In the midst of waiting and anxiety, Li Tangli finally received word from Ji Jiayu.
Once in the car and face to face, Ji Jiayu didn’t mention a single word about the “breakup.”
So was it just going to be smoothed over like that?
But for some reason, an uneasy feeling still coiled in her chest.
The reception Li Tangli received when she stepped into the Gu family’s old residence this time was worlds apart from the first.
The one who opened the door was still Gu Shufeng. But this time, Gu Shufeng only smiled at her, saying kindly, “Miss Li, come in.”
Gu Yuqin had been waiting eagerly, ears pricked for any sound outside the door. The moment she saw Li Tangli, she waved excitedly.
“Finally, you’re here.”
Li Tangli bent down to pick up the thin blanket that had slipped off the wheelchair, patted the dust off it, and draped it back over her legs. “Yuqin, are you out of the hospital?”
Gu Yuqin, acting familiar without any hesitation, seized her hand, fingers slipping between hers—still ice-cold.
“Discharged just a few days ago. Can I call you Tangli?”
“Of course.”
Li Tangli could only take this as Gu Yuqin’s way of showing closeness and let her have her way—there was no getting free anyway.
She listened to Gu Yuqin complain: “It’s so boring staying in the hospital, no one to talk to. I wanted to hire you as my caretaker, but they wouldn’t agree. Tangli, would you be willing to be my caretaker? The pay is really good, my family’s loaded.”
A caretaker?
Though momentarily tempted by the generous pay, Li Tangli quickly came to her senses about her own limits.
Taking care of her mother was one thing, but she definitely couldn’t match a trained professional caregiver. Not without some regret, she demurred, “I don’t have much experience, I’m afraid I wouldn’t take good care of you.”
Gu Yuqin tilted her head and said bluntly, “What does that matter? You wouldn’t actually have to do any of that stuff.”
Li Tangli was stunned for a moment before she caught the implication.
Put plainly, Gu Yuqin had never really meant to hire her as a proper caretaker—she just wanted a playmate, and Li Tangli happened to catch her eye at this particular juncture.
Just as Li Tangli was struggling for a way out, a familiar voice came from above: “Gu Yuqin, why do you keep pestering her? She has a job, when does she have time to fool around with you every day?”
She looked up to see a tall man standing on the second floor, no telling how long he’d been watching them.
Ah, Mr. Gu was here too.
It made sense for Gu Zhi to be at the Gu family’s old residence. But the moment Li Tangli saw him, the memory of herself sobbing pathetically in the car that day surfaced in her mind.
She called out to him, somewhat awkwardly: “Mr. Gu.”
Gu Yuqin muttered discontentedly, “Why are you being so polite with him? Call him Uncle Gu!” — Black Lotus novel Novel Site | BlackLotusNovel
Gu Zhi ignored his sister’s temper and asked Li Tangli directly, “So, is your cold better?”
Her breath caught. Even across that distance, Li Tangli couldn’t make out his expression clearly, but she knew those deep gray eyes were fixed on her, waiting for her answer.
Gu Zhi’s question came out too naturally. In truth, it was nothing more than an ordinary expression of concern.
But between two people like Gu Zhi and Li Tangli, who by rights should be barely more familiar than strangers, it became difficult to read.
It drew glances from everyone else, including Ji Jiayu beside her.
“It’s nothing now.”
Her face flushed for no clear reason, her voice dropping low, her lips pressing together as if she were a thief caught guilty over something stolen.
Though Ji Jiayu was sitting beside Li Tangli, he’d been absorbed the whole time in his phone, typing away and chatting, a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, exchanging idle words with her now and then.
Only when he heard Gu Zhi’s greeting did he finally look up, hesitating as he glanced between Gu Zhi and Li Tangli.
Just as he was about to speak, Gu Zhi cut off his question: “Ji Jiayu, come up here, I need to talk to you.”
