Chapter 13: A Test

◎ Love at first sight? Yeah, right ◎

The clink of a teacup against the table came from the main room. Realizing they’d been in the bedroom too long, Sun Lan quickly pulled Gu Ying out and sat down in front of Gui Caihong.

Smiling warmly, Sun Lan poured more hot water into Gui Caihong’s cup and gently asked, “I wonder what brings you here today? Is there something urgent?”

Gui Caihong scoffed quietly in her heart. Wasn’t that question just playing dumb?

Everyone in the compound was gossiping about Gui Xiwen and Gu Ying. As Gui Xiwen’s aunt, what else could she be here for?

Gui Caihong placed both hands on the cup, glanced at Gu Ying, and looked her up and down—unable to stop herself from shaking her head internally.

This girl, Gu Ying, was far too plain. Any random girl in the compound had better qualities. She had no idea what had gotten into Gui Xiwen that made him insist on marrying a girl like this.

Gui Caihong sighed silently, put down her teacup, cleared her throat, and said solemnly, “I came here today because I want to ask Gu Ying a few questions.”

Gu Ying sat upright in her chair, but her eyes drifted down to her toes. “Auntie, what do you want to ask?”

Gui Caihong didn’t beat around the bush. “How did you meet Xiwen?”

Gu Ying swung her feet restlessly back and forth, but her answer was firm. “Strictly speaking, we don’t really know each other.”

Gui Caihong’s expression changed, her tone turning cold. “Young lady, one must be honest. If you and Xiwen don’t know each other, why would he want to marry you? Are you trying to fool me with such words?”

Sitting beside them, Sun Lan noticed the subtle tension between the two. She quickly tugged on Gu Ying’s sleeve in warning and smiled as she explained to Gui Caihong, “Xiao Ying just arrived not long ago. Her health hasn’t been great, so she mostly stays at home. She doesn’t know many people in the compound. I guess she’s only seen Gui Xiwen a few times and hasn’t really spoken to him, so she said they don’t know each other.”

Gui Caihong’s face softened slightly. She glanced at Sun Lan, thinking this mother seemed reasonable, much more tactful than her daughter.

With that thought, she raised her eyes to look at Gu Ying. Gu Ying kept her head down, her face calm, as if completely unaware of the strange tension in the air.

Gui Caihong felt a pang of worry. Not only was this girl plain-looking, but she also didn’t seem to know how to deal with people or situations. She had no sense of social grace.

For some reason, Gui Caihong started to feel dissatisfied with Sun Lan too. Raising a daughter like this—how could a mother bear no responsibility?

Thinking that this might be her future in-law family gave Gui Caihong a strong sense of impatience. Her voice rose and she said bluntly, “Gu Ying once proactively gave Xiwen a bag of fruit candy. That doesn’t seem like someone who doesn’t know him.”

She heavily emphasized the word “proactively.” The strange undertone in her words made Sun Lan feel uncomfortable. She turned uneasily to Gu Ying to confirm, “Is this true?”

Before Gu Ying could answer, Gui Caihong jumped in, “It’s absolutely true. That can’t be denied.”

“But to be fair, I’m used to this kind of thing. Xiwen has always been outstanding. Girls trying to talk to him and get close—there are more than I can count on both hands. I understand that. But giving him something and then claiming you don’t know him? That’s a first.”

Sun Lan’s face turned red and white by turns. She didn’t know if it was true or not and didn’t dare speak rashly. She could only keep staring at Gu Ying, her heart uneasy, and whispered, “Xiao Ying, is this true?”

Gu Ying nodded. “Yes.”

Sun Lan gasped, her chest tightening. Her face flushed with embarrassment, the shame burning all the way up to her neck.

“She… she might have just…” Sun Lan tried to defend Gu Ying, but her flustered words failed her, and she couldn’t finish a complete sentence.

Gui Caihong watched Sun Lan’s awkwardness with a sense of satisfaction, pleased to have exposed their facade.

With Gui Xiwen’s excellent qualities, countless girls wanted to get close to him. Gui Caihong believed that if he was going to marry Gu Ying, it must be because Gu Ying had used some trick to charm him. Otherwise, how could Xiwen possibly take a liking to her?

