Chapter 77. Chapter 77. Take control of me.
Time flew by and it was New Year's Eve.
As usual, Shang Shu would go to the Lin family for the New Year's Eve dinner at noon, and the Lin family would usually ask her to stay up until the first day of the new year.
Gu Sui also had to go back to her family home, because she had been lying about being abroad for the past few years. This year was also the first New Year she had spent back in her family home in many years, so it was not easy for her to refuse.
The Gu family is large and has many rules. In addition, with the ancestral worship and welcoming of the gods, it is estimated that it will be past the third day of the Lunar New Year before they can leave. Therefore, the day to have dinner at Gu Qi's house is set for the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.
The thought of having to be separated from Gu Sui for the next few days made Shang Shu extremely sad.
Half of her distress came from her reluctance to part with Gu Sui, and the other half came from the feeling that she was really about to die. How could she be so clingy when they had only been apart for a few days?
Shang Shu strongly suspected that she and Gu Sui had entered their second passionate phase.
The night before, Shang Shu had pestered Gu Sui several times, and this morning she woke up again before dawn. She first quietly admired Gu Sui's sleeping face for a while, and then, not satisfied, she grabbed Gu Sui's arm and put it on herself. After that, she started to snuggle into Gu Sui's arms and rub against him, which woke him up.
"It itches." Gu Sui wasn't angry. He knew she was just being reluctant. He just looked sleepily at the fluffy head nestled against his neck and gently rubbed it a couple of times.
Shang Shu felt a little guilty and nestled in his arms, saying, "You should sleep a little longer."
Gu Sui closed his eyes, chuckled lazily twice, and then opened them again: "Get up."
She was actually very sleepy, but felt she could sleep anytime. She still wanted to stay with Shang Shu because she was also a little reluctant to part with her.
The two of them got up to wash up together. The bathroom was so big, but Shang Shu insisted on standing shoulder to shoulder with Gu Sui, their arms practically touching.
Gu Sui smiled at the person in the mirror and switched the toothbrush to his left hand.
Actually, Shang Shu didn't know what she wanted to do so early, and neither did Gu Sui. It was a case of one being willing to give and the other being willing to receive, and they both found it a bit funny.
After lingering in bed for a while, Gu Sui simply pulled Shang Shu downstairs, and the two strolled hand in hand in the garden.
"What are you doing, doing your morning exercise?" Shang Shu smiled and rubbed the corner of her eye.
During the Lunar New Year, getting up so early to take a stroll in their own garden, they must be the only ones doing this.
However, she had never really looked closely at the waterfront garden. Now that she saw it, the design was indeed very ingenious, and the water system was beautiful. Shang Shu was thinking of copying it to Yunxiu Villa, but she didn't know if it would fit. These thoughts were running wild in her mind.
Gu Sui squeezed Shang Shu's palm: "Hmm, get used to it in advance."
"Huh?" What does this mean? Does it mean we'll all be doing morning exercises from now on?
Gu Sui smiled and gently swayed her arm: "This is how we'll be when we're old."
Shang Shu's cheeks instantly burned, and her ears followed suit, feeling both hot and numb, almost to the back of her head.
She only recently realized that she really couldn't stand these kinds of words. They seemed to have a much stronger aftereffect than words like "like" or "love." They seeped into her ears silently, and by the time she realized it, it was too late. But this person always said that he didn't know why.
"You're dreaming again," she muttered, turning her head toward the fountain.
Gu Sui glanced at her ripe ears, then stared at his toes, and smiled with pursed lips.
After strolling around for a while, the two went back and ate something. Shang Shu wasn't very hungry, mainly because she was afraid that if she got up too early, Gu Sui's stomach wouldn't be able to handle an empty stomach. So she rested her chin on her hand and watched Gu Sui slowly eat his wontons.
"When you go back to eat, you absolutely must not drink alcohol. No matter how much I try to persuade you, you can't touch it. You have to refuse, understand?" Shang Shu gently tapped her cheek with her finger and instructed her.
She knew that drinking was inevitable during the New Year. Gu Qi wasn't there, and Gu Sui rarely went back. She was afraid that if everyone egged him on, or if the elders persuaded him, Gu Sui would be too embarrassed to refuse.
"Then teach me." Gu Sui took a sip of soup and looked at her with a smile.
Of course she knew she couldn't drink it, and she naturally had a hundred ways to refuse, but she just loved listening to Shang Shu's instructions, and she couldn't get enough of them.
Seeing that she didn't agree and then said that again, Shang Shu quickly sat up straight: "Just say you have an allergy, um... but I guess this can't be used at your home, or say you just took anti-inflammatory medicine and can't drink any of it, or say you are taking Chinese medicine to regulate your body, oh dear, think of something."
She initially wanted to say that Gu Sui was such a grown man, why did he still have to ask her in return? But then she thought it made sense. After all, Gu Sui didn't talk to clients every day, so he probably thought she was more capable. Shang Shu nodded inwardly.