Having been reprimanded by Gu Zhi, Ji Jiayu wasn’t in the mood to stay downstairs anymore. Since there was still some time left, Gu Yuqin simply dragged Li Tangli off to play on the rooftop.
Once in the study, Gu Zhi was in no hurry to speak.
Ji Jiayu kept glancing at his phone, unable to sit still, and got straight to the point: “Uncle, what did you call me up here for?”
There was a restless air about his brow. Gu Zhi hadn’t seen his nephew in a few days, and something seemed off—the more he looked, the less he liked what he saw.
“Forcing your girlfriend into a pool and then walking off without a backward glance—I don’t believe I ever taught you that, Ji Jiayu.”
Ji Jiayu looked somewhat startled. “How do you know about that?”
Gu Zhi fixed him with a cold stare. “Does it matter how I know? You said it offhand, and never imagined she’d actually take it seriously?”
Ji Jiayu fell silent for a moment. Only belatedly did it occur to him—surely Li Tangli wasn’t foolish enough to stay soaking in the water just because of one angry remark?
A flicker of guilt crossed his face, but he refused to show weakness in front of his uncle. “So what?”
Gu Zhi’s expression darkened. “Have you degenerated to the point you can’t even speak properly anymore?”
Word led to word, and an inexplicable anger rose in Ji Jiayu. “It was you who stopped me from being with her before, and now you’re blaming me. Listen well—I brought up breaking up, and it was she who begged me not to, who jumped in of her own free will. I never forced her at all. For all we know, she was even enjoying herself.”
Gu Zhi glared at him darkly, a trace of menace seeping into his gaze. “Say that again?”
Suppressing the instinct to step back, Ji Jiayu shot back, “Uncle, don’t you think you’re overstepping? What’s between her and me—what business is it of yours?”
His heart skipped a beat, as if a knife had suddenly pierced through that thin, hazy layer of window paper.
Gu Zhi’s face betrayed nothing. He snapped coldly, “What business is it of mine? She saved your aunt’s life, and this is how you treat her? Ji Jiayu, have you got no conscience at all?”
That’s right—it was all because Li Tangli had saved Gu Yuqin’s life that his defense of her sprang purely from gratitude. Nothing more than that.
Righteous, upright, without a shred of self-interest.
Seeing Ji Jiayu at a loss for words, Gu Zhi’s mouth curved, and he issued a chilling warning: “Get out and reflect on yourself.”
Ji Jiayu slammed the door hard on his way out. In the silent study, Gu Zhi sank back into his chair. After a long moment, his expression turned complicated, and he closed his eyes.
…Utter nonsense, he thought.
The meal was lavish. Gu Yuqin said the Gu family was holding this dinner especially to thank Li Tangli.
But the atmosphere at the table was strange.
Li Tangli sat beside Gu Yuqin, facing Ji Jiayu directly, with Gu Zhi seated diagonally across.
The uncle and nephew’s argument that afternoon had ended unhappily, and it showed.
Ji Jiayu’s displeasure was laid bare on the table for anyone to see. Gu Zhi, by contrast, sat with impeccable posture, eyes forward, occasionally speaking a few words in an even tone, betraying not the slightest ripple beneath the surface. | B L A C K L O T U S Novel Site | BlackLotusNovel
Li Tangli stole a couple of glances at him. She was sensitive to others’ emotions, and her instinct told her Gu Zhi wasn’t in high spirits either.
After finishing the dinner, everyone lost in their own thoughts, Ji Jiayu didn’t even bother to pretend—he went straight back to his room, saying he’d arranged to play games online with friends.
Li Tangli had meant to take her leave, but Gu Yuqin insisted on keeping her overnight.
She’d more or less expected this before leaving, so she’d already informed her mother in advance.
Zhang Meiting’s health had been recovering quite well lately, which was the only reason Li Tangli felt at ease staying the night.
The entire top floor belonged to Gu Yuqin’s domain, fully equipped with every living amenity, with a direct elevator connecting the floors. Though called “playing,” it was really more like companionship.
