Quarrel, and quarrel again.
Tearing open wounds, looking at each other with an indifferent gaze.
Gu Siyu used to bark at her before, but in the face of this humiliating situation, she found it difficult to speak. Master?
They stood in a stalemate, their eyes full of mutual resentment becoming dry.
Finally, the bodyguard called Chen Tao to come over. It was hard for him, just off work and not even home for dinner, to come and handle their love and hatred.
Love makes people so sad, but after they spew out cruel words, they become silent.
Neither of them spoke in the car. One looked ahead, and the other looked out the window. On the way, the driver encountered a roadblock, causing a slight jolt. Huo Junxian grabbed Gu Siyu's hand.
When they arrived at the villa entrance, Chen Tao opened the car door for them to get off. Huo Junxian didn't move, and Gu Siyu pulled her hand away and went down first. She walked into the yard, kicked a foot on the tree. Unable to vent her anger, she crazily used her hands to smash.
The tree, now left with only a few withered leaves, trembled. After Gu Siyu vented her anger, the old body dropped a few dry branches.
Chen Tao stood by the car door, hesitant, wanting to tell Huo Junxian to forget it, why make herself so sad.
He felt sorry for Huo Junxian, blindly supporting her, but he couldn't offer any advice. He awkwardly consoled them with a few dry words.
Huo Junxian silently looked at the courtyard, hearing that things hadn't improved. She uttered a sentence that Chen Tao didn't understand, "She's fine."
Being fine made her angry, unable to let go.
After sitting for more than ten minutes, Huo Junxian got out of the car. She took a few fast steps into the courtyard, then turned back to Chen Tao and said, "Call the family doctor later."
Chen Tao nodded, "I'll call right away."
Huo Junxian went inside, and Teddy ran out to greet her. He lay at her feet, looking up at her with a comforting expression, then turned and howled, indicating that whatever was wrong had been resolved.
Dogs don't understand the complexities of human love; they just follow along anxiously.
Huo Junxian picked Teddy up. "Don't worry."
"Woof."
Huo Junxian sat on the sofa, the house quiet with no sound. She held Teddy and went upstairs, her gaze pausing on the second floor for a moment before heading straight up.
Just as she lay down, she received a message from the family doctor. The doctor had arrived, and Chen Tao stayed in the living room to open the door for the doctor, leading them to the second floor.
After knocking on the door several times, Gu Siyu refused to open it, staying inside and refusing to come out.
Chen Tao sent a message to Huo Junxian, but she didn't reply. Helpless, he asked the doctor to stay for a while, planning to send the doctor to the hospital himself later. He had the doctor leave some medicine at the door, thinking that Gu Siyu would come out to take it when she felt uncomfortable.
The night was heavy, and the winter's arrival brought a biting wind. The wind roared from the courtyard gate to the window, making the tempered glass fragile.
The wind had arrived much earlier, but during their argument, they hadn't heard any wind at all. Everything was muted, and only their shouts echoed.
Indeed, angry people in a quarrel only hear what they want to hear, and words spoken are unfiltered.
Huo Junxian leaned against the bed, the whale lamp on the bedside emitting a faint light. She flipped through more than ten pages in a row, not reading a single word. In her ears echoed the word "love."
Love...
As she was about to close the book, her eyes caught a single character, "思" (si).
【After some contemplation, he told his lover, "I shouldn't have done that. I should give the gold coin to Sophia."
"But, dear, we have three children to feed. Perhaps we can keep one gold coin."
"If God notices our poor family, he should give me a new pair of shoes." The son sighed, his feet cracked from the winter cold.
"Maybe we should keep two gold coins."
"Why don't we keep three? Perhaps this is God's gift."
"Yeah, Sophia might be God. She's really generous."
So, their poor neighbor Sophia went to meet God in this cold winter.】
This character was ordinary among the text. To find it, one needed to count patiently. Yet, it stood out and caught Huo Junxian's eye instantly.
She looked out of the window, and the cold wind showed no sign of stopping.
On the second floor, Gu Siyu covered herself with a blanket. Her gaze was also fixed on the window, which was tightly closed and finely crafted. The window was tightly closed and finely crafted, making no noise despite the violent wind outside.
During the night, Gu Siyu fell into a deep sleep. She had a dream where her hands and feet were caught, and though she tried to move, she couldn't. When she tried to speak, her voice was mute. As she struggled, her legs twisted into the blanket, causing her to break into a sweat.
"Gu Siyu," Huo Junxian's voice fell into her ears, domineering and unstoppable, "Stop hurting yourself all the time."
"Let go, I don't want you." Gu Siyu roared in a muffled voice.
