The 74th Chapter: Making a Fuss

Ah Xing, do you partake of oranges?

Many years later, Jing Xing still remembered that voice vividly.

And as time passed, the voice seemed to transcend through the ages, becoming clearer in his mind.

The woman's speech was slightly leisurely, her voice warm yet cool, neither deliberate nor dim, like that touch of ice in summer, yet also like that cluster of fire in winter.

It left a lasting impression on Jing Xing for many days to come.

Cool soothing words were more effective than warm Mingting's words.

Jing Xing turned around, gazing at her, silent.

Mingting looked at him, pinching his arm firmly, "Your sister-in-law asked if you want oranges, can't you even respond? Her fingers are getting sore from holding them up."

He didn't say he wanted to eat, nor did he say he didn't, so Liang Shu kept her arm extended.

Liang Shu's lips curved into a perfectly poised smile as she looked at him.

Jing Xing walked towards her, taking the small golden-orange from her hand without even uttering a thank you.

The situation was barely under control.

The mess on the ground had been tidied up, and Mingting sat beside Liang Shu, saying to her, "A Shu, you weren't frightened just now, were you? Ah Xing has always been like this, a bit of a mischief-maker. We've spoiled this child since he was young."

Liang Shu smiled, "It's alright, I'm used to it."

Then Mingting glanced at Jing Xing sitting on the single sofa, and what followed next astonished Mingting.

Jing Xing, sitting somewhat awkwardly, took the orange Liang Shu had just given him and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it twice.

He didn't even peel it.

Mingting's expression changed, reaching out to touch his forehead, "What's gotten into you today?"

Jing Xing dodged Mingting's fingers, glancing at Liang Shu coldly, "Nothing much, this orange is really delicious, bitter and sweet."

"You've eaten the peel too, it must be bitter," Mingting said.

Bitter and sweet, just like his recent experiences.

Seeing Liang Shu was sweet, realizing her identity turned bitter.

Later, Jing Xing just sat there, unmoved by Mingting's attempts to persuade him, so Mingting simply ignored him.

Liang Shu suggested taking Mingting upstairs for a walk, and as Mingting left, she glared at Jing Xing, "Wait until your older brother comes back to deal with you!"

Liang Shu remained silent.

Until they were almost at the staircase, Jing Xing suddenly stood up, saying, "I'm going to find A Yun."

At these words, Liang Shu froze in place, halting her steps.

Mingting looked at her in confusion.

Unexpectedly, Liang Shu turned around abruptly, her gaze finally showing some difference, carrying a hint of apology and finally some ripples. She looked at Jing Xing and said, "A Yun... has been sent away."

In the bedroom.

Liang Shu explained to Mingting, "Earlier, I accidentally provoked A Yao and he bit me. Han Sheng might have been a little angry at the time, so he sent A Yun away. I'll talk to him later and ask him to bring A Yun back."

Between a person and a dog, Mingting was clear about their priorities.

Hearing that Liang Shu had been bitten by A Yun, Mingting asked with concern, "Are you alright?" Then she sighed, "A Yun has never left Han Sheng's side since it followed him, but since it's the one who injured you, naturally it cannot stay here. Han Sheng did the right thing."

Liang Shu lowered her head, "But A Yun seems to have a good relationship with Han Sheng."

At this, Mingting patted Liang Shu's hand and smiled, "In his youth, Han Sheng once encountered a kidnapping. He was abandoned in a desolate place, and it was A Yun from his childhood who saved him."

Liang Shu was shocked, unable to speak.

These events had happened a long time ago, and she didn't want to dwell on them, so she simply said in a casual tone, "At that time, A Yun had just learned to hunt. Those difficult days were sustained by the blood of the animals A Yun hunted." 

Just these few casual sentences already sent a chill down Liang Shu's spine.

There was no need for too much elaboration; just thinking about it carefully revealed the severity of the situation.

She had also been trapped in a dark cave, although her memory was gone, her body still remembered.

