Chapter 59: Jade Bracelet

Liang Shu gently shook her head while her fingers resting on her lap slowly clenched.

"All these were sent by Jing Yu, that kid. Hansheng and Jing Yu have been good friends since childhood. You'll gradually blend into his circle, and he'll tell you everything in due time."

Jing Yu.

Liang Shu lowered her head, a handsome face appearing in her mind. Could such a sarcastic man be Gu Hansheng's friend?

Then... Jing Xing. Liang Shu fell into silence for a moment. It truly was a coincidence.

Later, Wen Mingting took out a translucent, flawless green jade bracelet. She took Liang Shu's hand and tried to put it on her wrist. "This is for the daughter-in-law of the Gu family. Now that Hansheng has you, this naturally belongs to you."

Even without looking, Liang Shu knew this bracelet was extremely precious and naturally refused.

Wen Mingting looked at her. "Please don't refuse again. I don't have anything better to give you. This jade is good for the body. Wearing it will benefit you."

Liang Shu couldn't resist, but at the moment, Gu Hansheng arrived.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Liang Shu. The man was wearing a loose linen shirt and dark casual pants, revealing a glimpse of his collarbone, still in the attire from the morning. But Liang Shu couldn't help feeling a pang of discomfort in her heart, with some unfounded thoughts swirling in her mind.

He strode over, his arm around Liang Shu's shoulder, lips curved into the gentlest smile. "What are you doing?"

At this moment, Liang Shu was still holding the jade bracelet, feeling awkward. She discreetly handed the valuable item to Gu Hansheng and whispered, "Mom insisted on giving this to me. Could you talk to her? How can I accept this?"

The two middle-aged women watched the interaction between the younger generation with a content smile on their faces.

Gu Hansheng glanced at Liang Shu's expression, gently patting her shoulder, then took the jade bracelet from her hand and looked at Wen Mingting. "Mom, A Shu often wears this and it attracts too much attention. I'll take her to pick out something more suitable for everyday wear when I have time. Please keep this for her."

Wen Mingting glared at Gu Hansheng. "What nonsense are you talking? If there's a conflict, I'll give this to Aru and you can take her to buy another one. Whether she wears it or not is her choice, don't interfere."

Liang Shu remained silent.

Everyone present understood the implication of these words.

The man with deep-set eyes glanced somewhat helplessly at the woman in his arms, but there was a knowing smile on his lips. His voice was calm, "Since Mom has given it to you, then keep it. It's yours now, whether you want to keep it at home or discard it, it's entirely up to you."

Liang Shu couldn't help but find this man's way of speaking quite vexing sometimes.

With that, his well-defined fingers clasped Liang Shu's hand and he placed the translucent jade bracelet on her wrist.

Wen Mingting grew more fond as she looked at it, reaching forward to hold Liang Shu's hand. "A Shu looks even better wearing it than I did back then. But those slender arms and legs of yours need proper care."

Liang Shu lowered her head, murmuring softly, "Thank you, Mom."

"You're a good child."

At this moment, Liang Shu felt truly embarrassed. It was her first time visiting the Gu Mansion to see the Gu family's elderly lady, and she hadn't prepared any gifts for the elders. Yet, she was met with such genuine warmth, and she couldn't help but blame herself.

However, the person beside her seemed to understand her thoughts perfectly. He loosely wrapped his arm around Liang Shu's waist, drawing closer to her. Although he lowered his voice, everyone present could hear him as he said, "Didn't you prepare a gift for Mom too? It's in the trunk. Go and get it."

The woman looked at him blankly, then met his deep gaze, immediately lowering her head. Gu Hansheng then handed her the car keys.

Liang Shu took the keys and turned to smile at Wen Mingting. "Mom, I'll be back in a moment."

"Alright."

As dinner time approached, Liang Qing had already gone to check on the kitchen. Wen Mingting and Gu Hansheng headed towards the living room together.

Wen Mingting said, "She's a good child, very beautiful, but not flashy. Who else does she have in her family? I'll arrange for them to meet tomorrow."

