Qin Shiyu raced back to the hospital as fast as she could, hurrying up to the sixteenth floor. The corridor buzzed with people bustling back and forth.
She made a beeline for Lu Jin’an’s office, only to find it empty.
The sharp clacking of her high heels echoed through the hallway.
She doubled back to the nurses’ station without a moment to catch her breath, patting her chest as she asked, “Where’s Dr. Lu?”
The on-duty nurse recognized her and, seeing the urgency in her expression, answered honestly. “In the operating room.”
Every time Qin Shiyu had come chasing after Lu Jin’an, she brought the nurses afternoon tea and little gifts.
For all her status as a young heiress, she never acted like a spoiled princess.
She pressed further. “When will he be out?”
The nurse replied, “Probably in about two hours.”
Qin Shiyu deflated instantly. She couldn’t afford to wait around at the hospital, and she had no idea where Gu Nianyi lived.
She tried to reassure herself. Maybe she was just overthinking it.
Without Gu Nianyi’s phone number, she sat in her car and came up with a roundabout way to probe.
【Yi Yi, want to grab a bite? No one’s eating with me. So pitiful.】
A few minutes later, Gu Nianyi replied. 【Shiyu, sorry, my mom’s here. Next time, okay?】
Even through text, Qin Shiyu could sense her gentle warmth. Afraid of saying too much and tipping her hand, she replied: 【Okay, crying.gif.】
Gu Nianyi: 【Petting cat head.gif. Gotta go handle something, Shiyu.】
What an obedient response. From just these few lines, Qin Shiyu couldn’t glean anything about her relationship with her mother.
Hopefully, it was all in her head.
No—it had to be.
Meanwhile, in Cypress View Pavilion, Gu Nianyi and Li Huiling sat across from each other in awkward silence at the dining table.
Neither had spoken a word since walking through the door.
Just like the past twenty-odd years.
They had lived under the same roof, yet exchanged scarcely any words.
Whenever Li Huiling wanted something, she never came out and said it directly. Instead, she took the long way around, lifting her chin with feigned amiability. “Did Jin’an head out for a night shift?”
Gu Nianyi didn’t want to let her sadness show in front of her mother. As she cleared the tableware, she replied, “He had a last-minute surgery.”
Li Huiling had visited several times but never caught sight of her son-in-law. She came during the day, and he was on day shift; she came at night, and he was on night shift.
Coincidence, or something more suspicious?
“Tell me the truth—are you two living apart?”
It was the same accusatory tone as always, with no regard for her feelings.
Gu Nianyi turned her back to the dining room, took a deep breath, and answered evenly. “No, we’re not. He really does have surgery. You know how busy doctors get.”
Li Huiling knew doctors were busy, but this couldn’t go on forever.
“You’ve been married a while now. What about children?”
Gu Nianyi’s hands froze mid-scrub, the bowl hovering in the air. “No feelings, no kids.”
She swallowed the second half of that sentence: I don’t want my child to end up like me.
Unloved. Unfavored. Unwanted.
Perhaps there had been expectations once—hopes for a boy. But reality had shattered them, leading to all this.
Her eyes burned against her will, stinging and swelling. Her heart twisted in her chest, unable to hold back the few tears that escaped.
They splashed into the sink and onto the back of her hand.
Li Huiling had hoped children might be the breakthrough. Weren’t all men the same after marriage? Yet there’d been no sign of that after all this time.
She let out a heavy sigh. Her daughter’s impenetrable stubbornness—no one could stand it.
But today, she had more pressing matters. She swallowed the lecture on the tip of her tongue.
Instead, she softened her approach. “If you don’t want any yet, then don’t rush it. You’re still young.”
“Let me tell you about something else.”
After all that preamble, she finally got to the point.
Gu Nianyi finished washing the dishes and lingered in the kitchen, reluctant to come out. She busied herself with pointless tasks.
In moments of helplessness, one’s hands wandered—touching this, fiddling with that.
Li Huiling stood and circled around the table. “About what I mentioned last time—we’re not asking for much. Just fifty thousand.”
Asking? It had been “borrowing” before. Now it was demanding.
“I…” Gu Nianyi’s voice came out hoarse. She cleared her throat, striving for calm. “I don’t have any money. You know that.”
