Chapter 44 (This appears to be a fragment of a larger text, possibly a title or heading. The phrase "holding her finger in his mouth" is likely a typo and can be left as is.)
She and Yuan Heran were genuinely in love; if everything went smoothly, they might become engaged and eventually marry. As for herself, she was merely someone she had used to deceive others.
Yi Mingyu pondered to himself that although the Yuan family was not a powerful and influential family, they still held a place in the business world, and were indeed somewhat stronger than him. Moreover, Yuan Heran was witty, humorous, and quick-witted, and he even catered to Gu Qingsu's interests by liking the things she liked.
Looking at himself, a mere bookish scholar, Yi Mingyu realized that Gu Qingsu probably disliked his appearance from the bottom of his heart. Thinking of this, Yi Mingyu's lips curled slightly, revealing a self-deprecating bitter smile.
At that moment, the atmosphere seemed to freeze. The two stood there quietly, neither of them speaking.
Gu Qingxu felt suffocated by the oppressive atmosphere. Just when she was about to lose her temper, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
"Fifth Sister, I'm ready." After receiving the book, Ruan Xingzhu was worried that Gu Qingxu would wait too long, so she hurriedly said goodbye to Liang Yejing and rushed downstairs.
As she went downstairs, she saw Yi Mingyu next to Gu Qingsu and the atmosphere was rather strange. She couldn't help but feel a little surprised. She quickly walked to Gu Qingsu's side, her bright eyes filled with doubt, as if silently asking, "Why is Young Master Yi here?"
Gu Qingxu pretended not to see her confusion, casually put the book back on the shelf, and said with a slightly indifferent expression, "Now that you're done, let's go."
As she left, Gu Qingxu walked past Yi Mingyu, pausing slightly, but ultimately said nothing. She simply reached out and gently pulled Ruan Xingzhu's hand, then left without looking back.
Yi Mingyu watched Gu Qingsu's departing figure, a bitter smile appearing on his lips. It seemed that in her heart, he had lost all his value, and she didn't even bother to say goodbye.
To be honest, if it weren't for the elders acting as matchmakers, someone as proud as Gu Qingxu would probably never have noticed her, let alone spoken to her.
At this moment, after Liang Yejing had chosen his books, he noticed Yi Mingyu had arrived and couldn't help but laugh and tease him, "Why are you so late? Didn't we agree to choose books together?"
For some reason, Yi Mingyu has been acting very strangely lately, like he's lost his soul. Not only have they asked him to substitute for them, but he's also frequently spacing out. I really don't know what's wrong with him.
Yi Mingyu lowered his head slightly, his eyes darting around, and remained silent. Actually, he wasn't late; it was just that after running into Gu Qingsu, he had momentarily forgotten the purpose of his visit to the bookstore.
The sun was blazing, and the outside temperature was several times higher than the relatively cool environment inside the bookstore.
Holding her book, Ruan Xingzhu couldn't resist her curiosity any longer. She looked up at Gu Qingxu and cautiously asked, "Fifth Sister, why is Young Master Yi with you?"
Hearing that Ruan Xingzhu's words seemed to contain some misinterpretation, Gu Qingxu became anxious and quickly retorted, "I wasn't with him, I just happened to run into him."
Seeing Gu Qingxu's strong reaction, Ruan Xingzhu couldn't help but shrink back and weakly asked, "After Madam found out about the pretense, did you explain it to Young Master Yi?"
After all, Gu Qingxu was worried that Yi Mingyu would be implicated because of this pretense, but now she was so cold to him, which was really puzzling.
Upon hearing this, Gu Qingxu sneered slightly, her eyes full of disdain, and coldly snorted, "Maybe he's the one who told Feng Rongrong about this. What's there to say?"
"Oh no, really?" Ruan Xingzhu turned to the side, her face full of shock. She simply couldn't believe that Yi Mingyu would do such a thing.
Seeing Ruan Xingzhu's expression, Gu Qingxu couldn't help but reach out and gently pinch her cheek, pretending to be angry as he said, "Xingzhu, you should know that you can know a person's face but not their heart, don't you understand?"
With her face pinched, Ruan Xingzhu nodded slightly in acknowledgment. But she still had some doubts as to whether Gu Qingxu had misunderstood something.
As the sun gradually set, it took away some of the daytime heat, and the evening breeze blew gently, carrying a hint of coolness that felt exceptionally comfortable on the skin.
The main hall of Huaiju was well-ventilated on all four sides, making it the coolest place in the entire mansion. After finishing her dinner, Ruan Xingzhu came here with her books, intending to read them slowly.
When Gu Yun'an returned after finishing his business, he saw a small figure in the distance, sitting in his usual spot, engrossed in reading a book.
She was so engrossed in her reading that she didn't even notice Gu Yun'an entering. Gu Yun'an deliberately made his footsteps heavier, but even so, she didn't get up to greet him as usual.
Curious, he slowly walked over, cleared his throat gently, and asked softly, "Xingzhu, what are you looking at? You seem so engrossed."
Just as Ruan Xingzhu was about to turn to the next page, she heard the voice and was slightly startled. She quickly looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in her bright eyes, but she did not move her body. She simply said in a clear voice, "Fourth brother is back."
