Chapter 9: Storms Brewing

The commotion in the study room caused by Gu Xinyao dragging people in had already settled down. The two girls sitting opposite Dugu Yi were still whispering and exchanging glances. When they saw Dugu Yi return quietly, they stopped talking and instead fixed their eyes on him.

Dugu Yi’s mood was extremely complicated. When Gu Xinyao came looking for him earlier, he thought she had changed her mind. He didn’t expect she came because of the rumors. He was disappointed—could that marriage contract really be so important?

Women—women were always like this. They don’t cherish something at the beginning, but only when they realize the person might no longer belong to them do they start to care.

The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became. Even the cases he usually enjoyed reading now felt unbearable.

The burning gazes from the two girls across made him feel even more repulsed. He sat quietly in his seat, ignoring them, flipping through the cases that no longer held his interest.

A small slip of paper was pushed over from across the table. Dugu Yi glanced at it but didn’t take it. He tidied up the books and notes on the desk and stood up. Before leaving, he finally looked at the two girls.

The girls thought this handsome, good-looking boy might say something to them, but instead, a dark cloud shadowed his face—his mood clearly sour.

“Sorry, I have a girlfriend.” His voice was cool and emotionless, and as his elegant lips moved, all their fantasies shattered.

At school, very few people actually knew Dugu Yi. For one, he was skilled at hiding his identity; for another, he rarely appeared in public. Even students from the same school only assumed he was a regular student, with no idea he was the heir to the Dugu family.

Hearing this, the two girls’ rosy faces paled—not because he had a girlfriend but because he turned and walked away without a moment’s hesitation, showing no regard for their feelings.

“Am I really that bad?” The prettier of the two girls asked the other dejectedly. The other was still dazed, unable to react.

These days, who says handsome guys have to be gentle and refined? You really can’t judge a book by its cover.

***

Every year on the first Friday afternoon of February, all employees of the Kangnaliang government were required to attend a banquet. Except for those with legitimate excuses, attendance was mandatory. The rule was said to have been proposed by the Shangguan family and supported by the other three noble houses. Therefore, everyone from the CEO level down to the janitors had to attend.

They said it was to foster camaraderie among employees, but in reality, it was a strategy to pull ordinary people into the fold. Yet with all the high-ranking officials involved, no one else dared to object.

The Shangguan family did not hold any official government positions but had the privilege to propose this because the other three families respected them. After all, the elders of the three families had once fought side by side, and this gathering was nothing out of the ordinary for the current government.

Compared to noble gatherings, this banquet was quite ordinary, held in the government’s staff cafeteria. Employees could bring family members, but upon learning that the third Miss Shangguan would attend, no male family member with even a hint of charm was brought along by the employees.

As a result, the banquet had more women than usual, and the only outstanding man likely left was Dugu Yi.

At that moment, Duanmu Feng linked arms with Dugu Yi as they slowly entered the banquet hall. Those chatting or networking immediately noticed the dazzling pair.

Shangguan Lu, who was engrossed in conversation with a man, naturally noticed the commotion at the entrance and whispered flirtatiously, “Let’s continue this tonight,” before excusing herself.

***

Duanmu Feng and Dugu Yi approached the entrance; she held a glass of aged red wine.

Duanmu Feng greeted acquaintances, while Dugu Yi politely exchanged brief hellos with some familiar colleagues.

“Oh! Look who’s here.” Shangguan Lu stood before them, curling her lip arrogantly. Her left arm bent at the elbow, two fingers holding a wine glass, her right hand propping her left elbow, looking down on them with an air of superiority.

Duanmu Feng, having finished greeting someone, caught Shangguan Lu’s eye and smiled gently as usual. “Isn’t this the Third Miss? What brings you to such a plebeian gathering? Not afraid of losing face?”

She remembered a few years ago when the government had invited the Shangguan family to a banquet. They had declined publicly, citing lack of time, but rumors said the matriarch considered attending such an event beneath their status. Later, to save face, the matriarch publicly apologized. Yet after that, the Shangguan family never sent anyone again. Seeing Shangguan Lu here today, one could guess her intentions were not purely social.

Shangguan Lu wasn’t angry. Her eyes slid to Dugu Yi, but he was engrossed in conversation with a male acquaintance’s family member, paying her no attention.

She touched her nose, her expression darkening, then leaned toward Duanmu Feng and whispered, “How does it feel to be cuckolded?”

Duanmu Feng’s eyes narrowed slightly. After a moment, she smiled faintly and replied, “How does it feel to be tied up and thrown in a corner?”

Shangguan Lu nearly sneezed in anger. At last year’s year-end banquet, she had intended to flirt and seduce, but an unexpected woman had suddenly appeared, ruining her plans and making a laughingstock of her and her cohorts—especially Duanmu Feng.

