Compared to previous years when he stayed alone in a hotel, this year's New Year's Eve was the most lively one for Gu Qingwu.
The He family values rules, and He Sui Chen is the new patriarch. Many of the family's direct descendants have come to visit the ancestral home. A group of men are sitting in the lobby chatting, while well-dressed ladies and children are in the side hall, laughing and talking happily.
Gu Qingwu sat in the middle. She couldn't recognize everyone, but she still had a smile on her face. When a child came up to her to ask for good luck, she gave him a red envelope. In the end, a group of children surrounded her and shouted, "Madam Clan Leader."
"It seems that our young clan leader's wife is the most popular with children." The one who said this was the most senior noblewoman present. He Yuliu did not show up on New Year's Eve this year, using illness as an excuse. Anyone with a discerning eye knew that this was a lack of respect for the new bride, so everyone tacitly pretended to be deaf and dumb, spoke polite words, and warmly welcomed Gu Qingwu.
Someone came over from behind the screen and said with a smile, "Sui Chen is cooking sweet-scented osmanthus dumplings, and the children are running over to ask for some."
This clan rule had been changed by He Suichen himself. The attitude of holding his newlywed wife in the palm of his hand was open to everyone, who could not understand it? Everyone's eyes, with hidden smiles, fell on Gu Qingwu at the same time.
After this New Year's Eve, I'm afraid everyone knows that behind closed doors, the status of the young patriarch's wife is higher than that of the patriarch.
Gu Qingwu just had an excuse to leave the side hall, so she went downstairs. The warm yellow light was on in the kitchen, and a group of children were holding exquisite white porcelain bowls. Looking around, she saw He Suichen standing tall in front of the stove. Under the light, he picked up the bowl with his slender white hands and handed it to Yu Jiafan next to him.
Yu Jiafan was sent here on New Year's Eve. He has autism and can't get along with other children in the family. He likes to stick behind He Suichen the most. When there is food, his big black eyes shine. The glutinous rice balls are very big, but his greedy little mouth can't swallow them all, so he can only lick the bright red osmanthus petals.
He Sui Chen left a bowl for Gu Qingwu, and as if sensing her gaze, he slowly raised his head.
Gu Qingwu came over automatically and put her arm around his waist: "It looks good."
He Sui Chen fed her and whispered softly, "I prepared this for you. Others are just benefiting from your blessing."
The glutinous rice balls with the rich flavor of osmanthus tasted sweet when bitten. Gu Qingwu fed him half a mouthful, and the tip of her tongue quietly slid across the man's lips and teeth, and left in an instant. Her delicate face was particularly beautiful under the light: "Brother, this is how we can be together."
He Suichen still held the porcelain bowl with his fingers, emotions rolling in his eyes, but he restrained himself and didn't kiss her.
"Would you like to play with fireworks?"
"Um?"
…
After He Sui Chen fed her the glutinous rice balls, he held her hand and walked outside to the courtyard hung with red lanterns. The housekeeper had prepared some fireworks at some point and was distributing them to the younger children. The sparks were lit, and the white smoke that had not yet dissipated was like silk, floating in wisps in the dark night.
He Sui Chen also lit a heart-shaped one for her to play with. The two of them stood under the porch, and soon grand fireworks bloomed above them.
Gu Qingwu looked up, and a fireworks was reflected in her dark and bright eyes. When she turned around with a smile, she found that He Sui Chen was looking at her. Her appearance was reflected in his pupils, revealing his undisguised affection.
They stared at each other quietly, and someone in the courtyard shouted, "Twenty-six fireworks."
He Sui Chen raised his arms and held her in his arms. When he lowered his head, Gu Qingwu's earlobe was filled with warm breath, sometimes heavy and sometimes light: "Twenty-six fireworks, one represents a year. Another year has passed. My Qingwu wishes you peace every year."
Gu Qingwu's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she buried her forehead in his shoulder. She said nothing, but it seemed like she had said everything.
As far as she can remember, she felt lonely during every Chinese New Year and other holidays at home. Later, when she entered the entertainment industry, this feeling of loneliness was engraved in her bones and could not be removed. The older she got, the more she could not ignore its existence.
I can only pretend not to care and spend New Year's Eve as an ordinary day.
