The Old Madam mumbled to herself, "As long as it’s not a girl... not... not a girl?"
By the end, even Old Madam Gu was stunned.
It was... quite sudden.
The Old Madam was in a daze, montarily even doubting if her ears had betrayed her.
Madam Zhou swallowed and turned to give an order, "Call Doctor Li and say the Old Madam isn’t feeling well."
Mrs. Wang didn’t catch it and asked, "Lan, what did you say? What girl?"
Gu Lan repeated once more, "The one I like is not a girl."
"..."
She turned her head to Rong Heng, speaking slowly, "Grandmother, actually the reason I called Rong Heng today is not only because he’s my grandson’s friend, but also because..."
"Because of what?" Gu Changting asked stiffly.
"Because I like you, Rong Heng."
Young Master Gu’s voice was clear and lodious, his eyes bright and shining with light, looking particularly passionate.
"I...?"
Even though he knew Gu Lan was acting, Rong Heng couldn’t help his heart from trembling upon hearing those words.
He composed his expression, emitting a sound of confusion.
The young man’s thin lips parted slightly, a hint of bewildernt in his eyes, stirring sothing within Gu Lan.
She couldn’t help but lean closer to Rong Heng, wrapping one arm over the young man’s shoulder. Like a dragonfly skimming the water, her red lips brushed past Rong Heng’s lips, giving a light kiss.
The montary coolness and touch, along with Rong Heng’s suddenly wide-open dark eyes, made Gu Lan smile with satisfaction.
Her index and middle fingers were placed together on her lips, as if savoring the taste, raising her eyebrows with a roguish flair.
"Brother Hang, I’ve wanted to do this to you for a long ti. Will you marry ?" Her voice was husky and alluring.
Rong Heng’s face turned red and white in turns, staring into Gu Lan’s eyes full of invitation and teasing.
The Gu Lan before him gradually overlapped with the one in his dreams, both having said the sa thing: I’ve wanted to do this to you for a long ti.
In the dream, after saying this, Gu Lan had...
Rong Heng’s throat tightened, his gaze turning dangerous.
Old Madam Gu watched her grandson flirt with Rong Heng in front of everyone, rolling her eyes as she leaned back.
"Old Madam, are you alright?"
"Grandmother!"
"Mother, are you okay!?"
Everyone beca tense.
"I’m alright..." The Old Madam supported herself with her cane, responding weakly.
Gu Lan, seeing that the Old Madam hadn’t fainted, breathed a sigh of relief.
It seed Grandmother was much stronger than she thought; Gu Changting, on the other hand, looked as though his worst nightmares had co true.
What Gu Lan didn’t know was that right now, Gu Changting’s mind was filled with a single thought: It must be that old Xie Jingqi leading Little Lan astray!
At that mont, next door, Xie Yun, who was looking after a child, sneezed and muttered, "Geng Tao, you put too much pepper in this dish—Achoo!"
Geng Tao: "Teacher, maybe it’s your mouth that has a problem."
Rong Heng felt all eyes on him.
Forcing himself to et Gu Lan’s gaze for a mont, his dark eyes were deep and murky.
Rong Heng’s feelings were indescribably complicated, and he then struggled to answer, "No, I won’t marry, but—"
Before he could finish saying "but I can marry," Gu Lan’s eyes suddenly filled with tears, forcing him to swallow his words back, speaking in a choked voice, "Brother Hang, why do you reject so harshly."
"I haven’t..."
"Wait, don’t go—"
"I didn’t..."
Rong Heng thought, he hadn’t planned to leave at all.
The next mont, Gu Lan already grabbed his sleeve, and under his surprised gaze, forcibly pulled him from his seat.
Amidst the pushing and shoving, the two left the dining hall, leaving the others behind, petrified.
Seeing her finally leave, Mrs. Wang and Madam Zhou both sighed in relief, comforting Old Madam Gu, "Mother, don’t be mad... maybe Lan was just playing with us?"
"Yes, Lan always liked to ss around in the past."
The Old Madam cald herself, saying, "You also said that was in the past. Lan has grown up now, even if she wants to ss around, could she drag Rong Heng into her antics?"
"Well... Fifth Young Master Rong did reject Lan."
The Old Madam said in anguish, "Is that sothing to be proud of."
"Look, Lan’s courtyard has many beautiful little maids." Mrs. Wang consoled.
The Old Madam said despairingly, "What if they just refer to each other as sisters."
"..."
Rong Heng was brought by Gu Lan to the entrance of the Marquis Mansion, and Gu Lan glanced at the curious gatekeeper, her eyes reddened with tears, and said sorrowfully:
"Brother Hang, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have had improper thoughts about you. From now on, I will no longer disturb your life."
