Chapter 62

Ling Yu leaned close to Gu Qing’s ear and whispered, their faces so near that strands of their hair tangled together.

It was an extremely intimate posture. Yet from an outsider’s perspective, Ling Yu appeared to be the only one awkwardly forcing a conversation.

No one knew what unpleasant things she had said, but Gu Qing’s expression became exceedingly grim.

Gu Bingkang and his wife secretly exchanged a glance. Only then did the suspicion on their faces slowly disappear.

Everyone at the table watched with interest, waiting for the gaudily dressed Ling Yu to anger Gu Qing completely.

Only Gu Xiu sat nearby, looking worried.

She repeatedly signaled Ling Yu with her eyes, trying to tell her to stop provoking Gu Qing.

But Gu Qing’s back seemed to possess a consciousness of its own. Every time Gu Xiu attempted to catch Ling Yu’s eye, Gu Qing perfectly blocked her line of sight, denying her every opportunity to communicate.

Gu Xiu silently cursed Gu Qing from head to toe.

When she saw Fifth Uncle Gu returning with the calligraphy, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, Second Uncle Gu turned his attention toward Ling Yu.

He was a visiting professor in the University of Gangcheng’s literature department.

After hearing Fifth Uncle Gu say that Ling Yu would soon join the university faculty, he disapproved somewhat of her clothing and makeup but still became interested in testing her knowledge.

“Your name is Ling Yu?”

Ling Yu’s heart jolted.

She had forgotten all about Gu Bingcheng.

They had met briefly at H University two years ago, when Second Uncle Gu had considered taking her as his disciple.

One of her professors at H University had even introduced her academic profile to this highly respected figure in literary circles.

This was perfect.

At a single family dinner, one acquaintance after another had appeared, leaving her surrounded by enemies on all sides.

Ling Yu’s first reaction was to faint.

But just as her eyes began rolling upward, Fifth Uncle Gu approached from the right.

He leaned over her, intending to spread out the calligraphy and have her offer a few casual compliments.

Upon hearing Gu Bingcheng’s question, Gu Bingtao turned and answered on Ling Yu’s behalf.

He failed to notice Ling Yu’s immediate resistance and brought his body closer and closer.

The pungent scent of men’s cologne assaulted her nose.

Ling Yu reflexively lifted her foot, but before she read the original at bailiantales.com could act, Gu Qing and Gu Xiu stood simultaneously.

Gu Qing scraped her chair backward and rose.

With one empty seat between them, the chair suddenly tipped sideways.

Gu Xiu had intended to step forward and stop Fifth Uncle Gu, but her calf caught against the chair. She pitched forward headfirst and fell directly toward him.

Fifth Uncle Gu cried out and instinctively caught her.

Ling Yu’s extended leg slowly withdrew.

After this interruption, everyone’s attention shifted to Gu Xiu.

Second Madam Gu asked with concern, “Second Niece, are you hurt?”

“How could she be hurt? She’s a monkey, always jumping around. She was simply performing a grand salute for her fifth uncle.”

Third Madam Gu smiled and casually dismissed her daughter’s inappropriate clumsiness.

She secretly glared at Gu Xiu. After confirming that she wasn’t injured, she turned toward Old Master Gu with a smile.

“Apologize to your granduncle. You’re a young lady of the Gu family, yet you behave so rashly, without the slightest dignity.”

Old Master Gu waved his hand.

“It’s nothing.”

He seemingly glanced toward Fifth Uncle Gu by accident.

Then his inquisitive gaze settled upon Ling Yu.

Gu Qinglang studied her for a moment before asking casually, “Since the young lady has studied calligraphy and painting, tell me what is good about the work before you.”

Ling Yu was currently signaling to Gu Qing, thanking her for honoring their agreement and helping her.

Abruptly sensing a sharp gaze from above, she paused and slowly raised her head.

Old Master Gu wore a Tang-style jacket. Since the beginning of dinner, he had behaved like an extremely amiable elder, causing Ling Yu to temporarily overlook his presence.

