Su Lie hesitated for a moment, then finally said, “Although Gu Yun instructed us not to let you know about this, I think you still should. That way, you can better understand him.”
He then briefly recounted what had happened between Gu Yun and the Su Family over the past few days.
Hearing that Gu Yun had willingly helped the Su Family for her sake, Su Wan’er was greatly shocked. “Gu Yun… is this really true?”
Su Lie looked at his daughter and spoke in the tone of a father, “Child, as I’ve always told you, the most important way to understand a person is not by listening to what he says, but by seeing what he does. Gu Yun has treated you and the Su Family in this way. It shows he truly likes you. Since he is sincere, and given that he is unmatched in appearance, talent, family background, and strength, I want to know, why don’t you like him?”
Su Wan’er was speechless. “I…”
It wasn’t that she didn’t like Gu Yun. It was that he was so outstanding it made her feel inferior, doubting whether his feelings for her were genuine. Adding to this was Ye Bufan’s instigation, which had only deepened her doubts.
She fell silent. Even though she had heard what her father said, she still couldn’t believe Gu Yun truly liked her. After a pause, she said softly, “Father, I don’t even know how I feel about Gu Yun. Let me think about it myself.”
With that, she turned and left.
Su Lie looked at his daughter’s departing figure and sighed helplessly. Although he very much wanted Gu Yun to become his son-in-law, it ultimately depended on Wan’er’s willingness. He would not force her to be with someone she didn’t want.
After leaving the Xiaoyao Pavilion, Su Wan’er was filled with countless thoughts, her heart caught in turmoil. She now realized that Ye Bufan’s words likely hadn’t been well-meaning. Yet those words were like thorns lodged in her heart—difficult to remove.
Unknowingly, she had already returned home. With most of the Su Family members still at the Xiaoyao Pavilion, the house was unusually quiet.
When she entered her room, she saw her maid Cui’er tidying up. Cui’er, while spreading out the bedding, turned her head and smiled, “Miss, you’re back! I laid your bedding out to sun all day. Tonight, it’ll feel very comfortable to sleep in.” You are reading on novelping(.)com, the official source.
Su Wan’er forced a faint smile and sat down absentmindedly, her mind still filled with thoughts of Gu Yun.
Before long, Cui’er walked over, noticing something was troubling her. She asked, “Miss, what’s wrong? Is something making you unhappy?”
Su Wan’er raised her head instinctively, shook it, then after a pause asked, “Cui’er, let me ask you something. If a man says he likes you, gives you many precious gifts, and even gives your family many valuable things, does that mean he truly likes you?”
Though she didn’t quite understand what her mistress meant, Cui’er thought seriously before replying, “Well… that’s hard to say. If the man’s family is wealthy, and he gives you a gold ingot, it might look precious, but to him it’s nothing. But if the man only has a single copper coin, and he still gives it to you, it may seem worthless, but it’s actually everything he has. That would be very precious.”
Hearing this, Su Wan’er’s eyes lit up. Yes! To know if Gu Yun was sincere, she only needed to see whether the things he gave her were truly precious to him. If he treasured it himself but was still willing to give it to her, that would prove he was genuine.
But Gu Yun’s background was extraordinary, and he had countless treasures. What was most important to him?
After much thought, Su Wan’er finally remembered something. Gu Yun had once mentioned a piece of Exquisite Divine Jade he carried. It could ward off all poisons and assist cultivation—a rare treasure. Most importantly, it was a secret heirloom of his family and the symbol of the Young Clan Leader. If he lost it, he would not only be punished but might also lose his position.
That was definitely important to him.
With this thought, Su Wan’er stood up with sudden excitement. “I know what to do! Cui’er, tomorrow we’ll test Gu Yun!”
Cui’er was utterly confused and asked, “Miss, what exactly are you planning?”
Su Wan’er smiled mischievously. “You’ll find out tomorrow.”
…
An hour later, the Su Family saw Gu Yun off at the entrance of the Xiaoyao Pavilion with cheerful smiles.
“Young Master Gu, visit us again soon!”
But sitting back in his carriage, Gu Yun looked unhappy. He muttered, “Damn it, I give them gifts, and they’re still not pleased. Not only did they refuse, but they even gave me their family’s ancestral sword manual fragment. They probably don’t know I already have the complete version!”
Chen Qingling looked puzzled and asked, “Holy Son, this maid doesn’t understand. Just now, Miss Su offended you, and the Su Family was trying to win back your favor with flattery. Why did you not only refuse but also want to give them gifts?”
Gu Yun glanced at her and smiled helplessly. The Su Family’s offerings were worthless to him. What he wanted was to trigger the system’s rewards! After all, Su Wan’er possessed the Heavenly Dao Divine Sword Bone—a sword cultivation genius. Once fully grown, she would be decisive, domineering, and one of the finest root bones possible.
Gu Yun thought that since the Su Family had produced such a child, perhaps giving them gifts might trigger the system to reward him with a similar root bone. Unfortunately, the Su Family was too stubborn, too honest. They didn’t know how to take advantage when given the chance.
Of course, he couldn’t tell Chen Qingling that. So Gu Yun said seriously, “I treat even those who offend me with generosity. Then those who follow me will naturally wonder how much better they’ll be treated. Do you understand the applause?”
Chen Qingling was bewildered. Though she didn’t quite get it, she still smiled awkwardly and clapped her hands. After clapping, she couldn’t help but ask, “What does that mean?”
Before Gu Yun could reply, Han Ying nodded knowingly. “So that’s it. Young Master is balancing kindness with authority. Outsiders will see his magnanimity, while those close to him will admire his strength and be more loyal. As expected of Young Master!”
Enlightened, Chen Qingling quickly nodded and gazed at Gu Yun with admiration.
Gu Yun chuckled and waved his hand. “Low profile, low profile!”
With laughter and chatter, the three returned to the Primordial Holy Land. Yet along the way, Gu Yun’s mind kept turning—how should he repair his relationship with Su Wan’er and make her willingly accept his gifts?