MCFEM C52

Chapter 52 – So It Turns Out He Likes Married Women…

Gu Yang stirred groggily from sleep, sunlight slipping through the curtains that had not been drawn tightly.

He buried his face into the pillow, staying curled in that position for another ten minutes until a soft knock sounded at the door outside. Resigned, he slowly climbed out of bed.

When he opened the door, the heavy gloom clinging to him was impossible to conceal.

The servant who had come to wake him showed no change of expression.

On his very first day of work, when he had seen the young master’s aura like this, he had nearly fainted from fright, convinced he would be dismissed on the spot the next second.

After working a few more days, he realized this was simply the young master’s natural aura, and now he could remain as calm as still water.

When Gu Yang came down the stairs, Gu Qingxu was already seated, eating breakfast. On seeing Gu Yang, he sipped his coffee unhurriedly, smiling as he began his daily routine of barbed remarks. “Finally willing to get out of bed?”

Gu Yang sat across from him, listlessly stirring at the bowl of oatmeal set before him, with no appetite whatsoever.

Seeing him like that, the nanny who was still busy in the kitchen hurriedly brought out other options.

Gu Yang glanced at them, only taking a slice of toast. He ate it slowly with milk, and in passing pushed the bowl of oatmeal, nearly diluted into water, toward the head seat at the table.

Though ignored, Gu Qingxu continued speaking on his own: “Can you be this picky and fussy when you’re at Song Yinxing’s place?”

The topic landed without warning. Gu Yang raised his head, puzzled. “Did someone just mention Song Yinxing?”

Excellent—already leaping to his defense. Gu Qingxu sneered inwardly. “If not for you, would I even bring up his name? I don’t even know him.”

“What are you two talking about? Who’s this Song-something-Xing?” A smooth, even voice with a hint of amusement came from upstairs, as Gu Yuhui descended slowly.

Because of new company business, he had worked on documents late into the night, and after breakfast would have to continue.

The porridge set before him had already gone cold, thin and watery, but with his mind full of company matters, he didn’t care—he simply picked it up and drank.

Gu Qingxu deliberately kept his eyes on Gu Yuhui as he drank the very porridge Gu Yang had stirred endlessly earlier, but kept his face blank as if nothing had happened.

“Oh, nothing,” Gu Qingxu said with a faint smile, “just talking about someone at school who has feelings for Gu Yang.”

Ever since learning that Gu Yang was not Yuhui’s child, Gu Qingxu had felt wholly liberated.

Over the years, he had heard all sorts of sordid gossip, the ugliest being whispers that Gu Yang was born of some unknown man.

But he had no intention of seeking proof. After all, he had never even met that so-called uncle, let alone obtain DNA.

Besides, whether Gu Yang was truly Gu family blood or not didn’t matter—he was being raised in the household anyway.

Though he and Gu Yuhui were not especially close, he knew him well enough.

For someone who had worked so hard to expand his empire, still sharp and ambitious past fifty, how could he ever hand it over to another man’s son?

In the end, it would only ever fall to him.

Thus he was even willing to help cover the matter.

As long as he kept an eye on it, there’d be no scandal.

“Oh? So there’s a girl at school who likes little Yang?”

At that, Gu Yuhui smiled, interest flashing in his expression.

Gu Qingxu smiled as well, not bothering to correct that it was a boy.

“Truly, the older you get, the more charm you show.”

Speaking of which, Gu Yuhui recalled something. He turned toward Gu Yang. “By the way, one of my business partners’ children saw you once at a banquet, and took quite a liking to you.”

“They’re in your grade too, planning to go abroad after graduation. His father asked if I’d like to arrange for you two to spend more time together, get to know one another. If things go well…”

“No.”

The refusal came almost before the words were fully out, low and cold, his eyes fixed on the white porcelain cup before him.

“Refused so quickly?” Gu Yuhui’s smile deepened. “I’ve seen that child myself. Quite a good one. You don’t want to at least meet them?”

