Gu Yu continued drying her hair, but his movements slowed.
Not because he was afraid of hurting her, but because he feared losing control.
She sat under the lamp, wet hair clinging to her cheeks, her fair skin slightly flushed from the steam. Her strikingly bright eyes nervously gazed at the floor.
She didn’t realize how she looked right now—enough to make someone want to hold her tight.
Gu Yu’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.
Since childhood, his emotions had always been muted, making others think nothing could stir him.
But at this moment, he felt his heartbeat racing wildly.
When the towel slid to her neck, her shoulders trembled lightly.
In that instant.
Gu Yu almost couldn’t resist the urge to cradle her in his arms.
“Zhaozhao.”
He called her softly.
Yan Zhao instinctively looked up and let out a soft “Ah.”
In the next moment, she felt a fleeting warmth brush against the side of her neck, so light it almost seemed like an illusion.
But Gu Yu reacted as if scalded, abruptly standing up, his movements hurried and flustered.
“Your hair… is dry.”
He spoke a little faster than usual, deliberately avoiding her gaze. “Go to sleep.”
Yan Zhao stood frozen in place.
She raised her hand to touch the spot where she’d felt the warmth, pausing slightly as her fingertips met her skin. She blinked, as if confirming something, then softly murmured, “Oh.”
Without overthinking it, she turned to fetch the wooden plank for her makeshift bed.
Just as she turned, her wrist was caught.
Gu Yu’s grip wasn’t forceful as he asked in a low voice, “What are you doing?”
Yan Zhao answered honestly, “Making a bed on the floor.”
Gu Yu’s brows immediately furrowed.
“We are husband and wife.”
The words fell heavily.
Yan Zhao’s eyes widened slightly.
Following his gaze, she looked at the bed—
It was small.
Narrow, barely enough for one person to turn over.
If two people were to lie on it…
Her mind went blank, her face slowly warming, and even her breathing grew uneven.
Gu Yu also glanced at the bed, fell silent for a moment, then spoke again, his voice softer but still firm.
“Sleep on the bed.”
“The floor is cold.”
Yan Zhao stood by the bed, hesitating for a long while. Under Gu Yu’s intense gaze, she finally sat down slowly.
The bed was indeed small. She lay down pressed against the very edge, her body rigidly straight, not daring to move her hands or feet.
Gu Yu lay down beside her, taking up the other side.
Between them was a distance that was neither too far nor too close.
No one spoke.
Neither moved.
Yet the awareness of each other’s presence was unmistakable.
The night was deep. Occasionally, the wind rustled outside the dormitory. After the lights were turned off, only the faint sound of their breathing remained in the darkness.
One light, one heavy, amplified endlessly in the quiet.
Yan Zhao could feel his warmth.
Not touching, yet seeping through the air between them.
She turned over, then quickly stopped, afraid to make any unnecessary noise.
At almost the same moment, Gu Yu shifted slightly, then immediately fell still again.
Yan Zhao lay with her eyes open, staring into the darkness, her heartbeat refusing to slow down.
Suddenly, she remembered the past.
During those years in the Gu family, the house was small, the rooms few, and the winters cold. Often, several people would squeeze together to sleep.
Back then, she and Gu Yu were still young, lying side by side under the same quilt, neither thinking anything of it.
She had been a child bride in the Gu family since she was little, yet in that home, she never felt the tension she did now.
Later, everything changed.
She was gradually brainwashed by Gu Cheng, her thoughts misplaced.
Gu Cheng was always cautious about this and that, afraid of upsetting Li Ling. At most, he would hold her hand and say a few perfunctory words.
Later on, she toiled like an ox for that family.
Life wore people down, making them rough, and the reflection in the mirror grew increasingly unfamiliar.
When Gu Cheng looked at her, his eyes held nothing but impatience and disdain.
At this thought, Yan Zhao’s mind paused involuntarily.
She suddenly remembered the moment when her hair was being dried—
The fleeting warmth at the side of her neck.
It was too brief, brief enough to feel like an illusion, yet it stubbornly lingered in her mind, refusing to fade.
That touch was like a spark gently ignited in the darkness.
Yan Zhao did not sleep soundly that night.
She kept feeling as if there was a restrained yet hurried breath beside her ear, so close it seemed to be pressed against her.
Until the sky gradually lightened.
She drowsily opened her eyes, her mind not yet fully awake, when she suddenly remembered something and instinctively glanced beside her.
The other side of the bed was already empty.
The quilt was neatly folded, even the wrinkles smoothed out.
The room was unnervingly quiet.
Yan Zhao slowly sat up, blinked, and only then did her thoughts gradually return—
She was no longer in the village.
