The train jolted along for three days and three nights, as if tormenting its passengers on the rails.
Yan Zhao barely slept a wink.
She was afraid of losing her bundle, afraid of having her things stolen, and afraid of missing a station if she fell asleep. She only dared to lean against the window and doze for a few seconds at a time, jolting awake the moment her eyelids closed.
By the morning of the fourth day, the train finally let out a long whistle as it slowly pulled into the capital city.
Carrying her bundle, she was pushed and jostled off the train.
As soon as she stepped out onto the platform, Yan Zhao froze.
The capital… was crowded like a tide of people.
Noise surged from all directions, far louder than in her hometown county—no, even louder than the provincial capital.
With her bundle on her back, she was bumped from the front and shoved from behind.
She had never seen so many people, nor had she ever been to such a vast place.
Suddenly, a wave of panic rose in her heart—
Was coming to the capital… really the right decision?
Yan Zhao bit her lip, her palms reddened from the tight grip on her bundle straps.
Just as she was trying to steady herself, she was pushed back a step when suddenly a figure rushed up to her.
The man had dark skin, arms as thick as wooden posts in the village, and his eyes darted around quickly. In an instant, he grabbed the strap of the bundle on her shoulder.
“Little sister, I’ll help you carry it to the exit for one yuan.”
He spoke rapidly, already tugging at the bundle.
Yan Zhao immediately tightened her grip and shook her head. “No.”
But the man paid no attention. The more she resisted, the harder he pulled.
Yan Zhao stumbled, nearly losing her footing.
This was all she owned.
Just as the man was about to snatch it again, a slender, elegant hand suddenly reached out, swiftly and decisively reclaiming the bundle.
The man who had tried to grab it was caught off guard, left clutching at empty air.
He glared at the newcomer, but seeing that this target was no longer easy prey, he immediately pushed back into the crowd, heading for other travelers.
Meanwhile—
Yan Zhao was stunned.
She looked up, her gaze meeting his face.
Fair skin, not the pallid kind common in the village, but a refined, scholarly fairness.
His eyes were cool and deep, pools of ink that rested quietly on her.
Most strikingly, he was handsome—the kind of handsome that could make your heart race with just a glance in a crowd.
In the chaos of the station, Yan Zhao’s heartbeat suddenly skipped.
Their eyes met amid the noisy crowd—
as if all the clamor were blocked out.
Gu Yu looked at her.
After a moment, he softly called her name.
“Zhaozhao.”
The sound of his voice made Yan Zhao’s heart tremble.
Before boarding the train, she had feared he wouldn’t want to see her, but in that instant, all her worries seemed to scatter like dust in the wind.
Gu Yu’s gaze slowly drifted downward, resting on her noticeably thin cheeks, then on the redness around her eyes from the journey’s exhaustion.
Finally, he saw the bundle strap she clutched so tightly, her posture betraying her fear of having it snatched away.
The emotion in his eyes instantly darkened.
He asked nothing.
Nor did he blame her for anything.
Gu Yu simply sighed softly and took the bundle from her hands.
Then he reached out with his other hand and took hold of Yan Zhao’s.
His palm was warm, slightly damp with sweat.
“Let’s go,” he said quietly.
Gu Yu led her through the noisy crowd, shielding her behind him, blocking every shoulder and arm that pushed their way.
…
After they boarded the bus.
Gu Yu sat by the window, placing the bundle beside his legs, but one hand never let go, still holding hers.
Yan Zhao’s hand was enveloped in his palm, warmth seeping through the gaps between their fingers.
A moment passed.
Only then did Yan Zhao cautiously speak up, “…Why aren’t you in class?”
Gu Yu turned his head to look at her.
The light from outside the car window fell on his face, his eyes calm and steady, as if capable of suppressing all the turmoil in one’s heart.
“Took leave,” he said, his tone neither light nor heavy. “To pick you up.”
Yan Zhao lowered her head, her gaze falling on their still-joined hands.
His hand was so warm that it stirred something indescribable in her chest.
Something sour, something hot—like a blockage, yet also like a melting.
She pursed her lips, her voice so soft it was almost drowned out by the noise of the car. “I… I’m really sorry for coming to find you so suddenly.”
Gu Yu’s eyelashes flickered slightly, and he said calmly, “It’s fine.”
These two words held no blame, nor any coldness.
Just calmness.
Yan Zhao’s fingertips trembled slightly, and then her nose began to ache.
…
The bus slowly came to a stop in front of a massive school gate.
The iron gate bore the school’s name in bold letters, and crowds of people came and went, all carrying backpacks—university students.
As soon as Yan Zhao stepped off the bus, she froze.
This place… was too big.
Too clean, too grand.
