Chapter 47: Rresidence

As a man walked by, a gust of wind stirred, "You should leave."

"Alright."

In the bathroom, Liang Shu struggled to prop herself up on the edge of the bathtub, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get up.

The man pushed open the bathroom partition, and his calm eyes, as serene as still water, finally showed a hint of emotion.

On the white tiled floor lay Liang Shu, now even paler than usual.

She lay there, her back to Gu Hansheng, her hair loosely tied up in a bun, and not a shred of clothing on her body. Gu Hansheng could see her milky skin and the beauty of her back in one glance.

When Liang Shu heard the sound and turned her head, she saw a looming figure filling the cramped space.

Her eyes shimmered with tears at the brink of falling, her expression especially pitiful.

Meanwhile...

Gu Hansheng was neatly dressed, while she had not a scrap of fabric on her, presenting a stark contrast between his dignified appearance and her exposed state.

But Liang Shu remained undaunted, feeling only a bit aggrieved due to the pain from the fall. She looked at him calmly, biting her lip as she complained, "The floor in your house is too slippery."

The design of Zero Mansion was undoubtedly luxurious, but Liang Shu's fall was partly due to her own carelessness.

With his jaw clenched, Gu Hansheng, seeing her in such a state, showed no hint of desire. He walked towards her and effortlessly lifted her, placing her gently into the bathtub filled with water, being careful to avoid her bandaged leg.

Her skin under his touch was delicate and smooth, providing a satisfying sensation.

His half-soaked arm and shirt were a testament to his efforts, and with a husky and magnetic voice, he spoke from above, "You got hurt by Ah Yun in the backyard, complained about the dog being too aggressive, and now you're blaming the slippery floor for your fall during a bath?"

Being enveloped by the warm water brought some relief to Liang Shu, but she didn't expect the hand still in the water to suddenly pinch her.

Gu Hansheng withdrew his hand satisfactorily, the sensation beneath his palm still vivid in his memory.

One would find it hard to believe that there was no reaction in such a situation, especially for a recently indulged adult man.

To avoid any further embarrassment, he rose first, turned, and walked out, saying, "Call me when you feel it's enough."

Liang Shu grabbed a handful of flower petals and threw them at him. The fresh red petals, along with the drops of water, landed on Gu Hansheng's back, accompanied by the slightly displeased tone of a woman, "Gu Hansheng, you are truly despicable."

He halted his steps, hands in his pockets, and just about turned back. He was wearing a dark-colored shirt and trousers today, so certain areas were slightly darker due to the water stains on the fabric.

The handsome man, with his deep-set features and towering stature, stood under the warm light, softening the sharp contours of his stern face. A faint smile played at the corner of his thin lips, "Do you want me to tell you what real despicability is?"

Of course, there was no need.

Liang Shu looked at him and then gestured towards the direction of the door.

Gu Hansheng didn't return to his room to change clothes but instead found Qu An downstairs, tidying up.

The night was heavy with dew, and a biting chill permeated the air. Despite Zero Mansion maintaining a temperature most suitable for habitation year-round, he was soaked through, inevitably susceptible to catching a cold. Qu An suggested, "Sir, why don't you go back and change your clothes first?"

Gu Hansheng shook his head. Qu An knew there was something he wanted to discuss, so she set aside what she was doing and followed Gu Hansheng to the living room.

"Did we get any results from this afternoon's surveillance?" Gu Hansheng inquired.

Qu An hesitated for a moment, then quickly responded, "Yes, I reviewed it. Miss Liang wandered into the backyard and stood outside the fence for a long time. Ah Yun, being in a bad mood at the time... Qi Zhen went to feed it dinner, forgot to latch the gate tightly, and didn't expect Ah Yun to break free from the leash and charge out—"

At this point, Qu An continued, "But Miss Liang was clever. She promptly called out your name. Ah Yun is usually afraid of you and fond of you, which at least carries some deterrent, preventing a major disaster."

Otherwise, if this dog turned ferocious, no one would be able to stop it.

With his hands behind his back, Gu Hansheng fixed his sharp gaze on Qu An.

