Hearing the rustling sounds from behind her, Gu Nianyi turned her head and saw three faces—one adult and two children—staring at her.
Their mouths hung open and their eyes were wide, all three frozen in place.
In the next second, they looked ready for a round of Candy Crush, utterly unbelievable.
“You guys keep going. Pretend we’re not here,” Lu Huaizhi said.
He had brought his nephew and niece, Meng Chenyi and Meng Yueyao, to play on the slide when they stumbled right into this scene.
From his vantage point, the man was leaning down to kiss the woman.
Once caught, the pair awkwardly busied themselves with other things, only drawing more attention to what they’d been doing.
Lu Huaizhi quickly added, “Kids shouldn’t see this. Uncle will look for you. Go play something else.”
Meng Yueyao covered her eyes. “Ew, naughty! I don’t wanna see.”
Meng Chenyi peeked through his fingers in a V-shape. Uncle and Aunt looked pretty good together. How was he supposed to compete with that?
Once they had left, Gu Nianyi ignored the chill and shrugged off her jacket, eager to escape the awkward spot.
But the man pressed down on her shoulders, stopping her. He even reached up and buttoned her shirt for her.
No luck undressing. No luck fleeing.
Lu Jin’an didn’t mind. “Weren’t you the one who wanted the swing?”
Under the night sky, his voice was calm, laced with a deep, seductive undertone.
They hadn’t had swings like this as kids—just a ragged sack tied to a rope on a tree in the park for an improvised one.
Gu Nianyi’s feet left the ground as she swung gently back and forth. Stars filled the sky above her, while human fireworks bloomed below.
Vines climbed the swing frame, dancing with her motion, surrounded by hydrangeas in endless summer bloom.
A childhood wish, fulfilled.
Lu Jin’an rarely saw her smile so brightly. Her usual expressions were always faint and subdued.
With the barbecue done, Lu Huaizhi sent Meng Chenyi to call them for a late-night snack. “Little Aunt, come quick!”
He was thrilled at the chance to separate Little Uncle and Little Aunt.
Meng Chenyi tugged Gu Nianyi along, but she didn’t forget to warn Lu Jin’an. “Dr. Lu, you explain later that nothing happened between us just now.”
Lu Jin’an feigned ignorance. “Nothing?”
She shot him a glare full of feigned anger. Keep pretending and see what happens.
He spread his hands. “Given our relationship, who would believe that?”
He seemed utterly unconcerned.
After all, they were husband and wife. Anything they did was perfectly reasonable.
Explaining on purpose would just seem suspicious.
Meng Chenyi and Meng Yueyao ganged up on Gu Nianyi, stuffing food into her mouth.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. When she checked, she saw she’d been added to a new group chat called Unconventional Lu Path—clearly a Lu Family group.
A pun that would cost them money.
The admin was Won’t Change Avatar Until Lose 10 Jin. Gu Nianyi scrolled through the members. Not many people, all with youthful avatars—no elders, just the Lu Family youngsters.
She only recognized Lu Jinyi and Lu Jin’an’s WeChats. The rest had no notes, and she didn’t know them.
【Hold up—hot welcome to Sister-in-Law joining the group! Sister-in-Law, I’m Lu Jinxuan. And this is Lu Huaizhi @Random Life.】
Lu Jinxuan, as group admin, played the perfect host and introduced everyone.
She was Lu Jin’an’s cousin but hadn’t come because her advisor had summoned her.
The others chimed in with welcomes. Gu Nianyi had a touch of social anxiety and hated new environments, but she gritted her teeth and sent a “hi” kitty emoji.
Looking at Lu Jinxuan’s avatar and username—Won’t Change Avatar Until Lose 10 Jin—Gu Nianyi smiled. So cute.
Hers was a photo of Nian Gao, username Peaceful Years.
So plain, so boring, lost in the crowd.
The group exploded into lively chatter, the main topic being Lu Jin’an carrying her that evening and their kiss.
Lu Jinxuan led the charge. 【Aaaah, pics? Pics?! Lu Huaizhi, get out here and post them NOW, or I’ll sneak in tonight and assassinate you @Random Life.】
Lu Huaizhi: 【I’m scared that if I post them, Lu Jin’an will assassinate me first. Come collect my body tomorrow.】
Talk was cheap, though. The next second, he dropped a barrage of high-def, uncensored photos.
