Chapter 36: Bowing Down and Admitting Mistakes
"You came to find me just to talk about this?" After a long while, Gu Qingxu raised her head slightly, looked at Yi Mingyu in front of her, and asked uncertainly.
"Hmm..." Yi Mingyu lowered his eyes, not daring to look Gu Qingsu in the eye, his voice so low that only he could hear it.
Seeing that he was still standing there blankly after he finished speaking, Gu Qingxu couldn't help but purse her lips slightly, with a hint of urging, "Then you're done talking, aren't you leaving?"
Upon hearing Gu Qingxu's words, Yi Mingyu's face instantly showed unease. "I...I'll leave now..."
But after taking only one step after turning around, he stopped again, as if summoning immense courage, and stammered, "Can...I still come to see Miss Gu?"
Gu Qingxu subconsciously wanted to say, "Why are you looking for her?", but the words caught in his throat, and he changed his mind. His voice lowered unconsciously, as if afraid of being overheard: "Of course."
Upon hearing this, Yi Mingyu couldn't help but smile slightly. His previously dim eyes instantly brightened, and he quickly nodded before taking another step and glancing back as he left.
Watching Yi Mingyu's departing figure disappear into the distance at the end of the flower bushes, Gu Qingxu slowly turned around. But as soon as she turned around, she was so startled that she gasped softly and almost jumped up.
"Xingzhu, what are you doing? Why did you do it so quietly?" Gu Qingxu said urgently, clutching her chest, her eyes still filled with lingering panic.
Seeing that she had frightened Gu Qingsu, Ruan Xingzhu looked embarrassed. She lowered her head slightly, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes with her hands, and said softly, "I... thought that Fifth Sister was going out on her own, so I spoke so softly."
Gu Qingxu was somewhat amused and exasperated. She had indeed left the manor without permission before, but this time she had no intention of going out; she had only come to see Yi Mingyu.
She explained, "I'm not going out, I just came to take a look."
Upon hearing this, Ruan Xingzhu looked around curiously and asked in a clear voice, "What are you looking at, Fifth Sister?"
She couldn't very well say she was looking at Yi Mingyu, could she? That would be too embarrassing. Gu Qingxu blushed slightly, and said, contradicting herself, "I wasn't looking at anything?"
"Didn't you see anything? Then why does Fifth Sister seem so happy?" Ruan Xingzhu tilted her head, looking at Gu Qingxu with a puzzled expression.
Ever since being confined by the Cheng family, Gu Qingxu had been sullen and listless all day long, but today she seemed to have regained her usual liveliness.
Hearing Ruan Xingzhu's words, Gu Qingxu's face flushed slightly, and he became somewhat uneasy. His eyes darted around, and he stammered, "Is...it true?"
Ruan Xingzhu nodded firmly, but Gu Qingxu quickly brushed her off.
After being cooped up in the manor for several days, Gu Qingxu couldn't stand it any longer. Helpless, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and apologize to Madam Cheng, earnestly promising that she would not act impulsively again, before she was finally allowed to leave the manor.
On the bustling street, Gu Qingxu couldn't help but sigh, "Finally out."
As Gu Qingxu walked, she took deep breaths of fresh air, her face beaming with a long-lost sense of joy.
Ruan Xingzhu followed silently behind her, and seeing Gu Qingsu's appearance, a sense of guilt welled up in her heart. If it weren't for her, Gu Qingsu wouldn't have been confined to her quarters by the Cheng family.
Gu Qingxu keenly noticed Ruan Xingzhu's emotional change. She affectionately pulled Ruan Xingzhu to her shoulder, wrapped her arms tightly around her shoulder, and whispered, "You're already out here, what are you thinking about?"
As she spoke, she reached out and pinched Ruan Xingzhu's cheek, coaxing her with a smile, "Cheer up!"
Gu Qingxu pinched Ruan Xingzhu's face open slightly, revealing a sweet smile. She nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
Seeing this, Gu Qingxu said with satisfaction, "That's right."
However, as they were talking, some faint sounds came from afar.
"Hey, that looks like Gu Qingxu." Miss Song had sharp eyes and spotted Gu Qingxu not far away at a glance. She quickly tugged at Feng Rongrong beside her.
Feng Rongrong was intently arranging the bouquet of flowers in her hands when she heard this. She slowly put down the bouquet and looked up.
The moment she saw Gu Qingxu, her body tensed slightly, and the memory of almost being shot by Gu Qingxu with an arrow flashed through her mind, instantly casting a shadow of fear over her heart.
Upon hearing her name, Gu Qingxu subconsciously looked up and immediately spotted Feng Rongrong, dressed like a butterfly. Seeing her, Gu Qingxu didn't really react much; after all, she had already avenged herself, and she wasn't one to hold grudges.
Seeing this, Ruan Xingzhu nervously tugged at Gu Qingxu's sleeve. She was afraid that the two of them would clash again, since Gu Qingxu had just received the order to be released from confinement and could not afford to cause any more trouble.
Seeing this situation, Miss Song couldn't help but recall how she had been frightened by Gu Qingsu's imposing manner that day. Feeling a little scared, she weakly asked, "Should we take another route?"