"Oh," Gu Sui put down the spoon and slowly wiped his mouth, "Does our CEO always lie to people like this?"
"I have to drink it directly, okay? This isn't teaching—" Before she could finish the word "you," Shang Shu met Gu Suiliang's gleaming gaze.
Tsk, they've walked right into the trap.
With a light flick of her tongue across her palate, Shang Shu reached for the water beside her, a little guilty: "Anyway, you can decide for yourself, but you absolutely cannot touch a single drop."
Gu Sui raised an eyebrow and folded the tissue in his hand: "Then I'll say it, my wife won't allow it."
"Cough cough cough..." Shang Shu choked and coughed violently because she couldn't swallow a mouthful of water.
Gu Sui quickly patted her back to help her catch her breath, her brows furrowed, but she couldn't hide the smile on her lips.
Shang Shu's face turned red, and she didn't know if it was because she choked. She finally realized that this person clearly knew what was going on and had been deliberately teasing her.
"You're so annoying, I'm not going to bother with you anymore." Shang Shu snatched the neatly folded tissue from Gu Sui's hand and crumpled it into a ball.
Gu Sui's breath twitched slightly. He leaned forward and gently rested his forehead on Shang Shu's shoulder, whispering, "Take care of me."
Please take care of me, from now on, forever.
Around noon, Gu Sui escorted Shang Shu to the Lin family's door. Shang Shu lowered her head, holding Gu Sui's hand tightly, reluctant to get out of the car. Despite their earlier bickering, she couldn't utter a single word when it came time to part.
"You shouldn't look gloomy during the New Year." Gu Sui tapped the tip of her nose.
Shang Shu wrinkled her nose and poked her palm affectionately: "Remember to think of me."
"Yes, I will," Gu Sui said gently, looking at the little girl's aggrieved expression. "Message me anytime, okay?"
Shang Shu nodded, cupped Gu Sui's face in her hands, kissed her tenderly, and then gently bit her lips before reluctantly letting go.
"Go on, drink less," Gu Sui rubbed her earlobe with his fingertip, like stroking a kitten's ear, "Good girl."
Shang Shuxin was completely disfigured. Knowing that she might not be able to leave if she didn't leave soon, she steeled herself and got out of the car to walk inside.
The Lin family has many relatives and they are very close. Because Lin Lang's family is the eldest branch, everyone likes to gather here every year. Therefore, the Lin family's New Year is always very lively. The Lin family's relatives also know Shang Shu. Ke Ya Hui had told everyone in the past that this was her goddaughter. However, she was afraid that Shang Shu would be sensitive about the identity of her mother, so she did not plan to make her change her address to godmother.
After entering, Shang Shu politely greeted everyone, and then Lin Lang pulled her upstairs.
"Dr. Gu from your family brought you here, right?" Lin Lang asked with a smile, linking her arm with hers.
“Hmm,” Shang Shu said, stepping up the stairs. Hearing her mention Gu Sui, she couldn’t help but smile. “How did you know?”
"Tch, I saw it all from upstairs. You looked so pathetic, turning back every few steps after you got out of the car," Lin Lang nudged her shoulder lightly. "I also know that you wouldn't have come if it weren't for the fact that he had to go back to the Gu family."
Shang Shu laughed uncontrollably: "Heaven and earth bear witness, but I was the one who asked to come over first, and only later did I find out that she wanted to go back to the Gu family."
Lin Lang smiled as he walked up the stairs, tugging at the small red lanterns hanging on the stairs.
"By the way, who was that sitting next to my aunt just now?" Shang Shu asked casually, looking at the swaying little lantern. After all, even if they were familiar with each other, they were still at someone else's house, and she was afraid of making a mistake when the banquet started.
“Hey, you have a sharp eye,” Lin Lang said mysteriously, giving her a mysterious look. “That’s my second sister’s girlfriend. You wouldn’t believe it, would you? After being single for over thirty years, she’s finally found love this year and brought her back for the New Year. I heard she’s from Beicheng, and she specially came all the way to Macau with her.”
"Huh?" Shang Shu was a little surprised. She wasn't very familiar with Lin Can. She only knew that even Lin Lang had been afraid of her since childhood. Lin Lang had complained to her before that with her second sister's cold personality, she would probably be single for life.
"Shocking, right? Scary, right? I'm still not over it. Lin Can, the Iceberg, is just as bad as your Dr. Gu." Lin Lang added, shaking his head.
Shang Shu couldn't help but chuckle. Gu Sui was probably similar to Lin Can in other people's eyes. Thinking that the "iceberg" had leaned on her shoulder this morning and asked her to keep an eye on him, Shang Shu felt a wave of tenderness.
