Chapter 31: They’ve All Arrived
Su Nian has changed!
The Su Nian of the past, whether willful and spoiled before marriage or gentle and serene afterward, would never have dared to act so boldly.
Gu Yichen stared at the image Su Nian had posted, his gaze terrifying.
Especially in the comment section, a flood of inquiries about him stirred his mind with anger, tinged with a hint of unease.
They were divorced, but the news had not been made public.
In their social circle, everyone still believed Su Nian was his wife.
Surely Su Nian wouldn’t make it public?
Shen Yuxi also came across Su Nian’s WeChat Moments; she had posted it ten minutes ago, then gone silent, replying to no one.
He sent a private message, still worried: Miss Su?
After all, they were abroad; Su Nian was staying in a room alone, and with special services scheduled to arrive at her door, he feared she might let her guard down and open it to that man.
Yuxi, what’s wrong?
Su Nian replied with a smiling emoji, feeling a wave of relief inwardly. There had seemed to be some tension between them when they parted, and she had been afraid he was still angry.
Shen Yuxi’s tense body relaxed as he replied, “It’s nothing. Just remember to lock the door, don’t open it for strangers, stay safe abroad, and goodnight!”
Su Nian felt a warmth stir in her heart and sent back an adorable white rabbit emoji.
Upon receiving the reply, Shen Yuxi’s gaze paused. The image on the emoji was peculiar—it resembled a little white rabbit, yet it was absurdly plump, completely hairless, with puckered lips and eyes shimmering with light. Not a single word accompanied the picture.
He stared at the photo, studying it carefully for a while.
Could Su Nian have been taken hostage and is only able to send a subtle cry for help? Pouting lips, eyes glistening—doesn’t that signify tears of grievance?
Although this possibility seems slim, it’s better to be cautious; one never knows what might happen, and regret would come too late if something did go wrong.
Within ten seconds, Shen Yuxi quickly gave a few instructions. “I’m heading back to the hotel first.”
He immediately called the hotel front desk, asking them to send someone to check on the situation right away.
Su Nian yawned. In the comments section of her social media post, a flood of inquiries about Gu Yichen awaited her response, but she couldn’t be bothered to reply to any of them, only answering a few private messages from close friends.
The doorbell rang again. It was the hotel staff, delivering a complimentary late-night snack.
Su Nian politely declined, still refusing to open the door.
After being disturbed twice, she felt a flicker of unease; her previously relaxed demeanor had shifted. “A high-end hotel should be safe, right?”
Su Nian checked the door lock before returning to her bed. Knowing Su Xingye was just next door eased her mind slightly.
“How much longer?” Gu Yichen asked coldly from inside the car.
The WeChat moment Su Nian posted disrupted his plans, prompting him to head straight to that hotel tonight instead of waiting until tomorrow as he had originally intended.
The driver replied cautiously, “At this speed, we should arrive in about half an hour.”
Gu Yichen scrolled through his WeChat moments; upon refreshing, a comment from Tang Shi appeared: “So handsome! That blue-eyed, blond guy is quite something. I’ll go bump into him tomorrow too.”
Handsome? His nose bridge was too high, his eyes too protruding, his complexion too poor, and his smile far too lecherous.
Gu Yichen watched with cold eyes, finding everything displeasing, and commented using Xu Qing’s WeChat account: “Terrible. Nian’s taste would never sink this low.”
Having lived together for so long, he knew Su Nian’s aesthetic sense was top-tier; there was no way she would be interested in that blue-eyed, blond-haired man.
Su Nian sent a private message, asking in confusion: “Mom?”
Given Xu Qing’s gentle nature, her words would never be so sharp; no matter how one looked at it, this comment reeked of intense jealousy.
Behind the alias, is it really you?
Just as Gu Yichen was regretting his comment, he received a private message from Su Nian. Steadying himself, he scrolled up through previous comments to observe how Xu Qing and Su Nian usually interacted before replying: “Yes, is everything well with you, Nian Nian?”
Ever since Su Nian proposed the divorce, the two of them had not engaged in a calm and peaceful conversation for a long time.
The air conditioning kept the room at a comfortable temperature, neither too cold nor too hot. Wrapped in a bath towel, Su Nian lazily stretched out her long legs and continued to probe: “Everything’s great. The taste of life after divorce is so liberating; I can go wherever I want and do whatever I please. Even my luck with romance has improved. Mom, I think that handsome blond-haired, blue-eyed guy looks quite promising.”
No way!
Gu Yichen jabbed back two characters.
The driver, focused on the road, steadied the steering wheel and instinctively glanced at the rearview mirror.
With such force, he could have sworn Gu Yichen was about to crack the phone screen with his furious tapping.
Su Nian’s lips curved upward slightly, this time with certainty.
She could almost imagine how furious Gu Yichen must be behind his alias.
In high spirits, Su Nian added fuel to the fire: “I’m not saying anything more; the handsome blond, blue-eyed guy has just finished his bath and come out.”
If that scoundrel was practically begging for trouble, she certainly owed him the courtesy of obliging.
But this time, Gu Yichen remained silent for a long while before replying helplessly, “Nian Nian, you know it’s me.”
All signs pointed to the fact that Su Nian had recognized him and was deliberately provoking him.
The smile on Su Nian’s face froze; she let out an displeased snort and replied with sharp ruthlessness: “Don’t use your mother’s WeChat account. Don’t force me to block this number!”
With Xu Qing as this lingering tie, Gu Yichen truly seemed to be everywhere.
Gu Yichen’s gaze darkened slightly as he stared silently at that WeChat message, remaining motionless in the same posture for a long time.
