Buzhi Hall.
After two classes, it was time for lunch. Just like yesterday, as soon as class ended, Xu Wan was already calling out, “Ah Yi, Ah Yu, let’s go eat.”
Xiao Yi responded softly, packed up her things, and stood up.
However, Gu Yu was still thinking about the words she hadn’t finished saying to Gu Wuyou that morning. So she waved her hand and said, “You go ahead, I’ll come later.”
As soon as she said this, the smile on Xiao Yi’s face seemed to freeze. She glanced at Gu Yu, then at Gu Wuyou, who was sitting at the very end, head lowered as she picked at the embroidery colors. Turning back, she forced a smile at Gu Yu and said, “Ah Yu, is there something you haven’t finished? Why don’t we wait for you for a while? It’s not like we’re in a hurry.”
How could Gu Yu possibly say it in front of so many people? She immediately replied, “No need, you go ahead.” Her mind was entirely focused on how to apologize to Gu Wuyou, so she didn’t notice Xiao Yi’s emotions at all.
Xu Wan’s face darkened, but wary of Gu Wuyou’s temper, she could only suppress her anger, pull Xiao Yi along, and head outside.
Once they stepped out, she could no longer hold back. Her small face was tense, and her voice was cold. “What’s going on with Ah Yu? Didn’t she always have the worst relationship with Gu Wuyou? Now she’s even talking to her behind our backs?”
Xiao Yi’s expression wasn’t great either.
To be honest, ever since Madam Liu praised Gu Wuyou in class today, she had been in a bad mood…
She didn’t like Gu Wuyou. Clearly, she was just a county princess from another family, yet she lived more favored than she did.
And she had such a strikingly beautiful face.
Whenever they ran into Gu Wuyou, everyone’s eyes would always drift toward her.
Fortunately—
Besides that face, Gu Wuyou had nothing else to compare with her.
So even though Xiao Yi envied Gu Wuyou’s appearance, deep down, she couldn’t help but look down on her.
But now?
That once ignorant and incompetent Gu Wuyou was actually being praised.
Even if it was just a casual compliment, maybe Miss Liu was only trying to encourage her because she had been so terrible before, or perhaps the Duke of Ding had ordered the academy to take care of her…
All of that was possible.
But Xiao Yi was afraid.
She was afraid that one day, not only would she be inferior to Gu Wuyou in looks, but she would also be surpassed in everything she was good at. If that day really came, then… what would she do?
“Ah Yi?” Xu Wan, noticing her silence, frowned and glanced at her. Seeing her pale complexion, she asked worriedly, “Are you alright?”
“…I’m fine.”
Xiao Yi pulled herself out of her thoughts. She didn’t want anyone to see what was on her mind, so she forced a smile and said gently, “Ah Yu and Leping are sisters, after all. Don’t overthink it. Maybe something happened at home.”
She spoke magnanimously, but deep down, she was already planning to privately ask Gu Yu what was going on.
Ever since Gu Wuyou came to the academy, things had been feeling off.
She didn’t want those two sisters to reconcile…
Gu Wuyou was meant to have no friends. (TL: Imagine having this mindset? Brain more polluted than a sewer.)
—
On the other side.
After Xiao Yi and the others left, the rest of the students gradually trickled out. Soon, only Gu Wuyou and Gu Yu remained in the room.
Gu Yu clung to her chair for quite a while, letting all the awkwardness in her heart seep away completely until nothing remained. Only then did she drag herself over to Gu Wuyou’s side.
“Hey.”
She lowered her voice to call out.
Gu Wuyou was busy selecting embroidery patterns and threads. Hearing the voice, she seemed startled, her hand trembling slightly.
“Why are you still here?” Gu Wuyou raised her head, looking at Gu Yu with surprise.
Gu Yu was immediately annoyed upon hearing this. So she had been over there hesitating back and forth, had even taken the initiative to walk over, and yet this person had no clue at all? Infuriating!
Even though Gu Wuyou’s personality had changed a little, she still had a way of making Gu Yu boil with anger in an instant. Her small face tensed up tightly, and her voice came out dry and stiff. “I’m waiting for you to eat!”
“Class is already over, why are you still sitting here?!”
“Huh?” Gu Wuyou was even more confused at these words. Wasn’t Gu Yu always close with Xiao Yi and the others? She thought they had already left. But seeing her cousin deliberately stay behind to wait for her, she was still quite happy.
Her eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled and said, “I thought you had already gone, so I was waiting for Second Sister to finish before going together.”
She neatly sorted the embroidery threads she had arranged and placed them into a box. Inside, there was also a stick wiped clean with a handkerchief—the leftover skewer from a candied hawthorn she had eaten earlier. She planned to take it home later.
