Chapter 25: A Single "Brother," and Gu Jinzhou’s Heart Would Forever Soften for Her

Gu Jinzhou used an infrared thermometer to check Su Ruanyuan’s forehead. It read 38.9°C; she was indeed running a fever.

He instructed Nanny Liu, "Call the family doctor."

"Yes," Nanny Liu replied.

Gu Jinzhou turned up the room temperature and tucked the quilt more securely around Su Ruanyuan.

Su Ruanyuan blinked her misty eyes, her cheeks flushed with an unnatural crimson. "Brother Jinzhou, I don't want to take the medicine. It’s too bitter."

Gu Jinzhou acted as if he hadn't heard her. He touched her forehead and whispered, "Be good."

He would grant her anything else, but Gu Jinzhou would never gamble with her health.

Su Ruanyuan extended her jade-white foot and rubbed it against Gu Jinzhou's thigh through his expensive, jet-black suit trousers—a seduction from a frail little lamb.

Gu Jinzhou’s thin lips curled, and he nearly laughed out loud.

"Sick baby, behave yourself."

Just then, the family doctor arrived, and Su Ruanyuan quickly pulled her foot back.

It was just a common cold. The doctor prescribed two types of medicine and left.

Holding the water glass, Gu Jinzhou said in a low, firm voice, "Take your medicine."

Su Ruanyuan shook her head. Her frail face made her dark, innocent eyes stand out, and her soft voice drifted out: "Brother."

Gu Jinzhou’s thin lips pressed into a line, his Adam's apple bobbing beneath his high-necked, austere white collar, his heart filled with an unspeakable joy.

She had grown up without parents, and the first word she ever spoke was "Brother," not "Mama" or "Papa."

It was that very word.

Gu Jinzhou had acted as both father and mother to her.

Su Ruanyuan hadn’t called him "Brother" in a long time. The lethality of that word was immense—no less potent than a long-lost first love returning from the dead.

Gu Jinzhou tightened his grip on the four pills in his palm.

"Perhaps we could use a cooling patch instead? It’s just a common cold."

Nanny Liu firmly opposed this. "Young Master, the young mistress's health is what matters most!"

Gu Jinzhou snapped out of the "Ruanyuan-induced trance" and used a mix of coaxing and trickery to get Su Ruanyuan to take her cold medicine. Only then did Nanny Liu feel at ease enough to leave.

Once the medicine was down, Su Ruanyuan fell asleep.

Gu Jinzhou retrieved a French textbook from the study and sat on the sofa beside the bed to read. It made it easier to take care of her, to give her water and help her to the restroom.

Gu Jinzhou had no heart for reading. From time to time, he would touch Su Ruanyuan’s forehead. She was the little girl he had held in the palm of his hand since childhood; he loved her more than his own life.

"Brother knows you suffered greatly at the Su family. Everyone who bullied you will be punished. It must have hurt, didn't it? They must have hurt you so much. Why wasn't I by your side? I should have been there, Ruanyuan... How did you endure it?"

His eyes were bloodshot and frantic.

The soft touch of her fingers against his skin pulled Gu Jinzhou back from his spiral of rage. It turned out that, unconsciously, Ruanyuan had gripped his index finger.

He hunched his back, gently sniffing and kissing her hand, his teeth grazing her fingers in a light, lingering way. If Su Ruanyuan were awake, she might have selflessly offered him her childhood teething ring; after all, he was the one who had chosen it for her, so he likely wouldn't mind her taste.

The vibration of a cell phone shattered the tender, romantic atmosphere of the room.

Gu Jinzhou walked to the balcony. After answering the call, he held the phone away from his ear.

Madam Gu: "You brat! I know all about the disgraceful things you've done! You went behind our backs to confess to Ruanyuan on her eighteenth birthday, and even after being rejected, you shamelessly kept trying! When she turned nineteen, you coaxed her into being your girlfriend, lived with her for three years, and now you’re tricking her into marriage. You are truly shameless!"

Gu Jinzhou: "Mom, I have everything under control."

Madam Gu: "Control? You have no idea what you're doing!"

Gu Jinzhou: "At the very least, I won't let her get pregnant unless Ruanyuan herself wants a child."

He had moved out specifically to have Su Ruanyuan all to himself; why would he want a child to compete for her attention?

Madam Gu: "Are you insane? She's only twenty-one, and you're already talking about her having children!"

Gu Jinzhou massaged his temples, supporting his lean waist with one hand, and sighed in a cold, detached tone, "Mom, I am not coercing Ruanyuan into having a child."

Madam Gu: "I don't care! Bring Ruanyuan home! Come home immediately!"

Gu Jinzhou: "She has a cold. I'll bring her back once she's recovered."

Madam Gu: "The weather is so nice right now, why would she have a cold? Did you not take proper care of her? Just move back in with us; that way, we can help look after Ruanyuan."

Gu Jinzhou coldly spat out three words: "That is impossible."

Madam Gu knew her son’s overbearing nature well; once he made up his mind, not even the sky falling could change it. However, if Ruanyuan wanted to come home, Gu Jinzhou would have no choice but to agree.

The frail treasure in the bedroom let out a faint whimper.

Gu Jinzhou hung up and returned to the room. "Do you want some water?"

"Mm."

Gu Jinzhou supported her head and fed her a few sips of water.

Su Ruanyuan: "No more. The water is bitter."

Gu Jinzhou tasted a drop. It wasn't bitter; it tasted like normal water.

"Sleep a little longer, okay? When you wake up, I'll give you honey water."

"I don't really want to sleep anymore."

Su Ruanyuan let her arms rest obediently on the quilt, her damp, dark eyes blinking shyly, a hopeful smile appearing on her pale, delicate face.

"I want milk tea."

"Brother."

"Ruanyuan wants milk tea."

Gu Jinzhou’s handsome face twisted slightly. Reason told him no, but Ruanyuan had called him "Brother."

"You can have milk tea once you're over your cold."

Su Ruanyuan knew Gu Jinzhou’s stubborn nature well—no amount of acting cute would change his mind. She simply closed her eyes, refusing to look at him.

Gu Jinzhou touched her forehead and returned to the sofa to read. This time, he was actually able to focus on the words.

Su Ruanyuan turned over and began scrolling through WeChat on her phone.

Liu Qing: Teacher Su, why are you no longer collaborating with Longteng Entertainment?

Liu Qing: Teacher Su, are you free to take a call?

Liu Qing: Teacher Su, we really love your choreography.

Liu Qing: Teacher Su, if you won't work with Longteng Entertainment, work with me instead. I want to buy your choreography privately.

Liu Qing: Since you created that dance, it has a soul of its own. It deserves to shine brightly on stage!

Su Ruanyuan felt a bit torn. She didn't want to work with Longteng Entertainment, but Liu Qing's words deeply touched her.

"Gu Jinzhou."

She called out, too lazy to even turn her head.

What kind of lazy treasure had he spoiled?

Gu Jinzhou climbed directly into the bed and pulled the soft, warm girl into his arms. Perhaps because she was ill, her body felt even softer, as if she had no bones at all. With a casual grasp, her snow-white, soft skin slipped between his fingers.

Su Ruanyuan: "I want to sell the copyright of my dance to Liu Qing, but she is a choreographer at Longteng Entertainment."

Gu Jinzhou: "With me here, do whatever you want. If anything goes wrong, your husband will take the fall for you."

Every time he called himself her husband, Su Ruanyuan’s heart would tremble. Her strong sense of morality made it impossible for her to call Gu Jinzhou "husband" back, and thankfully, Gu Jinzhou wasn't twisted enough to torture her into saying it in bed, or she would have suffered a breakdown.