The Little Brat’s Sweet And Sassy

The night was getting darker and the moon was now high in the sky.

The atmosphere in the study room was cold and subtle.

Old Master Gu was sitting behind his desk, as he flipped through a book slowly.

Gu Tingfeng and the others were there too.

The tea in Lu Huaiyu's hand had already turned cold.

No one spoke.

This was the scene that Gu Tinglan saw when he entered the room.

The atmosphere made him feel suffocated.

"Father."

Old Master Gu did not even raise his head and only said in a low voice, "You're here. Sit."

Gu Tinglan responded affirmatively and quickly looked around.

His oldest brother and the others were sitting on one side, while Lu Huaiyu sat alone opposite them.

He walked over to Gu Tingyun and sat down beside him.

There was no expression on Gu Tingfeng's face, Gu Tingchuan's brows were tightly furrowed, and only Gu Tingyun had a slight smile on his face. His demeanor seemed to be more gentle than usual.

The room was extremely quiet, with only the occasional sound of Old Master Gu flipping through a book.

The air was stagnant and the oxygen was thin.

Even Gu Tinglan could not help feeling nervous.

He glanced at Lu Huaiyu, only to find that this man was much calmer than he had expected.

Although he was sitting alone, he still looked elegant and noble, and his aura did not appear to be inferior in any way.

The pendulum in the complicated and exquisite ancient bronze clock was swaying.

Tick.

Tick.

Time seemed to drag on endlessly as it slowly passed.

Gu Tinglan's lips moved. He wanted to say something, but he swallowed his words after thinking about it for a while.

He did not know how long this scene had been going on for. However, even though he had only been here a short while, he already felt extremely uncomfortable.

He really did not know how Lu Huaiyu had managed to survive until now.

On the inside, Gu Tinglan was actually feeling very conflicted.

On one hand, he was very clear about Lu Huaiyu's feelings for Shen Li. He had driven up the mountain in the rain that day and the injury on his shoulder was enough to explain everything.

On the other hand, Ah Li was only 19 years old, and it had only been less than a year since she had come home. Her family had not even had the time to dote on her, yet he was actually...

This man was really crazy.

After much thought, Gu Tinglan simply chose to remain silent.

The night was getting darker outside.

Knock, knock.

There was a knock on the door. Then, the door of the study was pushed open.

There was only one person who could possibly come over at such a time.

Old Madam Gu stood at the door with a gentle smile on her face.

"Brother Ci, it's time to eat."

Old Master Gu finally raised his head and met her eyes.

Old Madam Gu's eyes were curved as she smiled.

"Ah Li is still downstairs, let's not make her wait."

Silence.

Old Master Gu paused for a moment before closing the book.

"I'm coming,"

A crack had finally appeared in the invisible and tense atmosphere, and fresh oxygen was now pouring in.

Old Madam Gu waved at Lu Huaiyu, "Huaiyu."

Lu Huaiyu stood up.

"Lu Huaiyu."

Old Master Gu's deep voice rang out.

Lu Huaiyu turned around.

Old Master Gu glowered at him with a dark expression on his face.

"Ah Li is the only treasured young miss of the Gu family."

Lu Huaiyu's eyes met his deep, stern gaze, and smiled.

"Lu Huaiyu too."

...

At dinner, the atmosphere at the table was much better than Shen Li had expected.

It was probably due to Old Madam Gu's presence. However, the two brothers, Gu Siqi and Gu Sicheng, also added some liveliness.

Shen Li glanced at Lu Huaiyu a few times.

She did not know in what way Lu Huaiyu had talked to Shen Zhijin that morning, but it was the same when she arrived at the Gu residence in the afternoon.

Sensing her gaze, Lu Huaiyu also turned his head and looked over. He placed a peeled shrimp on her plate and laughed softly, "Don't worry, your boyfriend is fine."

She blushed and finally looked away to focus on eating.

That night, Lu Huaiyu also stayed at the Gu family mansion.

After dinner, Shen Li and Lu Huaiyu took a walk in the back garden.

"Second Brother, what did you talk about with Grandpa and the others?"

She questioned him as she walked along the cobblestone path.

Lu Huaiyu said, "We were talking about you,"

She stood still and raised her head slightly to look at him.

"Of course I know that."

However, with their tempers, she had no idea how Lu Huaiyu had managed to persuade them.

Lu Huaiyu smiled and cupped her face.

"I'm fine with just talking about you."

'Because you are everything.'

...

The next day, Lu Huaiyu and Shen Li returned to the Capital.

The black Bentley drove down the street.

Shen Li looked out of the window and realized that this was not the route back to Skyleaf City or Rongyue Mansion.

"Second Brother, where are we going?"

Lu Huaiyu looked over at her and smiled.

"Didn't you say that you wanted to see my collection?"

She reacted in surprise instantly.

Oh, right.

Lu Huaiyu had a collection of her paintings. They had talked about this before, and he had even said that he would take her to see them when he found an opportunity to.

"Are we going to Xi Garden now?"

"Yes."

She had only heard of the place before but she had never been there.

Although it was a little sudden, hearing him mention it now made her more curious.

