A soft, melodious voice came from the other side.
Qin Mingzhu thought in dismay, How can this woman still be thinking about seducing my husband with such a feast in front of her?!
She was way too dedicated!
Could it be that someone had given Lin Zhi a mission that if she didn’t seduce Gu Jingchen, she’d be in danger?
If she really liked him that much, why wait until after he got married to come back?!
Qin Mingzhu bit her chopsticks in frustration, annoyed that her meal was being interrupted.
Beside her, Gu Jingchen hadn’t even moved his chopsticks, yet his bowl was already piled high with food.
A bright idea struck her she stopped looking at the dishes on the table and reached directly into Gu Jingchen’s bowl.
“Husband, the dishes are nutritious, but you have to control your portions,” she said seriously, popping abalone into her mouth.
Lin Zhi’s expression changed. “If you want some, take it yourself. This is for Jingchen.”
Old Madam Gu also frowned, scolding sharply: “Taking food from someone else’s bowl at the table what kind of manners is that? I didn’t know your Qin family had such poor upbringing!” This wasn’t the first time she’d criticized Qin Mingzhu for lack of family manners.
Qin Mingzhu narrowed her eyes, but instead of getting angry, she smiled lightly.
Old Madam Gu focused on her, trying to see what mischief she was planning, but Qin Mingzhu just continued chewing leisurely.
Only after swallowing did she speak, slowly and deliberately: “I see people taking food from others’ bowls all the time, and no one cares. So I assumed that’s just the Gu family’s way of doing things.”
Those words hit Old Madam Gu like a slap to the face.
Her cheeks burned as she shouted, “How dare you!”
Gu Man seized the moment to add fuel to the fire, pouting defiantly: “You can’t compare to Sister Xiao Zhi! She grew up with Brother, and after all this time, sharing food is completely normal.”
“How long have you been together?” Qin Mingzhu asked, pretending to be curious.
“One… two… three… four… five…” Gu Man looked down and counted on her fingers. “Thirteen years!”
Qin Mingzhu snapped her fingers. “Not that long, then.”
Gu Man was about to retort angrily, but Qin Mingzhu shook a finger at her and said mockingly: “I’ll be spending even more time with Jingchen from now on. You better get used to it in advance.”
The meal ended in utter chaos. Finally done, Gu Man slammed down her bowl and ran back to her room.
Qin Mingzhu was overjoyed. Feeling the gaze on her, she quickly put on a modest expression and grabbed Gu Jingchen’s hand, whining: “Husband, you didn’t help me at all!”
“Didn’t you handle it yourself?” Gu Jingchen withdrew his hand coldly and slipped it into his coat pocket.
Qin Mingzhu paused, testing: “Husband, what’s wrong?”
“I have business. You can look around on your own.”
Gu Jingchen turned with a blank expression, his back like a sharp sword, exuding a chilling aura that made Qin Mingzhu hesitate.
Only then did she realize that he was angry.
Why?
Was it because of Gu Man, Lin Zhi, or Old Madam Gu?
Qin Mingzhu’s mind was in a jumble. Not wanting to draw attention in the main hall, she wandered aimlessly around the courtyard.
Eventually, she got lost, passing through three long corridors, until she finally panted her way to a grand gate carved with dragons and phoenixes.
The embroidered golden doors creaked open. Behind them sat a handsome young man in a wheelchair, looking pale and ill, covering his mouth with a handkerchief as he coughed lightly. “Are you here for something?”
“Seventh Uncle…!” Qin Mingzhu was surprised she hadn’t expected to end up at someone else’s residence.
Embarrassed, she scratched her head. “I got lost.”
Gu Yutao smiled gently. “Why aren’t you with Xiao Chen?”
“Um… he… said he had something to do, so I’m looking around by myself,” Qin Mingzhu stammered.
She didn’t know how to interact with this Seventh Uncle.
Other Gu family elders often secretly enjoyed seeing her flustered; she only needed to fight back.
But Gu Yutao wasn’t like that.
His gaze had been calm from start to finish, leaving Qin Mingzhu flustered.
