Chapter 44: Quietly Added Her

The next day at noon, Yu Zihan left the school gate and walked into a secluded alley. After making sure there was no one around, she took out a thermos container and a pile of materials from her space.

For these materials, Yu Zihan had even specifically exchanged a large, iconic handbag that had a distinct retro feel.

With the large bag hanging on her shoulder and two thermos containers in hand, she knocked on the door of Gu Jingxuan’s hospital room.

“Come in,” came Gu Jingxuan’s pleasant voice from inside. Upon hearing his voice, Yu Zihan felt it was so elegant, like the string of a zither being plucked, stirring her heart.

She pushed open the door and was unexpectedly surprised to find that the fashionable woman she had met before was standing by the bed.

“Um, should I leave?” Yu Zihan asked Gu Jingxuan.

Gu Jingxuan thought to himself that this little girl was sometimes excessively clever. Her hint was clear—she wanted to speak to him alone, without anyone else interrupting.

“No need. Zhang Shanshan, you can leave. I have something to discuss,” Gu Jingxuan said, suddenly turning cold in his tone, shifting from the gentle attitude he had toward the girl.

The woman named Zhang Shanshan turned to glare at Yu Zihan. She wanted to say something but held herself back.

She thought speaking to someone like this would lower her status.

Looking at Yu Zihan’s outfit, which seemed to belong to a girl of about fourteen or fifteen, with her figure still undeveloped, and her clothing—well, it was downright outdated.

Inwardly, she mocked herself. She must have been out of her mind to think someone like Gu Jingxuan would be interested in a girl like this. If he really noticed her, Zhang Shanshan would be finished.

She turned to leave, and as she passed Yu Zihan, she even covered her nose with her hand.

Yu Zihan thought to herself, Am I some kind of virus? She scoffed, Look at you acting so high and mighty.

Gu Jingxuan saw the colorful expressions on Yu Zihan’s face just now and couldn’t help but chuckle.

Yu Zihan caught the smile and was stunned. He actually smiled, she thought, and it looks so good. It’s really a sight for sore eyes.

Just as she was about to say this out loud, she forcibly held back the words.

She walked over to the bedside table, where several steaming lunchboxes had already been placed. She glanced at Gu Jingxuan.

Gu Jingxuan said, “You promised me you’d bring me something delicious today.” His words pleased Yu Zihan.

With a bit of a proud look, she placed the thermos containers on the bedside table and pushed the lunchboxes further back.

Gu Jingxuan saw the small gesture and found it even more endearing. He stood up, eager to open the thermos containers.

“Go wash your hands,” Yu Zihan said, her tone unexpectedly stern.

There was an air of disdain and authority, reminiscent of the way she would order around her silly dog in her past life. To her surprise, Gu Jingxuan actually enjoyed this treatment.

He obediently went to wash his hands, then, looking at Yu Zihan, opened the thermos containers.

A rich fragrance wafted out. “Wow, it smells amazing,” Gu Jingxuan exclaimed, unable to wait any longer before digging in.

Looking at Gu Jingxuan now, Yu Zihan felt he was nothing like the person she had met in those other situations. This wasn’t the same soul.

After eating for a while, Gu Jingxuan suddenly remembered something. “Did you eat?”

Yu Zihan hadn’t eaten. She had rushed straight to the hospital after school, too eager to meet him to think about food.

But more than that, she didn’t want to eat in the hospital—she didn’t want to take any of his food. So, she said, “You eat, I’ve already had something, I’m full.”

Just as she said that, her stomach betrayed her with a loud growl. She awkwardly looked down at the floor, wishing the ground would swallow her up.

“Ha ha ha…” Gu Jingxuan couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore.

“You, at such a young age, you think too much. If you’ve eaten, then you’ve eaten. If not, then you haven’t. What’s there to hide? From now on, be yourself in front of me, okay?”

With that, he opened the other lunchboxes. A new wave of delicious smells filled the room, and Yu Zihan’s stomach growled even more.

Gu Jingxuan’s words touched her deeply. No one had ever told her to be herself before. As she looked at the man who had invited her to eat, she felt an emotion she couldn’t quite understand.

She picked up her chopsticks and started eating. But, the food didn’t taste as good as it normally would. She was distracted, stealing glances at Gu Jingxuan and trying to figure out what he was thinking. In the end, she became less carefree and more reserved.

After finishing her meal, Yu Zihan began to clean up the dishes. She then decided it was time to talk business.

She placed the large bag on Gu Jingxuan’s bed. “This bag contains all the evidence of Cui Mingtao’s crimes, as well as letters from important people he’s been in contact with. I’m handing it over to you, hoping you can bring this bastard to justice.”

Yu Zihan looked at him with her big, bright eyes, full of expectation.

Gu Jingxuan nodded seriously. “As long as these things are real, no matter how powerful his connections are, I will make sure he faces the law. You can trust me.”

His words were not just a promise to the little girl, but a promise to himself, to his beliefs.

He remembered swearing when he joined the army that he would dedicate his youth, his blood, and his life to the country and its people. That vow had remained unbroken, without regret.

Today, he added a new name to that vow—Yu Zihan. He might not even realize it, but this change had happened gradually, silently, in his heart.

Maybe it was just a tiny sprout now, but for it to grow strong and healthy, it needed plenty of care, nurturing, and thought.

When Yu Zihan heard his words, it felt like she was seeing him in front of a national flag, solemnly swearing, so firm, so sacred.

“I believe you. I’m leaving now.” Yu Zihan didn’t know why she felt the need to leave so suddenly. She didn’t even understand what she was trying to escape from—was it Gu Jingxuan or the environment?

Once outside the door, her heart raced. Though her body was fifteen, her soul felt ancient. In her past life, it was as if her heart had been sealed in cement—cold, emotionless, and empty.

She once thought that she would never have any positive feelings toward men. She never expected them to change her life in any meaningful way.

Since her rebirth, her goal had been clear—live happily with her mother and do the things they both enjoyed. But now, what was going on with this restless heart of hers?

As she walked toward the school gate, trying to suppress those unrealistic thoughts, she finally found herself again as she stepped onto the school grounds.