Although forces are reciprocal, the pain felt in different locations is completely different. Yu Yuan didn’t feel anything after the impact, but looking at Gu Shaocheng’s reddened left cheek, he said, “I…”
Gu Shaocheng swallowed the blood in his mouth, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He forced back to his seat, suppressing the pain, his face grim: “Shut up.”
Yu Yuan: “…Oh.”
Although he wisely kept quiet, he had already begun preparing in his mind.
He understood what Gu Shaocheng meant. Under normal circumstances, it would be reasonable for newlyweds to want to enjoy time alone together. However, their marriage was a rare arranged marriage in the 22nd century. Unless they could publicly show that they hit it off immediately and had a sweet relationship, they would have a reasonable excuse to want to enjoy time alone together and reduce the number of housekeepers at home.
His biggest problem is that he blushes and stutters when there are many people around, but he has prepared himself mentally and will grit his teeth and go for his dream no matter what.
Thinking this to himself, Yu Yuan pulled his bangs forward, trying to use his hair and large-framed glasses to give himself as much sense of security as possible.
Not long after, the car slowly drove into the parking lot of the private hospital.
The hospital where Old Master Gu was staying was a private hospital under the Gu family. Because it was their own property, security was upgraded immediately after Old Master Gu was hospitalized due to the incident with Gu Shaocheng. A large number of reporters were blocked outside and could only wait at the entrance of the parking lot, pressing the shutter at full speed when the Gu family’s luxury cars drove in.
As soon as the car came to a stop, the driver and bodyguard in the front seat quickly got out and opened the door for the two of them. Compared to Gu Shaocheng, who waited calmly, Yu Yuan had already gotten out of the car and stood three steps away, waiting for Gu Shaocheng to get out.
The two walked side by side toward the elevator. As they created some distance between themselves and the bodyguard, Yu Yuan cleared his throat and asked in a low voice, “How do I cooperate with the act of acting cute that we talked about before?”
Gu Shaocheng’s face was gloomy and he did not answer immediately. It was not that he was deliberately being cold to Yu Yuan, but that the dosage of his medication was not enough and his emotions were always difficult to stabilize. The thought of seeing some annoying mosquitoes and flies made him unable to suppress the anger in his heart.
However, Yu Yuan reminded him. Gu Shaocheng straightened his cuffs, stepped into the elevator, and raised his elbow to indicate that Yu Yuan could temporarily link arms with him to show their intimacy.
As a result, Yu Yuan thought that Gu Shaocheng was too weak and needed to be supported, and his memories of watching several Qing Dynasty dramas while accompanying his foster mother to pass the time were instantly awakened.
Yu Yuan flicked his loose sleeves, the slightly long cuffs covering the back of his hands. He raised his elbow and placed it under Gu Shaocheng to support him firmly, instantly transforming from holding hands to a eunuch supporting the Empress Dowager.
The bodyguard walking behind the two suddenly chuckled, followed by a violent cough, as if he was trying to cover something up.
Gu Shaocheng closed his eyes briefly, confirming that the person next to him was thinking in the opposite way to him. After calming down for a moment, he directly instructed: “Show your hands.”
Although Yu Yuan didn’t quite understand the reason, he still loosened his clenched fingers and released his right hand from the wrinkled cuff.
Just as his fingertips felt a slight coolness, they were firmly grasped by a large, burning hand, and Yu Yuan’s breath caught in his throat.
Even though he was already familiar with Gu Shaocheng and deeply respected his benefactor who didn’t have much time left, the sudden handshake still made his cheeks flush red and his breathing become very rapid.
Yu Yuan’s entire reaction was clearly reflected on the metal wall of the elevator, which Gu Shaocheng saw in full, and he suddenly felt a little better.
Amidst a pile of disgusting and filthy things, Yu Yuan’s idiotic behavior seemed rather abrupt, and he quite enjoyed watching Yu Yuan’s panicked yet determined appearance as he stayed by his side.
