It wasn’t until the sky had grown completely dark that Gu Ansheng finally emerged from his room.
Actually—he hadn’t come out at all.
Mother Gu had grown so worried that she quietly pressed her ear against his bedroom door to listen.
What she heard startled her.
From inside the room came faint, suppressed sobbing.
She was terrified. Turning around, she hurried to tell Father Gu what she had heard. After all, she was his mother—she knew him better than anyone. Ever since Gu Ansheng had learned to talk, no one had heard him cry again.
When Father Gu heard this, he panicked too. He immediately called their eldest son and daughter-in-law, urging them to return home early.
The whole family gathered outside Gu Ansheng’s door, taking turns trying to persuade and comfort him.
After much effort, they finally managed to pry the reason out of him—
Zhu Queqi had rejected him.
Who was Zhu Queqi?
That wasn’t important.
What mattered was that this was heartbreak.
Heartbreak might seem like a small matter—or a big one, depending on the person. But for someone like Gu Ansheng, who never cried, it was a serious matter.
After thinking it over, Mother Gu eventually came up with an idea: perhaps letting him meet someone new on a blind date might lift his spirits.
Originally, Gu Ansheng’s sister-in-law didn’t want to get involved. But they were family after all. Besides, her brother-in-law had always treated her with respect and kindness. And as it happened, she already had someone in mind—Lin Ping—so she mentioned it to Mother Gu.
To be honest, Mother Gu wasn’t particularly satisfied with the girl’s qualifications when she first heard about her. But since the situation was urgent, she agreed to let her come over.
Originally the plan had only been for the two of them to meet briefly.
Who could have expected that Lin Ping would bring the matchmaker along as well?
Of course, Zhu Queqi didn’t know any of this backstory.
What she remembered was that in her previous life, when she and Gu Ansheng had started discussing marriage, his family had always dragged things out, saying there was no need to rush.
Their words had always sounded something like:
“They’re still young. No need to hurry into marriage. Let them date a little longer—good things are worth waiting for.”
Yet now—hmph!
How long had it been since she broke up with Gu Ansheng in this life? And they were already rushing to arrange blind dates for him!
Thinking about it made Zhu Queqi feel aggrieved.
After that, the conversation outside turned to trivial everyday matters. Zhu Queqi quickly lost interest in listening.
Bored, she stood up and straightened her clothes, wondering if she should just leave now and come back tomorrow instead. Judging from the situation outside, the conversation would probably continue for quite a while.
But before she could decide, Gu Ansheng stepped into the room.
He was holding a cup of hot water.
His expression was indifferent as he handed it to her, as if she were a stranger.
Without saying a word, he walked in—and without saying a word, he left again.
Zhu Queqi was indeed thirsty, so she didn’t bother arguing with him. Carefully blowing along the rim of the cup, she took a small sip.
The temperature was perfect.
Her heart stirred.
Gu Ansheng was still the same as before. Whenever he brought her water, he would always test the temperature first to make sure it was comfortable to drink before handing it to her.
Thinking this, Zhu Queqi tilted her head back and gulped down the entire cup of water in one go.
After putting down the cup, something suddenly occurred to her.
She looked toward the doorway.
Gu Ansheng was standing outside, watching her.
She had no idea how long he had been looking.
Zhu Queqi broke into a smile. Her red lips parted slightly as she silently mouthed the word “thank you” to him.
But before she could finish the second syllable, the man suddenly turned his face away.
Zhu Queqi felt a lump in her chest.
What kind of attitude is that?
It’s not like I forced myself to stay here!
For the rest of the time, Zhu Queqi just sat there doing nothing, occasionally listening to the conversation outside.
After a while it became unbearably dull. Combined with the fact that she hadn’t slept well the night before and had gotten up extremely early today, she began to feel drowsy.
Several times she thought about leaving.
But every time she merely turned her head toward the door before even standing up, she would find Gu Ansheng staring at her with those pitch-black eyes of his.
The way he looked at her made her uneasy.
It was like a vicious dog staring at a bone.
Since she couldn’t leave for the time being, Zhu Queqi wandered around Gu Ansheng’s room again and again, looking for something to pass the time.
But there was nothing.
Finally, in frustration, she gave up completely and simply lay down on Gu Ansheng’s bed, pretending to nap.
Just before dinnertime, the conversation on Gu Ansheng’s side finally ended.
Mother Gu politely tried to persuade Lin Ping and the others to stay for dinner.
Lin Ping had just opened her mouth to respond when Gu Ansheng interrupted her. His tone was calm but carried an unmistakable firmness as he politely escorted them toward the door.
Lin Ping couldn’t help it—her almond-shaped eyes reddened slightly as she looked at him with grievance.
Unfortunately, it was like shining moonlight into a ditch. To Gu Ansheng, she might as well have been a cold stone—completely unmoved.
With no other choice, she followed the matchmaker toward the door.
Just as they reached the entrance, Lin Ping suddenly remembered something. Her gaze quickly swept toward Gu Ansheng’s room.
And the sight almost made her chest tighten with anger.
Zhu Queqi was lying sprawled across Gu Ansheng’s bed, fast asleep—completely at ease, as if she were in her own home.
Were young girls these days really so shameless?!
Earlier, when everyone had stood up and moved their chairs around, the noise had been so loud, yet she hadn’t even woken up.
Lin Ping’s sense of crisis instantly surged.
After hesitating for a moment, she subtly said to Gu Ansheng, who was seeing them out:
“Has that female comrade not woken up yet? She looks so tired—she must not have slept well last night. It’s getting late now… shouldn’t she also go home for dinner?”
As she spoke, she deliberately raised her wrist and glanced at the women’s watch she was wearing.
Her meaning was obvious:
I’m leaving—and that woman should leave too.
But Gu Ansheng seemed not to understand at all.
He simply said calmly,
“I still have some things to take care of, so I won’t walk you any farther. Please be careful on your way.”
After nodding politely, he turned around and walked back inside without another glance.
Mother Gu, who had witnessed everything, said nothing. She merely forced a smile and, together with Gu Ansheng’s sister-in-law, accompanied Lin Ping and the matchmaker to the bus stop.
Because the situation was so awkward, no matter what Mother Gu said along the way, no one responded—only offering a few stiff, awkward laughs.