Qu An kept her head down but could feel the master's piercing gaze on her. She remained composed.

After a while, Gu Hansheng asked, "Are you sure it broke free from the leash on its own?"

"Yes, I've reviewed it several times. There's no mistake."

After Qu An finished speaking, the emotionally unpredictable man glanced at his wristwatch, said nothing, and turned to go upstairs.

Qu An nodded, then watched as the man in her line of sight grew farther away, her brows gradually furrowing.

Liang Shu hadn't finished her bath when Gu Hansheng came in.

He took a clean towel and moved to embrace her.

She could tell that the man's complexion wasn't quite right.

Liang Shu resisted a bit, feeling unsatisfied with the bath. She said, "Why don't you go about your business? I can manage on my own."

The creases between Gu Hansheng's eyebrows deepened as he glared at her. "Don't be stubborn. I rarely serve people like this. Behave yourself."

"Oh."

With him saying that, Liang Shu could only reach out to wrap her arms around his neck. But just as she did, she hesitated; she was completely soaked.

Gu Hansheng grew impatient. Without giving her time to think, he exerted force with both arms and lifted her directly out of the bathtub.

"Ah—" Liang Shu was caught off guard and quickly reached out to cling to his neck.

When they reached the outer room, she was unusually shy. Biting her lip, a bright red blush crept up from the base of her neck to behind her ears.

Gu Hansheng naturally noticed this scene. He gave a cold snort. "Quite unusual."

He placed her on the sofa, and from above, he coolly remarked, "Too thin, hardly any flesh on your body."

"It's not too bad. I'm quite satisfied," she said, taking a pillow to cover her exposed body.

After a while, Gu Hansheng went back to the bathroom to get a towel and threw it to her.

Liang Shu dried herself off indifferently, then heaved onto the bed by him.

Standing at the bedside, Gu Hansheng watched her. Finally, he said, "I've reconsidered something, and it's unlikely to change much. You should focus on healing the injury on your leg first. After Su Yan's surgery is done with your blood transfusion, we'll proceed with the marriage registration."

Wrapped in the warm blanket, Liang Shu made a sound of acknowledgment. "So during this time, I'll have to live here in such an ambiguous manner?"

She added, "My aunt forbids me from seeing wild men outside, but of course, that's a different story once the marriage certificate is obtained."

"Don't take advantage and play coy. This is my compromise."

He turned to leave, but Liang Shu crawled out from under the covers, grabbed his hand, and blinked. "So, Mr. Gu, under what circumstances would your reconsideration change?"

Gu Hansheng glanced at her, his Adam's apple rolling. "A third party."

After he left, Liang Shu lay on the bed, tossing and turning, increasingly puzzled by the three words he mentioned about the "third party." Was he suggesting he'd find a third party and then leave her, or was he implying she couldn't cuckold him and find another man? Since she couldn't figure it out, she decided not to think about it.

She went directly to ask him.

Her clothes weren't here, and Qu An didn't bring them in later, so Liang Shu could only wrap herself in a towel and sneak into Gu Hansheng's room.

His room had a different style altogether, leaning towards the cold, modern industrial aesthetic favored by men, with a subdued charcoal grey color scheme.

Gu Hansheng didn't return to the bedroom; the light was still on, lit by her touch against the wall.

Upon entering, Liang Shu immediately climbed onto the bed.

At this moment, all notions of propriety and decency were thrown out the window.

...

Gu Hansheng returned late at night from the study. The moment he turned on the light, he discovered the undulating mass on the bed. Liang Shu was completely hidden under the covers, so she couldn't perceive the bright light in the room.

The next moment, he switched off the main light, turning on the bedside lamp on the other side of the large bed. In the dim light, objects were discernible, and it also facilitated restful sleep.

When he finished washing up and came out, lifting the covers...

He had thought the person beneath would be bare, but it wasn't the case. A slender and somewhat thin woman had picked up his shirt to wear. She was slim, so the clothes hung somewhat empty on her.