That feeling of being in the darkness, unable to see one's own hand in front of them, every time Liang Shu thought of it, she felt as if countless snakes were slithering over her body.

How did she survive later?

She had forgotten.

December passed in a week, and this Sunday afternoon, Mingting lightly sketched out the past of Gu Han Sheng, but it made Liang Shu's heart flutter with countless thoughts.

About A Yun.

She probably needed to find some time to have a good talk with him.

The first encounter, although it was Qizhen's mischief that deliberately untied the rope tethering A Yun, why did A Yun show such hostility towards Liang Shu upon their first meeting? It truly puzzled Liang Shu.

Perhaps it was because A Yun sensed that her presence threatened its position.

Liang Shu thought to herself, once she persuaded Gu Hansheng to bring A Yun back, she would definitely find a time to communicate with A Yun.

She wanted to tell it: "I won't compete with you for Mr. Gu."

With this in mind, Liang Shu shook her head. Could A Yun understand human speech anyway?

Liang Shu stayed upstairs chatting with Wen Mingting.

Jing Xing downstairs had two inexplicable outbursts of temper.

The first was about A Yun. He gritted his teeth, "Big brother is truly heartless. If A Yun is unwanted, he could have just kept him here instead of sending him elsewhere."

Qu An was downstairs with him, feeling that Jing Xing's temper was unusually bad today. She quietly went to the kitchen, preparing a cup of tea to cool his anger.

Jing Xing was in a melancholic mood, heading towards the backyard.

In the backyard, a servant was shoveling snow. Jing Xing looked at the empty space and pointed, furrowing his brow, "Why was the swing here taken down?"

The servant, upon seeing Jing Xing, greeted him first before respectfully replying, "Sir had it removed earlier."

Jing Xing bit his cheek, "Why?"

The servant lowered his head, remaining silent.

In truth, they might not know why.

In the chilly November of Yucheng, Liang Shu had a few days of whimsy, swinging on the swing every day.

One time she caught a cold, and Mr. Gu discovered it in the evening. When he asked her and she didn't tell him, he said he would ask the servants, and if they found out, regardless of the outcome, he would vent his anger on them.

Liang Shu couldn't bear to see others suffer, so she confessed about the swinging incident.

This inevitably led to a scolding from Gu Hansheng.

But could this be a reason for Gu Hansheng to dismantle the swing?

The next day, Liang Shu felt better, and the weather was quite nice. After dusk, there was a rare sunset hanging in the sky, painting everything in a stunning crimson-purple hue.

Gu Hansheng returned from work on time today, before it got dark.

Not finding Liang Shu at home, he inquired about her whereabouts from the servants.

He wasn't in a hurry, so he went upstairs to change into more casual home attire before going downstairs to the backyard to find his playful little wife.

At that moment, Liang Shu was humming a tune, wearing a light gauzy dress with a fiery red shawl draped over her shoulders. With each swing, her body seemed as light as a butterfly, her long hair fluttering, and her profile, against the hazy twilight, appeared especially alluring.

Standing about two meters away from her, Gu Hansheng watched her movements, a heart inexplicably tensing up, and he uttered two words, "Slow down."

Startled by the sound, Liang Shu looked back at him, her body still swinging in mid-air, making Gu Hansheng inexplicably feel that swinging on a swing should be considered a dangerous activity.

But Liang Shu was perfectly fine. Seeing Gu Hansheng in casual attire, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and say, "I'm still young, just swinging on a swing, not afraid no matter how high."

That remark made Gu Hansheng feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Unexpectedly, Liang Shu continued, "Unlike Mr. Gu, who's already old, you better keep your distance from me, so I don't accidentally hurt you later."

Using the word "old" to refer to a man in his prime was simply exasperating.

Liang Shu was just that kind of person.

So later, she stopped swinging on the swing, and Gu Hansheng lifted her off the swing frame, ignoring her struggles, and carried her in his arms towards the main building.

