Chapter 111
In the end, of course, they went downstairs.
...Her parents had come to call for them, and it would be too impolite to stay upstairs and not show their faces, Zhuang Chi thought. Besides... being alone with Gu Ximian in her room was a little dangerous.
What’s more, it happened to be Gu Ximian’s susceptible period. Even though she said she had taken suppressants, Zhuang Chi was still worried. Concerned about overly agitating an Omega in her susceptible period, Zhuang Chi didn't dare to linger too long. She tried very hard to restrain herself, and after their lips parted, she waited for a good while to calm down before she dared to walk downstairs with Gu Ximian.
Gu Ximian’s parents were sitting in the living room downstairs. When the two of them opened the door, their heads snapped up in unison. The two pairs of eyes, each with a different expression, made Zhuang Chi feel both embarrassed and nervous, causing her steps down the stairs to falter. Gu Ximian, however, seemed oblivious, and even a little sulky about being interrupted. Without even lifting her eyes, she took Zhuang Chi’s hand and led her downstairs, sitting beside her parents and saying with a straight face, “Alright, we came out for a drink of water.”
After saying that, she didn't elaborate, not mentioning a single word about their previous situation. She also had no intention of letting go of Zhuang Chi’s hand, just holding it like that. Even Zhuang Chi felt that this was a bit too much of an oversimplification. Sure enough, she heard Father Gu respond gloomily, “Didn’t you say you weren’t thirsty just now?”
“...” A faint blush rose on Gu Ximian’s face. She averted her eyes and said softly, “...That was... Anyway, she’s thirsty now.”
...What an easily misunderstood sentence. Now, both parents were staring straight at her. Zhuang Chi stiffened and sat up a little straighter. But then again, it wasn't exactly a misunderstanding. She was indeed... thirsty after that.
Gu Ximian was clearly doted on by her parents at home, as such a flimsy excuse was let go so easily. Father Gu actually brought a glass of water and handed it to Zhuang Chi. Zhuang Chi carefully took it, feeling so intensely stared at by him that she could barely drink. She only took a small sip before putting it down, belatedly starting to regret coming over so rashly without preparing any gifts for Gu Ximian’s parents—although her purpose for this trip wasn't to meet the parents, the current situation was basically no different from meeting the in-laws...
In any case, she decided to speak first to break the awkward silence. “I’m sorry for coming over so suddenly. I hope I haven’t disturbed you...”
“How could you,” Mother Gu cut in before Father Gu could speak, smiling at her with exceptional friendliness. “It’s no disturbance at all. On the contrary, we weren’t prepared to receive you. Ximian, really, why didn’t you tell us earlier that we had a guest coming.”
“It’s not her fault, I didn’t tell her before I came,” Zhuang Chi subconsciously spoke up to explain for Gu Ximian, even though she knew it was just a half-true, casual remark. “Besides, I’m leaving tomorrow, so you don’t need to trouble yourself—”
“Leaving tomorrow?”
The moment she finished speaking, Gu Ximian’s voice rose slightly as she interjected. She looked at her at once, her hand tightening its grip. “How... Why? Do you have other things to do when you go back? Why are you in such a hurry...”
”...Ahem.”
Before Zhuang Chi could explain, she heard two very deliberate coughs. She turned her head to see Father Gu, the source of the coughs, staring intently at their clasped hands—such a heavy gaze, Zhuang Chi almost thought she saw a hint of killing intent in it.
Zhuang Chi didn't dare to move, but Gu Ximian was completely unfazed. In fact, after being interrupted like this, her mood seemed to take a nosedive. She turned her head directly to ask, “Is your throat uncomfortable? Then you should drink more water.”
Father Gu silently picked up his water glass and took a sip, cooperating fully with his daughter’s words. But when he looked at Zhuang Chi, he once again put on the air of a senior Alpha. His expression was gentle and refined, but his eyes were not smiling at all. “Speaking of which, I don’t believe I know your name...?”
