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Based on the story Gu Congli had previously told her, this man Gu Lin was definitely not a good person.
Cold and heartless, a machine driven by self-interest, he had used his marriage with Bai Lu to maximize his own benefits—a man without a heart.
But when he smiled, he looked so much like Gu Congli.
The ice melted, and the light of day shone brightly, sending an involuntary chill down one’s spine.
Gu Lin didn’t say anything, paused for a moment, then stepped aside to make room for her. “Go ahead.”
Shi Yin hesitated, nodded slightly, and said softly, “Goodbye, Uncle.”
Gu Lin raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. “Didn’t Congli tell you about me?”
“Yes.”
“Then how come…” He paused, rephrasing. “He probably didn’t have anything nice to say about me, right?”
Shi Yin nodded again. “Yes, he didn’t say anything good about you.”
Gu Lin showed no reaction, not even a hint of irritation. He waved his hand and started walking away.
After taking a couple of steps out of the ward, Gu Lin turned around.
The young girl wore a fitted trench coat with her hair tied in a ponytail. Her face was fair, her large eyes bright and clear, revealing all her thoughts—untainted and pure.
Her demeanor suggested innocence uncorrupted by society.
As the girl entered the room and closed the door behind her, she glanced at him just as the door shut.
Their eyes met, and Gu Lin calmly nodded.
The girl seemed a bit surprised and hesitant but eventually bit her lip and nodded back before closing the door.
Gu Lin chuckled softly.
The wariness and dislike in her eyes were obvious, yet she still politely greeted him.
She had a good character.
His son wasn’t much to speak of in various ways, but his taste in women and luck were commendable.
Gu Lin turned around and walked out, passing through the greenery and the fountain statue until he reached the hospital entrance.
A car was parked at the entrance. The driver, seeing him approach from afar, walked around to open the door for him.
Gu Lin got in, and the driver followed suit. Through the rearview mirror, the driver asked, “Mr. Gu, shall we head back to the company or home?”
Gu Lin remained silent.
After a few minutes, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
No answer after the first ring.
Gu Lin stayed calm and patient, continuing to dial without showing any signs of anger.
On the third try, the call was finally answered.
Gu Lin didn’t expect the other side to speak first, so he began, “Your girlfriend is quite something.”
He had watched Gu Congli grow up since childhood and knew him well.
Bai Lu didn’t understand him, yet he wished to be closer to her.
And he was the one who understood him most in this world. They were bound by blood; Gu Lin saw clearly the darkness, struggles, and resistance in Gu Congli.
Yet, he detested him, denying him while also denying their similarities, desperately trying to distance himself from him.
Gu Lin couldn’t figure out why his son, the closest person to him in this world, refused to accept him.
He had devotedly educated him, imparting all his experiences.
If only he had listened, he could have become the best in the world.
Sure enough, there was silence for three seconds before Gu Congli hung up.
Gu Lin leaned back into his seat, propping his chin with one hand and staring blankly out the window.
This hospital had an excellent environment, strict management, located in the suburbs with fresh air, and all its facilities were top-of-the-line imported equipment, ensuring high medical standards.
The black gates and marble walls shielded the inner world. Through the iron bars, one could see the lush green plants and faint sounds of people inside.
Gu Lin drifted off in thought, then turned his head and waved his hand. “Let’s go back to the company.”
Driver Lao Li acknowledged and started the car.
Shi Yin entered the ward, closed the door behind her, and saw the woman standing inside.
She wasn’t very familiar with Bai Lu, having met her only a few times. And since she was alone this time, Shi Yin didn’t dare approach too closely, fearing she might scare her, so she stood by the door for a while.
Bai Lu appeared to be in much better spirits, tending to two potted plants by the window. The green plants were lush and thriving, though it seemed she didn’t take good care of them—she simply let them grow wild.
Hearing the door close, she turned around.
Their eyes met, and Shi Yin felt a bit uneasy, fidgeting with her fingertips and bowing slightly. “Hello, Auntie... I came to see you.”