Holding out a sincere heart only to be met with a cold face was unbearably painful.
The atmosphere grew heavy. The driver remained utterly silent, occasionally glancing in the rearview mirror, feeling that the lonely figure behind him looked rather pitiful.
It wasn’t until the phone screen went dark that Gu Yichen finally closed his eyes, feeling as though the blood flowing through his veins had turned ice cold.
As he carefully reflected on the past, he realized that after just a few days, he could barely endure it. He couldn’t even imagine how Su Nian had managed to hold on for so long.
Gu Yichen’s eyes snapped open, and he replied with calm solemnity, “Nian Nian, I will never give up on you!”
But this message failed to send.
“Mom, I’m sorry; I’ve blocked your number.” Su Nian apologized with genuine seriousness, making her stance unmistakably clear.
She didn’t blame Xu Qing; caught between the two of them, Xu Qing was equally helpless.
Xu Qing felt somewhat uneasy. “Nian Nian, Mom also… doesn’t know what to do. Please don’t blame me.”
She had seen Gu Yichen’s genuine remorse, and since she had once helped Su Nian despite her own son’s objections, she couldn’t now favor one over the other without considering her son at all.
“I understand, and I don’t blame you,” Su Nian replied with a serious tone. “Please don’t interfere in matters between him and me anymore; let us resolve this ourselves. I believe that after being blocked this time, Mr. Gu will finally understand.”
She could only put on a stern expression; unless she put an end to Xu Qing’s inclination to meddle, she would find herself in an extremely passive position when facing Gu Yichen’s future harassment.
Xu Qing’s prolonged silence left Su Nian waiting with bated breath.
Her heart raced with anxiety. Truth be told, Xu Qing had always treated her exceptionally well, completely filling the role of a mother; she truly did not wish to create any rift between them.
“I understand, Nian Nian,” Xu Qing replied helplessly. “I will no longer interfere in your affairs from now on. But Nian Nian, could you promise me one small request? Please never again use separation and death as tools for revenge.”
She was referring to the plane crash incident that had occurred earlier that morning.
Su Nian replied softly, explaining, “That was someone else’s doing. I never intended to treat him that way; at most, I just wanted to annoy him.”
Parting ways and becoming strangers would have been the best outcome, yet Gu Yichen insisted on lingering before her eyes, stirring up her resentment and anger toward him.
After hanging up the phone, Su Nian felt a sense of relief. Having gained Xu Qing’s understanding lifted her spirits. Just as she was about to scroll through Douyin to watch a few quirky videos and relax, the doorbell rang again.
Su Nian’s heartstrings trembled. She crept quietly to the door, only to find Shen Yuxi standing there. Startled, she murmured, “Yuxi?”
She opened the door and asked in confusion, “How did you find me? Do you live nearby?”
Reading the relief in Su Nian’s expression, Shen Yuxi confirmed she was safe; his features softened. Only then did he notice her scanty attire.
He shifted his gaze away uncomfortably. “You sent me a very strange emoji. I thought you were signaling for help, so I rushed over to check.”
“Very strange?” Su Nian reached for her phone and opened WeChat, only to see that adorable meme sticker.
She was speechless. Crazy—typical straight-guy aesthetics.
“Why are you just standing at the door?” Su Nian asked with a smile. In truth, the towel was large, and she had wrapped it tightly around herself, making it look like a strapless long dress.
Alas, Shen Yuxi was so innocent that he couldn’t even bring himself to look at her.
After a moment, Shen Yuxi walked stiffly into the room.
The door closed automatically behind him. He stood there, looking somewhat ill at ease.
Su Nian found his demeanor amusing and felt a playful urge rise within her. She patted the bed and, with bold generosity, said, “Come, sit.”
“Miss Su, it’s late; I’m not sure it’s appropriate,” Shen Yuxi replied politely yet reservedly. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now.”
Su Nian was smiling playfully, about to tease him a bit more, when she heard Su Xingye’s voice: “Nian Nian?”
Her heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly rushed to the door.
The room wasn’t very soundproof; after his shower, Su Xingye had caught faint noises and felt somewhat uneasy about Su Nian.
“Yu Xi, hide for now,” Su Nian whispered softly.
During dinner, she keenly sensed the sharp tension between the two men. It was obvious that Su Xingye disapproved of her associating with Shen Yuxi; if they were to bump into each other late at night, things would surely turn ugly.
Shen Yuxi scanned the room; the only place to hide was under the bed.
Although he didn’t understand why he needed to hide, seeing Su Nian’s anxious expression, he wasted no time and promptly crawled beneath the bed.
“Brother,” Su Nian opened the door, her face lit up with a bright smile.
Wrapped in a towel… Su Xingye’s gaze darkened slightly, his eyes growing warmer. He struggled to maintain control, his voice unnaturally stiff. “Nian Nian, get some rest early. Goodnight.”
Su Nian watched his retreating figure, sensing only a hint of haste in his departure.
Returning to the bedside, she smiled softly and said, “Yu Xi, you can come out now.”
Steady yet hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway. Su Nian, realizing the door was left ajar, turned to close it, only to come face-to-face with Gu Yichen.
“Nian Nian,” Gu Yichen called softly.
His hand, hanging loosely at his side, clenched and then relaxed. Longing had already devoured his entire heart; ever since learning the truth, he had yearned nothing more than to pull her into his embrace.
Shen Yuxi, who had been gripping the bed curtain and preparing to step out, paused mid-motion.
Author: Shen Yuhuan: Excellent, everyone’s here; I’m the only one missing (￣▽￣)~