Chapter 104 - 100 Are You Afraid I’ll Be Kidnapped?

Gu Mansion As dusk fell, all the lanterns in the Gu Mansion lit up. The vermilion doors and carved windows were aglow with ancient charm. Nearly everyone from the Gu Family was present; aside from those in the front hall, most were in the courtyard chatting and drinking. When people arrived at the Gu Mansion, the first thing they did was pay respects to Old Sir Gu. There were just too many people, coming in waves. Each wave would arrive, chat for a bit, and then make way for the next. Accompanying Old Sir Gu were Gu Zhengyu and the entire family of the second son, Gu Linhai. Another family came to pay respects, sat down, had a few words, and their woman asked, "Hasn’t Yanjing come yet?" Old Sir Gu was dressed in a dark red Tang suit, sitting on the chair with a kindly yet dignified demeanor. He smiled and said, "He’s too busy. It’s normal that he leaves work and rushes over here. He won’t arrive at this time." Gu Zhengyu sat quietly beside him with a stern face, not speaking. The bruise was faintly visible under his shirt collar, and the places injured by shards on his back still prevented him from bending easily. He could only sit upright. "No matter how busy, there needs to be time for rest. Young people should also take care of their health," the family’s man said. This sounded like concern but was actually a complaint that Gu Yanjing did not come earlier on such a day. Gu Linhai sat on the other side of Old Sir Gu, smiling, and half-jokingly said, "With such a large company and a vast family estate, he has to bear the weight. Resting isn’t something he can do whenever he likes. If he rests, more than half of us would be drinking the northwest wind." The man also chuckled, "Indeed. Yanjing works too hard." Gu Linhai laughed in agreement. A moment later, the woman in his family looked at Ji Xiaoxiao who was sitting next to Gu Yicheng and said, "Is this Yicheng’s fiancée?" Ji Xiaoxiao had been sitting with Gu Linhai’s family for nearly an hour, receiving one group after another. Her face was stiff from smiling, and she sat on the side with a smile, her mind... wandering. Suddenly being addressed, she immediately returned to her senses, smiled more gently, and then glanced at Gu Yicheng’s mother. Meng Qian caught a glimpse and said, "You should call them Uncle and Aunt." Ji Xiaoxiao greeted them. "Really beautiful, and her voice is gentle. I heard she is still studying at Jing University." "Yes," Ji Xiaoxiao replied with a smile. "Which family does she belong to?" The woman asked. "The Ji Family," Ji Xiaoxiao answered. "Which Ji Family?" The woman asked again. Ji Xiaoxiao blinked, just managing not to let the smile falter. Both Gu Linhai and Meng Qian kept smiling but showed their displeasure. Gu Yicheng directly turned to look at this woman, giving her a glare. The woman, seeing the expressions of everyone, quieted down for a moment, then said with a smile, "I’m sorry, Aunt speaks bluntly. We don’t spend much time in the Capital City and are not very familiar with it. Don’t take it to heart." "It’s okay," Ji Xiaoxiao smiled, speaking softly, though she was inwardly fuming. If you’re not familiar with the Capital City, why are you babbling! Just because you have a mouth! Which Ji Family! There’s only one famous Ji Family in the Capital City, which one do you think! Having upset Gu Linhai’s family, the woman turned to Old Sir Gu and asked, "I heard that Yanjing got married, is it true?" "You’re really well-informed," Old Sir Gu replied warmly. His tone carried no discernible emotion, simply stating. But no one was focused on the subtlety, only hearing that Old Sir Gu did not deny it. So it was true. They all heard the news passed from the Gu Mansion, saying Gu Yanjing got married. However, they couldn’t find any information about the bride. Gradually, they doubted the truth of the matter. After all, the news came from the Gu Mansion, yet no one knew whose mouth it came from. They had no idea how the news spread or how it reached their ears. Now that Old Sir Gu said this, everyone’s mindset shifted somewhat. Some people showed it on their faces, while others did not. "Everyone’s saying it, we aren’t sure ourselves," the woman said, "I was just curious and asked." The man next to her gave her a tug. But the woman didn’t stop, "Will she come today? Yanjing’s marriage is a big deal, it needs proper management at the time." "It’s his business, up to him," Old Sir Gu said. The woman still wanted to say more but was interrupted by the man who changed the subject. While the elders were chatting, Ji Xiaoxiao saw no one was paying attention to her, so she softly asked Gu Yicheng, "Mr. Gu got married?" "Hmm, seems it happened in the past few months," Gu Yicheng replied quietly, "No one knows which family’s girl is so unfortunate." Although Ji Xiaoxiao agreed with him, she still tugged at him, "Keep it down, there are many people." "It’s fine," Gu Yicheng continued, "My brother is cold-hearted, has no feelings. Marriage is just to continue the Gu Family line. But speaking of it, even if there’s no love, being a tool for giving birth; entering the Gu Family as the eldest daughter-in-law is enough to bring glory to her family." Listening to him, Ji Xiaoxiao slightly furrowed her brows. Gu Yicheng’s phone rang, he took it out and saw it was a hidden number. He stood up and said, "I’m going out to take a call." "What about me?" Ji Xiaoxiao asked. "Stay here with my mom," Gu Yicheng said as he left. He had hackers looking into Qiao Yuxian’s contact information, and the call was from the hacker. So he went to a less crowded area in the backyard to take it. Shortly after he left, Gu Yanjing arrived. As soon as the car stopped at the Gu Mansion’s gate, someone conveyed his arrival to the front hall. In an instant, all laughter and conversation ceased, everyone turned towards the door. Even though there was a screen wall at the entrance, nothing could be seen. The people at the door rushed over to open it just as the car stopped. Gu Yanjing got out of the car, standing by it without moving. Shang Chen was sitting in the passenger seat, also got out, holding gifts and standing behind him. A few seconds later, Qiao Yuxian stepped out of the car, placing one foot on the ground. Gu Yanjing’s hand reached out. Qiao Yuxian looked at the hand that suddenly appeared before her, paused her actions of getting up, glanced at the hand, and then up at Gu Yanjing. She blinked. Gu Yanjing looked at her. After a moment, Qiao Yuxian smiled, placing her hand in his. The two walked into the Gu Mansion hand in hand. Shang Chen followed behind them, while Su Qi drove the car to park. They stepped into the courtyard, passing by the screen wall. Only then did Qiao Yuxian see the enormity of the Gu Family’s clan. The vast courtyard, aside from the areas set for drinks, tea, and snacks, was densely packed with people. And all these people were looking at the entrance. Silently, even some were motionless, only their eyes moving. Eyes followed Qiao Yuxian and Gu Yanjing, some landing on the hands they were holding. Qiao Yuxian took a deep breath. Gu Yanjing’s thumb stroked her hand back and said, "Stay close to me, don’t wander off." With that, he continued walking, his gaze sweeping around calmly. His sharp, indifferent gaze was like a blade cutting through flesh. Instantly, everyone averted their gaze, not knowing what to do in their fluster. Qiao Yuxian marveled at this intimidating force. She moved her hand, grasping one of Gu Yanjing’s fingers, saying, "Why? Afraid someone might whisk me away?" Gu Yanjing said nothing. Qiao Yuxian smiled, whispering, "Don’t worry, they can’t take me." Gu Yanjing squeezed her hand.