Gu Shaocheng asked knowingly, “What? Is the act going to fall apart?”
Then Yu Yuan’s lips twitched several times, as if he had mustered up his courage before he reluctantly answered, “You wouldn’t… you wouldn’t be…”
Gu Shaocheng raised his eyebrows slightly and tightened his grip on their clasped hands: “Hmm?”
Yu Yuan took a deep breath before suddenly looking up and asking, “Could it be hyperthyroidism? Your hands are so hot!”
Gu Shaocheng: “…”
The bodyguard standing in the corner silently turned his back, his shoulders twitching repeatedly.
Yu Yuan, on the other hand, found that everything was difficult at the beginning. After getting through the initial extreme anxiety and tension, he relaxed a lot once he kicked the final step, and his remaining attention was focused on the question he had been curious about for a long time.
Moreover, when discussing knowledge-based issues he had some understanding of, he was much more at ease: “Isn’t that right? Could it be yin deficiency with excessive fire? Do you feel your condition worsening from frequently staying up late?”
”Yu Yuan,” Gu Shaocheng said coldly.
Yu Yuan slightly raised his eyes and met Gu Shaocheng’s gaze through the mirrored metal doors of the elevator, his cheeks flushed as he waited for his answer.
Gu Shaocheng’s face was ashen: “Shut up.”
Yu Yuan: “Oh…”
Gu Shaocheng had reason to suspect that Yu Yuan’s disordered memories of his past life were because this liar was too infuriating.
*
The two appeared hand in hand at the entrance of the spacious ward, immediately attracting everyone’s attention.
Gu Shaocheng could clearly feel the person beside him tense up. He didn’t spare a single glance for these relatives who were now just pretending to be friendly, and focused on kneading the cool, soft fingers in his palm.
And I’m really curious to know what kind of situation would drive Yu Yuan to the brink of panic? I suddenly feel a strange urge to see him cry from fright…
Just then, the ward door opened, and Assistant Chen, who had been notified, came out to greet them: “The old gentleman is now asking you to go in alone.”
Gu Shaocheng nodded slightly, then whispered in Yu Yuan’s ear, “It’s your time to shine. If you do well, I’ll have Grandpa remove all those people.”
After speaking meaningfully, Yu Yuan glanced at the people around him, and instantly perked up. He could overcome anything for his dream!
But despite his words, once Gu Shaocheng left, leaving Yu Yuan alone as the focus of attention, he instantly felt a chill run down his spine and wanted to run away.
In reality, there weren’t many people guarding the door. Although Old Master Gu was the backbone of the Gu family, his sudden fainting had only attracted a few casual visitors. However, for Yu Yuan, more than three strangers would be considered a “sea of people.”
Yu Yuan’s blush hadn’t faded. As an NPC-type socially anxious person, he never initiated conversations unless others took the initiative. Just as Yu Yuan was wondering how to show the outside world the affection between the two of them, a man and a woman took the initiative to approach him.
Although Yu Yuan was prepared, he still subconsciously took two steps back to create some distance, continuing to encourage himself: Brave young man, go and create miracles!
The two sat to the side, looking Yu Yuan up and down for a long time. They hadn’t been invited to the previous wedding banquet, and this was the first time they had met Gu Shaocheng’s male wife.
The first step, of course, was to find out what kind of person the old man had married that madman to. Looking at the thin and small Yu Yuan, he breathed a sigh of relief.
His clothes were cheap, his appearance was average, and his posture was timid… It was impossible to find anything outstanding about him. It was confirmed that this person was not an assistant that the old man had invited back for Gu Shaocheng. It was just as rumored that the old man was senile and even believed in the method of curing madness by getting married. Naturally, the look in his eyes towards Yu Yuan became more contemptuous.