Every student walked with an air of confidence, and she hardly dared to lift her head.
Only when Gu Yu gave her hand a gentle squeeze did she follow him inside.
Along the way, everything felt utterly unfamiliar to her.
After passing several classroom buildings and turning into a quiet courtyard, Gu Yu stopped in front of a door.
He took out a key and turned it gently.
The door opened.
“This is my dorm,” he said in a calm tone.
The dorm was clean—a bed, a desk, a kettle in the corner, and a glimpse of the sports field outside the window.
Once the door closed, the noise outside was instantly shut out.
It was so quiet that their breathing could be heard.
Yan Zhao stood at the doorway, looking particularly uneasy.
As soon as Gu Yu set down the bundle, he saw her suddenly lift her head.
She clutched the front of her clothes tightly, as if mustering her courage.
Then, she reached inside her clothes and pulled out a stack of money she had kept close to her body the entire journey.
The bills were slightly crumpled but neatly arranged.
She held them out with both hands, her voice soft. “…This is all the money you sent me.”
Gu Yu didn’t take it, his expression puzzled.
Yan Zhao grew anxious, thinking he was upset with her for spending the money recklessly, and quickly explained, “This money is yours. Please take it back.”
Her eyes held a cautious sincerity, even a hint of… fear that he might be angry.
Gu Yu looked at the stack of money, then at her thinner face, his gaze gradually darkening.
Not with coldness, but with an emotion so deep it seemed about to overflow.
Suddenly, he took a step forward and reached out to grasp her hand holding the money.
“Zhaozhao, the money I sent you was meant for you to spend.”
Yan Zhao looked up.
Before her was Gu Yu’s face.
So close that even his eyelashes were as clear as if drawn.
His face was already handsome, but now, under the dim yellow light of the dorm, it seemed even more strikingly so.
Especially those deep, dark eyes focused intently on her—steady, restrained, yet carrying an emotion impossible to ignore.
For a moment, Yan Zhao’s breath caught.
Her face inexplicably grew warm, and she hurriedly averted her gaze from his face, the tips of her ears already tinged with red. “This… this much money, I have nowhere to use it. You must need money here—for books, for things… And from now on, you don’t need to send me any more money.”
Gu Yu’s fingers suddenly tightened at that moment.
He lowered his eyes, his lashes casting a shadow. “You came to the capital to find me… to divorce me?”
Yan Zhao quickly shook her head, her movements as swift as if she had been scalded. “No, not for divorce.”
She had come to the capital to seek refuge.
To beg for a way to survive.
How could it be for divorce?
Yet Yan Zhao still recalled her previous life.
If she had mustered the courage to come to the capital back then—
It would have been to sever all ties with him completely.
But in that life, she never came to the capital. The divorce proceedings were handled entirely by mail, without even a proper farewell.
Gu Yu stared at her quietly, his gaze so deep it made her heart race.
After a long while, he finally spoke slowly, his voice unusually low:
“That’s good.”
The knuckles gripping the bundle gradually loosened, but he still held her hand, not letting go for even a moment.
“So, Zhaozhao,” he repeated softly, as if confirming something, as if suppressing the wild surge of emotion in his heart. “You came to find me, not to divorce me.”
Yan Zhao nodded blankly. “Not for divorce.”
But as soon as the words left her lips, her heart tightened again.
She looked up at him, biting her lip, her voice almost inaudible:
“Then… do you… want to divorce me?”
She herself was startled by the question.
But the thought poured into her mind like cold water—
Gu Yu was studying at a university in the capital. There must be beautiful, sensible girls from good families around him.
She had come here, dusty and disheveled. Could it be… that she was disturbing his life?
Had he long since stopped wanting her, his child bride?
But she truly had nowhere else to go.
If he didn’t want her—
Where could she go?
The more she thought about it, the more panicked she became, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the hem of her clothes.
Gu Yu suddenly reached out and cupped her chin, forcing her to look up and meet his dark eyes.
“Zhaozhao,” he said word by word, his voice extremely low. “I will never divorce you.”
After saying this, he pulled her entirely into his embrace.
When Yan Zhao crashed into that warmth, her heart skipped a beat—
So, his body was warm.
Not the cold, distant temperature she had imagined.
It was real, fervent, and filled with intense emotion.
But just then—
“Knock, knock—”
A sudden knocking sound echoed.
Startled, Yan Zhao broke free from his embrace, her breathing ragged.
Flustered, she shoved the three thousand yuan back into his hand.
Gu Yu glanced down at her, his emotions seemingly forced back into his chest.
He took a deep breath, allowing his handsome profile to regain its calm, placed her luggage by the table, and only then went to open the door.
Outside stood two young men who smiled as soon as they saw him.
