Gu En sat in the passenger seat without uttering a word, turning her face away. She didn’t look at Lan Li, who was driving, but his figure was reflected on the car window. She could see him glancing over at her from time to time through the window reflection.
Throughout the journey, nobody spoke until they reached the entrance of the Lan Family’s residence. Only then did Lan Li instruct her to get out of the car, before he alighted first.
"Brother Lan Li, will you not abandon me if I behave well? Will you not blame me due to what others say?"
Gu En suddenly spoke from behind Lan Li, her voice shaking and hinting at tears. "Can you not berate me whenever He Zhilan shows up? Brother Lan Li, you are my cousin, not hers."
"If you’ve done nothing wrong, why would I bother scolding you because of a stranger?" Lan Li touched his forehead, slightly annoyed, "I’m going upstairs to rest. Go to your room and reflect on your actions."
Despite being close to the Gu Family, the Lan Family doted on her to such an extent that they even prepared a room for Gu En.
One of Lan Li’s words, "stranger", greatly relieved Gu En.
Lin Deng was comfortably lounging on the sofa since Lan Li left, but the voices of the other two woke him. Upon opening his eyes, he saw Gu En, her eyes red but smiling. Immediately, he scrambled up from the sofa, "Gu En, you’re back!"
"You’re so happy I’m back? Hypocrite! Weren’t you having a great time chatting with He Zhilan? You even remember I exist then?" Gu En glared at Lin Deng and stormed upstairs.
"I say, Madam Gu, that’s unfair! When have I ever ignored you? But each time you ran off too fast for me to catch up. Even if you’re angry, you should tell me why, so I know how to appease you." Lin Deng scratched his head and followed her upstairs.
"The best way to appease me is to ignore He Zhilan from now on! I’m going upstairs to sleep. You can stay here and reflect!" After saying that, Gu En slammed the door in Lin Deng’s face.
"Brother Lan Li~" Lin Deng shrugged at Lan Li, who was standing at the door, a look of innocence written all over his face. "He Zhilan is actually quite easy to get along with. I just don’t understand why Gu En dislikes her so much."
"If she doesn’t like her, don’t talk about He Zhilan in front of her anymore." Lan Li said, then suggested Lin Deng either go to sleep or drive back to the school himself.
Lin Deng pouted, mumbling to himself, why were there so many taboos in life? It was one thing not to mention Ding Jinshi in front of Lan Li, but why couldn’t he mention He Zhilan in front of Gu En?
The weekend spent with He Teng was, without doubt, a joyous one for He Zhilan. Although the majority of their time was spent in the library, each focused on their own books. It was not as she had imagined — walking side by side on the beautiful school grounds, with He Teng holding her hand, chatting with her. Nor was it like Jiang Biyun and Lin Deng’s, who had spent their entire weekend touring the beautiful landscapes of the capital.
Perhaps in comparison, every moment that He Teng and He Zhilan spent together seemed ordinary, even dull to others. However, He Zhilan truly relished those times.
The new week arrived. Although it was merely after a weekend, the weather in the capital had taken a sharp turn; it was so cold one would hesitate to leave the comfort of their bed in the morning.