The chat blew up.
The mountaintop signal was weak, so it took Gu Nianyi half a minute to load and see the images clearly.
There were shots of their backs from the banquet hall downstairs—and even from the rooftop garden swing!
Dim lighting, intimate silhouettes, faces blurred. Lu Jin’an in a white shirt and black pants, cradling her princess-style in one arm, her heels dangling from his other hand. It added a tender, lingering vibe.
The rooftop ones were even more suggestive, identical to the kissing photos she’d seen online.
Now she really couldn’t clear her name, even if she jumped into the Yellow River.
Lu Jinxuan couldn’t hold back a curse. 【Holy crap, is this my brother? Really my brother? Did he take a crash course in romance while away for training?】
She screenshotted them fast—perfect blackmail material for Lu Jin’an later.
【This height difference… ship it hard.】
【Bro, your arm strength is impressive.】
【Sister-in-Law’s embarrassed.】
【How could my brother make a girl tilt her head up like that?】
…
They wanted to dissect every frame, even spinning a tragic, passionate love story from it.
The delicate heroine bullied by villains, the hero pulling her tight into his arms, his broad hand cupping the back of her head, kissing her fiercely on the lips as he murmured softly, “Baby.”
Pure fabrication, wildly exaggerated—paparazzi would bow to their skills.
Staring at the group photos and the teasing comments, Gu Nianyi sat frozen in her chair, at a complete loss.
She hated this feeling, like a public execution.
She knew they meant no harm, treating her like family.
But she couldn’t adapt to being openly dissected.
Her heart plummeted, a wave of helpless frustration washing over her. She knew she was being too sensitive—it wasn’t a big deal.
Still, an indescribable emotion surged in her chest.
Gu Nianyi shut off her phone and let the night hide her feelings. The two kids had fallen asleep, sprawled across her lap.
Her downcast eyes veiled her dim gaze, blending into the darkness.
Lu Jin’an caught a glimpse of the girl across from him with his peripheral vision. He pulled out his phone. 【Lu Jinxuan, no allowance until New Year’s—down to 2,000 a month. Lu Huaizhi, your card’s frozen.】
Gu Nianyi looked up. The man’s profile was shrouded in the dark night, his face half-shadowed, expression stern and cold.
It matched the chill on the mountaintop.
Lu Jinxuan: 【……】
Lu Huaizhi: 【……】 He was 26—why was he still putting up with this?
Moral decay, declining morals, the world’s gone mad.
He unleashed every idiom he’d ever learned to denounce Lu Jin’an’s shamelessness.
Lu Jin’an was a doctor, true, but he didn’t work at the company. Still, Grandpa gave him the most sway there.
He had a say in major decisions, and his word was law.
They didn’t dare challenge him outright.
The group mood hit rock bottom as people vanished. Lu Huaizhi, though, acted like nothing happened and kept eating.
【No kissing.】
Lu Jin’an sent another message, a concise debunking.
Was this him protecting his wife? Absolutely!
Lu Jinxuan found it even more shippable. She rolled around on her apartment bed, forgetting the allowance drama instantly.
She didn’t dare say it in the group, but in her mind…
Still, Lu Jinxuan noticed something else. Her brother could hold back from kissing? Was he… incapable?
Night deepened, the mountaintop wind picking up. Lu Jin’an and Lu Huaizhi each carried a sleeping child back to their rooms.
Gu Nianyi wasn’t sure if he’d really freeze the cards. Used to living large, 2,000 yuan was brutal.
And it stemmed from her—she was the one who’d made him explain.
She felt guilty.
Alone in the room now, Gu Nianyi sat on the sofa, rubbing her hands and eyeing Lu Jin’an’s face. It was as cool as ever.
She weighed her words. “They didn’t mean any harm. Freezing their cards—isn’t that a bit much?”
This girl was upset herself but worrying about others.
“And you?” Lu Jin’an’s tone was casual.
“Me?”
Gu Nianyi gripped her phone, forcing calm. “I’m fine.”
A brief silence. Lu Jin’an said nothing. She glanced up at him.
He leaned on the sofa arm, legs crossed casually, staring at his phone screen.
He didn’t seem inclined to keep talking to her.
Her brows furrowed slightly. What was he thinking?
Forget it. Later.