Li Huiling grew urgent. “You might not, but the Lu family does.”
There it was. She wasn’t here for her after all. Maybe that was Gu Nianyi’s only remaining value.
“I already asked you for five hundred thousand last time. It hasn’t even been that long. Have you considered my position?”
Li Huiling shot back, “To rich people like them, fifty thousand is pocket change. It’s less than some designer bags cost. Haven’t Lu’s grandparents and your mother-in-law always treated you well? What about the betrothal gifts?”
She had come prepared, her arguments polished to a shine.
Gu Nianyi’s heart quivered faintly. “I returned them. I didn’t have an equivalent dowry, and you’ve already taken over a million.”
She snatched up a dishcloth and wiped down the counter, buffing the already spotless marble surface over and over.
She couldn’t let herself stop moving. She didn’t want to face Li Huiling head-on.
Li Huiling pressed harder. “My daughter married into their family—isn’t that only fair? In ordinary Blue Mountain households, betrothal gifts run to tens of thousands plus a fully paid house.”
Gu Nianyi kept scrubbing the same spot until the counter gleamed like a mirror. “The one we picked before was fine—low payments, and some money left over for renovations.”
“We already set aside the renovation money.”
So that was it. Gu Nianyi almost laughed.
She had mapped out every contingency for her little brother—never sparing a thought for her.
Li Huiling pleaded. “Yi Yi, just this last fifty thousand. I promise, no more after.”
For her son’s sake, this woman who had clung to her pride her whole life was begging again and again.
As children, when the family had teetered on the edge of homelessness, she had never asked anyone for help.
“Mom, have you ever thought about buying me a house? Have you ever…”
Gu Nianyi trailed off, her heart throbbing with pain. She rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand. “If Lu Jin’an and I fight, where would I go? If we divorce, would I even have a place to stay?”
Li Huiling fired back without hesitation. “The Lu family has houses galore. Go wherever you like. And in a divorce, you’d get half the assets.”
Their outlooks couldn’t have been more different—like trying to explain ice to a summer insect or the sea to a well frog.
The Lu family might have endless houses and money, but why would they give any to her? Just because she was married in?
If push came to shove, their team of lawyers wouldn’t make it easy.
What she ended up with would be scraps.
Her name might be on this house, but she hadn’t contributed a dime. If they got technical, she couldn’t even take a single pot from the kitchen.
Gu Nianyi clenched her fists, her tone turning icy. “I have no money, and I won’t ask them again. If you’re buying, get the one from before.”
Li Huiling’s frustration boiled over. Gnashing her teeth, she said, “You—your father and I raised you all these years, and it wasn’t easy. We wanted you in teachers’ college, but you wouldn’t listen. You had to study geography, with its unstable jobs. Then you insisted on grad school, and we supported you. You finally graduate, and what happens? You get married off. We haven’t gotten a single benefit—just endless blame.”
It was her standard playbook: tears, tantrums, guilt. Gu Nianyi was long past being fazed.
She had shed all her tears and resentment long ago. She turned around, her face expressionless. “I’ve done more than enough. My brother’s not my responsibility.”
Li Huiling countered, “Don’t siblings help each other? Your aunt paid for your uncle’s wedding—and covered his debts too.”
Gu Nianyi had known about her aunt’s situation since she was little. It had turned out that way, and her uncle had the nerve to resent her for it afterward.
She had raised an ungrateful wolf.
Gu Nianyi’s heart had gone cold. “Out of family feeling, I helped last time. But I’m flat broke—no money to give. I can book you a hotel room. There’s no second bed in the house.”
For such a large place, there was only one bed. No separate sleeping arrangements—that boded well for chances of kids, at least.
Li Huiling scanned the room, her gaze lingering. “I’ll make do on the sofa for the night.”
Gu Nianyi shook her head. “The sofa’s uncomfortable. There’s a hotel right next door.”
Li Huiling wouldn’t budge her in the short term, so she took the advice and headed to the hotel.
Meanwhile, at South City People’s Hospital, the surgery wrapped up smoothly, half an hour ahead of schedule. Lu Jin’an retrieved his phone from the locker.
