Chapter 12: Chapter Twelve: Stop Pretending

She always pretended to eat while secretly taking some back each time.

Cheng Li's parents also knew her actions, but didn't expose her; instead they told her to bring more.

Cheng Li's parents were very kind, and even said they wanted to bring her grandmother over, but she refused their kindness; her grandmother was old and couldn't endure the trouble.

Her grades were excellent; whenever there was a scholarship, she always came first.

She didn't really love studying, but it was only for the scholarship.

This way Cheng Li's family would also give her a little less money.

What she owed them would also be less.

Over the past decade or so, without establishing a family, there would be no her as she is now.

In the room, Liuli, sitting by the window, watched Gu Die asleep on the bed, snoring loudly, and her thoughts drifted far away.

She only knew that her memories started relatively late, she only remembered things after age six, but she always felt that a segment of her life seemed to have been left blank.

She knew she was picked up by her grandmother from the trash, because since childhood she had heard it from others.

Grandma didn't speak of it, and she didn't ask; in this world, the most important person to her was her, and they were each other's important people.

She wasn't interested in who she really was.

Grandma said she was the little angel she had picked up, so she regarded herself as Grandma's angel, cheering her up and always staying by her side.

Always staying by her side?

But now she doesn't even know how Grandma is; after not seeing her for several days, she wonders if she will worry.

This is the Gu family; being anxious is useless, she can only wait for Gu Die to wake up and ask him.

She fell asleep without realizing it, and when she opened her eyes again, it was already daylight.

"I was clearly sitting by the window last night, how did I end up on the bed?" She realized she was sleeping on the bed and found it puzzling.

Her waist was still being held by someone; that pair of slender, white hands, she could tell at a touch that they were his.

She turned over and looked back, directly bumping into Gu Die's face.

Afraid of waking him, she carefully got up, but he tightened his hold around her waist even more.

"Sleep a little longer." His tone didn't sound like someone who had just woken up.

Could he have been awake all along?

This guy, he was shouting someone else's name last night, yet this morning he's hugging her again—must be playing around!

"I'm not sleeping! You sleep!" She insisted on getting up.

"Be good and lie still, or I won't take you to see your grandmother." He smelled the pleasant scent of her hair.

"No going back!"

"Of course."

When it came to matters concerning her grandmother, she still had to endure what needed to be endured.

Last night she had been tossed around for too long, and she only fell asleep around dawn.

She felt a bit tired, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

He heard her steady breathing and also found it strange—how could she still be asleep?

He had smelled many women's perfumes and didn't like any, but her light body scent he actually liked.

He lingered lying there for a while, slowly loosened his hold, got up, and washed up.

After he finished his bath, he discovered she was still sleeping.

"Get up."

She merely turned over and continued sleeping.

"Chu Liuli..."

Looking at her sleeping face, it really was quite pretty, and the more he looked, the prettier it seemed.

He unconsciously pressed his lips to hers.

She felt she was dreaming, dreaming of being chased, running so fast she couldn't catch her breath.

She jolted awake, opened her eyes, and saw his eyebrows and eyes, long eyelashes.

This man, taking advantage of her absence to get a cheap thrill!!

She strained to push him away.

Awake? A smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

She was practically unable to bear his kiss, so she had to return it, desperately grabbing for air in his mouth.

Her kiss made him enjoy it even more.

Yet she wondered why he kept kissing her!!

After a long while, he finally satisfiedly moved his lips away, then lightly kissed her forehead.

Clearly she had said he was dirty yesterday, yet today she forgot all that and couldn't help kissing him.

Finally able to breathe fresh air, she only then felt she had come back to life.

His kiss still carried a hint of minty toothpaste; speaking of which, she hadn't brushed her teeth! Yet he had kissed her for ages!!

"Get up and eat." He said that and walked away.

She hastily finished washing up, then went downstairs.

Today she could see her grandmother, and her mood was especially good.

Seeing him waiting for her, she hurriedly sat at the dining table.

Because she wanted to see her grandmother sooner, she ate faster than usual.

His brows were furrowed so tightly they couldn't relax.

After she finished eating, she watched him eat while waiting for him.

He was still eating calmly on the surface, but inside he was anxious—why does she wait for him every time he eats?? Is he eating too slowly?!

"Don't rush, eat slowly." She said with a smile.

"Was she just smiling at him?!"

"Mm, good." He said while reaching out to touch her head.

She jumped in fright—was it still Gu Die who had just touched her head?

Gu Die had thought she had changed her opinion of him, only to realize she was acting strangely today, smiling at everyone!!

It turned out it wasn't just Gu Die she was like that with!

"Chu Liuli, you can only smile at me." Gu Die said after getting in the car, his tone carrying a hint of command.

"Oh, okay!" She agreed without even hearing what he said.

