Back Then, I Adored You

Chapter 6-11

Chapter 8: Prince Charming Next Door (8)
"Old Master couldn't sleep tonight and wanted to take a stroll outside, so he decided that he might as well bring you the bracelet." Nanny Zhang followed Qin Zhi'ai into the living room.
"Grandpa is here too?" Qin Zhi'ai furrowed her brows. Before Nanny Zhang could answer, she saw the housekeeper passing a cup of steaming tea to Old Master Gu, who was sitting on the sofa.
Qin Zhi'ai hurriedly spoke again. "Grandpa."
"Mm," Old Master Gu's voice was muffled because he was sipping at the tea. He swallowed the tea before saying, "Why are you back so late?"
It was then that Old Master Gu realized that something seemed off. He frowned and looked out into the courtyard through the window to see that the car, which was supposed to be there, was missing. He continued his questioning, "What about Yusheng? Didn't you come back together?"
Old Master Gu became noticeably displeased as he asked this series of questions. "So he's still being his old self, leaving you alone at home and not coming back at all?"
"No..." Qin Zhi'ai answered him with hesitation.
The reason why Gu Yusheng had taken the act in the mansion so seriously that night was to make Grandpa think that they were living together harmoniously.
If Grandpa had known that they didn't get along as well as what he had been shown, he would be sure to blame Gu Yusheng, and in the end, it would be her who suffered.
What's more, he had been so cruel as to sleep with her and order her to take contraceptive pills the month before, which had already been a great insult to her. How could she dare let Grandpa know the truth between them and bring contempt upon herself?
Qin Zhi'ai's brain raced to find an excuse. She put on a relaxed smile and said, "It's just that Yusheng received a call from his office about a problem, and he went back to work on them.
"Yusheng intended to take me home. It was me who wanted to take a walk, so I told him to let me out at the gate of our house, and I walked back myself."
Faced with Old Master Gu, who looked deep in thought, Qin Zhi'ai didn't seem nervous at all. She opened her mouth to speak again with the utmost calmness, and nobody could see even the slightest sign of deception on her face, "Yusheng always returns home when he's free, Grandpa. You can ask the housekeeper if you don't believe me."
As she spoke, Qin Zhi'ai eyed the housekeeper.
The steward took her hint and immediately chimed in with, "Yes, Old Master, young Master Gu always returns home when he's free."
"That's good then..." Old Master Gu's expression finally relaxed up upon hearing the housekeeper's words. He stood up and said, "I didn't come to discuss any specific matter. Since it's quite late now, I'll return home."
Qin Zhi'ai breathed a sigh of relief, as it seemed that she had gotten away with deceiving Old Master Gu. She replied, "Grandpa, I'll walk you to the door."
...
Qin Zhi'ai stood at the door of the house, only returning upstairs after seeing that Old Master Gu's car had driven out of the driveway.
The housekeeper served Qin Zhi'ai a glass of hot milk before he walked out of the house to lock the gate of the courtyard. He didn't expect to see that Old Master Gu's car hadn't yet left and was still outside the courtyard.
The housekeeper had not yet recovered from his shock when the car window rolled down and Nanny Zhang whispered to him, "Xiao Yang, Old Master wants to talk to you."
The housekeeper hurried forward and greeted respectfully, "Old Master."

Chapter 9: Prince Charming Next Door (9)
"Is it as you said, that Young Master has been coming back?" Old Master Gu didn't beat around the bush, getting straight to the point.
The housekeeper had been prepared to say yes, but Old Master Gu spoke again. "Even though you were hired by Young Master, I can chase you out of this house at any point in time. You better think carefully before you answer my question."
The housekeeper became somewhat hesitant and thought for a moment. In the end, he answered, "Yes," but before he could complete the word, Old Master Gu turned around and looked into his eyes. The housekeeper felt his voice shaking and lowered his head. After a while, he spoke softly, "Although Mr. Gu doesn't manage to come home every day, occasionally—"
"I guess you want to be fired right away?" Old Master Gu interrupted him abruptly.
The housekeeper was so intimidated that he stayed quiet. After some time, he dangled his head and honestly said, "Mr.Gu came home once..."
Old Master Gu immediately pulled a long face upon hearing this.
"It was the first night you went to Hainan."
The first night in Hainan? Almost a month earlier... Old Master Gu had a thundery expression. "In other words, Young Master hasn't been home at all for more than a month?"
"Yes..." The voice of the housekeeper was as soft as if he wasn't speaking.
Old Master Gu had fire brewing in his eyes. He couldn't be bothered with the housekeeper standing outside the car window. "Let's find him now!" he yelled at Nanny Zhang, who was sitting in the driver seat.
–
Since seeing Old Master Gu once again had stirred up her emotions, Qin Zhi'ai felt extremely worn out. When she returned to her room, she collapsed onto the bed and didn't want to move an inch anymore.
She didn't dare fall asleep, as she hadn't taken a bath yet. Unsure of how long she had given her eyes a rest, she felt her tiredness ease up a little. She went to the bathroom to fill up the bathtub with hot water. Just as the water was filled to the brim, Qin Zhi'ai realized she had forgotten about her pajamas, so she went into the room again.
The changing room was just opposite the bathroom. Qin Zhi'ai took a set of pajamas without looking and walked out. Just as she was two steps away from the bathroom, the door of the bedroom was suddenly kicked open with a loud and deafening thud.
Qin Zhi'ai was stunned by the sound of it, and her body shivered in fear. She turned around and saw the man who had left her at the roadside before. Gu Yusheng was standing at the door, glaring at her, his eyes red.
He didn't utter a word, but he drew his lips into a line. He did nothing except stare at her. His dominating pitch-black eyes flared up, compelling rage circling around him.
Qin Zhi'ai could hardly breathe with such an aura emitting from Gu Yusheng. She stood there with her legs rooted to the ground, only her side profile facing him.
The housekeeper, on the ground floor, hadn't slept a wink. Thinking that something might have happened to Qin Zhi'ai, he dashed up as soon as he heard the noise. "Miss..."
Gu Yusheng appeared before him as he reached the corner. He halted immediately, and asked with extreme caution, "Mr. Gu, you..."
His sentence wasn't finished, but Gu Yusheng, without looking at him, told him off in the most unfriendly tone. "Go back to your room, and stay there!"