Bai Lu smiled, setting down the small watering can in her hands and waving her over. “Come here.”
Shi Yin took a couple of steps forward and stood by the bed.
The woman still had her elegant coiffure, dressed in a pale moon-colored cheongsam. Her soft brown eyes were gentle, and a faint smile played on her lips as she gazed at Shi Yin, asking warmly, “Isn’t Ali with you?”
Shi Yin shook her head. “He should come tomorrow. I happened to pass by today, so I came to see you.”
After saying that, she fell silent.
Being in the suburbs, the last stop of the subway line—what would someone be doing here by chance?
Fortunately, Bai Lu either didn’t notice or didn’t care, continuing on her own. “Every time I saw you before, you only stood at the door looking at me, never coming in. I wondered if you were afraid of me, but I didn’t dare call you,” she chuckled. “Just now, Ali’s father came by.”
Shi Yin listened quietly, saying nothing.
Bai Lu’s eyes sparkled, like a child eager to share happy news with everyone. “If you had come earlier, you could have met him. But he’s quite fierce. It’s better you didn’t meet him, so he wouldn’t scare you.” She leaned closer, affectionately pulling Shi Yin’s hand and mysteriously smiling. “He’s only gentle with me.”
Shi Yin opened her mouth, unsure what to say.
Suddenly, Bai Lu stopped smiling.
She lowered her eyes and softly said, “I know what I’m doing.”
Shi Yin looked up.
“They say I’m sick, that my mind isn’t clear. I know all that. I don’t want treatment, and I don’t want clarity,” Bai Lu raised her eyes, tears welling up and turning red. “Clarity is too exhausting.”
Shi Yin froze.
They stared at each other for a few seconds, neither speaking, when suddenly the phone rang.
Snapping out of her daze, Shi Yin hastily pulled out her phone from her pocket and answered. “Hello?”
“Where are you?” Gu Congli’s voice was cold and hard.
Shi Yin was taken aback and glanced at Bai Lu. “What’s wrong?”
He acted as if he hadn’t heard her. “Where are you? Who did you meet just now?”
Shi Yin let out a soft “Ah,” beginning to understand.
She slowed her speech and patiently replied, “I’m at the hospital, visiting Auntie.”
Gu Congli fell silent.
After a few seconds, he spoke in a low voice. “I’ll come pick you up now. Don’t wander off.”
Shi Yin obediently responded, “Okay, I’ll wait for you.”
She hung up and turned back to find Bai Lu had returned to her previous state.
A faint smile graced her lips as she held the watering can, watching her plants, dignified yet gentle. “It’s Ali, right?”
Shi Yin put away her phone and hummed in agreement.
Bai Lu stood by the window, her movements pausing for a moment as she softly said, “I haven’t been good to Ali.” She hung her head, her back turned to Shi Yin, not looking back, her voice trembling slightly. “We haven’t been good to him. You need to take good care of him.”
Shi Yin was stunned for a moment. A nurse came in to watch Bai Lu take her medication and then helped her fall asleep.
Shi Yin exited the ward and aimlessly strolled down the brightly lit corridor.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that the Gu Lin and Bai Lu she had seen today were somehow different from what she had imagined.
Bai Lu knew.
She was fully aware of her current situation. She had simply chosen to hide herself within her enclosed shell, unwilling to make the effort to step out, recover, or face reality.
She said, “Clarity is too exhausting.”
She said, “I haven’t been good to Ali.”
She kept running away.
Shi Yin took the elevator down and sat on the marble steps at the hospital entrance, watching the patients in hospital gowns in the small garden in front.
Most of the patients here suffered from mental illnesses and couldn’t move around alone, always accompanied by two or three nurses or caregivers.
Shi Yin noticed a pretty girl about her age, in her twenties, squatting on the grass, pulling out a blade of grass and stuffing it into her mouth.
The nurse nearby quickly pulled her up: “Oh dear, you can’t eat that.”
The pretty girl tilted her head back, blinked, and looked at the nurse earnestly: “You didn’t see the nectar on this flower? I’m collecting honey.”
