Gu Yunche sat upright, poised and dignified. He pushed the teacup toward Mu Cheng, waiting for her to question him.
It was only when Mu Guiying met his gaze that she observed him more carefully—
Gu Yunche’s eyes were clear yet profound, his facial features sharp and handsome. His slightly arched eyebrows carried an air of aloofness and severity, while his thin lips curved upward faintly. Even his jawline exuded an aura of nobility. Yet, his posture was tall and imposing, his demeanor restrained and proper. Even a simple shirt seemed elevated when worn by him.
His fingers were long and distinct, every movement—pouring tea, lifting the cup, sipping—executed with such ease and elegance that it drew attention.
What an exceptional man!
Mu Guiying had first seen him on the heated brick bed, and every encounter since had either been fleeing for their lives or running away. Only today, after staring at the back of his head for half the day, did she finally get a proper, unobstructed look at Gu Yunche—the famously handsome man.
Noticing Mu Guiying’s fixed gaze, Gu Yunche coughed lightly in embarrassment, then lowered his eyes in frustration.
“If you’re not going to ask, forget it.”
With that, he began arranging the bowls and chopsticks, preparing for the meal.
Mu Guiying noticed the tips of Gu Yunche’s ears turning red and thought her straightforward stare must have disgusted him.
“I’ll ask! I want to know if I can change my name directly when I register for residency in the capital. That way, my ID card can also use the new name.”
Gu Yunche looked up, puzzled. “You want to change your name?”
Mu Guiying nodded.
“Yes, this name was given to me casually by Liu E. I don’t like it. I want a new one.”
For some reason, a faint, blurry scene from a dream flashed through Gu Yunche’s mind—
A woman weeping hysterically.
“Gu Yunche, you despise me! You despise everything about me! You despise the food I cook, the tea I brew, even the scent on me, and my tacky, old-fashioned name. You think I’m inferior to Bai Lin in every way. Every time, you’re ashamed to mention me to others, ashamed to say my name. But was it me who chose this name?”
Gu Yunche sneered, “Mu Guiying, is it your name I despise? You never see your own faults. What I despise… is you!”
Gu Yunche stared blankly at the Mu Guiying before him, feeling unsettled. Why had those words come to mind?
He lowered his gaze to the curled tea leaves in his cup and said calmly, “A name doesn’t define a person. It’s just a label.”
Then he looked up. “Do you think Bai Lin’s name sounds nice and want a prettier name too?”
“It has nothing to do with her. I simply want to change my name.”
Mu Guiying didn’t wish to discuss Bai Lin. “I just want a name I like.”
“The character ‘Lin’ in Bai Lin’s name originally means ‘beautiful jade,’ symbolizing preciousness and beauty. It represents grace, kindness, and purity.”
As Gu Yunche spoke of Bai Lin’s name, starlight seemed to shimmer in his eyes.
He lifted his gaze again. “She truly lives up to her name. ‘Living up to one’s name’ means the person matches the name. You…”
Gu Yunche went on, implying that Bai Lin deserved her elegant name, while Mu Guiying, if given a beautiful name, would be unworthy of it?
Before he could finish, he looked up and saw Mu Guiying’s expression darken.
She waved her hand awkwardly. "Eldest Brother Gu, you don't need to remind me that I'm just a country girl who doesn't know how to behave properly! I'll decide my own name change."
Mu Guiying drained the tea in her cup.
Lowering her eyes, she arranged the bowls and chopsticks, then picked up the water kettle nearby to pour herself a cup of water. "Even if I change my name to Mu Amiao or Mu Xiaogou, it's just for my own amusement."
Gu Yunche was left speechless. Before he could finish speaking, she had already started retorting. He thought Mu Guiying was quite sharp-tongued and skilled at making people uncomfortable.
He sneered coldly. "Fine, as long as you're happy."
Soon, the food arrived.