The screen showed several missed calls from Qin Shiyu. He paid them no mind.
But in WeChat, the pinned cat avatar at the top showed no activity. He had promised to text when he got home—and completely forgotten.
A few friends had messaged him. Lu Jin’an went through them one by one until he spotted Qin Shiyu’s. A sense of foreboding hit him, and he called her back immediately.
Qin Shiyu had been waiting so long she was ready to wilt. At last, Lu Jin’an’s call came through.
Back at her place, she hadn’t been idle. She had phoned friend after friend, asking for the Lu family address. But given her track record, not one spilled.
Xie Yunting included—they all figured she was up to no good.
“Lu Jin’an, you finally picked up. I messaged Yi Yi and got no reply. I’m worried sick.”
Lu Jin’an stripped off his white coat in a hurry, his brows knitting together. “What happened?”
Qin Shiyu recounted everything. “It’s just my hunch, really. Probably nothing.”
“I understand.” Lu Jin’an had met Li Huiling before. He knew this wasn’t nothing—why else would she show up on a weekday?
He dialed Gu Nianyi’s number. No one picked up. His heart clenched abruptly.
He instructed his assistant, “Monitor the post-op situation. I have something to handle at home, so I’m heading out first.”
Dr. Lu, who never left things to others, made an unprecedented early exit this time.
Watching Lu Jin’an hurry past, the on-duty nurse couldn’t resist gossiping.
She wondered who he was so eager to find.
“Who do you think will win?”
“I think betting like this is in poor taste. Do girls really only have one choice in men? Dr. Lu is handsome and all, but I don’t see Sis Shiyu or Yi Yi fighting over a guy.”
“Maybe neither woman is into him. They were chatting and laughing when they left this evening.”
Gu Nianyi and Li Huiling walked along the path to the hotel entrance. Mindful of the passersby, her mother held back from saying more.
After checking Li Huiling in and seeing her to her room, Gu Nianyi finally had a moment to breathe. “Mom, get some rest early.”
“Yi Yi, I’m begging you—one last time.”
“I’m heading home first. Nian Gao’s waiting.” Gu Nianyi turned her head away, avoiding her mother’s pleading gaze.
To go this far for another person.
She quickened her steps and left the hotel.
She fled the place that had been suffocating her.
It felt like being under crushing pressure, wrapped layer upon layer, on the verge of suffocation.
Gu Nianyi retraced her steps. Sometimes she kicked at pebbles on the road with her head down; other times she gazed up at the ink-black sky.
Unknowingly, she arrived at the children’s playground in her neighborhood.
She didn’t want to go back. She had no home.
She sat on a nearby bench. Children’s laughter and shouts filled her ears.
Parents’ voices carried notes of concern.
“Run slower—watch your step!”
“Thirsty? Want some water?”
There were scoldings too. “You made your sister cry again. Apologize to her.”
“You’re the younger brother. She’s older, so she gets the bigger portion. No one has to yield to anyone.”
Gu Nianyi touched her cheek. Why was it wet? She wiped it dry with her fingers.
When she finally made it home, she spotted Lu Jin’an in the living room and immediately plastered on a smile. “Dr. Lu, you’re off work?”
He had called her repeatedly on the drive back, but she’d never picked up. The moment he saw Gu Nianyi, his feet carried him toward her without thinking.
“Qin Shiyu said you weren’t replying to her. She called me.”
Gu Nianyi made up an excuse and flashed a bright smile. “Oh, I took Nian Gao for a walk and forgot my phone.”
Lu Jin’an’s dark eyes drifted downward. Forgot her phone? Then what was that in her hand?
Took Nian Gao for a walk? Then why was Nian Gao inside?
Her story was full of holes, but Lu Jin’an couldn’t bring himself to call her out.
The place was spotless. The jute sack in the kitchen betrayed that someone had been there.
Yet she seemed unaffected. Had nothing really happened?
Lu Jin’an studied Gu Nianyi’s face, searching for any trace of distress, but found none.
She was too good at hiding.
A shadow darkened the depths of his eyes. “Gu Nianyi, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Right, Nian Gao?”
Gu Nianyi changed the subject, crouching down to play pat-a-cake with Nian Gao. The little creature didn’t act up today; she just quietly kept her company.
