Chapter 5: Guan Yizhou Is Here!

The night was quiet. The voice on the other end of the line, carried on the wind, came through loud and clear to Wen Zhizhi's straining ears—

"Sis, sorry, my phone died."

At the sound of Gu Yan's voice, the knot in Gu Ran's chest finally loosened. Her gaze flicked to Wen Zhizhi's face as she asked, "A-Yan, nothing happened to you, right?"

Gu Yan sounded baffled. "What could possibly happen to me?"

Gu Ran let out a long breath. Good. Nothing had happened.

Wen Zhizhi, still eavesdropping with her ears pricked, frowned.

Why did Gu Yan's voice sound different?

Rougher. Deeper.

But she didn't dwell on it.

She chalked it up to the cold shower.

What actually puzzled her was that Gu Yan hadn't told Gu Ran the truth.

She'd assumed Gu Yan would be just like Gu Chen—relentlessly reporting every detail of her crimes tonight to the Gu family.

She'd braced herself for the fallout.

Instead…

Gu Yan had covered for her…

Was it because…

He was too embarrassed to tell Gu Ran, a girl, about something like drugging someone?

Or because he, a grown man, had been princess-carried by a woman half his size and couldn't stomach the humiliation?

Whatever the reason, Gu Yan had handed her the chance to come clean on her own terms.

Wen Zhizhi's heart, which had been lodged in her throat, settled back into place.

Gu Chen glanced at Wen Zhizhi and spoke before Gu Ran could hang up. "Tell Gu Yan I want to see him at home in half an hour."

He hadn't missed the shifts in Wen Zhizhi's expression.

She was acting far too strange tonight.

She looked guilty—plainly guilty of something.

And whatever she'd done clearly involved A-Yan.

Yet A-Yan's tone gave no indication that Wen Zhizhi was mixed up in it at all.

He needed to get to the bottom of whatever game Wen Zhizhi was playing.

Gu Ran relayed the message. "A-Yan, Big Brother wants you home in thirty minutes."

Gu Yan feared nothing in this world except his cold, inflexible, by-the-book eldest brother.

On any normal day, the moment Gu Chen issued an order, Gu Yan would drop everything and race home without a second thought.

But this time, Gu Yan refused.

"Sis, please tell Big Brother I can't leave yet."

Gu Chen heard the reply. He took the phone from Gu Ran's hand and said, clipped, "Reason?"

Wen Zhizhi didn't catch what Gu Yan said this time.

Gu Chen's presence was simply too overwhelming—she'd instinctively edged away from him.

She did, however, hear Gu Chen's response.

"A-Que's situation is important. Deal with A-Que's business first."

Gu Chen's tone had lost its usual frost. It was noticeably gentler.

Wen Zhizhi was taken aback.

Apart from Gu Ran, she'd never seen anyone else soften Gu Chen's voice like that.

She wondered—was this A-Que a man or a woman?

What was their relationship to Gu Chen?

The novel didn't seem to mention anyone called A-Que…

"Sister, let's head home together!"

Gu Ran's voice pulled Wen Zhizhi from her thoughts.

She looked up. Gu Chen had already finished the call and was back in the car.

Was Gu Ran asking her to ride home in Gu Chen's car?

Wen Zhizhi did not want to sit in Gu Chen's car.

Seeing Gu Chen reminded her of the mortifying incident where the original host had tried to seduce him and gotten caught.

Sure, the original host had done it.

But she was the one left holding the embarrassment.

If she had her way, she'd never lay eyes on Gu Chen again for the rest of her life.

Wen Zhizhi scrambled for an excuse. "Little sister, you two go on ahead. I ate a bit too much tonight—I think I'll walk it off!"

The excuse was paper-thin.

Who in their right mind goes for a digestion stroll at one in the morning?

Gu Ran studied Wen Zhizhi without batting an eye.

If she'd still harbored doubts about Wen Zhizhi's change before, then watching her practically vault three meters away from Big Brother, she was starting to believe it.