His indulgent smile toward her.

By the time she realized what he had said, it was too late to regret, but he laughed when he heard her reply.

Could it be that he likes her being obedient?

At the Gu Family's private hospital, he still walked ahead, she followed behind, he didn't wait for her, and she trailed him like a maidservant attending to him.

"Grandma!" She saw the elderly person lying on the hospital bed and shouted happily.

The grandmother wrapped her arms around her granddaughter.

"Little Liuli!"

"Grandma, have you missed me?"

"Grandma, I've been dying to see you these past few days!"

"Grandma, don't worry, your health is fine now—you'll be discharged in a few days!"

She knew the elder's condition couldn't improve in just a few days, yet she lied.

"Hmm, Liuli, the person who brought me to the hospital said you and he were married and even showed me your marriage certificate!" The grandmother's face was full of smiles, "He also said he'd treat you well and would cure my illness!"

She wondered if they had actually gotten a marriage license back then—how had she fooled the grandmother, and Gu Die himself had personally gone to pick her up?!

"Is this the young man?" The grandmother saw Gu Die standing at the doorway.

"That's him."

"Child, come over so I can get a good look at you."

Gu Die obediently walked to her side, and the grandmother reached out and took his hand.

"He's really handsome—just like our Liuli!" The grandmother couldn't stop laughing.

She had been hoping Liuli would marry soon, otherwise she wouldn't live to see it.

"He's good-looking, isn't he, Grandma? Your granddaughter still has good taste!" Liuli teased deliberately, "He's not only handsome, but also exceptionally kind—when he heard you were unwell, he brought you to the hospital for a checkup, clearly worried about you!"

"Really?" The grandmother laughed, looking at Gu Die.

"Grandma, just rest a few more days in the hospital and you'll be fine—I and Liuli will come visit often." He said, crouching beside her bed.

She could hardly believe the person before her was Gu Die!

"I will take good care of Liuli, Grandma—you can rest assured."

Is he acting? Liuli thought this excuse was perfect; otherwise this person would be a fake Gu Die.

"All right, all right, I'll entrust Liuli to you—then even if I pass away someday, I can die in peace."

"Grandma, why say such things? You're supposed to live to a hundred!"

"All right, I still want to stay by your side for a lifetime!"

Liuli flung herself into the grandmother's arms again.

"Little Liuli, I have something to say to this young man—please go out first."

Does the grandmother still have something to say to him? And she shouldn't be allowed to hear it?

She went out, puzzled.

"What's there to talk about with him?" Liuli thought, yet she could just barely hear the conversation inside from outside the door.

"Child, what's your name?"

"My name is Gu Die."

"Then I'll call you little Die?"

"Okay."

"Little Die is older than our Liuli, right?"

"He's one year older than her."

"This Liuli child has been sensible since childhood, never causing me worry." The grandmother said earnestly, "It's just that she's too sensible, which actually makes me worry about her."

"This child keeps everything bottled up inside, smiling at me every day; even when she has worries, she still smiles, afraid I'll worry—she's like an angel staying by my side..." The grandmother spoke, tears streaming down her face.

Liuli stood outside, her eyes also moist.

Gu Die listened quietly to the grandmother's words.

"Little Die, you must take good care of her—she has suffered too much following me..."

"Grandma, I will definitely do that." Gu Die promised.

"I know you say my body is fine and I'll be discharged in a few days, but that's a lie—otherwise I wouldn't have come to the hospital. I know my own condition; I could be gone any day."

"Now that I see Liuli married, I feel content and can pass away in peace."

"Grandma, Liuli said you'd live to a hundred—so you surely will."

Liuli stood outside, tears threatening to spill, but she didn't want to cry because the grandmother liked to see her smile.

On the way there, her face was full of smiles; on the way back, however, she was filled with worry.

He held the steering wheel with one hand and reached out with the other to clasp her hand.

"Stop acting." She shook off his hand.

His face turned bad in an instant, she thought he was just acting??

"Chu Liuli, do you think I'm acting?"

"Of course, you only need to pay the surgery fee; there's no need for such false humility."

She didn't think he would treat her well; those were just empty words, after all he even shouted someone else's name at night, maybe he'll bring another woman home tomorrow.

"Get out of the car." He struggled to suppress his anger.

Without thinking, she opened the door and got out of the car, walking away without looking back.

This woman, she simply doesn't put Gu Die in her eyes!

She alone found a patch of grass, leaned against a tree and sat down.

The sky's blue is truly beautiful, as if only the purity of white clouds is worthy of it.

Thinking of the words Yīyuàn grandma said to Gu Die, she still couldn't hold back tears.

Grandma didn't care about her own health at all, instead she only cared about her.

Worried that she would not have a good life in the future, her getting married also counts as fulfilling grandma's wish.