Zhang Ma’s loving smile froze. She never expected Gu Shaocheng to speak up for Yu Yuan, whom he had only known for a few hours. For a moment, she stood there, her skin tingling.
However, she had watched two generations of young masters grow up, and she believed she had some trump cards up her sleeve. Although she was quite taken aback by Gu Shaocheng’s retort, she still pursed her lips and forced a smile:
”How could that be? I was just watching over you for the young lady. If the new madam hadn’t offended you, you wouldn’t have had to take so much medicine again, and this morning… This old woman is just worried about you…”
Because of his mother, Gu Shaocheng trusted Zhang Ma completely in his previous life and never imagined that the kind-looking old woman was actually a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
His habitual, irregular attacks were actually predictable. Each time he was in so much pain that he lost consciousness, he would take an excessive amount of medication far exceeding the limit. Drug resistance gradually pushed him into the abyss, and when he could no longer bear it, he would be rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.
However, if the other party was determined to drive him to the brink, why would they leave any tricks up their sleeve? Lying in the hospital was just a matter of injecting some sugar water as a placebo… If a nanny could trample on him so wantonly, the person hiding in the shadows must be extremely happy, right?
Gu Shaocheng curled his lips mockingly. His thin, sickly face and pale lips made him look extremely frail, but when he raised his dark eyes, the oppressive feeling brought by his cold gaze sent chills down Zhang Ma’s spine… He looked at her as if she were a dead man.
”Take Zhang Ma to the old house.” The cold voice had a slightly hoarse tone.
The bodyguards guarding the door immediately responded and approached, making a move to take Zhang Ma away directly.
After Gu Shaocheng finished speaking, he got off the wheelchair. Yu Yuan, who was kneeling on the prayer mat, had already entered a state of suspended animation due to the “sea of people”. His whole body shrank into a C shape and was about to merge with the prayer mat.
He was trying his best to detach himself from reality, hoping to avoid getting caught up in unpleasant memories. He had no choice; with his level of social anxiety, he always had to come up with clever tricks to get by.
Just as his thoughts drifted to the small, icy moons around Jupiter mentioned in a recent popular science book, he suddenly felt a lightness in his body.
Yu Yuan raised his eyes in disbelief, not even panicking at first, but instead inwardly complaining, “Dude! You’re terminally ill, you know that?!” Only then did he begin to feel dizzy and tremble due to the man’s overly intimate actions.
Gu Shaocheng picked up Yu Yuan, who was kneeling on the prayer mat, and found that his slender frame, somewhere between a young man and a teenager, was lighter than he had imagined.
He wasn’t pitying Yu Yuan; it was just an act. But when he felt the other’s body trembling as it had the night before, the coldness in his eyes frosted over.
Gu Shaocheng took a couple of steps carrying the person when a muffled thud came from behind him. It was Zhang Ma slamming her knee into the floor.
“Young Master, it was Zhang Ma’s fault! I shouldn’t have overstepped my bounds. This is disrespectful to the new Madam. Please punish me. I don’t want to go to the old house. Please let me stay and take care of you…” Zhang Ma said a few words and then burst into tears. She looked like a loyal servant devoted to her master.
She thought she had misjudged the importance of husband in Gu Shaocheng’s heart. It was common for Gu Shaocheng to be mentally unstable after his illness relapse. She thought that as long as she cried, the matter would be over.
Upon hearing this, the man paused slightly. He guessed that she was reluctant to leave behind the arrangements she had made over the years. Since she refused, he would leave it to her and handle it personally, making her regret missing out on the old man’s benevolent heart.
Gu Shaocheng turned his head and coldly ordered the remaining bodyguards at the door: “Keep an eye on her. Either kneel for 24 hours, or get back to the old house.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ma behind her trembled. How could her old bones endure 24 hours a day? But Zhang Ma still gritted her teeth and knelt down. She had painstakingly built up her business for many years, and there was no reason for her to give up when it was time to close the net!
*
After turning left and walking a few steps, Gu Shaocheng placed the person on the sofa in the reception room.
The long-term illness and the large amount of medication he had been taking had made his body increasingly weak. He had also been to the hospital this morning and was still running a low-grade fever. Although Yu Yuan was not seriously ill, he was still feeling the strain.
Gu Shaocheng tried to keep his breathing low, but Yu Yuan, who was nestled in his arms, still noticed that he was panting. The light that had faded in his eyes rekindled: Good brother, you really are sickly!
He couldn’t navigate the complexities of wealthy families, nor did he fully understand the subtle exchanges between Gu Shaocheng and Zhang Ma, but as long as things went according to plan, he felt at ease.
Although Gu Shaocheng is currently weak and lacks energy, the “sea of people” at the ancestral hall had put him under immense pressure, and he needed to recover.
Yu Yuan planned to shrink into the sofa and isolate himself for a while, so he moved his butt towards the armrest.
As soon as he moved a couple of times, a long arm suddenly reached out and clamped his chin. Yu Yuan was startled for a moment, but he was getting used to Gu Shaocheng’s habit of pinching people’s chins.
He looked up timidly at the man, but to his surprise, Gu Shaocheng sat down next to him, his tall body half-embracing him, and his hot, thin lips pressed against his ear.
