Chapter 6

When Gu Shuge was little, she loved eating candy.

At that time, English names were in fashion, and her mother said that based on that, she could give her an entire set of names: her nickname would be Gu Tiantian, her proper name would be Gu Shuge, and her English name would be Sugar.

Because this set of names had been chosen far too casually, after Father Gu protested, only the proper name Gu Shuge was kept. But when Gu Shuge was still young and ignorant, she had actually thought Gu Tiantian sounded quite nice too. The moment people heard it, they would know she was delicious.

The sweetness of candy did not last through her entire childhood. When she was eight, her father and mother died in a plane crash, and the pillar holding up the Gu family collapsed all at once. As the eldest son of the Gu family, Gu Yi’an was forced to grow up and face that group of greedy uncles.

Even now, Gu Shuge would often think that if Shen Juan had not been there, and it had only been her and Gu Yi’an, their lives would probably have been even harder.

Shen Juan was the child of an old family friend. When Gu Shuge was born, Shen Juan had already been in the Gu family. Her parents had passed away from illness, and her family property had been fought over by relatives until it was scattered to pieces. Only one orphaned girl remained. Father Gu brought her back to the Gu family and treated her as his own.

She was the same age as Gu Yi’an, while Gu Shuge was seven years younger than her. Ever since she was little, Gu Shuge had felt that Shen Juan was very powerful. Gu Yi’an had inherited their father’s talent for business and grew up very quickly. Within a few years, he was able to handle things on his own. But Shen Juan was even better than him at socializing, and when it came to business matters, she handled them with even greater ease.

Because Gu Shuge was young and still knew nothing, Gu Yi’an, as her older brother, had no choice but to divide a great deal of his energy to care for her. But in the end, he was still a boy, and there were inevitably many inconvenient areas. So before long, the heavy responsibility of taking care of her also fell onto Shen Juan.

Gu Shuge liked Shen Juan very much. When she was little, she called her elder sister. When she grew a little older, she called her Sister. Even later, after Shen Juan married her older brother, Gu Shuge still never changed how she addressed her.

But Shen Juan would never care about such things.

Gu Shuge always felt that Shen Juan had no bottom line when it came to her. Shen Juan treated her especially well. In particular, after she turned sixteen, Shen Juan’s concern for her had nearly reached the point of covering every aspect of her life. Even the way Shen Juan looked at her was especially gentle.

So much so that Gu Shuge had actually developed other feelings, thinking that Shen Juan felt the same way about her.

Until four years ago, when she was eighteen, and unintentionally heard Gu Yi’an proposing to Shen Juan.

It had happened to be late September. She had gotten into a university in the same city and begun her college life. Since home was nearby, she did not live on campus. That afternoon, she had arranged to have dinner with Shen Juan.

At eighteen, she was at exactly the age when she cared most about her image. Even though they saw each other every day, she still paid great attention to everything she said and did in front of Shen Juan—from something as major as her clothes to something as small as an earring. She could even spend half a day choosing a lipstick shade.

So that day, she skipped her afternoon classes and came home early, wanting to change into a different outfit.

She walked into the house. When she passed by the study, she heard Gu Yi’an’s and Shen Juan’s voices coming from inside.

Both of them were very busy people. On weekday afternoons, they were usually impossible to find at home. She found it strange, but did not think too much about it. She was about to push the door open and scare them when, just as her hand was about to press against the door, she heard her older brother say with a smile, “Then why don’t you marry me?”

In that instant, she felt as if all the blood in her body had rushed into her head. Her ears buzzed, as if she could no longer hear anything. Shen Juan’s voice came through clearly. She was not laughing, but her tone was still very relaxed as she said, “Can you take my troubles seriously?”

“I am serious. I’ve thought about it for [read the original at bailiantales.com]a long time. If you marry me and I marry you, that would be the best choice.”

“Yi’an…”

“We’re already family to begin with. Marrying me would only make our relationship closer, that’s all. Nothing else would change. Think about it. Are you repulsed by me?”