Gu Yang raised his eyes, blank expression meeting his.

From this angle, the resemblance was stark—for the brows and eyes were indeed the most similar.

“Isn’t he still only in high school? There’s no need to rush,” Gu Qingxu added mildly.

Gu Yuhui had only meant to tease him anyway, and seeing this, didn’t press the matter further.

After breakfast, Gu Yuhui left for the company. Gu Qingxu and Gu Yang headed to school.

As they got into the car, Gu Qingxu recalled earlier and said to Gu Yang: “How was Song Yinxing’s bicycle? Comfortable ride?”

Already irritated, Gu Yang finally snapped. His tone was icy. “Are you Song Yinxing’s closeted admirer?”

The words soured Gu Qingxu’s face instantly, as though he’d eaten something foul. He slammed the car door shut with a loud bang, and the rest of the ride passed in silence.

Walking toward the teaching building, they saw many construction workers along the corridor.

Gu Qingxu remembered hearing the school would convert the open corridors into sealed glass ones, with heating for winter.

His expression was tinged with surprise. “So He Ming’an really went through with it? Guess he has too much money to burn.”

Still, it wasn’t his money, and it was a good thing for them.

The temperature had been falling steadily, with forecasts saying snow would soon arrive.

But Jiangcheng lay right at the line dividing north and south snowfalls, and it had been years since snow fell thick enough to pile.

The breath from their mouths already puffed white in the cold air.

Once indoors, the closed door blocked the chill outside.

“Good morning, Yang,” He Ming’an looked up with a smile.

Gu Yang gave a faint nod. “Mm.”

Youth had its benefits—Yu Bai had already recovered from the slump of the past few days.

He bounded up to He Ming’an with delight. “I saw the corridors outside—this is truly a project for the people! Class monitor, I absolutely won’t let anyone oppose you!”

He Ming’an smiled warmly. “So, you’ve come through it?”

At this, Yu Bai wilted. “Forget it, what else can I do? We’ll just be brothers from now on.”

Others could brush off rejection by calling it “being brothers,” but in his case, they were actual brothers.

“Good. That’s enough,” He Ming’an said, satisfied.

He noticed Gu Yang’s mood had been off since arriving. In a gentle voice, he asked, “Something happen, Yang?”

Gu Yang had already shaken off his earlier mood. He replied lazily, “Nothing. Just that this morning, Gu Yuhui arranged a blind date for me for the future.”

Yu Bai was shocked. He was still stuck in the stage of a tender crush, and Gu Yang was already being pushed into the leftover-men-and-women category? He couldn’t help asking nosily, “So then you…”

“Refused,” Gu Yang said, sprawling over his desk. “I don’t want to marry. I don’t want kids.”

His face showed plain weariness and distaste, as if the words had drained all his strength.

He Ming’an said nothing, only gazed at him quietly.

Yu Bai had been wondering why someone so young seemed so jaded, but then realization struck.

Murmuring thoughtfully, he said, “True enough. In your situation, you couldn’t even get a license here. And you couldn’t have children anyway…”

He hadn’t expected Gu Yang to think so far ahead. It looked like his relationship was developing steadily.

But in dog-blooded novel fashion, in a wealthy family like the Gu’s, Song Yinxing being with Gu Yang wouldn’t be so simple.

Yu Bai stayed quiet, but inwardly spun out an entire melodrama of love and hate.

—

After school, Song Yinxing took the initiative to ask Gu Yang out.

His original intent was to return the scarf.

But Gu Yang had already swapped to a camel-colored one, and seemed not to remember leaving the other behind at his place.

The scarf lay neatly folded in Song Yinxing’s bag.

Yet in that instant, selfish impulse took hold, and the words on his tongue shifted.

“I had a nightmare last night.”

Gu Yang lifted his eyes to him. “What kind of nightmare?”

