Сhарtеr 19
Upon hеаring thеу wеre going to thе Хu family hоme, Xu Nuо’s first thоught wаs tо fеign illnеss.
In this life, shе hаd nеvеr been аfraid of anything—ехcерt Хu Сhuсhu…
She rеаllу didn’t want to fасe hеr.
But then she rеmembеred that she hаd lost hеr job уеsterdaу, and if she skipреd wоrk аgain todау, thеsе past fеw daуs would havе been fоr nothing. Schоol would start sооn, аnd she nееded to eаrn monеу.
“……Alright.”
She shrаnk her heаd, her fасе full of distrеss.
“Chuchu is kind-hеarted, sо shе wоn’t hold it against you. When you gеt thеre, behave уоurself.”
Xiaо Jingсhen didn’t stop her because, aside from Gu Nongxuan, Xu Chuchu was also concerned about this Xu Nuo.
Even though she already knew Xu Nuo was the one who had caused her to fall unconscious for several days, she not only bore no grudge but even comforted them instead.
Compared to Xu Nuo, who was full of apologies but showed no real remorse, it was simply despicable to the extreme.
“If you were a man, I’d beat you up.”
Passing by Xu Nuo, he frowned in disgust and walked outside.
[It’s fine. If I were a man, I’d~do~you~]
Xu Nuo lowered her head, rolled her eyes, and said in a mocking, drawn-out tone.
Xiao Jingchen: “”
The other party rejected your taunt and threw a pile of shit at you.
Gu Nongxuan, walking at the front, looked completely calm, as if he had expected this all along.
Why did you have to provoke her?
…
“Brother Xuan.”
Xu Chuchu truly lived up to being the Female Lead of this story. Her appearance and temperament were first-rate—pitiful, delicate, and moving. Every description of a fragile female lead in classic novels was perfectly embodied in her.
“I’m sorry, I’ve been too busy lately.”
“You’ve gained a little weight. It seems you’ve been eating well recently.”
Gu Nongxuan’s demeanor was completely different from usual—soft-spoken, gentle in his eyes and brows, as if handling something fragile.
Xu Chuchu coughed lightly and smiled at him.
“Chuchu, as soon as he arrives, he takes all your attention. You don’t even have eyes for me anymore.”
Xiao Jingchen, standing to the side, voiced his displeasure. He, too, was different from usual—a grown man acting like a child, openly jealous, yet his gaze toward Xu Chuchu was full of affection.
Hearing this, Xu Chuchu shifted her gaze to him and smiled as well. “No way, how could I forget you?”
Xiao Jingchen was somewhat appeased and snorted lightly. “That’s more like it.”
Xu Nuo had witnessed scenes like this hundreds of times since arriving in this world and was long immune to them. She was even bored enough to want to find a spot to curl up and catch up on sleep.
[I’m so hungry. That bowl of porridge looks really good. If you can’t finish it, can you share some with me?]
Xu Nuo didn’t seem like someone suffering from a terminal illness at all. Others with the same condition couldn’t feel hunger and vomited whatever they ate, becoming emaciated, but she felt hungry several times a day.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have embarrassingly asked Feng Huan Chao for food yesterday.
[Thinking of Feng Huan Chao makes me angry. If no one had stopped me yesterday…]
[Cough, good thing someone stopped me.]
Hearing the name “Feng Huan Chao,” the two who had been focused on Xu Chuchu almost simultaneously turned their heads.
Xu Chuchu, accustomed to always being the center of attention, was about to have someone remove the food she had taken only one bite of and couldn’t eat anymore when she suddenly noticed the two by her bedside weren’t looking at her.
Puzzled, she followed their gazes.She was her half-sister, with the same gloomy style as always, wearing strange clothes, looking timid and shrinking, standing in the corner with as little presence as a little mushroom.
“Xiao Nuo, why aren’t you coming over?”
Xu Chuchu called out, and the next second, the gaze that had been fixed on Xu Nuo shifted back to her.
Only then did the strange feeling in her heart disappear.
“Can’t you hear Chuchu calling you?”
Seeing Xu Nuo dawdling, Xiao Jingchen spoke impatiently.