Gu Shuge held her breath. Shen Juan did not answer immediately. She was silent for a long time. Gu Shuge’s heart, along with her silence, cooled little by little, as if a piece of ice had been embedded in her chest.

“I’ll think about it,” Shen Juan said softly and gently.

“Then think about it. Once you have an answer, tell me right away. As for Xiao Ge, I’ll talk to her.” Her brother’s voice was full of pleasure, as if he was already certain of Shen Juan’s answer.

The sound of a chair being pushed back came from inside. Gu Shuge instinctively hid, slipping into the room next door. The footsteps outside were clear. Gu Yi’an left, while Shen Juan remained in the study.

Gu Shuge leaned against the wall and slowly slid down to the floor. Her mind was filled entirely with the conversation Gu Yi’an and Shen Juan had just had. She took apart every word they said, broke it into pieces, and went over it again and again. She even recalled their tones countless times. The conclusion she finally reached was that she had been wrong. Shen Juan’s feelings for her were not what she had imagined.

She did not know how long she sat on the floor. The phone in her pocket vibrated once. Lost and dazed, she took it out and saw the screen. It was a WeChat message from Shen Juan.

Her heart gave a sharp throb.

“Where are you? Is the road congested?”

Gu Shuge stared at her phone for a very long time. Only after a while did she type a reply.

“I have something to do. I’m not coming back.”

There was movement next door. Footsteps sounded, one after another, passing through the study door and growing farther away. Shen Juan had gone out.

Gu Shuge braced herself against the wall and stood up. Her legs had gone numb, but strangely, she did not feel any pain. Slowly, she returned to her room, took a shower, and lay down on the bed. Her mind was heavy and muddled. She did not want to think about anything, but every bit of Shen Juan’s kindness toward her stubbornly surfaced.

Shen Juan really had treated her so well. The year her parents had just passed away, Gu Shuge was eight, and Shen Juan was only fifteen. Yet Shen Juan had taken on the responsibility of caring for her. How troublesome and willful could an eight-year-old child be? Even when Gu Shuge thought back on it herself, she would blush. But Shen Juan had never once lost her temper at her. She had not even said a single harsh word.

Her schoolwork had been tutored by Shen Juan. Her parent-teacher meetings had been attended by Shen Juan. Shen Juan had sent her onto the bus for summer camp. When she failed an exam, Shen Juan comforted her and explained each wrong answer to her one by one. When she had conflicts with classmates, Shen Juan went in her place to explain things and taught her how to reconcile with others in a way that would not leave either side embarrassed.

She did not know when those vague, innocent feelings had first begun.

It was not that she had never struggled. After all, Shen Juan was such an outstanding person. Whatever she did, she did it best, and she was so beautiful too. Meanwhile, Gu Shuge had only just reached adulthood and was still on campus, an ordinary student with nothing dazzling about her.

But she thought that if Shen Juan liked her too, then perhaps the gap between them would not matter so much. After all, she was working hard too. A gap could be narrowed.

She lay there with her eyes open, staring at the chandelier above her. Night fell before she knew it, and the bedroom [stolen content]sank into darkness. The streetlights shone in through the window screen.

Her phone rang.

She did not want to answer. The person on the other end seemed to know what she was thinking and very considerately hung up.

Gu Shuge turned her head and saw the photo frame on her bedside table. It was a photo of Shen Juan, taken the year Shen Juan graduated from university. She was wearing a bachelor’s gown and standing in front of the school library. Her smile was quiet and refined as she looked into the camera, her eyes like a pool of spring water, clear and gentle.

Gu Shuge had taken that photo. After printing it out, she had placed it by her bed. She had also taken many other photos of Shen Juan, some with her phone and some with a camera, so many that a single album could not fit them all. At first, when Shen Juan noticed the lens, she would freeze for a moment, then smile at her. Later, she grew used to it and would only look at her gently, never once stopping her.

It was probably precisely because of this kind of warm indulgence and affection that Gu Shuge had misunderstood.