Oh! She hadn't introduced herself! Zhuang Chi was startled. Just as she was about to stand up and apologize to make up for her impolite behavior, Gu Ximian pressed her down with a firm hand and replied to Father Gu rather curtly, “Dad, are you serious? How could you not know Zhuang Chi? Back when I was almost kidnapped at St. Blaisedon, didn't you investigate every single person involved? Have you already forgotten that Zhuang Chi was the one who saved me?”
Her words, inside and out, pointed directly at the fact that Father Gu was deliberately being difficult. Even Mother Gu joined in to complain about him, “Exactly, I remember. Is your memory that bad? Why are you still putting on a stern face? The girl suffered so much for Ximian, and you...”
Regardless of Father Gu, Zhuang Chi was the one who started to feel restless. She stole a glance at Gu Ximian and saw that her brows were furrowed, clearly displeased by Father Gu’s slight hostility towards her just now. Zhuang Chi no longer had the mind to care about anything else. She gently squeezed Gu Ximian’s palm, and when Gu Ximian looked over, she gave her a reassuring smile, silently mouthing: Don’t be angry.
Actually, she could understand it quite well, Zhuang Chi thought. If she had a daughter like Gu Ximian who one day suddenly brought home an Alpha without any warning and said it was her lover, she would probably find it hard to stop herself from looking at the other person with a scrutinizing gaze.
“I was late with my introduction. My name is Zhuang Chi. I’m a first-year at St. Blaisedon, and I’m currently... dating Gu Ximian.”
Thinking this, she took the initiative to add the most basic introduction and bowed her head slightly to Father Gu. “I know my sudden visit has disturbed you. It was indeed inconsiderate of me... I’ll head back to my hotel later, I won’t trouble you for long.”
“...You booked a hotel?”
It was Gu Ximian who spoke up again. Zhuang Chi thought she really should have told her this earlier when they were in her room. Now, Gu Ximian had the strongest reaction to everything she said, cutting her off directly, her voice muffled. “Leaving tomorrow, and staying in a hotel... Did you just come here to see me for a moment?”
...That was indeed the original plan, but looking into Gu Ximian’s eyes, Zhuang Chi could tell that wasn't the answer she wanted. Knowing that a person’s emotions fluctuate more during their susceptible period, Zhuang Chi moved a little closer to Gu Ximian. Mindful that her parents were still watching, she didn't dare get too close and said softly, “I was worried I’d be a bother to you, so... Don’t be upset.”
Gu Ximian stared at her fixedly. After a long moment, she suddenly pulled Zhuang Chi to her feet and looked at her parents. “I want to talk to her alone. Can we go back to my room?”
Mother Gu nodded without any objection, even saying things like, “How could it be a bother? You should stay here.” Meanwhile, Father Gu, who had been silent since being reprimanded, looked at them awkwardly. In the end, he didn't say anything to stop them and watched as Gu Ximian pulled Zhuang Chi upstairs.
Gu Ximian was in a bad mood. After closing the door, she sullenly lowered her eyes, but she was reluctant to waste time on this. Unwilling to give up, she turned to ask Zhuang Chi, “Are you really leaving tomorrow?”
“...That’s the plan.” The pitiful and wronged look in her upturned eyes made Zhuang Chi’s heart soften. She gently pulled Gu Ximian into a loose embrace. “I remember you said before that you’d be very busy during this time, right?”
Gu Ximian frowned in annoyance and said in a low voice, “They’re all useless banquets. I don’t have to go.”
If Father Gu found out that Gu Ximian was rejecting her scheduled plans because of her, his impression of her would probably become even less favorable. Zhuang Chi sighed silently and said with a wry smile, “Then I’d be too tactless. It’s the New Year... Uncle and Auntie must want to spend more time with you too.”
Gu Ximian didn’t speak, pressing her lips together as she leaned in, nestling into her embrace. Her brows were still furrowed, but the hands around her waist silently tightened, like a cat that awkwardly wraps its tail around you to express affection. Zhuang Chi’s heart softened, knowing that Gu Ximian had taken her words to heart. She couldn't help but tease her, “We haven’t seen each other for over half a month. How come you’ve become so fond of hugging?”
