The next morning, the living room was filled with sunlight, and the furniture seemed coated in a thin layer of golden gauze.
After the private doctor had visited yesterday, he praised Gu Yebai for handling things properly—ibuprofen and Xiao Chai Hu granules were exactly the right remedies.
By around three in the afternoon, Gao Hongyi’s temperature had already dropped to 38 degrees.
By evening, the fever was completely gone, and she had recovered as if nothing had happened, even more energetic than usual.
At dinner, Gao Hongzhi and his wife returned, travel-worn, carrying bags full of gifts: exquisite gift boxes of Beijing specialty snacks—glutinous rice rolls with bean flour, pea flour cakes, and steamed rice cakes with sweet fillings—along with several exquisitely crafted artistic ornaments full of Chinese charm.
But the most dazzling gifts of all were two sets of neatly folded traditional Chinese wedding garments—a navy blue long gown and waistcoat for the groom, and a bright red embroidered dragon-and-phoenix bridal gown for the bride.
After giving the gifts, they went back to work.
Just past six in the morning, Gu Yebai was woken by a rustling sound.
Gao Hongyi stood before the mirror in the bright red dragon-and-phoenix bridal gown.
The embroidery was intricate; golden threads shimmered in the morning light.
The festive vermilion made her skin look as white as snow, her waist cinched extraordinarily slender by a golden sash, the skirt layered like peony petals…
At the collar and cuffs were patterns of mandarin ducks playing in water.
Her long red hair was pinned up high with a gold phoenix hairpin, a few loose strands falling by her ears.
As she turned her head, that exquisitely beautiful, almost bewitching face became even more radiant and striking.
So beautiful…
She stood barefoot on the carpet and spun around slightly.
The skirt rippled like water, carrying a faint scent of sandalwood.
“Uncle Bai, are you awake?”
“So, how does your bride look?”
Gao Hongyi tilted her face up, eyes sparkling, a proud and coquettish smile on her lips.
Clearly, she had already admired herself in the mirror and thought she looked wonderful.
Gu Yebai’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
“Absolutely beautiful.”
Gu Yebai had seen Gao Hongyi in many kinds of clothes—everyday knit dresses, evening gowns, school uniforms, even translucent lace nightgowns—but compared to this traditional wedding dress, all of them paled.
Gao Hongyi had the ability to pull off anything red.
This wedding dress seemed as if it had been made for her.
All her striking, dangerous, and captivating qualities were magnified tenfold.
This kind of beauty was no longer merely “nice to look at.”
It was aggressive, a fatal attraction that made it impossible to look away…
By the time he realized her face was only five centimeters from his, it was too late.
The next second, her soft lips hit their target perfectly, landing on Gu Yebai’s mouth, without any apparent intention of asking his permission first…
Gu Yebai’s entire face instantly flushed red.
The heat spread from his ears down to his neck.
He instinctively tried to turn his head, but Gao Hongyi held his neck in place, letting her kiss him again and again like a little animal.
“Thank you for taking care of me when I was sick yesterday.”
“This is your reward.”
“Uncle Bai is blushing.”
She smiled like a cat.
Her voice was sweet and soft.
“Does kissing you in my wedding dress feel especially ceremonial?”
“Actually, we’re already husband and wife. The only thing missing is the marriage certificate. But there will still be a wedding in the future, and then we’ll get the certificate, because I’m someone who really cares about rituals.”
“Uncle Bai, once we reach the legal age, let’s go to the civil affairs bureau, okay?”
“Uncle Bai, say something.”
Gu Yebai wanted to answer.
But every time he opened his mouth, she kissed him again, not even giving him a chance to respond.
Truth be told, he was very happy right now.
But even at the peak of happiness, there was a strange sense of suffocation and fear.
Gu Yebai didn’t know why, and he didn’t really want to figure it out.
“Okay…”
In the gap between kisses, he managed to force out the word.
“Hehe, that’s more like it.”
Gao Hongyi finally pulled back a little, but still pressed against his chest, murmuring.
“Ah, damn it… now that my fever’s gone, I have to go back to school. I’ll have to leave Uncle Bai home alone again…”
“I really want to just stay home with Uncle Bai forever and never go out.”
“I don’t care about school. I don’t care about studying in Paris either.”
“Because I feel like, as long as we don’t go out, no one will notice Uncle Bai… And then Uncle Bai will be mine forever.”
They ate breakfast together.
Then she changed into her school’s navy blue blazer.
Just before leaving, she suddenly stopped, turned to look at Gu Yebai, her eyes serious, almost obsessive.
“Oh, right. It was a bit of a shame I didn’t put a GPS tracker on Uncle Bai yesterday.”
“Uncle Bai, same as always—no matter what you do at home, you have to report to me promptly.”
“Unless necessary, you still can’t go out whenever you want, got it?”
“Whether you’re sleeping or writing, you have to stay in contact with me. My QQ, WeChat, and all other social apps have to be pinned. When I send a message, the notification sound must be loud enough, and you have to notice it immediately and reply within one minute.”
“Otherwise, it’s hard for me not to suspect that Uncle Bai might be cheating on me.”
“Hey, Uncle Bai, I need an answer?”
Gu Yebai looked at her face—still smiling, but unable to hide a hint of panic, as if he might walk away at any moment.
His heart softened, and ached.
“Okay, I promise you.”
He paused, his voice softening.
“But you have to promise me too: focus on class, and don’t let your imagination run wild.”
“If you like me, you should trust me a little more.”
Gao Hongyi blinked and smiled even more sweetly.
“I know. I do trust Uncle Bai.”
She stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips again, like stamping a seal.
“So, Uncle Bai, I’m off to school.”
The moment the door closed, the living room suddenly fell silent.
Gu Yebai stood there, touching his lips where she had kissed him, her final soft whisper still echoing in his ears.
Happy.
But like a net tightening around him.
For now, I’ll go write the novel…
Gu Yebai glanced at his phone.
Many online friends had sent him messages.
There was Yukino asking about his writing progress, and Milieai—a fellow writer on the same site—that playful friend inviting him to find inspiration by playing games.
Gu Yebai opened Yukino’s chat, admired the latest photos of Yukino’s girlfriend, Mio Nagamuro, and chatted a bit about what had been happening in his life recently.
Then he returned to the study and turned on his computer.
“Time to write… oh, right.”
Before writing, he had to report in first.
Truth be told, Gu Yebai sometimes didn’t really understand the point of telling your partner what you’re doing.
Was it to prove you’re not cheating?
Or just to put their mind at ease?
If sending a single message could slightly ease that almost pathological paranoia in her heart… then he was willing.
Willing to do these seemingly meaningless things that mattered so much to her.
[Baiye Duxing]: I’m starting to write now. Probably about two hours.
[Baiye Duxing]: I’ll let you know again after I finish the first chapter, okay?
Yi: Good luck with your novel.
Just as Gu Yebai opened “Writer’s Assistant” and then “Steam,”
Someone suddenly sent him a WeChat message.
[Cosmic Observer Rin]: Hey hey hey! Xiao Gu, I’ve caught up with all your chapters! It’s so angsty and addictive!!! Why is the main character so miserable… But the detective uncle is so gentle and strong, I cried so many times (ã… _ã… )
[Cosmic Observer Rin]: Are you free? I want to talk about the plot with you in person~! (mm)♡
[Cosmic Observer Rin]: Little Gu Gu~ Do you like Americano or espresso? I really want to buy you coffee right now!
[Cosmic Observer Rin]: Ah, never mind~ Whatever!! I’m taking the elevator to your place right now!!! Wait for me~ Go go go!! (≥▽≤)