The young nurse patiently held her hand: “If you take the bees’ food, what will they eat?”
“Am I not a bee? I eat honey.”
“You’re not. You need to eat rice.”
The two walked away.
Shi Yin watched the slender figure in the pink-and-white striped hospital gown being led away, hopping and skipping until she disappeared.
This place was indeed very comfortable, carefree, without so much chaos.
If one could be a fool, who would choose to be clear-headed?
After waiting for nearly half an hour, Shi Yin, hugging her knees, was about to fall asleep when someone suddenly patted her on the head.
She looked up to see Gu Congli standing in front of her, looking down at her.
Shi Yin smiled, raising her hand to pull his: “You’re here.”
He pursed his lips slightly: “How long have you been sitting here?”
She tilted her head, thinking: “I don’t know, it doesn’t seem like too long. Auntie fell asleep, so I came out.”
Gu Congli took her hand. The early spring weather hadn’t fully warmed up yet, and the marble surface was cold; the girl’s fingers were cool.
Gu Congli enveloped her small hands entirely in his. Shi Yin stood up accordingly, stomped her slightly numb feet, jumped twice on the spot, then raised her head: “Do you want to go up and take a look?”
Gu Congli turned around, pulling her other hand over and tucking it into the pocket of his coat, heading out: “I’ll come again tomorrow.”
Shi Yin hesitated, her hand tucked inside his coat pocket, gently squeezing the tip of his finger: “Gu Congli.”
“Hmm?”
“I think... one day, you should have a good talk with Auntie.”
Gu Congli lowered his eyes, glancing at her: “What’s wrong?”
“Eh,” Shi Yin scratched her head: “Nothing really, just... I feel like if you get the chance to talk, Auntie would feel much better.”
Gu Congli didn’t say anything.
The two got into the car. Just as Shi Yin thought he wouldn’t speak, he finally said indifferently: “Hmm, okay.”
This time, Shi Yin didn’t sit in the passenger seat. It would take almost an hour to drive from here to the city center. She went to the backseat, pulled out the car pillow, and used it along with her jacket as a pillow against the window frame, lying across the backseat, preparing to take a nap.
Leaning back in her seat, she thought for a moment and still decided to tell him: “I think I met Uncle today. When I came, he had just come out of the ward.”
Gu Congli slightly raised his lips: “Then my mom must have been very happy.”
Shi Yin didn’t say anything.
She recalled the man she saw a few hours ago—dressed in a suit, meticulous, with pitch-black eyes that seemed to radiate X-rays when he looked at people, cold and unfeeling.
But when he smiled, warmth instantly softened his eyes.
The contrast was too great. This unpredictable, split personality felt somewhat similar to Gu Congli.
No, it wasn’t similar.
Gu Congli was much gentler; even when he didn’t smile, he exuded a serene, tranquil moon-like tenderness.
Suddenly, Shi Yin squinted her eyes and reached forward through the gap between the driver’s seats, holding onto the backrest.
Gu Congli noticed her movement and turned his head.
The little girl had already leaned close to him, softly pressing her lips against his and pecking him.
Gu Congli was momentarily stunned.
By the time he realized what happened, Shi Yin had quickly scurried back to her seat, yawned, shrugged her shoulders, nestled comfortably into her seat, and closed her eyes peacefully.
At home, her parents woke up early, and her mother would come to pull off her blanket. Shi Yin had woken up at seven o’clock in the morning for several consecutive days, which was far earlier than her usual wake-up time. Now, during nap time, she started yawning as soon as she got in the car.
Halfway through the drive, Gu Congli turned around to see her head leaning against the glass window, dozing off drowsily. He locked the car doors, then pulled his coat over and covered her with it.
The collar brushed against her chin, making her nose wrinkle. Shi Yin mumbled, turning her head, lifting her hand to scratch her chin. Half her face burrowed into the coat, covering everything up to her nose.
Gu Congli turned up the air conditioning temperature a bit.
Shi Yin had finished submitting her manuscript and taken a break for a while.