Gu Hansheng hadn't mentioned these things to Wen Mingting beforehand, so she couldn't directly ask Liang Shu. She could only inquire through Gu Hansheng.

This elder, who was open-minded about everything, didn't mean she wouldn't ask about anything. She just trusted her son's judgment.

When Gu Hansheng was young, he was always calm, quick to learn, and could accept and digest everything. When he was still quite young, Wen Mingting and Gu Hong took Gu Hansheng to have his IQ tested. The young master of the Gu family was exceptional, with an IQ of 180.

People like him had strong learning abilities, active minds, and most importantly, they had sufficient insight.

For example, insight into human nature.

When Gu Hansheng was in high school, he was only ten years old.

At this age, he could understand university courses on his own. However, Wen Mingting didn't want him to pursue that extraordinary path. She hoped he could live a normal life.

There was a math competition in his senior year of high school.

Gu Hansheng spent only one-third of the time in the exam room and, as expected, scored a perfect score. However, not only Gu Hansheng scored full marks, there were others as well.

What was surprising was the time he spent answering the questions, which was only one-third or even one-fourth of what others took.

Later, a professor compared his paper with the second place and found that his approach and thinking for each question were different from others'.

He achieved innovation and efficiency.

He even came up with solutions that the question setters hadn't considered.

Could such a person not be called a genius?

Later on, Wen Mingting and Gu Hong took Gu Hansheng abroad.

But Wen Mingting never saw Gu Hansheng as a highly intelligent person. He was just her son, a businessman, and now, a husband.

Regarding Liang Shu's family background, this was Gu Hansheng's response to Wen Mingting, summed up in just one sentence: "A Shu now only has an aunt."

Wen Mingting felt a pang of sadness and pity, shaking her head. "She's truly a pitiable child."

As she spoke, she even reached up to wipe her eye corner, expressing her heartfelt sympathy. "It's really hard for her. Since she'll be the daughter-in-law of the Gu family in the future, she must be treated well."

In Gu Hansheng's eyes, a hint of amusement surfaced as he wrapped his arm around Wen Mingting's shoulder. "I know."

...

When Liang Shu came back with the items, Gu Hansheng was already sitting on the sofa chatting with Wen Mingting. Seeing her return, Gu Hansheng waved at her and pulled her to sit beside him, squeezing her hand gently. "Feeling cold?"

With striking features and a slightly cool demeanor, Liang Shu shook her head. "Not cold."

Then, Liang Shu hurriedly stood up again and walked to the opposite sofa, placing the items she brought in front of Wen Mingting. "Mom, this is a gift from Han... and me for you."

She added, "I forgot earlier, please don't blame me."

"Come, sit."

The unbranded box contained something simple, a sandy-brown scarf. Though the gift was simple, it was considerate, with Liang Shu's name embroidered on it, neatly stitched: "From A Shu".

Liang Shu felt a bit embarrassed, but Wen Mingting was very pleased and quickly had Liang Qing take it upstairs to put it away.

During dinner, Liang Shu had a good appetite. She drank a bowl of soup, ate a bowl of rice, and wanted to have more rice, but Gu Hansheng stopped her. He served her a bowl of soup instead. "You usually have a small appetite. It's not good to eat too much at night. Have another bowl of soup."

Liang Shu obediently drank the soup.

As they were leaving, Wen Mingting accompanied them to the courtyard outside. She held Liang Shu's hand. "I originally didn't want you to leave tonight, but the Gu Mansion is far from the Gu Company, and Han has to go to the company tomorrow and then come back to pick you up. It's troublesome, so I'll listen to him and won't keep you here."

Liang Shu nodded, her lips forming a faint smile.

Wen Mingting smiled too. "Come back often to accompany me and Liang Qing."

It was winter, and the nights in Yucheng were early. By six o'clock, the sky was already dimming.

The wind was stronger outside at night. Liang Shu tightened her grip on Wen Mingting's hand. There was a faint watery gleam in her almond eyes as she said, "Mom, you should go back inside earlier. It's cold outside."

