Chapter 18 I hope Xingzhu won't break her promise.
After Gu Yun'an's figure completely disappeared from sight, Gu Qingxu cautiously peeked out and groped her way towards Ruan Xingzhu's courtyard.
At this moment, Ruan Xingzhu was preparing to wash up and rest, the dim candlelight in the room casting a yellow glow on her face. Hearing the sound, she frowned slightly, a hint of doubt in her eyes, and put down the handkerchief in her hand.
As soon as Gu Qingxu entered the room, her face was full of self-reproach, and her eyes were filled with guilt. She hurriedly said, "Xingzhu, I'm so sorry. It's all Xiao Louzi's fault for being so unreliable and making you ride a horse!"
As soon as she finished speaking, her eyes lit up as if she had suddenly thought of something, and she quickly added, "I'll have him come to apologize to you tomorrow."
As he spoke, he nodded emphatically, looking determined to do it.
Upon hearing that Gu Qingxu had come for this reason, Ruan Xingzhu quickly waved her hand and stopped him, saying, "No need. This isn't his problem. I wanted to ride the horse myself."
Seeing that Gu Qingxu was somewhat insistent, she tried to persuade her again, since it would make her seem petty to ask someone to apologize to her.
Gu Qingxu thought for a moment before giving in and saying, "Alright then."
She didn't stay with Ruan Xingzhu for long before slowly getting up and returning to her own courtyard.
The next day, the sun was almost directly overhead, but Gu Qingxu was still fast asleep, showing no signs of waking up.
The maid hesitated upon seeing this, but the young master was waiting outside the door, and it wouldn't be good if the madam saw him. After making up her mind, she called out to Gu Qingxu.
Gu Qingxu, who was woken up, was very displeased. She heard the maid say, "A young master surnamed Lou came to the mansion looking for you, saying he came to apologize."
Gu Qingxu's eyes were half-closed, and her brows were slightly furrowed.
"Apologize? What kind of apology is this so early in the morning?"
Just as I was about to lie back down and ignore it, my body suddenly jolted awake.
Lou Hongyi came to apologize? Her sleepiness vanished completely, and a relieved smile appeared on her face. He came to apologize on his own without her having to call him. He truly deserved to be the person she had her eye on.
She quickly threw off the covers, leaped out of bed, and hurriedly dressed. While tying her sash, she said urgently to the maid, "Quickly, bring her into the mansion."
A moment later, Lou Hongyi was led in. He was dressed in a moon-white robe with a blue ribbon tied around his waist, and he was carrying a beautifully packaged gift box. He looked somewhat reserved.
Seeing that Lou Hongyi was still carrying something, Gu Qingsu's eyes flashed with a smile. She raised her hand and patted Lou Hongyi's shoulder, teasingly saying, "Not bad, you've got some awareness. I didn't even have to remind you!"
Lou Hongyi was rarely praised by Gu Qingsu, and a blush inexplicably appeared on his fair face. He scratched his head and hurriedly said, "This is a gift to apologize." As he spoke, he was about to hand it to Gu Qingsu.
Gu Qingxu didn't take it. He waved his hand and said with a smile, "Hey, since you're already here, I'll take you to her courtyard so you can hand it to her yourself."
Before Lou Hongyi could even agree, Gu Qingsu, like an impatient little monkey, grabbed his sleeve and led him to find Ruan Xingzhu.
The two hurriedly arrived at Ruan Xingzhu's courtyard, but before they even entered, a maid informed them that Ruan Xingzhu had gone to Huaiju. Without a second thought, Gu Qingsu led the group directly to Huaiju.
Upon entering Huaiju, one sees Ruan Xingzhu sitting quietly in the pavilion, seemingly doing nothing.
Gu Qingxu quickly led Lou Hongyi over, "Xingzhu."
Hearing the voice, Ruan Xingzhu looked up and saw Lou Hongyi. A hint of doubt flashed in her eyes, her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and she softly called out, "Young Master Lou?"
Seeing that Lou Hongyi was standing there motionless, as if frozen in place, Gu Qingxu quickly nudged him gently with her elbow.
Lou Hongyi then realized what had happened, and quickly stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said sincerely, "Sister Ruan, it was my mistake yesterday, and I have come here to express my apologies."
As he spoke, he handed over the gift box with both hands, saying, "This is a token of my apology."
Ruan Xingzhu subconsciously looked at Gu Qingxu, her eyes questioning, thinking that he had been called by Gu Qingxu to apologize.
She looked flustered and conflicted. Would accepting the money make her seem petty, sending someone to apologize for such a small matter?
Seeing that Ruan Xingzhu remained motionless, Gu Qingsu's eyes darted around, and she quickly reminded her, "Xingzhu, hurry up and accept it!"
After Gu Qingsu said that, Ruan Xingzhu no longer hesitated. With a shy smile on her face, she quickly accepted the box. Just as she was about to express her gratitude, a steady voice came from outside the courtyard gate, accompanied by footsteps: "What are you doing?"
Upon hearing the sound, Gu Qingxu looked up and her eyes widened instantly, her mouth slightly agape, momentarily at a loss for words.
Why is Gu Yun'an back? Shouldn't he still be in court at this time? That's why she brought him to Huaiju without thinking.
While frantically searching for a solution, she glanced out of the corner of her eye and felt Gu Yun'an's dangerous, hawk-like gaze shooting towards her, which made her heart tighten.
Gu Yun'an slowly stood still, his deep eyes immediately fixed on the person who could answer his question.