“Let’s go.” She smiled as she stood up.
Gu Yu had been full of irritation, with a hint of unspoken jealousy. Back when they were at home, she and Gu Wuyou were the closest, so how had Gu Wuyou ended up getting along so well with Second Sister now? But when she saw Gu Wuyou smiling at her, her dissatisfaction faded a little.
However, the awkwardness in her heart only deepened. Why was Gu Wuyou smiling at her? Didn’t they always exchange sarcastic remarks when they met before?
“What’s wrong?”
Gu Wuyou had already packed her things and, seeing Gu Yu standing still with her head lowered in thought, couldn’t help but ask.
“Nothing.” Gu Yu pouted. There was no way she was going to let Gu Wuyou know what she was thinking. She turned and walked toward the door, deliberately slowing her pace.
Leading the way in front, Gu Yu had something she wanted to say to Gu Wuyou, so she wasn’t in a hurry to reach the dining hall. She strolled leisurely, even deliberately taking a more secluded path.
“Hm?”
Gu Wuyou glanced around. “This isn’t the way to the dining hall.” She had never taken this route before.
Although she was puzzled, she wasn’t afraid. Gu Yu might still be at odds with her, but she wouldn’t actually do anything to harm her. She was just curious… She tilted her head and glanced at Gu Yu.
After thinking for a moment, an idea suddenly popped into her mind, and she asked, “Do you have something you want to tell me?”
Gu Yu hadn’t expected Gu Wuyou to guess, and her steps halted abruptly. She turned to look at Gu Wuyou, her lips moving several times, but in the end, she couldn’t say a word.
Even though she had mentally prepared herself a lot, when it came to this moment, she still swallowed the words back instinctively.
Apologizing to Gu Wuyou—
That was something she had never even considered before.
“You…” Gu Wuyou furrowed her brows as she observed her expression, thinking for a long time before suddenly glancing around sneakily and whispering, “Don’t tell me… you have someone you like?”
“What?” Gu Yu was caught off guard and blurted out in confusion.
“You dragged me over secretly and took such a hidden path—aren’t you trying to tell me a secret?” Gu Wuyou thought her reasoning was quite logical. Though she didn’t have many friends and hadn’t experienced such things herself, she had read plenty of storybooks.
In those books, whenever a young lady fell for a gentleman, she would always confide in a close friend.
Gu Wuyou looked at Gu Yu’s current expression—it was exactly like those scenes in the storybooks.
This time, Gu Yu understood.
Her face turned red, and she pointed a trembling finger at Gu Wuyou, her whole body shaking. It took her a long time to squeeze out a few words, “You’re the one who has someone you like!”
She didn’t even know whether she was angry or embarrassed. As soon as she finished speaking, she turned around and strode forward, her steps especially large.
What kind of brain did Gu Wuyou have?!
How could she jump to the conclusion that she liked someone?
She was the one who had someone she liked!
Shameless!
And besides, were they even the type to share such things if they had someone they liked?!
So infuriating!
Gu Yu walked ahead without stopping, while Gu Wuyou chased after her from behind. “Hey, slow down! I can’t keep up with you.”
Before she could catch up, Gu Wuyou heard voices coming from nearby.
Two people were talking, completely unaware that anyone else was around. Or perhaps they simply didn’t think what they were saying needed to be hidden, so their conversation was loud and unrestrained.
—“I heard someone say earlier that Li Qilang contradicted the teacher again today and even coaxed Young Master Jing and the others into skipping class with him.”
—“It’s bad enough that he refuses to study, but why must he drag Young Master Jing and the others down with him? They must have the worst luck to be friends with him.”
The moment Gu Wuyou heard these words, her delicate face darkened. She no longer cared about chasing after Gu Yu and immediately turned toward them. As she approached, she coldly reprimanded, “What nonsense are you spouting?”
The two young women were from the same academy as her. Their family backgrounds weren’t particularly high, and they usually didn’t speak much in Pingshuo Hall. So, even now, Gu Wuyou couldn’t remember their names.
“Princess Leping?” The two of them looked startled as if they had been frightened, hurriedly bowing in greeting.
Gu Wuyou ignored their greetings, her small face icy as she said, “I asked you, what nonsense were you spouting?”
“We…” The two of them had no idea why Gu Wuyou was so angry. They exchanged glances, momentarily unsure how to respond.
“What’s going on?”
Gu Yu had been walking ahead but stopped when she no longer heard Gu Wuyou’s footsteps. Seeing her standing here with a dark expression, she assumed something had happened and followed over. Now, seeing Gu Wuyou’s tense face, she frowned as well and asked the two young women, “What did you do?”
