"You have misunderstood."
Xu Nianhua instinctively wanted to snatch back the letter, but, Gu Mingzhu had already recognized that it was in Gu Mingcheng’s handwriting.
"That little rascal Mingcheng, secretly writing you letters? And not writing any to me." Gu Mingzhu turned around, gripping the letter tightly in her hand.
Xu Nianhua failed to grab the letter and felt annoyed. She should have hidden the letter—how could she let Gu Mingzhu find it?
"Mingcheng he..." Xu Nianhua stuttered, trying to explain.
"That little rascal Mingcheng, all he ever does is doodle and write every day. Now he has even started making up stories about me." Gu Mingzhu said with an unhappy face, promptly tearing the letter into shreds. She then looked at Xu Nianhua with a smile, saying, "Nianhua, you don’t believe his nonsense, do you? I’m your biological sister, why would I plot against your elder brother, right?"
"The incident that day was an accident. It’s all my fault—if I hadn’t held that party, such a thing wouldn’t have happened."
Gu Mingzhu took the blame upon herself, guiltily. As she observed Xu Nianhua’s reaction, seeing her silent and not speaking, she continued guiltily, "Nianhua, I’m sorry, it’s all my fault."
"Mingzhu." Xu Nianhua looked at her, so sincere and full of guilt, and in her mind, she wondered if there might have been some misunderstanding. But the details of that day’s incident were clearly written in the letter by Gu Mingcheng.
Gu Mingcheng loved to paint, and because of his interest in art, he had many quarrels with Gu Hai. Although younger by three years than she was, he was pure and innocent, never one to tell lies.
"Is what happened to my elder brother really like what Mingcheng described?"
If Gu Mingzhu hadn’t seen the letter, Xu Nianhua might have hesitated, might have been uncertain whether to ask—or whether to ask now. But since she had seen it, Xu Nianhua naturally wouldn’t pretend to know nothing.
Some truths might be cruel, but she wanted to know; she didn’t want to be kept in the dark like a fool.
"Mingcheng is talking nonsense." Gu Mingzhu flatly denied it, saying, "He has been distant from me since we were young; he must have misunderstood."
"But why did you arrange for my elder brother to go to that room and not one next to Mingcheng’s room?" Xu Nianhua questioned, her usual gentle demeanor giving way to a rare assertiveness.
"That, that’s because that room was closer, and your elder brother had been drinking—it was a few steps shorter." Gu Mingzhu explained awkwardly, cursing Gu Mingcheng bitterly in her heart. Was this a brother or an enemy?
What was so special about Xu Nianhua? In just two years with the family, she had become more favored by Gu Mingcheng than his own sister!
Gu Mingzhu was angry at heart, but her expression was one of grief at being misunderstood. She said, "Nianhua, you are my dear sister. There’s no reason or motive for me to harm him, is there?"
"Besides, after Jiaxin married your elder brother, it resulted in a pleasant marriage. Aren’t they living happily together?"
"If there really was a plot, then I also helped your elder brother find a wife. It is just unfortunate that your elder brother has such a thin fortune." Gu Mingzhu spoke with seemingly open honesty, making it hard to discern if her words were truthful.
Xu Nianhua was baffled; she spoke no more, remaining silent. The next day, using the excuse of needing to see her foster parents before undergoing surgery, Xu Nianhua boarded the bus heading back to Gaoliang County.