After learning that Gu Ying had given Xiwen a bag of candy, her suspicions grew even stronger. So this time, she came deliberately bringing a bag of fruit candy, ready to expose Gu Ying’s little tricks.

Feeling triumphant, a smile slowly appeared at the corners of Gui Caihong’s mouth. But just as she was basking in her victory, Gu Ying’s cold voice cut in:

“I did give Gui Xiwen a bag of candy. But that was because he first gave me a sugar coupon. I was just returning the favor. I don’t know who told you about this, Auntie, but you should’ve gotten the full story.”

Gui Caihong’s smile froze.

She immediately snapped back, “Impossible. Why would Xiwen give you a sugar coupon?”

“I don’t know.” Gu Ying shrugged lazily. “Maybe it was love at first sight.”

Gui Caihong choked.

She nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

What nonsense was Gu Ying spouting? She could say something as outrageous as ‘love at first sight’ with a straight face. Did she even know her own worth?

Gui Xiwen, falling in love at first sight with Gu Ying?

As if.

Fury surged inside Gui Caihong, and though her mind was full of nasty remarks, she couldn’t say a word—because deep down, she wasn’t sure. She didn’t know the full story either.

Still, one thing she was certain of: there was no way Gui Xiwen would fall for Gu Ying at first sight. That was pure nonsense.

Excellent. Gui Caihong’s impression of Gu Ying sank even lower. Not only was she plain and socially awkward, but she also lacked self-awareness.

Suppressing her anger, Gui Caihong tried to speak calmly: “Xiwen’s always been a handful, but he’s also always been top of his class. The teachers both love and hate him—hate his unruliness, love his talent. And he didn’t disappoint them. He got into the best university in the province with ease.”

“He’s about to graduate now, and his university will assign him a good job. College graduates are highly valued these days. He’ll be placed in a top state-owned enterprise with a bright future ahead. Even if he hadn’t gone to university, he could’ve followed his father into the factory and still had a great future. No matter what path he takes, it’s smooth sailing.”

“And as for him personally, apart from a bit of a temper, there’s not much to criticize. Just look around this compound—who among the young men looks better than Xiwen? He’s over 1.8 meters tall with striking features. He stands out wherever he goes.”

Gui Caihong said all this, but to Gu Ying, it all came down to just four words: You’re not worthy.

Gu Ying quietly listened. Her expression, which had been calm all along, finally showed a hint of sorrow.

She looked steadily at Gui Caihong, and said with a trace of sadness, “Auntie, my father is just an ordinary worker at the factory. I don’t have any grand path ahead of me. I only finished high school and never had the chance to be assigned to a good government job. I look plain and can’t compare to most of the girls in the compound, and I don’t even have the luxury to be picky. I know all this—every bit of it.”

“But Auntie, I wasn’t the one who spread the news about Gui Xiwen wanting to marry me. When everyone was talking about it, why did they assume I was the one shamelessly trying to climb up the social ladder? My mother and I just found out about it too. I want to ask—why did Gui Xiwen spread such a rumor?”

“Auntie, you know how important a girl’s reputation is. The Gui family started this rumor and threw me into the eye of the storm, and now you’ve come to accuse me face-to-face of having ulterior motives. Whether good or bad, it’s all being said by your family. I have no say in the matter, yet I still have to endure your ridicule. Isn’t that going too far?”

“Auntie, I understand why you came today—simply to tell me that I’m not worthy of Gui Xiwen, and to make me give up on the idea of marrying him. But Gui Xiwen has never even said to my face that he wants to marry me. So how am I supposed to refuse? I can’t reject a proposal he’s never even made, can I? Wouldn’t that be too presumptuous of me?”

Gui Caihong was stunned by Gu Ying’s almost flawless speech.

She almost felt like she was a terrible villain, bullying a helpless mother and daughter.

After silently blaming herself for a while, Gui Caihong picked up the nearby teacup and took a big gulp of tea, trying to calm herself down. Once she did, she suddenly realized something was wrong.

Wasn’t she here today to give Gu Ying a piece of her mind? How did she end up silently siding with her?

