"What did you do to provoke the old man?" Jiang Chenyu asked.
"I should be asking you that. What did you say to your father about me that made him demand an apology from you?" Gu Nuannuan shot back, still unable to lift her head, but her grip on Jiang Chenyu's wrist remained tight, pinching his flesh.
Neither of them was comfortable.
Realizing they were at a standstill, Gu Nuannuan spoke first. "How about this: you agree to my two requests from this morning, and I won't call you 'uncle' or 'nephew' again. We'll stay out of each other's way—you go your way, and I'll go mine. Sound good?"
Jiang Chenyu remained silent.
In an attempt to demonstrate sincerity, Gu Nuannuan released her grip. "I won't pinch you anymore. If you let go of me, I'll take that as a sign you agree."
Jiang Chenyu narrowed his eyes at her, the girl who was currently at his mercy but trying to negotiate. He sneered, "You're smarter than you look."
He understood her plan. She was trying to manipulate him into agreeing in a roundabout way. She knew that if he let go, it would mean he was accepting her terms.
Jiang Chenyu hadn't expected to be outwitted by a 20-year-old.
With a shake of his hand, he released her.
This gesture, in turn, signified his agreement to Gu Nuannuan's proposition.
Feeling triumphant, Gu Nuannuan straightened up and stretched her neck. She glanced at his wrist and noticed the deep nail marks she had left behind.
Pinching her neck with one hand, she suggested, "Your wrist might scab over by tomorrow. You could switch to a wristwatch with a band to cover it up."
The day of their visit to her family quietly arrived.
Gu Nuannuan got up early, eager to prepare for the return home. She packed her things and waited for Jiang Chenyu to show up.
As soon as he arrived, she couldn't help but remind him, "Remember what you promised me."
Jiang Chenyu didn't respond. Instead, he focused on loading the gifts they had prepared into the trunk of the car.
The Gu family lived in Wangcheng Yujing, a villa complex in the heart of City Z. It was more than an hour's drive from the Jiang family's home.
On the way there, Gu Nuannuan made a conscious effort to behave herself, hoping Jiang Chenyu would take note and not be too hard on her in front of her family.
While driving, Jiang Chenyu glanced over at her. Now that she was sitting quietly, she actually seemed more like a reasonable person.
"Jiang Chenyu, why are you looking at me out of the corner of your eye?" Gu Nuannuan asked.
"Because you disgust me," he replied flatly.
Gu Nuannuan smiled to herself. *I can handle this.*
Within an hour, they had entered the Royal Scenery of Wangcheng.
As they drove along the main road, the Gu family villa came into view.
Gu Nuannuan, with her sharp eyesight, spotted her parents standing at the door, waiting to greet them. Suddenly, her nerves kicked in.
She glanced at the man beside her, wondering if he would say one thing to her face and act differently in front of her family.
Once the car came to a stop, Jiang Chenyu unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out to retrieve the gifts from the trunk.
Gu Nuannuan, moving quickly, reached out to grab his clothes but mistakenly grabbed his hand instead. "Jiang Chenyu, you must remember our three rules."
Jiang Chenyu, unfazed by the cold touch of her hand in his, turned to look at her. Meeting her sharp, intelligent gaze, he narrowed his eyes and asked, "Do you really think I'm that unreliable?"
He was almost 30 years old, and this was the first time in his life someone had doubted him in such a way. While he didn't particularly like her at home, he wasn't the type to humiliate her in front of others. Besides, if they had set rules, he would honor them.
Gu Nuannuan bit her lower lip, making up an excuse. "I'm just afraid you might forget."
Jiang Chenyu was too tired to call her out on her lie. His eyes fell on her hand, which was still resting in his palm. Her hand was soft and fleshy, though a bit cold.
Gu Nuannuan, too, suddenly realized she was holding his hand. She quickly tried to pull away, but for a brief moment, Jiang Chenyu's grip tightened before he let go.
She could sense the momentary strangeness in his gesture.
Puzzled, she got out of the car, still unsure of what had just transpired.