Curled up in the deep grey beddings, she exposed a pair of long, evenly proportioned, slender legs, with a noticeable bandage mark on her left calf, somewhat abrupt in appearance.

She lay on her side, hands folded on one side of her face, and a corner of the shirt sleeve revealed a faint iris-shaped mark of purple.

Gu Hansheng stood by the bed for a moment, contemplating, watching Liang Shu's eyes gradually, then after a while, he tugged at his lips.

At one in the morning, Gu Hansheng was still smoking on the terrace outside the bedroom.

A few meters away on the bed, Liang Shu was sound asleep.

He called Jing Yu, who was surprisingly also awake.

Jing Yu said:

"If only the Jing family were as peaceful as your Gu family. Everyone is eager to stir up trouble now. Even the rats in our nest aren't clean, and we have to guard against the wolves outside. It's truly an inhuman thing to do!"

Gu Hansheng was not afraid of deeper dew, lazily leaning against the railing with no particular focus in his gaze. He brought the cigarette to his lips and took a deep drag before speaking, "Has the old man made a will?"

"Not yet, so now everyone and their ghost are coming out."

"Okay, keep an eye on your second uncle's family. As for the others, they may have ambitions, but it's just to save their own skin. If they can get a little benefit, they'll stop."

Jing Yu responded with an "Mm" and suddenly remembered something, asking Gu Hansheng, "It's so late, why did you call me? Anything wrong?"

The room was still dimly lit, and in the man's pupils reflected the scene of the woman's breathing under the warm light, providing a rare moment of tranquility. He removed the cigarette from his lips and answered impassively, "Nothing."

"Okay, the old man might kick the bucket at any moment. Before that, I need to get married to get my share. Anyway, I can't let my second uncle swallow up the Jing family's property. Otherwise, in the future, there won't be a place for me and Ah Hang in Yucheng."

The stormy affairs within the aristocratic family, as described briefly by Jing Yu, could be gleaned from just these few words.

"How's Ah Hang been lately?" Gu Hansheng asked, his gaze now focused on the bedroom.

Jing Yu remained silent for a long while. "Just the same. I reckon he's not giving up yet. You should talk to him again sometime," Jing Yu clearly didn't want to dwell on this topic and changed the subject, "Did you give those gifts to Aunt Ting last time? Did she like them?"

"Been busy lately, didn't get a chance to go back. If you have time, send Ah Hang to the Gu mansion to keep her company. He's the one Aunt Ting likes the most."

Jing Yu laughed on the other end of the phone, "He's the one Aunt Ting likes, even more than her own son."

Wen Mingting and Jing Yu's mother were once famous socialites. However, later, Wen Mingting followed Gu Hongyuan to another country, while the other stayed in the country and got married.

When Jing Yu was ten years old, on the day Jing Hang turned five months old, their mother passed away.

The culprit still roamed free to this day.

Later, Wen Mingting returned to the country for a long time and brought Jing Hang with her for quite a while.

On this chilly night, some past events, like a book long sealed, were unexpectedly opened, yet before they could be revealed, they were quietly closed again.

Jing Yu wanted to say something more, but Gu Hansheng hung up with just two words, "I'm done."

In the middle of the night.

The wound on Liang Shu's leg itched.

After tossing and turning in bed for a while, unable to fall back asleep, she groggily opened her eyes and saw a slender figure walking in from the French windows.

In the brief moment she was lost in thought, the man had already approached her.

He blocked off most of the side light, and Liang Shu rubbed her eyes, squinting to glance at the clock beside her—it was nearing two in the night.

So late...

"You, haven't slept yet?" Liang Shu sat up on the bed.

Gu Hansheng looked at her, heavy with the scent of smoke and the chill of the night. Liang Shu felt it as soon as she sat up, so she instinctively shrunk back under the covers.

Seeing him silent, Liang Shu sat there at the edge of the bed. Surrounded by darkness, she couldn't see clearly, resembling a ghostly presence.

She whispered, "It's so late, are you unable to sleep because I've taken over your bed?"

