Volume One, Chapter 16: The Turmoil in the Bathroom

After all the fuss, it was already six in the evening. Zhou Xianyu wasn’t very hungry since she had eaten too many small cakes in the afternoon.

Carefully avoiding the wound on her arm, she removed her makeup. Looking at her pale, delicate face in the mirror, she hesitated for a moment but decided to take a shower—after all, in this weather, not showering would make her feel uncomfortable all over.

She glanced outside; Gu Qichuan wasn’t downstairs, probably working in the study. After much deliberation, she decided to let water run and freshen up.

So, while Gu Qichuan hadn’t come back yet, she sneaked into the bathroom, quickly slipped off her dress, revealing skin that was fair and radiant.

She cautiously stepped into the bathtub filled with water, raised her right hand high, and awkwardly wiped her body with a towel. The steam filled the bathroom, tinting her cheeks with a rosy blush.

Suddenly, footsteps approached outside, and Gu Qichuan’s voice called out, “Ayu?”

Zhou Xianyu felt a pang of guilt. She had promised him earlier that the wound had just been treated and shouldn’t get wet.

But even if she told him she would be careful not to wet the wound, he wouldn’t believe her.

As she hesitated about whether to respond, Gu Qichuan arrived at the bathroom door and knocked, “Ayu? Did you run off to take a bath?”

She had no choice but to speak up, “I’m just wiping myself down. I feel uncomfortable. I’ll be out soon.”

There was silence outside, which made Zhou Xianyu feel uneasy. Surely Gu Qichuan wouldn’t just wait outside for her to finish?

She enjoyed a comfortable bath, then came out wearing pajamas. As expected, Gu Qichuan was leaning against the wall, his eyes fixed directly on her steaming form.

His handsome, stern face loomed large before her, and Zhou Xianyu nearly jumped in fright. Her eyes, hazy in the mist, glistened like glass washed with water. She looked at him and said, “What are you standing there for…?”

Without a word, Gu Qichuan scooped her up and carried her to the bedside. She naturally wrapped her arms around his neck and murmured, “I really didn’t get the wound wet, Gu Qichuan. You’re overreacting.”

Gu Qichuan’s calm gaze glanced at her. She met his look defiantly. He then carefully examined the wound, wiped the skin around it with a towel, and gently patted her head. “Are you hungry? I’ll ask Sister Chen to make something for you.”

Feeling relaxed and sleepy after her bath, Zhou Xianyu shook her head. “I’m full. I don’t want to eat. I want to sleep.”

Gu Qichuan raised an eyebrow. “You only ate a little and you’re full?”

She touched her small belly. “Really. You go eat. I’m going to rest.”

Unexpectedly, Gu Qichuan’s eyes landed on her belly, and he casually rubbed it, a smile flickering in his eyes. “Hmm, looks like you really can’t eat anymore.”

Embarrassed, Zhou Xianyu pushed his hand away and crawled back to the head of the bed, watching him warily. She muttered, “Pervert.”

---

Gu Qichuan’s eyes darkened like lacquer, a curve lifting at the corner of his mouth.

Is that perverted?

If she knew that just moments ago, when she turned to escape, he had instinctively tried to grab her ankle to pull her back into his arms, she would surely have been scared enough to have tears well up at the corners of her eyes and her lashes tremble as she looked at him.

His voice dropped low and melodious: “Be good, I’m leaving now.”

Watching the man’s retreating figure, Zhou Xianyu’s ears flushed warmly at the word “be good.” She rubbed her ear tips and then immediately lay down, pulling the covers over herself.

Truly unfair.

---

Under the night sky, the bright moonlight spilled over the earth, the distant mountains rising and falling like shadows. A group of wealthy young men were enjoying themselves at a holiday villa.

Zhou Yizhi was among them.

Bare-chested and wrapped in a towel, he sat on a chair watching the others discuss where to race in a few days.

His black hair still dripping wet, he casually lifted the towel around his neck to wipe the water from his face.

“What’s Zhou Xianyu been up to these days? She’s not even replying to messages?”

He muttered, but the men below stopped moving and turned to look at him.

Zhang Jingmo grinned lazily. “Yo, what’s your Zhou Xianyu up to this time? Seems like it’s been a while since anyone saw her.”

The man with the buzz cut next to him raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, what’s that girl been doing lately?”

Zhou Yizhi replied with a sour face, “Who knows? A few days ago, Qianqian told me she blocked Qianqian again. They’re fighting. I really don’t know what Qianqian did to her.”

He couldn’t help but say, “Qianqian even has heart disease. Can’t her older sister show some consideration?”

Ye Zihao and Zhang Jingmo exchanged a glance and shrugged indifferently.

In fact, the two of them had grown up with Zhou Xianyu. When she used to run after Zhou Yizhi as a child, she’d call them “big brothers.”

Back then, Zhou Yizhi was quite fond of her. But ever since the second young lady of the Zhou family, Zhou Qianqian, returned from abroad, the Zhou household frequently erupted into family disputes, and as outsiders, they didn’t want to get involved.

---

Moreover, Zhou Xianyu was now with Young Master Gu. They dared not speak ill of her in Zhou Yizhi’s presence. That man was not someone to provoke.

However, there was always someone who couldn’t read the room. Someone suddenly recalled something and, as if joking, said to Zhou Yizhi, “I remember seeing your sister in someone’s social media moments a few days ago at Jiang Wenhua’s birthday.”

Zhou Yizhi frowned. “What? How come I didn’t know about this?”

The man grinned. “Jiang’s kid’s birthday a few days ago? I went too. Both your sisters were there. But it was awkward seeing Zhou Xianyu there. Isn’t she married to Gu Qichuan? Why would she still be thinking about Jiang Wenhua?”

Zhou Yizhi’s face darkened. He hated it when people said both his sisters orbited around Jiang Wenhua.

Zhou Xianyu had liked that guy since high school. At first, Zhou Yizhi didn’t mind him so much. Jiang Wenhua wasn’t a bad friend. But the guy kept dangling Zhou Xianyu, and later even courted Zhou Qianqian.

Zhou Yizhi had long disliked him.

Ye Zihao was surprised. “Gu Qichuan actually allowed Zhou Xianyu to attend Jiang Wenhua’s birthday banquet?”

Clearly, everyone recalled the last time Jiang Wenyuan publicly ignored Gu Qichuan while pulling Zhou Xianyu’s arm.

Afterwards, the Jiang family suffered terrible retaliation. Their stock prices plummeted for months. If Old Master Jiang hadn’t pleaded for Jiang Wenhua, who knows what would have happened.

Zhang Jingmo clicked his tongue twice. “Jiang Wenyuan’s foolish. Why provoke Gu Qichuan’s woman? Does he really think he can compete with Gu Qichuan?”

Zhou Yizhi didn’t care about any of that. He dialed Zhou Xianyu’s number with a dark expression. After a few days apart, she had embarrassed the family again.

“Beep… beep… beep—”

Zhou Yizhi was incredulous but forced to realize that Zhou Xianyu had blocked him.

Seeing Zhou Yizhi’s ugly expression and his repeated failed calls, Zhang Jingmo jeered, “What the hell? Your sister blocked you?”

Zhou Yizhi was furious and humiliated. “What sister? I, Zhou Yizhi, don’t have a sister like that! Just watch, in a few days she’ll be back begging me to unblock her!”

He angrily threw his phone down, and the people in the hot spring burst into laughter.