But now, his aged eyes rested upon her with the undiminished pressure accumulated through decades in a position of authority.

It was as though Old Master Gu had abruptly begun examining her with great severity.

But that made no sense.

A person of Gu Qinglang’s status would never bother arguing with a young delinquent dressed like Ling Yu tonight.

It wasn’t that the old man was arrogant. His position as the family patriarch simply placed him far above such behavior.

To an elderly man, Ling Yu’s clothing and makeup were profoundly disrespectful.

Ling Yu had always intended to remain far from the Gu family, so she had calculated from the beginning that Old Master Gu wouldn’t concern himself with her.

Who could have anticipated that he would suddenly behave unpredictably?

Unable to determine his intentions, Ling Yu considered her response.

At the same time, Gu Qing stood nearby. Her long lashes trembled as she raised her head and met the old man’s gaze for one second.

Seeing that Gu Qing intended to intervene, Old Master Gu tapped his cane lightly against the floor.

It was a warning.

Gu Qing understood it, and the other younger family members grasped at least part of its meaning.

The dining room became silent.

Beside Ling Yu, Fifth Uncle Gu shrank his neck and stared downward, showing no intention of rescuing her.

Naturally, Ling Yu hadn’t expected him to.

She was about to speak and bluff her way through the question when Gu Xiu—who [read the original at bailiantales.com]had just been helped upright by a housekeeper—interjected without the slightest emotional intelligence.

“Ling Yu is extremely talented.”

She failed to notice the sudden change in Third Madam Gu’s expression and continued praising her without restraint.

“Ling Yu was quite famous at TJ University. I don’t know the full extent of her accomplishments because we weren’t in the same department, but she and I…”

Gu Xiu paused after receiving a murderous glare from Ling Yu.

Only then did she remember that Ling Yu was currently pretending to be ugly.

She hastily changed direction.

“I remember that last year, one of Ling Yu’s small-script calligraphy pieces sold for a hundred thousand at a Chinese charity gala in Country M.”

Ling Yu went numb.

Gu Xiu’s mouth was like a broken bellows that couldn’t be sealed. Once she started spilling infor bailiantales.com mation, no one could stop her.

She exposed Ling Yu’s background so rapidly that the entire Gu family, including Fifth Uncle Gu, failed to react.

Old Master Gu gave Gu Qing a meaningful look.

The little old man bristled, and his sharp gaze scraped across his granddaughter’s face like a blade.

Gu Qing narrowed her eyes and imperceptibly moved two steps closer to Ling Yu.

While confronting the old man, she didn’t forget to block the probing gazes of the Gu family from reaching her wife.

Seeing his biological granddaughter’s instinctive protectiveness, Old Master Gu snorted.

When he turned toward Ling Yu again, his gaze had become considerably gentler—benevolent and amiable.

Ling Yu: “…”

She shuddered.

Could Old Master Gu truly be prepared to let her enter the family merely because of Gu Xiu’s brief praise?

Was he permitting her to marry Fifth Uncle Gu?

Ling Yu glared at Gu Qing, practically writing the word useless in her eyes.

I told you to restrain Gu Xiu. Why did you stand up?

Didn’t you understand your mission tonight?

Now look what happened. It isn’t me demanding that you call me Fifth Aunt—your grandfather is about to make you do it.

Ling Yu remained completely unaware that her reasoning was flawed.

If the matter wasn’t resolved, then Gu Qing obviously hadn’t worked hard enough.

With that thought, Ling Yu seized Gu Qing’s hand beneath the table. Concealed by the hanging tablecloth, she wrote three words heavily across her palm.

You fix it.

Gu Qing stared at Ling Yu’s widened eyes for three full seconds without speaking.

When Gu Qing ignored her, Ling Yu became even angrier and prepared to terminate their friendly cooperation.

The next instant, a cool sensation touched her palm.

Gu Qing’s finger gently traced across it, imitating Ling Yu’s method of writing. Her fingertip was damp with sweat.

