Chapter 46

The hotel was fairly upscale, and the elevator had plenty of room. Lin Yuewei and Gu Yanqiu had deliberately kept their distance beforehand, one standing by the door and the other in a corner. The moment Lin Yuewei stepped forward, she caught herself.

Gu Yanqiu glanced at her, as if she had something to say but held back.

Lin Yuewei picked up the question she’d asked before. “Where are you going in that outfit?”

Gu Yanqiu didn’t answer for a long time.

Lin Yuewei realized the question might have been too abrupt. She probably wasn’t in a position to answer, so she pretended she hadn’t asked at all and focused on watching the elevator descend.

Ding—

Because Lin Yuewei was closest to the doors, she stepped out first; Gu Yanqiu followed right behind her, head lowered as she typed on her phone.

The two of them left the hotel one after the other like strangers. As soon as Lin Yuewei stepped out of the entrance, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She took it out and saw a message from Gu Yanqiu.

[Xi Gu: I’m going to meet an elder I’ve known for a very long time]

Lin Yuewei didn’t turn around; instead, she stopped where she was.

[Two Woods: Do they live around here?]

[Xi Gu: No, in H City]

H City was about a two-hour drive from S City, where they were now, and one of the county-level cities under it was one of the country’s famous crayfish farming bases. Lin Yuewei was worried that standing around here would attract attention, so she started walking while she typed.

[Two Woods: That far? Do you have to make a social call in the middle of the night?]

[Xi Gu: It’s not a social call, just some private matter]

[Xi Gu: Watch where you’re going; put your phone away]

Lin Yuewei couldn’t help glancing back. She caught Gu Yanqiu looking at her. Maybe because she wasn’t dressed formally today, the cold, detached air around her had faded quite a bit. In a short-sleeved top and shorts, her exposed skin looked pale and healthy, and she seemed almost warm in the setting sun, which still hadn’t fully gone down.

It would be even better if she smiled.

Lin Yuewei put her phone away and jogged the two hundred meters to the 7-Eleven.

Just as Gu Huai had expected, Gu Yanqiu used this business trip as an excuse to go to H City and look for her family’s former driver, Lao Jiao. She had contacted Lao Jiao in advance; he was coming to the station to pick her up, and Gu Yanqiu had agreed. When Lao Jiao was still working for the Gu family, he had been very close to them and was like a brother to Gu Huai, otherwise they wouldn’t still have kept in touch every year after all this time.

Gu Yanqiu took a one-hour intercity high-speed train and met Lao Jiao at the exit. Lao Jiao—Jiao Chunsheng—was about the same age as Gu Huai this year, already past the age of knowing Heaven’s will, but in recent years his farming base had done very well. He had hired many workers and was already on a decent scale; he and his wife had stepped back, bought a house in the city, and moved the whole family there. Life was flourishing. Compared with that, Gu Huai’s company was beset by internal and external troubles, leaving him mentally and physically drained, and his legal wife had just passed away. Jiao Chunsheng looked much better than Gu Huai.

Neither of them dared to be sure at first when they saw the other; they both stared for a while.

“Xiao Qiu?” Jiao Chunsheng asked.

“Uncle Jiao,” Gu Yanqiu said.

Jiao Chunsheng looked her over from head to toe and smiled. “The last time I saw you, you were only eighteen. So many years have passed; you’ve grown up.”

Gu Yanqiu smiled too. “Uncle Jiao looks a lot younger than when I last saw you.”

Jiao Chunsheng said, “Still as sweet-tongued as ever.”

He led Gu Yanqiu to the parking lot. She glanced at the car badge—four rings—and couldn’t help smiling again. “Uncle Jiao, you’ve done quite well for yourself these past few years.”

Jiao Chunsheng looked a little pleased, but he was also modest. “I’m still nowhere near Mr. Gu.” He unlocked the car; old habits died hard. Naturally, he opened the back door for Gu Yanqiu, stood by the door waiting for her to get in, and only then climbed into the driver’s seat and started the car.

“How’s Mr. Gu’s health?”

“It’s pretty good.”

