Chapter 2

The bridal home had arrived.

“Miss Lin, please.” Gu Yanqiu stepped aside politely.

Although the wedding had been arranged with great fanfare, at least in the eyes of outsiders, none of it had anything to do with Lin Yuewei. She had only been asked to point out the style she wanted when the wedding rings and dress were brought over for her to choose from.

Even so, after getting up before dawn and being hustled around all day, she was completely exhausted, so she didn’t bother being polite. She nodded first and got out of the car.

When Gu Yanqiu got into the car, she had tried speaking to Lin Yuewei, but the other woman didn’t seem inclined to pay her much attention. The whole way there, she either closed her eyes to rest or lowered her head to play on her phone and chat with friends.

Gu Yanqiu smiled faintly and didn’t take offense. After all, it was a contract; she was the one who stood to gain. It was only natural that the other party wouldn’t want too much contact with her, or even throw a small tantrum now and then.

The house was their bridal home, designed in a Gothic style, but two bright red lanterns hung above the front door, and a pair of double happiness characters had been pasted on it.

Lin Yuewei walked under the doorway and looked up, her face full of distaste. It was neither here nor there, tacky in an awkward, half-finished way; it looked like the sort of thing her mother would come up with. She rolled her eyes upward, and Gu Yanqiu happened to catch it.

Lin Yuewei looked over at her, and their eyes met; neither of them looked away for a long time.

Only when Gu Yanqiu softly said, “Miss Lin?” did a faint flush creep up Lin Yuewei’s snow-white neck and ears.

Lin Yuewei came back to herself as if waking from a dream. “Oh.”

Her mother had long since given her the password to the house. The numbers were memorized perfectly in her head, yet when she entered them, she somehow got it wrong three times in a row.

“Allow me, Miss Lin.”

“Thank you.” Lin Yuewei gave a slight nod and stepped aside without insisting.

Gu Yanqiu came forward; as she passed Lin Yuewei, Lin Yuewei caught the unique scent of agarwood on her. The jumble of thoughts in her mind instantly quieted, and she lowered her eyes to watch the other woman’s movements.

Gu Yanqiu’s knuckles were pronounced, and her fingers were nimble. She tapped a few keys lightly; with a soft beep, the lock opened from the inside.

When Lin Yuewei saw the furnishings inside, she finally let out a breath. Thank goodness her mother hadn’t been deranged enough to put double happiness characters inside too; otherwise, there was no way she would have been able to live here. She changed into slippers and, together with Gu Yanqiu, “inspected” the rooms upstairs.

Naturally, there was a main bedroom and a second bedroom. The main bedroom had a bar, a small study, and a small sitting area; the second bedroom was just a large bed with a sofa.

Lin Yuewei wanted the main bedroom, but it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to bring it up herself. After looking over the rooms, Gu Yanqiu took the initiative and said, “I’ll stay in the second bedroom.”

Lin Yuewei put on a show of courtesy. “Wouldn’t that be inappropriate?”

How could Gu Yanqiu not know that she liked the main bedroom? Her eyes had practically stuck to that room just now. Seeing her clearly want it but still scrupulously mind her manners, Gu Yanqiu couldn’t help finding it amusing.

But her voice remained steady, with not the slightest hint of emotion. “I prefer smaller rooms.”

Lin Yuewei took the opening and smiled. “Then I’ll gladly accept.”

Gu Yanqiu nodded and turned to go downstairs.

Lin Yuewei flopped onto the sofa in the room and tested its quality, touching here and there with her hands to check it carefully. She was used to being pampered, and her everyday life was rather refined; she couldn’t stand even a speck of dust. Put crudely, she was a real pain in the ass.

Knock, knock, knock—

Lin Yuewei, who was holding a tissue and carefully wiping down the tabletop of the bedside cabinet inch by inch, looked up.

Gu Yanqiu had returned, her suitcase beside her feet.

“I just went downstairs to get my luggage; I brought yours up along the way.”

“That’s too kind of you.” Lin Yuewei hurried over to take the suitcase and thanked her. “Sorry to trouble you, Miss Gu.”

“Not at all. I have some things to take care of downstairs.” Gu Yanqiu pointed below.

“Okay.”

She came and went. Lin Yuewei stood in the doorway, staring at her back for a while before frowning slightly. Her mind was full of all kinds of questions.

She didn’t know Gu Yanqiu at all; not one bit. As for this contract marriage, it had been entirely arranged by her mother.

Gu Yanqiu had studied abroad for many years. When she returned to the country, she learned that her mother had died of illness; her stepmother and elder half-brother, Gu Feiquan, had already taken control of the Gu family, clearly poised to replace Gu Yanqiu’s late mother and Gu Yanqiu herself. She was all alone and without support. Wanting to keep her from being lonely and helpless and also to help her fight for the family fortune, Lin Yuewei’s mother had designed this whole arrangement so that she would become a member of the Lin family; with the Lin family at her back, the Gu family wouldn’t dare bully her.

As for why it had to be her, Lin Yuewei’s mother had said that the former Mrs. Gu, Gu Yanqiu’s mother, had once saved Lin Yuewei’s life when she was very young. This was nothing more than repaying a debt of gratitude.

Lin Yuewei still had some memory of what her mother described. When she was little, she had nearly drowned because she had been playing by the water; an angelic big sister had saved her. She couldn’t remember what the angel looked like, only that she had been extraordinarily beautiful. In young Lin Yuewei’s mind, there was no one more beautiful than that angelic big sister.

