Criticizing Love - Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The employee lounge facing west welcomed the most intense sunlight of the late afternoon. The piercing, round sun brushed past the window edge, falling onto the phone screen, making the cold image seem to radiate heat.

Lin Xi’s finger was still pressed on the screen after tapping the image. The girl’s skin possessed a delicate, jade-like paleness, and her fingertip rested at her collarbone, looking as if one could actually touch it.

Though Lin Xi acted rebelliously and was fiercely unconventional, she was a complete blank slate when it came to matters like this.

When had she ever seen a photograph like this? Her soft shadow cast on the wall stood stiffly, looking a bit dazed despite her sturdy frame.

What was Gu Nianyin doing?

Why on earth did she send her this kind of picture out of the blue?

Was she… injured?

No, she was a female who would be turning eighteen the day after tomorrow. Could she really not even handle a minor thing like this properly? Why did she have to come looking for her!

Wang Tingxiu had only asked her to help Gu Nianyin with moving classrooms back then.

Did this mean every time she encountered a problem in the future, she was going to come looking for her to solve it?!

Lin Xi’s mind was a tangled mess.

The sun beat down glaringly, and heat sweltered inside the thick mascot suit, making her feel as though her entire body was soaked in boiling water.

Lin Xi gritted her teeth and calmed down. Concealing her inner turmoil, she ruthlessly texted back a complaint to the delicate little dodder flower miss over there: “If you had sent this to me a few seconds later, it would have already healed.”

Although these words fit Lin Xi’s usual behavior and speech, they were still somewhat heartless.

In the bedroom, the light fell straight onto the crown of Gu Nianyin’s head. The world inside the mirror was straight and clean, reflecting her face with her eyes cast down.

Upon seeing this message from Lin Xi, Gu Nianyin unhurriedly lifted her finger.

The seeping droplet of blood had already coagulated into a scab, sealing the tiny cut. She pressed down on this thin line without a shred of pity. No matter how hard she pressed, it wouldn’t matter. It truly was about to heal.

The sense of loss was greater than the pain.

In fact, as her fingertip pressed against the wound, Gu Nianyin even felt a trace of indescribable, obscure pleasure amidst the pain.

Physical pain was, to her, a lesser sensation.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

Right at that moment, the phone held in Gu Nianyin’s hand let out a burst of intense, long vibrations against her palm.

The screen facing the mirror lit up, showing that Lin Xi had sent her another message.

Lin Xi: “How did you get hurt?”

After sitting rigidly for a while, Lin Xi irritably pulled off the mascot suit she was wearing.

The coolness penetrated through her sweat-soaked clothes and seeped into her bones, pulling her out of that chaotic, denial-filled mood. She finally calmed down completely, and was able to settle her mind to seriously re-read Gu Nianyin’s messages.

Seeing this question, a layer of ice melted from Gu Nianyin’s placid face.

She curled her lips slightly and sat down on the footstool in front of the mirror. Her long legs elegantly stretched sideways as she replied: “I was bumped by a ladder.”

Looking at this, Lin Xi assumed that Lin Deyuan was once again catering to the refined tastes of his white moonlight lady, fussing over his mismatched villa. She then asked half-heartedly: “What, your family just moved in not long ago and he’s already unsatisfied and starting renovations again?”

“No, it’s for the birthday venue,” Gu Nianyin clarified.

The hand that had just finished typing in front of the mirror paused. It was about to put the phone down, but pressed onto the screen’s keyboard once more.

Following that, a line of text appeared in their chat interface: “Lin Xi, the day after tomorrow is my birthday.”

Sending this sentence, Gu Nianyin admitted she was somewhat unable to restrain herself.

She had originally chosen to exercise restraint during her calm waiting, but she had endured it over and over.

In the end, she still couldn’t hold back.

She wasn’t a very good hunter.

She was a prey that walked straight into the net.

Yet, perhaps because she had lost control, the subsequent conversation also slightly exceeded her expectations.

Lin Xi didn’t reply with some tedious exclamation like “Is that so,” “No wonder,” or “Then you must be looking forward to it.” Instead, it was a firm: “I know.”

She knew her birthday.

She had actively gone to find out about her.

Gu Nianyin’s hand, which was about to type, stopped instantly. Three simple words branched out into countless languages.

She watched the “The other party is typing…” constantly appearing at the top, her heart beating clearly along with the sound of her breathing.

Lin Xi: “Until what time will your birthday party run?”

Her heart skipped a beat, like a rolling apple crashing right into the bullseye of a target.

Gu Nianyin tapped her fingers, replying to Lin Xi: “It will wrap up around nine o’clock.”

Looking at this message, Lin Xi calculated in her mind the travel time from the hospital to Lin Deyuan’s villa.

As she thought about it, another sentence appeared in her line of sight: “Are you coming to find me at night?”

A thief will always feel guilty and apply things to themselves at the slightest stir of the wind. Lin Xi’s calculating thoughts paused for a moment.

