Having been repeatedly snapped at by Xiao Heng, and then catching sight of the lipstick stain on Gu Junyan's shirt, Su Nuohan finally lost her temper. She crossed her arms and glared at the onlookers enjoying the show. "Master Xiao is looking at me with such hostility. Could it be because Gu Junyan treats me too well, and you're jealous?"
Xiao Heng's temples throbbed. "What on earth is there for me to be jealous of?"
"Rumor has it that your relationship with Gu Junyan is quite extraordinary. Here you are in the middle of the night, not sleeping, keeping him company as he drowns his sorrows, and even personally bringing him back home. Doesn't that make your relationship rather extraordinary?"
Xiao Heng's mouth twitched, but he refused to back down. "Is Gu Junyan straight or gay? Don't you know?"
"Of course my husband is straight! Why else would he have married me? What I'm asking is whether you, Master Xiao, harbor improper desires toward my husband!"
"Su—" Xiao Heng was about to erupt when a low voice abruptly cut him off.
"Xiao Heng! It's getting late. Go get some rest in the guest room."
Seeing the man who had just been lying on the sofa now sitting up and rubbing his temples, Xiao Heng rolled his eyes. "Hmph, forgetting your friends for the sake of your lover! And to think I was sticking my neck out for someone!"
Noticing that Gu Junyan looked thoroughly miserable, Su Nuohan picked up a nearby glass and handed it to him. "Have some water. You'll feel better."
Gu Junyan stared at the glass for a few seconds before taking it and drinking it down in one go.
Seeing the man steady himself against the sofa and stand up, swaying as he headed toward the stairs, Su Nuohan immediately stepped forward and draped one of his arms over her shoulder. "Let me support you. You're drunk; it's not safe to go upstairs alone."
After the two of them stumbled all the way to the second floor, Su Nuohan helped him onto the bed. Looking at the man before her, she felt a trace of bewilderment. Given the huge disparity in their builds, why hadn't she felt tired supporting him all the way up?
In the guest bedroom, Xiao Heng lay on the bed and clicked his tongue. He knew Gu Junyan's alcohol tolerance well enough to know that a little wine wouldn't have made him unable to walk. Their boss really went to great lengths just to win a shred of insignificant sympathy from someone!
If that Su Nuohan had genuinely changed her ways, then so be it. If not, even if it meant risking being sent by the boss to mine for minerals in Africa, he would drag her back to the Su Family and return her to Su Laosan!
As brothers who grew up together, he refused to watch Gu Junyan repeatedly compromise his bottom line for a woman who didn't even love him!
Glancing at the photo in his hand, Xiao Heng raised an eyebrow, tapped into a WeChat group called "The Four Talents," and hit send.
The moment the photo appeared, the group instantly exploded.
Qiao Laosi: "Is this lipstick left by Su Nuohan?"
Su Laosan: "My sister never wears lipstick in such a tacky shade! Could it be that Gu Junyan is finally planning to replace her? Can I start getting ready to go pick up my sister?"
Xiao Heng raised an eyebrow: "The lipstick certainly wasn't left by your sister, but the boss has no intention of letting go."
Qiao Laosi: "Is the boss planning to play both sides? I refuse to believe he's that kind of guy! @Gu Junyan"
Xiao Heng: "Don't waste your energy, he's drunk and doesn't have time to reply!"
Su Laosan: "Where is my forty-meter machete?! It's bad enough that he forces my sister to stay by his side, but now he's playing both sides too?"
Qiao Laosi: "Grab the popcorn."
Xiao Heng closed his chat app. Gu Junyan's devoted brother would definitely come looking for him tomorrow to demand an explanation. At least this would break the cold war between him and the boss; otherwise, brothers being brothers, with Qiao Laosi not even in City A, he was stuck right in the middle and it was terribly awkward!
Su Nuohan brought a basin of water over to the bedside and meticulously used a towel to wipe Gu Junyan's hands. Because her wrists ached a little from wringing out the towel, her movements were gentle and slow. Gu Junyan kept his eyes closed the entire time, and his expression lacked the deeply furrowed brow he'd had downstairs on the sofa.
When she finished tidying up, Su Nuohan lifted the blanket and slid in beside Gu Junyan. Gazing at his profile, she wrapped her arms around his well-defined waist, then leaned up and pressed a stealthy kiss to his cheek. "Gu Junyan, you've always given me your all and treated me wonderfully. This time, let me take it step by step toward you, alright?"
Su Nuohan had originally just wanted to go downstairs for a drink of water, but hearing a commotion below, she had gone down to check. After all the tossing and turning, sleep quickly claimed her again.
Hearing the sound of her even breathing, the man who had just had his eyes closed opened them. His gaze was entirely clear, showing not a trace of drunkenness. After a few seconds of silence, a low voice broke the quiet of the dark room: "Alright."
Guided by the moonlight, Gu Junyan lowered his gaze to look at the little woman in his arms, the corners of his lips curling up slightly. How wonderful it would be if time could stay frozen in this moment forever.
When Su Nuohan woke up, the man was already gone. Knowing that Gu Junyan went to the company every single day, she didn't think much of it and headed straight downstairs.
"Today is a wonderful day, with my husband I hold hands, playing the accordion, strumming the guitar, dancing the Adinongxika, my husband who is more beautiful than flowers is with m——e——"
Bouncing along while singing at the top of her lungs, Su Nuohan froze the instant she laid eyes on the two people sitting on the living room sofa. She awkwardly waved at the dumbfounded pair. "Um, morning!"
Xiao Heng was rendered speechless. He had heard that song before, but something about it always felt off. "It's almost noon. Hardly morning."
Su Nuohan blinked. It was already this late? She must have slept so soundly because she spent the whole night hugging Gu Junyan.
By the time she processed what was happening, Gu Junyan was already standing beside her, gently pulling up her shoulder straps. "Go change your clothes!"
Su Nuohan slowly looked down at her camisole. Figuring Gu Junyan had already left for the office, she hadn't bothered putting her bathrobe on over her slip dress. The realization that she had just sauntered right out and greeted the two men like this made her cover her face and dash back upstairs with a flurry of heavy footsteps, muttering under her breath, "So humiliating, so humiliating!"
Watching the figure vanish around the corner of the staircase, Gu Junyan couldn't help but laugh softly. His Nuonuo really was adorable.
Xiao Heng sat on the sofa, watching the man beside him whose mouth hadn't stopped curving upward since a moment ago, and felt a wave of speechlessness. "Tell me, did you hire a doctor to examine her brain? She's acting completely unhinged. Is this really the same spoiled little drama queen she used to be?"
"Who are you calling unhinged?"
Xiao Heng pouted. "Asking the obvious! Fine, you're all normal, and I'm the only abnormal one, happy now?"