"Alright," Wen Mingting said, then turned to look at Gu Hansheng, advising, "Smoke less usually. It's fine if you smoke, but too much secondhand smoke isn't good for A Shu. If you have a baby in the future, you'll regret it."

Gu Hansheng, who was originally standing next to the car a few meters away, walked over upon hearing this. "Mom, I understand. We'll go back now."

Liang Shu let Gu Hansheng hold her hand as she stood gracefully, watching Wen Mingting. She had a rare shy expression. "Mom, please go inside. We're leaving."

"Alright."

...

Gu Hansheng had a rare moment of free time tonight. After coming out of the bathroom, he noticed the terrace door was open.

With the nighttime temperature only a few degrees, he furrowed his brows and followed outside. There, he saw Liang Shu standing by the railing, her head lowered, lost in thought.

Her figure appeared slender, as if she could be blown away by a gust of wind.

Hearing footsteps behind her, the woman slowly turned around.

Her expression remained calm as she looked warmly at the man standing at the door, but before she could speak, he reprimanded her, "It's cold outside. If you don't want to catch a cold, come in."

Liang Shu patted her cheeks with her hand, her pink lips curved into a gentle smile. "I just took a bath, it's too hot. I came out to get some fresh air."

The man didn't say anything but rather abruptly closed the door connecting the terrace to the bedroom, making a loud noise. Liang Shu bit her lower lip, not understanding what this meant.

Ignoring him, Liang Shu didn't go inside either. She turned around, looking at the lawn below, next to which was a small swimming pool. As it was winter, the pool was filled with water but hadn't been maintained.

The sky was pitch black, with only occasional lights faintly emerging from the mountains in the distance.

She looked down at the bracelet on her left wrist, feeling indescribable emotions.

This was the bracelet belonging to the Gu family's daughter-in-law.

Was she?

She wasn't.

Liang Shu returned to the bedroom just as the man was opening the door. He was holding a cup and, upon seeing her, raised an eyebrow and walked toward her. "This is the milk Qu An prepared. Drink it first."

Liang Shu took it and placed it on the low table nearby, then looked at Gu Hansheng very seriously.

"Mr. Gu."

Her tone was warm, her words ordinary.

Gu Hansheng looked at her, waiting for her next words.

Liang Shu held out her wrist, and in their line of sight was the bracelet on her fair and slender wrist.

What Wen Mingting said in the afternoon was true. The bracelet did look good on Liang Shu, not at all tacky.

But Gu Hansheng didn't overlook one detail—her fair wrist was tinged with red.

"I shouldn't have accepted this bracelet in the first place, but I couldn't bear to refuse the old lady's kindness this afternoon, and I was afraid she would be sad. So, I'm holding onto it temporarily. Since that's the case, you should take it for her."

Gu Hansheng stood in front of her, his height towering over her. Liang Shu had to look up at him.

He squinted his eyes, a hint of coldness fleeting across them, then raised his eyebrows calmly. "Alright, take off the bracelet."

Liang Shu withdrew her hand, trying to take off the bracelet a few times, but it was embarrassing to find that she couldn't remove it, no matter what. She smiled awkwardly. "I actually wanted to take it off earlier, but I don't know why, after putting it on this afternoon, I just couldn't get it off."

That was true. She did want to take off the bracelet, but now she couldn't remove it no matter what she tried, which was quite embarrassing.

A hint of sarcasm curved Gu Hansheng's lips, but his gaze was gentle. "Little liar."

With that, he glanced at the milk set aside. "Drink the milk."

As the man strode toward the bedroom door with long strides, Liang Shu followed him a few steps and looked at him. "I... really can't take it off. If you don't believe me, try it yourself. I really don't want to wear it."

Gu Hansheng ignored her and continued walking forward.

Until his fingers touched the door handle, a much fairer small hand quickly covered his large hand. He turned his head to see the rosy face of the woman, who said, "Mr. Gu, please think of a way."