Before going upstairs, he instructed Qu An, "Get someone to dismantle the swing frame in the backyard."

Qu An didn't understand, but he still responded with an acknowledgment.

After taking a few steps, Gu Hansheng turned back and added, "Do it immediately."

Qu An was about to acknowledge when, under the bright lights, Liang Shu's exquisite face peeked out from Gu Hansheng's neck. She blinked at Qu An and said, "Qu An, don't listen to Mr. Gu, please don't dismantle the swing, alright?"

When Gu Hansheng was angry, Liang Shu's words were of no concern.

That day, the Gu couple were engaged in activities in the bedroom upstairs, while Qu An led the others to dismantle the swing frame in the courtyard downstairs.

At this moment, Jing Xing stared blankly at the empty space, where traces of the removed swing frame seemed to linger, and his mood suddenly became somewhat frantic.

Then, a voice came from behind, "Young Master Jing, the reason for dismantling the swing frame is related to Madam Gu. It seems Madam and Sir had an argument one day, and we servants don't know the specifics. Sir might have vented his anger on the swing frame."

Jing Xing turned around to see a young maid standing behind him.

He pursed his lips, looking at her. "What about A Yun?"

Qizhen lowered her eyes, smiling faintly. "A Yun injured Madam, so he had to be driven away. However—" She paused. "A Yun has never harmed anyone else before, so why he specifically injured Madam is something we don't know."

Qizhen had originally intended to deliberately smear Liang Shu's reputation in front of Jing Xing, but she didn't expect Jing Xing to pay any attention to what she said.

His thick eyebrows furrowed as he asked, "A Yun injured her? How did it happen? Why did he injure her?"

Seeing the concerned look on Jing Xing's face, Qizhen was a bit puzzled.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Anyway, it's nothing serious. But A Yun was sent away for no reason."

Before she could finish, Jing Xing dashed off like a gust of wind.

On the second floor.

Jing Xing watched Wen Mingting coming down the stairs and quickly ascended a few steps.

Seeing him coming up, Wen Mingting frowned and called out to him, "Ah Xing, where are you going?"

He turned around. "Aunt," he wanted to say something more, but he couldn't bring himself to utter Liang Shu's name, let alone the word "sister-in-law" in front of Wen Mingting.

Yes, Jing Xing still couldn't accept it.

He fell silent for several seconds before shaking his head.

"I'm going to apologize. You must agree, right?"

Wen Mingting smiled. "Your sister-in-law is in your brother's study. You should go."

...

In the study, Liang Shu was about to take some embroidered items downstairs to pass the time before dinner.

Unaware, she was startled when someone suddenly burst into the room.

Caught off guard, Liang Shu turned around, holding a needle in her right hand and a thread in her left. Startled by Jing Xing, the sharp tip of the pillow jabbed into the pad of her index finger—

"Ssss..." She looked down, seeing a drop of blood welling up on her fingertip.

Jing Xing naturally saw it too. His heart ached, and he stepped forward, completely disregarding their respective statuses, and took Liang Shu's finger, putting it in his mouth—

Everything happened so quickly that Liang Shu didn't have time to react. By the time she did, she felt the warm, soft touch on her wound. Jing Xing was sucking on it.

Startled by this sudden action, Liang Shu jerked her hand back and took several steps back, staring at Jing Xing angrily. She said in a sharp tone, "What are you doing?"

Stopped by the abruptness of her voice, Jing Xing was stunned for several seconds. He stared at her finger, moistened by his mouth, and a fresh drop of crimson blood emerged.

His eyes showed a hint of sadness, a sudden pain in his heart. Looking at her, he said, "How did you become my brother's wife?"

Liang Shu turned her face away, her expression indifferent, and didn't respond.

Jing Xing continued, "I like you. I'm not just saying it, I really like you."

The earnest look in the young man's eyes was too sincere, causing Liang Shu to glance at him and then look away. She lowered her head to look at her fingertip, now stained with a faint red color from the blood. Her voice was cold. "Do you know what you're saying? If Gu Hansheng hears about this, be careful, he might kill you!"

