Xiuzhu ate her watermelon in high spirits, the corners of her lips slightly upturned.  

It seemed Gu Yu hadn’t lied to her—this “backer” of hers had rushed to throw himself at her. She really was this irresistibly charming!  

“You guys eat, I’m going upstairs to rest.” Suddenly finding herself no longer single, her mind was a bit overwhelmed. She needed to go back and sort things out properly.  

Lin Yaoyu was still somewhat skeptical. Was this really *that* legendary Gu Yu?  

But as he bit into the cool, refreshing watermelon, he decided not to dwell on it. He’d spent the whole morning training at the field and planned to take a nap later. Without looking up, he waved dismissively at Xiuzhu. “Go on, go on.”  

Beside him, the quiet Ling Luochuan watched Xiuzhu’s retreating figure with sharp, cold eyes, only withdrawing his gaze once she had completely disappeared from sight.  

…

In the Second-Floor Bedroom 

Xiuzhu changed into her pajamas and stretched out comfortably on the bed.  

Her eyes were half-open, fixed on the ceiling, her brows occasionally furrowing slightly and her lips pressing together tightly.  

“Sigh…” Xiuzhu had lost count of how many times she’d sighed just now.  

She wondered if Gu Yu had gone home yet. She hoped his older brother hadn’t snatched away all those good things first.  

Tossing and turning in bed, time ticked by minute by minute. Gradually, her eyelids grew heavy, and before she knew it, she had closed her eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.  

…

Gu Yu drove back to the Gu residence. When he entered the living room, he noticed the whole family was present today—though the atmosphere was somewhat tense.  

His steps were leisurely, his eyes carrying a trace of amusement as he lazily settled onto the sofa.  

Madam Gu sat upright and elegant in the center of the sofa, her poise refined by the grace of time. Yet at this moment, her expression was stern, her gaze sharp as she questioned with displeasure and force:  

“Gu Sheng, what exactly is going on?”  

“Aunt Yang just called me, saying you never showed up to meet Xinran.”  

“Since when have you become so irresponsible?”  

Seeing his mother’s barely contained anger, Gu Sheng patiently explained, “Mom, I was in the wrong today. There was an urgent matter in the military, and I couldn’t leave. I’ll apologize to Aunt Yang another day.”  

“You should be explaining this to Xinran.”  

“Ah… is it really that you don’t like her? Is there truly no chance?” Madam Gu looked at her eldest son helplessly.  

Gu Sheng met his mother’s gaze directly, his tone sincere, his voice steady and clear:  

“Mom, I really won’t ever like her. Things are fine as they are now—please stop worrying about my affairs.”  

Madam Gu sighed, her tone softening. “It’s not that I’m rushing you. In the entire compound, there are hardly any men your age and your brother’s age still single.”  

“Our family alone has two. I’m afraid people will start thinking there’s something wrong with the Gu men.”  

“Two old bachelors—who’s going to take care of you in your old age?” As their birth mother, how could she not be anxious?  

Sitting nearby, a delicate and lovely young girl couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer.  

“Pfft—hahaha! ‘Two old bachelors’—Mom, that’s way too harsh!”  

Hearing this term, Gu Yu, who had been sitting quietly, frowned slightly, his displeasure evident.  

“You can talk about Eldest Brother all you want, but don’t drag me into it.”  

“If you don’t want to be dragged into it, then bring a girl home for me to see,” Madam Gu retorted, her mood worsening at the sight of her younger son.  

She couldn’t understand it—her eldest son’s gentle, reserved nature and his disinterest in interacting with female comrades were at least explainable.  

But her second son, who was usually so smooth-tongued and full of clever schemes—how had *he* also ended up a hopeless case?  

“I’ll bring her home soon. Once I do, you’ll all visit her family to show sincerity.” Gu Yu crossed his legs, laced his fingers behind his head, and smiled faintly, clearly in high spirits.  

Just the thought of spending the rest of his life with Xiuzhu, raising children together, made his blood burn with excitement.  

The Gu family members present were stunned. Madam Gu even wondered if she was hallucinating.  

Only after seeing her eldest son and youngest daughter reacting the same way did she snap back to reality—this wasn’t just wishful thinking. What he’d just said was *real*.  

Abandoning all pretense of elegance, she hastily nudged her daughter aside and sat down next to her younger son.  

Firing off questions one after another, she demanded:  

“Which family’s daughter is she?”  

“How old is she? What’s her temperament like? Is she pretty?”

“How far along are you two?”

“You unreliable brat—don’t you dare knock her up before marriage! If you really can’t wait, tell me now so I can arrange the betrothal!”

Madam Gu was terrified her son might get arrested for *indecency*—especially since she’d seen him washing bedsheets early that morning…  

Gu Yu’s ears instantly burned scarlet at his mother’s words. His fingers twitched slightly, and his heartbeat quickened uncontrollably.  

His handsome face even betrayed an expression of barely restrained anticipation.  

“Hey! Are you going to answer or just leave me hanging?” Madam Gu had never seen such a… *spring-struck* look on her son’s face before.  

He’s truly smitten, she thought. I’ll need to call Elder Sister tomorrow and ask her to help buy wedding supplies.

“Ahem. Her name is Xiuzhu. She’s the niece of Lin Zhijun from the Lin family in West District. Her father holds a position in Yucheng.”

Gu Yu’s voice softened unmistakably when speaking of Xiuzhu. “As for her temperament… she’s sweet, clever, and utterly lovely. You’ll adore her, Mom.”

Beside them, Gu Tong grew so eager to meet this Xiuzhu that she blurted out, “How old is she? Can I hang out with her?” 

She worried that if Xiuzhu was close to her brother’s age, they might not have much to talk about.  

Gu Yu: “You’re the same age—both 18. You’ll get along.”

Gu Sheng, who had been silent until now, remarked coolly: “Not bad. At least you’re acting like a decent human.”  

…