“Finished picking her up?”
Gu Yu nodded, his expression as aloof as ever.
The two were clearly accustomed to his reticence and didn’t press further. They took out several thick books from their arms and handed them over. “Teacher Wang asked us to give these to you. He said to go see him once you’re done.”
Gu Yu accepted them, responding with a simple, “Mm.”
The next moment—
The two young men seemed to have suddenly discovered something new, craning their necks to peer behind him.
“Hey? Is that your—”
They had just raised their eyebrows to speak, their gazes not yet meeting Yan Zhao’s face—
“Bang.”
Gu Yu closed the door directly.
Swift, decisive, without hesitation.
Yan Zhao’s mind was racing with countless thoughts—
She had been jostled on the train for three days and three nights, her hair as messy as a bird’s nest, her face covered in dust, and she was sure she carried an unpleasant odor.
In this state… how could she meet Gu Yu’s acquaintances?
She hadn’t even figured out how to start the conversation.
Just as she racked her brains, trying not to hold Gu Yu back—
He simply closed the door.
Yan Zhao froze.
…Was he afraid she would embarrass him?
Her toes unconsciously curled back, and her hands secretly clutched the hem of her clothes.
Gu Yu casually placed a few heavy books on the table, then turned to look at her. “I’ll take you to eat.”
As soon as he finished speaking—
“Grr—”
Yan Zhao’s stomach rumbled loudly in the quiet little dorm room.
Her entire face flushed instantly, and she wished she could bury herself in the cracks of the floor.
She had only eaten a few ears of corn along the way and was already dizzy with hunger, but she never expected to embarrass herself like this in front of him.
Gu Yu watched her reddened face, his fingertips tightening slightly, clearly stirred by her small moment of awkwardness.
Before Yan Zhao could explain, he had already taken her hand and led her out the door.
He didn’t make a single unnecessary joke.
Yan Zhao followed him in small steps, letting herself be pulled along.
In her previous life, the farthest she had ever gone was to the town to make a phone call to him.
This was her first time coming to the capital city, her first time stepping into a university—
Yan Zhao felt her eyes weren’t enough to take it all in.
Tall buildings, clean roads, students walking by in small groups…
Each one was far cleaner and more spirited than any young person she had ever seen in the village.
She stole glances around, not daring to take big strides, afraid her shoes might dirty this pristine place.
Her heart was filled with awe.
This was a university, a place for scholars.
Gu Yu, of course, noticed her gaze.
He walked ahead, holding her hand, and now slowed his pace.
When he glanced at her, his eyes were softer than his usual cold demeanor.
“After we eat, I’ll take you for a walk around here.”
Yan Zhao quickly waved her free hand, the other still held by Gu Yu, flustered and anxious:
“No need, I don’t need to walk around. You’re busy with university, don’t waste time on me.”
Her voice grew smaller and smaller.
But Gu Yu didn’t even lift his eyes.
He didn’t answer.
He simply continued leading her forward, his grip not too tight but firm enough that she couldn’t break free.
A few minutes later, the two had left the campus and entered a clean, bright state-run restaurant.
The wooden tables were polished, the porcelain bowls neatly arranged, and a price list was posted on the wall—it looked far more upscale than the cafeteria.
Gu Yu led her to a seat by the window.
Yan Zhao stiffened completely.
She had never been to such a place in the village, and as soon as she entered, she grew so nervous that her toes curled inward. She spoke softly and timidly:
“I… I can just have a couple of ears of corn. There’s no need to come to such an expensive place.”
Gu Yu still didn’t answer.
He simply gave her a faint look and pressed her into the chair:
“Sit properly.”
Then he went to the counter to order.
Yan Zhao had no choice but to sit obediently, clutching the hem of her clothes with both hands, restless and wishing she could shrink into a ball.
Her clothes were washed to a faded white, her hair was a mess from the train dust, and her face was dirty—she felt utterly ashamed.
And just at that moment—
A server from the next table passed by with dishes, saw her sitting there nervously and looking disheveled, and frowned as she gave her a once-over.
“This isn’t a place where just anyone can come to eat.”
Yan Zhao remained seated, only realizing after a moment that the words were directed at her.
She opened her mouth to explain, but before she could speak—
“Bang—!”
A deafening crash stunned everyone in the restaurant.
Gu Yu had already returned.
He lifted his leg and kicked the waiter squarely in the knee.
The male waiter crumpled to the floor, plates scattering from his hands.
Sweat beaded on the waiter’s forehead from the pain. “You—what are you doing—”
Gu Yu stood still, cold as if drenched in icy water.
He lowered his gaze, his voice low and steady, each word carrying a chilling weight: “She’s my wife.”