Chapter 10 The man wants her to be responsible

“……” Gu Jinshu gave a slight nod as a greeting. Outwardly, she looked calm, but inside she was still a little flustered. Why did it feel like the man was even more handsome than the night they had met before?
She walked past Lu Shiyan.

Lu Shiyan: “……”
So she really didn’t remember what happened that night!!

Old Master Lu took one look at his grandson’s cheap, lovesick expression and had a vague guess. He smiled without saying anything.
His grandson’s tree was finally going to bloom—there was hope for a great-grandson!

“You go and see Jinshu off for me.” Old Master Lu raised his hand to cover a light cough, secretly shooting a glare at his slow-witted grandson—if there’s no opportunity, then make one!

Lu Shiyan’s body reacted faster than his brain; in a few steps, he caught up to her. He followed Gu Jinshu at a measured pace, unsure what to say first.

Should he ask, “Do you still remember what happened that night?”
Or just say, “Hello?”
No matter which, it felt wrong.

Lu Shiyan frowned. Could it be that night had really been that bad?
The little woman didn’t remember a thing!

Sensing Lu Shiyan catching up, Gu Jinshu stopped abruptly just before reaching Teacher Zhang’s house, noticing no one else was around.

Lu Shiyan wasn’t paying attention, and when she stopped, he walked straight into her back.

Gu Jinshu staggered forward, about to trip over the threshold, when a strong arm suddenly wrapped around her waist.

In the next moment, he steadied her.

“Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?” Lu Shiyan’s voice was full of concern.

Gu Jinshu shook her head. “I’m fine.”

She looked up at the man. Lu Shiyan was at least close to 1.9 meters tall, while her 1.65-meter height only reached his chest, so she had to tilt her head to meet his gaze.

“……”
Silence fell again.

Lu Shiyan pressed his thin lips together. The only thought in his head was that the little woman was far too light—just like that night. She needed to eat more.

“About that night, you can pretend nothing happened. I know you were set up, too…” Gu Jinshu said lightly. She thought this was what most men liked to hear—that they didn’t need to take responsibility.

In her previous life, she had been single since birth—never dated, never liked anyone. Her passion was traditional Chinese medicine, and anything related to it. Reborn into this life, she had no intention of making Lu Shiyan feel responsible.

But little did she know, the moment she spoke, Lu Shiyan froze.
She knew! She clearly knew what had happened that night!!

Didn’t that mean he hadn’t been that bad?
Wait—was the little woman trying to cut ties with him?

Lu Shiyan frowned. “If something happened, how can you call it ‘nothing happened’?”

That threw Gu Jinshu off.
Was he… asking her to take responsibility?
That was tricky. A man’s mind was like a needle at the bottom of the sea.

“What do you want to do then?” Gu Jinshu asked directly—or rather, what exactly did Lu Shiyan want her to do?

Lu Shiyan choked. What he wanted to say was: of course, date, get engaged, get married.
But he worried that if he said that, he’d scare her away—just like that night—leaving him with nowhere to cry.

“Let me think about it.”

“Alright, whenever you figure it out, just tell me directly.” Gu Jinshu said seriously.

Lu Shiyan: “……”
That was it?

He stood there watching the little woman walk into the courtyard, before finally moving his stiff legs to leave.

Old Master Lu didn’t even have to ask—one look at his grandson’s half-dead expression and he knew the conversation hadn’t gone well. Compared to his father, his grandson’s skills were a far cry.
Sigh…

—

The next day, Gu Jinshu found it very convenient living in Teacher Zhang’s courtyard. The teacher and his wife treated her like their own granddaughter. They took care of all three meals and had given her the sunniest, warmest room.

The bedding was all new, and what delighted her most was that the walls and bookshelves were filled with medical books.

Late in the morning, the elderly couple went to the farmer’s market to buy food, planning to cook lunch when they returned.

Seeing the yard was a bit dirty, Gu Jinshu picked up a broom to sweep—

“Gu Jinshu! What are you doing here?”

A surprised voice from Gu Chuxue rang out.

Turning around, Gu Jinshu saw Niu Chunli and Gu Chuxue. Both looked at her in shock.

Niu Chunli muttered, “Could it be you came to the wrong place?”

Then she looked at Gu Jinshu and snapped, “Have you made enough trouble?! If you have, come home with us today. The whole family is in chaos, and I don’t have the time to deal with you anymore.”

As her biological mother, she didn’t show the slightest concern for how Gu Jinshu had been living these past days—only scolding her right away. Instead, she was supporting her adopted daughter, who was here to see the teacher for medical reasons.

From Gu Chuxue’s weak appearance, Gu Jinshu could pretty much guess—the baby was gone.

“I made it very clear the other day—I’ve completely severed ties with the family, and I’m not going back.” Gu Jinshu said calmly. “Also, the teacher is resting at noon. No visitors.”

Niu Chunli didn’t pay attention to what Gu Jinshu really meant, only furrowing her brows and lecturing her.

“Your father and I took you from some poor backwater to raise you, and instead of being grateful, you’re acting like this. You’ve really disappointed us! You’re slow-witted, you can’t learn anything, and you’re nothing compared to Chuxue. Do you think you’re worthy of Qinghai?

Even if you two got married, you’d end up divorced sooner or later. I’m doing this for your own good—you should just find some honest man and live a simple life.

Your heart is higher than the sky—don’t forget the rest of that saying: your life is as thin as paper!”

Gu Chuxue couldn’t help but smile to herself. So what if Gu Jinshu was their biological daughter? She hadn’t been raised by them, and in their hearts, she was the only true daughter.

Gu Jinshu raised an eyebrow. Was this really something a real mother would say?

“You’re wrong—it’s not that you ‘took me from some poor backwater.’ I was supposed to live in the city from the start.

You never mention the suffering I endured in the countryside all those years. The one who should be grateful to you is Gu Chuxue.

As for being slow-witted—that’s inborn. If you insult me, you’re insulting yourself!”

Her tone was calm but sharp.

Niu Chunli was furious. “You! You really are an ill-bred thing, daring to speak to me like this! I’m your mother!”

“There’s an old saying—‘A loving mother raises filial children.’ Only if the mother is loving will the child be filial. Which part of you is loving?”