Chapter 24 Going to the Capital?

Ding—

The code lock clicked open.

Gu Shiyan had his arms around Luo Xing. The corridor lights were motion-sensitive; after a while without any sound, they dimmed. In the darkness, Gu Shiyan’s eyes brimmed with even more emotion.

The password turned out to be Luo Xing’s birthday.

Perhaps because Gu Liang had only ever given money or scolded him since childhood, this was the first time Gu Shiyan realized that the lock on a family’s door could be set to a child’s birthday.

He carried her inside.

The room was dark, but he could make out the shapes of obstacles. One whole wall was a floor-to-ceiling window, outside of which the lights of the city’s buildings shimmered in layers.

Gu Shiyan scanned the room. On the right side of the entrance was a row of switches; he turned them all on.

Click, click, click—a few sounds, and the room flooded with light.

Warm and spacious, the main color palette was a soft yellow.

His fingertips still rested on the switches. Glancing sideways, he saw that each white switch had a bright yellow star sticker, the edges worn and faded, clearly stuck on long ago.

In his mind, he instantly pictured Luo Xing fumbling with a star sticker on her water cup.

Looking down, he noticed the entrance rug was also a star.

He carried Luo Xing further into the house.

His gaze drifted to a cardboard box beside the window, filled with old, well-loved toys.

He followed its trail to a photo frame on a low cabinet—the image showed her parents standing in the back, her grandmother seated in the middle, arms around Luo Xing’s shoulders.

Four rooms; Gu Shiyan could tell at a glance that the one with a glowing star pendant hanging from the door handle belonged to Luo Xing.

He opened the door with one arm still around her. Contrary to his expectations, it was not the girlish room he’d imagined.

He had thought Luo Xing loved buying all sorts of pretty but useless things, and expected the room to be cluttered with colorful trinkets. In fact, the room was spacious, with a blue-and-white color scheme and almost no clutter.

By the window stood a piano and an easel.

There wasn’t even a bench in front of the piano. Gu Shiyan could guess Luo Xing’s three-minute enthusiasm—she probably bought it, played for a few days, and then gave up.

He set her down on the bed, but Luo Xing clung to his shirt, dragging them both onto the mattress.

“What…” Luo Xing frowned delicately, muttering, “That hurts.”

Her hand reached downward.

Gu Shiyan caught her hand.

Glancing down, he saw her fingers hooked around the keychain in his pocket.

“Let go.” He held her hand, prying her fingers apart.

He only meant to take back the keychain.

But his gaze lingered on their nearly intertwined fingers…

Gu Shiyan’s knee was planted beside Luo Xing’s thigh as he fumbled for his phone in his bag.

On impulse, he pointed it at their hands.

Luo Xing’s nails were slightly long, her tips tinged pink, fingers slender. Gu Shiyan’s broad palm pressed her fingers down with a SpongeBob keychain between them.

Her soft fingertips brushed his palm, tickling.

On Gu Shiyan’s hand, the tension made his sinews stand out, highlighting his latent strength.

Click.

He stared at the image on his phone for a moment.

As if dissatisfied, he took out the keychain and interlaced their fingers tightly.

Click.

The ambiguous, sensual image froze on the screen.

“Mmm…” Luo Xing rolled over, hugging her bear and burying herself in it.

Gu Shiyan slowly released her hand and got off the bed.

He gently grasped Luo Xing’s ankle, removed her shoes, and covered her with the quilt.

He turned to switch off the room’s lights.

After settling her into bed, Gu Shiyan removed her shoes and tucked her in.

He stood up, turned off the lights.

Following the sliver of light through the door crack, his gaze rested on Luo Xing’s peacefully sleeping face.

He hadn’t managed to ask anything today…

Gu Shiyan took a sticky note from her desk, tore a sheet, pressed his pen to it, and scribbled a line in bold, flowing script.

Before leaving, he turned off all the lights in the house, finally closing the door.