Ling Yu uncomfortably curled her fingers.

But seeing that Gu Qing was carefully writing a proposed solution stroke by stroke, she allowed the woman to continue holding her hand.

Gu Qing wrote:

[What do you think of Grandfather’s calligraphy?]

Ling Yu lowered her gaze to the regular-script calligraphy on the table.

The rice paper contained only five large characters:

Harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things.

The brushwork was vigorous, with pressure alternating between light and heavy.

But that wasn’t its defining quality.

The crucial feature was the ending of each stroke, which displayed graceful freedom and effortless control.

Ling Yu thought for two seconds, then wrote a passage across Gu Qing’s palm.

Meanwhile, Gu Xiu’s mouth continued operating like a machine gun, exposing everything she knew about Ling Yu.

Interest deepened in the old man’s eyes.

The Gu family’s gazes toward Ling Yu gained varying degrees of curiosity. Even Fifth Uncle Gu appeared shocked.

Gu Xiu glanced around the table.

“Xiu’er, how do you know so much about Yu Yu? Did you know each other before?”

“We did—no, we didn’t.”

Gu Xiu corrected herself after receiving another death glare from Ling Yu.

Only then did she remember that Ling Yu had been brought home by Fifth Uncle.

She felt uncomfortable.

After failing to recognize Ling Yu earlier, admitting their acquaintance now would cause the family to suspect that Ling Yu had deliberately disguised herself tonight.

Frankly, Gu Xiu desperately wanted Ling Yu to appear as ugly as possible. She wanted to prevent ​bailiantales.com​Fifth Uncle from marrying her at any cost.

After weighing her options, Gu Xiu jokingly added, “Yu Yu was extremely popular at university. I had a crush on her, so naturally, I learned quite a lot about her.”

Gu Xiu delivered the excuse smoothly.

The truth was that the way she looked at Ling Yu made it impossible to doubt her.

Second Sister-in-law Gu exclaimed softly and looked at Third Madam Gu.

Sitting against the light, Third Madam Gu’s beautifully made-up face had become exceedingly long.

Second Madam Gu asked, “Do you still have a crush on her?”

Before Gu Xiu could answer, Third Madam Gu abruptly raised her sharp gaze toward her daughter and scolded her lightly.

“You little monkey. Be careful, or your fifth uncle will beat you.”

Gu Xiu thoughtlessly retorted, “Why would—”

“That’s enough. Stop exaggerating her virtues.”

Gu Qing abruptly spoke and gave Gu Xiu a warning glance.

Then she casually focused her gaze upon Ling Yu’s face.

“You’ve praised her so highly that she must have some knowledge in her head. Conveniently, everyone here is interested in her, and Grandfather wishes to hear her opinion of the calligraphy.”

Gu Qing continued, “Tell us. What do you think of this work?”

Ling Yu: “???”

Damn it. Are you serious?

Weren’t you supposed to solve this problem?

And your solution is to make me answer?

Had everyone not been watching, Ling Yu would have strangled her.

At that moment, however, something hooked lightly against her palm.

Ling Yu blinked.

She received Gu Qing’s message:

[Pretend.]

At first, she didn’t understand.

Then she looked into Gu Qing’s impatient blue eyes and blinked again.

The woman’s little finger was still tracing against her palm.

Oh.

She understood!

Ling Yu widened her smile and patted her chest as she giggled at the old man.

“Eldest Brother, my talent is only ordinary. Just ordinarily excellent.”

“These five characters on the rice paper look like delicate small-script calligraphy to me. The handwriting is graceful. Good! Truly good! Exceptionally good!”

Gu Xiu froze.

Fifth Uncle Gu froze.

Almost every younger member of the Gu family froze.

“Did you genuinely receive an offer from the University of Gangcheng?”

Gu Bingcheng spoke first, his expression frighteningly stern.

He had initially thought Ling Yu’s name sounded familiar.

But judging from the literary knowledge the young woman currently displayed, allowing her to teach at the University of Gangcheng would be irresponsible. Even appointing her as a kindergarten teacher would harm her students.

