Chapter 41: No one else, just you and me

After Gu Tingyan finished bathing Qin Shu, he scooped her out of the bathtub, wrapped her tightly in a bath towel, and carried her back to the bed to sit; the man's movements were gentle and cautious.

Gu Tingyan took a towel to wipe her hair dry, lowered his eyes with a smile: "You used to be quite a handful, enough to make me grit my teeth."

"I was always wondering what kind of tricks you would come up with to tease me."

After drying her hair, he took the hairdryer from the cabinet, plugged it in, and gently dried Qin Shu's hair; the tenderness in his eyes was something Gu Tingyan himself could not perceive.

Gu Tingyan finished drying her hair and unplugged the hairdryer; he curled his lips into a smile: "Fighting wits and courage with you every day."

Qin Shu curled her lips and chuckled: "Please, if you would just cooperate with me a little, every bath wouldn't be like a battle."

Gu Tingyan paused, the line of his lips pressed tight: "Thinking about it now, it was truly beautiful."

Gu Tingyan's eyes turned red; he stretched out his arms to wrap Qin Shu tightly in his embrace, the man holding her with great force, as if to merge her into his own body.

Gu Tingyan rested his chin on the top of her head, smelling the fragrant scent of her shampoo, his voice hoarse: "I'm sorry."

"It was all my fault before."

"When you were with me before, I let you suffer."

Qin Shu's body stiffened slightly, not expecting Gu Tingyan to say this at such a time.

Qin Shu did not move; she lowered her eyes and gave a calm smile: "It's nothing."

She said: "It was also fine."

Qin Shu did not feel that time was bitter; although Gu Tingyan did not love her, he would not treat her harshly, and Gu Laoyezi also took her side and was very good to her.

She liked Gu Tingyan, so naturally, she felt it was all worth it.

Being able to stay by his side every day made Qin Shu feel full of happiness, and she was very happy.

What's more, Gu Laoyezi doted on her like his own granddaughter; if Gu Tingyan dared to bully her, he would definitely be reprimanded.

Qin Shu looked up at him and gave a sincere, heartfelt smile: "I am quite happy for you that you can stand up."

In this world, Qin Shu hoped more than anyone else that Gu Tingyan could stand up again.

Qin Shu never regretted the decisions she made; it was the same five years ago, and it remained the same five years later.

She hoped Gu Tingyan would return to being that proud son of heaven he once was, able to be unrestrained, willful, and live a free-spirited life.

Instead of that person with a look of despair, self-abandonment, and having lost all confidence, even the desire to live.

This was not the youth in her memory who was adored by all.

Gu Tingyan should not be like that.

He was a proud son of heaven who should stand on a divine altar, looking down at the world.

The pride in Gu Tingyan's eyes had been pressed into the mud and crushed into pieces.

Qin Shu bent down and cautiously picked them up, piece by piece.

Then, holding them, she returned them to their owner, who was already broken beyond repair.

If time could turn back, Qin Shu would still make the same decision she made back then.

Qin Shu spoke lightly, but Gu Tingyan's heart trembled because of it.

Gu Tingyan bent down, cupped her face, pressed his forehead against hers, nose to nose, and Gu Tingyan asked her: "Huahua, do you regret marrying me?"

Qin Shu did not hesitate for a second and said without any hesitation: "I don't regret it."

She was fond of Gu Tingyan.

Even if he was disabled, Qin Shu was willing to marry him and spend her life with him.

He was the white moonlight in her heart, a dream trapped in her youth, a bright moon that was visible but unreachable.

Qin Shu had never thought she would one day be able to marry him.

When she first saw the official announcement post on social media from Chu Sheng and Gu Tingyan, her heart ached intensely, and for the first time, she cried until the world seemed to collapse.

Then, she spent a long time trying to forget Gu Tingyan and let him go.

After entering university, many boys pursued Qin Shu, but Qin Shu's interest was always lukewarm; she couldn't find anyone to date even if she wanted to.

Qin Shu once felt that the rest of her life would be spent in loneliness.

Once her grandmother passed away, perhaps she would be the only one left in this world.

It was hard for her to fall in love with anyone else.

Qin Shu had seen the best person in this world, so it was hard for her heart to see anyone else.

After twists and turns, she became his wife.

At that moment, Qin Shu's feelings were indescribable.

That bright moon in the sky had fallen into the mud and dropped into the abyss, which was why it was her good fortune to pick him up from the ground.

Qin Shu could not describe the sight of Gu Tingyan sitting in his wheelchair later on.

His gaze was gloomy, his whole body exuding a sense of death and dejection, his face haggard and wrapped in a sickly pallor, his entire frame thin to the point of severity, his collarbones protruding even more noticeably.

He no longer resembled the vibrant, high-spirited youth of the past.

At that moment, the frozen heart at the bottom of Qin Shu's sea stirred once again.

Her heart ached for him.

If she were to choose again, Qin Shu would still choose to stay by Gu Tingyan's side and help him stand up again.

Gu Tingyan's lips trembled slightly as he hugged her tightly, as if the world were about to be destroyed and only the two of them remained in the entire world.

Gu Tingyan's voice was hoarse: "If time could flow backward."

"I would want to go back to that night in high school and agree to little Qin Shu's confession."

"Take good care of her and return to her side sooner."

"No one else, just you and me."

Hearing this, Qin Shu felt a sourness in her nose, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

After many years, she had finally waited for Gu Tingyan's response.

A secret crush is one person's chaotic war.

A grand one-act play that no one knows about—the script is filled with the other person's name, the audience is only oneself, and when the curtain falls, even the farewell is silent.

One person's unrequited love is a bitter, hard-to-swallow wine, as sour and astringent as a plum.

Laughing in a dream, but waking up to sorrow.

Qin Shu hugged Gu Tingyan's waist tightly, burying her face in his chest as her shoulders trembled with sobs.

Gu Tingyan held her waist tightly, his voice hoarse as he said, "Huahua, shall we try again? Hmm?"

"In the past, it was always you taking ninety-nine steps toward me; let me take this final step."

Qin Shu held him and cried until she was hoarse, gasping for air: "Gu Tingyan, it is all too late."

Gu Tingyan's heart contracted violently, and his grip on her tightened; he said urgently, "It is not too late."

"You like me, and I like you too."

The voice Gu Tingyan let out was clearly trembling: "Huahua, it is not too late."

His reddened eyes, with tears clinging to the corners, looked at Qin Shu in a way that was almost pleading.

Qin Shu could not stop her tears from falling, and she shook her head with a hoarse voice: "Gu Tingyan, stop forcing me."

Intense pain swept through the depths of Qin Shu's eyes; she was a person who could endure a great deal.

Once she had made a decision, no one could shake her resolve.

Five years of marriage with Gu Tingyan, and one child.

Qin Shu already felt it was enough.

For the first five years, her world only had Gu Tingyan, and the arrival of Chu Sheng broke this delicate balance.

She no longer wanted to be trapped in this deep mansion; she wanted to live for herself and her child for once.

Qin Shu said through her tears: "Gu Tingyan, we cannot go back."