Gu Qingwu took a deep breath, adjusted her mood, and then said, "Are there only 26 fireworks for the New Year's gift?"
He Sui Chen smiled but said nothing. On the night of the New Year's Eve, Gu Qingwu soon found twenty-six red envelopes under her pillow. She opened them and saw that they were for ages from one to twenty-six. In each red envelope there was a card for fulfilling a wish, which was handwritten by He Sui Chen himself.
Gu Qingwu took the red envelopes and thought that was all she had. However, when she went to take a shower and change her clothes, she found that the cloakroom had been rearranged. The glass cabinets were filled with high-end dresses with labels still on, as well as private clothes specially made by an old tailor, not to mention jewellery, which filled an entire wall of drawers.
He Sui Chen did this regardless of the cost, and spoiled her like a little princess in the palm of his hand.
In the second half of the night, it started snowing outside.
The wind blew snowflakes onto the glass window, and a little bit of them floated in through the slightly open gap.
Gu Qingwu wanted to see the snow scene in the courtyard, so she didn't let the door be closed tightly and wrapped herself in a quilt with He Suichen. She wasn't sleepy and quietly followed him under the dim yellow light. After a long time, she finally closed her thick eyelashes and fell asleep leaning against him.
He Suichen finally closed the window, lit a dim lamp, and looked carefully at her sleeping face. After a while, as soon as he turned off the light, Gu Qingwu came up to him, hugged his waist in a daze, and muttered, "Brother."
I leaned forward and continued to listen, listening to her talking in her sleep: "I miss you so much..."
"I'm here, sleep peacefully."
After a while, He Sui Chen held her little hand on the quilt in his palm and squeezed it gently.
-
Early in the morning of the third day of the Lunar New Year, after He Sui Chen dealt with the complicated affairs of the He family, he took her to Licheng.
The couple's itinerary was kept secret and they did not have a secretary to follow them. After arriving, they first found a hotel to check in. Gu Qingwu was rarely seen on the hot searches on Weibo during this year's Spring Festival. It was as if she had disappeared, and she could not be found on any red carpet or in any announcements.
What was even more rare was that the media and entertainment reporters did not make any groundless accusations and instead remained as quiet as chickens.
Unknown to the outside world, Gu Qingwu had been giving money away to the entertainment reporters since New Year's Eve, and had also given hush money to the bosses of major media outlets.
She doesn't have business hours, doesn't want to be on the hot search list, and just wants a quiet vacation.
After staying one night at Licheng Hotel, Gu Qingwu took He Sui Chen to visit the Gu family the next day. She did not tell Gu Wenhan in advance. At this moment, the car was parked on the street next to the Gu family villa. She sat in the passenger seat and rummaged through her bag, and found that she had forgotten to bring cold medicine before going out.
"I'll go to the nearby pharmacy to buy you some medicine."
The air conditioning temperature in the suite was turned down last night, and He Sui Chen insisted on sharing a quilt with her. Gu Qingwu didn't catch a cold, and when she woke up, most of the quilt was wrapped around her body. On the contrary, he had a low fever when he woke up.
Before He Sui Chen could refuse, she had already opened the car door and walked to the other side in her high heels.
The streets seemed deserted during the Spring Festival. The ink-colored car windows had not been raised yet. I knocked twice and saw Gu Wenhan standing outside. He was wearing a cashmere suit to keep warm. The navy blue color made his middle-aged face look extremely gentle and fair. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the innocent look on Gu Qingwu's face was actually inherited from his biological father.
"What a coincidence! Mr. He is on a business trip to Licheng?"
Gu Wenhan just walked out the door, and unexpectedly ran into He Suichen when he turned the corner. At first he thought he was seeing things, but when he got closer, he realized it was him. He immediately forced a smile and invited him warmly: "You are a guest in Licheng... Come to my house for a cup of hot tea?"
He Sui pondered for a moment, and said in a reserved tone: "Would that be too much of a bother?"
"Mr. He is being too polite."
…
Under Gu Wenhan's strong invitation, He Sui Chen had no choice but to reluctantly follow him to Gu's house to drink a cup of hot tea. Compared with other wealthy families, the place where the Gu family lived was not very luxurious. It was like an old house, and the location was also far away from the city center.