She had an ulterior motive regarding Gu Nianyin.

She knew the significance of the day she turned eighteen.

And she did indeed want to go find Gu Nianyin on that day.

Three sentences that didn’t need to be linked by “because” and “therefore” were connected by Lin Xi in her mind using “because” and “therefore.”

She figured since Gu Nianyin had already guessed it, there was no need for her to hide it. She openly sent the other girl a text: “Yeah.”

Then she found a more reasonable excuse and shot back a question: “I have to give you your homework on the way anyway, is that not okay?”

“It’s fine,” Gu Nianyin replied.

This response came very quickly. The two simple words seemed to contain a certain expectation.

Lin Xi’s chest tightened slightly. Out of awkwardness, she dampened Gu Nianyin’s expectations in advance: “But I still have to go to cram school, so don’t count on me arriving early.”

Gu Nianyin nodded: “I will wait for you.”

The moonlight swathed the girl’s profile, and inside her calm eyes was expectation.

Like a pool of living water.

As night fell, the most expensive hotel in the city center was brightly lit.

In the banquet hall, clothes were elegant, shadows intermingled, and glasses clinked together as the crystal chandeliers cast a luxurious glow.

She Ning, wearing a black evening gown and holding a champagne flute, conversed and laughed among the guests, completely in her element.

Gu Nianyin followed right behind her. Under her introduction, she greeted and conversed with faces that were either familiar, encountered before, or completely strange.

The young girl was unhurried, and her manner of speech was extraordinary. Even though many in front of her were bosses and directors of large enterprises, she showed no nervousness.

Her figure, having just stepped into the ranks of adulthood, still carried a few hints of youthfulness, yet her dignified posture was already filled with a nobility identical to She Ning’s. Watching from the side, the pride in She Ning’s eyes grew stronger and stronger.

After this birthday party, a single thought was left in the minds of almost all the guests.

The eldest branch of the Gu family in Zhucheng had not fallen into decline just because of the sudden passing of Gu Nianyin’s father, Gu Yanlin. The future struggles between the branches would still be something to watch.

Speaking of which, it was quite interesting that what left a deep impression at the birthday party wasn’t the protagonist, but the story behind the protagonist.

Where was this a birthday party? It was merely a luxurious and expensive puppet exhibition organized by She Ning.

And the protagonist of this birthday party was the only doll on display in this exhibition.

The streetlights flashed past the car window one by one, and the glass, flickering between light and dark, reflected the girl’s face as she looked outside.

Before the banquet tonight, She Ning had hired a high-end makeup artist to design a delicate look for Gu Nianyin. The girl’s thick eyelashes curled upward, dusted with exquisite shimmer. She was the most beautiful doll in the shop window.

The soft satin fell from her slender back, and her straight shoulders and spine never fully slumped.

Gu Nianyin sat properly with her fingers interlaced, resting on the fabric of her skirt bunched over her knees. Conformity was as natural as always in her expression, except that in corners where people couldn’t see, a hint of exhaustion was cast.

“Niannian, I got in touch with your homeroom teacher yesterday. Her evaluation of you was very good.”

The quiet car cabin was broken by She Ning’s voice. She turned to look at Gu Nianyin sitting beside her, her gaze not entirely satisfied: “I heard you won the championship for the three thousand meters in last week’s sports meet. I know you run long distances every morning, so that amount of exercise is nothing to you. But I feel that before doing something, shouldn’t you consider the return on it?”

She Ning asked, but did not give Gu Nianyin a chance to explain or answer.

She looked up at her daughter beside her, rarely taking the initiative to squeeze her hand: “Nancheng is far from Zhucheng. The main reason I brought you to this place was to keep you safer. Once these matters are resolved, we still have to return to Zhucheng.”

“You will be studying abroad in the future. The top class here has no value for your application to universities in Russia, so there is no need to waste too much effort. Mom doesn’t want you to be too tired, can you understand?”

She Ning revealed a rare maternal tenderness at the end of her sentence, but the expression on Gu Nianyin’s face didn’t change much as she listened.

The hand being held transmitted a few hints of tightening pain, though she couldn’t tell if it was an involuntary movement from nervousness or a form of pressure.

Regardless, in the end, She Ning got the answer she wanted.

Gu Nianyin: “I understand, Mom.”

“Good child.” Releasing her grip on Gu Nianyin’s hand, She Ning stroked her hair. “Mom will help you clear away all obstacles. Everything of the Gu family will be yours in the future.”

As a streetlight flashed past, She Ning’s dark brown eyes fixed intently on Gu Nianyin.

Maternal love and greed intertwined, completely filling them at the same time.

They did not conflict, yet neither had ever actively asked Gu Nianyin: did she want it?

After crossing an unfamiliar large bridge, the car turned onto the street they passed every day.

The black iron gates slowly opened, and driving all the way up, the car headlights shone into the front yard of the villa. Lin Deyuan was dressed decently, personally welcoming them at the door from a distance.