After completing that busy period, she also submitted the illustrations. She began living a life of going to bed at five in the morning and waking up at nine in the evening—sleeping every morning till five.
Compared to Gu Congli, she genuinely looked like a lazy housewife.
Shi Yin rejected Gu Congli’s third invitation to move in with him. Gu Congli stopped asking her to come over and instead came directly to her place, staying every other day. Each time, he brought some clothes and items, and within a few days, his things were scattered everywhere.
Her rented bedroom, less than 20 square meters, was filled with both of their belongings. Fortunately, Gu Congli loved cleanliness, and now he handled all the household chores.
It seemed he had always done them before.
Shi Yin originally thought Gu Congli only did the tasks expected of an editor-in-chief. Only after truly living together did she realize how many things he handled.
He even had a company co-founded with university friends, and some decision-making matters were also handled by him.
Shi Yin confirmed that she was indeed like a lazy housewife, which made her a bit disheartened. She had previously thought that compared to the meager salary of a comic editor, she earned more than Gu Congli. Earning more meant having more say, making her the one in charge at home.
Turns out, that wasn’t the case—he had side businesses too.
One night, Shi Yin expressed her dissatisfaction when Gu Congli sat on the bed typing away on his laptop. She climbed onto the bed using her hands and feet, snatched his computer away, and set it aside.
Gu Congli raised his eyes.
Shi Yin sat on him, cupping his face with her hands, making him look at her: “Why do you have so much work?”
With her hands cupping his face, it slightly distorted, but this did nothing to affect his calm expression: “Not much.”
Shi Yin increased the pressure on her hands: “You keep begging me to live with you, and all I see is you working?”
Gu Congli slightly raised an eyebrow: “I need to restrain myself. You’re all swollen.”
“...”
Shi Yin blushed.
“Pervert.” She cursed him.
Gu Congli chuckled softly, raising his arm to embrace her. Shi Yin rested her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
Steady, rhythmic, strong beats.
She lay on him like a docile little kitten, softly calling his name: “Gu Congli.”
“Hmm.”
“You shouldn’t work so much. If you earn so much money, I won’t have any sense of accomplishment.”
Gu Congli twirled a strand of her long hair around his fingertip, obediently asking: “Hmm? Why no sense of accomplishment?”
Shi Yin raised her head, resting her chin on his chest, looking up at him with wide eyes: “In a family, the one who earns more has more say. If you become too wealthy, you might not listen to me anymore.”
Gu Congli obviously didn’t quite understand her logic, pausing briefly: “In your family, who makes the decisions?”
Shi Yin thought for a moment: “My mom.”
“Who listens to whom?”
“My dad listens to my mom.”
“Who earns more?”
“My dad.”
Gu Congli patted her head: “Then we are the same.”
Shi Yin paused, her head resting on his chest, swaying back and forth: “That’s not the same. My dad is simple-minded, but you aren’t. Of course, I can’t outsmart you.”
After saying that, she reached out to tug his ear.
He always liked to tug her ears.
His fingers seemed to possess some kind of magic. Every time he extended his hand, a tingling itch spread through her. Shi Yin had secretly tried pinching her own ears once, turning them red, but still didn’t feel the inexplicable sensation his touch brought.
Shi Yin’s fingertips pinched his thin earlobe, massaging it, then ran her fingers along the edge of his ear, playfully tugging at the tip.
She found nothing particularly interesting about it.
“Is it fun?”
“Not fun.” She pouted, letting go, pushing herself up from his chest. Before she could straighten up, he grabbed her waist and the back of her neck, pressing her down again.
Shi Yin let out a cry, her chest solidly landing on him, the impact causing discomfort.
She flailed around on top of him like someone in water, subdued by Gu Congli.
His voice, low and hoarse, hovered above her head, heavily suggestive: “Save some energy.”
Shi Yin: “...”
Shi Yin felt like a big pancake.
She lay sprawled on the bed, flipping over, falling back, flipping over, falling back, sprinkled with sesame seeds and salt, then rolled up with shredded potatoes and a roasted sausage in the middle.