Wen Zhizhi really did seem different.

The Wen Zhizhi of before tonight was like a cat that had caught the scent of fish whenever she saw Gu Chen—no matter how cold his face, she'd shamelessly sidle up to him.

But just now, Gu Ran had seen avoidance on Wen Zhizhi's face.

Not the put-on kind.

Gu Ran buried her confusion, ran over to whisper something to Gu Chen, then ran back.

"Big Brother's going to the hospital. I'll walk home with Sister."

Wen Zhizhi asked instinctively, "Your brother's sick?"

Gu Ran blinked, then smiled. "He's not sick. It's Second Brother's friend who's ill. Big Brother's worried, so he wants to check on them at the hospital."

Wen Zhizhi thought of the person who'd made Gu Chen soften his voice—A-Que. "Is it that A-Que who's in the hospital?"

Gu Ran said, "Probably. I'm not really sure."

She'd come back to the Gu household around the same time as Wen Zhizhi. Apart from the relatives and friends who were regulars, she didn't know much about her brothers' social circles.

Wen Zhizhi nodded and said nothing more.

Truthfully, she didn't know what to say.

Gu Ran didn't speak either. The two walked toward the Gu residence, each weighed down by their own thoughts.

Halfway there, Wen Zhizhi broke the silence. "Little sister, I'm planning to go back."

Gu Ran's steps faltered. "Go back? Back where?"

"Back to the countryside!"

Gu Ran was floored. "Why on earth would you go back to the countryside?"

This was so not Wen Zhizhi!

Just days ago, Wen Zhizhi wouldn't leave Beicheng even if someone tried to chase her out.

What was going on tonight?

Had she been possessed?

Or was she cooking up some new scheme?

Gu Ran tested the waters. "Why are you going back all of a sudden?"

Wen Zhizhi said, "I miss my parents!"

Gu Ran: "…"

How novel!

Wen Zhizhi wanted to go back to the countryside because she missed her parents there!

In the half year since she'd come to the Gu family, Wen Zhizhi had never once mentioned her rural parents.

Sometimes when Gu Ran brought them up, Wen Zhizhi would snap at her for being nosy.

Gu Ran had almost started to think Wen Zhizhi had forgotten she even had parents in the countryside.

Had her conscience suddenly woken up tonight?

Gu Ran wasn't buying it.

Wen Zhizhi understood Gu Ran's speechlessness.

The culprit was, once again, the original host.

After arriving at the Gu family, the original host had worried her rural parents would drag down her chances of marrying into wealth. So she'd cut off contact with them and warned them not to reach out.

In the half year since, the original host had never contacted her parents.

And her parents had never contacted her.

What a mess.

Wen Zhizhi said evenly, "I booked a flight back to Huaicheng for tomorrow."

Afraid Gu Ran wouldn't believe her, she pulled out her phone and showed her the booking confirmation.

Gu Ran stared at the screen, her pupils blowing wide…

She'd actually booked a ticket home…

Gu Ran looked at Wen Zhizhi, her expression complicated. "Did something happen? Are you in some kind of trouble?"

Apart from that, she couldn't think of a single other reason.

Wen Zhizhi shook her head, then nodded.

She was in trouble, all right.

Life-or-death trouble.

But now… it didn't seem quite so bad anymore.

Gu Ran: "…"

Of course!

She knew Wen Zhizhi wouldn't leave Beicheng for no reason.

She just didn't know what mess Wen Zhizhi had landed herself in this time.

The sliver of hope that had just begun to sprout in Gu Ran's chest crumbled to ash in an instant.

Wen Zhizhi caught the disappointment in Gu Ran's eyes. She cleared her throat. "Actually, it's not that serious."

Compared to seducing Gu Chen or drugging Gu Yan…

Considering she'd seen the error of her ways and was trying to make amends, it really wasn't that serious.

Gu Ran asked, exhausted, "What exactly is this trouble you're in?"