TLDMDTBS Chapter 11

Chapter 11

At the dining table, Ji Ruan finally met Gu Xiuyi’s elder brother Fang Qiming, who lacked any blood relation, and his temperamental father Gu Zhaoxu.

Both of them had sour expressions. According to family hierarchy, Gu Zhaoxu sat in the main seat, while Fang Qiming was seated at the far corner, even farther away than Ji Ruan.

Fang Lan was still the most attentive, her laughter filling the table as she served food.

“Xiuyi, it’s rare for you to be back, eat more, these are all your favorites.”

“Yeah, brother,” Gu Xiuli echoed, “Mom got up early to prepare, she’s been busy all day, you should try some.”

Gu Xiuyi placed a piece of sweet and sour pork rib into Ji Ruan’s bowl without looking at Fang Lan, casually saying, “Thank you, Aunt Fang.”

Gu Zhaoxu snorted coldly: “It’s truly getting worse, after a whole day of fussing over you, you can’t even offer a proper thanks?”

Gu Xiuyi didn’t respond, instead serving a big piece of pig knuckle meat to Gu Zhaoxu: “Dad, you must be hungry too, let’s eat.”

But this statement seemed to trigger Gu Zhaoxu, who raised his voice suddenly: “What do you mean?! Are you implying it’s wrong for me to educate you, that you should just shove food in my mouth?!”

Ji Ruan was shocked.

The logic of the Gu family was indeed peculiar.

What’s more, Gu Xiuyi only smiled faintly, not refuting him at all.

Ji Ruan raised an eyebrow at Gu Xiuyi, is that really what you meant?

Gu Xiuyi pointed at the table: “Just eat.”

Gu Zhaoxu was already halfway through his tantrum when he saw that the other party didn’t take the bait and simply brushed it off; he was so angry he choked, his neck turning red.

Fang Qiming spoke up with irritation: “Gu Xiuyi, you’ve gone too far, is this how you treat your elders?”

“Do you even have a say in this?”

Gu Xiuyi calmly poured himself some red wine to let it breathe.

“Gu Xiuyi!” Gu Zhaoxu pointed in accusation: “You’re being completely unreasonable!”

“Hey, old Gu, let’s not get angry,” Fang Lan timely intervened, “It’s not every day that Xiuyi is back, why argue again?”

“You spoil him! You treat him well, but does he ever show gratitude?!”

“Oh, I don’t need that,” Fang Lan said eagerly, displaying a magnanimous demeanor. “It’s all voluntary on my part. I just want our family to get along. You say Ji Ruan is visiting for the first time, how can we argue? Come on, old Gu, calm down…”

After being soothed by Fang Lan for a while, Gu Zhaoxu begrudgingly found a way down, leaning back against his chair and firmly told Gu Xiuyi: “Your brother is about to graduate from university, arrange a position for him in the company.”

Gu Xiuyi, however, appeared entirely unmoved, flatly stating: “This matter still needs discussion.”

“What’s there to discuss? He’s a member of the Gu family, your brother! Helping you manage the company is only natural!”

“Clack!” Gu Xiuyi set down his wine glass on the table and stared at Gu Zhaoxu: “I’ve mentioned it before, it still needs discussion.”

Gu Xiuyi actually had an imposing and indifferent demeanor; his sharp face lacked any softness. When the gentle and polite facade he usually displayed vanished, his arrogance became particularly overwhelming.

Gu Zhaoxu looked at Gu Xiuyi, momentarily dazed, holding his forehead as if trying to comprehend.

“Dad, don’t say anymore,” Gu Xiuli said anxiously, “I’m fine with it.”

With sincere apologies, he looked at Gu Xiuyi: “Brother, don’t take it to heart, Dad’s just worried about me. Honestly, I also believe my abilities aren’t sufficient to work at the company right now, let’s drop the subject, okay?”

“Right, right,” Fang Lan chimed in, being very understanding: “Let’s eat first, everyone should eat.”

Gu Xiuli eagerly helped Gu Xiuyi with dishes: “If we don’t eat soon, the food will get cold, this is all Mom’s goodwill.”

“Cough, cough…” Ji Ruan suddenly coughed twice.

Gu Xiuyi immediately leaned closer, whispering in his ear: “What’s wrong?”

Ji Ruan covered his mouth with a frown, pointing to the spicy chicken in his bowl: “It’s a bit spicy, and a bit salty…”

“It’s alright,” Gu Xiuyi gently patted his back, handing him a glass of water: “If it’s too salty, don’t eat it.”

Gu Xiuli, not receiving any response, found himself hesitating with his chopsticks suspended in mid-air, then awkwardly withdrew them, ultimately sitting back in embarrassment.