The two women stood in front of Yu Yuan with an air of importance for a while, but Yu Yuan showed no intention of speaking. Then the younger lady smiled and said, “I forgot, this is the first time we’ve met. Shao Cheng may not have had a chance to introduce you yet. I’m your sister-in-law.”
Yu Yuan brushed his bangs forward, and with his black-rimmed glasses covering half of his face, he forced a question: “Gu Shaocheng… not the only son?”
Upon hearing this, the young lady felt a little embarrassed and forced a smile, saying, “My husband is the eldest son of Shao Chengtang’s great-uncle.”
Even with Yu Yuan’s clever little brain, he was still slightly confused by the words “great-uncle”. His eyes were briefly bewildered for a moment: “Oh… that is indeed very far.”
The tall, thin man who had been standing next to the woman was displeased. He stepped forward, raised his chin, and said, “Why are you so talkative when we tell you to greet people? Didn’t anyone in the Wang family teach you anything?”
The man paused slightly, about to add a few more sarcastic remarks about Yu Yuan being Wang family’s newly recognized relative, when he saw Yu Yuan take another step back, pursing his lips and nervously saying, “Big Brother.”
The woman standing to the side turned green first, and the man immediately explained, “Don’t call me that. I’m younger than Gu Shaocheng and she’s my sister-in-law.”
Yu Yuan pushed up his glasses, his gaze sweeping between the two of them before he nodded meaningfully: “Oh… sister-in-law and brother-in-law…” It was hard not to suspect that he was conjuring up some low-brow sister-in-law literature.
The two men’s expressions immediately turned even more unpleasant. Yu Yuan asked, puzzled, “Didn’t you tell me to call?”
The tall, thin man looked particularly unwell. He was usually considered the most powerful figure in the second and third generation of the family, and he wouldn’t have done it if his mother hadn’t insisted that he accompany his sister-in-law to his great uncle’s bedside to show filial piety.
Moreover, although Gu Shaocheng is now useless, because the two are of similar age, he has been crushed and compared by the other since childhood. Even though Gu Shaocheng is now a notorious madman, he still occupies the right and position that they look up to.
So when they saw him casually marrying a man who supposedly changed their luck, they naturally had to make a few sarcastic remarks first. He was not as good as Gu Shaocheng, let alone such a lowly person.
Instead, he was disgusted by the other party’s behavior, and his anger flared up. The man sneered, “I heard that when the Wang family took you back, you had already dropped out of school and were working? You didn’t even get a high school diploma…”
Upon hearing this, the eldest sister-in-law immediately chimed in, “Oh dear, this situation is indeed not very presentable in a family like ours. But Xiao Wang, we can have Shao Cheng send you abroad to get some experience later.” As she said this, she coquettishly covered her mouth, “But you’ll need to be fluent in English first. If you can’t, you’ll just have to spend money to buy a diploma from a diploma mill.”
Yu Yuan frowned. He couldn’t find an angle to show affection, and after racking his brains, he even forgot about his social anxiety for a moment.
The two started joking around, and when Yu Yuan didn’t respond, they escalated their antics: “Really? I was right? Are there still people whose English is this bad these days?”
Yu Yuan sighed: “No.”
”What’s missing?”
Yu Yuan was preoccupied with how to show off his relationship, and replied emotionlessly, “I didn’t drop out of school, my English is alright, I was originally supposed to take the college entrance exam this June, but I got into Yunnan University through a competition last year, so…”
Yu Yuan suddenly had a flash of inspiration, lowered his head somewhat shyly, and continued, “Shao Cheng wanted me to spend more time with him, so I applied to the school to suspend my classes. Anyway, I had already self-studied those subjects in junior high school.”
The eldest sister-in-law and younger brother-in-law: “???”
Their first reaction was disbelief. A guaranteed admission to Yunnan University? That’s just bragging!
Gu Shaocheng had someone accompany him? That’s even more outrageous! Everyone knows that you two were forced together by Old Master Gu. With your bookish, poor appearance, you really think you’re some kind of celestial being descended from heaven!