Feng Rongrong chuckled dismissively. Change routes? The one who should be changing routes is Gu Qingxu, after all, she still has something on Gu Qingxu.
She said confidently, "No change, let's go this way."
Upon hearing this, Miss Song was filled with worry, but dared not say anything more to stop her.
The two walked towards Gu Qingxu, both pretending to be nonchalant, as if they hadn't seen each other. After all, Miss Song had a past conflict with Gu Qingxu, but out of consideration for the family's reputation, she still forced herself to greet Gu Qingxu.
Gu Qingxu hadn't expected the other person to greet her so suddenly, and didn't react for a moment, barely hearing them. Just as they passed each other, Feng Rongrong saw this and couldn't help but feel that Gu Qingxu was being too pretentious, a nameless anger rising in her heart.
"Miss Gu is being far too high-profile. Didn't you hear Miss Song greet you?" Feng Rongrong said sarcastically, her tone full of mockery.
Gu Qingxu paused. It was Miss Song who greeted her but didn't respond. What was Feng Rongrong trying to do to get attention?
She narrowed her eyes slightly, a hint of displeasure flashing within them, and said coldly, "What, are you forgetful? Or have you forgotten the pain once the wound has healed?"
In short, everyone understood the implication. Feng Rongrong's face turned deathly pale, as white as a sheet of paper, but she quickly regained her composure. She had leverage over Gu Qingxu, so what was she afraid of?
"Miss Gu, do you know that liars will be punished?" Feng Rongrong changed the subject, a hint of smugness in her eyes.
This question made Gu Qingxu look suspicious. Feng Rongrong seemed very different today, as if she had a lot of confidence in her.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, glanced at Feng Rongrong, and asked coldly, "What do you mean?"
Feng Rongrong smiled smugly, raised her eyebrows high, and said mysteriously, "What if Madam Gu knew that your relationship with Young Master Yi was just a facade..."
She deliberately stopped halfway through her sentence, leaving it at that, with a gloating expression on her face, staring intently at Gu Qingxu, as if trying to see a hint of panic on her face.
Instantly, Gu Qingxu was startled, and Ruan Xingzhu was also somewhat stunned. Neither of them expected that Feng Rongrong would know about this. Only Miss Song was completely confused and had no idea what Feng Rongrong meant.
Gu Qingxu pressed the tip of her tongue against the roof of her mouth, quickly searching for a solution in her mind. Her expression narrowed, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly. Uncharacteristically, she spoke, "I don't know what you're talking about?"
"Is it that you don't know or that you're afraid to admit it?" Feng Rongrong remained calm and pressed on relentlessly, her eyes full of provocation.
Seeing this, Gu Qingxu hesitated for a few seconds. It seemed that Feng Rongrong really knew about this. Before she could express her opinion, Feng Rongrong said disdainfully, "If you are willing to admit your mistake to me, then I will consider not telling anyone about this."
Feng Rongrong was still resentful about Gu Qingsu's humiliation of her; the shame of yesterday was still fresh in her mind, and she couldn't feel at ease until she got her revenge. Now that she had found Gu Qingsu's weakness, why not use it to the fullest extent?
Upon hearing this, Ruan Xingzhu couldn't help but look at Gu Qingsu with some worry. After all, Gu Qingsu had just been released from confinement, and if the Cheng family found out that Gu Qingsu had deceived her, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Bowing one's head? Admitting fault? Gu Qingxu sneered inwardly. The concept of bowing one's head had never existed in her dictionary. Let alone bowing one's head to someone like Feng Rongrong.
"Are you threatening me?" Gu Qingxu said coldly, her eyes full of disdain, as if Feng Rongrong's threat was child's play in her eyes.
"So what!" Feng Rongrong, determined to win, raised her head, a hint of ruthlessness in her eyes, after all, she wasn't the one being held hostage.
Gu Qingxu hated being threatened. Of course, very few people could truly threaten her; Feng Rongrong was merely using a trivial matter as a pretext. Even if it resulted in mutual destruction, Gu Qingxu would never bow her head.
"Then you've really threatened the wrong person."
Gu Qingxu chuckled, raised an eyebrow, and looked at him with a hint of mockery.
"Do you remember what I warned you before? If you keep running around in front of me, the next arrow might not miss."
Gu Qingxu's words were not a simple repetition, but rather a new warning, like a sharp arrow that clearly brought back Feng Rongrong's fear from that day.
Her once rosy complexion gradually turned ashen white, her fingertips clenched tightly into her palms as if they were digging into her flesh, and the veins on the back of her hands were clearly visible.
She kept asking herself, why is Gu Qingxu so arrogant? She clearly has something on Gu Qingxu, isn't she afraid?
As if the humiliation of that day were vividly replayed before her eyes, Miss Song was so frightened that she dared not breathe, her body trembling slightly, afraid that she might accidentally hurt herself.
Feng Rongrong stood frozen in place, watching helplessly as Gu Qingxu walked past her with an air of superiority, completely powerless to do anything about it. She tried to calm herself down, constantly reassuring herself that Gu Qingxu would definitely regret it someday, definitely.
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