On the soft princess bed.
Gu Nian's whole body tensed uncontrollably, her little hands instinctively clenching into fists.
Fu Jingshen: "..."
Fu Jingshen subconsciously reached out his large hand to touch the woman's bleeding neck, but Gu Nian, as if frightened out of her wits, quickly pushed away the man's hand.
"Get away... don't touch me."
Fu Jingshen: "..."
Gu Nian's words completely ignited Fu Jingshen's fury, and he quickly reached out his hand to grasp the woman's slender wrist, pulling Gu Nian forcefully into his embrace.
"You don't want me to touch you? Then who do you want to touch you, huh?"
Ever since she used the child as an excuse to resist him today, Fu Jingshen's emotions had been in check.
Now, they were undoubtedly at the breaking point.
...
The man's words were cold and bone-chilling, leaving Gu Nian momentarily at a loss for words.
As she slowly processed the fear in her heart and realized she had misspoken, Gu Nian pursed her lips and said.
"I..."
"Gu Nian, if you don't want me touching you, do you want Ji Yang to touch you?"
Gu Nian: "..."
He remembered, he always remembered.
Initially... she had left K City with Ji Yang.
In fact... Fu Jingshen and Ji Yang used to be close friends.
The atmosphere in the entire bedroom seemed to drop to a freezing point, Fu Jingshen glancing deeply at the woman before him, his thin lips pursed, his eyes turning icy cold.
"It has nothing to do with him. I'm just not ready yet."
Gu Nian calmed down, her beautiful eyes downcast as she spoke softly.
"That's just fine... I don't want to touch you either... Since you refuse, I don't need to fulfill my duties either."
Having said that, Fu Jingshen let go of Gu Nian's hand, got up, got out of bed, and strode away.
Gu Nian: "..."
Gu Nian lightly pressed her lips together, and after Fu Jingshen left, she felt as though her entire body had been hollowed out, exuding a sense of powerlessness.
A bitter smile curled at the corners of Gu Nian's mouth.
How had her relationship with Fu Jingshen come to be like this?
Some words were on the tip of her tongue but too difficult to voice.
Gu Nian slowly got up, not caring about the disarray of her nightgown, walked a bit awkwardly to the balcony, and stood where Fu Jingshen had stood just moments ago. Seeing Fu Jingshen drive away downstairs, Gu Nian's gaze followed the car's disappearing figure, her thoughts somewhat hazy.
...
The Gu Family and the Fu Family were both well-known in K City, with frequent interactions between them, and Fu Jingshen was a good friend of Gu Cheng.
To be precise, Fu Jingshen, Gu Cheng, and Ji Yang were good friends, and the three families had a close relationship as well.
When Gu Nian was in her first year of junior high, Fu Jingshen, Gu Cheng, and Ji Yang were sophomores in high school.
It was a stroke of luck that they all attended the same school. At that time, Fu Jingshen, Ji Yang, and Gu Cheng without a doubt were the elites of the school: from prominent families, academically excellent, they were the best of the best.
To Fu Jingshen and Ji Yang, Gu Nian was like a little sister who never grew up.
In fact, Ji Yang was sunny and cheerful, a big boy at heart, while Fu Jingshen was cold and deep, rarely smiling or speaking unnecessarily.
Fu Jingshen was good-looking, played for the school basketball team, and exuded an air of abstinence, while also being aloof, treating Gu Nian with disinterest.
So, compared to Fu Jingshen, Gu Nian actually liked Brother Ji Yang more.
But in fact, at school, many girls were die-hard fans of Fu Jingshen.
At that time, there was also a class beauty named Zhao Meng, who was a top-tier brain-dead fan of Fu Jingshen. Gu Nian couldn't stand it when Zhao Meng would rave about Fu Jingshen during her naps, disturbing her rest, and would say, "What's so good about Fu Jingshen anyway..."
The crowd would tease, saying Gu Nian was clearly just sour grapes because she couldn't have him.
Gu Nian impulsively claimed she would turn Fu Jingshen into her loyal puppy boyfriend someday.
Once the words were out, she couldn't take them back.
Always proud and never one to admit defeat, Gu Nian then embarked on an intense pursuit of Fu Jingshen from the first to the second year of junior high, all to bring the aloof boy under her wings.
She gave love letters, delivered lunches filled with love, watched him play basketball, initiated conversations, and orchestrated accidental encounters.
Fu Jingshen still paid her little mind.
Little did he know, the more he acted this way, the more spirited Gu Nian became.
Back then, Gu Nian chasing Fu Jingshen's figure was a common sight at the school.
"Brother Jingshen, I like you. Be my boyfriend?"
"Sorry, I'm not interested in dating."
"..."
"Then I'll be your girlfriend?"
"I don't need a girlfriend at the moment."
Gu Nian: "..."
Damn it.
"Brother Jingshen... don't you know you're missing a 'me' in your life?"
"..."
...
Once, on the way home from school, Fu Jingshen was pushing his bike while Gu Nian, in her school uniform, followed behind him, reaching out with a sly smile to grab his broad hand when he wasn't paying attention.
"Brother Jingshen, I know you're kind of shy... Well, let's start with holding hands... and develop a pure friendship from there, slowly moving forward."
At that moment, Gu Nian felt Fu Jingshen's hand was warm and gave her a sense of security.
Fu Jingshen wanted to retract his hand but Gu Nian held on tight, refusing to let go no matter what.
"Damn, Brother Jingshen, I didn't expect this from you, grab a hand and then refuse to take responsibility."
"Don't use foul language."
"Okay, then I won't, but you have to let me hold your hand."
Gu Nian smiled radiantly, a breath of fresh air to those around her.
Fu Jingshen seemed to be a natural clothes hanger, his school uniform fitting him perfectly, making him look like a god untouched by worldly concerns.
"Rabbits don't eat the grass by their own burrow... Gu Nian, I'm your brother's friend, how could you go through with this."
"That's where you're wrong, Brother Jingshen, don't you know that when borrowing money, it's always from friends? Who borrows from strangers... So it's the same for choosing a partner, making a move on someone you know, so they feel too embarrassed to return the goods later."
Fu Jingshen glanced indifferently at the beaming girl before him; Gu Nian wasn't even as tall as his chest, yet at this moment, she was speaking boldly.
"Right, in the future, when Uncle Fu buys a house, tell him to buy one near our house, then you'll live next door to me, and we'll be childhood sweethearts, with an innocent friendship."
As the sun set, the delicate-looking girl spoke her naive and cheerful words, unaware that the young man had already taken them to heart.