novelraw Chapter 202 A Plan to Turn the Tide
Chapter 202 A Plan to Turn the Tide
Lu Xiran's heart was touched, and the image appeared before her eyes—he stood behind the tree, watching her through the afternoon light and shadow, through those unspoken longings. She knew nothing, only lowered her head, quietly reading her book.
She reached out, wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him down, and buried her face in the crook of his neck. He didn't move, but gently patted her back, one pat at a time, as if comforting a wronged child.
"Why won't you see me?" Her voice was muffled on his shoulder, tinged with sobs, a hint of coquetry, and a touch of resentment that she hadn't been able to voice for so many years.
Gu Yanshen paused for a moment, then continued patting. His chin rested on the top of her head, his breath falling on her hair.
"Because the Gu family was too dangerous back then." There was no regret or complaint in his tone, only a faint sense of helplessness, as if he were telling someone else's story. "I was an outsider. Everyone was afraid that I would take away their interests. Gu Qishan, Gu Qisheng, Gu Qiran, and those distant relatives whose names I don't know, everyone was watching me, waiting for me to make a mistake, waiting for me to fall, waiting for me to fall from that position, so that they could devour my flesh and blood."
Lu Xiran held his hand tightly with heartache, inserting her fingers between his and locking them together.
"So, you're not planning to see me, is that right?" She looked up and met his eyes.
"Yes." Gu Yanshen sighed, the sigh lingering as if releasing all the pent-up emotions of the past few years. "You're too wonderful. If you hadn't fallen into my arms at the airport, I wouldn't have wanted you to get involved in the Gu family's troubles."
Lu Xiran straightened up, a sudden light shining in her eyes, like a child eagerly anticipating the next page of a bedtime story. "So, how did you feel when you saw me at the airport?"
Gu Yanshen suddenly smiled, a smile tinged with helplessness, indulgence, and a hint of hesitation, as if asking, "Are you sure you want to hear this?" He reached out, gently cupped her face, his thumb brushing against her cheekbone, then lowered his head and placed a kiss on her cheek. It was very light, like a dragonfly skimming the water.
Then he leaned close to her ear and said, "I want to take you home."
"What?!" Lu Xiran frowned, leaning back like a cat suddenly lifted up. What kind of logic is this? Shouldn't she be saying affectionately, "I missed you so much"? Shouldn't she be saying, "My heart is racing, I'm at a loss, I recognized you at a glance"? Take her home? What kind of domineering bandit talk is this?
"Really." Gu Yanshen smiled, a smile devoid of any embarrassment, only frankness. "Back then, I wanted to bring you back, and then—to belong to me alone. Lock you up, hide you away, and not let anyone see you."
Lu Xiran's ears turned red. "President Gu, you were so innocent just now, talking about watching you by the lake, about the sunlight falling on your profile—why the sudden change in tone?"
"I've never been innocent." Gu Yanshen looked at her, his smile deepening. "I've always had all sorts of wicked thoughts about you. The moment I saw you, I wanted you. But I couldn't."
"Gu Yanshen!" Lu Xiran's face flushed red, from her cheeks all the way to her ears, and from her ears to her neck. She reached out to cover his mouth, but he grasped her wrist and gently removed it.
"Just tell your story properly! Stop adding your inner monologues!" Her voice rose, but beneath that high note lay an barely suppressed laugh. "I want to hear more."
Gu Yanshen stopped teasing her. He held her hand in his palm, his thumb gently stroking the back of her hand, again and again.
"Okay." His voice was calm, but his gaze deepened. "When I saw you at the airport, I hesitated about whether to make contact with you. My reason told me to stay away from you. You're too innocent, too naive, too easily hurt. I should walk away, pretend I didn't see you, let you pass through my life, and then disappear into the crowd."
He paused.
"But I couldn't help it. I couldn't help wanting to get close to you, couldn't help wanting to hear you speak, couldn't help wanting to possess you. So, I took your fake passport under some pretext and made you come to me yourself."
Lu Xiran's eyes widened. "You could tell at a glance that my passport was fake?"
"Of course." Gu Yanshen found her earnest expression inexplicably adorable. She frowned, her lips slightly pouting, as if pondering where she had given herself away. He suppressed a laugh and continued.
"When you came to the hotel, do you know how hard I had to hold back my laughter?" He finally laughed, a wide laugh that made his eyes crinkle. "You're so adorable. Pretending to be a waiter, trying to set me up. Do you know I almost fell for it?"
"Huh?" Lu Xiran's mouth opened into an "O" shape.
"Yes." Gu Yanshen looked at her, his gaze burning with something she had never seen before. "Do you know how beautiful you are? Do you know how alluring you are to me? When I let you sit on my lap, I was afraid you would be scared away. I wanted to get closer to you, but I didn't dare to get too close. I wanted you, but I was afraid of frightening you. I sat there, stiff all over, my palms sweating. Just one look at you, and I felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest."
Lu Xiran's face turned even redder. She remembered that night, and the way he looked at her—a look she had initially thought was scrutiny, but now realized was restraint.
"However, you actually proposed a marriage alliance with me." Gu Yanshen's voice carried a hint of emotion and relief. "You little white rabbit, you really didn't even realize you'd fallen into the big bad wolf's trap."
"So, whether you're doing it intentionally or unintentionally, you're really trying to seduce me!" She pointed at his nose, her voice accusing.
"Of course." Gu Yanshen smiled, a smile that held the relief of having confessed and the composure of being exposed. "Otherwise, who would walk around in a bathrobe at night? And with their chest showing—I spent ages adjusting that angle in my room."
"Gu Yanshen!" Lu Xiran was both embarrassed and angry, and picked up a pillow to throw at him.
He reached out and caught the pillow, then pulled her into his arms. She struggled for a moment but couldn't break free, so she gave up and leaned against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat.
"Seeing you blush and your heart pounding, I..." His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice lowered. "I really feel a little guilty. You were so nervous, so scared, so cautious. I was afraid you chose me because you had no other choice, not because you liked me. So, I was afraid of scaring you, so I tried my best to act like a gentleman."
"You big bad guy, you really fooled me!" Lu Xiran pretended to be angry and turned her head away, but she couldn't hide the smile in her eyes, and she couldn't suppress the curve of her lips.