It was true. They had been together for half an hour, and they had spent almost half of that time hugging. Before the holiday, Gu Ximian’s displays of affection hadn't been so overt. Zhuang Chi felt the person in her arms stir. She thought Gu Ximian was about to shyly pull away, but unexpectedly, she only stiffened for a moment before hugging her even tighter. Her voice floated over softly, “...It’s probably because of the susceptible period.”
She reacted quite quickly, finding a reasonable excuse. Zhuang Chi was dumbfounded, listening as Gu Ximian took the opportunity to softly accuse her, “You’re leaving without even staying with me through my susceptible period.”
...It sounded like she was accusing her of being heartless, Zhuang Chi thought. But no matter how you looked at it, even setting aside all the other big and small issues, from the current situation, her being by Gu Ximian’s side was not beneficial for this susceptible period at all. In fact, the situation that should have been fine after taking suppressants seemed to have been stirred up by her. Gu Ximian’s body was still a little hot...
She grew worried again and wanted to press her forehead against Gu Ximian’s to check her temperature. But before she could, she heard a knock on the door—three proper knocks. Gu Ximian frowned, went to open the door, and saw Father Gu standing there, asking with a serious expression, “I just came to ask... you two are eating at home for lunch, right?”
Gu Ximian nodded in agreement, then closed the door and returned to Zhuang Chi’s side. But it wasn't long before they heard another knock, three more rings. Zhuang Chi could almost see the slight irritation gathering between Gu Ximian’s brows. She went to open the door again with a blank expression. Unsurprisingly, it was still Father Gu. This time, he had a different question: “What does Zhuang Chi like to eat? We should prepare well.”
Hearing her name, Zhuang Chi quickly went over and said that anything was fine. Father Gu nodded. Just as he was about to turn and leave, Gu Ximian called out to him, “Do you have anything else to ask?”
Father Gu stiffened, his gaze shifting away slightly. His reply was vague, “...Not for now...”
So that meant there might be more later. Zhuang Chi understood in her heart, having a good guess as to what Father Gu was worried about. For a moment, she was both shy and amused, finding it hard to hold back her laughter. Gu Ximian sighed softly and said, “We’re going out after we eat, to save you the trouble.”
Father Gu had nothing more to say and left, looking dejected. Zhuang Chi, the person involved who was unaware of this plan, looked at Gu Ximian and asked curiously, “We’re going out? Where to?”
Gu Ximian glanced at her, her eyes shimmering slightly as she said softly, “...To a place where no one will disturb us.”
—The place they ended up at was Gu Ximian’s high school.
Three years had passed, but this place hadn't changed much. Zhuang Chi felt quite emotional revisiting an old place. The school was naturally empty during the winter break, but the two of them were let in by a dedicated person. Zhuang Chi looked at the expressionless Gu Ximian and said, “...It’s pretty amazing that you could find someone to open the gate at this time.”
“It’s not my doing.” Gu Ximian tilted her head up and replied calmly, “My dad helped. Maybe he wanted to atone.”
...He probably felt relieved after hearing they were going to a proper place, Zhuang Chi thought with a smile. She smiled at Gu Ximian and said, “Shall we go in then? It’s rare for the school to be empty. It brings back memories.”
Gu Ximian looked at her, her gaze gradually softening as she said softly, “Okay.”
Actually, for her, it didn't matter where they went, as long as no one would disturb them there. Going to the hotel Zhuang Chi had booked was also an option, but it felt a little strange to suggest it, so she gave up on the idea, choosing a place they both had shared memories of instead.
Back when she didn't know Z’s true identity, Z had wanted to tour the school, but she didn't have time to accompany her then, Gu Ximian thought. It was different now. The entire school was empty except for the two of them. They could take their time and wander around. And then...
...Perhaps it really was because of the susceptible period, Gu Ximian thought.
Even though she understood that Zhuang Chi had good reasons for not staying long, she still felt a little sulky, as if she were the only one who was so attached—at the same time, she knew very well that such thoughts were unreasonable. Zhuang Chi had come all this way just to see her.
Gu Ximian looked at Zhuang Chi’s oblivious figure and blinked thoughtfully.
Sure enough, she was still a little bit unwilling. She wanted to get back at her lover.
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