Gu Hansheng's lips curved up slightly as he looked at her. "Think of a way? You said you couldn't take it off. Should I forcibly cut off your wrist to get it off?"

This person...

Liang Shu let go of her hand, feeling a bit embarrassed, and kept her head down. "Then I'll go out tomorrow and find a professional to help me remove it."

Gu Hansheng, however, said, "Don't bother, just wear it."

With that, he opened the door and left.

Liang Shu obediently drank the milk and sat on the sofa feeling somewhat troubled. Why couldn't she take it off? (Because the author won't let you, not even Jesus can help you.)

She sat for a while, then went to brush her teeth and wash up before bedtime skincare routine.

When she came out, Gu Hansheng had just finished a phone call, his brow furrowed.

Liang Shu had just stepped out of the bathroom when she locked eyes with him, his pupils were as black as ink, deep and mysterious.

Her heart skipped a beat as she suddenly remembered that phone call.

Looking at him, she asked, "What's wrong?"

The man standing by the window beckoned her over. "Come here."

As she approached, she was met with his overwhelming kiss.

One thing led to another, inevitably leading them to the bed.

Breathless, Liang Shu looked up at him. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Gu Hansheng continued his advances.

Another night of passion ensued, and Liang Shu woke up the next morning to find Gu Hansheng already gone.

After getting ready, she went downstairs, where Qu An informed her, "Madam, the embroidery tools you requested have been bought for you."

Liang Shu nodded. "Thank you."

She had access to Gu Hansheng's study, so she spent the morning there, tinkering with the tools. Besides that, there were also tools for knitting.

Thinking about the scarf she gave to Wen Mingting at the Gu mansion yesterday, Liang Shu thought she should knit a scarf for her personally.

Old lady Gu didn't like extravagant things, and it was clear from yesterday that she really liked the scarf. If she personally knitted one for her, she would probably be very happy.

The morning passed quickly.

At lunchtime, Qu An knocked on the door of the study with a glass of water. There was no response from inside, so she opened the door herself.

Liang Shu was curled up on the sofa under the bookshelf, still asleep, with the knitting tools in her hand.

Qu An placed the water on the table and walked over softly. "Madam, Madam..."

Liang Shu opened her eyes to see Qu An's face.

"Madam, if you're tired, go back to the bedroom and rest."

Liang Shu shook her head and rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"

"It's past 11:40."

Oh, it's almost lunchtime.

In the afternoon, Liang Shu had to go out.

The driver was still Xiao Chen.

She entered a watch repair shop and took out the box from her bag. "Can you take a look at this model? Can it still be repaired?"

The shopkeeper opened the box, put on his glasses and gloves, and took out the watch inside. After carefully examining it, he placed the watch back in the box, untouched. "I'm sorry, but this model is quite old and has been discontinued for several years."

Liang Shu's heart sank. "Can it still be repaired?"

The shopkeeper shook his head. "This one is heavily worn out. It's severely water damaged, and most of the parts inside are beyond repair. Besides, these parts are nearly impossible to find nowadays. It's beyond repair."

Liang Shu felt disappointed. Her voice lowered, "Please, just give it a try. I don't care how much it costs."

"Miss, it's better to buy a new one. Even if we manage to find the same parts and replace them, it wouldn't be the same watch anymore."

The shopkeeper probably understood the sentimental value of the watch to her. Liang Shu wasn't the first person he had encountered in this situation, so his words were subtly persuasive.

But Liang Shu shook her head firmly. "Please, try to repair it. I don't care how much it costs, as long as it can be fixed."

As long as the watch was still ticking, couldn't it serve as a memento?

...

On the way back to Zero Mansion, Liang Shu received a call from Gu Hansheng.

Gu Hansheng asked her to have Xiao Chen take her to the Gu Corporation.

Checking the time, it was only three o'clock.

Liang Shu went into a café opposite the Gu Corporation and called Gu Hansheng, "Hmm, I won't go to your company. I'll wait for you at the café across the street."

