embarrassment. He hurriedly said, "Don't talk nonsense, I have no improper thoughts about her."
Gu Jingxi smiled faintly, "Young Master Du, do you even believe that yourself? It's undeniable that your starting point was indeed for her own good, not wanting her to be tied to me and waste her life, but do you really have no selfish motives at all?"
Du Sze remained silent. He had his own selfish motives. If his cousin divorced Gu Jingxi, he would pursue her. If she was willing to marry him, he would marry her. If she was not, she could leave Gu Jingxi and marry a healthy man, so she could have a son and a daughter and a house full of grandchildren, instead of living like she was now, as if she were living a life of being married to a eunuch.
"Since you can't even protect her properly, then please put away your thoughts and continue being her cousin." Gu Jingxi said, his smile fading, his eyes flashing with a warning, and he said in a deep voice, "There aren't many relatives who are good to her. Besides Chengzhang, you are one of them. That's why she cherishes everyone who is good to her. I don't want her to be sad, do you understand?"
Du Sze met his gaze, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he understood what he meant. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Does Lord Gu have romantic feelings for her?"
Gu Jingxi chuckled lightly: "I thought you could tell from all that I said."
Du Sze was stunned.
Gu Jingxi glanced at him and then said, "When it comes to loving her, I love her even more than you do."
Undeterred, Du Sze asked, "Fatherly love?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi's expression froze for a moment before replying, "If she needs it, it's not impossible to add it."
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