It was late at night when a starship tore through the sky from the base and returned to the fortress residence.
Still dressed in his military uniform, Gu Chenyu strode straight into the estate. The icy aura surrounding him was so intimidating that none of the servants dared even raise their heads.
Butler Chen immediately stepped forward to greet him.
“Colonel.”
“Where’s Xinghuai?”
“The Young Master has already gone to sleep.”
Following behind Gu Chenyu, Butler Chen could clearly sense how terrifyingly low the Colonel’s mood was. He cautiously explained in a low voice,
“Colonel, the people on the phone may have exaggerated things a little. I personally went upstairs to check on the Young Master. He was only a little frightened and wasn’t seriously hurt.”
“Madam probably just became upset when she saw the Young Master’s beast form. She was startled by it and didn’t actually hurt the Young Master.”
Gu Chenyu’s expression remained as cold and impassive as still water. He said nothing.
He took the spiral floating staircase upstairs, deliberately lightening his footsteps as he pushed open the door to the child’s room.
Gu Xinghuai’s tiny body was curled up among the plush toys on the bed, his little brows slightly furrowed.
Even in his sleep, both of his little hands were raised beside his head, as though he might cover those beast ears that were so easy to make others dislike at any moment.
Gu Chenyu approached the bed and gently placed the cub’s soft little hands back beneath the covers.
He then carefully brushed aside the loose strands of hair over the child’s forehead. His fingertips were exceptionally gentle as he carefully examined the two tiny ears.
Only after confirming that they were unharmed did the coldness in his eyes ease slightly.
He tucked the blanket securely around the child before leaving the room.
Butler Chen followed behind him, hesitating over how to tell the Colonel about Madam.
“Colonel, Madam…”
Gu Chenyu had no intention of discussing Lu Yan at that moment and calmly interrupted him.
“That will be all for tonight. Go get some rest.”
After saying this, he returned to the master bedroom.
He closed the door and walked toward the bed while reaching up to undo the buttons of his uniform.
He had barely removed half of his uniform when his movements suddenly stopped.
Only a floor lamp illuminated the bedroom, its light soft and hazy as water.
A slender figure lay curled up in the middle of the large bed.
Lu Yan was wearing a nightdress, sleeping quietly on his bed.
Her slightly wavy long hair spread across the pillow, covering half of her face and revealing a section of her fair, slender neck.
The sharp, aloof edge she normally carried was almost completely absent from this defenseless posture.
Perhaps awakened by the sound of Gu Chenyu taking off his clothes, Lu Yan’s face, half-buried in his pillow, shifted slightly as her hair was brushed aside.
Her pale purple eyes looked toward him through the hazy light without blinking.
The man stood beside the bed, tall and straight, with broad shoulders and a powerful back. His military uniform was only half removed, revealing the firm, well-proportioned lines of his chest and abdomen.
Lu Yan’s gaze had only just lowered slightly when Gu Chenyu had already fastened his open collar again and taken half a step back.
The bedroom was softly lit, but the gentle light did nothing to soften his sharp, cold features.
Gu Chenyu’s expression remained impassive as he spoke calmly.
“Lu Yan, which part of the agreement are you dissatisfied with?”
“I can have someone draft a new one, or make the arrangements according to your wishes. There was no need for you to travel all this way just to frighten a child.”
On his way back to the fortress residence, Gu Chenyu had already received a message from Adjutant Shen Zheng on the Imperial Star and learned that Lu Yan had refused to sign the divorce agreement.
In Gu Chenyu’s eyes, Lu Yan hated him to the bone, and by extension despised the son who had inherited his Beastman genes.
For the past three years, she had gone out of her way to avoid the father and son.
Yet today, she had suddenly come all the way to the fortress to see the child.
Other than using the child to threaten him, Gu Chenyu couldn’t think of another possibility.
The explanation Lu Yan was about to give died in her throat.
She pushed herself up against the soft edge of the bed and sat upright.
She put on an arrogant, pampered expression, as though she were the mistress of this residence, and complained unhappily,
“Gu Chenyu, you barged in here in the middle of the night and woke me up just to tell me that?”
Gu Chenyu’s brows lowered slightly.
“Lu Yan—”
Before he could continue questioning her, Lu Yan suddenly leaned forward.
Her soft, slightly cool fingers grabbed the hem of his military uniform rather roughly, pulling the neatly pressed shirt out of place.
She tilted her face toward him, brought the tip of her nose close to the fabric carrying the scent of gunpowder and his cold, familiar aura, and gently sniffed.
Then she let go.
She gave him an unhappy shove.
“Go take a shower before you talk to me.”
Gu Chenyu’s gaze slowly lowered.
His eyes moved from the thin shoulder strap dangling precariously from Lu Yan’s shoulder to her fair, beautiful face, which had just been pressed against his waist through the fabric.
The veins on the back of the hand hanging at his side became faintly visible, the tension extending all the way along his strong forearm.
After a long moment, he lowered his cold, stern brows and silently turned around, walking into the bathroom.
The sound of running water gradually filled the room.
Lu Yan rested her pointed chin in her hand and stared fixedly at the frosted glass door.
As she watched the tall, indistinct silhouette reflected behind it, an inexplicable sense of security rose in her heart.
After an unknown amount of time, the bathroom door opened again.
Gu Chenyu walked out.
A faint warmth of steam surrounded him. His short, coarse hair was slightly damp, and tiny droplets of water traced the line of his jaw.
The loosely tied collar of his bathrobe hung slightly open, revealing a firm, broad chest. The warmth of the steam softened his features somewhat, yet he remained intimidatingly cold.
Lu Yan came back to herself and immediately spoke first.
“Gu Chenyu, I’ve decided that I don’t want to divorce you.”
“Why?”
Lu Yan didn’t answer directly. She lazily yawned, her tone carrying a hint of arrogant dismissal.
“Why do you care? Anyway, I don’t want a divorce anymore.”
Gu Chenyu naturally wasn’t foolish enough to believe that Lu Yan had genuinely changed her mind about divorcing him.
He could roughly guess what had happened.
Most likely, Duke Lu had learned about yesterday’s incident and put pressure on Lu Yan, forcing her to change her mind.
He felt nothing in particular about it and simply nodded.
“Suit yourself. Xinghuai is still young and can’t fully control his Beastman form. If you still intend to stay here, I’ll have Butler Chen make sure the child avoids you.”
Lu Yan didn’t need to ask to know that the servants at the residence must have complained to Gu Chenyu.
But she really had handled the matter badly, so she didn’t argue.
She merely raised her chin and said stiffly,
“There’s no need.”
Gu Chenyu said nothing more. He nodded and was about to turn and leave.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed his wrist.
“Who said you could leave?”
Gu Chenyu paused.
“Is there anything else?”
Lu Yan looked up at him and asked with complete confidence,
“Aren’t you sleeping here?”
Gu Chenyu lowered his eyes and stared at the slender hand wrapped around his wrist.
His voice was as cold as ice.
“During the time we were trying to conceive, wasn’t it you who said that every time you slept in the same bed with me, it felt like you’d been violated by a beast?”