“Ha, goodwill indeed,” Fang Qiming scoffed: “Look at him, does he even care? Enough of that; how much has Mom done for him? He likes men, and without a second thought, Mom went to great lengths to introduce the only son of the Ji family to him. He didn’t even look at him, but instead turned around and married whatever—”

Ji Ruan’s expression instantly turned cold.

“Qiming!” Fang Lan exclaimed sharply: “What kind of talk is that?”

Gu Xiuli frowned as well: “Brother, you can’t say that. Who he marries is ultimately his freedom.”

“Is he wrong?” Gu Zhaoxu sneered: “What’s wrong with the young master of the Ji family? He’s well-educated and refined. Look at who he married—some kind of sickly, fragile, half-disabled person!”

“Gu Zhaoxu!” Gu Xiuyi slammed his chopsticks down, for the first time showing a hint of anger: “Watch your words.”

“Wh-what did you call me?” Gu Zhaoxu slammed his palms on the table: “I’m your father! You dare to tell me to watch my words?! Unfilial son!”

Gu Xiuyi looked at him coldly: “I call you Dad, do you really believe you hold weight?”

“You guys, what are you doing…” Fang Lan seemed unable to take it any longer, tears streaming down her face: “Stop arguing!”

She hurried over to Ji Ruan’s side, crouched down, and held his hand, her tears flowing down like a pear blossom: “Ji Ruan, don’t take it to heart. It’s just how those two are, they speak without thinking. It’s Auntie’s fault. I apologize to you, please don’t be angry, okay?”

Ji Ruan looked up, surprised, raising an eyebrow.

He hadn’t said he was angry!

He hadn’t said a word!

How can this family be so shameless? After cursing you, they then guilt-trip you into not being angry?

Taking a deep breath, Ji Ruan tilted his head slightly, looking down at the tear-streaked Fang Lan.

He smiled gently, his eyes incredibly clear:

“What did you say? I didn’t hear clearly.”

He was just a disabled deaf person, of course, he couldn’t hear anything.

“…”

Fang Lan’s tears hung on her face as if frozen, and she couldn’t speak for a moment.

Gu Xiuyi stood up directly, pulling Ji Ruan’s wrist from Fang Lan’s grip and bringing him behind himself, his voice as cold as ice: “There’s nothing more to say, let’s go home.”

Ignoring the gazes of everyone, he led Ji Ruan out of the dining room, through the corridor adorned with landscape paintings, and into the piano room on the west side of the first floor.

The piano room was spacious, with only a black grand piano set in the middle. The curved walls were lined with shelves, scattered with various crafts.

Gu Xiuyi closed the door, helped Ji Ruan sit on the piano stool, and crouched down in front of him somewhat apologetically: “Are you angry?”

Ji Ruan lowered his head slightly, sulking like a child: “They said I’m disabled.”

He appeared both aggrieved and pitiful.

“It’s not…” Gu Xiuyi’s lips felt somewhat dry as he gently pinched Ji Ruan’s ear: “You’re not.”

Ji Ruan still wouldn’t respond to him.

Gu Xiuyi sighed, contemplating for a moment before saying: “How about this, I need to go upstairs to get some documents, you can stay here alone for a little while.”

Ji Ruan raised his eyes, puzzled.

Gu Xiuyi curved his lips: “Surely someone will come to make trouble for you; feel free to handle it. I’ll be back on time in five minutes to support you.”

Ji Ruan’s brows slightly shifted, understanding what Gu Xiuyi meant.

The piano room was dark, and Ji Ruan watched Gu Xiuyi’s brow through the shifting light outside, finally, he chuckled softly, giving Gu Xiuyi’s calf a light kick:

“Be on time.”

“Definitely.”

·

After Gu Xiuyi left, Ji Ruan exhaled deeply, silently calming his mood.

As Gu Xiuyi had mentioned, after a short while, the door opened again.

Gu Xiuli peeked in, cautiously entering and switching on the lights in the piano room.

Ji Ruan rested his elbows on the piano lid, supporting his chin, silently watching the newcomer.

“Ji Ruan, are you okay?” Gu Xiuli placed a glass of orange juice beside Ji Ruan with a guilty look: “I’m really sorry, I didn’t expect our meal to turn into this.”

Ji Ruan glanced at the fragrant orange juice, having no intention of drinking: “Aunt Fang has already apologized earlier.”

Gu Xiuli’s eyes brightened: “Does that mean you’re not angry anymore?”

Ji Ruan smiled faintly, noncommittal.

Gu Xiuli seemed to take it seriously, patting his chest with relief, his tone becoming light-hearted: “I knew you were the kindest.”

Ji Ruan lightly exclaimed: “You saw that already?”

