Chapter 38: Old Friends from the Past

The car’s soundproofing was excellent; those who were not meant to hear would never hear a thing. Consequently, the discordant words Wei Qinghua had just spoken were completely inaudible to the driver ahead.

As for who "Little Fish" was, Gu Xinyao deduced from the phonetic similarity that it must be her father-in-law, Gu Yu. She had never expected such a seemingly noble and aloof man to have such a playful and lively nickname; truly, one should never judge a book by its cover. Regarding their relationship, she dared not speculate, and given her incomplete understanding of Gu Yu’s background, she felt it best to remain silent.

"Father is in good health these days; he is quite robust," Gu Xinyao replied, choosing to focus on the only safe topic.

Wei Qinghua rolled her eyes, a cryptic smile playing on her lips. She tapped her fingers against her folded knees and asked no further questions. Gu Xinyao simply smiled and turned her gaze toward the window.

For the rest of the journey, they remained silent—a silence that seemed both tacit and indicative of having nothing left to say.

As the car turned toward the hotel, Wei Qinghua suddenly spoke: "Let’s go to the Dugu residence instead. Since I’ve come this far, I must pay a visit to an old friend. Otherwise, it would be a beginning without an end."

After all, she was a guest from afar, and a guest of such distinguished status that Gu Xinyao had no room to object. She pressed the intercom button and instructed the driver to head to the Dugu estate.

The closer they got, the sparser the scenery became. It was not that the surroundings lacked beauty, but the Dugu family had always maintained a low profile. The more understated they were, the more it piqued one's curiosity about the secrets hidden within.

"The last time I was here, there wasn't so much desolation. I remember there used to be canna lilies there, lush and vibrant—a dash of red amidst the emerald green that made one want to protect them. Alas, people change and things fade; all that longing and obsession ultimately served only to make wedding clothes for others." Gu Xinyao, who had been staring at the familiar landscape, heard the melancholic observation from the woman beside her.

Gu Xinyao turned to look. Wei Qinghua was also staring out the window, following the same line of sight. There was indeed a vacant patch of land where the trees had been cleared, creating a jarring, bleak void amidst the surrounding lush greenery. Seen from the side, the lines of Wei Qinghua’s face were drawn downward; perhaps she felt a touch of loss, though her words invited endless speculation.

Gu Xinyao did not want to engage, but she could not help but think of Dugu Yi. He had worked so hard to help the family business emerge from its plight, yet in the end, was he not also making wedding clothes for others? What would he gain for himself?

At this thought, she felt a wave of gloom. Perhaps leaving early was for the best; the trees on the surface might not be dead yet, but the roots beneath the soil had long since rotted. No amount of patching would fix it.

"When you know something is making wedding clothes for others, it is better to withdraw early, lest you hurt others and yourself," Gu Xinyao said calmly. She did not know if Wei Qinghua’s words were intentional or not, but she would never permit anyone to harm Dugu Yi. Regardless of Wei Qinghua’s formidable background, Gu Xinyao stood alone, and she had nothing to fear.

Wei Qinghua turned her head, a flash of surprise on her face. She had assumed this woman was merely a pretty vase, someone chosen as Dugu Yi’s wife because her low status made her easy to control. She had not expected such a perspective.

"If the one wearing the wedding clothes is your own kin, could you really stand by and watch?"

Gu Xinyao met Wei Qinghua’s gaze with firm resolve; she was defending her lover, who was also her kin.

"If it were my kin, I certainly would not stand by. But if it were my kin, how could he bear to watch me make wedding clothes for others without stopping me?"

A sharp glint flashed in Wei Qinghua’s eyes, immediately followed by a look of gratified relief. "It seems Yi has better taste than Little Fish. What a pity!"

Gu Xinyao felt as though she had missed something in that "pity." Perhaps for a fleeting moment, she had glimpsed tenderness, or perhaps bitterness? But it passed too quickly to grasp.

When they arrived at the Dugu estate, it was nearly noon. Dugu Muqing had returned from the hospital; ever since Dugu Nan was admitted, she had been visiting more frequently. Perhaps as people age, they become more concerned for their children, or perhaps she was simply uniquely attached to Dugu Nan.

When Wei Qinghua and Gu Xinyao entered the foyer, Dugu Yi, who had been summoned back, was standing there, while Gu Yu sat in the seat of honor.