As she spoke, she was about to crawl out from under the covers but was stopped by the man's large hand. His voice was rough and cold, "Stay put. How did you come over here if your foot is injured?"

Since Liang Shu was injured by Ah Yun, from going to the hospital to coming back, Gu Hansheng, perhaps out of guilt, perhaps due to other reasons, had been personally taking care of her every step of the way, never letting her touch the ground.

She pulled the covers tighter around her, showing no signs of embarrassment, and spoke naturally, "It's just a bite, didn't even touch the bone, not disabled enough to be unable to walk."

"Hmm."

Gu Hansheng looked at her wearing his shirt, revealing a slender neck. Amidst the loose and slightly messy black hair, her collarbones were exceptionally beautiful.

Suddenly, he remembered that this woman's butterfly bones were also extremely beautiful, as well as the waistline that descended down her spine, particularly alluring.

As a woman, Liang Shu could be considered perfect.

Beautiful in appearance, Gu Hansheng had seen many women, of all shapes and colors, but Liang Shu's face always outshone the others.

Yes, always.

Drenched in rain, lying drunk on the road, her clean face without makeup, and even when deliberately pretending to be coy and calling him "Mr. Gu."

She was more beautiful than any other woman.

Her figure was also very good, although slender, she had all the right curves. She was also very fair, fairer than any woman Gu Hansheng had ever seen, standing out conspicuously in a crowd.

Moreover, the most important point was that in bed, she and him were very compatible.

She was bold, but merely a paper tiger. In that aspect, she was completely powerless and somewhat inexperienced, but that didn't matter. On the contrary, it largely pleased Gu Hansheng.

But.

Beauty lies in the bones, not the skin.

No matter how beautiful the appearance, it was useless.

Gu Hansheng stared at the woman's simple face in the dim light, squinting his eyes. He reached out and pinched the woman's delicate chin, his voice hoarse as if from inhaling too much tobacco, "Why resort to any means necessary, why insist on marrying me?"

Liang Shu clenched the bedsheets beneath her, forced to look up into his eyes.

She pursed her lips, a hint of a smile in her eyes, "Didn't I already tell you this afternoon?"

"Would you rather have money or experience the luxurious life of a noble household?"

"Both."

"I can give you a lot of money. How about that?"

Liang Shu reached out from the warm covers, grabbing his cold wrist. The contrast of warmth and cold stimulated her, making her more awake. "Haven't we agreed on this already? I'll provide you with the means to save your loved one's life, and then you marry me."

He stared at her, silent.

Liang Shu took his fingers and placed them on the side of her face. "I can retrieve my household registration tomorrow, and we can get married first."

The man withdrew his hand and stood up. "Shouldn't we also inform your aunt about our marriage?"

"No need, no need," Liang Shu waved her hands repeatedly. "It's unnecessary. My aunt doesn't concern herself with me."

A faint hostility flashed in Gu Hansheng's eyes. "She doesn't care about you, yet you guard your household registration so closely?"

She sat back, holding onto the covers. With wide eyes, she gazed at him. "I am quite self-aware. The fewer people who know about us, the better. I won't interfere with whatever you do. Besides," Liang Shu lowered her gaze, speaking slowly, "Will you take me to see Mrs. Gu?"

For Liang Shu.

Gu Hansheng had lived to this age, always domineering and rarely threatened by others. After marrying her, who knew how he would torment her? How could he let too many people know about this matter?

Indeed, he didn't give a direct answer to her question but sneered coldly, "What do you think?"

As Gu Hansheng and Jing Yu said, few people liked a woman like her.

So, "Our union isn't particularly enjoyable. For Mr. Gu, he would prefer this marriage not exist at all. I can accept not seeing anyone around you."

Liang Shu could sense that with every word she spoke, the man's expression grew darker. In the end, his voice was as cold as ice, "Are you finished?"

"...I only hope Mr. Gu will still remember that I am your wife. In the future, whoever harms me, harms you. Whoever humiliates me, humiliates Mr. Gu."

After Liang Shu finished speaking, she smiled lightly.