Seeing that she neither got up to greet him as usual, nor even bothered to move, a hint of suspicion flashed in Gu Yun'an's eyes, but he said nothing.
After calling out, Ruan Xingzhu became engrossed in the world of her book again, completely ignoring Gu Yun'an who was still standing in front of her.
Gu Yun'an didn't necessarily want her to get up and greet him, but he hadn't seen her so engrossed in something in a long time, and a sense of curiosity arose in his heart.
He bent down slightly, bringing his face closer to the book in Ruan Xingzhu's hands, and asked again in a low voice, "What are you looking at? You seem so engrossed?"
Ruan Xingzhu didn't even look up, but quickly replied, "Book."
Gu Yun'an narrowed his eyes, somewhat surprised by her perfunctory attitude. He sighed helplessly, sat down pretending to be aggrieved, and deliberately spoke in a somewhat mournful voice.
"Sigh, things are really different now. I never thought that even a book would be more popular than me."
As he spoke, he shook his head seriously, a hurt expression on his face.
Engrossed in her reading, Ruan Xingzhu was eventually drawn in by the voice. She quickly put down her book and clung to Gu Yun'an like a kitten, saying coquettishly, "What are you saying, Fourth Brother? You are so precious to Xingzhu, how could you be less than a book?"
The wind blew in through the window, ruffling her hair. She was dressed in thin clothes, and perhaps because of the heat, her sleeves had slipped down to her elbows, revealing a section of her slender, fair forearm.
In stark contrast to his black brocade robe, he felt an urge to grasp it.
She leaned her soft body against his left shoulder. Whether it was because of the hot weather or because he had just returned, a wave of heat surged from her body, making him feel unbearably hot.
But he didn't show it on his face, remaining calm as he said, "Really?" He clicked his tongue, then looked down at her, teasingly adding, "Then how come I haven't even had a sip of tea yet?"
Upon hearing this, Ruan Xingzhu hesitated for a moment, then quickly picked up the teapot on the table and poured tea for Gu Yun'an.
"Fourth brother, you've worked hard. Xing will pour you some tea." She then held the teacup with both hands, saying with a fawning expression, "Fourth brother, please have some tea."
Looking at the teacup she offered, Gu Yun'an did not reach out to take it. Instead, he slowly lowered his head and, under Ruan Xingzhu's gaze, gently opened his mouth to hold the cup and her fingertips in his mouth.
A warm sensation instantly spread from her fingertips, and Ruan Xingzhu realized with a start that Gu Yun'an had taken her hand into his mouth. The warm, wet sensation made her heart skip a beat, and she felt inexplicably flustered.
But her hand seemed frozen in place, not yielding an inch, still holding the tea-serving posture, letting Gu Yun'an drink the tea.
With his eyes fixed on her, Gu Yun'an didn't miss a single reaction from her, memorizing her entire expression, and a slight smile crept onto his lips.
Ruan Xingzhu's fingertips, which were already cold, gradually warmed up as they were enveloped by the warmth of Gu Yun'an's mouth. Gu Yun'an took a small sip before slowly removing himself from the teacup and from Ruan Xingzhu's fingers.
Sensing that Gu Yun'an had left, Ruan Xingzhu subconsciously looked at her fingertips, where a few water stains remained, making it difficult to distinguish whether they were tea or Gu Yun'an's saliva. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and her eyes looked away in a flustered manner.
She left her hands there without wiping them, and a gentle breeze seemed to dry the water stains on her hands. Ruan Xingzhu didn't look at them again.
Gu Yun'an didn't notice what she was thinking; he simply followed her gaze to the book that Ruan Xingzhu had placed on the table.
He couldn't help but reach out and pick it up, saying curiously, "I want to see what's so special about this book that could fascinate Xingzhu like this."
Seeing that Gu Yun'an had taken the book, Ruan Xingzhu did not stop him, but just obediently looked at him.
Gu Yun'an leisurely picked up the book and casually flipped through the pages.
However, the moment he saw the book, his handsome brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes. He glanced at Ruan Xingzhu, who was looking at him beside him.
If he remembered correctly, this book came from the Zhongshu Academy and was never circulated outside the academy. So how did she obtain this book?
Gu Yun'an narrowed his eyes slightly, looked down at Ruan Xingzhu who was clinging to him, and tried to keep his tone gentle, but still revealed a hint of questioning: "Where did Xingzhu get this book from?"
Ruan Xingzhu was taken aback, not expecting Gu Yun'an to suddenly ask about the book's origin.
She subconsciously didn't want Gu Yun'an to know that she had been in contact with a man, so she hesitated and stammered, "I bought it at... at the bookstore."
"Bought it?" Gu Yun'an's voice rang out softly. He raised his head slightly, his gaze fixed on Ruan Xingzhu, and then patiently asked again, "Really?"
Ruan Xingzhu's eyelashes trembled slightly, her eyes darting away, and she stammered, "Really...?"
Anyway, she returned it after reading it, so there shouldn't be any problems, right? It should be okay not to tell the truth, right? Ruan Xingzhu thought hesitantly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
