On the way back, Yu Lan, familiar with the process, transferred the money to the orphanage account she had used before. Then she heard the notification of mission success.

The system asked if she wanted to draw a prize. At that moment, Yu Lan was sitting in the car, afraid of encountering the aurora incident again, so she said, “Wait until we get back.”

However, once she got back, she didn’t get around to the prize draw, because the butler had called the family doctor over that night to examine her and Gu Sui’an.

Gu Sui’an was fine. His claustrophobia would recover as long as he was out of the confined space. But Yu Lan’s lower leg had several cuts. Since the utility room was messy and dirty, the doctor gave her a tetanus shot just to be safe.

Yu Lan frowned, worried. “Will it leave a scar?”

“I will prescribe some scar-removal ointment for Madam. Apply it twice a day, and be careful not to get the wound wet for seven days.”

Not being able to get it wet was such a hassle, but in order to avoid scarring, Yu Lan could only frown and say, “Alright.”

After seeing off the doctor, Yu Lan opened the ointment. Inside was a pitch-black paste with a strange smell. She tested a small dab on the wound, just a tiny bit, but it hurt so much that she sucked in a sharp breath.

“Heavens, is this stuff really meant to be used on humans?”

The butler said, “Dr. Lin’s family has practiced traditional Chinese medicine for generations. He is very knowledgeable about external injuries and bruises. Madam should apply it as soon as possible.”

That made sense, and Yu Lan understood, but when she thought about how the pain just now felt like salt being rubbed into a wound, she backed away in fear. “Just leave it here. I’ll apply it later.”

The butler hesitated to speak. Judging by Yu Lan’s expression, it was highly likely she wouldn’t apply it at all.

At this moment, the old butler was just like those loyal stewards in palace dramas, while Yu Lan was the disobedient master who wanted to pour the bitter medicine into the flower bed. “Madam, why not let Aunt Lin come and apply it for you?”

Aunt Lin was the Gu family’s chef, skilled at making bone soup. Pure white beef bones simmered with seasonings filled the air with a fragrance that made the neighbor’s beloved dog bark every day. But Yu Lan had once seen her split a beef bone barehanded. That strength, Yu Lan doubted her leg could survive even one move from her.

She hurriedly shook her head. “No need, no need.”

“……”

Seeing the two at a stalemate, Gu Sui’an stepped forward. “I’ll do it.”

Butler He was surprised. When did the young master become so familiar with Madam?

Yu Lan thought it over. At this time of night, aside from Aunt Lin, the other villa staff were already off duty. Compared to her, Gu Sui’an actually seemed more reliable.

So she nodded. “Alright, but you have to be gentle.”

Butler He: So what exactly happened that he doesn’t know about?

But deep down, the old butler was still comforted.

People grow more sentimental with age. The Gu family villa had long been cold and quiet. Neither the master nor the young master was talkative. Now, with a new hostess, lively and cheerful, the butler hoped she could bring a bit more warmth to the household.

Yu Lan sat on the sofa, and Gu Sui’an squatted down in front of her after receiving the ointment.

He hadn’t been able to see clearly in the utility room before, but now he saw the wounds were quite deep, with torn flesh curling outward. On her fair skin, it looked particularly shocking.

And all of this was caused because she had saved him.

Gu Sui’an pressed his lips together and applied the ointment to a cotton swab.

“Hiss—”

Yu Lan closed her eyes, her lashes fluttering rapidly. “I told you to be careful. Ugh, this hurts so much. Are you doing this on purpose to get back at me?”

Gu Sui’an was silent for a moment. “I haven’t started yet.”

Yu Lan’s expression froze.

She had only felt a cool sensation on the wound just now and thought the medicine had already been applied. She opened her eyes and, sure enough, saw that the cotton swab was still far from her leg.

This was so embarrassing.

Gu Sui’an thought the woman’s nervousness didn’t seem fake.

In his memory, Yu Lan had always been the epitome of sternness and malice. She was like an insurmountable mountain, oppressing him, never letting the sunlight shine through.

But now, he discovered that was not the case.

