"Auntie Lan, what happened?" When Zhou Hongjin parked his car and came over, he saw a group of people gathered together. He stood in front of Zhou Chenyue and He Zhilan in a protective manner and talked to Zhilan’s mother.
"What could have happened? I was just a little surprised to see Gu En’s roommate, Student He came along. However, for the old man Gu’s birthday, he prefers more young people for a livelier atmosphere, welcome! The wind outside is fierce, so hurry everyone inside to sit down and drink some hot tea." Saying this, Zhilan’s mother made a gesture of invitation and led the group inside first.
"There are quite a lot of people today, find yourselves a seat. Everyone is acquainted, so don’t be shy. If there are really no seats left, you can just stand up for a while, after all, you are all young and fit. Once we get to the restaurant, you can sit wherever you want." Zhilan’s mother looked around the reception hall. Although Gu Mansion usually seemed very spacious, today with so many people, it felt rather crowded. Hence, she made a brief chat with a few guests and then got busy.
The minute He Zhilan stepped into Gu Mansion, she was overwhelmed with nervousness. She covertly scrutinized the mansion, observing every single incoming and outgoing person, paying extra attention to the elders to the extent of not even blinking, afraid to miss any figure.
She scanned each face, trying to identify a visage that could jog her memory, but there she stood, bewildered and lost in Gu Mansion.
None, not a single face could awaken her latent memories.
"Let’s go, let’s find a place to sit down." Zhou Chenyue pulled on He Zhilan’s arm and led her through the crowd.
As Zhilan’s mother said, due to the crowd, it was not certain whether there were seats available in the living room. Zhou Chenyue and Zhou Hongjin, after all, were part of this circle. It was unrealistic for them to always accompany He Zhilan. Once in Gu Mansion, they instructed He Zhilan to wait for a moment, then they headed over to greet the elders they knew.
Gu En had been trailing the group. Noticing He Zhilan left alone, he approached with a cold huff, "He Zhilan, you really have some nerve, or, ah, no, I should say both you and your brother have some nerve. Regardless of what I said to your brother, he still didn’t stop you. You people from the He Family really have thick skins. How about it? Since you came here, your eyes haven’t rested for a moment. Are you so eager to quickly find a young master to set your sights on?"
"What did you say to my brother?" He Zhilan guessed, "I was right, wasn’t I? You were the one who called the military to inform him!"
"So what if you guessed right? Do you want to know what I told your brother? Fine, follow me and I’ll tell you." Gu En smiled with an innocent expression.
He Zhilan merely glanced at Gu En, turned, and continued to move inward, distancing herself from Gu En without acknowledging him. She wasn’t foolish enough to be lured away by Gu En’s words. In the Gu Mansion, Gu En wouldn’t dare harm her. If she truly left the mansion with Gu En, she couldn’t say what he might do to her.
Gu Mansion is actually not small. Only because of today’s crowd does it feel a bit crammed. Eager to escape from Gu En, He Zhilan was moving quickly. Wherever she found a path, she took it, wondering why Gu En, the host, had the time to follow and pester her?
It was as if he couldn’t bear to take his eyes off her. He Zhilan simply couldn’t understand. She knew that Gu En despised her, but why, on a day when Gu En should be welcoming the guests, did he have the leisure to focus his attention solely on her? It was as if she would steal something precious from the Gu family.