Chapter 18: Confession

The man lowered his body considerably, while Gu Yao looked down upon him from above, noticing the dark crown of his hair. She had always seen this man as aloof and lofty, yet when facing her, he could easily bow his head to examine her injury.

She reached out a slender hand and tapped his shoulder lightly, speaking calmly, “I’m fine.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the young boy across from them, mouth slightly agape, wearing a look of disbelief, as if wondering what was going on.

Was it really necessary? Had he become so self-conscious upon seeing someone more handsome than himself?

Gu Yao ignored him and decided not to go handle her injury in the restroom after all, fearing she might stumble. She shifted her body slightly and sat back down in her chair.

At that moment, Su Yu waved over a waiter. “Bring another chair here and some ice, please.”

The waiter hurried off, and soon returned with a chair. Just as he was about to place it beside the table, Su Yu pointed to the spot in front of Gu Yao. “Place it here, facing her.”

Once the chair was set down, it was almost touching her knees. Gu Yao nudged its leg with her foot. “What is this for?”

He reached out, took the glass bowl filled with ice, then pulled a neatly folded handkerchief from his suit pocket. It was quite large when unfolded, a pale gold color edged simply with a thin black border.

He scooped the ice into the handkerchief, tied a knot at the top to make an ice pack, and then held it in his hand as he sat down on the chair. “Put your foot up.”

Gu Yao glanced at him. “Where?”

Without a word, the man bent down, lifted her foot onto his knee, gently removed her high heel, and pressed his thumb lightly against her ankle. “Does it hurt?”

“Not much, I don’t really feel it,” she replied, finally understanding his intention and shaking her head.

Dressed in a full suit, sitting there with the seriousness of a meeting, the sight of a bare foot gleaming atop his black trousers looked a bit out of place.

Gu Yao pursed her lips, finding the scene amusing, so she didn’t stop him and let him continue.

Several diners glanced their way intermittently; she noticed but didn’t care, always one to do as she pleased.

Her ankle throbbed when Su Yu pressed on it. It was probably because of a previous injury; every time she hurt herself, it was this spot, and she habitually twisted it.

“There’s still some swelling,” he concluded after a careful check.

Even a gentle touch revealed the skin there was noticeably warmer and slightly reddened. Su Yu frowned more deeply, cautiously applying the ice pack.

“It’s cold,” Gu Yao involuntarily exclaimed as the ice touched her skin, causing her whole body to curl slightly.

“Don’t move.” His tone grew firm, and with his right hand, he firmly grasped her leg.

His gaze inadvertently swept over the slender, straight calf, his throat tightening as if suddenly parched.

Gu Yao struggled stubbornly, her nails painted red, which only accentuated the fairness of her skin. Her toes curled one by one, the delicate blue veins on the top of her foot taut, lending a fragile beauty.

His grip did not lessen, still holding her firmly. Su Yu lowered his eyes to admire for a moment before noticing his younger brother’s gaze darting toward them.

His expression darkened, and he turned around sharply. “What are you looking at? Go wait outside.”

Gu Yao, sensing the tension in his tone, raised an eyebrow. “You two know each other?”

“He’s my brother,” Su Yu answered curtly while still tending to her foot.

“Oh…” Gu Yao’s eyes shifted between the two men. They did share some resemblance — definitely brothers.

She finally fixed her gaze on Su Zhou, speaking coolly, “Brother, it’s all right. This isn’t the old days; no need to be so reserved. Feel free to look.”

Such generosity was remarkable.

By now accustomed to the chill of the ice pack, Gu Yao relaxed considerably. She found Su Zhou quite approachable — his manner reminded her of her own carefree younger brother, Gu Shisheng.

The two of them were like two voices in harmony, which left Su Zhou feeling utterly frustrated. Was he some kind of pervert? He had only glanced casually!

Saying nothing more, he turned and left.

By then, Gu Yao felt much better and, with nothing else to do, waved over a waiter to settle the bill, including Su Zhou’s table, and swiped her card. Then she patted Su Yu’s arm. “Alright, you can put it down now.”

Looking down at her clothes, the wine spilled earlier had already dried. Probably no use trying to wipe it off. She sighed, deciding to deal with it at home.

Only then did Su Yu lower her foot. The ice was partially melted. He took some tissues, wiped his hands, and stood up. “Wait here for me.”

Outside, Su Zhou waited a long while before seeing his brother come down from the upper floor. Exiting the revolving door, Su Yu headed straight toward him.

“Brother.” Su Zhou shrank his neck, greeting him somewhat timidly.

“How old do you think you are?” Su Yu asked coldly as he stopped.

“Twenty, twenty years old,” Su Zhou lowered his head. No matter how fearless he was at home—even toward their father—he was intimidated by this brother, who was over ten years his senior.

