Su Yang nodded.
“He’s wonderful. He can paint and play the piano. I’ve never met anyone more romantic than him.”
Su Mianmian had never heard Su Yang tell her any of this before, and for a moment she was stunned.
“Then why did you agree to get engaged to Gu Yizhou?”
Su Yang gave a small laugh. Her slender throat bobbed, and a tear slipped from the corner of her eye.
“Do you think I wanted to? One of us was always destined to sacrifice herself for the family. You were still so young, and you’d grown up with Tang Yunzheng. How could I bear to…?”
The revelation struck Su Mianmian like a clap of thunder from a clear sky. She had always thought her sister was unhappy after getting engaged simply because she didn’t want to be tied down by marriage so young.
She had never imagined that her sister had silently made such a huge sacrifice for her.
……
That night, Su Mianmian tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She only managed to drift off just before dawn.
But she hadn’t been asleep for long when Mother Su came in and hauled her out of bed.
“Mianbao, get up and get ready. Your brother-in-law is coming over today.”
Su Mianmian rubbed her eyes, still half-asleep.
“What’s he coming for?”
“Don’t be silly. It’s the Mid-Autumn Festival today. Isn’t he supposed to visit his future father-in-law and mother-in-law?”
Su Mianmian murmured, “Oh,” then obediently got up to wash and get dressed.
As she passed her sister’s room, Su Yang came out too. She was wearing a rose-pink dress, her face glowing like a peach blossom, bright and lively. She didn’t look at all like the dejected woman Su Mianmian had seen the night before.
When she spotted Su Mianmian, she came over and pinched her soft, rosy cheek.
“Mianbao, did you come to my room last night?”
Su Mianmian nodded. Her sister always had a blackout whenever she drank.
“Then I didn’t say anything weird to you, did I?”
Su Mianmian shook her head.
“No.”
Su Yang let out a breath of relief.
“Good. Come on, let’s go downstairs for breakfast.”
Watching Su Yang’s back, Su Mianmian felt a pang of sadness.
Not long after breakfast, the doorbell rang. Aunt Chen glanced at the video intercom and smiled at Su Mianmian.
“Yunzheng only just got vacation yesterday, and he’s already come rushing over to see you today.”
Su Mianmian didn’t have time to stop her before Aunt Chen had opened the door.
She quietly sighed. She couldn’t blame Aunt Chen for not asking her permission. She and Tang Yunzheng had been in and out of each other’s homes since childhood; both families were used to it.
“Aunt Chen.”
Tang Yunzheng’s voice came in before he did. A pile of gift boxes appeared in the entryway, and Tang Yunzheng, as familiar with the place as if it were his own home, opened the shoe cabinet and changed into slippers.
Mother Su happened to come out just then. She saw him and broke into a smile.
“Yunzheng, you’re here! Goodness, why have you brought so many things?”
Tang Yunzheng greeted her politely.
“Hello, Auntie. It’s the Mid-Autumn Festival, after all. I couldn’t show up empty-handed, so I brought some tonics and tea. Drink them regularly and you’ll stay young and beautiful forever.”
Tang Yunzheng was always good at charming his elders. A few words had Mother Su smiling from ear to ear.
“Still young, am I? You’re all grown up now. Go on, go on—Mianbao’s in the living room.”
“All right,” Tang Yunzheng replied, and was just about to head into the living room when Su Mianmian came over.
“Tang Yunzheng, come outside with me for a minute.”
Tang Yunzheng rubbed his nose and followed her outside.
Though it was September, the summer heat still lingered. The sun beat down on them, and it didn’t take long for the heat to become stifling.
Tang Yunzheng tugged at the collar of his T-shirt.
“Su Mianmian, can’t we talk in your room? It’s scorching out here.”
Su Mianmian furrowed her delicate brows.
“Tang Yunzheng, I remember telling you clearly yesterday not to contact me again. So what are you doing showing up at my house now?”
Tang Yunzheng knew he’d been partly at fault the day before, and he’d come prepared to make it up to Su Mianmian.
Now he kept his patience.
“Mianmian, I already apologized yesterday. I want to say it properly again today: I’m sorry. I really shouldn’t have doubted you and accused you unfairly.”
Su Mianmian sighed.
“If you came to apologize, fine. I accept.”
Tang Yunzheng’s eyes lit up. He knew Su Mianmian was easy to appease. He was about to say something when she abruptly changed tack.
“So can you stop contacting me from now on?”
Tang Yunzheng’s brows instantly knitted together. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
“Wait, Su Mianmian, what exactly do you mean? You’re cutting me off over what happened last night?”
“What happened last night?”
