"All you need to do is answer me," Gu Yining insisted, urgency creeping into her voice. "Are we related, and would you protect me if I'm ever in trouble?"
Honestly, she wasn't entirely sure if Fu Hanyan would give her the response she needed. But she was betting everything on this. If worse came to worst, and Fu Hanyan started yelling at her, she would simply hang up as fast as possible. Problem solved.
On the other end of the line, Fu Hanyan's tone shifted slightly, a hint of concern lacing his words. "What kind of trouble are you in?"
His sudden change of tone startled Gu Yining. Could it be that he was genuinely worried? Maybe she had finally managed to catch him off guard. "N-nothing! I'm not in any trouble," she stammered, her panic rising as she realized that Fu Hanyan never reacted the way she expected.
Just as she was about to hang up and retreat from the situation, his voice broke through again, low and steady: "We're married. What do you think?"
*Cough cough—splutter!* Gu Yining nearly choked, feeling like she might cough up blood. *Why on earth would he bring up our marriage now, of all times?*
She quickly ended the call, her face burning with embarrassment.
Trying to regain her composure, Gu Yining ran her hand awkwardly through her short hair and forced a grin. "Did you hear that? Fu Ye. My man."
The bystanders exchanged shocked looks. There had been rumors swirling around about Fu Hanyan, whispers that he was gay, but no one had ever been able to confirm it. And now, out of nowhere, Gu Yining—a supposed "boy"—had declared that she was his lover.
As the realization hit, the crowd erupted into a frenzy of murmurs and gossip.
Gu Wenxuan's eyes narrowed, glaring daggers at Gu Yining. "So *that's* why you rejected me," she sneered, her voice dripping with contempt. "You're gay. Does Fu Ye know you're out here flirting with women? Believe me, I won't hesitate to let him know."
Gu Yining laughed it off, waving her hand dismissively. "Oh, don't worry. Fu Ye's generous—he's got a beautiful wife at home, you know. I'm just a... side arrangement." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "Anyway, it's getting late. I've got to get back to school. Bye now, ladies!"
She grabbed her guitar, slung it over her shoulder, and started walking away with a carefree air, though internally she was panicking. The situation had spun way out of control. What started as a prank on Gu Wenxuan had turned into a disaster, and Gu Yining had no idea how she would handle the fallout if Fu Hanyan found out. The last thing she needed was for him to learn that she'd been running around town cross-dressing and tarnishing his reputation.
As soon as she stepped out of the bubble tea shop, Xiao Xiao hurried after her, giggling like a mischievous child.
Back inside, Gu Wenxuan clenched her fists in frustration, stomping her foot angrily. She couldn't believe she had almost been tricked by a guy who turned out to be gay!
Yang Qin, sensing her friend's rising fury, cautiously approached and tugged on her arm. "Wenxuan, what do you plan to do about this?"
Gu Wenxuan's lips twisted into a cold sneer. "That brat dared to make a fool of me? He'll pay for it."
Without wasting another second, she pulled out her phone and immediately dialed Fu Hanyan's number.
...
Meanwhile, Gu Yining rushed back to the styling salon she had visited earlier. She had to ditch her boyish disguise as soon as possible. Back in her own clothes, she felt a little more like herself.
Xiao Xiao, who had followed her in, was laughing so hard she could barely speak. "Yining, you're hilarious! You are seriously my new source of joy. But... have you thought about how you're going to face Fu Ye after this little stunt?"
Gu Yining shrugged nonchalantly, trying to keep her nerves in check. "What can I do? I'll just pretend nothing happened. Besides, we're still fighting. I'll lay low and hope for the best."
"Oh, right. Good luck with that!" Xiao Xiao didn't have the heart to tell her that Fu Hanyan had already seen everything. He had even *liked* the photo she posted on her social media, the one of Gu Yining almost kissing Gu Wenxuan. And Fu Hanyan was not the type to casually like posts. In fact, this was the first time Xiao Xiao had ever seen him like anything.
Suddenly, Gu Yining's phone rang, the shrill sound of an incoming call cutting through the air. The name on the screen read: "Fu the Dog."
Her hands trembled as she stared at the screen. She knew what this meant.
Fu Hanyan was calling.