She gritted her teeth in her heart. She refused to believe her man had been with someone else and that she could remain so calm.

“Duanmu Feng, why do you always act so serious? You’re just after their family fortune—you’d even take a worn-out shoe.”

Duanmu Feng’s eyes darkened, emotions hidden behind that faint smile impossible for outsiders to read.

“Shangguan Lu, do you think the Shangguan family is an ancient tree that will never fall? Have you never heard the saying: extremes always reverse?” She pushed Shangguan Lu aside and walked into the banquet hall.

Dugu Yi ended his conversation with the man and turned to see Shangguan Lu’s sallow, ashen face. He curled his lips slightly, not intending to greet her.

“Beauty, no need to rush inside. What I said last time still stands today.” Shangguan Lu blocked him at the door, her expression wicked.

Dugu Yi stepped back and bypassed her. Passing by, he lowered his voice and warned, “Don’t assume all men are weak.”

Shangguan Lu was displeased by his warning. She turned to follow Duanmu Feng and Dugu Yi into the banquet but paused when she saw the man she had been chatting with earlier. Narrowing her eyes, a plan formed in her mind. She placed her wine glass on a waiter’s tray as she passed and then walked out of the banquet hall.

***

A new day dawned. When Ge Yue woke up, it was still dark. He didn’t want to get up so early but had been jolted awake by a full bladder. Returning from the bathroom, he passed the back door corridor and noticed the door at the end was ajar. Curious, he walked over and saw someone sitting beneath the old peach tree in the backyard. Looking closer, it was Gu Xinyao.

He opened the door and quietly approached her, careful not to startle her.

To his surprise, she didn’t sense him even when he was right beside her.

The book she held was titled Energy Development and the Principles of Solar Energy. Ge Yue’s mind went blank for a moment upon seeing the title.

He, too, was a university graduate, but his studies were primarily in the humanities. When had he ever dealt with development or principles?

“Ah Yao, do you understand this?” Ge Yue’s question was not meant to belittle her—he was just genuinely curious and a little surprised.

Gu Xinyao finally lifted her head from the deep ocean of theoretical knowledge. Bathed in the morning light, Ge Yue looked like an angel, the dawn’s glow edging him in gold.

“Ah? Ah, I only understand a little. But I studied it before, so I can barely make sense of it.” She had bought the book long ago but never had time to read it.

After Dugu Yi rejected her, she realized that if she wanted to be respected, to be recognized, she had to accomplish something. Even though she knew Dugu Yi probably didn’t look down on her, she deeply understood that marriages were happiest when the families matched in status. Even if she chose to be Dugu Yi's lover, their social standing and status should be equal. So she had to strive to make herself somewhat equal to him.

Seeing Gu Xinyao shyly smile as she answered, Ge Yue scratched his head. It seemed they still didn’t know her well enough.

“Are you aiming to work in the government?” Otherwise, their life was already quite good. Why bother studying energy? Most who studied such things were experts or nobles; after all, most energy resources were controlled by the aristocracy. Ordinary people couldn’t hope to monopolize energy even if they studied it.

“I…” Gu Xinyao was momentarily stunned. She only thought about being equal to Dugu Yi in some way but had neglected to consider how or by what means. From the start, they were unequal—he was born a noble, while she’s only advantaged by her gender, which wasn’t earned.

Ge Yue waited curiously for her answer. Did she really want to enter government service?

“No, I don’t want to join the government. I just want to be someone important. Someone important to one person.” Gu Xinyao firmly believed that if she mastered a skill unmatched by anyone, she could be equal to Dugu Yi. Although it sounded strange, she believed that in any era, talent was important to society.

Ge Yue listened with partial understanding. He’d known Gu Xinyao for over half a year and always thought she was content with her lot as an outsider. He never expected her to have such complex thoughts.

“The important person you mean is Dugu Yi?” Suddenly, a flash of insight hit Ge Yue as he recalled the morning when Gu Xinyao left home carrying Dugu Yi on her back. From his experience, Gu Xinyao was definitely infatuated. Whatever she later said about being just friends helping each other was nonsense. Also, he vaguely remembered seeing her secretly washing bed sheets—this was indeed a tangled mess with no easy solution.

“…” Gu Xinyao didn’t expect ordinarily slow-witted Ge Yue to suddenly catch on today. She didn’t know how to respond and remained silent.

Fortunately, Qin Rou came out to find her then, finally giving Gu Xinyao some quiet space.

On the slightly damp morning, Gu Xinyao sat beneath the tall peach tree, lost in thought. She hadn’t yet fully figured out whether her diligent studying was truly to win Dugu Yi’s favor or merely because she was lonely for so long that she dreamed up something called love, even masquerading it as the pursuit of happiness.