“Yes,” Gu Xiuli smiled shyly: “Actually, I really like you. From the moment I saw you, I felt a good vibe. I just didn’t realize it back then, but now I understand.”

Ji Ruan nodded, pretending to listen intently.

Gu Xiuli settled himself opposite him: “You remind me of a brother I know. Not in looks, but in feeling…”

Ji Ruan’s heart skipped a beat, vaguely sensing what he was about to say.

In the next second, Gu Xiuli quickly walked over to the shelf and picked up a framed photo, innocently showing it to Ji Ruan: “That’s him, right? Doesn’t he look like you?”

Ji Ruan expressionlessly gazed at the photo.

Three figures, two large and one small, but all captured from behind, making it hard to discern anything.

Gu Xiuli, however, held it like a treasure, pointing at one of them: “This brother is Bai Yue, he is exceptionally kind. When I was bullied as a child, he was the one who helped me. Oh, he also grew up with my big brother and they were very close, which is why I felt so friendly the moment I saw you.”

Here it comes, the standard trope of a domineering CEO—his “white moonlight.”

But in the original story, this “white moonlight,” who was supposedly kind, almost tormented the protagonist to death later on.

Not knowing if it was his own experiences guiding him, Ji Ruan felt a bit nauseous.

Seeing that Ji Ruan was silent, Gu Xiuli continued talking: “This photo was taken of the three of us together. When we were young, we really played well together. Bai Yue is probably the most important friend my brother had, but later he went abroad and rarely comes back. We all miss him; my brother was heartbroken when he left back then…”

Ji Ruan didn’t want to hear anymore. He closed his eyes, pressing his fingertips against his temple, softly saying: “So, are you here to upset me on purpose?”

He didn’t care what kind of person the “white moonlight” would be upon his return; he just wanted to retaliate against what displeased him now.

Gu Xiuli’s reminiscing expression froze, taken aback that Ji Ruan would be so direct: “N-no, of course not, Ji Ruan, how could you think that…”

Ji Ruan opened his eyes, leisurely tapping the piano lid with his nails: “You said because you like that brother, and that he’s kind, so you think I’m kind and friendly too. Don’t I have my own identity, do I need you to project someone else onto me?”

“You also mentioned he’s Gu Xiuyi’s most important friend. Gu Xiuyi misses him, and he was heartbroken when Bai Yue left. That’s not friendship, that’s a romantic relationship, right?”

“And you say I look like him. You can’t tell anything from a picture of someone’s back view, if you aim to imply I’m a stand-in for him, you could have just said so directly; going around in circles like this, isn’t it just to upset me on purpose?”

Gu Xiuli was left dumbfounded by Ji Ruan’s words, taking several seconds to react: “N-no, it’s not like that, Ji Ruan, please don’t misunderstand!”

He seemed quite flustered, his eyes turning red: “I really didn’t mean it that way; I just thought you seemed familiar and wanted to be friends. I didn’t know you’d be so bothered about me mentioning Bai Yue…”

“Stop,” Ji Ruan crossed his legs and smiled slightly: “Who’s friends with you? I’ve already registered with Gu Xiuyi, by rank, you should call me sister-in-law—”

“Oh…” he suddenly tapped his chin: “Or ‘brother-in-law’ is fine too, though that sounds a bit awkward.”

Gu Xiuli’s eyes widened in shock, speechless, finally choking up in tears: “You misunderstood… really, I didn’t mean to upset you…”

Ji Ruan ignored the tears welling in his eyes and snatched the photo frame, weighing it in his hands, playfully tilting his head:

“But I think you do.”

Saying that, he suddenly let go, and the glass frame crashed to the ground, shattering into countless pieces.

The small shards grazed Ji Ruan’s ankle, causing him to slightly frown.

“What are you doing?!” Gu Xiuli’s carefully cultivated tears were abruptly stifled as he yelled: “Even if you’re angry, you can’t just break—”

His voice suddenly cut off, and then he looked at Ji Ruan with an incredulous expression.

Ji Ruan sat on the piano stool, leaning against the piano to support himself, his head tilted slightly, tears streaming down his face, his eyelashes soaked and the tip of his nose red, looking deeply wronged.

He could cry better than his own mother!

Gu Xiuli was frozen in place.

One second, two seconds… footsteps sounded from outside the door!

Very close, merely a step away!

“Click—”

The door swung open.

Gu Xiuyi stood at the threshold, holding that familiar brown paper bag.

His gaze swept over the scattered glass pieces on the floor, lingering on Ji Ruan’s wet lashes, finally resting on Ji Ruan’s ankle, which was seeping with blood.

“B-big brother…” Gu Xiuli’s trembling voice broke the silence.

Gu Xiuyi finally slowly turned his gaze towards him, sending chills down his spine: “What did you do?”