Chapter 166: Stern and Uncompromising

Gu Huaizhi took Gu Jingyun and Gu Baozhu to visit the Jiang residence. The butler informed him that the teacher had gone to the Imperial Academy early in the morning and would not return until the evening.

Gu Huaizhi said his farewells to the butler and planned to visit again tomorrow.

He then took Gu Jingyun and Gu Baozhu to a bookstore. The two little ones spent the entire morning reading, bought some books, along with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. Gu Huaizhi figured that Su Wan wouldn’t be back to join them for lunch, so he decided to take them to a restaurant for a meal before returning home.

Unexpectedly, after finishing lunch, they ran into Cao Suxue at the restaurant’s entrance.

“Young Master Gu, is that really you? I thought I had mistaken someone else for you. When did you arrive in the capital?”

Cao Suxue stood three steps away from Gu Huaizhi, maintaining just the right distance. Her clear voice carried the excitement of meeting an old acquaintance after a long time: “Father will soon return to the capital to report on his duties, and the whole family will be moving back. My seventh brother will be very happy to know that you’re in the capital. He often thought of you after you left.”

Gu Huaizhi responded coldly with a simple “Mm.” “Congratulations to your father,” he added, then led Gu Baozhu and Gu Jingyun toward the carriage.

“Are these your younger brother and sister?” Cao Suxue, seemingly unaware of Gu Huaizhi’s indifference, kept smiling warmly as she looked at Gu Baozhu and Gu Jingyun. She offered them rabbit-shaped pastries from her hand. “These pastries are delicious. Why don’t you try some?”

Gu Baozhu clasped her hands behind her back and said, “Big brother told us not to accept things from strangers.”

Gu Jingyun finished the thought: “Especially from people who insist on giving us things. They must have bad intentions, thinking we’re cute and wanting to kidnap us to sell for money.”

The two little ones looked up and asked Gu Huaizhi in unison, “Big brother, did we get it right?”

Gu Huaizhi patted both of their heads. “You were absolutely right.”

Cao Suxue’s hand froze mid-air, and the smile on her face nearly faltered.

“Young lady Cao, if you have no other matters, please don’t disturb us,” Gu Huaizhi said coldly, his tone distant, giving no courtesy at all. “There is no need for you to come over and greet me, as there is no friendship between us. We must observe proper boundaries between men and women, so as not to cause rumors that could tarnish reputations.”

Cao Suxue quickly responded, “Young Master Gu, I don’t mind, and others won’t misunderstand. My father is a good friend of yours, so it’s only natural for me to greet you.”

“It would tarnish my reputation,” Gu Huaizhi replied openly and shamelessly. “I fear my wife. If she were to misunderstand and think I’m not being faithful, you wouldn’t be able to bear the responsibility.”

Cao Suxue looked at Gu Huaizhi in shock, as if she couldn’t believe that a man as pure and upright as him would say something so shameless.

She was about to say more when she suddenly sensed an unfriendly gaze.

Following the direction of that gaze, Cao Suxue saw Su Wan inside the carriage. She recognized her instantly as the woman who had saved Cao Wanqing in Guangling Prefecture.

This woman, from a poor background, had latched onto influential connections and clung to Zhao Wei’s coattails, and now she had made her way to the capital.

Cao Suxue, considering herself to be of much higher status than Su Wan, looked down on women who traded their bodies for wealth and status. She chose not to pester Gu Huaizhi any further, not wanting Su Wan to witness anything that might make her a laughingstock.

Who would have thought that Su Wan would step down from the carriage and walk toward her?

Cao Suxue’s expression darkened, but she had to keep her emotions in check and forced a dignified and graceful smile.

No matter how much she looked down on Su Wan, she couldn’t change the fact that Su Wan was the person who had saved Cao Wanqing’s life.

“Young lady Su, I didn’t expect to see you here after parting in the prefectural city. What a coincidence,” Cao Suxue spoke in a tone that seemed friendly, though her attitude remained distant, exchanging polite words. “My elder sister has been thinking of you. If she knew you were in the capital, she would be very happy. We must invite you to the Cao residence sometime.”

