Gu Yunche’s sharp brows and eyes were clouded with an ambiguous expression, as if he was struggling with how to introduce Mu Guiying.
After a moment of contemplation, he finally said, “This is a distant relative of mine from Gucheng Village. Her name is Mu Guiying.”
Bai Lin’s smile brightened slightly. Though she maintained a polite restraint, her cheeks flushed faintly red.
A flicker of disdain passed through her eyes.
Clearly, Bai Lin was holding back laughter because of Mu Guiying’s name!
Mu Guiying turned her head away, looking elsewhere.
In the original story, Mu Guiying served as Bai Lin’s foil—the more wretched Mu Guiying was, the more radiant Bai Lin appeared.
Mu Guiying’s parents were deserters who had fled abroad to “enjoy life,” while Bai Lin’s parents were heroic martyrs; Mu Guiying was sharp-tongued and vulgar, while Bai Lin was generous, gentle, and considerate; Mu Guiying was illiterate, while Bai Lin was well-read and knowledgeable; Mu Guiying had a bad temper, a loud voice, and loved to argue, while Bai Lin was soft-spoken and delicate in her speech…
Seeing the stunningly beautiful Mu Guiying indifferently gazing into the distance, Bai Lin approached and took her hand. A trace of mockery and impatience flashed in her eyes, but she was adept at masking her emotions. In an instant, her smile bloomed like a flower again.
Her tone was affectionate as she gently introduced herself.
“My name is Bai Lin. I’m twenty years old. Comrade Mu, how old are you?”
Mu Guiying looked at Bai Lin’s slender, pale hand holding hers and uncomfortably pulled it back.
“I’ll be eighteen next month.”
“Then you’re like a little sister to me. I never had any siblings growing up. From now on, Brother Yunche and I will treat you as our own sister.”
Bai Lin’s smile was gentle, but to Mu Guiying, it reeked of hypocrisy—reminiscent of the buyers from her past livestreams who demanded “refunds only” without valid reasons and even asked for shipping fee coupons, all while sweetly addressing her as “beautiful sister.”
Mu Guiying smiled faintly.
She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and said, “Sister Bai Lin, since you treat me as your own sister, does that mean I can dress as beautifully as you from now on?”
Bai Lin’s expression instantly darkened.
This outfit of hers had taken her months of savings to buy, and she had worn it specifically to pick up Gu Yunche today.
Gu Yunche sighed helplessly and closed his eyes for a moment before reprimanding Mu Guiying coldly.
“Xiao Mu, you can’t be so impolite. When we reach the capital, my mother will buy you new clothes.”
Mu Guiying knew exactly what these two were like—one was insincere, the other looked down on her for being vulgar. This was precisely the effect she wanted. After all, she had no intention of playing the part of the Gu family’s distant relative.
Weren’t they competing to see who could be more hypocritical? She could play that game too.
Mu Guiying bit her lip and looked at the two well-dressed individuals before her. Tears of grievance welled up in her eyes.
“So Sister Bai Lin was just saying it casually. I thought too much of myself, imagining that a wild child like me, who’s never been cared for, could truly have a sister who dotes on me!”
Her trembling voice unsettled Gu Yunche. He was about to explain that Bai Lin herself was living with her aunt and was not financially well-off either when Mu Guiying sobbed again.
“I’m sorry, Sister Bai Lin. I grew up without parents or siblings. No one ever taught me that telling the truth could be impolite. I’m sorry.”
With that, she stood quietly, her eyes fixed on her worn cloth shoes. In stark contrast, Bai Lin’s leather shoes gleamed brightly.
Though Bai Lin despised Mu Guiying, she now found herself in a difficult position.
She gritted her teeth. "Alright then, Brother Yunche, let's first take Guiying to buy some decent clothes!"
Mu Guiying looked up at Bai Lin again, awkwardly tugging at her shirt. "Does Sister Bai Lin think my clothes aren't decent enough? Am I embarrassing you?"
"No, that's not what I meant."
Bai Lin flusteredly explained, helplessly looking at Gu Yunche.