"Mother, Ms. Wei has arrived." Gu Xinyao opened the door, gestured for Wei Qinghua to enter first, and announced their arrival.

Everyone in the hall turned to look. Wei Qinghua remained composed, walking inside with a fluid grace. Gu Xinyao, following behind, felt that even heads of state on diplomatic visits could not have done better. Her stride was confident and unperturbed, as if she were walking through her own palace, not visiting someone else’s home.

The moment Dugu Muqing saw Wei Qinghua, her pupils contracted and her face turned pale, though she managed a composed, polite smile.

"An honored guest indeed. I apologize for not welcoming you sooner, Sister Wei. Please forgive me."

Wei Qinghua did not seem bothered by the address "Sister Wei." Instead, she replied with practiced familiarity, "Sister-in-law, it has been many years, and you are still as eloquent as ever."

She sat down nearby. Dugu Muqing’s expression shifted at the "Sister-in-law" remark. By the tangled branches of their family tree, Wei Qinghua should have addressed her as a cousin-aunt, but by linking herself to Gu Yu, she had pushed Dugu Muqing down a generation. Yet, Dugu Muqing cared little for such formalities; on second thought, she decided this might be easier, and her expression softened as she took her seat.

"Yi, go and pour some tea for your aunt," Dugu Muqing commanded, directing the only young man in the room to serve Wei Qinghua.

Gu Xinyao had intended for Dugu Yi to sit down—she could see the creases in his suit collar, a sign of his hurried return—but Dugu Muqing had already begun directing her son.

Wei Qinghua’s gaze deepened, a subtle shimmer in her eyes as she drummed her fingers on the chair arm. "So, this is nephew Yi. He truly takes after Little Fish; he has grown up well. Come, sit here, nephew. You are my nephew; such menial tasks as pouring tea are not for you."

She then turned her gaze elsewhere. "And you, what are you? Your young master is a man of gold and jade, not meant to pour tea, yet you, a servant, have the gall to sit there eating and drinking while doing no work?"

Dugu Muqing’s face darkened further at these words, but when she saw where Wei Qinghua was pointing, she gritted her teeth. Gu Xinyao had assumed only her parents-in-law and Dugu Yi were in the room. Only then did she notice Dugu Ning sitting by a giant floor vase, snacking on fruit.

How fitting. The legitimate eldest son was being ordered about like a servant by his mother, while the illegitimate son sat eating. This was the Dugu family, a place where age and status meant nothing.

Gu Xinyao pulled Dugu Yi toward her, intending to say something, but stopped when she heard Wei Qinghua’s biting command. Watching the well-dressed Dugu Ning—who looked more like the young master than Dugu Yi—being treated as a servant, she felt a sense of vindication. She pulled Dugu Yi to sit beside Wei Qinghua.

Dugu Ning, never having suffered such an insult, stopped eating his starfruit and stood up to confront them, but was silenced by a sharp look from Dugu Muqing. He pouted, picked up his plate, and exited through the back door.

Only Dugu Muqing, Gu Yu, Dugu Yi, Gu Xinyao, and Wei Qinghua remained. Gu Yu had not spoken a word since Wei Qinghua arrived. His pale face was expressionless, his clear, bright eyes as still as water. Only his hand, gripping the chair arm so tightly that his knuckles whitened, betrayed his inner turmoil.

"Yi, are you going to let your mother serve the guest herself?" Dugu Muqing, seeing them sit with Wei Qinghua, snapped. She slammed her hand on the table. The sound echoed through the hall before fading into an oppressive silence.

"Sister-in-law, I came to see an old friend today; there is no need for such formality. The tea matters little, but you, you surprise me." Wei Qinghua maintained a faint smile, utterly unbothered by the sudden outburst.

Dugu Muqing laughed, a cold, mocking sound. "Sister Wei’s only 'old friend' here is Gu Yu. Your dear 'Sister Qing' has come to see you, why don't you show some reaction?" she said, turning to Gu Yu.

Gu Yu remained like a statue, neither angered nor weakened by her piercing words.

Wei Qinghua’s expression shifted at the words "your dear." The old bond had ended the moment Gu Yu married into the Dugu family. She had come today to settle old scores, not to hurt anyone, though she hoped the person still held in her heart would not be damaged.

