Chapter 40: Gu Qingsu Takes Another Look
The night was not as sweltering as the day. Gu Qingxu sat in the room, the food on the table had long since lost its heat, but remained untouched.
The maids who came to deliver the food carefully placed the food box on the table and softly advised, "Fifth Miss, please eat a little."
However, Gu Qingxu looked annoyed, her brows furrowed, and she waved impatiently. In the past, when she was confined to her quarters, Cheng Shi would also restrict her meals to force her to comply, but now that the food had been delivered, she had no appetite.
The maids looked at each other in bewilderment, not daring to say anything more, and could only hurriedly retreat.
Upon hearing this, Madam Cheng frowned slightly. This girl was throwing a tantrum. She then snorted coldly and ordered the servants, "Stop sending her food. Let her eat or not, and see how long she can hold out."
Feeling utterly frustrated, Gu Qingxu tossed and turned in bed all night, unable to sleep.
Early in the morning, Liu Mama arrived at Gu Qingsu's door on Cheng Shi's orders.
She knocked gently on the door, her voice tinged with caution: "Fifth Miss, Madam says you should dress up; she wants to take you out for a blind date."
As she spoke, she subconsciously took a slight step back, her eyes filled with worry, fearing that Gu Qingxu might suddenly become angry and take it out on her.
Looking at each other?
Hearing this, Gu Qingxu slightly raised her eyes, a hint of weariness in them. Her previously sleepless mind instantly cleared.
The scene of Yi Mingyu and Feng Rongrong being intimate yesterday seemed to haunt her vividly again. She felt uneasy and frowned. He was just a man, after all. She, Gu Qingsu, was not the kind of person to cling to him shamelessly. Would she really pester Yi Mingyu?
Thinking of this, Gu Qingxu took a deep breath and replied directly, "Okay, I'll be there in a bit."
“Yes, I will tell Madam right away…” Granny Liu had only spoken halfway when she suddenly widened her eyes in shock, as if she had heard something unbelievable.
She wondered if she had misheard. What had Gu Qingsu just said? That she would come shortly? How could this be? Was this still the same Gu Qingsu who had openly opposed the Cheng family in order to resist the matchmaking?
Granny Liu couldn't help but look inside, her eyes full of suspicion. Seeing that she was still standing there, Gu Qingxu grew impatient: "Is there something else?"
Fearing that Gu Qingxu would change his mind, Granny Liu hurriedly waved her hands, saying, "No...no more." With that, she turned and left in a hurry, her steps so hurried that she almost stumbled.
Granny Liu returned to Madam Cheng's quarters, her face beaming with joy as she reported back. Madam Cheng had just picked up her teacup and taken a sip when she heard Granny Liu's words, and was so startled that she almost choked on her tea.
Her eyes widened in surprise, and she asked incredulously, "Did she really say that?"
"Didn't you scold me?"
"No trouble?"
Cheng Shi found it hard to believe that Gu Qing Su, who had been so resolute and unwilling yesterday, had suddenly changed his attitude today.
She couldn't help but wonder if Gu Qingxu had come up with some trick to deceive her again, trying to fool her once more.
Thinking of Cheng Shi, she got up. No matter if she was fooling around or not, she would not give Gu Qing Su any chance to take advantage of her.
Before long, Gu Qingxu came out wearing a simple light blue dress. Although the dress was not gorgeous, it was still acceptable. Cheng Shi looked her up and down, but did not ask for anything, just that she go.
So he said casually, "Let's go, I'll take you there myself this time."
Cheng's words were full of precautions against the shady dealings she had observed with Yi Mingyu last time.
Gu Qingxu remained calm upon hearing this, seemingly unconcerned, as she had no intention of using any underhanded tactics to escape this time.
The temperature wasn't high today, and the sunlight wasn't too harsh.
In the Yi residence, Yi Mingyu tossed and turned all night, looking utterly exhausted with dark circles under his eyes. As morning approached and his mind cleared slightly, he could no longer contain himself and felt he should go to the Gu residence.
He walked quickly and arrived at the Gu residence in no time. He was still worried about Gu Qingxu and wanted to check on her. If Gu Qingxu had been punished again because of yesterday's incident, he would take all the blame upon himself.
However, he was stopped by the gatekeeper again, and no matter what he said, the gatekeeper refused to let him through.
Just when he was extremely anxious and didn't know what to do, he saw Ruan Xingzhu's figure. As if he had grasped a lifeline, he hurriedly shouted, "Miss Ruan! Miss Ruan!"
Hearing the shouts, Ruan Xingzhu turned around and saw Yi Mingyu. She was somewhat surprised. "Young Master Yi, what brings you here?"
Yi Mingyu was in a hurry and didn't have time to explain why he had come. He just said urgently, "Miss Ruan, could you please pass on a message to Miss Gu? I would like to see her."
Ruan Xingzhu was slightly taken aback, and hesitated for a moment. She subconsciously pursed her lips, and a hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes: "Fifth Sister... is not in the manor."