At the same time, a smile flashed in Gu Shaocheng’s lowered eyes as he received the bodyguard’s live broadcast. Some people may be too timid to speak, but every word they utter can be extremely infuriating.
Feeling that the time was almost up, Gu Shaocheng overturned the treatment cart next to him, making a loud noise, and left without looking back.
Assistant Chen and the nurse, who were waiting outside, rushed in immediately, anxiously calling out, “Old Master, don’t get agitated, don’t get agitated!”
*
Gu Shaocheng walked out of the ward, took two steps forward and pulled Yu Yuan into his arms, casually asking Yu Yuan, “Did you run into someone you know?”
Yu Yuan stiffly looked up, his large glasses unable to hide his nervousness: “They…aren’t you…your great-uncle’s sister-in-law and brother?”
Gu Shaocheng’s cold gaze swept over the two shocked figures, and he said in a calm voice, “Hmm?”
The two people opposite them had no choice but to give a dry self-introduction. All the arrogance they had shown when facing Yu Yuan was gone. They bowed slightly and looked even more respectful than the well-trained nanny at home.
Despite his nervousness, Yu Yuan didn’t forget his mission. He took a deep breath to calm himself and gently tugged at Gu Shaocheng’s sleeve.
Gu Shaocheng lowered his gaze to meet a pair of flushed cheeks. Most of the face was covered by ugly glasses, but the distance was very close, and he could see the bright almond eyes and the long, raven-feather-like eyelashes sticking out of the lenses.
With his soft, red lips moving slightly, Yu Yuan whispered to Gu Shaocheng, “They say… someone like me can only make you spend money to buy a worthless diploma to embellish your resume.”
He tried to soften his voice, thinking he was being very serious about being coquettish, but his tone was still like a primary school student telling on a teacher, clumsy yet somewhat cute.
Upon hearing this, the two men turned pale. Although they didn’t think Gu Shaocheng would stand up for them, they still had to grit their teeth and explain themselves when they were spoken ill of to their faces. In their hearts, they cursed the Wang family for finding such a fool.
Gu Shaocheng’s cold and stern face remained calm, but his thin lips parted slightly without showing any mercy: “And what are you two anyway?”
The tall, thin man couldn’t help but say, “Gu Shaocheng, what you said is too harsh…” Meeting Gu Shaocheng’s cold, fierce black eyes, and remembering that the news of Gu Shaocheng’s madness last night was still trending on social media, he trembled but kept his mouth shut.
”Unpleasant to hear?” Gu Shaocheng smiled and casually said, “You think you earn too much begging at the Gu family? Then your family doesn’t need to come anymore.”
After speaking, he looked at the bodyguard standing not far away, who immediately nodded: “I will convey your message to President Wen right away.”
The two panicked instantly: “You can’t…” They couldn’t finish their sentence. Everyone knew that Gu Shaocheng was the sole heir of the Gu Group, and getting rid of these relatives who held nominal positions and received salaries without working was just a matter of a word. But they still couldn’t believe that Gu Shaocheng would suddenly break off relations over such a small matter.
However, no matter how the two pleaded and changed their expressions, Gu Shaocheng didn’t even glance at them, and turned to leave with Yu Yuan in his arms.
*
After the two got back to the car, Yu Yuan had already repeated the part about showing affection to Gu Shaocheng, and then looked at him cautiously: “Is it okay for me to do this?”
Upon hearing this, Gu Shaocheng recalled the entire conversation between the three of them. The gloom in his eyes vanished instantly, and he suddenly found the little liar’s words quite amusing, provided, of course, that the other party wasn’t angry at him.
Gu Shaocheng tapped the armrest box twice with his slender fingers, turned his head to look at Yu Yuan and smiled: “It’s okay, but not enough.”
Yu Yuan pushed up his large glasses: “?”