“The last time I called him, I heard him coughing badly.” Jiao Chunsheng was worried. He had followed Gu Huai for so many years that he knew the man had an extremely hard temperament and no weakness except his wife and daughter.

“When was that?”

“It was the last time I sent over crayfish.” In truth, it wasn’t. Jiao Chunsheng had heard Gu Huai coughing on the night Gu Yanqiu questioned him, but that conversation that night was a secret.

Gu Yanqiu’s heart gave a small jolt. Gu Huai had said he was only pretending, hadn’t he? The medicine he was taking was just health supplements.

“I’ll ask him when I get back,” Gu Yanqiu said softly.

“That’s good.” Jiao Chunsheng rubbed his hand over the steering wheel and glanced at Gu Yanqiu’s composed brows in the rearview mirror. “Xiao Qiu, Mr. Gu is getting old. You should care about him more when you can.”

“I will.” Gu Yanqiu lowered her eyelids, hiding all her emotions.

Jiao Chunsheng couldn’t see her expression and grew a little anxious. He had always thought Gu Yanqiu was deeply minded, in some ways just like Gu Huai. Now, after so many years, the resemblance to Gu Huai seemed even stronger. If Gu Yanqiu had truly set her mind on becoming Gu Huai’s enemy, then…

Gu Yanqiu sensed the car’s speed wobble slightly and narrowed her eyes.

Jiao Chunsheng steadied the speed again and made small talk. “I heard from your father that you got married?”

“Mhm.”

“Surname Lin?”

“Yes.”

“That’s good.”

…

Jiao Chunsheng was a typical Chinese man; he was awkward in conversation with younger people and couldn’t even manage more than three sentences with his own daughter, let alone with Gu Yanqiu, whom he hadn’t seen in years.

So he simply stopped talking. He knew why Gu Yanqiu had come, and he wasn’t smart enough to begin with. The more he said, the more chances he had to slip up; better not to say anything.

Then the Lin woman in Jiao Chunsheng’s mouth “harassed” Gu Yanqiu again.

[Two Woods: Have you eaten dinner?]

[Xi Gu: No]

[Two Woods: Are you coming back tonight?]

[Xi Gu: Yes]

Lin Yuewei carried over the kettle of freshly boiled water and poured it into her instant noodles, only to see a message pop up on the lock screen. That single word, “Yes,” instantly tugged the corners of her mouth upward.

[Two Woods: I bought two cups of instant noodles]

Gu Yanqiu: “…"

Lin Yuewei felt like her brain might have been full of paste. Gu Yanqiu had gone somewhere that far away, so there was no way she wouldn’t eat dinner. H City was a three- or four-hour round trip; even if she only stayed ten minutes, she wouldn’t be back before ten at the earliest.

—Instant noodles aren’t good for your health; eat them less in the future.

The words she had just said were still fresh in her mind.

[System Message: Two Woods withdrew a message]

Lin Yuewei let out a breath, hoping Gu Yanqiu hadn’t seen her moment of stupidity.

[Xi Gu: Save one cup for me?]

Lin Yuewei: “!!!”

[Xi Gu: Just kidding [smile]]

Gu Yanqiu thought that, since she was probably going to be back very late tonight, she should correct herself quickly. She didn’t want Lin Yuewei staying up late waiting for her.

Looking at that familiar, old-fashioned smiley face, Lin Yuewei: “…"

Another person flashed through her mind; someone else who liked sending her that expression, except one used QQ and the other used WeChat. Lin Yuewei’s feelings were complicated.

[Two Woods: Message me when you get back]

[Xi Gu: Okay]

Lin Yuewei pulled the chair out from under the desk and sat sideways on it, one arm hooked around the backrest and her chin resting on her arm. “What private matter are you busy with?” “Should I treat you to a late-night snack tonight?” “What time is your train tomorrow?” Lin Yuewei typed and deleted line after line. None of those were questions she could ask given their current relationship.

Gu Yanqiu didn’t get a reply from Lin Yuewei for a long time, and she didn’t send anything else either.

The instant noodles were ready. Lin Yuewei set her phone aside, opened her iPad to watch a movie, and ate the noodles while watching.