“That’s good. You won’t have to worry about coming out of the closet anymore.” Shang Shu followed Lin Lang into the bedroom and closed the door as she spoke.
"I didn't need it in the first place, don't you know my mom?" Lin Lang slumped onto the sofa, grinning mischievously. "So, does the rest of the Gu family know about you two?"
Gu Xiangyi and Gu Qi go without saying; Lin Lang already knew them, and she even wanted to call the three of them the "Assist Trio".
"I don't know," Shang Shu frowned, unsure of what to say after being asked that question. "I don't know if the Chen family's matter last time alarmed the Gu family."
After all, the people sent by the Chen family to apologize went to Gu Qi's place first. What if they went to the Gu family's old residence as well? Shang Shu suddenly became a little worried.
"Huh? What does this have to do with the Gu family?" Lin Lang was completely confused; she hadn't had a chance to ask Shang Shu about it last time.
Shang Shu lifted her eyelids to look at her, pursed her lips, and explained the whole story.
"Damn it, how come you didn't tell me about something this big?" Lin Lang was furious. He wanted to say that Shang Shu almost got into trouble, but then he thought it was too unlucky to say it during the New Year.
“I’m fine,” Shang Shu stopped Lin Lang from grabbing her arms and legs to check her over carefully. “Besides, you were busy with someone else at the time.”
Shang Shu squinted at her and saw that Lin Lang's face turned red as soon as this was mentioned. However, just as she was about to ask something, she was interrupted by the housekeeper who called them to dinner. So Shang Shu decided that she would come back later to get to the bottom of it.
During the family reunion dinner, the elders and younger generations sat at separate tables. Shang Shu sat next to Lin Lang, followed by Lin Cui, Lin Can and his girlfriend, and some other peers. They weren't as formal as the elders; everyone ate casually, sometimes raising their glasses in response to the main table, and sometimes chatting in twos and threes.
Shang Shu guessed that Gu Sui's party should have started by now, because Gu Sui hadn't replied to her earlier message: "[Remember to refuse.]"
Shang Shu put her phone down beside her, taking a couple of bites of food and then checking it, somewhat absentmindedly.
Lin Lang was also distracted, constantly holding her phone, which prompted Lin Cui next to her to tap her on the head.
"Are you dating someone? You've been looking at your phone the whole time." Lin Cui said, glancing at Shang Shu as well. There must be something going on between these two girls.
"Ouch, big sister!" Lin Cui had loved to use this trick since she was a child. Lin Lang locked the screen and covered her head, groaning in pain, trying to avoid the real issue.
Shang Shu was also a little embarrassed. She exchanged a glance with Lin Lang, and the two clinked glasses in a seemingly unrelated manner.
"Ranran, are you still enjoying the food?"
"Mmm, it's delicious."
"Then eat more."
Listening to Lin Can's quiet conversation with his girlfriend and watching her serve food to her one after another, Lin Lang quietly nudged Shang Shu's arm.
"My goodness, did you see that? That thoughtfulness, that smile, it's terrifying! Is this really my second sister?" She whispered, gossiping with Shang Shu.
Shang Shu chuckled and secretly teased her, "When you're with Xiangyi, take a look in the mirror. You might end up looking like that too."
Lin Lang glanced at her, then picked up her cup to hide the upturned corners of her lips.
After dinner, Ke Ya Hui chatted with Shang Shu for a while, briefly asking about her health and work, deliberately avoiding the topic of the business. She said that Shang Shu looked much better than when she came back recently, and that she had gained some weight and looked even more beautiful. Shang Shu smiled and thought of Gu Sui.
Seeing Lin Can and his girlfriend holding hands and talking in the distance, Ke Ya Hui exaggeratedly said that their Can Can had laughed more today than in the entire previous year. She also told Shang Shu that if she had a boyfriend, she should bring him back to visit like Lin Can. Shang Shu agreed and then thought of Gu Sui.
Later that night, Shang Shu received a call from Gu Sui. She immediately ran into the room, her voice brimming with laughter: "Hello?"
"I was busy toasting people and didn't have time to reply to messages. I was thinking of calling you directly," Gu Sui thought for a moment and then added to the first part about toasting people, "I was drinking juice."
Gu Sui's voice was like silk, noble yet gentle, making Shang Shu feel comfortable. She slumped into the sofa and crossed her legs: "Good girl, there will be a reward when you come back."
Gu Sui snorted softly and chuckled, "So, were you being good?"
Judging from the voice, it sounded like someone was drunk, but she couldn't detect any alcohol in it.
"Yes, I only drank one cup, a really, really small cup," Shang Shu said, her longing suddenly overflowing. Listening to Gu Sui's breathing, she leaned on the pillow and whispered, "Gu Sui, I miss you so much."
We've only been apart for less than half a day, and I already miss you so much.
"I miss you too, A-Shu." Hearing the little girl's soft voice, Gu Sui sighed and wanted to hug her.
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