If Gu Yizhou hadn’t shown up in time, Tang Yunzheng and Lin Jiaojiao would have pinned the labels “unreasonable” and “arrogant” on her.
And now Tang Yunzheng was brushing it all aside as “what happened last night.” That showed just how insincere his apology had been.
Su Mianmian studied the young man in front of her.
He still had the same handsome features: sharp brows, bright eyes, and a striking face. In the past, every time she saw him, his looks made her heart race.
But now he seemed like a stranger.
When Su Mianmian pressed her lips together and said nothing, Tang Yunzheng softened his tone. He took two small, round gift boxes from his pocket.
“Mianmian, I exchanged that heart-shaped necklace from before. I picked this one out myself—open it and see if you like it. And this other one is a pair of pearl studs. They’re my apology gift.”
He forced both boxes into Su Mianmian’s hands, then hurried away with a grin, afraid she’d give them back.
“Mianmian, if you take my gifts, I’ll take it that you’ve forgiven me!”
“Hey! Who wants your gifts?”
Su Mianmian came to her senses and chased after him for a few steps, but Tang Yunzheng had long legs and was out of sight in no time. She bit her lip and stared blankly at the boxes in her palm, regretting it.
A black BL car rolled slowly past her and stopped outside her house.
It was Gu Yizhou.
From a distance, Su Mianmian saw him step out of the car in a perfectly tailored suit. He stood tall and straight, and the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose caught the sunlight. He looked cool and refined.
The driver was checking the gift boxes in the trunk. Su Mianmian walked over and politely greeted him.
“Brother-in-law.”
Gu Yizhou gave a quiet “Mm,” then turned his eyes toward her. His gaze was as still as a deep, ancient well.
“You’ve made up with him again?”
Him?
It took Su Mianmian a couple of seconds to realize Gu Yizhou meant Tang Yunzheng. He must have seen her tussling with Tang Yunzheng just now.
She felt a little guilty. After all, Gu Yizhou had only just stood up for her the night before.
“Of course not. He accused me like that—how could I forgive him so easily?”
Su Mianmian didn’t even realize that she spoke to Gu Yizhou less stiffly than she used to.
Gu Yizhou’s expression remained unreadable. He only nodded.
“Let’s go in.”
Su Mianmian quietly pouted. Gu Yizhou really was as cold as an iceberg, she thought. Her sister was carefree and passionate; being with him must be stifling.
Coming back to herself, she quickly walked ahead of Gu Yizhou, opened the front door, and called brightly inside,
“Dad, Mom, Sister, Brother-in-law’s here!”
The family members came to the entrance one after another and exchanged greetings.
After that, Gu Yizhou chatted with Father Su in the living room while Mother Su went to help in the kitchen. Su Yang followed her in, but Mother Su sent her straight back out.
“Go on, go on. Don’t get underfoot in here. Go keep Yizhou company and talk for a while.”
Su Yang was reluctant.
“But he’s already talking with Dad.”
Mother Su glanced back at the two men sitting ramrod straight on the sofa.
“What can the two of them talk about? It’s always current affairs, politics, or business trends.”
As she spoke, Mother Su gave Su Yang a push.
“You’re getting your marriage license soon. You should take the chance to build your relationship.”
Mother Su had ruthlessly kicked Su Yang out of the kitchen. Just then, Su Yang spotted Su Mianmian about to go upstairs and grabbed her.
“Mianbao, come on. Come sit with me in the living room.”
Su Mianmian had been drafted against her will and wanted to refuse with every fiber of her being.
She’d had the misfortune of listening in on Father Su and Gu Yizhou’s conversations once before. They were unbearably dull, enough to make anyone drowsy…
Sure enough, when she and Su Yang wandered over, Father Su was talking about a family-owned business that had announced bankruptcy overnight some time earlier.
Frowning, Father Su laid out all the warning signs that had led to the company’s collapse: infighting over the family’s interests, the leader’s lack of ability, and so on.
Gu Yizhou, meanwhile, kept a calm expression throughout. Every so often he offered a brief acknowledgment, then pointed out details Father Su had overlooked, adding his own distinctive insights.
Father Su nodded approvingly, his admiration for Gu Yizhou plain to see.
No wonder he’d taken over the family business so young. The younger generation really was impressive!
Su Mianmian hadn’t slept well the night before. As she listened, she found herself yawning. She stared at the black watch face on Gu Yizhou’s wrist, and it gradually blurred into two.
Just as her head began to tip uncontrollably to one side, Father Su suddenly coughed.
Su Mianmian jolted awake and found herself looking into Gu Yizhou’s amused, almost-smiling eyes.