Chapter 5: Was it too pleasurable last night?

"The young lady is in the attic. Here is the key," Mother Liu said.

"Understood." Gu Jinzhou loosened his tie, his refined and noble demeanor tinged with a sharp, restless intensity. "I know."

When they were children playing hide-and-seek, Gu Jinzhou would always let her win. This led Ruan Ruan to spend over a decade playing the game with a singular, flawed logic: as long as she buried her head, no one could find her!

Later, she learned how to play properly and made a habit of hiding in dark, cramped spaces, convinced that such places were safe and that others could never find her.

Gu Jinzhou knew everything about Su Ruan Ruan. So, when she sent that breakup text, he had only panicked for a single day and coughed up blood three times.

Loving her was like an instinct, as essential as breathing. He assumed she felt the same, and even if she didn't love him back, it didn't matter. Gu Jinzhou didn't care much about whether Su Ruan Ruan loved him; as long as she was by his side, that was enough.

He had first confessed his feelings at her coming-of-age ceremony. She had looked at him with a sense of moral terror, trembling as she said, "Brother, you can't." Why couldn't he? She was already sleeping in his bed, wasn't she? He had always wanted to be her husband, not some so-called brother.

The attic.

Gu Jinzhou opened the door and stepped inside with light footsteps.

The room wasn't very dark; moonlight spilled in through the skylight, and a pumpkin lantern by the bed cast a warm glow. It was from the first time she had celebrated Halloween with friends. Gu Jinzhou had made it for her from a real pumpkin—exquisite and delicate—but it had been crushed by a crowd when she took it out.

Little Ruan Ruan had cried in his arms for a long time until she fell asleep, never getting to go back out to play. Pampering her was like a gene etched into his bones; Gu Jinzhou spent the entire night crafting a faux pumpkin lantern that was not only durable but could last for years. For over a decade, this lantern had remained by Su Ruan Ruan’s side, kept in perfect condition.

"Ah!"

Su Ruan Ruan felt something like an octopus wrapping around her. She woke up to find it was Gu Jinzhou.

"When did you get back?"

Gu Jinzhou’s voice was hoarse. "Just now."

He pressed one leg onto the bed, his slender, jade-like fingers unhurriedly undoing his suit buttons, his deep, greedy eyes glowing with a feral light.

Su Ruan Ruan’s face turned bright red. Why couldn't this man give her waist a rest?

"Gu Jinzhou, you already did bad things during the day; you can't do it again at night. My waist feels uncomfortable—I think I have lumbar muscle strain! It’s not suitable for any more strenuous exercise!"

After undoing his jacket and shirt buttons, Gu Jinzhou stopped. His sexy, firm abdominals and chest muscles were fully exposed, appearing and disappearing in the hazy moonlight.

Su Ruan Ruan stared, unable to look away. She had always known Gu Jinzhou had a great physique—she realized it back when he taught her how to swim. Because he was afraid the instructor might take advantage of her, Gu Jinzhou decided to teach her himself. What should have taken a month to learn dragged on for half a year...

Damn it, with all the tricks he pulled in the water, why didn't he go compete? It was a total waste of talent to only use those skills on her!

Su Ruan Ruan let her gaze linger on his abs for a while before wrapping herself tightly in her quilt. In truth, she wasn't obsessed with that sort of thing, but Gu Jinzhou loved it dearly.

Gu Jinzhou cupped her cheeks and kissed her, suppressing the rampant lust in his eyes, and coaxed her gently, "Since you don't want to, why wear the clothes I like and record the videos I enjoy watching?"

Su Ruan Ruan rolled her eyes at him. "That’s because you were out gallivanting! I just wanted to send you a photo, I didn't mean to send the video. Delete it, and don't you dare save it!"

Gu Jinzhou dug her out of the quilt and held her in his arms, his eyes filled with indulgence.

"So Ruan Ruan is jealous. Why don't you check for yourself if I’ve been straying? Feel and kiss me from head to toe, how about that?"

"No! In your dreams!"

She tried to scramble away, but her waist was firmly gripped by the man. Her straight, fair legs kicked helplessly against the sheets. Just as Gu Jinzhou knew all her weaknesses, she knew exactly how to handle him.

"Gu Jinzhou, my stomach hurts, it hurts so much. I want hot water. Go pour me a glass of hot water."

"Stomach hurts?"

Gu Jinzhou’s eyes darkened. He lifted the hem of her black lace nightdress and rubbed her soft, fair belly.

"It's alright. Husband will heal you."

"???"

It was a sleepless night. The black lace nightdress lay on the floor, torn into several pieces.

...

Su Ruan Ruan dreamt of her first day of dance class. Gu Jinzhou had taken her, convinced that his little Ruan Ruan couldn't handle the hardship and would likely want to go home after just a few minutes.

But everyone underestimated little Ruan Ruan’s determination. Although she was the child in the class with the roundest face and the softest tummy, she was also the most diligent. She followed the teacher through jumping jacks, jogging, and a series of aerobic exercises, never once slacking off.

It didn't feel hard while she was learning, but on the way home, little Ruan Ruan leaned against Gu Jinzhou’s shoulder and sobbed softly. Gu Jinzhou, four years her senior, felt both heartbroken and angry.

Before she was three, Ruan Ruan’s feet had never touched the ground; she grew up in Gu Jinzhou’s arms. When she learned to walk at four or five, Gu Jinzhou was always by her side to protect her. Every time she went to dance class, he would carry her to the door and only let go when he couldn't go any further.

By the second month, the dance teacher could no longer watch and reminded Gu Jinzhou not to spoil Ruan Ruan so much—could he really pamper her for her entire life?

Gu Jinzhou replied, "Why not?"

The teacher: "..."

Later, it was little Ruan Ruan who told Brother Jinzhou not to carry her anymore, that she had her own legs and could walk herself.

Gu Jinzhou said, "Ruan Ruan’s shoes are so pretty and clean; Brother doesn't want them to get dirty."

Little Ruan Ruan said in her milky voice, "Brother Jinzhou can scrub the dirty shoes for me."

Gu Jinzhou laughed in exasperation: "You really know how to boss people around."

At eight or nine, an age where children are typically difficult, Gu Jinzhou had already mastered many skills, including how to take the best care of little Ruan Ruan. To soothe her soreness and fatigue after dance practice, he used his connections to find a descendant of an imperial physician and obtained a medicinal bath formula. Soaking in it after practice greatly relieved her body's exhaustion.

...

When Gu Jinzhou woke up, he found Su Ruan Ruan’s face covered in tear tracks. He was startled and quickly reached down, fearing he had hurt her the night before.

But there was no blood, no injury.

Su Ruan Ruan opened her eyes to find Gu Jinzhou acting like a hooligan.

"So you really are a pervert."

"Only a pervert for you."

Gu Jinzhou wrapped her in the quilt and carried her to the master bedroom to wash up. "Did my darling have a nightmare? Why were you crying so hard?"

"It wasn't a nightmare. It was a good dream."

Learning dance was so hard when she was little, and Gu Jinzhou had racked his brain to help her through it—there was no reason he wouldn't let her dance now. There was no one in this world who loved her more than Gu Jinzhou. Yet, in her past life, she had lost her mind, desperate to escape him, only to die miserably at the hands of the Su family.

To hell with that novel plot. If you think you can tear me and Gu Jinzhou apart in this life, you’ve got another thing coming!

"Gu Jinzhou, let's be the best, most perfect pair in the entire world!"

"You're so sweet-tongued today. Was last night that satisfying?"