She had arrived in Beijing last night.
And… last night, she had slept in the same bed as Gu Yu.
The moment this realization sank in, her heart skipped a beat.
Before Yan Zhao could fully snap out of her daze, a knock suddenly came from outside the door.
“Knock, knock—”
The force was not light, carrying obvious emotion.
Immediately after, a woman’s voice sounded through the door, urgent and sharp:
“Gu Yu, open the door!”
Yan Zhao’s heart tightened.
She instinctively assumed it was a teacher from the school or someone with urgent business looking for Gu Yu.
Without overthinking, Yan Zhao quickly grabbed her outerwear, draped it over herself, and hurried over to open the door.
As soon as the door was pulled open a crack—
The woman’s words rushed in.
“Is what they said false? You don’t actually have a wife, do you?”
The voice was fast and shrill, as if emotions suppressed all night had finally erupted uncontrollably.
Yan Zhao paused.
She looked up.
A young woman stood at the door.
She was very pretty, with fair skin and bright, striking features—clearly someone who had been carefully raised.
She wore a well-tailored floral dress in a vibrant color, its hem swaying slightly with her movements, standing out starkly in the somewhat desolate hallway.
Before Yan Zhao could react, the young woman at the door froze for a moment.
Clearly, she hadn’t expected a stranger to answer the door.
And one who—
looked as if she had just woken up.
Her hair slightly disheveled, her outerwear casually draped over her, emerging from Gu Yu’s dormitory.
In that instant, the expression on the young woman’s face shifted from questioning to disbelief.
The air seemed to freeze.
Yan Zhao stood inside the door, her hand still resting on the frame, her heart tightening slightly, but she did not step back.
She wasn’t foolish; almost the moment the other woman spoke, she had already understood who this person was.
This was definitely not just an ordinary classmate of Gu Yu’s.
The young woman’s gaze lingered on Yan Zhao’s face for two seconds before quickly sweeping over the room behind her, as if confirming something. Her tone noticeably changed:
“Who are you?”
Yan Zhao’s throat tightened.
For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond.
Before coming to Beijing, she hadn’t failed to consider this kind of situation.
Gu Yu was handsome, quiet, and outstanding—the most eye-catching person even in the village, let alone now in the capital city, attending university. How could there not be girls around him who liked him?
At the time, Yan Zhao had thought it over repeatedly on the train—
If someone like that really appeared, what should she do?
Back then, she thought that as long as she could stay in the capital city, she could endure anything.
Even if she had to step back, even if she had to take care of their lives, she could do it.
Taking care of others was something she had long grown accustomed to.
At the very least, she knew one thing clearly in her heart.
Gu Yu was not the kind of person Gu Cheng was.
He wouldn’t treat her like a servant to be ordered around at will,
nor would he discard her like a burden once he grew tired of her.
Thinking of this, the tension in Yan Zhao’s heart slowly eased.
“I’m Gu Yu’s sister.”
The moment the words fell, the girl opposite her clearly froze.
First, surprise.
Then, the wariness on her face gradually faded.
Finally, it seemed as if she had finally let out a sigh of relief.
Her tense shoulders relaxed, and her tone unconsciously softened a little.
“His sister?” The girl looked Yan Zhao over again, this time without the scrutiny from before, instead with a slightly embarrassed smile. “You startled me, I thought—”
She paused, not continuing, then gave a generous smile:
“Hello, sister. My name is Liu Manqing, I’m Gu Yu’s classmate.”
Yan Zhao quickly nodded, “Gu Yu isn’t here right now. Should I… tell him you came by when he returns?”
But Liu Manqing shook her head, a light and cheerful smile on her face, not the least bit anxious.
“It’s fine, sister.”
“If he’s not here, I know where he is. I’ll go find him.”
With that, Liu Manqing turned and left, her steps light and brisk, casually swinging the braid hanging behind her shoulder.
The braid swayed in the morning light, so dark and glossy, as if coated with a layer of light.
Yan Zhao stood at the door, watching her figure disappear around the corner of the hallway.
She lowered her head and looked at the faded edges of her clothes, her fingertips tightening slightly before quickly relaxing.
Yet her heart suddenly grew unusually calm.
Yan Zhao gently closed the door and turned to start cleaning.
But once she actually began, she realized—
There was really nothing to tidy up.
The desk was clean, the books neatly stacked, and there was no clutter on the floor.
Even the bed was meticulously made.
A boy’s room, so clean to this extent, left her momentarily unsure where to start.
Yan Zhao stood in the room, turning in a circle, before finally slowly sitting down on the chair.
Her gaze fell on the desk.
The three thousand yuan was placed there, plain and obvious.
Uncovered, unhidden.