Yu Lan also had things she feared. She was afraid of the dark, afraid of pain, and even got teary-eyed just from applying ointment.

They were not that different.

Gu Sui’an suddenly stopped being afraid of her.

“Why are you so timid?”

Yu Lan widened her eyes, not believing what she had just heard. “Did you just mock me?”

Gu Sui’an didn’t answer.

He lowered his head and moved the ointment closer. Yu Lan’s attention was fully focused on the fact that she had actually been mocked by a little brat and didn’t notice that the medicine was already being applied to the wound. “You ungrateful brat! If I hadn’t saved you, how could I have gotten injured like this!”

“You’re wrong.”

“Huh? You dare say I’m wrong?! Who held your hand and gave you courage? Who smeared glowing water on you? Ugly as it was, admit it—after I put it on, you weren’t scared anymore!”

He wasn’t scared anymore, glowing like a light stick. But others thought they had seen a ghost.

Gu Sui’an remembered that scene and twitched his lips. He had only said one sentence, yet this woman had responded with countless ones. “You used the idiom wrong. It’s ‘kindness not recognized by a donkey’s liver and lungs.’”

Yu Lan, just about to engage in some moral coercion: “……”

At the side, the butler watched the two bickering. Not only did he not find it noisy, he felt genuinely pleased. “Hehe, you two carry on. I’ll go make some milk for Madam and Young Master.”

Yu Lan seized the opportunity and raised her hand. “I want mine cold!”

……

Gu Sui’an’s technique was very gentle.

He quickly finished applying the ointment to Yu Lan’s wound. The black paste looked like the mud used to grow roses in a garden. Then he wrapped a layer of gauze over the ointment.

To prevent it from getting wet, he wrapped several extra layers. Finally, he cut it with scissors and tied it into a bow.

“All done.”

Yu Lan looked at that bow as big as a wing, surprised. This time, she actually didn’t feel anything?

There was mint in the ointment, and when it was applied to the skin, it felt cool and greatly relieved the pain. “I didn’t expect you to have this skill. I’ll trouble you to apply the medicine from now on.”

Gu Sui’an stood up straight. After squatting for a while, his legs were slightly numb. He shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t.”

“Why not?”

Gu Sui’an explained, “I have to go back to school tomorrow.”

Only then did Yu Lan remember that Gu Sui’an was currently living on campus, and he was even forced to board by “her.”

She felt a bit conflicted. It had been hard to find someone who could apply medicine without hurting her. She didn’t want to give up just like that. Moreover, the wound would take at least ten days to half a month to heal. If Gu Sui’an wasn’t around, Aunt Lin would have to take over.

As for applying the medicine herself… Yu Lan didn’t even think about it. Everyone had something they were afraid of. She was afraid of pain and really didn’t dare to do it herself.

“How about… you move back home?”

She suggested.

Gu Sui’an was slightly stunned.

“Do you like living on campus?” Yu Lan frowned. According to those middle schoolers, Gu Sui’an was often subjected to silent bullying at school, so it was unlikely he had any emotional attachment to his classmates.

It couldn’t be that he was attached to the school’s single bed, right?

The silently watching system: [……]

Let’s just say, is there a possibility… that he’s afraid of you?

Yu Lan couldn’t figure it out. In the end, she attributed it to teenagers not being good at expressing themselves. “It’s settled then. After school tomorrow, I’ll have Xiao He pick you up.”

The next day, because Gu Sui’an departed from the villa, he arrived at school half an hour later than usual.

The classroom was already full of students. The teacher wasn’t there. Only a few were reading; most were chatting and playing games. The classroom was even noisier than a marketplace.

Several girls huddled together and whispered, “Hey, did you hear? Film emperor Wang Yao is going to be on a variety show. This is his first time participating in one!”

“Of course I know. I’m a loyal fan of my brother.”

“What variety show?”

“‘The Hidden Lives of the Wealthy.’ It’s filmed by the same director as ‘Pastoral Life.’ The main theme is intergenerational communication between wealthy parents and their children. I’m seriously looking forward to it.”