“Xiao Chen probably went to see Mother,” Gu Yutao said weakly, drawing her thoughts back.
See Mother?
Gu Jingchen’s mother was dead… wasn’t she?
Qin Mingzhu’s heart skipped a beat. She stammered: “Mother… buried at the Gu estate?”
“The mountains behind the estate hold the graves of the Gu ancestors,” Gu Yutao said gently. “In a couple of years, I should be going there too.”
A chill ran over Qin Mingzhu. “No! Seventh Uncle, you’ll definitely live a long life.”
Her words made Gu Yutao cough uncontrollably. It took him half a minute to finally stop.
He hid the blood-stained handkerchief in his palm and said softly, “Xiao Chen still has the habit of visiting his mother whenever he’s upset.”
…So he really is angry.
Qin Mingzhu felt dejected. “I won’t provoke them again.”
If anyone could make Gu Jingchen angry, it would only be because she confronted those three women.
Gu Yutao shook his head slowly. “You don’t understand.”
Qin Mingzhu thought bitterly, We’ve only just started interacting of course I don’t understand.
“He dislikes conflict. Mingzhu, you’re clever, but sometimes you need to restrain your sharpness,” Gu Yutao said pointedly. “Today Xiao Chen has been protecting you. If you keep showing off, it’ll make things difficult for him.”
Old Madam Gu is Gu Jingchen’s grandmother; Gu Man is his only sister.
Qin Mingzhu opened her mouth but couldn’t speak.
She had never been used to relying on others, so she instinctively rejected Gu Jingchen’s help.
“Thank you, Seventh Uncle. I’ll be careful from now on,” Qin Mingzhu said sincerely.
“No matter. You’re just beginning to interact some friction is unavoidable,” Gu Yutao said, coughing into his hand again. He pulled out pen and paper from his pocket and scribbled a few words.
“This is…?” Qin Mingzhu asked, confused, taking the note.
“If you want to find Xiao Chen, show this to the driver,” Gu Yutao said wearily, waving his hand.
Seeing how tired he was, Qin Mingzhu didn’t linger. She watched as Gu Yutao wheeled away.
A spring breeze passed, shaking the frail young man in the wheelchair as he coughed, as if he could disappear at any moment.
Qin Mingzhu was startled by the thought, shook her head, and took the note to find the driver.
Apricot Blossom Lane.
So that’s where Gu Jingchen’s mother was buried.
Holding the note, Qin Mingzhu hesitated.
“Madam, are you going to see President Gu?” Xu Yan guessed immediately.
“Uh… yes,” Qin Mingzhu admitted honestly.
At worst, the man would just send her away again.
Anyway, she had thick skin!
She cheered herself on silently as she walked, and by the time she reached the place, her heart was pounding nervously again.
“Madam, go ahead. President Gu won’t say anything,” Xu Yan reassured her.
Having been persuaded to this extent, Qin Mingzhu had no choice but to go.
She gritted her teeth, jumped out of the car, and climbed the steps one by one.
The path was lined with apricot trees, white petals covering the winding walkway, filling the air with the fragrance of blossoms.
Sweating slightly at her nose, Qin Mingzhu wiped it with a handkerchief. At the top, she saw a solitary, upright figure on the green grass.
Gu Jingchen stood alone at the grave, bowing his head, murmuring softly.
His black hair fell over his eyes. Unsure of what to do, Qin Mingzhu froze but he had already turned to look at her.
“Weren’t you supposed to be wandering around the estate? How did you end up here?”
His tone was calm, completely different from earlier.
And yet, just one visit to the grave had this effect.
Qin Mingzhu suddenly felt immense courage and ran quickly toward him, slightly breathless. “I wanted to see you.”
Up close, she noticed the photo on the tombstone.
The woman looked very young, smiling brightly, with a white apricot blossom tucked behind her ear.
“This is…” Qin Mingzhu said in surprise.
“My mother at seventeen,” Gu Jingchen said lightly.
Why seventeen?
Qin Mingzhu, puzzled, glanced at him but swallowed her question.
Her intuition told her this was a sensitive spot in Gu Jingchen’s heart.
She’d wait for him to speak first.