Upon hearing this, Yi Mingyu's heart tightened, and he quickly asked, "Then, where did Miss Gu go? I really have something I want to ask her."
Upon hearing this, Ruan Xingzhu pondered for a long time. She remembered that Gu Qingxu had been depressed ever since she returned from looking for Yi Mingyu yesterday, and finally revealed that Gu Qingxu had gone to find a matchmaker.
"Fifth sister, she went to find a partner."
The two words, neither too loud nor too soft, reached Yi Mingyu's ears, and he felt a "boom" in his head, as if the whole world had gone silent. He could hardly hear what Ruan Xingzhu was saying, and only those two words kept echoing in his mind.
Let's look at each other.
Gu Qingxu went to the matchmaking meeting! His first reaction was to stop it immediately. But then he thought again, based on what Gu Qingxu had told him before, she definitely wasn't there voluntarily; she must have been forced.
In the epilogue, he heard Ruan Xingzhu say that Gu Qingxu had gone to Wan Chalou in the capital, the place where he and Gu Qingxu first met. Yi Mingyu's eyes sharpened, and without thinking, he immediately rushed to Wan Chalou after leaving the Gu residence.
The Wan Tea House is elegantly decorated and filled with the aroma of tea.
The suitor that Madam Cheng found for Gu Qingxu was none other than Yuan Heran, the young master of the Yuan family whom she knew.
Their eyes met, and Gu Qingxu, unlike her usual fiery self, wore a faint smile and said softly, "Young Master Yuan."
Yuan Heran had been forced to come for the matchmaking by her mother and was filled with impatience. But when she saw that the other party was Gu Qingxu, her listless expression instantly brightened.
With a hint of surprise in her eyes and a joy she herself was unaware of, she exclaimed, "Miss Gu!"
Upon seeing this, Madam Yuan was somewhat surprised and asked in confusion, "Do you know each other?"
Cheng Shi stood to the side, her face full of suspicion. After all, in her memory, the people Gu Qingxu knew were either fighting with her or wielding swords and spears together.
“We met at the banquet before,” Yuan Heran explained first.
Gu Qingxu nodded slightly.
Madam Yuan was even more pleased to see that the two had met, feeling it was a good match. After chatting for a while, Madam Yuan smiled and suggested that she and Cheng go for a walk, so that the young people could spend some time alone. Cheng understood, and the two got up and left.
After the elders left, Gu Qingxu would normally be very unrestrained and carefree. But now that Yuan Heran has suddenly become a potential partner, she feels somewhat uncomfortable.
She lowered her head slightly, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the hem of her clothes. Seeing her unusually lively demeanor, Yuan Heran broke the silence: "Speaking of which, I haven't yet told Miss Gu my name. My name is Yuan Heran."
Gu Qingxu simply responded with a light nod, and also held her own name, "Gu Qingxu".
Yuan Heran smiled. In fact, even if Gu Qingsu didn't say her name, he would already know her, since her reputation was quite well-known in the capital.
Seeing Gu Qingxu's somewhat uneasy demeanor, he couldn't help but wonder if Gu Qingxu had come voluntarily. After all, why would someone as free-spirited as Gu Qingxu come to a matchmaking event? She was probably forced into it.
Thinking this, Yuan Heran asked, "Was Miss Gu also forced to come here for a matchmaking?"
Gu Qingxu, who had been sipping her tea with her head down, was startled and subconsciously looked up. What did she mean by "also"...?
Before she could think it through, Yuan Heran continued, "To be honest, I'm not afraid to admit it, young lady, but I was actually unwilling at first..."
Yuan Heran spoke somewhat cryptically, a hint of ambiguity flashing in his eyes, as if he hoped Gu Qingxu would notice, yet also didn't want her to.
However, Gu Qingxu only heard him say that he was unwilling, and the word "unwilling" seemed to have some kind of hidden meaning.
This immediately put her at ease, and the awkwardness on her face vanished. She deftly poured Yuan Heran some cold tea and said with a smile, "You should have said so earlier! I didn't know what to say."
Seeing that she had returned to her previous appearance, Yuan Heran was overjoyed, but a trace of melancholy flashed in his eyes, which quickly disappeared without a trace.
"I wonder what Miss Gu has been busy with lately? I've been practicing archery more recently. Would you mind taking a look?" Yuan Heran asked with a smile.
"No problem! No problem! I can easily help with this little thing." Gu Qingxu readily agreed.
With the initial awkwardness gone, the two got along very well.
Gu Qingxu was chatting with him, completely unaware that Yi Mingyu at the entrance of the corridor had already seen the whole scene.
Yi Mingyu stood in the stairwell, his forehead beaded with sweat from his hurried walk, which slid down his cheeks.
He never expected that Gu Qingxu's prospective partner would be Young Master Yuan, and Gu Qingxu didn't seem to dislike him at all; the two even got along very well.
He felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, and he froze on the spot, unable to move forward or backward.
A strong urge seemed to be urging him to go over immediately and interrupt their conversation. But reason ruthlessly told him that he had no right to go over, nor any reason to stop Gu Qingxu from looking at him.
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