He leaned towards her, and by now, the chill on his body had lessened. He easily trapped her between his chest and the bed. "You're so fond of a marriage without substance?"

As soon as he spoke, he pressed forward again, his momentum strong.

Liang Shu wrinkled her brow slightly at the smell of smoke emanating from him, but there was only so much space between his arms. She could only reach out and press against his chest, a blush creeping up her neck. "Isn't Mr. Gu aware of a marriage without substance?"

The corners of his mouth curled up in a cold arc as he pulled her out from under the covers, pressing down on her.

"Okay."

Okay, what?

But the next moment, Liang Shu's lips were sealed by his.

Just pulled from the warm covers by the man, her skin tingled as it met the cold air. Now, pressed by him, she couldn't move, only the sensation between their lips was clear.

Initially, there was just a strong smell of smoke, then gradually, it was the sensation of entanglement.

Liang Shu had no experience in continuous kissing, inevitably feeling a bit short of breath. If her neck and ears turned red due to shyness, then at this moment, it was purely due to breathlessness.

Like most inexperienced young women, she didn't know how to regulate her breathing.

But Gu Hansheng did not let her go, allowing her to catch her breath so she wouldn't feel dizzy from breathlessness, and then continued.

Liang Shu's attire tonight was very much to Gu Hansheng's liking.

However, at this moment, the woman's long and slender legs were very restless. When Gu Hansheng's lips left hers, his gaze swept over her, leaving only a pair of cold white legs in his intense dark gaze, which then darkened several degrees.

He reached out to remove her clothes, and Liang Shu resisted a little. "It's too cold."

Ignoring her protests, Gu Hansheng took her earlobe into his mouth, his warm breath moistening her ear, "It will warm up soon."

Liang Shu was no match for him.

In this game, Gu Hansheng had all the advantages.

But in the end, she still dampened Gu Hansheng's enthusiasm. It was precisely in the heat of passion that Gu Hansheng restrained her restless hands and sternly admonished, "Liang Shu, only now you're thinking of refusing. It's too late."

Yet the next moment, she unexpectedly mentioned Su Yan's name.

She hugged the man's hot back, looking at his deep brows and eyes, and asked, "Before the lady from the Villa of Yushan became a vegetable, did you call her name when you were together?"

As if doused with cold water, the previously heated atmosphere vanished instantly.

Gu Hansheng pressed down on her, his teeth biting harshly into the woman's smooth shoulder, then he muttered bitterly, "I really want to strangle you."

Liang Shu stared at the ceiling, blinked her eyes, and a hint of cunning flashed in the depths of her eyes. "Last time, Mr. Gu really wore me out. Just thinking about it makes me shudder. There's plenty of time ahead; no need to rush."

Indeed, there was no hurry.

Later, Gu Hansheng got out of bed and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

Liang Shu looked at the clock; it was nearly three in the morning. She listened to the sound of the water dripping and slowly closed her eyes to sleep.

...

She stayed at the Villa of Yushan for a week.

A week later, Gu Hansheng took her to the hospital for her second rabies vaccine.

Liang Shu was afraid of needles, so she didn't dare to look. After the injection, as she held her arm, she heard Gu Hansheng ask her, "Su Yan's surgery is scheduled for the day after tomorrow. Do you have any questions?"

The day after tomorrow...

She thought for a moment and replied, "No questions."

As Gu Hansheng was about to leave, he took a few steps before feeling a hand grab his clothes around his waist. He stopped and looked back at her, "What's wrong?"

The woman lowered her head and asked, "It's just a blood draw, nothing else, right?"

"What else do you think?"

She looked up, pursing her lips. "I don't have to go into the operating room with you, do I?"

"No need."

Liang Shu nodded. "That's good then."

After receiving the vaccine, Gu Hansheng had to return to the company. He instructed Ji Chen to take Liang Shu back to Zero Mansion, but Liang Shu saw that there was only one car, and he probably had never even taken a taxi in his life. So she said, "I won't go to your place today. We'll get married after I give blood the day after tomorrow, right? I'll take a taxi back to my place today, and you can come pick me up the day after tomorrow."