Some students had already pulled up the official announcement on Weibo. “No way. Jian Changyue has been in the industry for over twenty years. He barely counts as wealthy. How come even fresh-faced idols from talent shows are included now? Are the idol fans really that powerful?”

“Heh, we’re just watching for fun. But the comments under the official post are all complaints, saying if Director Xu doesn’t invite a truly wealthy family, it’s false advertising.”

The students at the international school were all either rich or powerful. In their eyes, these celebrities didn’t count as wealthy at all. “I saw the comments saying that unless the Gu family joins, this won’t end well.”

“Hahahaha, how could the Gu family possibly go on a variety show? President Gu doesn’t even have kids. He couldn’t possibly go on by himself, right?”

One girl’s eyes sparkled. “Although President Gu doesn’t seem like someone who’d appear on a variety show, I really hope to see what he looks like. Is he super handsome or does he have a beer belly?”

“Don’t bother guessing. It’s definitely a beer belly.”

Gu Sui’an: “……”

But yesterday, the person who stopped them really was the director.

As he thought about it, the boy had already walked to the back of the classroom.

He was tall, and sitting in the front would only block others. His deskmate, Wang Yilin, nodded when he saw him as a greeting.

Normally, Gu Sui’an wouldn’t respond, but today, he also nodded back at him.

Wang Yilin was momentarily stunned.

Gu Sui’an had already sat down and taken out his books to start reading.

Wang Yilin secretly glanced at him and unexpectedly saw that the other party was already self-studying high school second-year materials.

Immediately, he no longer thought of anything else and turned back to study seriously.

However, just as he turned around, something in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and Wang Yilin’s expression changed.

Several students who weren’t wearing school uniforms and had a delinquent air about them walked up to Gu Sui’an’s desk. Every class had a few who didn’t like to study and caused trouble, and these were exactly that type. They knocked on Gu Sui’an’s desk. “Hey.”

Gu Sui’an looked up.

If Yu Lan were here, she would definitely recognize them as the people who had blocked her car the other day.

But Wang Yilin didn’t know the details. He thought they were there to stir up trouble. That had happened before, but it was always done in secret, never so openly.

As the class monitor, he said seriously, “It’s morning self-study time. No walking around.”

The few boys exchanged looks, and finally, Monkey Butt stepped forward. “Sorry. We shouldn’t have talked badly about you.”

Wang Yilin: ???

Gu Sui’an’s expression didn’t change.

The others also apologized. One of them added, “Hey, we’ve already apologized. Tell that woman to let it go!”

“Yeah, I really don’t want my parents to be called. My mom would beat me to death.”

“Wuwuwu… My dad’s even worse. He already froze my card. I only have a thousand yuan left now.”

Gu Sui’an’s pen paused.

Amid their whiny noises, his voice came out hoarse and muffled. “The woman you’re talking about… who is she?”

The boy from earlier looked like he’d seen a ghost. “Holy crap, you can talk?!”

Gu Sui’an: “……”

Wang Yilin frowned. “Zhong Tianming, Gu Sui’an has always been able to talk.”

Zhong Tianming scratched the back of his head. “Well, he never spoke before. Oh right, I mean the one who came to pick you up. She reported to the teacher and said we were bullying you.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Sui’an felt a strange sensation in his heart.

Like he’d been soaked in water, sour and a little astringent.

So, she had been helping him since then.

Before leaving, Zhong Tianming said, “Anyway, I’ve apologized. We won’t bully you anymore. Whether you accept it or not is your business.”

After morning self-study, the homeroom teacher called Gu Sui’an over.

First, he explained the situation, then he carefully expressed concern for the boy’s mental and emotional well-being. Finally, when discussing how to handle the matter, he said, “The school hopes not to escalate this. Having them write public self-reflections seems a bit too much.”

The homeroom teacher had thought things through quite well. Although Gu Sui’an was from the Gu family, he had a relatively gentle personality. If they started with him and he agreed, the Gu family would have nothing to say.

But Gu Sui’an said, “Let’s go with what she said.”

The teacher was stunned. In addition, Gu Sui’an also said, “I will be withdrawing from the dormitory this afternoon. Please help me handle the procedures.”