Last night at my grandfather's old house was restless, and tonight Gu Beixian kept her quite occupied. Su Huai slept deeply.
She slept until dawn, too exhausted even to be bothered by nightmares. When she doesn't experience the nightmare from thirteen years ago, she doesn't talk in her sleep or call out "Ah Yao ge" in her dreams.
Early the next morning, she opened her eyes to find Gu Beixian already up. Carefully avoiding her injured hand, she got dressed and left the bed.
Entering the bathroom, she saw that Gu Beixian had even squeezed toothpaste for her.
She smiled, picked up the toothbrush, and started brushing her teeth leisurely.
After freshening up, Su Huai descended the stairs with the support of the railing. Gu Beixian was preparing breakfast, setting it on the table.
Seeing her, he greeted with a delightful smile, "Come and have breakfast; it's all your favorites." His mood seemed quite good.
With a handsome appearance, perfect facial features sculpted like artwork, and eyes shining like stars, Gu Beixian's smile carried both deep affection and a hint of carefree charm, captivating those who gazed upon him.
Su Huai couldn't help but smile as well. "Why didn't you call me? I can handle it."
"Your hand is not healed yet, and I'm capable of handling simple tasks."
Su Huai walked to the table and sat down. Gu Beixian handed her a spoon.
Breakfast was lavish, a fusion of Eastern and Western cuisine—fried eggs, steak, salmon, Tiramisu, toasted bread, even eight-treasure porridge, and a plate of sliced fruits.
Su Huai sipped her porridge, finding it well-cooked and delightful.
Hearing Gu Beixian say, "Su Huai, let's have a child. If you become pregnant, we won't separate."
Su Huai's hand holding the spoon paused, surprised.
He, who had been avoiding pregnancy, who had proposed separation, was suddenly suggesting having a child. The one not wanting a divorce was him.
Su Huai remained silent for a moment, then slowly raised her head, looking at him seriously. "Can you keep your distance from Chu Suosuo in the future?"
Gu Beixian's eyes slightly flickered, and after a moment, he said, "She suffers from severe depression, and it's related to me. I consulted a doctor; emotional stability is crucial in her condition. A moment of despair can lead to suicide. Also, the Gu family and Chu family have business dealings and are in the same city. It's hard to avoid each other."
After saying so much, the answer was simple: no.
Su Huai self-deprecatingly smiled, lowered her eyelids, stared at the bowl of porridge, and softly asked, "Can you tolerate not getting involved with Chu Suosuo in an intimate way?"
Gu Beixian paused for a moment, then said, "She holds a position in my life similar to Nanyin's."
"Nanyin never calls you in the middle of the night, summoning you over, or hugs and embraces you."
Gu Beixian picked up his cup, took a sip, and in a flat tone, said, "There's no perfect marital relationship. Most couples endure each other, tolerate, and reciprocate."
Su Huai always felt there was more to his words.
After contemplating for a while, she finally figured out a clue.
Taking a deep breath, she said, "Ah Yao passed away a long time ago. You don't need to endure, and I don't want to endure Chu Suosuo."
Gu Beixian's lips curled into a faint smile. His gaze deep and mysterious, he stared at her for a long time, with an indistinct meaning, "Is that so?"
Su Huai didn't respond, lowered her head, and continued sipping her porridge.
Another argument would follow if she pushed further, and she didn't want to quarrel with him.
Quarreling would damage the already fragile marriage, accelerating its disintegration.
Until now, she still loved him deeply.
In all her years, she had never loved anyone like this.
She was a bit slow to warm up, finding it challenging to fall in love, but once she did, it was hard to pull away.
After finishing the meal, Su Huai stood up to clean the dishes.
Gu Beixian held her hand and said, "Let Aunt Liu and the cleaning lady take care of it. If you want to read at home, read; if you want to go shopping, go."
He took out a card from his wallet and handed it to her. "Use my card."
Su Huai refused, "I have money."
Gu Beixian pushed the card into her pocket, "The password is your birthday, 618618. Call the driver when you go out, and be safe on the way."
"Okay."
After Gu Beixian left, Su Huai also stepped out, going to select a birthday gift for her mother-in-law Qin Shu.
Qin Shu was a renowned wedding dress designer, the founder of the ShuQin brand. Previously, she focused on her career in Paris but had shifted her focus to China this year.
Su Huai didn't interact much with her but knew she had an elegant temperament, a reserved personality, and spoke very little.