At 7:50, Gu Yanqiu sent back a brief message: [Xi Gu: I’ve arrived. I’m going to be busy now]

[Two Woods: Okay]

***

Jiao Chunsheng parked the car in the underground garage and led Gu Yanqiu toward the elevator. His house was in a mid- to high-end residential complex, an elevator building, and his family lived on the nineteenth floor.

Standing at his front door, Jiao Chunsheng rubbed his hands together before taking the key from his waistband and saying, “The place is a little small; don’t mind it.”

“It’s fine.” Gu Yanqiu smiled.

Jiao Chunsheng used the key to open the door. His wife was watching television in the living room. Hearing the sound, she turned around; when she saw Gu Yanqiu, she hurried over, brought out slippers for her, and called toward the inner room for her daughter. “Zhenzhen, come out and greet your guest.”

Gu Yanqiu changed into the slippers and quickly said it wasn’t necessary. Being told to greet people was probably every child’s childhood nightmare; there were always relatives you couldn’t tell apart—some obscure branch of the family, not to mention the children from those relatives. Being able to recognize them all in one piece was already impressive enough.

Jiao’s wife gave her an embarrassed smile and asked what she wanted to drink.

“Just plain water. Thank you, Auntie.”

Five minutes after her mother called her, Jiao Chunsheng’s daughter finally appeared in the living room. After her mother hinted repeatedly, she sweetly called, “Sister Qiu.” Then she dashed back into her bedroom.

The year Gu Yanqiu went abroad, Jiao Chunsheng’s daughter had only been twelve. They weren’t from the same social class, and each had her own circle. Their relationship had been only so-so to begin with; seven years later, Jiao Zhenzhen probably wouldn’t even recognize her.

Jiao’s wife looked at her daughter’s back and said, “That child.” Then she said to Gu Yanqiu, “She must’ve gone back to her room to play on the computer. Kids these days are all like that; please bear with her.”

Gu Yanqiu smiled. “Zhenzhen has grown a lot; she’s becoming quite a lovely young woman.”

Jiao’s wife smiled at her kindly. “You’ve changed even more; you look just like your mother.”

Jiao Chunsheng shot his wife a glare. Only then did she realize she had misspoken and quickly found an excuse to get up and busy herself.

With only the two of them left in the living room, Jiao Chunsheng knew what was going on, but the act still had to be done. “On the phone, you said you wanted to talk to me about something important. What is it?”

Gu Yanqiu asked, “Is there a study? Or somewhere quieter?”

The study.

Gu Yanqiu got straight to the point. “Uncle Jiao, when did you meet my dad?”

Jiao Chunsheng wore a look of recollection. “Probably more than thirty years ago. I can’t remember exactly how many. Your dad was in his senior year of college then.”

Gu Yanqiu thought, as expected; Jiao Chunsheng had known Gu Huai before her mother. That meant Jiao Chunsheng should have been one of the people who knew what had happened back then. In fact, aside from Jiao Chunsheng, from what Gu Huai had said, he had met her mother while starting a business with his brothers. Those brothers must have known a thing or two as well, but time had long passed. Aside from one who was still at the company, the others had either emigrated abroad or died in accidents. The one still at the company was the General Manager Wu who had opposed Gu Huai’s views on the company’s development. The brothers from back then no longer existed, and of course Gu Yanqiu wasn’t going to seek out General Manager Wu just to get to the bottom of these private matters.

“Do you know a person named He Songjun?”

“Of course. Your father’s girlfriend back then.”

“Back then meaning what period exactly?”

“I don’t remember the specifics. I remember your father said He Songjun confessed to him when she was graduating in her senior year, and they dated for a year or two before breaking up.” Jiao Chunsheng said, “I know you may not be able to accept your father remarrying, but they really were already at the stage of talking about marriage.”

He let out a sigh. “You can only say fate plays tricks on people.”

“So my dad really met my mother later? And abandoned He Songjun, whom he was already talking marriage with?” Gu Yanqiu’s eyes were sharp as she pinned Jiao Chunsheng with her gaze.

Jiao Chunsheng met her eyes. For a moment he felt as though he were seeing the old Gu Huai again. His fingers, hidden behind his back, dug into his palm; he barely kept himself from giving anything away under Gu Yanqiu’s gaze.