"When did you get married?"

Liang Shu clenched the embroidered item in her hand, her lips cold. "It's none of your business."

With that, she turned and walked towards the door without looking back.

Behind her, Jing Xing's tone was light and airy. "The Imperial City Club, that was our second meeting. Were you already together then? Were you married? What were you doing there that day?"

Liang Shu stopped in her tracks, but she didn't turn around. Instead, in a very faint tone, she said, "It's still none of your business."

...

Later on, Liang Shu felt somewhat powerless.

After spending more than half an hour with Wen Mingting arranging these delicate items, she felt a bit drained. Wen Mingting was observant and had probably noticed long ago.

She took the initiative to ask Qu An to put away the items.

Liang Shu felt a little embarrassed.

It was around five o'clock in the afternoon, and Liang Shu spent the time talking with Wen Mingting, just passing the time like this.

The Zero Mansion was quite large, and Jing Xing didn't know where he had gone off to.

Gu Hansheng returned during dinner.

In the living room, only Wen Mingting and Jing Xing were present, and Liang Shu was nowhere to be seen.

Wen Mingting teased him for coming back so late, but Gu Hansheng glanced at Jing Xing sitting on the side, his head bowed, playing with his phone. The screen was filled with dazzling images, indicating that he was probably playing some new mobile game.

The sound effects of the characters inside were simple, direct, and violent.

Seeing Gu Hansheng come back, he didn't even bother to look up, as if there was nothing in his eyes except for his phone.

He loosened the collar of his shirt with a hand and looked up at Wen Mingting. "Where's Ah Shu?"

Wen Mingting gestured towards the stairs. "She was just in the kitchen frying something. Ah Shu insisted on helping and ended up getting splattered with hot oil. We've treated the burn, and she's upstairs changing her clothes now."

"Is it serious?"

"Not too bad. It's red from the burn. I've already instructed someone to buy ointment."

Upon hearing that Liang Shu was burned by oil, Gu Hansheng naturally felt anxious.

He nodded to the old lady. "I'll go check on her."

Wen Mingting waved her hand. "Go ahead."

As Gu Hansheng approached the staircase, Jing Xing, who had been focused on his game on the sofa, suddenly turned around, his gaze fixed on the tall figure of the man. He made a cold snort.

Wen Mingting was not someone who overlooked details.

No matter what, she could tell that Jing Xing was acting strangely.

She looked at him earnestly. "Ah Xing, tell me, what's bothering you?"

Jing Xing casually manipulated the game interface with his fingers, indifferent. "I'm carefree. What could bother me?"

"Don't try to fool me. You've been acting unusually today."

In the next moment, Jing Xing looked up and smiled warmly at Wen Mingting. "How could that be possible? I just didn't expect my brother to get married so quietly. Is that what the chairman of the Zhen Corporation should do? It's sneaky, and I can't stand it."

Wen Mingting didn't feel comfortable hearing this.

She frowned. "What's wrong with your brother getting married?"

Jing Xing shrugged. "Nothing wrong at all. Absolutely nothing."

Then his fingers moved rapidly, and the mechanical female voice from the phone announced the termination of an opponent's life. Jing Xing casually spat out two words: "Trash."

At this moment, Qu An happened to be passing by from the kitchen to inform them that dinner was ready. Caught off guard, she heard Jing Xing uttering two words that weren't particularly well-received by elders.

Moreover, the butler who had worked at the Zero Mansion for many years felt that in Jing Xing's simple words, there was always a feeling of criticizing others.

Wen Mingting's face darkened as she looked at him. "Jing Xing, who are you cursing?"

Jing Xing shrugged and spread out the screen of his phone. "This teammate stole my..."

...

As Gu Hansheng approached the cloakroom, Liang Shu had just finished changing clothes.

She was about to step out when a shadow fell in front of her. She instinctively took a step back, but her waist was steadied by the man in front of her.