Entering an Hermès boutique...
Su Huai walked in and picked out a bag for Qin Shu.
She chose a 30-size amber-colored platinum bag, costing over ten thousand, and also selected accessories such as scarves, pillows, and other items of equivalent value.
While she was choosing, a coquettish voice behind her said, "Su Huai, sister, are you also picking out a bag?"
Su Huai's scalp tingled slightly, and she turned to look. It was Chu Suosuo.
Chu Suosuo was adorned in luxury, holding an expensive crocodile skin platinum bag. Her fragile figure exuded an air of arrogance with each step.
Su Huai responded indifferently.
Chu Suosuo approached and asked the sales assistant, "Which one is Sister Su Huai interested in
?"
The sales assistant picked up the amber platinum bag Su Huai had chosen, saying, "It's this one, Miss Chu."
A hint of mockery flashed in Chu Suosuo's eyes as she stared at the bag on Su Huai's shoulder, an unknown brand. She sneered, "Su Huai, who came from a small mountain village, probably doesn't understand luxury goods. To buy a bag here, you need to spend at least a hundred thousand to qualify. Do you have it?"
Su Huai's gaze turned slightly cold. "Of course, I do."
She wasn't obsessed with luxury goods, and the bag she carried was casually picked up when she went out. She couldn't even remember the brand, just finding it convenient for carrying things.
However, during festivals or special occasions, she would choose gifts for Gu Nanyin and the old lady that they liked.
Gu Nanyin particularly liked Hermès bags, and Su Huai had given her several.
Chu Suosuo nonchalantly responded, "Oh, Su Huai, you're spending North String ge's money quite liberally."
Su Huai smiled, "He is my husband, and I'll spend as I wish. No need for you, an outsider, to comment, right?"
Chu Suosuo huffed, "I grew up with North String ge for more than ten years. We've grown up together. We share many common life experiences. In essence, you're the outsider. You might not know, but my first Hermès bag was a gift from North String ge."
Su Huai couldn't be bothered to argue with her. She picked a few scarves, accessories, an ashtray, and a blanket, totaling over a hundred thousand.
She took out a card from her wallet and handed it to the sales assistant. "Please use this card."
"Sure, please wait a moment." The sales assistant took the card to the cashier.
Su Huai needed to sign, so she walked over.
Chu Suosuo also approached, sarcastically saying, "This must be North String ge's card, right? You won't leave him, always wanting to enjoy his money?"
Su Huai smiled and said to the sales assistant, "Could you please tell Miss Chu that the card's account holder is?"
The sales assistant smiled and said to Chu Suosuo, "Miss Chu, the card belongs to Miss Su Huai."
Su Huai calmly and gracefully asked, "How much balance is left in the account? Please check for me."
The sales assistant stared at the computer screen and respectfully said, "Miss Su, your card balance is 156 million."
Chu Suosuo's face changed rapidly, alternately red and white, remaining silent for a long time.
Su Huai looked at her face, faintly hooked her lips.
The one hundred and fifty-six million in the card was the separation fee Gu Beixian gave her not long ago, and the five million six hundred thousand were gifts he gave her over the past three years, scattered here and there whenever he was apologetic.
Every time he got angry, he compensated her with money, being quite generous.
In the past, Su Huai always complained that he used money to dismiss her. But today, she felt that this way of throwing money around was exceptionally cool!
Sending flowers and bags to Chu Suosuo, how much money could it be?
Each time he gave his card or wrote a cheque, the minimum amount was one million.
After swiping the card, Su Huai took the card back from the sales assistant.
She held the bank card, swaying it in front of Chu Suosuo, lightly mocking, "Miss Chu, I'm afraid your account doesn't even have fifty million, does it? In the future, don't use your ignorance to show off in front of me; it's really low. And as for giving me a cheque for twenty million to leave Gu Beixian, don't bother doing that again; it's like acting as a clown."
Chu Suosuo's face twisted with anger, acidly saying, "What's with the arrogance? If I hadn't been forcibly taken abroad by my mother three years ago, would you even have a chance to be North String ge's substitute?"
"Substitute, heh, substitute." Su Huai's face turned slightly pale, and her fingers pinched her palm forcefully.
This was a thorn embedded in her heart, piercing and painful with just a touch.
Suddenly, a cold voice came from behind, "Miss Chu might not know, but you are the actual substitute."