The old lady was nostalgic, and the eldest and fourth houses of the Gu family were still inhabited by the older generation. In the quiet back garden, when Gu Wenhan led He Sui Chen past, they attracted the attention of many girls who were waiting to be married.
"There are many girls in my family... All my brothers have girls."
Gu Wenhan invited everyone to sit in the living room, and did not forget to tease them, saying that usually having many girls in a family is not a rare thing, after all, rare things are valuable.
He Sui was silent and didn't even finish his cup of tea when a girl from the Gu family came to him with a red face and asked for his contact information. Gu Wenhan next to him raised his eyebrows and looked at her: "Gu Yuexin, you are a step late."
Gu Yuexin is the only daughter of the eldest son. She was spoiled at home and always wanted to be the best in everything. When she saw her fourth uncle teasing her, she subconsciously glanced at the handsome man sitting on the sofa and said, "Who told my fourth uncle not to bring his friends home earlier? You blame me for being late."
She vaguely guessed that He Sui Chen already had a woman, so she didn't argue with him and just sat beside him and chatted with him.
The other sisters were hiding upstairs watching, but someone broke the precedent and bravely ran into the living room.
He Sui Chen remained calm and composed throughout. He played with the white porcelain teacup with his long, bony fingers. He turned his head and chatted casually with Gu Wenhan.
Although the two were not of the same age, He Suichen's aura completely overwhelmed Gu Wenhan, and Gu Yuexin was so fascinated that she gradually asked on behalf of her sister who was still studying next to her: "Brother Suichen, are you traveling to Licheng during the Spring Festival?"
He Suichen paused for a moment while holding the white porcelain teacup, and glanced over with deep eyes, saying in a light tone: "It's not very appropriate to call me brother..."
He didn't say what he came to Licheng for, and Gu Yuexin didn't delve into it.
He acted like an elder, and she smiled, "Although you are friends with my fourth uncle, you are much younger than him. I can't call you uncle."
As soon as these words came out, the sound of high heels was heard outside the living room.
Almost in an instant, everyone present looked over and saw Gu Qingwu walk in. She hadn't been home for several years, but she still looked overly beautiful and cold. She didn't say hello to anyone she met, but just looked at them indifferently.
Gu Wenhan was so surprised that he stood up and said, "Why didn't you tell your dad before you came back?"
Gu Qingwu treated the people in the living room as air and threw the bag in her hand onto the sofa casually, right next to He Suichen's legs. Gu Yuexin frowned and said like a sister, "Cousin, your father has guests here."
Gu Qingwu pretended not to be familiar with He Suichen and gave a perfunctory smile: "So it's Uncle He."
It was obvious that she heard what Gu Yuexin said just now.
I don't know who this call of Uncle He is meant to disgust.
He Suichen's eyes were no longer clear, and a slight smile appeared: "Little niece."
Gu Qingwu: “…”
Gu Wenhan didn't notice the undercurrent between the two of them, and his focus was on another matter: "Didn't you say you would bring someone home for the Spring Festival?"
Gu Qingwu: "Oh, did I say that?"
Gu Wenhan was so angry that he was speechless. Gu Yuexin didn't dare to be ignored, so she interrupted with a smile: "Can female celebrities also fall in love? My cousin is now famous all over the streets and alleys. The female secretaries in our company are all crazy about chasing stars. They have to go to Weibo every day to read some entertainment news to kill time."
Gu Qingwu is the only one in the Gu family who refuses to obey discipline. Apart from her, everyone else starts working in the family business after graduation.
Gu Yuexin couldn't tell whether she was jealous or envious, but she had been trying to undermine Gu Qingwu for a long time.
Gu Qingwu was not someone to be trifled with. She sat on He Suichen's sofa with her skirt tangled around his trouser legs. Others did not suspect anything, after all, she was Gu Wenhan's friend, so it was normal for her, as his daughter, to be familiar with him.
Seeing Gu Qingwu's fake smile, the faint mole on her nose made her look innocent: "It's easier for me to fall in love than my cousin. At least if I like a guy, I can just confess my love to him and he will be mine."
Several sisters who were watching the show: "..."
Gu Yuexin's appearance is like her mother's, and she is not as outstanding as her sister in the family. Moreover, she is even more eclipsed by Gu Qingwu, who is a standard beauty. When they quarreled when they were young, she ridiculed Gu Qingwu as a wild child without a mother, while Gu Qingwu ridiculed her as an ugly monster.