"Enough! Dugu Muqing, how much longer will you hurt him? You forced him to bear your child, you brought in those other men—is that not enough?" Wei Qinghua stood up abruptly, her composure replaced by fury and resentment. She pointed a finger at Dugu Muqing.

The outburst was so sudden and intense that Wei Qinghua seemed to forget that the child born of that forced union was standing right there.

Gu Yu closed his eyes at her words. A crystalline moisture shimmered beneath his long lashes, and his lips trembled, but no sound escaped him. Dugu Muqing’s face turned deathly pale, and she gripped the armrest of her chair, struggling to hold back her urge to lash out.

"He is your son, yes, but you—you constantly doubt him, even despise him. Isn't that ridiculous?" Wei Qinghua turned to Dugu Yi, then back to Dugu Muqing.

Dugu Muqing’s pupils flickered. Her body trembled, shock and disbelief replacing her anger.

Wei Qinghua walked toward Gu Yu. She was done holding back. She didn't want the anger to cloud her mind; she had only come for one answer. She took his arms and pulled him from the chair. He kept his eyes closed. She didn't care; she had done so much, all to get one answer—the one thing he had refused to tell her for so many years.

"Little Fish, I will ask you one thing. Of the three of us, who did you love?"

Gu Yu’s face was deathly pale. He never expected to see her again in his lifetime. When he married into the Dugu family, he had severed that connection. Perhaps in the beginning, there had been longing, but after the first time they met after his wedding, he realized how foolish he had been. That was why he had become the man he was today. Now, his wife and his son were here. What did she want him to say?

He snapped his eyes open. There were tears, but they were as still as stagnant water, his clear eyes veiled in mist.

"Sister Qinghua, everything in the past is long gone. Why be so persistent? Because of your selfishness, you nearly cost Yi his life, and you implicated Xinyao. I do not wish to pursue this further. Does 'love' or 'not love' even matter to us now?"

The coldness in Gu Yu’s eyes and the frost on his lips made Wei Qinghua release her grip. How had he become like this? Where was the lively, lovely Little Fish?

"It’s you! Dugu Muqing, you destroyed him. It’s all your fault." Wei Qinghua could not bear his words. She had only wanted to stand up for him, not harm his child. Even if that child was Dugu Muqing’s own, she had never meant to hurt him; on the contrary, because she loved Gu Yu, she loved his son by extension. It was all Dugu Muqing—had she not stolen him away, none of this would have happened.

Dugu Muqing watched coldly as Wei Qinghua lost her composure. She couldn't deny that the words had shaken her. But she had done so much, and she and Gu Yu had long since drifted apart. The romantic love was gone, replaced only by mutual obligation.

From the moment the three began to speak, Gu Xinyao felt she was in an absurd world. Such complex, tangled emotions were beyond the comprehension of an ordinary person. Beside her, Dugu Yi had frozen, overwhelmed by what he was hearing.

Gu Xinyao took his hand in hers. His skin was deathly cold—a rarity in this season—but her hands were warm, enough to soothe his hand, and perhaps his heart.

"Am I the only one who hurt him? Are you all without fault?" Dugu Muqing pointed out coldly. She had only pursued what she loved; was that a crime? Was it wrong to want a complete lover? Was it wrong that she had loved him so fervently even after learning he was not pure? If there was a fault, it was perhaps that she should never have fallen in love with him in the first place.

Wei Qinghua stepped back, reeling from the question. She remembered that year when she and her sister brought a new friend—Dugu Muqing, a woman of mysterious status who had been so compatible with them.

If everything could start over, would she have brought that new friend back out of a moment of pique? Would she have let things spiral out of control out of stubbornness? Alas, life offered no such second chances.

Gu Xinyao watched the three in their stalemate, her heart churning. Life held too many variables; the only thing she could control was herself. Perhaps it was time to hasten her departure.

"Let's go out," she heard Dugu Yi say.

She turned to look at him. His eyes were as still as water, his clear gaze so much like Gu Yu’s—the man the two women had argued over most. He was his son, so he naturally resembled him, and his gaze was the same, but she knew his fate would not be like his father’s.

Gu Yu was a flower growing on a cliffside; people risked their lives to pluck him and place him in their own garden, but he could no longer bloom as freely and beautifully as he had on the cliff. Dugu Yi was a wildflower growing in the wilderness; he could adapt to any environment. No matter where he was placed, he would survive, neither abandoning himself because of his circumstances nor blaming others for his choices.