After who knew how much more time passed, the phone rang again. This time, the person on the other end was especially persistent. Gu Shuge answered and placed it by her ear. Shen Juan’s voice came through the receiver. As always, Gu Shuge’s heart stirred. Just hearing Shen Juan’s voice made her heartbeat quicken by several beats.

“Xiao Ge?” Shen Juan’s voice came with the sound of wind.

Gu Shuge wondered where she was. Had she gone to the restaurant they had agreed on? Gu Shuge had originally planned to confess to Shen Juan today.

When Shen Juan did not hear her answer, she called her name again.

Gu Shuge’s eyes instantly filled with tears. [unauthorized copy]She hurriedly wiped them away with the back of her hand and softly gave an “Mm.”

Hearing her voice, Shen Juan’s tone relaxed, and she asked with a smile, “Are you done with your work? I’m waiting outside your school.”

Her throat tightened at once. She could not speak, nor did she dare to. She was afraid that the moment she opened her mouth, she would choke up. Gu Shuge’s eyes stayed fixed on the photo by her bed as tears slid down from the corners of her eyes. She tried hard to regulate her emotions, wanting at least to get through this call, but the tears only grew more and more.

After waiting for a while, concern entered Shen Juan’s voice. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

She could not stay silent any longer. Gu Shuge took a deep breath and did everything she could to remain calm. “I…” Her voice carried a nasal sound. The moment she said a single word, she knew Shen Juan had definitely noticed something was wrong. She pressed her lips together and continued, “I’m fine.”

Shen Juan did not speak immediately. After a short while, she asked, “What happened?” Her tone was warm and gentle, showing none of the strength she displayed at the company.

Every time Gu Shuge heard her voice, she would feel so sweet inside. Even now, she still wanted to hear Shen Juan speak a little more with her. She felt embarrassed and found an excuse to brush it off. “I miss Mom and Dad.”

She did not know whether Shen Juan believed her. Most likely, she did not. After all, Shen Juan was so perceptive. After all, Shen Juan understood her so well. How could she fail to hear that Gu Shuge was lying? But Gu Shuge could no longer care about that much.

After Gu Shuge said happy birthday, she shifted her gaze away, no longer daring to look directly at Shen Juan.

Four years ago, the way she had chosen to deal with it was to leave. Once there was distance, once enough time passed, feelings would eventually fade. Four years had passed, and she knew she had not succeeded. Shen Juan had never held a wedding with her older brother. They had only registered their marriage. Two years ago, her brother developed liver cancer. From discovery to passing, it had taken no more than a week, so fast that no one had time to react.

Her brother’s inheritance should originally have all gone to Shen Juan as his spouse, but Shen Juan did not take a single cent. She transferred all of it into Gu Shuge’s [bailiantales.com]name, keeping only half the ownership of this house.

There were still two minutes left before midnight. Gu Shuge stood up. The most important thing now was how to let Shen Juan know about the previous “fatal calamity” she had encountered. With the two accidents added together, it could be concluded that someone was designing all of this from behind the scenes. She did not know what the mastermind’s goal was. If they were only targeting her, then that would still be all right. What she feared was that Shen Juan might be dragged into it too.

Some of the methods for communicating with ghosts that she had seen before in books, films, and television dramas appeared in Gu Shuge’s mind. She began considering which ones were more reliable and worth trying.

Shen Juan stood up. There were still tear stains on her face, and her gaze was silent and still. She took a step and walked toward the staircase.

Gu Shuge did not follow. She thought it would be better for her to stay downstairs.

When Shen Juan reached the stairs, she stopped. Gu Shuge did not understand why and looked over at her.

Shen Juan turned around, her gaze looking straight in Gu Shuge’s direction, straight into her eyes. Gu Shuge sucked in a cold breath.

Shen Juan looked toward her for a while, then slowly walked over and stopped in front of her. Gu Shuge’s entire ghostly self went rigid. She held her breath, not daring to move at all.

Shen Juan parted her lips slightly, just as she had countless times before when calling Gu Shuge’s name, and said, “Xiao Ge.”

Gu Shuge’s eyes widened.

In that instant, she felt as if she were about to be scared back into having a physical body.