As he glanced at the clock nearing midnight, he held her tightly, raising his hand slightly to turn off the lamp by the bed. Outside, dark clouds began to gather in the sky, and soon thunder rumbled ominously, as if the gentle moonlight had never graced the night.
She shivered slightly just as Julian Bai's hands pressed down on her. At that moment, a phone rang from the nearby cabinet. He paused for a moment before answering the painful call.
On the other end came a woman's sobbing voice: "Julian, I'm scared..."
Julian Bai had already distanced himself from Grace Gu as he got out of bed. Speaking softly to the woman on the line, he said, "Don't be afraid; I'll come over shortly."
The woman's face turned pale upon hearing his promise: "I'm scared of this heavy rain; you shouldn't come—it's dangerous."
Hearing her fragmented words only deepened Julian Bai's concern. She had always been afraid of thunder since childhood. They used to live together, but now she was alone in an unfamiliar place; it must be even more frightening for her.
"It's okay; it's not far," he reassured her quickly before hanging up. Throughout it all, he hadn't looked at Grace Gu even once. As he reached for the door, he frowned and said, "Have breakfast and rest well."
Grace Gu was about to respond when another clap of thunder echoed outside. He left swiftly without waiting for her answer, leaving only the sound of his footsteps echoing down the stairs.
Just as Grace Gu managed a smile, a flash of lightning illuminated everything around her with an eerie glow. In that moment, she recalled that fateful morning when her mother had died—a morning when she gently held Grace Gu and looked at her with lifeless eyes: "Nuan Nuan, don't trust any man; no man in this world is worthy of your heart."
It was on such stormy nights filled with thunder and lightning that her mother had cried out towards the ancestral hall of the Gu family before tragically colliding with its walls.
Once upon a time, she too had been terrified by such thunderstorms because it was on nights like these that she lost her only family member. But eventually, she learned to confront it; after all, it wasn't something earth-shattering—at worst, it would take her away too.
She forced a slight smile and pulled the blanket over her head before gently closing her eyes. The terrifying changes in weather outside couldn't stop her eyelids from growing heavy.
When sunlight streamed through later on, Aunt Lin knocked on her door: "Miss, breakfast is ready."
Hearing Aunt Lin's call made Grace Gu rub her forehead with one hand before slowly getting out of bed and responding to Aunt Lin outside: "I'm coming."
By the time she made it downstairs, Aunt Lin had already set everything on the table. Seeing what was laid out for Julian Bai's spot made Aunt Lin frown: "He probably won't be back; let's clear this away!"
Just as those words left Aunt Lin's lips, a cool voice came from behind: "Since when did you become Zhuge Liang?"
Surprised to see him elegantly taking a seat across from her after returning unexpectedly—she thought he wouldn't come back at all—Grace Gu felt taken aback but realized he must have returned not long ago.
"You really can sleep," he remarked while taking a sip from his glass of milk before setting it down gently.
Watching him lick his lips slightly after drinking made Grace Gu lower her head to eat quietly. By the time she finished everything on her plate without touching any milk beside it—the usually stoic expression on his face flickered with something unspoken.
Aunt Lin glanced curiously at Grace Gu: "Miss, isn't today's milk suitable for your taste?" This wasn't typical behavior for Grace Gu!
Julian Bai noticed how untouched Grace Gu's glass remained and raised an eyebrow slightly: "Isn't this milk nutritious?"
Grace Gu tightened her grip around chopsticks again before replying calmly: "I'm not thirsty."
"Really?"
He didn't press further but took hold of her glass instead and drank deeply from it with a smile: "This is good stuff—it's very nourishing."
Grace Gu didn't know how to respond to such shamelessness and simply told Aunt Lin: "Prepare more nourishing food for Mr. Bai."
Watching as she walked away briskly while shaking his head slightly—while Aunt Lin stood there perplexed—he added casually: "Just prepare according to usual standards."
Then he followed after Grace Gu into their room where she was tidying up when he leaned against their soft bed and looked at her sideways: "You slept quite soundly today!"
"Mm." She folded clothes while responding briefly.
"Aren't you afraid of thunder?"
In Julian Bai's mind strong people like Julian Ying would still get startled by thunder; let alone someone like Grace Gu.
"I used to be afraid," she admitted quietly.
Seeing sincerity in those words caused Julian Bai's heart to tighten slightly despite maintaining his smile outwardly: "Have you regained your memory?"
Grace Gu paused momentarily; he'd always believed she'd lost hers which explained why she'd behaved so strangely—even taking him to hospitals where doctors couldn't diagnose anything conclusive. Eventually frustrated by their inability to help him understand why she'd acted differently than others—it seemed trivial enough since there were no life-threatening issues involved aside from forgetfulness—but little did they know that what made them different stemmed from entirely different timelines altogether rather than mere amnesia!
"No... just some fragments flashed through my mind," she replied vaguely.
Taking this response lightly meant Julian Bai offered comforting words instead saying cheerfully enough: "It's nothing serious—you'll remember someday."
Yet those seemingly reassuring comments caused furrows between Grace Gu's brows—noticing perhaps due sensitivity or intuition—that there lay hints within suggesting some hidden glee beneath them?
Neither lingered long over such topics though since soon thereafter Julian Bai received another call prompting him hurriedly leave again! Watching him speed off through garage doors brought unease into those beautiful eyes reflecting uncertainty about what could possibly require urgency enough causing him forget even clothing left behind!
Meanwhile below Aunt Lin observed yet another instance where Mr. Bai returned only then promptly departed once more leading back into own quarters feeling drowsy having kept vigil overnight outside Miss' room per previous instructions given yesterday!