She stared blankly for a while, her heart tightening a little.
Gu Yu still hadn’t taken the money away.
Just left it on the desk, unafraid of being stolen.
Yan Zhao sighed softly, stood up, gathered the bills one by one, carefully wrapped them in cloth several times, and tucked them into the innermost corner of the wardrobe.
After finishing all this, she sat back down on the chair.
The next moment—
“Gurgle—”
Her stomach growled at an inopportune time.
Yan Zhao froze, instinctively pressing a hand to her abdomen.
She had eaten a lot last night, but now, waking up early in the morning, her stomach was empty again.
She looked up at the sky outside the window, then down at the room.
No pot.
No food.
She suddenly began to worry.
…How should I have breakfast?
Yan Zhao was worrying about this when the door suddenly opened.
Gu Yu had returned.
The stray hairs on his forehead were still slightly damp, clearly from hurrying back. His shoulders rose and fell gently, the scent of sweat not yet fully faded from his body.
In his hand, he carried a small bamboo basket containing a few items covered with a cloth.
Yan Zhao was startled and immediately stood up to greet him.
But Gu Yu didn’t hand her the basket. Instead, he casually reached out with his other hand and took hold of her wrist.
“I’ll take you to the washroom.”
Yan Zhao looked down and realized he was holding her hand again. Her heart tightened, and she instinctively pulled her hand back.
Gu Yu paused, his brow furrowing slightly as he glanced at her.
His gaze wasn’t heavy, but it made her feel somewhat uneasy.
Yan Zhao turned her head away, no longer looking at him, and silently followed him out.
There were people in the hallway, most of whom glanced their way.
She felt even more awkward and lightened her steps.
Gu Yu noticed the change in her and slowed his pace by half a step.
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, a flicker of clear confusion passing through his gaze. But he didn’t reach out to hold her hand again, only slowed his steps further, letting her walk beside him.
The two of them walked all the way to the washroom.
Rows of faucets lined the wall, the sound of running water rising and falling. Many students were already there, brushing their teeth and washing their faces.
As soon as Gu Yu appeared, someone looked up and greeted him.
“Gu Yu, good morning.”
He nodded briefly in response.
But the next moment, those gazes shifted from him and landed on Yan Zhao.
Curious, inquisitive, scrutinizing.
Some lingered for a moment, others were completely unabashed.
Yan Zhao paused, her fingers curling unconsciously as she stood by the sink, looking somewhat uneasy.
She bent down to turn on the faucet, and water rushed out, masking her discomfort.
Gu Yu didn’t say anything but shifted half a step in front of her.
Quietly, he blocked most of the gazes.
“Here,” he placed the basket to the side. “Everything for brushing your teeth and washing your face is inside.”
Yan Zhao hadn’t expected the basket to be filled entirely with things he’d bought for her.
She lowered her head to brush her teeth and wash her face.
As the cold water splashed against her face, Yan Zhao felt slightly more awake.
But she could clearly sense—
Gu Yu was watching her.
Not just a casual glance, but standing to the side, tilting his head slightly, watching her quietly and intently.
As if confirming something, or as if waiting for her to speak up herself.
Yan Zhao didn’t dare look up, pretending to focus on washing up, her movements unconsciously slowing by half a beat.
Just then, Gu Yu suddenly moved.
He took a step closer, standing beside her, his voice lowered so only she could hear.
“Did someone come to the dorm looking for me?”
The question came too abruptly.
Yan Zhao’s washing motion visibly paused.
Water trickled through her fingers, but she didn’t turn it off immediately. Instead, she finished washing her face before softly replying, “Mm.”
“It was your classmate.”
Her tone was flat, as if talking about the most ordinary of matters.
Gu Yu didn’t press further, just watched her quietly.
His gaze grew heavier, as if he had already guessed something.
After that, Gu Yu didn’t bring it up again.
Once she finished washing up, he picked up the basket and said he had to go to class.
Yan Zhao was taken aback and instinctively replied, “Alright, go ahead.”
Only after the words left her mouth did she belatedly start to wonder—
What about her?
The campus was bustling with students, all carrying backpacks.
She stood there, suddenly realizing she didn’t know where to go.
Back to the dorm?
Sit and wait?
Or simply hide in some corner to avoid causing him trouble?
As soon as this thought surfaced, Gu Yu naturally added, “Come with me.”
His words caught her off guard.
He wanted her to go with him?
Yan Zhao paused in her steps and quickly shook her head.
“That won’t do,” she said, her tone suddenly urgent. “How can I go to class? I shouldn’t go. Even if I went, I wouldn’t understand anything. There are so many people in class—it wouldn’t be right for me to sit there…”