Silence returned.

…

“Final exams are coming up—you’re not going to start studying?” Luo Xing glanced at Yun Cai, who was still watching Qi Zhi’s videos, reminding her while working on her own problems.

“As long as I pass, that’s good enough for me,” Yun Cai replied indifferently.

Luo Xing and Yun Cai sat in the last row.

This was an elective they had chosen, mainly about astronomy.

They’d been enthusiastic only for the first class; afterwards, they became regulars in the back row, never skipping but never listening.

“Hey, Xing Xing, where are you going for summer vacation?”

Luo Xing shook her head. “I don’t know.”

Last summer, she’d heard Gu Shiyan was going to Ruan City, so she told her parents she was traveling with friends and followed him, only to end up alone in an unfamiliar place.

This summer, she was determined to go somewhere she truly wanted.

…

“I’ll ask around in the group,” Yun Cai said, exiting Qi Zhi’s video.

Luo Xing focused on her homework—at least the man’s grades needed to be respectable.

“Ah, Shen Que is going to work over the summer again,” Yun Cai shook her head. “He’s too dedicated.”

“Ming An will stay at school for training and competitions, Yao Xiangming is going abroad.”

Luo Xing thought for a moment. “I heard from Grandma she’s going to Capital City in July. If nothing else comes up, I’ll probably go with her.”

“To Capital City? That’s pretty far. What for?” Yun Cai asked casually.

Luo Xing frowned. “My grandma was adopted. Later she married my grandpa and cut off ties with her family, moved to North City. I heard from my mom that Grandma still has a half-brother in Capital City. He’s apparently sick, so Grandma is going to visit him.”

“Wow, so dramatic! Your grandma’s story is straight out of a rich heiress falling for a poor boy, cutting ties with her family.”

Luo Xing laughed and joked, “Apparently Mom mentioned that family really is wealthy, but it has nothing to do with us. Grandma was adopted, then cut off ties later—surely you don’t expect them to hand over any inheritance?”

It was just a brief digression; both soon forgot about it.

A few days before finals, Luo Xing heard her mother on the phone—Grandma said she was about to leave for Capital City.

Luo Xing put down her warm milk and quickly took the phone. “Grandma, can you wait a few days? Let me finish exams and I’ll go with you.”

Mrs. Jiang laughed beside her, speaking into the phone, “Mom, why not wait a bit longer? Xing Xing can keep you company, and we’ll feel better.”

“This time, I’ll probably be gone for quite a while. She’ll be bored tagging along with an old woman.”

Luo Xing smiled helplessly, “There’s so much fun in Capital City—if nothing else, I can play on my phone. Grandma, let me accompany you. Staying in North City all summer is boring anyway. Shen Que and the others have their own plans.”

Grandma likely didn’t want to go alone. After Luo Xing said this, she agreed.

Luo Xing carried her milk, following her mother, and asked about the family in Capital City. “Mom, I mentioned Grandma to Yun Cai the other day, and Yun Cai said Grandma’s story is just like a rich heiress falling for a poor boy—is it true? Tell me!”

Mrs. Jiang sat on the sofa, holding a book. She glanced at it and laughed softly, “I only heard your father mention it years ago. Supposedly, Grandma stayed with a top billionaire family. There was some public scandal that forced them to adopt her. She had a hard time there, then met your grandpa. That family didn’t approve, so Grandma cut ties.”

“Ah, Dad wasn’t born yet? Did Grandma tell him?” Luo Xing hugged her milk, biting the straw, eager for gossip.

“All that can be found in the news, so it’s just superficial. No one really knows what happened back then. Don’t mention it to Grandma, and don’t bring it up in front of her.”

Luo Xing nodded, “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

But her eyes were full of curiosity. She hurried back to her room with her milk.

She opened her computer and typed in her grandmother’s name—Gu Yunzhi.

It was decades ago; there were few reports online.

Still, Luo Xing found the news article her mother had mentioned.