Chapter 40: The Nouveau Riche

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Gu Yao was not usually interested in handbags and the like, but any woman would feel at least a little delighted upon seeing so many beautiful things—especially when they were gifts from her boyfriend.

She entered gleefully and picked them up one by one to examine them. She opened several of the boxes, slipped on a wristwatch to admire it, and fussed over everything for more than half an hour. At last, looking thoroughly satisfied, she chose one of the handbags and draped it over her arm before stepping out and closing the door.

Su Yu had been smiling as he watched her. Seeing her emerge like that, he raised an eyebrow. “What about the rest? You don’t want them?”

“Of course I do. I’ll leave them here for now and come get them whenever I need them.” As she spoke, Gu Yao removed the bath towel and changed back into the long coat she had been wearing when she arrived. She paired it with the handbag and admired herself in the mirror. Only then did she turn around, pull his head down, and kiss him on the cheek. Her manner conveyed both gratitude and a complete lack of greed.

In the past, she would never have accepted such expensive gifts. But Su Yu was different. What he gave her was not merely material possessions, but also an expression of his feelings for her. Gu Yao understood that perfectly, and she knew returning the gifts would leave him disappointed. So she had come up with this compromise.

Su Yu naturally understood her little scheme. He sighed. “At times like this, I start thinking about the benefits of marriage. At least if we were married, our property would be shared. You wouldn’t refuse anything I gave you.”

“All right, I accepted them, didn’t I?” Gu Yao found him amusing. She lifted the handbag and showed it off to him again. “Look, isn’t it beautiful?”

Then she casually asked, “Are you actually quite knowledgeable about this sort of thing? Everything you picked is excellent. You definitely don’t have a man’s terrible taste.”

“Is that so?” he replied blandly. “Once I entered the shop, I simply bought the most expensive item.”

Gu Yao was rendered speechless. After a long moment, she cupped her fists toward him. “Rich man, we ordinary people can’t afford to provoke you.”

As for Gu Shisheng, it was a full week before he went to look for Yi Xun again.

During that week, he obediently practiced the piano at home and did his best to follow his mother’s instructions and behave himself. Only after putting on a good performance did he earn a few days of leniency and permission to go out freely again.

When he saw the bustling streets outside once more, his nose began to sting, and he felt as though he had returned from another lifetime. He had only been confined at home for seven days, yet it felt as if he had not stepped outside for an entire year.

He had just been thinking of calling a few friends to meet up when he changed his mind halfway through. Instead, he hailed a taxi and went straight to Yi Xun’s home. Ever since last time, she had not answered a single one of his calls, leaving Gu Shisheng extremely anxious.

When he arrived, he knocked for quite a while before the door finally opened. Yi Xun stood inside in casual clothes. She was clearly surprised to see him. “Why are you here?”

She moved to close the door.

Gu Shisheng shamelessly thrust one arm inside. “Sis, I came to apologize. Don’t close the door—please hear me out!”

Afraid of injuring him, Yi Xun stopped. “What is there to apologize for? You haven’t done anything wrong to me. Go home.”

That was truly what she thought. She had never been angry about the things he said last time. He was merely an immature younger boy—how could she possibly take him seriously?

She had stopped answering his calls only because she felt it unnecessary. He was at a crucial stage in his life and needed to study hard. The less she disturbed him, the better. Who would have thought the boy would come running over again?

Gu Shisheng, however, pounded his chest with exaggerated remorse. “How can you say I didn’t do anything wrong? I suspected you for no reason and blamed you unfairly! You treated me with such sincerity before, and I repaid you with ingratitude. I’m practically not even human!”

Yi Xun was nearly frightened by his appearance. She backed away several steps before waving her hands. “Go home. I’m not angry with you. Really.”

As soon as he let his guard down, she quickly shut the door.

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After securing the inner door and returning to the bedroom, her heart was still beating fast. What was wrong with that child? Had he gone mad? Surely he had not been driven crazy from being cooped up at home.

She had actually been hearing about the situation from Gu Yao over the past few days, and had begun to worry about him.

After reading for a while, she still could not put her mind at ease. She went back out and listened carefully while leaning against the door. Then she cautiously opened it again. A face appeared through the crack, grinning impishly.

“Sis, were you worried about me?” Gu Shisheng brushed the dust from behind him and leaped up from the steps.

Yi Xun had never met anyone so persistent and shameless. She stood there in silence for a while before finally opening the door helplessly. “Come in.”

“Great!” Gu Shisheng grinned and hurried inside. He changed his shoes with practiced familiarity, then collapsed onto the sofa. “Sis, what are we having for lunch?”

Yi Xun glanced at him without saying anything.

Gu Shisheng remained enthusiastic. “How about I make something? What ingredients are left in the refrigerator?”

Only then did Yi Xun shake her head. “I was planning to make noodles.”

“Oh, then I’ll help you. I can peel the scallions and garlic—whatever you need.”

The two of them entered the kitchen one after the other. When they came back out, Gu Shisheng was carrying two bowls of noodles. After setting them on the table, he turned around and called out naturally, “Sis, come eat.”

