Before Gu Anyun could even react, her injured hand was already grasped by Nan Qiu.
Fresh blood trickled from her fingertips, dripping onto the marble floor.
Nan Qiu looked at the cut on her fingertip, both anxious and heartbroken. “Oh no, oh no, you’re bleeding. The young master will be heartbroken when he returns.”
“It’s fine.”
Gu Anyun’s expression remained unchanged, but her brow involuntarily furrowed.
She was actually quite afraid of pain.
Back in the Gu family, even the slightest injury would be made known to the entire household—because there were people who cared, she could afford to be delicate.
But here in Yuexi Mansion, those who cherished her were no longer around.
The frustration in Gu Anyun’s heart intensified because of the injury on her fingertip. Her gaze fell, inadvertently sweeping over the dress box Nan Qiu had placed on the floor.
“Nan Qiu.” Her soft voice was flat, suppressing anger.
“Hmm?” Nan Qiu looked at her, urgently asking, “Does it hurt? I’ll call Dr. Han right away…”
“Throw that dress away.”
Nan Qiu: “…Throw it away?!”
She glanced at the dress box, thinking of Jin Chenyue’s instructions.
“Young Mistress, this dress…”
“You don’t dare, do you?” Gu Anyun withdrew her hand from Nan Qiu’s grasp and stood up. “Jin Chenyue asked you to bring it up because he wanted you to persuade me to wear it, right?”
Nan Qiu looked at her, opened her mouth, then nodded.
Gu Anyun’s mood today was extremely unusual. In three years, this was the first time Nan Qiu had seen her like this.
It wasn’t an outburst of temper, but her emotions were clearly exposed, as if she was trying hard to restrain herself. Yet those overflowing emotions seemed beyond her control, making her appear somewhat powerless.
“Nan Qiu, I have a temper too.” Gu Anyun looked at her, her hand hanging at her side still dripping blood.
Drop by drop, she ignored it, stubbornly emphasizing, “I won’t wear it, and I won’t attend the banquet either.”
It was her usual aloofness and indifference that had deceived everyone, making them overlook the fact that this woman before them was only twenty-three years old.
She said nothing, simply standing there, beautiful as a painting, her slightly reddened eyes filled with stubbornness.
For some reason, Nan Qiu’s heart clenched.
Nan Qiu tried to reach for her hand. “Young Mistress…”
“Nan Qiu.” Gu Anyun avoided her hand. “I’m tired.”
Nan Qiu froze in place.
Gu Anyun closed her eyes, and two tears unexpectedly fell.
Nan Qiu panicked completely. “Don’t cry, Young Mistress, please don’t cry…”
“I hate this.” Her voice was very soft, the tail end trembling. Because she was holding back so intensely, even her chin shook.
She was proud, unwilling to shed weak tears at such a moment.
And because she resented her own uselessness, she allowed only those two tears to fall.
Then, she took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, the corners were slightly red, but her gaze held only coldness.
“I won’t put you in a difficult position. Just pretend you didn’t see it.”
Before Nan Qiu could react, Gu Anyun had already passed by her, bent down, and picked up the dress box from the floor.
By the time Nan Qiu realized what was happening, the dress had already been thrown out the window by Gu Anyun.
“Young Mistress!”
Amid Nan Qiu’s exclamation, the dress box traced a parabolic arc through the air. A few seconds later, with a “plop,” it landed in the swimming pool in the backyard.
Gu Anyun clapped her hands, a faint smile curling her pink lips. In that instant, all fragility vanished.
She turned around, still the proud queen. “That felt good.”
Nan Qiu: “…”
You might feel good, but how am I supposed to explain this to the young master later?!
$-$An hour and a half later, the Rolls-Royce pulled into the mansion.
A few minutes later, the tall figure of a man entered from outside, carrying a chill with him.
Nan Qiu immediately stepped forward, taking the black overcoat the man had removed, brushing off a few snowflakes from it, and then turned to hang it on the coat rack.
Jin Chenyue changed into his house slippers and asked in a low, calm voice, “Where is the young mistress?”
A flicker of guilt flashed in Nan Qiu’s eyes as she replied, “The young mistress is taking a nap in the master bedroom.”
“Napping at this hour?” Jin Chenyue paused, removing his black leather gloves. “Have the kitchen prepare lunch.”
“Yes,” Nan Qiu took his gloves.
Jin Chenyue headed straight for the elevator.
Gu Anyun was sleeping groggily when she suddenly felt a slight itch on her cheek.
She frowned, waving her hand dismissively. “Nan Qiu, I’m not hungry. Don’t disturb me.”
“Still so sleepy?”
The deep voice startled Gu Anyun awake.
Her eyes flew open, unexpectedly meeting a pair of dark, penetrating pupils.