Chapter 12 Apology

After Gu Nanzhou's reminder, Su Wan finally realized that it was already the next day; she had slept through the night.

With her mother still on her mind, Su Wan shook her head stubbornly, "I'm fine, I want to go see Mom."

The young girl's face was still pale, her eyes swollen like walnuts, looking pitiable, nowhere near 'fine.'

Gu Nanzhou frowned, "Be good."

His voice was very low; if you listened carefully, you could detect the fatigue hidden in the man's tone.

Actually, Gu Nanzhou hadn't rested at all.

Every time he closed his eyes, he would see the young girl crying to him, "Gu Nanzhou, all I have left is Mom."

Under Gu Nanzhou's dark and profound gaze, Su Wan didn't speak. She pursed her lips, her long eyelashes drooping down, avoiding eye contact with him.

The two of them were at a standoff, but in the end, it was Gu Nanzhou who compromised first.

Gu Nanzhou barely perceptibly sighed, pressing the tips of his thumb and forefinger to his brow, "Go take a look then."

Su Wan rushed to her mother's ward; Gu Nanzhou had arranged for a single room, and her mother had yet to wake up.

Seeing her mom lying quietly on the bed, her complexion still pale but with a hint of color returning to her lips, it seemed she was out of danger.

It looked as though her mother was just sleeping.

Su Wan let out a sigh of relief, the intense worry lifting from her heart. She had been too tense, and now that she suddenly relaxed, her legs went weak.

It was Gu Nanzhou who caught her steadily from behind.

After regaining her footing, Su Wan struggled out of his embrace, slightly increasing the distance between them. She touched the pattern on the hem of her clothes and glanced up to thank him softly, "Thank you."

Gu Nanzhou didn't care for this distance. His eyes squinted slightly as he stared at the young girl for a long while and eventually just grunted in acknowledgment.

Once assured of her mother's wellbeing, Su Wan felt calmer and obediently followed Gu Nanzhou back to the room where she had fainted.

The young girl sat on the bed, unable to sleep, staring blankly at the sheets.

Gu Nanzhou sat on a chair nearby, and neither of them spoke.

When Su Wan used to be with Gu Nanzhou, she always took the initiative, always wearing a soft and mushy smile, sweet and soft-spoken, chattering as if she'd never run out of things to say, not caring if he listened closely.

Now, with Su Wan silent, Gu Nanzhou also didn't know how to start a conversation.

The man's brow furrowed slightly as he sat with half-closed eyes, the line of his lips tight.

His expression remained detached, the fierceness in his eyes and brows heavy, though not necessarily unfriendly.

But it certainly wasn't friendly.

He hadn't taken in a single word from the black-and-white documents in front of him.

After who knows how long, the quiet young girl suddenly spoke up, "Mr. Gu, the doctor checked on Mom this morning and said she was recovering well. She wouldn't have had an incident without reason."

Gu Nanzhou was taken aback for a moment before lifting his eyes to her.

During this time, Su Wan had thought of many things. Before she left, her mother had been in great spirits, and furthermore, the doctor had said her health had been improving. How could her mother suddenly fall ill in just a half an afternoon?

She simply didn't believe this incident was an accident.

Su Wan suddenly remembered the encounter with Shen Lin in the hallway the day before, as well as the box of pastries Shen Lin was holding.

If the pastries contained pollen... The young girl's heart quivered.

Putting many things together, Shen Lin's strange behaviors suddenly seemed explainable.

The events that had happened at the Gu Family's old mansion surged back into her mind.

Su Wan stared at her slightly trembling hands. The temperature in the room was comfortable, yet she felt a bit cold, as the warmth in her fingertips gradually diminished.

It took her a while before she turned her face to look at Gu Nanzhou.

"I ran into Shen Lin when I was leaving yesterday. She seemed very flustered when she saw me, and in the afternoon..." Su Wan paused, her eyelashes drooping, "in the afternoon, my mother had an accident."

The girl's voice was light, carrying a hint of confusion.

Actually, she didn't want to think the worst of people, but now that a life was nearly lost, her mother had nearly had an accident, she couldn't help but wonder.

Gu Nanzhou knew what she wanted to say; he had more experience than the young girl. He understood as soon as she had spoken those few words.

Shen Lin, Gu Nanzhou recalled the name in his mind. He didn't know Shen Lin well, nor did he understand why Shen Lin would have any reason to harm Su Wan's mother.

Just the identity of Mrs. Gu alone should mean that no one would dare to bully her.

Gu Nanzhou's brows furrowed slightly.

Su Wan watched him quietly. She had liked Gu Nanzhou for so long, every minute expression of the man's she would notice.

When Gu Nanzhou frowned, Su Wan knew it meant he didn't believe her words.

The heart that had just started to calm down hurt again as if it had been torn apart, but this time she didn't show it. Su Wan took a breath and continued calmly,

"Mr. Gu, I know you don't believe me, but I hope you can look into it. If it wasn't her and my mother's accident really was just that, an accident, then I will go apologize to her. If it was her, then please ask her to apologize to my mother."

And it wasn't just an apology.

Su Wan's tone was very calm, her gaze was still, as if she were talking about something as trivial as the weather being nice today.

Gu Nanzhou, unusually at a loss for words, wanted to say he did not distrust her, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Indeed, he had just entertained the thought that Su Wan might be mistaken.

So, he couldn't say anything.

Su Wan withdrew her gaze again, lay down, and turned her back to him: "I'm tired, I want to rest for a while."

Gu Nanzhou's eyelashes were still lowered, watching the small figure on the bed, the light in his eyes grew deeper. He pinched his brow, his voice slightly hoarse with weariness, "I will give you an explanation."

The young girl didn't speak. She bit her lip, her hand at her side gripping the bedsheet tightly, her face buried in the pillow to prevent herself from making any noise.

It wasn't until she heard the door close and the footsteps fade away that she dared to cover her mouth and secretly shed tears.

The girl's sobs were faint, broken and heart-wrenching, her shoulders heaving as the pillow under her face became soaked with tears.

Injustice and sorrow came too quickly. Su Wan actually didn't want to cry, but she couldn't control her emotions, and once the tears started, she couldn't hold them back.

She didn't want Gu Nanzhou to hear her.

She was too exhausted. Her head buzzed painfully, her eyes were uncomfortable. In just a short span of two days, it felt like a lot had happened, draining all her strength.

Her mother had nearly had an accident, and in the end, Gu Nanzhou still did not believe her.

Su Wan suddenly felt that her affection for Gu Nanzhou, in times of such unsupported grievances and sadness, was dissipating bit by bit, until there was nothing left.

Through her blurred vision, she curled her lips thinking, maybe she should just give up.

She couldn't hold on any longer.

As Su Wan lay in bed, lost in her tumultuous thoughts, she gradually fell asleep without realizing it.