“At twenty, what should you be doing? Studying properly at school or going on blind dates?” Su Yu continued.

“Brother, it’s not my choice. Mom forced me. If I don’t go, she nags nonstop. It’s really annoying!” Su Zhou cleverly dodged the more troublesome topic by choosing one easier to explain.

Though even this topic was likely to bring trouble.

No matter how dull he was, Su Yu had clearly seen everything just now. The relationship between those two was definitely unusual. After all, their brother was so proud—when had he ever cared for anyone like this? To personally tend to this girl who claimed to have had plastic surgery and was here on a blind date!

“Brother, really, I have no interest in that sister. It was just a game,” Su Zhou stammered, trying to explain further.

But his brother’s sharp eyes glanced over swiftly, cutting the conversation short without hesitation. “We’ll talk later. Go home. I’ll explain the blind date matter to Mom for you.”

Gu Yao was stopped near the garage. At first, she wanted to leave quietly, but footsteps echoed behind her—long, fast strides soon blocked her way.

She had no choice but to stop and crossed her arms, saying nothing.

After a moment’s scrutiny, Su Yu took off his coat, stepped closer, and draped the large suit jacket over her.

The warmth spread to her body. She reached out and tugged at the hem, covering the large wine stain on her skirt, sparing her the curious stares of passersby.

“It’s quite cold outside. I wanted to discuss things with you upstairs, but you insisted on coming down,” Su Yu said, noticing her shoulders shrink.

Standing in heels was tiring, so Gu Yao lifted her right foot slightly, tapping the toe on the ground. “But I don’t want to talk to you. I want to go home.”

Her phone vibrated—it was her mother calling. Without hesitation, she rejected the call.

Two drunken passersby stumbled toward them. Su Yu tugged her gently, and they stopped in front of a convenience store.

The light from inside cast a glow on his resolute profile, softening his expression as he looked at her. “Because of my father’s surgery, you were dragged into danger. I’ve apologized several times, but now that it’s over, I want to formally apologize to you.”

Gu Yao was magnanimous. “It’s in the past. Besides, the person who wanted to harm me wasn’t you. I only ever target those who deserve it.”

“But your actions genuinely impressed me. You helped me a lot, and I’m grateful,” he spoke clearly and then shifted to the main point: “So I want to offer you some compensation. Although it would be easier to express this with money…”

“Then let’s just do that. I like money. I don’t refuse any offer,” Gu Yao replied calmly.

She wasn’t lying—money was good. Though she wasn’t short of it now, more savings could only be a good thing.

Su Yu fell silent, escorting her to the garage and stopping by her car. “Get some rest early.”

Gu Yao looked at him, waiting for a reply. He reached out casually to stroke her long hair. “Don’t worry. You’ll get more.”

Empty promises, she concluded silently as she drove home.

That night, her mother called countless times.

The next day at noon, Gu Shisheng surprisingly called. “Sis, you really stirred up trouble. Mom was so angry yesterday, she didn’t even supervise me practicing piano.”

“I know,” Gu Yao said as she walked outside. “Come out. I’ll treat you to lunch.”

“You mean skip class?” The boy’s voice rose slightly.

“Don’t you skip often anyway?” she retorted.

He laughed gleefully. “Hurry up, give me the address. I’ll come find you.”

They sipped drinks at a café until someone knocked on the glass. A tall boy with somewhat long hair partially covering his eyes smiled, revealing a dimple on his cheek.

When Gu Yao came out, she first flicked his hair up. “What do you want to eat?”

“Sichuan cuisine? Hotpot?” Gu Shisheng smiled, clearly in a good mood.

“Let’s decide as we go.”

They strolled together, finally choosing a small, clean-looking place that served homestyle dishes.

Gu Yao ordered black pepper beef and handed the menu to Gu Shisheng, who was in his growth spurt and had an enormous appetite. He quickly ordered three or four dishes. After ordering, he slumped back, grinning mischievously. “I’ve never seen Mom so angry. Seriously, I admire you—daring to provoke the tigress.”

“She’s making me go on blind dates, with a guy in his twenties, about your age,” Gu Yao said, not bothering to hide anything. She broke a pair of disposable chopsticks and prepared to eat.

“That’s rough. I hate when people pry into my love life,” Gu Shisheng sympathized.

The siblings chatted briefly, then fell silent as the food arrived.

The Gu family had many strict rules at the dinner table, one being no talking while eating. Though Gu Yao had lived on her own for many years, she never shook off this habit.

Whether good or bad, the influence of one’s family of origin always lingered—something beyond her control.

After the meal, Gu Yao tilted her chin at her brother. “Go pay the bill.”

“Weren’t you treating?” Gu Shisheng protested.

Gu Yao teased, “Don’t think I don’t know you’ve earned some extra money.”