Gu Nianyi sniffed herself—cumin and barbecue stench. She stood and headed to the bathroom.
Lu Jin’an finished handling hospital business and lifted his gaze. “Think more about yourself. They won’t starve.”
His attitude was firm, a touch human but not overly so.
He left her no room to argue.
Outside, darkness reigned as temperatures dropped further on the peak. Gu Nianyi finished washing up and dove under the covers.
Every 1,000 meters up meant a 6-degree Celsius drop—geography class made real.
They exchanged no more words that night.
The sun broke the horizon, piercing the thin mist to herald a new day.
Suddenly, Lu Jin’an realized there was someone else in his arms.
The girl who’d avoided him like the plague two nights ago had curled into him of her own accord.
“Gu Nianyi, let go.” Lu Jin’an glanced at the slender arm draped over him, frowning deeply as he called her name.
She didn’t respond, clinging tightly to the warm embrace.
About an hour later, Gu Nianyi woke to a familiar face—cool and distant, his dark eyes flicking toward her.
She yanked her arm back and scooted to the bed’s edge, as if he’d turned into some terrifying virus.
After a long moment, she finally snapped back to reality and apologized repeatedly. “Dr. Lu, I’m sorry.”
There was only one quilt in the room, and right around sunrise, the temperature dropped to its lowest point. Seeking out a source of warmth was nothing more than an instinctive reflex in her sleep.
She had clearly been hugging a plush toy that gave off heat—so how had it turned into a full-grown man? Lu Jin’an, of all people.
No shapeshifting into spirits allowed after the founding of the People’s Republic!
All notions of avoiding physical contact between unrelated men and women, or treating each other with polite respect, had been tossed clean out of her mind.
One second, she was clinging to him tightly and refusing to let go; the next, she released him like he’d burned her. This woman truly had two faces.
Lu Jin’an laughed in exasperation. “It was just a hug. No big deal.”
Her expression made it seem like he was the one demanding she take responsibility for it.
“And I don’t need you to take responsibility anyway.”
Gu Nianyi: “…”
She hadn’t done anything that required taking responsibility.
She grabbed her phone from the bedside table and scrolled down. There was a message from Lu Jinxuan at two in the morning.
The girl who had sworn not to change her avatar until she lost ten jin now had a profile picture of herself taking a big bite of food.
【Sister-in-Law, I’m sorry.】
In the dead of night, her brother had made her apologize to Gu Nianyi, saying he shouldn’t have joked around like that.
Gu Nianyi replied: 【Sorry, I didn’t mean to dock your allowance. If it’s not enough, I’ll send you more.】
She hadn’t gotten a response yet—it was only eight o’clock, and the girl was probably still asleep.
Ming Yue, who was pinned at the top of her chat list, had messaged: 【Yo, isn’t that a photo of my baby? I thought it was some drama still.】
She had forgotten that Xie Yunting was lurking silently in the group chat. It probably wasn’t him gossiping; more likely, it meant they had been together the night before.
Gu Nianyi: 【Even you’re making fun of me.】
Suddenly, her smile froze on her face as she saw another message.
Li Huiling was asking her for money and had even explained the reason.
The real estate agent had told them that buying the premium unit on the golden floor with the perfect layout would be a one-and-done deal. They had been tempted, so now they were short another five hundred thousand.
Five hundred thousand here, five hundred thousand there—five hundred thousand was no small sum.
It was like pouring money into a bottomless pit that could never be filled.
For the Mid-Autumn Festival, they hadn’t asked how she was doing out there or if she was eating well.
Instead, they were asking for money—and it had only been a few days.
It reminded her of her first Mid-Autumn Festival in college. Ming Yue had gone out for a part-time job, her roommates had gone home or out on dates, and she had stayed alone in the dorm.
Gazing at the twinkling lights and the lively friend circle posts full of excitement, her longing for home had peaked in that moment.
She called, but Li Huiling sounded extremely impatient and urged her to hang up—they had to rush off to eat.
That was how it was every year after that.
If she didn’t call first, Li Huiling never reached out to her.
As a child, she had fooled herself into making excuses for her parents. But as an adult, she could no longer lie to herself.
Li Huiling would ask Gu Mingxuan how he was doing away from home, if he could get used to the food, and she would send him snacks and bedding, worried he might not adjust to the local climate.