She struggled recklessly, indifferent to whether she was injured or not. Accustomed to pain, she even hoped for more scars on her body. Scars would heal, and the skin would become thick and rough, making the next cut less painful.
"I also feel that it really hurts."
This time, it wasn't Gu Siyu speaking. It was the person behind her. The person leaning on her shoulder let go, pressing down on her, the voice hoarse, expressing the thorn in her heart.
When she woke up, Gu Siyu got up from the bed. Holding her clothes, she went to take a shower. When it was time to put on shoes, she looked down at her ankles. Winter clothes were thick, and she hadn't broken the skin. She had twisted her ankle yesterday, but it wasn't very painful today; it was almost healed.
Gu Siyu went to take a shower, and when washing her ankles, she bent her body to knead them, feeling a layer of ointment being washed off, making her skin smooth.
Coming out, Gu Siyu randomly picked a piece of clothing from the wardrobe. She pushed open the door, almost stepping on the medicine box sent over yesterday. The medicine box was still there; she picked it up and placed it on the coffee table downstairs.
Huo Junxian placed the prepared meal on the table. Today, there were two more people at the dining table—Chen Tao and the doctor from yesterday. However, most of the dishes were still tailored to Gu Siyu's taste, as usual.
Gu Siyu sat down to eat with chopsticks. Huo Junxian said, "Wash your hands."
Gu Siyu went to the kitchen to wash and came out, wiping her hands with a tissue.
No one spoke at the table; everyone ate slowly and leisurely. The doctor sitting in the middle felt extremely awkward. Looking at Chen Tao across from him, Chen Tao's expression wasn't much better.
Teddy ate very little and curled up on the sofa. Whenever someone looked at it, it barked at the wall, where photos were hanging.
These were taken when they went to the aquarium. After the initial excitement, the photos had been neglected for some time.
Unfortunately, no one paid attention to it. It was just Teddy, with limited power, unable to change anything.
After dinner, Gu Siyu sat on the sofa for the doctor's examination, with Huo Junxian standing beside her. The doctor handed over the medicine to Huo Junxian, saying, "It's still this medicine. If it hurts, apply it. Keep an eye on the swelling; she still needs rest inside."
The doctor then asked Gu Siyu, "You just took a shower, right? Apply the medicine again."
The doctor took out the ointment, but Huo Junxian took it and squatted down to squeeze the ointment onto a cotton ball. Gu Siyu was supposed to lift her leg so that Huo Junxian could apply the medicine, but she didn't. Instead, she pulled her leg back, and Huo Junxian grabbed a few times but couldn't catch it.
Huo Junxian's hand paused, and she looked up, saying, "Gu Siyu, stick it out."
Gu Siyu extended her leg but placed it on Huo Junxian's neck.
Chen Tao was so angry that he yelled: "Gu Siyu!"
Ignoring him, Gu Siyu lifted Huo Junxian's neck, saying, "Master, this is also your dog."
Afterwards, she examined Chen Tao's expression, and he looked very stern. Anyone accused of being a dog would not have a pleasant expression.
Huo Junxian remained still, and Gu Siyu lifted her leg to nudge her. She kicked off her shoes, dropped them on the floor, and provocatively looked at Huo Junxian. She directly stepped on Huo Junxian's face with bare feet, pushing her, "I want to leave."
Knowing that Huo Junxian wouldn't agree if she said it straightforwardly, Gu Siyu still said it. She acted willfully, playing the role of a provocateur. Sooner or later, Huo Junxian wouldn't be able to stand it.
Stepping on her once, then again.
Chen Tao exploded with anger, rolled up his sleeves, and moved forward. However, Huo Junxian stopped him with a simple "It's okay."
Huo Junxian even grabbed Gu Siyu's leg, continued her words, and after an "Hmm," she half-raised her body. One leg was kneeling on the sofa, directly putting Gu Siyu's leg on her shoulder. In a short span, Gu Siyu was controlled in a very embarrassing position. She grabbed the sofa cushion, retreated, and Huo Junxian's blows were quite forceful.
Gu Siyu gasped, staring with wide eyes.
"Very well done. Continue next time if you like this position." Huo Junxian leaned down and bit her cheek. "We can try it right here."
Two people stood nearby, staring with wide eyes. After witnessing the entire process, they all turned their faces away.
Gu Siyu bit her lip. Huo Junxian asked, "Need to apply the medicine?"
Gu Siyu didn't answer.
Huo Junxian approached, leaning close to her. "Say it."
Gu Siyu exhaled and gritted her teeth, saying, "Apply."