Mu Guiying focused on eating heartily, while Gu Yunche had the habit of not speaking during meals.
The two finished their meal in silence.
After the meal, Gu Yunche escorted Mu Guiying back to the guesthouse. "Don't wander around aimlessly. I'm going out to buy some things."
"I'll go too. I also need to buy something."
Mu Guiying had no money. What she wanted to buy were merely medical supplies like gauze and Yunnan Baiyao, which she needed to get from either the state-run store or the hospital.
Gu Yunche also knew Mu Guiying had no money, only the 10 yuan the Party branch secretary had slipped her. He assumed she must have seen the well-dressed girls in the county town and wanted to buy new clothes for herself.
"What do you want to buy? I'll get it for you."
Mu Guiying should have been pleased to hear this, but Gu Yunche's cold, scrutinizing gaze wiped away any trace of happiness. Was he speculating about what she wanted to buy and what her intentions were?
Her face turned cold. "Women's things. I'll buy them myself. You wouldn't understand."
Having said that, Mu Guiying strode ahead.
Gu Yunche, having been inexplicably given the cold shoulder, snorted. "Such a foul temper!"
When they arrived at the state-run store,
Gu Yunche used food stamps to buy bread, luncheon meat, canned goods, and apples. He seemed dissatisfied with the limited variety at the state-run store, his brows furrowed the entire time.
It wasn't until he reached the small commodities counter that Gu Yunche spotted a pair of charmingly naive little porcelain cats. Adorned with gold trim, they were exceptionally beautiful. Without hesitation, he spent 8 yuan in cash to buy them.
Mu Guiying was somewhat astonished.
Given the price level at the time, Gu Yunche had essentially bought out the entire supply and marketing cooperative's stock of bread. The wealthy were truly different!
Even the store clerk remarked, "These were allocated based on quotas. I thought they wouldn't sell. I heard they're fine products from Jingdezhen—they sell well over there, which is why we stocked this single pair."
Gu Yunche's stern expression softened slightly.
This led Mu Guiying to guess that this was a gift for Bai Lin. Bai Lin was indeed special to Gu Yunche.
Gu Yunche noticed Mu Guiying standing there dazed, holding her cloth bag.
He asked, puzzled, "Didn't you want to buy clothes?"
After carefully placing the wrapped porcelain cats in his bag, he turned to Mu Guiying and said, "I'll go pay for you."
Mu Guiying was taken aback.
She waved her hand. "I've already bought what I needed. Let's go!"
Gu Yunche glanced at Mu Guiying's flat bag. Had she not bought new clothes after all?
Mu Guiying asked the clerk for directions to the nearest hospital.
Hearing her inquiry and recalling her mention of buying "women's things" he didn't understand, Gu Yunche awkwardly turned his head away, tightening his grip on the mesh bag.
When Mu Guiying looked back, she saw Gu Yunche lost in thought, the tips of his ears tinged with a faint pink.
She glanced at the small porcelain cat wrapped tightly in the bag, then looked at the hand gripping it—the veins on his hand were clearly visible, as if clutching a "lifeline."
A stern and upright man blushing at the thought of the girl he liked was rather charming, but that girl was Bai Lin.
She curled her lips slightly.
Gu Yunche cleared his throat lightly, "Are you done?"
"Mm, I'll go to the hospital by myself. Eldest Brother Gu, you should head back to the guesthouse first!"
Mu Guiying watched how carefully he handled that pair of small porcelain cats and worried that if he walked any farther with her, they might shatter from the jostling!
Gu Yunche felt as if he had been granted a reprieve. "Alright, I'll head back first."
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and walked in the opposite direction.
Mu Guiying thought Gu Yunche was a hopelessly straightforward man—the kind of rigid, inflexible straight man who never knew how to read between the lines.
Then again, she reflected, he simply wasn’t willing to spare a thought for her. After all, she was the villainess of the story.
She shrugged and turned toward the hospital…