Jiao Chunsheng’s lips moved. “That can’t really be said like that. They weren’t married after all. If he had married He Songjun, that would’ve been hurting her.” Though now he had still gone on to marry He Songjun.

“Can you tell me in more detail?”

From Jiao Chunsheng, Gu Yanqiu learned some details she had never heard before. Although Gu Huai and her mother had a very good marriage, unlike ordinary families, Gu Huai never sweetly and tenderly talked about how he and her mother met and fell in love. Sometimes Gu Yanqiu even wondered whether the two of them actually loved each other at all; yet in truth, they were genuinely good to each other, and it was obvious their feelings were sincere.

Jiao Chunsheng said, “The first time Mr. Gu saw Madam was on a snowy day. He had just finished a social engagement then and had been drinking, so he was sitting in the back seat resting with his eyes closed. It was slippery on snowy roads, and the snow was reflecting light too. I was driving very carefully, afraid of causing an accident. But something still happened. I stared too long at the white road surface and my eyes started to hurt; I couldn’t see clearly, so I squeezed my eyes shut hard. When I opened them again, there was suddenly someone right in front of me. I was so frightened I slammed on the brakes, but on a snowy day the braking distance is long, and that person fell right down in front of the car. I broke out in a cold sweat, hurriedly opened the door and got out; when Mr. Gu saw what happened, he sobered up too and got out with me.”

It was very cold. Gu Yanqiu’s mother, still quite young then, was wrapped entirely in a black down jacket; she was incredibly thin, and her bare hands pressed against the snow. Her long, beautiful fingers were so white that one could barely tell the snow from her skin.

The snowfall was heavy. By the time Jiao Chunsheng and Gu Huai got out of the car, a layer of fine snow had already settled over her, on her eyelashes and lips; her face was so pale it was frightening, almost like a dead person.

Jiao Chunsheng was scared half to death.

Gu Huai crouched in front of her, checked her breathing, and found that although it was weak, she was indeed still breathing. He couldn’t tell where she had been injured, so he reached out to pick her up and take her to the hospital.

“Just as Mr. Gu stretched out his hand, Madam suddenly woke up.”

—I’m fine.

When the young Madam spoke, there was finally a hint of warmth in the air. The first thing she did after waking was touch her wrist, as if something precious were there, and then she refused Gu Huai and Jiao Chunsheng’s help, supporting herself on her arms and slowly sitting up on her own.

Her features were faint, and so were her brows. When she was in pain, her fine, autumn-water brows seemed to knit and yet not knit, but they still carried a kind of stubbornness.

She brushed the snowflakes from her bangs and slowly stood up, her eyes as deep and dark as a still pool as she looked over.

Jiao Chunsheng took two steps back and lost his composure for a moment.

Back then, Jiao Chunsheng thought she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen in the world. There had never been anyone before her, and there would never be anyone after.

“After Madam got up, she left on her own. Mr. Gu wanted to take her to the hospital, but she refused. When she left, I saw that one of her legs was limping a little, as if she had been hurt.”

“And after that?”

“At first we thought it was a chance encounter. I treated it like a dream too, like I’d seen some immortal. I thought it was just a dream, but Mr. Gu didn’t. That night when we got back, Mr. Gu couldn’t forget Madam. He even sent people to look for her, but all we knew was that she had worn a black down jacket that night; we didn’t know her name, where she came from, nothing at all.”

Jiao Chunsheng said, “Three months later, we saw her again.”

Gu Yanqiu pressed, “Where?”

Jiao Chunsheng said, “At a banquet. I don’t know whose date she was. Mr. Gu asked for her name. After that, I’m not too sure. I do know Mr. Gu later went looking for her privately, and he deliberately avoided me. About a year after meeting Madam, Mr. Gu broke up with He Songjun. Another year later, Mr. Gu and Madam got married; after that, there was you.”

“You’re saying that while my dad was still with He Songjun, he was already pursuing my mother?”

“That… probably not.”

Gu Yanqiu suddenly pressed the attack and closed in on him. “Didn’t you say you didn’t know what they were doing privately?”

Jiao Chunsheng’s throat tightened. “I didn’t know, but I believe in Mr. Gu’s character.”