She had never once asked about Gu Nianyi. Not even once.
Gu Nianyi didn’t hesitate for a second. 【I don’t have any money. I gave you everything last time.】
It was the truth. Of the money Lu Jin’an transferred to her each month, she kept only enough for living expenses and put the rest into fixed deposits.
Li Huiling: 【How could you not have any? Don’t think I don’t know—the Lu Family gave you a card.】
Gu Nianyi chose to ignore the message. Out of sight, out of mind.
Lu Jin’an emerged from the bathroom and immediately sensed that the atmosphere in the room was off.
This morning, the girl had merely paused in her breathing, a flicker of panic in her eyes, and her mood had seemed fine. But now, she was like a completely different person.
Her beautiful phoenix eyes were dull and lifeless, and the air pressure around her felt lower than during a super typhoon, sweeping across the entire mountain range.
He was just about to ask what was wrong when he heard a knock at the door. He opened it to find only a small head poking in.
Meng Yueyao wanted someone to play with. Lu Huaizhi was still lazing in bed, so she had come looking for Lu Jin’an.
The moment she entered, she darted straight into Gu Nianyi’s arms and called out sweetly, “Little Aunt, Chenchen and Little Uncle are both big lazybones. The sun’s already on their butts, and they still haven’t gotten up.”
“Then our Yaoyao is amazing—she doesn’t laze in bed at all.”
After praising her, Gu Nianyi noticed the girl’s messy hair and fetched a comb. “Come here, Yaoyao. Little Aunt will braid your hair for you.”
Her braiding skills were average, but more than enough for a child.
Sunlight bathed her body, casting a layer of soft glow upon her, and the heavy atmosphere dissipated with the light.
Lu Jin’an watched the harmonious pair, wondering if what he had sensed earlier had just been his imagination.
“Yaoyao is such a pretty little princess.”
“Thank you, Aunt.”
Meng Yueyao touched her two little braids and ran over to show off to Lu Jin’an. “Uncle, Uncle—when are you and Aunt going to give me a little sister? I want a sister.”
Why did only Meng Chenyi get a sister? She wanted one too.
Mom had said she wouldn’t have any more kids. Uncle Lu Huaizhi and Aunt Jin Xuan weren’t married yet, so the heavy responsibility fell on Uncle Jin’an.
She had even memorized a poem about it: a long road ahead with a heavy burden to bear.
Gu Nianyi: “…”
She was powerless on that front and had no plans to have a child anytime soon.
Lu Jin’an lowered his gaze in thought for a few seconds. “On this matter, Uncle has to listen to Aunt. But giving birth is very painful, and Uncle doesn’t want Aunt to go through that.”
Meng Yueyao had watched educational videos and knew just how painful it was. She shook her head like a rattle-drum. “Then Aunt shouldn’t have one. I don’t want a sister anymore. Mom worked so hard to have me.”
The delicately raised girl was understanding and sensible beyond her years.
If it were a baby as adorable as Yaoyao, perhaps she would be willing to have a child, to give it all her love and let it live a different life from her own.
On the drive back, Gu Nianyi saw the barrage of messages from Li Huiling in WeChat—more of the same, playing the victim and whining pitifully.
She said what use was having a daughter, that the neighbor’s so-and-so had bought their parents a big house, gold, designer bags, and kept subsidizing the family nonstop.
But with her? Nothing at all.
She didn’t reply to the messages or pick up the calls.
A stifled frustration weighed on her heart, mingled with even greater sadness that filled her chest.
That sour ache couldn’t be suppressed or dispelled.
It was like a fine fishbone stuck in her throat—thinking of it made her hurt, yet she was powerless to remove it.
Gu Nianyi gave it one last glance before tossing her phone aside.
She was glum the entire way, not even sleeping during her usual afternoon nap.
They stopped at a ninety-nine-second red light, and Lu Jin’an’s long fingers tapped lightly on the steering wheel—eleven taps now—before he turned his head and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It has nothing to do with you.” Gu Nianyi’s brows furrowed tightly as her cold gaze fixed on the window outside.
Lu Jin’an: “…”
He turned sideways to study her intently. Her usually clear and bright eyes were now clouded with irrepressible anger.
It was the first time he had seen her lose her temper, and it felt oddly novel.
Unthinkingly, the corners of his lips curved upward.