Gu Yunche set the suitcase down on the ground. "Your Sister Bai Lin didn't mean it that way. Come on, let's go to the store to buy some clothes first."
"No need. This outfit was newly made at the end of last year. It's not old and still wearable."
After saying this, Mu Guiying picked up her small cloth bag and walked ahead.
She turned back with a radiant smile. "Eldest Brother Gu, Sister Bai Lin, let's go!"
Bai Lin pressed her lips tightly together.
She looked at Gu Yunche, hesitating to speak. "Brother Yunche, I…"
Gu Yunche understood Mu Guiying's little game. Her mind was more cunning than Bai Lin's; she was deliberately making things awkward for both Bai Lin and him.
He smiled and said, "Guiying is still immature. Don't take it to heart like she does. She… has been through a lot these past few days. Please be patient with her."
Bai Lin's smile grew even gentler.
"How could I mind? I just think Sister Guiying seems kind and straightforward."
Mu Guiying watched the two of them completely absorbed in each other, rolled her eyes, and walked ahead alone.
Gu Yunche called after her, "Xiao Mu, wait up!"
Once outside the station, Bai Lin looked at Mu Guiying with concern again.
"Sister Guiying, I'm staying at my aunt's place. Her house is small, and I only prepared a room for Brother Yunche."
She turned to Gu Yunche sincerely. "Brother Yunche, there's a guesthouse up ahead where my uncle works. Let's settle Sister Guiying there first. If she doesn't want to stay at the guesthouse, she can squeeze in with me."
Gu Yunche wasn't comfortable leaving Mu Guiying alone at the guesthouse.
He nodded. "Thank you for your trouble. Xiao Mu, she…"
"I'd rather stay at the guesthouse! I sleep restlessly and don't want to disturb Sister Bai Lin's rest."
Mu Guiying had no intention of going to Bai Lin's house to interfere with her and Gu Yunche!
The two hadn't seen each other for a long time; it was inevitable they'd want to share their feelings. Why would she tag along and spoil the moment?
Besides, she didn't know what Bai Lin's aunt's house was like, but she could tell at a glance that Bai Lin didn't like her.
Gu Yunche felt guilty.
He thought their earlier conversation had hurt Mu Guiying's pride. That's why she'd rather stay at the guesthouse than trouble Bai Lin's family.
Bai Lin felt a hidden sense of satisfaction. She didn't like Mu Guiying.
It would have been better if Mu Guiying were rustic and countrified, but aside from her slightly old-fashioned name, Mu Guiying was beautiful, had great poise, and lacked the timidity of village girls. She was confident and bold.
If such a girl were to dress up, wouldn't she outshine her?
Gu Yunche didn't have much experience with women. In his eyes, this might just be a girl's boldness and spiritedness, but Bai Lin could sense the underlying strength in Mu Guiying's bones, which made her feel insecure.
When they reached the guesthouse, Bai Lin found her uncle Zhang Qingguo, the guesthouse director, to open a room for Mu Guiying.
Zhang Qingguo's gaze fell on Mu Guiying's face, and his eyes unconsciously brightened.
He hadn't expected a girl from the countryside to be so beautiful—her skin was snow-white, her lips rosy and glossy, the corners of her mouth naturally upturned in a slight smile, and even her almond-shaped eyes sparkled with liveliness with every blink.
The uncle glanced at Mu Guiying and then swept his eyes over Bai Lin, noticing that this girl had a more enduring charm than Bai Lin and, if dressed up, would be as stunning as a celestial being.
Gu Yunche carefully inquired about how many people were staying at the guesthouse and then produced his military officer's ID.
"Uncle, please arrange a room for me next to Guiying's."
It was Mu Guiying's first time in the provincial capital, and Gu Yunche was uneasy about her staying alone at the guesthouse.
Bai Lin's uncle looked at Gu Yunche and noticed Bai Lin's expression change slightly.
He quickly apologized, "Regiment Commander Gu, an inspection team from another province is coming for a study tour, so rooms are tight. This is the only one left."