“His legal wife had just died, and he couldn’t wait to remarry his new love. That’s his character?”

“No—”

“What do you mean, no? Why are you contradicting yourself?”

Jiao Chunsheng panicked under her questioning.

—She’s very sharp. Whether or not she notices the flaw in your words, she’ll definitely push back. Just insist that you trust me. That fits your character. Don’t try to invent other phrasing; it’ll backfire instead.

Gu Huai’s words echoed in his ears. Jiao Chunsheng steadied himself and said, “Mr. Gu once saved my life. No matter what decision he makes, I trust him.”

Gu Yanqiu looked at him.

Jiao Chunsheng looked back without yielding.

Gu Yanqiu returned to her seat and said, “Do you know where my mother is from?”

“I don’t.”

“When they got married, no one from her side of the family came?”

“No.”

“Friends?”

“None.”

“I don’t believe someone as guarded as my dad wouldn’t have checked.”

“Mr. Gu may have checked, but he never told me.” Jiao Chunsheng said anxiously, “And you said it yourself; Mr. Gu is very cautious. How could he tell me something like that?”

…

By the time Gu Yanqiu left Jiao Chunsheng’s home, it was already ten at night. She had bought a ticket for eleven o’clock, so she took a taxi straight to the high-speed rail station.

Throughout the ride, her thoughts churned. There were too many loose ends she needed to sort through one by one.

She had come to see Jiao Chunsheng for two reasons. One was to learn some things Gu Huai could never have told her; the other was to confirm something more important. As she knew, Gu Huai was a careful, meticulous man. Before this, Gu Yanqiu had asked Jiao Chunsheng for his phone number; Gu Huai couldn’t possibly not have guessed that her next step would be to come looking for him. So what Jiao Chunsheng said now was very likely all directed by Gu Huai. The truth Gu Yanqiu was allowed to know was the truth Gu Huai wanted her to know; as for what Gu Huai didn’t want her to know, Jiao Chunsheng wouldn’t say a single word. Jiao Chunsheng might not be smart, but he was extremely loyal; even if she pressed him, he would rather keep his mouth shut than say one extra word.

As Gu Yanqiu analyzed Jiao Chunsheng’s words, she tried to determine which parts were true. The first meeting between her parents should have been true; she couldn’t think of any reason to fabricate that. As for the rest—the banquet and so on—those might have been told deliberately to mislead her. Since her mother had no relatives or friends locally, how could she have appeared at a banquet Gu Huai would attend?

Gu Yanqiu thought of another possibility. Was it true that her mother really had no friends? Leaving aside how everything was more than thirty years ago, after Gu Yanqiu’s mother married, she rarely if ever went out. Even if she had friends, once the door was closed, who would know?

Thirty years ago…

Gu Yanqiu stroked the Buddhist beads on her wrist, and a wave of headache hit her.

***

Jiao Chunsheng saw Gu Yanqiu into the taxi, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and called Gu Huai.

“Mr. Gu, I’ve sent the young lady off.”

Gu Huai asked, “What did you say?”

Jiao Chunsheng said, “I said exactly what you told me to say.”

“Did she believe it?”

Jiao Chunsheng sighed. “I don’t know. I was so scared I was practically shaking. I probably didn’t say anything I shouldn’t have.”

Gu Huai suddenly let out a soft hiss, sounding rather annoyed with himself.

“What’s wrong?”

“I got played.” Gu Huai sounded annoyed, but there was also a hint of satisfaction. “She actually turned the tables on me. She must have guessed long ago that I’d coordinate with you. Hearing you and me say the same thing this time, she’ll definitely be even more convinced that we’re lying.”

“But… wouldn’t it be worse if our stories didn’t match?”

“Yes.” Gu Huai said, “She’s already planted the seed of suspicion; no matter what, she won’t believe it. She only believes what she uncovers herself. I know she hired private investigators and is traveling all over the country. Sooner or later, she’ll trace her mother’s hometown.”

“Then wouldn’t we be unable to hide it? Should we…” Jiao Chunsheng didn’t know the full truth; he only knew that what he knew was different from the facts Gu Huai had taught him.