The old man’s calligraphy was clearly structured in the rigorous Liu style.

Gu Bingcheng couldn’t yet articulate precisely what made it exceptional, but anyone with the slightest understanding of calligraphy would never confuse delicate small script with vigorous Liu-style regular script.

It was an insult to the art of calligraphy.

After teaching for so many years, Gu Bingcheng decided for the first time to contact the university’s academic-affairs office and verify its faculty recruitment list.

He intended to remove this young woman, who had somehow obtained a position through improper connections.

Just as he prepared to reprimand her further, Gu Qing spoke in her usual cool, detached voice.

She glanced lightly at Gu Xiu.

“How much did she secretly pay you to act as her accomplice?”

Gu Xiu: “…”

“Grandfather.”

Gu Qing gave Second Uncle Gu no opportunity to continue.

She picked up the calligraphy before Ling Yu and said to the old man, “I examined it carefully again and gained a new understanding. I’m not certain whether my interpretation is correct.”

Old Master Gu glanced at Ling Yu.

The little old man thought, You’re conspiring to deceive me.

Moments ago, Gu Qing had claimed not to understand.

Now, after secretly stroking her wife’s palm beneath the table, she suddenly understood everything.

He narrowed his eyes at his scheming granddaughter, feeling deeply troubled.

Then he turned toward Ling Yu.

At least this young woman was more pleasing to the eye…

Old Master Gu’s gaze touched Ling Yu’s panda eyes, and he swallowed the thought.

He snorted expressionlessly at Gu Qing.

“Speak.”

“The quality of Grandfather’s work lies in…”

Gu Qing paused and repeated her wife’s words.

“It knows when to bend and when to stand firm. It advances and withdraws freely. While writing it, your heart must have been unrestrained, because bailiantales.comyou had finally understood what to keep and what to relinquish.”

The old man froze.

This time, he was genuinely stunned.

The final sentence in particular—you understood what to keep and what to relinquish—struck directly at his heart.

For a long time, one problem had troubled him.

He feared that if he purged Third Uncle Gu’s faction, the Gu family’s foundations would also be shaken.

The Gu family had stood as Gangcheng’s wealthiest clan for many years. It was cold and precarious at the summit.

But there was a difference between allowing others to step above them and voluntarily descending.

Gu Qinglang had always hesitated over what to preserve and what to sacrifice.

Unexpectedly, a young woman had directly identified the problem.

Old Master Gu remained silent for a long time.

Just as Third Madam Gu became restless and prepared to smooth things over, he examined Ling Yu carefully.

Then he said meaningfully, “Don’t call me Eldest Brother in the future. Call me Grandfather.”

Ling Yu failed to understand the true significance of this address.

She merely assumed the old man was refusing to acknowledge her as Fifth Uncle Gu’s fiancée.

Secretly giving Gu Qing a thumbs-up, she then exclaimed theatrically and looked mournfully at Fifth Uncle Gu.

Gu Bingtao’s head ached.

The old man had spoken so clearly that he obviously refused to recognize Ling Yu’s status.

Gu Bingtao no longer needed to wonder whether his remaining plans would fail.

Across the table, Third Uncle Gu’s face was equally dark.

Unexpectedly, after the family dinner ended, the old man still gave Gu Bingtao a position.

It wasn’t a senior role within the group, but he became the office director of a small subsidiary and would manage around a dozen people.

The outcome fell far short of his expectations.

At the same time, he had no justification for begging the old man to reconsider.

After the banquet, Gu Bingtao’s face was black with anger. He didn’t even want to drive Ling Yu home.

Gu Xiu eagerly volunteered.

Unfortunately, Third Madam Gu seized her by the collar and forcibly dragged her back into the house.

Before leaving, she gave Ling Yu a meaningful warning.

“You’re remarkably capable.”

The smile on Ling Yu’s face gradually became shy.

“Oh, thank you for the compliment, Third Sister-in-law. I already know I’m capable. But praising me so openly makes me terribly embarrassed.”