Su Wan gave her a cold glance, not bothering to respond, and then turned her head toward Gu Huaizhi.

Gu Huaizhi felt a bad premonition rising and gently called out, “My dear wife.”

“Big Sister-in-law!” Gu Baozhu ran over quickly, her little steps pattering as she complained, “After we finished eating, we ran into this lady. She offered us pastries, but Big Brother wouldn’t let us take them.”

“Big Sister-in-law, I can vouch for it. Big Brother kept his integrity,” Gu Jingyun patted his small chest and stared nervously at Su Wan, afraid that she might misunderstand and think his big brother had something to do with this woman.

Although they were young, they understood everything clearly. It was obvious that this woman had no good intentions.

She practically wanted to glue her eyes to their big brother, clearly aiming to become their sister-in-law.

Cao Suxue was shocked and wide-eyed as she exclaimed, “You’re Su Wan?”

She couldn’t help but glance once more at Su Wan’s attire, which bore none of the elegance of a noblewoman from a distinguished family—it was all so shabby.

Oh… right!

The Marquis of Dingyuan had severed ties with Su Wan, leaving her without a strong backer. No wonder she couldn’t afford to wear silk and satin! Moreover, she was acting completely unladylike, with an unclear relationship with Zhao Wei.

She felt indignant on Gu Huaizhi’s behalf!

Cao Suxue regained her composure and smiled slightly, speaking with veiled sarcasm, “I saw you getting quite close to General Zhao before. He seemed to care for you a lot, personally escorting you to the medical hall. I almost thought you two were a couple.”

Su Wan raised her eyebrow and responded coolly, “Is that so? The reason General Zhao escorted me to the medical hall was because there was something he couldn’t quite figure out, and it wasn’t appropriate to ask in front of everyone. After all, the guards of Young lady Cao were drugged, but the guards of Second young lady Cao were not. Such a matter, if brought up in front of the prefect, could easily cause misunderstandings.”

Cao Suxue’s face turned ashen, as if someone had grabbed her by the throat. She stammered, “I don’t know what you’re talking about! My guards weren’t drugged because they were on duty and hadn’t had the chance to eat lunch when the attack happened. They were just protecting me as I fled.”

“You don’t need to explain to me; save it for Young lady Cao,” Su Wan said sharply, her gaze icy as she issued a warning. “Gu Huaizhi is my man. If you dare try to entangle him again, don’t blame me for turning hostile.”

Cao Suxue’s face flushed with alternating shades of red and pale. Humiliated, she replied, “You’ve misunderstood. Young Master Gu is my seventh brother’s tutor. I only approached him to reminisce about the past.”

“You’d better hope so, because I have a bad temper. If anyone dares to touch what’s mine, I won’t rest until I tear a layer of their skin off,” Su Wan said with a slight smirk.

Her finger lightly touched Cao Suxue’s face and slowly trailed downward. “Young lady Cao, with such a delicate, beautiful face, I don’t think you’d want to try.”

A shiver ran through Cao Suxue as Su Wan’s fingernail grazed her cheek, sending a cold chill straight up her spine, causing her to shudder involuntarily.

In that moment, Cao Suxue had a terrifying premonition that Su Wan truly intended to tear off her face.

Her scalp tightened with fear, and she stumbled backward before quickly retreating, almost fleeing in panic.

Su Wan let out a cold snort, pulled out a handkerchief, and wiped the fingers that had touched Cao Suxue. She crumpled the handkerchief and tossed it into the nearby trash bin.

“Wanwan, I barely said a word to her,” Gu Huaizhi said as he pulled out another handkerchief and handed it to her.

Su Wan gave him a sidelong glance, then took the hands of Gu Jingyun and Gu Baozhu, heading toward the carriage. “What do you two want to eat? Let’s go buy something.”

“We’re full and don’t really want anything. We’ve got everything at home,” Gu Jingyun and Gu Baozhu replied, turning to look at Gu Huaizhi with a sympathetic expression.

Big Brother, you’re on your own now.

We did our best.

Gu Huaizhi: “…”

He followed after them, watching as the carriage brushed past him and drove away.