Yi Xun had by now developed almost complete immunity to his shameless behavior. She came over and silently finished her meal, then looked up at him. “When are you going home?”

Her intention to drive him away was perfectly clear. Gu Shisheng pretended not to understand, patted his stomach, and returned to the sofa. He picked up the remote and turned on the television. “It’s awfully quiet here. Let’s find something to watch for a while.”

Yi Xun said nothing. She bent down to clear the bowls and chopsticks. Only then did Gu Shisheng realize what she was doing. He jumped up and took everything from her hands. “I’ll wash them. You rest.”

As he washed the dishes with detergent, he heard the television he had just turned on playing an interview program. A famous middle-aged composer from the music world was speaking at length about his musical career.

Suddenly, a clear crash rang out, as though a glass had fallen to the floor. Gu Shisheng hurried out to see what had happened. He found Yi Xun half-crouched on the floor, using her bare hands to pick up the shattered glass. She was not even wearing gloves, and it looked dangerous.

“Don’t move. I’ll clean it up!” he called. He was about to fetch the broom when he noticed, with his sharp eyes, that blood had already welled from her pale fingertips.

Gu Shisheng froze for a moment, then strode over and pulled her to her feet. In his anxiety, he had no time for sweet words. “Why weren’t you more careful? It must hurt to cut your hand!”

There was an involuntary note of reproach in his voice.

But when he lowered his head again, he saw tear tracks on her face. In the space of a moment, tears began rolling down her cheeks in large drops like pearls. She was crying without making a sound, her shoulders trembling violently, making her look even more fragile.

Was she crying because of the pain?

Gu Shisheng immediately became flustered. He hurriedly wiped away her tears while pulling her into the room to look for the first-aid kit. He was frantic with worry, yet a thought still crossed his mind: She really was a woman. How could she cry this hard over such a tiny wound?

Yi Xun suddenly wrenched herself free. Still crying, she shook her shoulders a few times and said hoarsely, “Turn off the television…”

“Let me put medicine on your hand first. The television can wait, can’t it?” Gu Shisheng still had not understood.

Yi Xun’s reaction grew even more extreme. She screamed at the top of her lungs, “I told you to turn off the television!”

As she spoke, she lunged toward it, looking as though she intended to smash it.

Gu Shisheng hastily caught hold of her and reached out to switch off the power. The television flickered once before the picture vanished. He then supported Yi Xun and helped her onto the sofa.

Even Gu Shisheng could now see that something was wrong. Yi Xun was clearly not sobbing so bitterly because of the cut. There was another reason, and it was somehow connected to the television.

He had no way of knowing what that reason was, so he could only try to comfort her. He waved his hands around uncertainly for a while before patting her shoulder. “Sis, Sis, don’t cry. Tell me what happened, all right? I’ll stand up for you!”

After some time, Yi Xun finally stopped sobbing. When she looked up again, her eyes were red, and she kept sniffing. She looked utterly pitiful. Her face, bare of makeup as always, was pale and bloodless.

Gu Shisheng did not know why, but seeing her like this filled him with pain. He almost wished he could take her sorrow upon himself. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Sis, please tell me. I promise I can help you.”

Yi Xun had just cried herself out and was exhausted. She glanced up at Gu Shisheng, with no strength left to deal with him. She merely pointed weakly toward the door, signaling for him to leave, then rose and walked toward the bedroom. She wanted to be alone for a while.

But her cold attitude only made Gu Shisheng more agitated. He was at an age when he acted on impulse easily, and after seeing her weep so sorrowfully, he suddenly felt an emotion he had never experienced before. It surged violently inside him, searching for an outlet, then began crashing about wildly. His throat felt so constricted that he could hardly speak.

His eyes fixed on the woman’s slender figure, he rose abruptly and seized her by the arm.

Yi Xun felt a little pain from his grip. She turned to look at the boy, whose face had flushed crimson, and had just opened her mouth to speak when his next words left her utterly stunned.

“Don’t ignore me, all right? It makes me so sad when you do that… I like you. I’ve liked you for a long time—really, for a very long time.” The boy’s eyes were slightly red as he gazed deeply at her, speaking each word distinctly.

“What are you talking about?” Yi Xun frowned. She suddenly pulled her hand free, stood there dazed for several seconds, then pushed him outside.

Gu Shisheng lowered his head and did not resist. Only after he heard the door close did he sink despondently onto the steps.

What a load of nonsense this love was. It had ended before it had even begun.

Though he blamed himself for confessing so hastily, he also knew clearly that there could never be anything between him and Yi Xun. They were too many years apart, and she was his sister’s close friend.

Yet the more impossible it seemed, the more unwilling he felt to accept it. He left the building in a daze and walked several steps down the street, failing even to notice the car honking behind him.

“Gu Shisheng! Gu Shisheng!”

Someone was shouting his name from behind. He finally came to his senses and hurriedly turned around. Su Zhou was leaning out of a dark little minivan.

“Hey, what a coincidence! I haven’t seen you in ages, and you never reply to my messages. Come over and get in. We can talk on the way.” Su Zhou had shaved his hair down to a crew cut. His skin was deeply tanned, but he looked energetic, with a little muscle showing now as well.

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