Third Madam Gu choked.

Her daughter was alternative and enjoyed performance art, but she knew her own child. Gu Xiu understood boundaries.

Third Madam Gu truly couldn’t comprehend how her daughter had fallen for such a vulgar woman.

Her heart felt unbearably congested, especially since the other person couldn’t understand a normal human warning.

When Third Madam Gu met Ling Yu’s panda eyes, cracks nearly appeared across her face.

She turned around in frustration.

Unable to threaten this simple-minded delinquent, she could only add the grievance to Fifth Uncle Gu’s account.

The Gu family villa stood in the Nanshan district, far from the city center. Most of the mountain roads were difficult for taxis to access.

When Ling Yu left the villa, Gu Qing was leaning against the door of her limited-edition Porsche, which was parked beneath a streetlight.

The light stretched her slender silhouette into a long, straight line.

Her chestnut curls seemed to have grown longer, extending past her waist and covering the curves below it.

Gu Qing stood sideways, holding something long between her fingers.

Ling Yu initially thought she was smoking.

On closer inspection, however, Gu Qing’s pale lips held a thin biscuit stick. Her lips were slightly pursed around it, appearing exceptionally sensual beneath the light.

Ling Yu watched for a moment, then calmly looked away and continued walking.

Their cooperation had ended with the banquet.

As she walked, Ling Yu considered whom she could call for emergency assistance.

But Gangcheng wasn’t Jiangcheng.

For a moment, she genuinely couldn’t think of anyone who could come and collect her.

Distracted by her thoughts, she soon walked past Gu Qing beneath the streetlight.

She noticed Gu Qing glance at her.

For one moment, Ling Yu considered asking for help.

But then she remembered how late it was. They were two women alone at night. If Ling Yu made such a request, Gu Qing might once again misunderstand and assume she deliberately wanted to sleep with her.

Ling Yu therefore remained silent.

There was nothing for them to discuss anyway.

She strode past Gu Qing on her long legs.

Suddenly, the woman seized her arm from behind.

“Did you not see me?”

Gu Qing sounded furious.

“I saw you,” Ling Yu replied.

Gu Qing stared into Ling Yu’s eyes for three seconds.

Her wife would rather walk thirty kilometers down the mountain than ask Gu Qing for help.

Upon understanding this, Gu Qing abruptly felt wronged.

Clenching her teeth, she said softly, “There’s no need to protest too much by pretending not to see me.”

“Acting like this will only make me think you care about me. It’s unnecessary.”

Gu Qing’s long lashes trembled.

Her words were as unpleasant as ever, and she appeared unbearably arrogant.

But…

She also looked faintly hurt.

Ling Yu didn’t care about Attorney Gu’s inexplicable sorrow.

Her words were too unpleasant. Ling Yu no longer liked her, so why should she continue indulging her?

Her face fell.

“I believe it’s extremely necessary. Maintaining an appropriate distance from unfriendly people helps me relax.”

The implication was obvious.

Gu Qing’s proximity made her uncomfortable.

Gu Qing: “…”

Ling Yu didn’t want to argue.

She still faced a long journey tonight and intended to conserve her strength.

She pried Gu Qing’s fingers from her arm and took only two steps before the woman called from behind again.

“Ling Yu.”

Ling Yu stopped but didn’t turn around.

Yawning sleepily, she answered, “Yes?”

Gu Qing lowered her eyes.

“Do you remember the road down the mountain?”

“Of course. There’s only one mountain road. If I didn’t remember it, how would I get home?”

Gu Qing nodded and said without changing her expression,

“I don’t remember.”

Ling Yu was about to say, What does that have to do with me?

But the next instant, Gu Qing lightly tugged her elbow again.

This time, her touch was considerably gentler.

The woman stood beneath the streetlight, her features softened by an orange glow.

Ling Yu paused.

Then she heard Gu Qing sigh helplessly.

“Could you help me too? I don’t remember the way home.”