Chapter 12 Chapter 12 A taste of
Yi Mingyu slowly opened his arms, which he had been tightly protecting his head and chest in a stress response. Gu Qingsu was right; if he hadn't misjudged people, Miss Ruan wouldn't have gone through this ordeal.
His breathing was erratic, his chest heaving violently, but his tone was firm: "Miss Gu, hit me, hit me as hard as you want. It was my fault for not realizing the purpose of his sudden invitation."
At this moment, Yi Mingyu's face was full of self-reproach and openness, which made Gu Qingxu hesitate a little.
The relentless punches suddenly stopped, and Gu Qingxu was startled, recalling Yi Mingyu's voice as he defended himself.
Yes, Yi Mingyu didn't tell her to go to the Star Gazing Pavilion; she invited him herself. She bit her lower lip slightly, the anger in her eyes gradually dissipating, replaced by a trace of guilt.
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward and dry. Yi Mingyu's face was slightly flushed, and his neatly styled hair was ruffled by Gu Qingsu.
Suddenly Gu Qingxu stopped. He was a little at a loss, looking up at her sitting across him.
He swallowed subconsciously, his Adam's apple bobbing as he spoke weakly, his voice tinged with a hint of trepidation: "Miss Gu...aren't you going to fight anymore?"
Gu Qingxu met his gaze, then lowered her head slightly, only then realizing how inappropriate her posture was.
A sudden wave of heat washed over her face, instantly flushing her cheeks and spreading from her ears down her neck. Her eyes darted around in a panic, and she hurriedly and awkwardly got up.
Feeling the weight disappear from his body, Yi Mingyu hurriedly got up and frantically straightened his disheveled clothes. His clothes were wrinkled and torn in several places, and his hair was also a mess.
Gu Qingxu glanced sideways and saw a smear of bright red blood on his chin. She frowned slightly, thinking that it must have been from her fingernails in her haste. A feeling of embarrassment welled up inside her, and her lips moved slightly, but the words of apology stuck in her throat.
She simply took it out of her sleeve and pulled out a handkerchief that she rarely used. The handkerchief was embroidered with delicate orchids and had a faint fragrance around the edges.
"It's bleeding, wipe it off." She said awkwardly, her eyes darting away, unusually avoiding Yi Mingyu's gaze.
Yi Mingyu was slightly taken aback, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, and he momentarily forgot to react.
Upon seeing this, Gu Qingxu showed a hint of impatience and directly stuffed the handkerchief into his hand.
"Take it!"
Yi Mingyu quickly took the handkerchief, gently wiped the blood from his chin, and said in a low voice, "Thank you, Miss Gu."
They'd only known each other for a few days, and Gu Qingxu had heard him thank her countless times. But right now, she truly felt she had wronged him, so she didn't bother saying anything more. She simply turned her head slightly and coughed lightly to cover her embarrassment.
After wiping it clean, Yi Mingyu intended to return the handkerchief to Gu Qingsu. However, seeing that he had dirtied it, his hand paused slightly, then he silently took it back, his fingertips gently stroking the handkerchief.
The crescent moon hung in the sky at night, and a cool breeze blew into the carriage.
After getting off the carriage, Ruan Xingzhu was carried back to her own courtyard by Gu Yun'an and skillfully placed on the bed.
He ordered someone to bring warm water, and Gu Yun'an personally washed the handkerchief, wrung it out, and gently wiped Ruan Xingzhu's face clean, removing the tear stains.
He then spoke up: "Alright, let's rest."
As she stood up, Ruan Xingzhu reached out her small hand and grabbed his, looking at him pitifully with her big eyes, and said in a soft voice, "Fourth brother, can you stay with me?"
Her eyes were filled with helplessness and dependence, like a nimble little deer. In the past, during thunderstorms, she would always go to Huaiju and have Gu Yun'an keep her company.
A ripple of emotion stirred in Gu Yun'an's eyes, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake. He looked at Ruan Xingzhu and said softly, "Xingzhu has grown up."
His heart was filled with complex emotions. When Ruan Xingzhu said she wanted to stay with him, she simply meant watching her fall asleep. But the companionship he wanted was more than that. Not only had Ruan Xingzhu grown up, but he had grown up too, and he was afraid that he would lose control of the increasingly surging emotions within him.
Her little hand still clung to him, and Ruan Xingzhu continued to plead in a soft voice, "Just stay with Xingzhu until you fall asleep." She pouted slightly, her eyes full of expectation.
Unable to resist her pitiful pleading, Gu Yun'an sighed softly and agreed, "Alright, then Xingzhu, close your eyes."
Ruan Xingzhu smiled faintly and closed her eyes with peace of mind. She was not afraid that Gu Yun'an would leave because Gu Yun'an never broke his promises to her.
Gu Yun'an sat by the bed, gently covering her with a light blanket, his movements so tender as if afraid of disturbing her. He watched her fall asleep quietly, his eyes filled with doting affection. As always, with Gu Yun'an around, Ruan Xingzhu quickly drifted off to sleep.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't flustered with her lying there so quietly in front of him. Gu Yun'an listened to her steady breathing and looked down at her. He saw that she seemed a little hot, her small mouth slightly parted, revealing the tip of her pink tongue, which appeared and disappeared with her breathing.