Since the angelic big sister’s daughter was now in trouble, then fine; getting married was getting married. It was only a few years.

Lin Yuewei had no intention of falling in love. She had her own things to do, and anything unrelated to that wasn’t worth spending too much thought on.

Her gaze turned sharp. She steadied herself, turned back inside, and closed the door.

***

After removing her makeup and taking a shower, Lin Yuewei had originally planned to go straight to bed. But when she opened the door, she found the downstairs living room still lit. Curiosity got the better of her, and she slipped downstairs in her slippers.

The living room was empty, but in the kitchen there was a figure with its back to her, outlined by the light; tall, slender, and graceful.

Gu Yanqiu was quietly turning a string of prayer beads while watching the steam rise from the pot lid.

She turned off the heat.

She took two cups from the cabinet, washed them, set them on the counter, and poured the tea into each.

They were ordinary actions, but when she did them, they seemed especially elegant and composed.

Lin Yuewei watched with appreciative eyes, staring for several minutes without blinking.

After wiping the stove clean, Gu Yanqiu picked up one of the cups. Lin Yuewei, unable to avoid it, happened to meet her gaze. Their eyes locked; one second, two seconds, three seconds.

“I was just about to go upstairs and look for you.”

“For something?”

Gu Yanqiu handed the cup over and said gently with a smile, “Hangover tea. It may not taste very good, but it’ll make sure you won’t wake up with a headache tomorrow.”

Her eyes were too sincere; refusing her felt like committing some unforgivable crime. Lin Yuewei took it almost on impulse, even though she hadn’t drunk any alcohol tonight at all.

“Drink it while it’s hot. I’ve already let it cool a bit; it won’t work as well if it gets cold.”

“……”

“All right.” Once again, as if under some spell, Lin Yuewei tipped her head back and drank it all in one go, then handed back the empty cup.

But Gu Yanqiu couldn’t reach out to take it right away.

Lin Yuewei had worn heavy makeup during the wedding that day, and only after bathing and removing it could Gu Yanqiu see her true face.

She was incredibly beautiful.

Lin Yuewei’s beauty was not like hers, a beauty that remained warm and gentle even in its distance. Rather, it was full of aggression and edge; she was like a rose blooming in a thicket of thorns, using her brightest color to tell everyone that this flower was dangerous.

But the more dangerous it seemed, the more irresistible it was.

“Miss Gu?”

“Yes.”

“The cup.” Lin Yuewei lifted her hand and raised an eyebrow.

With sharp brows and bright eyes, Gu Yanqiu’s face carried an air of imposing sharpness.

“Sorry.” The prayer beads in her hand moved two beads faster. She took the cup back into the kitchen, drank the hangover tea meant for her, and began washing the cup.

Lin Yuewei let her know and went back upstairs.

As soon as she looked at her phone, she saw ten missed calls.

Lin Yuewei: “……”

She called back.

“Mom.”

“How are you getting along with Xiaoqiu?” Lin Yuewei’s mother was as gossipy as ever.

“How do you think? We’re as polite as ice to each other.”

“They’re getting along that fast?”

“The ice in ice blocks.” Lin Yuewei kicked off her slippers and lay down on the bed, resting one hand behind her head. “Mom, what are you imagining? Stop trying to pair me off. I’m not in the mood to date right now. Even if—” She stopped abruptly. That part still had better not be said; if she did, her mother would definitely not let it go.

“Even if what?”

“Nothing.”

“What do you mean, nothing? If you don’t say it, I’ll just keep bothering you.”

“Fine, I’m scared of you. Even if she looks pretty good, I still won’t fall for her. Do you understand now?” Lin Yuewei said helplessly. “I really don’t want to date. It’s troublesome and a waste of time.”

“Nonsense. If your dad and I hadn’t dated, where would you be?”

“Can we talk about this in a few years? Did Grandma keep nagging you when you were my age?”

“She did.”

“……” Lin Yuewei said, “Mom, I suddenly remembered something. I’ve got to go handle it, so you should go to bed early. Good night!” With that, ignoring her mother’s protests on the other end, Lin Yuewei quickly hung up.

She let out a long breath and closed her eyes to sleep.

She couldn’t sleep. Lin Yuewei turned her ear toward the room next door, listening for any movement, but the soundproofing was excellent; there wasn’t a single noise. She sat up, switched on the reading lamp, got out of bed, and knocked on the neighboring door.

“Are you asleep?”

“Not yet; just a moment.”

The door opened from inside, and light spilled out like moonlight.

Gu Yanqiu stood in the doorway. She seemed to have just showered and was wearing a black silk robe, which made her skin look even more like white jade. Perhaps she had come out in a hurry and hadn’t put on shoes or socks. Following the dark pattern of the robe downward, her bare feet appeared, her beautiful toes touching the dark wooden floor.

That rich agarwood scent, quiet and elusive, slowly surrounded her from the front; intoxicating and dangerous.

Lin Yuewei narrowed her eyes and took a step back, widening the safe distance between them.

“Hello, Miss Gu. I have something I want to discuss with you.”

Author’s note: Little vignette—

Gu Yanqiu: Discuss what?

Lin Yuewei: Our relationship ╰(*°▽°*)╯