The Gentle Breeze Reflects in My Eyes - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

On the way back, a light rain began to fall. The sweltering, humid weather felt exceptionally heavy and dull.

Xia Lusheng sat in the passenger seat, her beautiful hands twisted together once more. Her thin lips were pressed into a tight line on her tense face, making her look as if she were facing a bitter, deep-seated enemy.

Gu Yitong had been suppressing her laughter the entire way. When she spotted the towering, iconic landmark of the residential area where her mother lived in the distance, she turned and said, “Lusheng, we’re almost there.”

If anything, saying it only made Xia Lusheng more nervous. Her pretty face became expressionless and rigid, radiating an icy aura that seemed to push people a thousand miles away.

As they neared the entrance, Gu Yitong slowed the car. They were stopped by a security guard at the gate.

Gu Yitong’s mother lived in a villa district. It wasn’t located in the bustling city center but in a near-remote suburb. However, the transportation was convenient, and the neighborhood was built around a mountain—quiet and elegant, perfect for a stroll after dinner.

Those who lived here were either wealthy, powerful, or both. The people coming and going were all significant figures, so the security was top-notch.

Gu Yitong was driving Qi Die’s car, and since the license plate wasn’t registered with the gatehouse, it wasn’t surprising they were stopped. She rolled down the window so the guard could see her and gave her house number. After the guard called Mother Gu to verify, the gate was opened.

Once inside the complex, Xia Lusheng asked in confusion, “Why did the guard have to call Auntie Gu to verify if you’re coming home?”

“Because the guards don’t recognize me,” Gu Yitong replied naturally. “I rarely come back.”

Xia Lusheng nodded, half-understanding.

Gu Yitong drove into the garage. Before she could even unbuckle her seatbelt, there was a “thump-thump” on the passenger window. Mother Gu was standing outside with an eager expression, pressing her face against the glass to peer at Xia Lusheng.

Gu Yitong: “…”

Gu Yitong took a deep breath, turned to Xia Lusheng, and comforted her: “Lusheng, sit in the car for a moment. Don’t get out until I tell you to.”

Unsure of what was happening, Xia Lusheng nodded hesitantly.

Gu Yitong hopped out of the car, rounded the front, and dragged her mother away from the passenger door.

“Mom, Lusheng is shy and easily scared. Why are you frightening her like that?”

Mother Gu smacked Gu Yitong on the shoulder. “What are you talking about, you brat? I came to welcome Lusheng home! How is that frightening her?”

Gu Yitong suppressed the urge to snap back and tried to talk sense into her. “Lusheng is here for the first time. She’s been nervous since before we even left the city. She has a cold personality; if you’re too enthusiastic, you’ll scare her off.”

Mother Gu looked at her suspiciously. “Really?”

Gu Yitong nodded solemnly. “Just act normal. The more you try, the more uncomfortable it becomes.”

After cautioning her mother, Gu Yitong returned to let Xia Lusheng out of the car.

“My mom missed you. She couldn’t wait inside, so she came to the garage to meet us,” Gu Yitong said, taking Xia Lusheng’s hand and leading her toward her mother.

Xia Lusheng gripped Gu Yitong’s hand tightly.

Looking at the young girl who bore a seventy-percent resemblance to her late best friend, Mother Gu’s eyes suddenly reddened. However, she kept a smile on her face as she greeted her: “Lusheng, I haven’t seen you in two years. You’ve grown so tall and even more beautiful.”

Xia Lusheng, flustered, clutched Gu Yitong’s hand. After Mother Gu finished speaking, she bowed slightly in the direction of the voice. “Hello, Auntie Gu,” she said, her voice clear and somewhat cold.

Though the distant tone was obvious, Mother Gu didn’t mind. Her smile widened. “Good girl. Come on, let’s go inside.”

The three entered the house. At the door, Gu Yitong reminded Xia Lusheng to change her shoes and whispered a brief description of the layout and sections of the house into her ear.

Mother Gu raised an eyebrow as she watched her daughter’s patient and attentive behavior. Since when did my little brat become so good at taking care of people?

“Yitong is here.” Suddenly, a man’s voice came from the top of the stairs on the second floor.

Gu Yitong looked up and greeted him with a smile. “Uncle Qi, I brought Lusheng home for the holidays.”

Uncle Qi had a very stern face. Even when he wasn’t angry, his presence was imposing. He clearly wasn’t someone who smiled often, but he twitched the corners of his mouth slightly to show his goodwill toward Gu Yitong.

Gu Yitong looked down at the girl beside her. “Lusheng, Uncle Qi is watching us from the second floor. Say hello to Uncle Qi.”

Xia Lusheng didn’t fully understand the family dynamics, so she simply followed Gu Yitong’s lead. “Hello, Uncle Qi,” she said obediently.

Uncle Qi responded with a chuckle.

Mother Gu smiled at them and said, “Old Qi, come down and sit with us. I’ll go to the kitchen to cut some fruit.”

After her mother left the living room, Gu Yitong looked around and asked, “Uncle Qi, is Jingwen not back for the holiday?”

Qi Jingwen was Uncle Qi’s son. He was sixteen, right in the middle of his rebellious phase. He had insisted on independence and moved into the school dorms—the type who didn’t want to come home the moment he left.

Uncle Qi suddenly remembered and slapped his forehead. “He’s playing games. I’ll go get him. I told him last night I’d call him as soon as you got home. Look at my memory, I almost forgot.”

While Uncle Qi went to Jingwen’s room, Gu Yitong leaned in and whispered to Xia Lusheng: “My parents divorced when I was young. Uncle Qi and my mom are a remarried couple. Jingwen is Uncle Qi’s son.”

Before her words could even land, there was a loud “bang” of a door opening on the second floor, followed by Qi Jingwen’s ecstatic shout: “Sis!”

A figure charged down from the second floor, lunging straight at Gu Yitong. He was moving so fast she couldn’t dodge. He slammed accurately into Gu Yitong’s arms, but in the process, he knocked Xia Lusheng—who was standing right next to her—straight to the floor.

Xia Lusheng had been standing still when a sudden, powerful force slammed into her. Caught completely off guard, she fell with a “thud,” her knees hitting the ground painfully.

Gu Yitong’s expression changed instantly. She shoved the person in her arms away and rushed to Xia Lusheng’s side. “Did you hit your head? Are you hurt?”

Xia Lusheng endured the pain and shook her head.

Gu Yitong turned toward the reckless boy, her face clouded with a thin layer of rage. “You’re a grown boy! How can you be so careless? What if you had seriously injured her!”

Qi Jingwen froze in his tracks, staring blankly at Gu Yitong. Gu Yitong never spoiled him, but she had never been this fierce with him either. He had never seen her this genuinely angry and reprimanding.

Uncle Qi came out just in time to see Xia Lusheng on the ground and Gu Yitong looking at Jingwen with suppressed fury. His heart sank, and he hurried down the stairs.

“What happened? Why did Lusheng fall? Jingwen, did you cause this?!” Uncle Qi glared at his son.

Xia Lusheng listened to the voices of Gu Yitong and Uncle Qi. Panic flared in her heart; she was terrified they would start an argument because of her. She reached out and tugged at Gu Yitong’s clothes.

Though she didn’t say a word, Gu Yitong understood.

She pushed down her anger, turned back to Xia Lusheng, and supported her arm. Her voice softened into a tender, lingering tone: “Let’s get you up first.”