When it comes to exposing someone's scars, no one shows mercy.
Seeing that they were about to quarrel, Gu Wenhan stopped them, "We have guests here, is this too polite?"
After that, Gu Qingwu and Gu Yuexin kept silent and spent two hours in peace.
Gu Zhengya, the head of the Gu family, heard that the new patriarch of the He family was visiting their home, so she rushed back specially, along with people from other branches. As a result, the scene was even more lively than when the old lady was present.
The old lady was not at home, so it was Gu Yuexin who said, "Grandma heard that you were coming back for the Spring Festival, and she was afraid that you would make her angry to death, so she went to the temple to recuperate for a few days yesterday."
Gu Qingwu picked up the teacup and took a sip, saying slowly, "Oh."
After she finished drinking, she realized that she had taken the wrong cup, it was He Suichen's.
She raised her thick eyelashes and glanced at him. She saw him calmly holding up her teacup, with a very light lipstick mark on the edge. She drank it without changing her expression.
Gu Qingwu said nothing and continued holding the teacup.
Gu Zhengya was chatting non-stop nearby, and it was obvious that she was very interested in He Suichen. She asked him about his marriage intentionally or unintentionally, but was always suppressed by Gu Wenhan next to her: "Mr. He is newly married."
Gu Zhengya looked at her daughter with a bit of regret. Gu Yuexin had already calmed down and treated He Suichen as a normal man, even addressing him with a respectful title: "Uncle He, please stay for lunch. I find that all the uncles in the family get along well with you."
At the invitation of the Gu family, He Sui Chen stayed for lunch. He chatted and laughed with everyone, and stayed next to Gu Qingwu without saying a word, even taking the seat. His behavior was so natural that no one reacted.
When men talk about business, they always talk a lot and don't care about anything else.
Gu Qingwu buried his head in eating, only eating what was in front of him.
When Gu Wenhan turned around, he happened to see He Suichen put a piece of fish into her bowl with chopsticks. He was stunned for two seconds, feeling that something was wrong. Somehow he recalled that when Gu Qingwu was a child, she was punished by the old lady for being naughty. She had a very stubborn temper like Fu Wanwan, and she would never give in and admit her mistakes even if she gritted her teeth.
At that time, at the dinner table, the little girl just buried her head in eating white rice and did not even use her chopsticks to pick up any vegetables.
Gu Wenhan had just come back from outside and was unaware of the conflict between the grandparents and grandchildren. He just looked at her strangely and later put a piece of braised pork in her small bowl. Gu Qingwu's rice-eating movements froze for a moment, and she suddenly raised her head to look at him, with tears in her beautiful eyes, and soon she lowered her head to eat again.
Gu Wenhan could no longer remember whether she ate the braised pork in the end.
Thinking back on it now, he was filled with mixed emotions. He took the initiative to pick up a piece of braised pork with chopsticks and slowly passed it to Gu Qingwu's bowl, saying with concern, "Eat more meat. Your wrists are so skinny that they look like you have no meat at all. Don't lose weight too much for your career."
I thought it would be a scene of loving father and filial son, but Gu Qingwu took the braised pork away with disgust, without showing any appreciation.
"… "
Gu Wenhan couldn't bear the loss, so he stopped pretending to be a loving father and mentioned the charity project to Gu Zhengya. When no one was paying attention, Gu Qingwu's hand under the table was held by the man's warm hand.
She looked around calmly and saw He Sui Chen chatting calmly with Gu Zhengya, without noticing anything unusual.
But his fingertips touched her white finger bones and were moving down, stopping at her fingertips, pinching them with neither too much nor too little force, as if he were playing with fine porcelain.
In the Gu family, no one knows what the relationship between the two is.
Gu Zhengya would not care about a niece who was in the entertainment industry. Since she came back, she never took the initiative to ask about Gu Qingwu's situation outside. Her attitude was so distant that she didn't seem like a close relative.
So Gu Qingwu was too lazy to formally introduce herself to these uncles and aunts. After having a meal at the Gu family, she didn’t think about staying overnight and got up to go to the bathroom to touch up her makeup.