Huo Junxian released her leg, crouched down again, and applied the medicine on her ankle meticulously.
The ointment was cool, but the breath of the two was hot. Huo Junxian glanced at Teddy and said softly, "Xiao Yu, bring the socks."
Teddy ran to bite a rope and dragged a box over. Huo Junxian picked a pair of cotton socks from it and put them on Gu Siyu.
Gu Siyu suppressed her breath, intermittent.
Huo Junxian finished everything and went to see the doctor. The doctor, carrying the box, prepared to leave. No matter how she looked, Huo Junxian felt that Gu Siyu was fine.
Chen Tao had something to discuss with Huo Junxian and temporarily stayed in the living room. He approached Huo Junxian and asked, "Go to the study upstairs?"
Huo Junxian glanced at Gu Siyu and stared at her. "Let's talk here."
As the words fell, there was a loud bang, and something fell.
Following the sound, they found that a photo on the wall had fallen. Teddy pushed the photo from behind the sofa and emerged. When everyone looked at it, it wagged its tail and let out a soft howl.
It was very close to the sofa where Gu Siyu was sitting. After Gu Siyu saw what Teddy was doing, she got up and went directly to the second floor from the adjacent stairs.
Teddy's body, which had been upright, instantly wilted. It lay down next to the photo, howling softly, with its chin rubbing against the ground.
Huo Junxian went to pick up Teddy and placed it on a blanket. She pinched its knee joint and rubbed its head. "Good boy, don't move around."
Teddy rubbed her hand.
Huo Junxian turned back to pick up the photo frame. The frame wasn't broken, and she wiped it clean with a tissue, hung it back in its original position, and adjusted the angle carefully, just like before.
She sat back.
Chen Tao showed her the financial report. Many things happened in the company this year. When Jin Yuansen managed the company, it consistently underperformed. After Jin Yuansen was kicked out, the company's performance quickly caught up with the previous pace and was currently on the rise.
He then showed her the investments under Huo Junxian's name. Huo Junxian flipped through them briefly, and her fingers paused on the pet hospital. Initially invested for Teddy's medical care, it had multiplied several times now. She had shares in the largest pet hospitals in the city.
Chen Tao said, "Establishing a small pet hospital is easy."
Upstairs, Gu Siyu listened to the conversation below, but the house had excellent soundproofing, and she couldn't hear clearly. She opened the door slightly, but as soon as she opened a gap, she met Huo Junxian's gaze.
Huo Junxian calmly looked at her, blinking her eyes.
"Hmm?" Chen Tao didn't understand her meaning, looked in the direction she was looking, and found the door on the second floor closed tightly.
"Oh, the anniversary of Mr. Huo's death is coming soon," Chen Tao changed the topic.
Huo Junxian squeezed her fingers on the documents with some force.
"Madam sent a letter saying she wants to visit Mr. Huo." Chen Tao's voice lowered, being cautious not to mention that person in front of Huo Junxian. "In fact, Mr. Huo probably wanted Madam to visit him. Mr. Huo's original will..."
Huo Junxian was not a widow; her father had passed away, but her mother was still alive.
"She's not in good health. Don't let her go." Huo Junxian's tone was indifferent, revealing a touch of coldness.
"What about this year's holidays?" Chen Tao asked, "Should we bring her back for the New Year, or let her spend it outside?"
In previous years, Huo Junxian always spent holidays with her father, sometimes at home, sometimes abroad. After her father passed away last year, Huo Junxian spent the holidays with Teddy. Jin Yuansen went off on his own, and there was no one else at home. Chen Tao came to deliver things to her a few times, and there hasn't been anyone else since.
Huo Junxian said, "I'll go to her place for Christmas."
"Hmm?" Chen Tao raised his eyes slightly, somewhat surprised. "Spend it with Madam?"
"Yes, take Gu Siyu with me." Huo Junxian looked in the direction of the second floor, lowered her eyes slightly, and said, "She's coming with me."
Chen Tao could feel the oppressive atmosphere today. He had also heard the report from the bodyguards about the situation at that time. He leaned towards Huo Junxian and couldn't help but remind her once again, saying, "Miss, if she makes you unhappy, let's replace her..."
"Uncle Chen," Huo Junxian interrupted directly. Her previously calm expression now carried a touch of anger and gloominess. She disliked hearing others speak negatively about Gu Siyu and couldn't tolerate it.
It had already developed to the point where even Chen Tao couldn't intervene.
She said very seriously, "I, only, want, her."
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The author has something to say:
Recently, I've been reading the comments, and I've been touched by them. Thank you all for your support.
Translator's note: Damn, she so possessive.
TO BE CONTINUE...