Gu Yuan tightened his hold on me, and his hand trembled slightly. Although the movement was barely noticeable, I caught it effortlessly.
I looked up at his face. Gu Yuan had his eyes closed, clearly pretending to be asleep.
"Gu Yuan, I know you're awake. I want to talk to you," I said, pushing his chest.
Gu Yuan remained unmoved, still feigning sleep. When I called out to him again, he pulled me tightly into his arms and seemed reluctant to let go for a single moment.
"You..."
"Shh... Go to sleep early. Didn't you promise Zhou Yichen to help Ling Chuchu? We'll go and check tomorrow."
I hadn't even told him about this, yet he already knew. Did he plant a bug on me?
Since he said so, I didn't press further. I turned around and nestled my head in his chest, forcing myself not to overthink and just sleep.
But I knew I was in for a sleepless night. In the hazy darkness, I seemed to feel Gu Yuan turning over.
I was about to ask him what he was doing when he leaned over and kissed my forehead.
My sleepy eyes finally gave in. As they slowly closed, Gu Yuan supported my neck, afraid that my head would hit the wall when I fell asleep.
After he laid me down properly, I lost consciousness.
I slept until early morning. If it weren't for my phone alarm, I could have slept a bit longer.
When I turned off the alarm, Gu Yuan was still sound asleep beside me.
I just stared at his flawless face, almost completely entranced. The sunlight shone on his forehead, and he really looked like a male protagonist stepping out of a comic.
After a while, Gu Yuan opened his eyes. Seeing me staring at him, he asked, "What are you looking at?"
I quickly averted my gaze and said, "It's nothing. I just think my husband is so handsome."
Gu Yuan didn't say a word. He gently stroked my face with one hand and said, "Get up. Someone's going to call you soon."
Just as he was about to get out of bed, I quickly grabbed his hand and wouldn't let go.
Gu Yuan looked back, puzzled about what I wanted.
I pursed my lips, shook his arm, and said shyly, "Let's get our marriage certificate."
Gu Yuan seemed not to understand what I meant. I quickly added, "I mean go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get the marriage certificate. I know you've already given me the betrothal letter and the soul token. That's the custom in your world.
But after all, we're in the human world. Of course, we should follow the human way of getting married. Only by getting the marriage certificate and the official seal can we be considered a real couple. So let's get a marriage certificate."
Although my words were a bit shy, my tone was very firm. Li Xue's words had always bothered me.
Gu Yuan turned and patted my forehead, saying, "We'll talk about it when we have a chance."
Then, before I could say anything else, he broke free from my hand and went to the bathroom to wash up.
I knelt on the bed helplessly, feeling very uncomfortable. What was wrong with Gu Yuan? Why did he always evade my questions?
"Didn't we agree to be honest with each other? Why do you still hide things from me?" I shouted at the bathroom from the bed.
The only response I got was the sound of running water. There was no other answer.
I was really angry. He always kept everything to himself, even though I knew he was doing it for my own good. But as a couple, I should at least have the right to know, shouldn't I?
Pouting, I walked to the bathroom and forcefully pushed open the door. The bathroom was filled with steam and white mist.
But the pool of blood on the floor was clearly visible.
"Gu Yuan, you..." Before I could finish my sentence, Gu Yuan's strong arm reached out. He covered my mouth with one hand and pinned me against the corner of the wall. The shower curtain was pulled shut with a swish. He put his other finger to his lips, signaling me to be quiet.
I was terrified by his actions. I widened my eyes and looked at the side of the shower curtain. I seemed to see a dark shadow floating through the mist.
Just as I was about to turn my head to look again, Gu Yuan grabbed my head and pressed it into his chest, preventing me from looking.
I nestled in his arms, looking at the wound on his shoulder that had been washed pale by the water.
He was fine before he entered the bathroom. Why did he get injured in such a short time?
After a while, the arm that Gu Yuan had tightly wrapped around me gradually relaxed. I almost bounced out of his arms.
I quickly turned my head to look outside the shower curtain, but I didn't see anything.
Gu Yuan grabbed a towel from the side and threw it at me. He ruffled my hair with it.
I quickly snatched the towel and dried myself.
When I looked at him again, he had his back to me, wrapped in a towel.
I didn't care about anything else. I rushed forward and pulled open his towel. The deep, bone - visible wound was still on his shoulder.
The pain in my heart was so intense that I wished the wound was on me instead.
I quickly covered his wound with my hand and tried to heal him. The internal wound got better, but the scar on his shoulder just wouldn't go away.
"What on earth is going on? Why don't you say anything?"
Gu Yuan pulled my hand away from his shoulder and said, "Don't bother. It won't go away. It has to heal on its own."
I sniffled, looking extremely aggrieved. "What's going on? How many times do I have to ask before you'll tell me?"
"It's not the right time yet."
"Then when will it be the right time? Tell me. Give me a time. Don't make me guess, okay?"
Gu Yuan lowered his eyes and was silent for a while. Then he said, "Do you really want to know?"
I nodded vigorously. Of course I wanted to know. He couldn't bear all the hardships alone, could he?
"If I tell you that if you force me to tell you the truth now, our relationship will be over. Do you still want to know?"
I didn't quite understand what he meant. The corner of my mouth twitched as I asked, "What... What do you mean by 'over'?"
"You should understand what I mean," Gu Yuan said in a solemn tone. It was obvious that he wasn't joking.
"Are you threatening me?" I never expected Gu Yuan to say something like breaking up.
"Yes, I am threatening you. Do you still want to know?"
I stood in the middle of the bathroom, my hands clenched so tightly that my nails were almost digging into my flesh. My heart was bleeding.
At this moment, I really wanted to be cool and say, "Go ahead. We can just break up."
But I just couldn't say it. I knew he must have his reasons. He was certain that I would never break up with him, so he said such things. He knew me too well.
The atmosphere was tense. I stared at Gu Yuan intently, almost fuming with anger.
Just as he was about to ease the atmosphere and put his arm around my shoulder, I slapped his hand away. I fought back my tears and walked straight out of the bathroom.
Gu Yuan frowned and walked out of the bathroom too. Just as he was about to say something, my phone rang.
It was Zhou Yichen calling. He wanted to meet me and talk about Ling Chuchu.
Without hesitation, I agreed. I didn't even tell Gu Yuan. I changed my clothes and left home.