Song Yinxing’s mouth opened. His face looked confused, but in the end he said nothing at all.

As if there was no need to say.

Because, as he had said, it was only a nightmare.

A point in time before anything had happened.

Since it hadn’t happened yet, everything could still be undone.

His dark and tragic future was buried in another timeline.

He alone remembered.

The perpetrators did not know. The bystanders had forgotten. Even the scars on his body were gone without a trace.

But the pain had been real.

Song Yinxing realized his greed.

He wanted to undo it all, yet he also wanted someone else to remember.

Looking at the person before him, his eyes were heavy—like a black sea, calm on the surface but with a storm brewing deep below.

Gu Yang’s gaze slid to the hand holding his.

“How’s your wound?” Song Yinxing asked softly, gripping that cold hand.

“It’s fine. A blister came up after, then it scraped off and bled. I went to the hospital for treatment.”

Gu Yang let him hold on.

The injury wasn’t large, but against his fair skin, the contrast was stark.

“Don’t let water get on it. And don’t scratch if it itches, or it’ll fester. Disinfect with iodine before changing the bandage.” Song Yinxing instructed.

“You sound very experienced,” Gu Yang said carelessly.

Song Yinxing turned his face aside, muttering vaguely, “I’ve been burned before.”

Gu Yang remembered in the original book, there had been a scene where Nie Ying’s lackey used a curling iron to burn Song Yinxing’s skin. Even reading it, he’d thought it absurd—what purpose did such gratuitous cruelty serve?

But that hadn’t happened yet.

The two were standing at the roadside when Gu Yang’s phone buzzed insistently. Opening the group chat, he saw 99+ new messages.

Lu Ji and Xie Wu had been beaten and sent to the hospital.

Lu Ji had only gone out of school to buy something, but was ambushed in an alley.

Though he could fight, he was outnumbered and fell behind. He could guess easily enough who had sent them. He hadn’t planned to fight to the death, just to seize a chance to escape.

Xie Wu happened to pass by, and with loyalty stepped in to help.

Though, when he saw Xie Wu whip out a helmet and jam it on his head, he did suspect for a moment that maybe Xie Wu had been bought off to trap him too.

Otherwise, who carried a helmet everywhere for no reason?

But Xie Wu’s fighting was indeed strong, and together they knocked most of them down.

Just as they were about to break free, Xie Wu was struck from behind with a club.

The helmet absorbed the worst, but the blow still left him dizzy.

As he collapsed into unconsciousness, his last thought was that he really should thank Gu Yang—carrying a helmet around truly was a civilized habit.

Seeing someone felled, the thugs panicked and tried to scatter.

But Lu Ji had already called the police, and he had held them there just for this. Now came the clean sweep.

After bringing Xie Wu to the hospital, Lu Ji hadn’t known how to reach his family, so he sent a message to He Ming’an—but by mistake, he sent it to the whole group chat.

His face remained cold as he looked at the ward now packed with people. He didn’t believe they had all come out of concern.

Even Lu Ran was there.

But on seeing him unharmed, Lu Ran almost seemed disappointed.

He Ming’an had already contacted Xie Wu’s family before arriving.

His elder brother arrived almost immediately after.

And as soon as Song Yinxing saw who it was, the old wound in his right ear seemed to ache anew.

The elder brother’s eyes burned red as he rushed to the bedside, shoving Lu Ji aside and clutching his unconscious younger brother.

Lu Ji stumbled back but said nothing.

Xie Wu had already regained consciousness, though still dazed. Pale-faced, he looked at his brother, eyes hot with emotion.

So close—he silently thanked Gu Yang and that helmet once more.

【So this is Xie Wu’s elder brother—the one Zhou Qinqin later seduced?】

【Turns out he likes married women. And best of all, widows with kids. No wonder she had him wrapped so tight, swindling his whole fortune.】

Xie Wu: “…”

His head, not yet recovered, reeled worse at those words, dizzying him all over again.