Feeling the person in his arms tremble again, his large, cold, white hand turned Yu Yuan’s face towards him. In that instant, the damp breath flushed the young man’s soft, white cheeks.
Gu Shaocheng watched as the brilliant fire in the other person’s eyes vanished, leaving only resistance and panic.
A detached, husky voice whispered against Yu Yuan’s rounded earlobe, like a lover’s tender murmur: “Why resist me so much?”
The distance was so close that Yu Yuan felt suffocated. Even if he tried to think about other galaxies, it wouldn’t work. He could only shake his head, trembling.
Gu Shaocheng gave Zhang Ma a chance to choose, but no matter what she chose, she couldn’t escape her retribution. Yu Yuan, however, was different.
Although his memories of his past life were disordered, he knew that Yu Yuan was not a wicked person, and he could forgive and forget as long as he was willing to leave.
He lifted Yu Yuan’s trembling chin, forcing him to look at him: “Leave now, and I’ll pretend nothing happened.”
Yu Yuan was determined to defend his dream to the death, but Gu Shaocheng’s burning breath was like a poison sealing his throat. After several deep breaths failed, Yu Yuan made a desperate effort and pushed him away.
He thought Gu Shaocheng was unshakeable, but he was overturned by him. Ignoring the dull thud behind him, Yu Yuan barely managed to utter “No, no divorce!” before fleeing in panic.
*
Yu Yuan ran into the nearest restroom, and the sound of the door lock closing was a therapeutic experience for those with social anxiety.
He sat on the toilet seat for a moment to recover. Being alone was like a fast-charging mode for him. His brain, which had almost crashed not long ago, was back in operation in no time, and his intelligence once again took over.
He felt comfortable for a moment, then suddenly realized a very important problem: there were far too many servants in the villa.
Putting aside Zhang Ma, a remnant of feudalism, even if he were given a house full of ordinary servants, it wouldn’t be enough.
Even if Gu Shaocheng passes away and the Gu family changes hands, given the Gu family’s wealth, the son-in-law and his son can still keep a house full of idle people just to maintain appearances. Wouldn’t his dream turn into a nightmare?
Moreover, once Gu Shaocheng is gone, although he will be locked up in the mansion with no worries about food and drink, he will certainly have no status. These people who stay behind might become Zhang Ma, No. 2, No. 3, or even No. n…
Fifteen minutes later, Yu Yuan mustered up the courage to walk out of the bathroom, comforting himself inwardly. Aside from pinching his chin, breathing in his face, and telling him to get a divorce, Gu Shaocheng’s only other outbursts were tearing clothes and carrying him in a princess carry. In the end, he would fall ill and become weak each time. He was just a sickly guy who liked to show off.
When he returned to the reception room, the nanny told him that Gu Shaocheng had fainted and had been taken back to his bedroom.
Yu Yuan suddenly remembered the muffled thud that he had ignored earlier, and his face turned pale… Could it be that Gu Shaocheng bumped into something after being pushed by him?
Seeing that Yu Yuan looked unwell, and remembering that Zhang Ma had deliberately made things difficult for him, the nanny took the initiative to mention that Gu Shaocheng had gone to the hospital at around 5 a.m. and returned with a fever. However, she explained that this was his usual routine when he fell ill and gently reassured him.
Yu Yuan looked at the nanny by the wall, who resembled the one who kept Zhang Ma company in the middle of the night, but her gentle demeanor was completely different. The nanny’s deliberate distance allowed him to have a normal conversation: “You…faint often?”
The nanny hesitated, “It’s not normal, but the gentleman’s condition is indeed getting worse…” The implication was that with his illness so severe, anything could happen, and he might just pass away any day.
Yu Yuan pursed his lips and remained silent. Gu Shaocheng had repeatedly urged him to leave, probably because he didn’t want to hold him back…
He quickly returned to the master bedroom on the third floor by elevator, where the nanny was changing the cold compress towel for Gu Shaocheng.
After everyone left, Yu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and took over from the nanny to change Gu Shaocheng’s towels to help him cool down physically.
Looking at the man’s pale, sickly face, Yu Yuan suddenly felt that it was normal for Gu Shaocheng to have some quirks after being sick for so many years. The other party helped him get rid of the feudal remnants and did not want to be a burden to him… Not to mention that marriage could not only cure his adoptive mother’s illness but also help him realize his dreams. It would not be an exaggeration to call them his second parents.
Thinking of all this, Yu Yuan immediately upgraded his plan to coax Gu Shaocheng to fire the servant in order not to die of anxiety.
It just so happened that when his adoptive father was seriously ill, he was preparing for the high school entrance exam. His adoptive mother didn’t want to affect him, so she kept it a secret for a few more days. Unexpectedly, he passed away suddenly.
Not being able to fulfill his filial duty to his adoptive father on his deathbed has always been an irreparable regret for him, so it is only fitting that he now gives this end-of-life care to Gu Shaocheng.
Gu Shaocheng opened his eyes in a daze and met Yu Yuan’s eyes, which were tense yet filled with a strange enthusiasm.
The man’s eyes were half-closed and his brows were slightly furrowed. What was he doing?