Like a sudden clap of thunder, the realization struck Gu Ciyuan with such force that it left him utterly stunned.
Su Wantang wouldn’t ask such a question without reason.
Since she had posed it, it meant Su Ye must be pregnant.
Though Gu Ciyuan remained silent, Su Wantang had already drawn her conclusion.
From the moment she asked that question, his face had darkened into a stern mask, and he refused to speak even to her.
With the Gu family absent, only Li Lan was in the courtyard, washing clothes.
Noticing Gu Ciyuan’s foul mood, she didn’t dare approach him.
As Su Wantang entered the house to pack her belongings, Li Lan sidled up to probe, “Wantang, what’s wrong with Brother Ciyuan? Did you offend him?”
Though Gu Ciyuan was often difficult to get along with, it was rare to see him this terrifying—his face so dark it seemed dipped in ink.
Faced with Li Lan, who had never shown her a kind expression, Su Wantang seized the rare opportunity to return the favor. “How would I know? Perhaps… he simply dislikes you.”
“You…” Li Lan stamped her foot in fury. “Don’t think just because Brother Ciyuan is back you’ve found yourself a protector. He may stay at our aunt’s place, but he can’t very well bring you along. This household is still under my aunt’s control.”
She failed to notice that Su Wantang was already packing.
All of Su Wantang’s belongings were stored in her Space, with only a wicker suitcase serving as a decoy.
At the staircase, they heard Gu Ciyuan demand of Li Lan, “Where is Su Ye? Tell her to get out here and face me!”
Li Lan, bewildered by his outburst, stammered, “Who is Su Ye?”
Gu Ciyuan snapped, “The woman who came with Wantang.”
“But Su Wantang came here alone!”
Upon hearing this, Gu Ciyuan was taken aback.
Su Ye hadn’t come?
When he had arrived in Nan Province, the Su residence was already empty, the furniture gone, and the house requisitioned by the government.
Su’s Father wouldn’t have fled with fanfare, and Gu Ciyuan had been unable to uncover any leads.
His objective had always been Su Wantang, not Su Ye—merely hearing the latter’s name disgusted him, so he hadn’t bothered to investigate her whereabouts. Thus, he hadn’t known that Su Ye was with her father.
When Su Wantang descended with her suitcase, Li Lan was shocked to see her actually preparing to leave with Gu Ciyuan.
But as a mere housemaid, she could neither stop them nor dared to try, and could only watch their departing figures with bitter resentment.
Once outside the gate, Gu Ciyuan immediately questioned Su Wantang about Su Ye’s whereabouts.
Su Wantang had no idea and instead probed for his reason in seeking Su Ye.
Gu Ciyuan merely gave her a deep, searching look and said no more.
Pressing her lips together, Su Wantang declined to accompany him further.
“Brother Ciyuan, I came to Jingdu solely to see you. I’ve already lingered here too long. I won’t go with you. Could I trouble you to buy me a train ticket? I’d like to return home.”
Gu Ciyuan turned to her. “Return where?”
“To Nan Province.”
“Su Wantang, the Su family’s home in Nan Province is deserted—the government has seized the property. Your father was arrested aboard a ship bound for Hong Kong from H City. Returning to Nan Province would only hasten your demise.”
Su Wantang’s heart clenched. Tentatively, she asked, “How do you know that?”
Had he encountered her father in H City?
Gu Ciyuan didn’t reveal that not only had he seen Su’s Father, but he had personally arrested him. Nor did he mention worrying about her and spending days searching for her in Nan Province.
In the end, pressed for time, he had no choice but to return first.
Yet, the thought of finding her had never left his mind.
Gu Ciyuan didn’t answer her, merely giving her a deep look before forcibly taking her back.
Throughout the entire day, Su Wantang remained under his watchful eye as he relentlessly pressed her about Su Ye’s whereabouts.
His demeanor suggested he wanted to tear Su Ye limb from limb.
She dared not reveal that she was actually the one carrying his child.
She had better abandon such wishful thinking.
Any intention of marrying Gu Ciyuan was completely out of the question now. It would be wiser to honestly leave this place, find somewhere no one knew her, secretly give birth to the child, and raise it alone.
She had never considered aborting the child. After all, her counterpart in the book had suffered so terribly, and having narrowly escaped disaster to survive, how could she bear to be so cruel?
Seeing Su Wantang stubbornly insist that Su Ye had left with Su’s Father, and that she had only casually asked without knowing whether Su Ye was pregnant, Gu Ciyuan could do nothing about her.
Whether true or false, Su Wantang’s words served as a warning to him.
If Su Ye were truly pregnant, allowing the child to remain would only spell trouble.
That woman dared to scheme against him—he would never submit to her will.
Su Wantang was arranged to rest in Gu Ciyuan’s room. After all, this wasn’t his home, and he had no say over the other rooms.
But to reassure Su Wantang, Gu Ciyuan promised her that staying here was only temporary. Once he made arrangements in a few days, he would take her to a new residence.
Su Wantang secretly hoped he had nowhere to stay, so she would have a reason to leave.
Gu Ciyuan slept on a hard wooden bed with only a thin mat spread over it. Accustomed to soft, large beds, Su Wantang found her back aching shortly after lying down.
Coincidentally, she wasn’t very sleepy, and an afternoon nap wasn’t a necessity.
As she opened the door to step out, she overheard Gu Ciyuan speaking to someone.
“If that woman is indeed pregnant, take her directly to the hospital and terminate the pregnancy. No need to inform me. I, Gu Ciyuan, will not accept a woman who schemes against me, nor do I need a child of questionable origin!”
Clang!
Gu Ciyuan hung up the phone and looked up to see Su Wantang standing at the doorway, her face contorted in pain after kicking a carelessly placed stool.
“Why are you so careless?”
He stepped forward to help her, but she flinched away in panic, her expression as if she had seen a ghost.
Gu Ciyuan frowned, deeply displeased.
Was he really so frightening that one glance from her made her react as if she’d encountered a monster?
He couldn’t shake the feeling that Su Wantang was acting strangely—an indescribable sort of strange.
“I… I’ll be more careful next time.”
Heavens, how could she have ever thought Gu Ciyuan could be her support?
Now it seemed he was the greatest danger to her.
“Why are you holding your stomach?”
Su Wantang instinctively let go. “I wasn’t holding it. I… I’m hungry.”
“If you’re hungry, come eat. I bought you dumplings. I thought I’d have to wait until you woke up to eat.” Then he remembered, “Was the bed too hard to sleep on?”
Although Su’s Father had abandoned her and fled, the Su family was wealthy. Before the incident, she had lived the life of a young lady.
And judging by her delicate appearance, it was clear she wasn’t used to hardship.
“It’s fine, it’s fine.”
Su Wantang didn’t dare complain. When her life was at risk, there was nothing she couldn’t endure.
The dumplings at the state-run restaurant weren’t as delicate as the ones they made at home. Su Wantang felt that three or four would be enough for her.
To avoid waste, she went to the kitchen to fetch a small bowl.
In Gu Ciyuan’s eyes, this came across as affected.
Nevertheless, he still helped her serve the dumplings, placing the small bowl before her. “The Su family is gone now. You need to learn to adapt to how ordinary people live. It’s fine if you act a bit delicate around me, but you must be more careful in public. If others see you like this, they’re bound to call you Xiaobuerqiao Ya.”