Something wasn’t right. Maybe her assumptions were wrong. Gu Ying wasn’t entirely useless after all—her mouth was sharp, her words clever and persuasive, making it hard to tell up from down. Perhaps Gui Xiwen had been fooled by her too.

Gui Caihong stared at Gu Ying, suddenly unable to distinguish whether her words were true or false. But regardless, one point couldn’t be ignored: Gui Xiwen had never discussed this matter directly with Gu Ying.

In other words, this was all Gui Xiwen’s idea alone.

Gui Caihong couldn’t sit still anymore. She felt she needed to go back and discuss this with her older brother and sister-in-law immediately.

True to her impulsive nature, Gui Caihong had come in a rush and now left in a rush. Watching her gradually disappearing figure, Sun Lan stood in the doorway, looking a little melancholy.

She turned back to look at Gu Ying, her eyes filled with unconcealable worry.

Sun Lan entered the room and took out the packet of fruit candies, examining it carefully in her palm.

She had known about Gui Xiwen giving Gu Ying candy coupons back then, but she didn’t know that Gu Ying had later gifted him back a packet of fruit candies.

Sun Lan squeezed the candy pack in her hand, and finally couldn’t hold back. She carefully asked Gu Ying, “If Gui Xiwen personally comes and tells you, would you really refuse him?”

Gu Ying didn’t reply. She just smiled, unwrapped the candy, took one out, peeled it, and popped it into her mouth.

Her face was full of sweetness from the candy, with no trace of the sorrow and sadness from moments earlier.

Meanwhile, Gui Caihong, who had hurried back home, bumped into Zhang Dongling who was just about to leave.

Zhang Dongling grabbed Gui Caihong’s arm and exclaimed, “I just heard from Xiwu that you went to the Gu family. I was just about to go look for you, and now here you are. Oh Caihong, why did you go to the Gu family at a time like this? Now the whole compound will be talking again.”

Sometimes Zhang Dongling really couldn’t understand her sister-in-law’s actions. It was the same during Mingxue’s broken engagement—before they had even reacted, Gui Caihong had already run to the Ming family and scolded them.

Fortunately, the Ming family had been in the wrong that time and didn’t cause trouble. Otherwise, Gui Caihong’s behavior would’ve surely stirred up a mess. And in the end, it’s always the Gui family who has to bear the consequences. That time she scolded the Ming family, everyone probably assumed she was acting on orders from her brother and his wife.

Gui Caihong may be married and no longer living in the compound, but Zhang Dongling still lived there. Any trouble Gui Caihong caused would eventually fall on her shoulders.

This time too—things weren’t even settled yet, and Gui Caihong had brazenly gone to the Gu family. Wasn’t that just handing people gossip on a silver platter?

Zhang Dongling was fuming inside and was about to rant when she noticed Gui Caihong looking upset. She held her tongue.

Last time Gui Caihong had returned from the Ming family full of pride, as if she’d vented a lifetime of grievances. But this time, she looked somewhat defeated.

What happened? Did the always uncompromising Gui Caihong not get the upper hand at the Gu house this time?

While Zhang Dongling was still guessing, Gui Caihong pulled her back with a sudden question, “Sister-in-law, do you really agree with Xiwen marrying that girl from the Gu family?”

Zhang Dongling answered coolly, “Isn’t it obvious?”

Gui Caihong dragged her to a corner and whispered, “I have an idea.”

The two of them stood by the doorway, whispering back and forth.

That evening, when Gui Xiwen returned home, the first thing he saw was Gui Caihong sitting on the sofa.

He greeted her and was about to head to his room when Gui Caihong stopped him. “Xiwen, you said you wanted to marry that girl from the Gu family. Did you get her consent?”

Gui Xiwen paused. “No.”

Gui Caihong chuckled. “So you’re going around saying you want to marry her, but you’ve never told her yourself? You’re that confident she’ll say yes?”

Gui Xiwen narrowed his long eyes and glanced at Zhang Dongling, who had just come out of the room, and asked suspiciously, “So you all agree now?”

Zhang Dongling remained silent.

Gui Caihong winked at her and said with a smile, “We agree. If you want to marry her, go ahead.”