As soon as I went upstairs, I saw He Sui Chen following me.
The door was closed, isolating the outside world. He wrapped his arms around Gu Qingwu's slender waist and pushed her towards the sink, almost holding her in his arms, and said in a low voice: "Don't you like being at Gu's house? I noticed that you haven't smiled since you came back."
Gu Qingwu couldn't get along with the Gu family. They were like strangers and were far less comfortable than him.
He Suichen put his thin lips close to her ear, his deep eyes filled with tenderness and warmth: "I will go to the study to discuss the marriage with your father later, and then I will take you back to the hotel."
Gu Qingwu raised her eyelashes and placed her palm on his forehead. After noticing the temperature drop, she said, "Brother, I suddenly don't want to introduce you to them."
The Gu family was afraid of having He Sui Chen as their son-in-law, so she changed her mind. She was very reluctant to let He Sui Chen take care of these people for her.
"I'm not favored in the Gu family. You see... the old lady knew I was going home for the Spring Festival, so she went to live in the temple. Gu Zhengya's attitude towards me is not as close as towards you. So it doesn't matter whether I get married or who I marry in the Gu family."
"Green mist..."
Gu Qingwu shook his head and said, "I don't want the Gu family to be in-laws with the He family in name only."
There is no such good thing in the world. When there is profit to be made, you will be recognized as a family member, but when there is no value to be used, they will not care about your life or death.
She thought it was quite boring. Seeing He Suichen frowning, she smiled faintly: "Brother... I want to leave the Gu family now and never come back. Will you take me with you?"
Ten minutes later.
He Sui Chen found an excuse to say goodbye, and he also gave Gu Qingwu a ride, showing great consideration.
This way, Gu Wenhan had no chance to discuss the charity project with him. However, he claimed that he had something to do, so he sent him out the door with regret. He then looked at Gu Qingwu and said, "Your uncle still wants to talk to you. Can you stay a little longer?"
Gu Qingwu stood outside the villa in her high heels. The cold wind blew. She raised her hand to tidy up her messy hair. He Suichen stood beside her calmly. The coldness dissipated a little in an instant. She smiled and said, "What did you say?"
"Your uncle knows a lot of talented young people in business..."
"Gu Wenhan, you should take care of your own business. Don't lose your integrity in your old age."
Gu Qingwu left without any regrets after returning. This time, it was like a clean break with the past.
Watching her slender figure getting into the car from afar, Gu Wenhan still stood there, feeling empty in his heart. He couldn't figure out why it was like this, and he had long been accustomed to the old lady and brother's distant attitude towards his daughter.
Gu Wenhan put his thoughts aside, thinking it was a trivial matter that could not be more ordinary. Just as he was about to turn around and go back into the villa, he inadvertently saw that the car on the side of the street had not yet driven away. His vision through the car window was a little blurry, but he vaguely saw He Suichen carrying Gu Qingwu, who was sitting in the passenger seat, over.
The two of them were kissing silently in this closed carriage, and this scene impacted Gu Wenhan's mind.
After kissing.
He Sui Chen put the person back in the passenger seat and drove away calmly. His movements were so natural that it was obvious that this was not the first time.
It took Gu Wenhan a long time to react. He took out his phone with trembling hands and was a little incoherent when he dialed: "Silly girl, were you kissing He Suichen in the car? When did you do this behind my back..."
Gu Qingwu's fearless voice came, and it was obvious that he didn't take it seriously: "Do I need your consent to have sex with He Suichen?"
"Gu Cuocuo! He's married! He has a legitimate wife!"
"I can wait for him to get divorced..." Gu Qingwu was so angry on the phone that Gu Wenhan almost had a high blood pressure attack. The next second, he hung up the phone.
Inside the car.
He Sui Chen turned his head and saw Gu Qingwu with his face slightly lowered. He dialed the ambulance number with a very calm expression. The address was Gu’s villa.
She did all this with ease, stretched herself, and smiled: "I'm afraid that tomorrow's news will say that the popular female star Gu Qingwu pissed off her father to death. You'd better be filial and call an ambulance for him."
… The relationship between father and daughter ends here at best.
The author has something to say: Xiao Qingwu will not be without her family, so here comes the role of Shen Xingdu~
Two updates in one, good night.