After a brief silence, Gu Nianyi spoke up. “Dr. Lu, my mom stopped by tonight.”
Lu Jin’an was momentarily surprised, then composed himself. “To ask you for money?”
So easy to guess. Gu Nianyi gave a wry smile. “Dr. Lu, sometimes being too smart isn’t great. Makes it hard to have friends.”
Lu Jin’an grasped her wrist and pulled her to her feet. “Go to bed. You’re petting Nian Gao bald—she’ll turn into a mangy cat.”
Hearing her name, Nian Gao glanced down at her fur. It was all still there. Relieved, she settled back into her bed.
“No way.”
Cat hair clung to Lu Jin’an’s sleeve from her hands. “Dr. Lu, you look like an accomplice now.”
He raised a brow. “I’m the mastermind.”
Gu Nianyi couldn’t help laughing. The gloom of the evening lifted, if only for the moment.
While Lu Jin’an was in the shower, Gu Nianyi gathered her documents.
She placed a folder between them.
The bed seemed divided by an invisible chasm—not just physically, but by the vast gulf between them.
Lu Jin’an’s lip twitched. He frowned, staring intently into her eyes. He truly had no idea what she was up to or thinking.
Gu Nianyi pulled out the contents of the folder. “Dr. Lu, this is the money you transferred me, and the bank card. I’m not the right person to hold onto these. My family matters have nothing to do with you.”
“As for this engagement, you can end it anytime. The choice is yours. I’ll cooperate fully.”
“I’ll handle the elders. It’s all my fault.”
Her life shouldn’t burden others.
No wonder Ming Yue sometimes called her too stubborn. She was.
She could have just pretended and carried on, but no—she refused to owe anyone, not even the slightest favor.
Especially not money.
They weren’t bound by a contract marriage or paid to play a role.
Lu Jin’an circled the headboard, approaching her step by step. His broad frame blocked the light, his lips pressed into a thin line. “Gu Nianyi, we’ve been married less than three months, and you’ve brought up divorce twice.”
“Marriage isn’t a game. Getting married was a deliberate choice for both of us. Aren’t you being too hasty now?”
Gu Nianyi lowered her gaze, unable to meet his eyes. “Yes, I was naive back then. Cutting losses now is for your own good.”
“Cut what losses? What have I lost?”
“Money.” Her voice dropped to a whisper, barely audible.
Lu Jin’an’s tone was casual, laced with deeper meaning. “I can’t divorce. Grandpa gave me a strict order—if we split, he’ll break my legs.”
Gu Nianyi looked up in disbelief. “Really? No way.”
“You can call Grandpa, or Xie Yunting.”
“I’ll call Xie Yunting.”
Xie Yunting picked up, bewildered at first, then catching on. “Yes, and he made me sign a military oath—complete with signature and seal.”
His tone was grave, his voice deep and authoritative, lending weight to the claim.
At the same time, Lu Jin’an got a WeChat from Xie Yunting.
[Lu Jin’an, remember you owe me one.]
Gu Nianyi defended herself. “Dr. Lu, I didn’t actually bring up divorce. It was hypothetical.”
Lu Jin’an’s long, articulate fingers gripped her shoulders. He tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze.
His peach-blossom eyes were dark as the boundless night sky outside. His thin lips parted.
“Gu Nianyi, understand this: between us, you hold the power to divorce. If you ever want to leave, I’ll let you go.”
His voice was magnetic and smooth, stirring the heart in the darkness.
“Okay, got it.” Gu Nianyi mumbled, then added, “Grandpa will still break your legs, though.”
“I’ll handle your mom’s borrowing issue.”
Gu Nianyi stressed, “Dr. Lu, no loans. I can’t pay you back.”
Old habits died hard; Lu Jin’an didn’t push.
The man drawled lazily, “Don’t worry. I’ll do as Mrs. Lu says.”
As if following her meant calling her Mrs. Lu.
Such an intimate address.
Gu Nianyi touched her reddened earlobe. It felt warm.
“Mrs. Lu, why are your ears so red?”
Lu Jin’an’s lips curved in a smile, deliberately pointing it out.