If he hadn’t said anything, it would have been fine, but as soon as he spoke, Xu Nuo froze in place.
Xu Chuchu immediately chided him, “Jingchen, don’t be harsh with her. She’s timid.”
After saying that, she spoke softly to Xu Nuo, “Come here, Xiao Nuo. I fell down on my own; it has nothing to do with you.”
Gu Nongxuan stood to the side, arms crossed, watching with a faint smile, while Xiao Jingchen snorted coldly.
Xu Nuo reluctantly walked over.
[Sigh…]
Holding Xu Nuo’s hand, Xu Chuchu looked at her with concern, “Why have you lost weight again? Haven’t you been eating well lately? Living alone outside, you need to take good care of yourself.”
Xu Nuo felt goosebumps all over.
It wasn’t because she disliked it, but…
Looking at the harmless girl smiling at her with a hint of worry in her eyes, Xu Nuo sighed deeply in her heart again.
When she first met Xu Chuchu as a child, she thought she was an angel.
And indeed, she was an angel.
No matter how others hurt her, she would always choose to forgive them, even believing she could influence others with her kindness. Gentle and fragile, she was the kind of character often portrayed in old-fashioned novels.
She was too perfect, but it was this very perfection that made her seem like a puppet without a self, driven solely by the author’s settings.
“Mmm…”
Under her concerned gaze, Xu Nuo nodded.
Hearing her response, Xu Chuchu breathed a sigh of relief and turned to speak to the other two.
“Jingchen, Brother Xuan, you must take good care of Xiao Nuo for me.”
Xiao Jingchen’s first thought: I was the first name she called.
Gu Nongxuan, however, glanced at Xu Nuo and told Xu Chuchu about her working for him.
Xu Chuchu looked surprised, then spoke nervously, “Brother Xuan, Xiao Nuo hasn’t caused you any trouble, has she? She’s timid. If she makes a mistake, please don’t blame her.”
Hearing the words “timid,” Gu Nongxuan felt a complex mix of emotions, but he didn’t show it on his face. Instead, he smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t blame her.”
If she doesn’t curse me in her heart, I’ll thank heaven and earth.
“Jingchen, look at Brother Xuan. It’s just you who’s so mean to Xiao Nuo.”
Xiao Jingchen watched Gu Nongxuan’s hypocritical act coldly, not daring to sneer.
So, bringing Xu Nuo close was just to show off in front of Chuchu.
Competing for attention, huh.
“You should rest soon. You’ve just recovered, so you need to recuperate properly.”
Gu Nongxuan stood up, tucked the blanket around Xu Chuchu, and urged her to lie down.
Looking up at Gu Nongxuan’s handsome and gentle face, Xu Chuchu suddenly wondered if he was saying this because he wanted to leave.
“What’s wrong?”
Meeting those concerned eyes, Xu Chuchu told herself she was overthinking it.
Brother Xuan is so thoughtful; how could she think of him that way?
“Mmm, then I’ll sleep.”
But in truth, she wasn’t sleepy at all.
“Alright, I won’t disturb your rest then.”
Gu Nongxuan turned and left.Xu Nuo stepped out of Xu Chuchu’s bedroom door and took a deep breath of fresh air.
[Alive, alive!]
Gu Nongxuan thought it was quite a sight.
Someone who dared to shout “look at this” at Feng Huan Chao actually had someone they were afraid of too.
It was in this moment of distraction that Xiao Jingchen, who had just been displeased with Gu Nongxuan, bumped right into his shoulder as he walked past.
Coincidentally, Xu Nuo was standing right beside him on his right. With that bump, Gu Nongxuan stumbled directly toward Xu Nuo.
Behind Xu Nuo was a wall. Reacting quickly, Gu Nongxuan immediately braced his arm against it. To an outsider, it looked like a wall-pinning pose.
The moment his arm hit the wall, a sharp pain shot through him. His brows furrowed tightly, and every muscle in his body tensed up.
[Old injury flaring up! I knew something must have been wrong with your arm!]
She raised her hand and forcefully knocked Gu Nongxuan’s braced arm aside, then stepped out of his embrace. Without support, Gu Nongxuan’s head hit the wall with a loud thud.
Gu Nongxuan: “”