Because of her health, Gu Yuqin lacked a lot of common knowledge—she listened with rapt fascination even to Li Tangli explaining how to ride the subway.
When the clock’s hands reached nine, the auntie came to remind Gu Yuqin it was time to get ready for bed.
Li Tangli was arranged into a guest room on the first floor.
She’d meant to just shower and sleep, but who would have thought—no sooner had she undressed than the water, after barely a full minute, just enough to soak her back and hair, cut out completely.
Fumbling around gracelessly in the dark, stark naked, she nearly slipped and fell, and still couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong.
Li Tangli wrapped herself in a towel. Her phone showed the time as nine thirty at night.
After some internal struggle, she still couldn’t talk herself out of it. Her hair was already wet, the shower barely started—leaving it like this would be unbearable no matter what.
Of the only two women around, Gu Yuqin had already gone to bed, and she didn’t want to disturb her; Gu Shufeng, she had no way of contacting at all.
She could only pin her hopes on Ji Jiayu. She sent a message asking to borrow his bathroom and waited five minutes—no reply.
She tried a voice call. No one picked up.
Was he busy with something?
Li Tangli opened the door, poked her head out, and glanced cautiously left and right. After dinner, everyone had retreated to their own rooms; there was no one outside.
She let out a breath and crept up the stairs on tiptoe.
When she knocked, Ji Jiayu was sitting in the gaming room of his bedroom.
Wearing noise-canceling headphones, his entire hearing was consumed by the tense, thrilling background sounds of the game and Shu Ran’s sweet voice: “Jiayu, Jiayu, come save me quick…”
Utterly absorbed, he tossed both his nominal girlfriend’s plea for help and the knocking at the door completely out of mind.
Li Tangli’s hopes gradually dwindled, and two minutes later, she finally accepted reality. This door wasn’t going to open for her.
She turned away, dejected, silently mocking herself for having harbored such unrealistic expectations of Ji Jiayu. Just as she was about to head back the way she came, a faint creak sounded from the right side of the hallway.
The door Ji Jiayu hadn’t opened was opened on the other side instead.
Gu Zhi stood in the doorframe.
His expression showed no surprise. His gaze swept over her dripping wet hair and her faintly trembling shoulders as he asked, “What are you doing here?”
Why was it him who ran into her again? Of all people, Gu Zhi, and always at her most awkward moments, every single time…
Li Tangli found it hard to say. “It’s nothing, sorry to bother you.”
Seeing her look so eager to avoid him, Gu Zhi frowned and said firmly, “Li Tangli. Tell me the truth.”
The weight in his voice as he addressed her by her full name made Li Tangli’s courage falter, her legs rooted to the spot as if nailed there.
She opened her mouth, and the truth spilled out like beans from a tipped bamboo tube: “While I was showering, the water suddenly stopped. I wanted to come up and ask about it.” Black Lotus Novel Site | Black Lotus Novel
Gu Yuqin needed quiet recovery, and the old residence rarely hosted guests—the guest room went unused year-round, its shower equipment worn out with age.
Gu Zhi quickly pieced it together in his mind. He glanced at the firmly shut door next door and asked, already knowing the answer, “He wouldn’t open the door?”
Li Tangli said vaguely, “He might be busy.”
Gu Zhi stepped aside, gesturing for her to enter. “If you don’t mind, come use mine.”
Li Tangli’s ears burned hot, and her instinct was to refuse. Late at night, a man and woman alone—this was hardly appropriate.
But Gu Zhi seemed so composed, so at ease, as if she were the one overthinking things. Since he’d put it that way, refusing further would only seem ungracious.
Honestly, whatever Gu Zhi’s status, he clearly didn’t mind—so what did she have to worry about? Did she think Gu Zhi would try something with her?
And so, all too trusting, Li Tangli gave in with only token resistance: “…Then I’ll trouble you.”
Watching the girl gradually walk toward him, Gu Zhi said, “It’s fine.”
She stepped into Gu Zhi’s room.
The door closed.