Gu Huai cut him off. “No. The past has already been buried under a handful of yellow earth. If possible, I’d take this secret to the grave.”

“Mr. Gu…”

“Get some rest. You’ve worked hard. If it really can’t be hidden…”

Gu Huai pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh. “Then let her know as late as possible.”

***

Gu Yanqiu didn’t get back to the hotel until nearly one in the morning. She dragged her heavy steps through the room card access and into the door, collapsed on the sofa for a while, then sat up and picked up her phone. After she had replied “Okay” when Lin Yuewei said she was busy, there hadn’t been any more messages.

Gu Yanqiu thought about it and typed two words into the chat box, then sent them.

Lin Yuewei had one hand propping up her face and the other writing in her notebook; the computer screen was lit, reflecting her focused expression.

The phone beside her received a message.

Lin Yuewei glanced over, but didn’t move. She had already been startled by her phone countless times tonight; friends, relatives, friends of relatives, relatives of friends—everyone was there. Every time she looked, she was disappointed.

After she finished writing the summary in front of her, she picked up her phone and, with the calm mindset of expecting a WeChat ad notification, unlocked the screen.

[Xi Gu: Good night]

Lin Yuewei: “!!!”

She was finally back.

[Two Woods: Did you eat anything?]

The phone on the bedside table lit up, ignored by no one. From inside the bathroom came the sound of shower water.

Gu Yanqiu came out after changing into her pajamas and raised her brows when she saw the message.

[Xi Gu: You’re still awake?]

Through the transparent glass door, Lin Yuewei caught a glimpse of the phone screen lighting up on the outside washstand. She turned off the showerhead above her, used the towel hanging on the edge of the bathtub to wipe her hands, stepped out with one foot, and typed barefoot on the tile floor:

[Two Woods: I’m studying]

[Xi Gu: Impressive]

[Xi Gu: I’ll blow-dry my hair]

[Two Woods: Did you eat dinner?]

[Two Woods: I left one cup of instant noodles for you]

[Two Woods: If you want to eat it, I can bring it downstairs to you]

Just as Gu Yanqiu plugged in the hair dryer, her phone rang one message after another. She had already passed the point of hunger and didn’t feel anything in her stomach anymore, but the other party was being so sincere; she might have also waited for her for so long, so she shouldn’t reject her kindness.

[Xi Gu: I’ll get it myself]

[Two Woods: I’ll bring it down. It’s safer over there]

[Xi Gu: All right]

Lin Yuewei hurried through her shower, got dressed, put on her hat, and worried that if she was too slow, Gu Yanqiu might already be asleep.

Gu Yanqiu hadn’t even finished blow-drying her hair when the doorbell rang.

That fast?

“Coming, please wait a moment.” Gu Yanqiu touched her half-dry hair, put the hair dryer back in place, and was about to open the door when she walked halfway there, turned back, smoothed her hair in the mirror, and draped a coat over herself before finally opening the door.

“Please come in.”

Lin Yuewei entered. Gu Yanqiu had just showered, and the smell of body wash and shampoo temporarily overpowered the agarwood scent on her body. The completely different warm fragrance rushed over Lin Yuewei’s senses in an instant, making her dizzy and dazed.

Gu Yanqiu looked at her and froze, only managing a single syllable: “Mm…”

She was thinking of what to call Lin Yuewei. “Miss Lin” wouldn’t do; “Lin Yuewei” sounded strange.

The drawn-out “mm” made Lin Yuewei’s hair stand on end. Her throat tightened, her heart pounded wildly, and she shoved the cup of instant noodles into Gu Yanqiu’s hands without thinking, trying to flee in panic. “You should eat quickly; I’m going upstairs first.”

She turned to pull the door, but she felt a force tugging at her arm from behind.

Her steps stopped.

Lin Yuewei turned back. Her gaze slowly dropped to her arm; Gu Yanqiu had reached out and gently held her wrist, looking at her with an expression that seemed to hide a pool of tender autumn water.

Author’s Note:

The moment for betting on who’s top and who’s bottom hasn’t arrived yet, so everyone please don’t panic. You have to firmly believe that whoever you’re rooting for as the top is definitely the top!