Lin Deyuan did not attend Gu Nianyin’s birthday party, but it wasn’t because he didn’t want to go.

Gu Nianyin knew that in She Ning’s eyes, this man lacked the qualifications to attend that banquet. He was merely a lover of hers who couldn’t be brought out into public view. His self-satisfied real estate business couldn’t compare to any single person who attended the banquet today.

“You’re back. It must have been tiring tonight.” Lin Deyuan proactively opened the car door, welcoming She Ning out.

She Ning stepped out smoothly, naturally handing her handbag over to Lin Deyuan, along with a somewhat perfunctory smile: “It was alright. Thank you for waiting for me.”

But even with just a smile like this, Lin Deyuan was overjoyed.

He became even more eager, expressing to She Ning: “Not at all, it’s just what I should do.”

As if trying to treat everyone equally, after Lin Deyuan saw She Ning stand firmly, he turned his head to look at Gu Nianyin, who had stepped out from the other side of the car: “Niannian must be tired too. Uncle ordered the maid in advance to prepare a late-night snack for you…”

“Old Lin.”

Lin Deyuan’s words weren’t finished before they were cut off by She Ning.

Her face showed some displeasure, slighting him right in front of Gu Nianyin: “No eating is allowed in the house after nine o’clock, have you forgotten?”

Lin Deyuan paused, but his face didn’t show the irritation of the past.

He then let out an “Oh,” and said with a apologetic smile: “Look at me, I completely forgot the time. Niannian, it’s Uncle’s fault, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Gu Nianyin shook her head, following behind the two of them expressionlessly.

She Ning strictly controlled her diet, which caused her desire for food to be very low, and she had no interest in Lin Deyuan’s late-night snack either.

The group entered the house. After She Ning instructed her to rest early, the newly adult young girl went straight back to her bedroom.

Actually, to say her appetite was low wasn’t entirely true.

The night breeze blew in through the open window of the hallway. The constant temperature inside the villa clashed with the slight coolness of the outside world, just like the taste of the wheel pies from that night.

Thinking of this, Gu Nianyin pulled her phone out of her handbag.

Her eyes, which were usually like still water, rarely showed a ripple, but they quickly sank back down.

Quite a few people knew she entered adulthood today, and her phone was piled with many messages.

It was bustling, yet exceptionally lonely.

Lin Xi hadn’t congratulated her.

Nor had she sent a message saying she arrived here yet.

The clock outside the walk-in closet ticked away, the minute hand having just moved to the number three.

Thinking that perhaps she was just too impatient, she decided to wait a bit longer.

With that in mind, Gu Nianyin exited her phone interface, reaching behind her back to pull down her zipper.

The sound of the zipper abruptly echoed softly within the closet, and the evening gown constructed of satin slowly slid down the girl’s graceful figure like calm water.

She stood slender and tall, her straight waist showing no signs of letting go of its strength. The moon peeked through with half its face, draping a layer of thin gauze over this beautiful body, making her look like a stalk of bamboo, or a bamboo sword that could snap itself at any moment.

The grey-toned pajamas gathered the moonlight, and a few drops of unwiped water hung on the girl’s cheeks.

Even though she had done many things like changing and washing up, when Gu Nianyin walked out from the closet, the clock had only moved forward by fifteen minutes.

New messages were still constantly flooding into the phone.

The texts inside the phone remained empty of what she wanted.

The red light of the surveillance camera blinked repeatedly, recording everything in the room just like that.

Yet no matter how precise it was, it couldn’t capture the subtle disappointment that flashed through Gu Nianyin’s eyes.

Click.

Click.

The sound of the wind blew against the sliding door at the balcony, and faintly, there seemed to be a sound coming through.

Gu Nianyin’s slow footsteps suddenly stopped. In this sound of the wind, she seemed to hear a noise resembling pebbles striking glass.

Fearing she had misjudged, Gu Nianyin came to a halt in the center of the room.

She looked at the messages on her phone, carefully discerning the surrounding sounds.

But no new messages popped up on her phone.

Nor did she hear that kind of tapping sound by her ear again.

…Was it a hallucination of hers?

Click.

“!”

Just as the room fell into silence once more, the sound that had faintly echoed before rang out even more crisply.

It was abrupt, lacked rhythm, and somewhat resembled the disorganized personality of a certain person.

Whoosh—!!

The sliding door let out a sharp sound in the night breeze as Gu Nianyin stepped forward and threw open the balcony door.

When the shadow of a pebble struck the glass door again, what appeared on the balcony simultaneously was the girl’s brightened eyes.

The residential villa district late at night was completely quiet. In the surrounding darkness, an evergreen tree swayed unsteadily in the night breeze.

Lin Xi was standing right beneath that tree with one hand shoved in her pocket, an oversized hoodie covering her entire body. From an extremely concealed angle that was nonetheless highly visible to Gu Nianyin, she looked straight up at her.

Support