With a "bang," Rong Heng was thrown out of the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion by Gu Lan.
The youth winked at him at the last mont before the door closed, thumbs up: "This is a natural reaction, Brother Zichan, from now on you are my real brother."
Rong Heng stood frozen at the entrance of the Marquis Mansion for a mont before he slowly realized what Gu Lan had just done.
First, she told the old madam that she liked n, then she told everyone she liked him, and he then publicly rejected her.
In this way, Young Master Gu would no longer be urged to marry anyone else, and it wouldn’t affect him.
He hadn’t even finished his sentence before being pushed out, and now in the eyes of everyone at the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, he had beco a callous and indifferent man.
But he said he would not marry because, as a man, how could he marry? Of course, he could marry soone.
Could he... really marry soone?
Rong Heng was sowhat fearful, worried that if Gu Lan found out that when she feigned a confession, he actually felt moved, would she never want to be brothers with him again?
Gu Lan asked for his help yesterday; he thought she wanted to tell the people of the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion that she liked n and that they slept in the sa bed, playing a pair of ill-fated lovers.
Because of this, Rong Heng didn’t sleep well last night, having strange dreams all night, preparing himself ntally, determined to beco seen as a homosexual for his "brother."
Unexpectedly, Gu Lan wanted him to reject her.
Gu Lan only ruined her own reputation, and he beca her so-called "tool," didn’t that an... she liked him a little?
At the thought of this possibility, Rong Heng’s thoughts began to spiral uncontrollably.
Since yesterday, Rong Heng had been thinking that actually, Xie Yun would be more suitable to play the man Gu Lan likes. Not to ntion Xie Yun is a first-rate gentleman who is popular with elders, but he had a bad feeling that if Gu Lan asked, that old Xie Yun would definitely agree to help.
But Gu Lan did not; she ca to him.
Does this an she does like him a bit?
The key point is that Gu Lan kissed him.
She kissed him in front of so many people.
Rong Heng pressed his thumb against his lips, his expression changing.
Maybe she was borrowing the chance during the performance to kiss him!
Thinking carefully, last ti at the Magpie Workshop, Gu Lan woke up after sleeping for less than a two-hour period, indicating she wasn’t actually very drunk, far from considering him as Du Ruo; she was just taking advantage of the drunkenness to kiss him.
After all, he taught Gu Lan how to write, he protected her from arrows and shared life-and-death experiences, and had als together so many tis;
Though he is not a first-rate gentleman, his background is not poor, nor is he unattractive... Gu Lan liking him is very possible.
But what about himself? He has always treated Gu Lan as a brother... but would Rong Shuo have such dreams about himself?
Rong Heng took a sharp breath.
At this mont, the gate of the Marquis Mansion suddenly opened.
Rong Heng was stunned, and suddenly his arms were filled with a heap of clothes.
Gu Lan said sadly: "Brother Hang, I won’t force you to co to find anymore, I’m sorry."
Rong Heng: He wasn’t forced to, he always ca on his own.
"What do you an by this—"
Gu Lan: "I’m not keeping these clothes anymore, Brother Hang, I’m returning them all to you, let’s part on friendly terms and live our own lives well, I will try to like girls, and won’t disturb your life anymore, goodbye."
"You..."
Before he could finish again, Gu Lan had closed the door tightly, and only then did he realize that all these clothes were ones he had left at the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion.
Staring at the closed door, the sixteen-year-old boy was full of confusion and misunderstanding.
She seed too decisive,
Was she acting or really breaking it off with him?
Why didn’t she try to retain him at all?
Does she really like him?
*
Three whole days had passed since Young Master Gu ca out at ho.
Gu Lan was lovesick, and for three days she hadn’t attended school.
Although the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion had sealed the news, the rumors were still spread, saying that the Young Master had fallen in love with a man, hence rejecting the Chief of Staff’s legitimate daughter.
As for who this man was... everyone was very concerned.
Every day Gu Lan stayed in the Step Lotus Hall, staring blankly at the courtyard wall, missing him, and occasionally picking up a pen to write lines of calligraphy, calling out to Zijin:
"Brother Hang... sorry I thought of him again today, Zijin, has my handwriting improved?"
Zijin didn’t want to look.
Urged by Gu Lan, she could only helplessly glance at it and say, "I really can’t bring myself to complint it, sorry."
Gu Lan shook her head, sadly saying: "It’s okay, my writing is ugly because Brother Hang is not around, without Rong Heng, who will teach to write, who will accompany to sleep in the future?"
Zijin: "Young Master, the Fifth Prince is not dead yet."
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