Those full lips moved slightly, like petals swaying in the spring breeze, easily stirring Gu Yun'an's heartstrings. Instantly, Gu Yun'an felt his breathing become heavier.
He gazed down at Ruan Xingzhu's fair face, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily. He had kissed her forehead and cheeks, but he had never tasted her lips.
A gust of hot air swept in through the window, carrying a hint of ambiguity. Gu Yun'an suddenly felt his mouth grow increasingly dry, as if it were about to burst into flames. The room was now empty except for the two of them; the only sound was their breathing, and no one knew what he was doing.
The little girl seemed genuinely hot, and unconsciously lifted the blanket, revealing her slender neck, as white as jade. Her lips twitched again, letting out a soft groan.
Gu Yun'an swallowed hard, his heart stirred as if by an invisible hand, unable to contain himself any longer. He lowered his head and slowly leaned closer, his breathing becoming more rapid. He inhaled Ruan Xingzhu's breath, which carried her unique sweetness.
His heart sank, and he captured her slightly moving lips, gently savoring their alluring taste as if it were the most precious delicacy in the world, and began to gently knead them.
His breath quickly filled her lips, and gradually, he was no longer satisfied with just a light taste. A strong desire welled up in his heart, wanting to explore inside and taste another new sweetness.
He tightened his grip on her ear, his knuckles turning white from the force, as he tried to pry open her teeth. Just then, the person beneath him moved. Perhaps because of her shortness of breath, she moaned softly in dissatisfaction, as if resisting.
His dark eyes narrowed instantly, and Gu Yun'an quietly stopped what he was doing. His eyes flickered, but fearing he might frighten her, he slowly stood up.
At this moment, his body was a few degrees warmer than usual, the surging in his lower abdomen was even stronger, and his eyes were full of possessive emotions.
In the flickering candlelight, his figure appeared very large, almost enveloping her entirely. His gaze fell upon Ruan Xingzhu's lips, slightly red and imbued with his scent from his kisses, and his heart tightened as if gripped by an invisible hand.
Fearing he might succumb to temptation and do something that would frighten her, Gu Yun'an let out a heavy sigh. He tucked her back into the cool blanket, then got up and left Ruan Xingzhu's room.
As soon as Gu Yun'an stepped outside, she saw Gu Qingsu approaching. Gu Qingsu had been walking in a hurry because she was worried about Ruan Xingzhu. When she saw Gu Yun'an come out, she quickly stopped.
In this household, Ruan Xingzhu was the one Gu Yun'an brought back, so naturally Gu Yun'an cared for this little sister the most. At this moment, facing Gu Yun'an, the head of the family, she felt a little uneasy, like a child who had done something wrong.
She lowered her head slightly, not daring to look Gu Yun'an in the eye, and said in a cautious tone, "Fourth Brother, I've come to see how Xingzhu is doing."
Gu Yun'an looked somewhat uneasy because of what had just happened, and a barely perceptible flush appeared on his face.
But she quickly regained her composure, her expression returning to calm, and said softly, "Xingzhu has already gone to sleep. Come again tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Gu Qingxu thought for a moment and was about to turn and leave, but hesitated for a while before speaking, "I'm sorry, Fourth Brother. I didn't take good care of Xingzhu tonight. That's why she almost fell victim to a thief."
Her voice was full of self-reproach and guilt, tinged with trepidation. She remembered when he first brought Ruan Xingzhu back, Ruan Xingzhu spoke softly and sweetly, calling her Fifth Sister in a coquettish voice.
Before Ruan Xingzhu arrived, she was the youngest girl in the household, but she was naturally tomboyish and always wanted to be an older sister or elder, not a younger sister.
So when Ruan Xingzhu called out "Fifth Sister," she instantly took a liking to this delicate and obedient younger sister. She wanted to take her out to play, but Gu Yun'an said she was afraid that Ruan Xingzhu would lead her astray.
Later, she would specifically choose times when Gu Yun'an was not around to take Ruan Xingzhu out, and she took very good care of her. Ruan Xingzhu was happy to be with her, and over time Gu Yun'an stopped saying anything.
Now that she'd gone out, she'd almost caused Ruan Xingzhu to suffer a terrible fate; she really deserved a beating. But after waiting for a long time, she hadn't received a single word of reprimand from Gu Yun'an.
Gu Yun'an lifted his eyelids and simply hummed in response to Gu Qingsu's apology and remorse.
Tonight's events were actually under his control. He wanted to use this to teach Ruan Xingzhu a lesson, but he forgot about Gu Qingxu's guilt towards Ruan Xingzhu tonight.
"Go back and get some rest. This is none of your business." With that, he turned and left.
Whether it was her imagination or not, Gu Qingxu felt that Gu Yun'an didn't seem angry about what happened tonight, and even had the feeling that he had known all along.
This conjecture was quickly dismissed by Gu Qingxu. He was the one who cared for Ruan Xingzhu the most; how could he possibly stand idly by knowing that Ruan Xingzhu was in trouble?
Absolutely not.
Gu Qingsu muttered to herself as she returned to her own courtyard.
The night was quiet, and it was already past midnight when Sheng Que returned after finishing his business.
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