At this moment, Liang Shu was completely trapped in his embrace.

She looked up at him puzzled.

But Gu Hansheng paid no attention. He lowered his head and kissed her lips. After a series of twists and turns, he released her, who was panting.

"Did you sneak some food just now?"

She shook her head, trying to push him away but couldn't.

Gu Hansheng lowered his head and kissed her again. After several minutes, he let go, and Liang Shu lay limp in his arms, slowly calming her breath.

Above her head, his magnetic voice came, "You liar, clearly you did."

Liang Shu didn't respond, and her shallow eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of water.

She inexplicably thought of what happened in the study in the afternoon, and then her brows furrowed slowly. Did Gu Hansheng know about Jing Xing's feelings for her?

Gu Hansheng thought about the events of the afternoon, and now he had acted on them.

He held her injured hand, checking the burn on her arm. Seeing the crimson area on her arm, his eyebrows furrowed slowly. He blew on it gently. "Why are you so careless? Don't we have enough chefs at home? You insist on causing trouble in the kitchen?"

She said, "Mom is here for the first time, and you're not around. It's only right for me to show filial piety."

The truth was, the atmosphere in the living room was too strange, and she felt uncomfortable being around Jing Xing, so she didn't want to stay in the same place as him.

Gu Hansheng had brought an ice pack upstairs earlier to help with the burn. He said casually, "Knitting a scarf for mom and chatting with her is already showing filial piety. You're not a cook. Going to the kitchen is just causing trouble for the chefs, it's just nonsense."

At this moment, the woman being taken care of by him lowered her head slightly, not saying anything.

After two minutes, Gu Hansheng spoke again, "Why aren't you speaking?"

Liang Shu pursed her lips, feeling a bit annoyed, "I thought if I got burned in the kitchen, you would be mad at the chefs, logically and morally."

With a slap, Gu Hansheng threw the ice pack onto the cabinet beside him and glanced at her, "I'm not unreasonable like that."

"..."

He turned around to the wardrobe, flipping through his loungewear. Liang Shu stood by the door watching him.

Gu Hansheng didn't have any reservations. He picked out his clothes, then unbuttoned his shirt in front of Liang Shu. He had a good physique, at least better than most men she had seen in magazines. His muscles were well-defined, possessing the kind of charm that most women admired.

Now, he was changing clothes in front of her without a care in the world. Liang Shu was a bit absent-minded at first.

But given his allure, she couldn't just ignore it.

She turned her eyes away lightly, refusing to look at him.

First, he changed his shirt, then his pants, moving slowly and deliberately, as if he were deliberately tormenting her.

Liang Shu felt it was too hot in there and wanted to go out for some fresh air.

She didn't say anything, preparing to turn around and leave.

Unexpectedly, before she could even step out, a strong force pulled her back.

In almost an instant, the clothes he had just changed into disappeared.

And the meaning in Gu Hansheng's eyes was clear to Liang Shu without even thinking about it now.

She bit her lower lip, shaking her head at him angrily.

A cold smirk formed on Gu Hansheng's lips as he pressed her between himself and the wall. "Why not?"

The door to the cloakroom was still open, but he was behaving like this.

She said, "Mom and... Ah Xing are waiting downstairs for us to have dinner. You're making a fuss, and it won't end. Do you want to embarrass us in front of them? How can I face them later?"

But Gu Hansheng didn't mind at all. "Then I'll be quick."

There was a hint of annoyance in her eyes. "You..."

"Gu Hansheng, you can't treat me like this. You should quickly put on your clothes and then we'll go downstairs to eat."

He smirked, his smile particularly malicious. "I'll eat first."

So, Liang Shu mentioned that the door wasn't closed yet, but Gu Hansheng closed the door to the cloakroom.

Then she mentioned that the overhead light was too bright, so Gu Hansheng turned off the light in the cloakroom.

Then she said the wall was too hard and hurt her waist, but this time Gu Hansheng didn't pay attention to her.