The next day, Gu Congli left for work feeling refreshed.
Before leaving, he came in to kiss her, wake her up, and told her to eat breakfast before sleeping again.
Shi Yin felt like she had spent the entire night riding a spinning bike at the gym; the muscles on the insides of her thighs were twitching.
Furious, she clenched her teeth and threw a pillow at him. Lying limp in her blanket, she waved her thin arms wildly: “Hurry up and turn thirty!”
Shi Yin thought, once he turned thirty and started declining, she would seduce him fiercely every night and watch his powerless state while setting off a string of 500 firecrackers.
She slept until ten o’clock, only to be woken up by a phone call.
Still drowsy, Shi Yin fumbled for her phone beside the pillow and answered with a groggy “Hello,” her voice heavy with sleepiness.
A loud male voice shouted on the other end: “Shi Yin! It’s almost dark! Are you still sleeping? Are you a pig?”
“...” Shi Yin yawned with her eyes squinted: “Who is this?”
“Me! Your brother Jingwen Gou!”
Just waking up, she reacted slowly, taking a few seconds to sluggishly recognize the voice: “Er Gou, what’s up?”
On Gou Jingwen’s side, there was some background noise, but nothing could drown out his booming voice: “I’ve been sent to the north and just returned this month. Let’s meet up for a meal tomorrow,” he suddenly chuckled shyly, his voice taking on a northern accent, “And I’ll introduce you to my fiancée.”
Shi Yin buried her head in the pillow, now half awake: “You got married in just one year?”
Er Gou chuckled even more shyly: “Not yet, it’s just the engagement dinner tomorrow.”
Shi Yin sat up on the bed and quickly congratulated him.
Er Gou, like a bashful little girl, praised his fiancée profusely, adding at the end: “I called several classmates yesterday. Most of our classmates now have partners, only you remain. Shi Da Banhua, I know you’re beautiful and have high standards, but the past is the past. We must look to the future and let go of those we need to. There will be better ones.”
“Ah?” Shi Yin felt a bit lost.
She leaned against the headboard, turning her head to see Gu Congli’s water bottle and clean pajamas on the bedside table.
Yesterday’s clothing had been crumpled into a ball, tossed somewhere into a corner.
On Er Gou’s side, there was a pause, then he lowered his voice: “Our relationship in high school was pretty solid. You can hide it from others, but not from me. To be honest, at that last class reunion, I was quite scared when I saw Gu Congli, fearing you’d have an extreme reaction. How did Qin Yan bring him along? I never expected them to end up together. But you should be more open-minded. Look at Gu Congli’s face—it looks so cold. Maybe their relationship isn’t that harmonious either.”
“...”
Shi Yin cleared her throat and calmly stated: “Er Gou, I have a boyfriend.”
Er Gou was startled, laughing like a duck, quacking loudly: “What’s going on? Has the iron tree finally blossomed? Tomorrow, you must bring him for me to meet, alright? Bring him over! Brother will help you check his appearance.”
Mid-sentence, he paused, concerned: “What does your boyfriend look like? I called Qin Yan this morning, and she said she’ll bring her partner tomorrow too. I naturally favor you, but there shouldn’t be too much difference in looks between your new love and old flame. Our teacher Gu’s face is quite remarkable.”
“...”
Shi Yin didn’t know what gave Er Gou this obsession, making him believe Gu Congli was with Qin Yan.
Even at that distant class reunion a year ago, Gu Congli and Qin Yan didn’t show much intimacy.
It seemed there wasn’t much… right?
Well, for someone like Gu Congli, attending a class reunion with a woman was already a form of tacit acknowledgment.
Thinking about this, Shi Yin’s anger rose again. Silently, she made a mental note to interrogate him thoroughly tonight, employing severe measures.
She picked up the water glass from the bedside table, took a couple of sips to moisten her throat, and smiled as she spoke: “My boyfriend’s looks definitely surpass Teacher Gu’s.”
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