Gu Hansheng still had some matters to attend to, so he asked her to wait for him for a while.

Liang Shu agreed and ordered a cup of coffee to pass the time.

At that moment, Qian Hui called her.

Liang Shu furrowed her brows slightly as she answered, "Qian Hui."

"Arnie, what are you busy with?"

"Nothing."

"In a few days, Sister has a date. Could you accompany me?"

"What occasion? Am I suitable to go?" She absentmindedly stirred her coffee.

Qian Hui laughed softly on the other end of the phone. "I'm planning to leave Yu Lou Chun. But there have always been several bosses who have taken good care of me. They set up a plan, and I want you to accompany me to boost my courage," she paused slightly, "You've been short of money lately, right? These people are easy to talk to. You might be able to borrow some money."

Liang Shu thought for a moment. "Where are you going after leaving Yu Lou Chun? Is that sugar daddy willing to divorce his wife and marry you?"

Women like Qian Hui, who depended on men for a living, rarely had a chance to turn things around.

Qian Hui had been kept for so long, and it had to be said that her sugar daddy had taken good care of her. Qian Hui had never encountered the situation where the wife came to fight her.

Liang Shu thought there were two reasons for this.

First, Qian Hui's sugar daddy was very cautious. On the surface, Qian Hui was still a girl from Yu Lou Chun, still an employee, but in reality, she was kept by that person. She could flaunt herself in front of other men, but she couldn't let them in.

Second, as far as Liang Shu knew, Qian Hui went to private villas, none of which were under her sugar daddy's name.

Qian Hui was a woman who survived by attaching herself to men, so the decision she made must have been influenced by what the man said.

Sure enough, Qian Hui said, "Yes, after waiting for these years, I'm finally going to get ahead."

Liang Shu had no comment on this matter.

In her opinion, Qian Hui was in the wrong.

Interfering in someone else's relationship, being a kept woman, and occasionally coveting the position of the wife—such a mistress was despised by society.

Liang Shu couldn't harbor animosity towards such individuals, yet she couldn't muster affection for them either.

However, concerning Qian Hui, she inevitably felt a certain affinity, understanding her predicament but unable to embrace it.

After all, everyone faces their own trials; no one willingly treads this path, except for those brainless mistresses who live off others without a care.

Liang Shu merely toyed with her phone lightly, pursing her lips. "Congratulations to you."

"So what? Would you be willing to accompany me, dear sister, to a private banquet, undisclosed to the public, where Aunt Mei won't find out? It's a lucrative opportunity."

But Liang Shu now had no need for money.

If it were a couple of months earlier, or even just a month, she might have agreed.

"Qian Hui, I won't go."

Qian Hui, upon hearing this, wasn't particularly vexed, just inquired, "Ah Shu, have you truly embarked on this path with me?"

Liang Shu lowered her head, serenely gazing at the bracelet on her wrist, concealing her emotions in her eyes, but she didn't respond to her.

To some extent, she had indeed entered Qian Hui's realm.

But she was braver than Qian Hui and luckier too.

Seeing Liang Shu remain silent, Qian Hui assumed she had also found a patron, and thus remarked, "Ah Shu, if Auntie knew about these things you're doing, she'd be deeply saddened, you know?"

More than just saddened, she'd have a falling out with Liang Shu.

After Qian Hui mentioned Aunt Mei, Liang Shu pondered for a moment, then replied, "Alright, I'll accompany you."

"Alright, I'll call you when the time comes."

"...Fine."

Not long after hanging up, Liang Shu received a call from Gu Han Sheng.

She signaled for the waiter to bring the bill, then left and opened the passenger door of the Phantom parked at the curb.

As she settled into the car, the warm air enveloped Liang Shu. She fastened her seatbelt and asked, "Where are you taking me?"

Seeing Gu Han Sheng remain silent, merely starting the car, she pursed her lips and ventured, "It won't be like yesterday, will it?"

The man evaded her question and glanced at her. "What were you up to this afternoon?"