Seeing this, Gu Qingxu had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Fourth Brother."
She spoke hesitantly, her voice barely audible, and her body trembled slightly as she said, "He is my friend Lou Hongyi, who has come to apologize to Sister Xingzhu."
When Lou Hongyi saw Gu Yun'an, he couldn't help but recall the way Gu Yun'an had coldly instructed him yesterday. He felt inexplicably flustered, and his palms were sweating with nervousness. He subconsciously followed Gu Qingsu and called out, "Fourth Brother."
A voice inexplicably reached Gu Yun'an's ears. He stopped and looked over, his eyes filled with disdain. He snorted coldly, "I don't remember ever recognizing a younger brother?"
Lou Hongyi quickly realized what he meant, his face flushed, and he hurriedly corrected himself, saying, "Fourth Young Master."
"Did you let him in?" Gu Yun'an ignored Lou Hongyi and stared intently at the culprit, Gu Qingsu.
Gu Qingxu didn't dare to make a sound at this moment, keeping her head down like a child who had done something wrong. After all, she had just frowned at Gu Yun'an yesterday, so how could she dare to speak up today?
In front of Gu Yun'an, her voice unconsciously became much softer, and she murmured, "I brought Xingzhu here because I heard that Sister Xingzhu was here."
Noticing the change in Gu Yun'an's expression, Gu Qingxu panicked and quickly changed the subject, saying, "Since you have expressed your apology, I will take him away now."
After saying that, she quickly pulled Lou Hongyi away from Huaiju.
Watching Gu Qingxu's departing figure, Gu Yun'an's brows furrowed tightly, a dull ache throbbing within him. He regretted letting her off so easily yesterday; if he had punished her, she wouldn't have had the energy to cause all this trouble.
"Fourth brother, don't be angry. Fifth sister didn't mean to bring them here..."
Seeing how fast Gu Qingxu ran, Ruan Xingzhu felt a little ashamed.
After all, it was their fault for bringing people to Huaiju without his permission.
The man, unusually, did not respond. His dark eyes were fixed on the object on the stone table, and his voice was somewhat indifferent: "What is this?"
Ruan Xingzhu looked over and said truthfully, "This is a gift brought by Young Master Lou as an apology."
"Then can I have it?" The tone was questioning, but it carried an air of unquestionable authority.
Ruan Xingzhu paused for a second, but quickly replied obediently, "Fourth Brother, you can take it if you want."
Hearing Ruan Xingzhu's nonchalant response, Gu Yun'an's brows relaxed slightly, and the corners of his mouth turned up a little. His voice was somewhat pleasant as he asked, "Xingzhu is so generous?"
Seeing that he wasn't angry, Ruan Xingzhu quickly and happily said, "Of course! As long as Xingzhu has it, Fourth Brother can have it if he needs it."
As she spoke, she tugged at Gu Yun'an's sleeve and swayed it slowly, like a spoiled child.
Gu Yun'an felt a ripple in his heart at those words, as if something warm was overflowing. A desire ignited in his eyes, and he slowly moved closer to Ruan Xingzhu, gently pressing his head against hers, his voice low and tender.
"Is what Xingzhu said true?" he asked, gently stroking her fluffy head, his fingers unconsciously rubbing it.
His touch was very gentle, making Ruan Xingzhu feel very comfortable. She couldn't help but look up and meet Gu Yun'an's deep eyes, which were filled with innocence and determination, like a promise.
"Of course it's true."
Looking at the person making the promise to him with such an innocent expression, Gu Yun'an's body tensed slightly, and an impulse surged in his heart. He wanted to make her fulfill her promise immediately.
He took a deep breath, trying to suppress his inner impulse, but in the end, he affectionately ruffled her hair and murmured, "I hope Xingzhu won't break her promise..."
Unseen by Ruan Xingzhu, the gift that Gu Yun'an had taken was ruthlessly thrown away and then crushed. The exquisite gift box instantly became tattered and was ultimately reduced to scrap.
But not long after, Gu Qingxu contacted her again.
"Is Fourth Brother angry?" Gu Qingxu asked with some concern.
"No." Ruan Xingzhu thought about Gu Yun'an's expression just now, and it should be no.
"That's good." Gu Qingxu let out a heavy sigh and spoke in a relaxed tone.
After her heart settled down, Gu Qingxu said, "Xingzhu, Xiao Louzi said he was a bit rushed today, so he asked me to take you out to play tomorrow. He wants to express his apologies properly."
As she spoke, Gu Qingxu, fearing that Ruan Xingzhu might not have a good first impression of him, quickly explained, "Although Xiao Louzi was quite unreliable yesterday, he apologized on his own without me having to remind him. Do you think we should take another look?"
Gu Qingxu was acting as a matchmaker for the first time, which was very novel to her. She was eager to make this happen so that she could feel a sense of accomplishment. As she spoke, she kept gesturing with her hands.
"Then we went to the horse farm again?" Ruan Xingzhu recalled yesterday's experience with lingering fear, her brows furrowing slightly and her eyes revealing a hint of apprehension.
When Gu Qingxu saw that she had agreed, her eyes lit up and she quickly said, "Let's not go to the horse farm, let's go to a newly opened theater to join in the fun."
As she spoke, Gu Qingxu felt a chill run down her spine. What a joke! Even if Ruan Xingzhu went, she wouldn't dare; Gu Yun'an wouldn't let her off the hook a second time.
Hearing that they wouldn't be going to the horse farm, Ruan Xingzhu nodded slightly in agreement.
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