The two nearly felt wronged to death.
They had just spoken a few words about Li Qingyuan behind his back. When had they ever dared to offend this spoiled Princess Leping? Even if they were given ten times the courage, they wouldn’t dare!
Wearing a green cloak, one of the young women pulled a miserable face and hesitantly spoke first. “We were just talking about Young Master Li Qilang.”
Li Qingyuan?
Gu Yu furrowed her brows and continued asking, “What did you say?”
“Well—” The green-cloaked girl hesitated for a moment before replying, “Young Master Li contradicted Mr. Pan again today. We thought it was improper, so we made a few private remarks.”
Just for that?
Gu Yu found it a little ridiculous. Li Qingyuan contradicting the teachers wasn’t exactly a new occurrence. They had privately gossiped about it before, too. She was just about to wave them off when Gu Wuyou suddenly asked in a cold voice, “Did you see this with your own eyes?”
“Huh?”
The green-cloaked girl was stunned and, after a long pause, shook her head. “N-No… We heard it from some servants.”
“If you didn’t see it with your own eyes, why are you speaking as if it’s the absolute truth? And even dragging Fu Xian and the others into it? How do you know what they did?”
At this moment, Gu Wuyou no longer carried her usual sweet and indifferent demeanor. She stood there, looking down at them with an imposing presence far beyond her years.
Especially with that face, as fair as snow defying the frost—it made one’s heart tremble just looking at her.
The two girls weren’t from particularly prestigious families, and now, seeing Gu Wuyou like this, they almost couldn’t stop themselves from kneeling. In the end, all they could do was stand there with pale faces, their heads lowered, looking timid and submissive as they whispered, “Princess, we… we were wrong.”
“You don’t even know if it’s true, yet you spread rumors so eagerly behind people’s backs.”
“The teachers teach us propriety—is this how you learned it?!”
Gu Wuyou was furious. She hadn’t been this angry in a long time. With her face icy cold, she said to them, “If I hear such rumors spreading again in Pingshuo Hall, I don’t care who started it—I will assume it was you two.”
“This is the price you pay for speaking recklessly without knowing the truth.”
“Do you understand?!”
How could the two girls dare to argue? Never mind Gu Wuyou’s own status—her aunt was the Empress, someone who particularly valued virtue and etiquette. If Gu Wuyou took this matter to the palace, their futures would be ruined.
Trembling, they stammered out a “Yes,” their voices almost choked with fear.
Gu Wuyou had no interest in dealing with them any further and simply waved them away.
Once they left, Gu Yu frowned and asked, “Even if what they said wasn’t entirely accurate, Li Qingyuan has always been unruly in the academy. He contradicts teachers, fights with classmates—why go so far to defend him?”
“If others find out you’re privately standing up for him like this, unpleasant rumors will surely start circulating.”
Gu Wuyou looked at Gu Yu, her expression calm and steady. “Ah Yu.”
Usually, when they were alone, they never called each other by name, nor did they address each other as sisters. It was always just “Hey” or “Oi.” So when Gu Wuyou suddenly called her name so seriously, Gu Yu was stunned for a moment before replying, “What?”
“If one day, you were falsely accused, would you want people to do the same to you?”
Gu Wuyou said, “I don’t know what really happened, but I just feel that no unverified rumor should be spread like this—it’s too hurtful.”
“And—”
She paused briefly before continuing, “I believe in him.”
Hiding behind the wall and listening in for quite some time, Li Qingyuan suddenly froze when he heard those words. The usual careless smirk on his face disappeared.
Leaning against the wall, he seemed to remain dazed for a long while.
After a moment, he covered his eyes with one hand and let out a soft, amused sigh. “Idiot.”
How long had she even known him?
And yet she dared to say such things…
Wasn’t she afraid that one day, when she learned the truth, she’d end up slapping herself in the face?
But, he had to admit—being defended like this felt oddly pleasant.
Even though he was separated from her by a wall and couldn’t see her, he could imagine it—
Her small face tense, lips pressed together, speaking with seriousness and conviction.
He lingered a little longer, but when he heard no more conversation from the other side, he finally turned to leave. Since Buzhi Hall’s class hadn’t ended yet, he decided to return to his room first.
Opening the door, the first thing he saw was the candied hawthorn skewer hanging by his window.
For some reason, he actually walked over and took the candied hawthorn skewer into his hand.
Then—
He frowned and took a bite.
“Too sweet and too sour, what kind of thing is this?” His tone was full of disdain.
Yet, after saying that, he frowned again and took another bite.
Before long, the entire skewer of candied hawthorn was gone.