She played with his hand.

I remember that Second Brother said that he owns quite a lot of my work?"

Lu Huaiyu replied with a "hmm."

She raised her head and her red lips curved into a mischievous arc.

"Actually, after those paintings were sold, they never circulated in the market, so even I didn't see them anymore. I didn't expect that I would be able to see them again."

In those tough days, she had made a living by painting.

She had not expected that she would get Lu Huaiyu in exchange.

Lu Huaiyu's thin lips curled up slightly as he held her hand.

...

The black Bentley slowly stopped in front of a villa.

Every inch of land in the Capital was expensive, and it was even more so in Xi Garden.

Lu Huaiyu did not live here, and he did not come here often either. However, the clean and tidy courtyard, well-trimmed green plants, and the lush lawn covered with crystal dewdrops, all showed that this place was still carefully being taken care of.

Shen Li followed Lu Huaiyu out of the car and blinked her eyes when she saw the scene.

Lu Huaiyu seemed to place great importance on this place.

"Isn't this the place where Second Brother has stored his collection of paintings?" She asked, "Why do you take so much care of them? "

It was already very extravagant to set aside a villa just to store the paintings, but Lu Huaiyu's attention to it was far beyond her expectations.

Lu Huaiyu did not answer and held her hand as they walked in.

Arriving at the door, he said, "You know the password. Let's go in and take a look,"

000817.

All his passwords were the same.

She nodded, entered the password, and pushed the door open.

As the heavy door was slowly pushed open, she could smell a strong floral scent.

Then, a beautiful and dreamy scene unfolded in front of her eyes.

She was stunned.

There were rich and bright roses everywhere, which stood out in the room that was mainly decorated in black, white, and gray. It was extremely dazzling.

The floor, the table, the corner of the cabinet, and the hollow spiral staircase...

The sea of flowers was luxuriant.

She held her breath slightly.

Finally, she saw a painting hanging on the wall.

"Autumn."

This was the painting that she had brought to him on the day of the incident.

She walked along the only path among the sea of flowers.

Soon, she saw another painting hanging beside it.

"The Fog."

This was what he had won the bid for at the Bo Xing auction the other day.

"Daytime Fireworks."

It was about the day she had returned to the Gu family, when fireworks had lit up the whole of Hong Kong City.

"Seventeenth Night."

He said, "It's really with me, so of course, I would know."

"The Wind and the Leaves."

"Cornflower Morning."

"Wilted Lotus."

...

As she walked up the stairs, the red rose petals brushed against the hem of her clothes.

"Star."

After she took over the small astronomical observatory in Lincheng, she had always been able to see the stars in the sky.

"Silent Forest."

She still remembered the dense forest and the floating mountain mist from the first time she had gone to Xiaosong Hill.

"July"

On the day she had given the plane ticket to Ah Mian, the clouds above the airport had floated away with the wind.

"Night Street."

After fighting with someone, she would always have to go home to treat and cover up her wounds later. In the narrow and dark alley, she would walk towards the dim yellow light.

...

All of her paintings over the years were here.

She looked at the Christmas present she had given him. The streets were noisy, and the lights were bright. His face was reflected in the car window and also in her eyes.

She saw the painting which she had given him when she had confessed her feelings from the past ten years to him. He was sitting there as the rain fell outside the window, the stars were scattered, the clock was reflected in the mirror, and the candy that was half hidden in his pocket.

She stood in front of the last painting.

The sky in the distance was dark, the black swamp mud was a mess, and the feeling of despair seemed to be surging silently.

A piece of white cattail had fallen gently onto the mud.

It was a touch.

It was a hug.

It was a kiss.

It was... redemption.

"This is the first painting I bought from you."

Lu Huaiyu walked up behind her, his gaze falling on the painting as a smile appeared on his lips.

"I couldn't sleep at that time and the pain was very severe. But after seeing this painting, I felt at peace for the first time.

"After that, I began to reduce my medication and started to search for this person's paintings.

"Every single painting."

Shen Li's shoulders trembled slightly as she began to feel a stinging in her nose, and there seemed to be a cold breeze blowing at her eyes.

She turned around and looked at him in a daze.

Lu Huaiyu looked into her eyes, his phoenix-like eyes deep.

"I'm Lu Huaiyu, second in line in my family."

Her heart suddenly trembled.

"I like Japanese food, but I don't like pufferfish sashimi.

"I like coffee, black coffee is my favorite. Mandheling is good, and Ilgassi is slightly acidic, but it's sweet in taste.

"I hate onions, and I'm also picky about soup. I never touch any leftover soup."

Her eyes slowly widened, and her ears buzzed.

He knelt down on one knee among the sea of flowers.

This was where all of her paintings had been placed. It was the most important thing in his life.

"I don't like to watch movies, but with you, I can watch anything.

"I've probably been smoking a lot recently and you might not like it.

"I've made you lotus seed porridge before. I heard that you're allergic to peanuts. You can try it to see if it's okay.

"I've never begged anyone, but I'm begging you now. Please don't sleep."

The bright sunlight shone on him, clearly outlining his current appearance.

Every word, every sentence, fell heavily upon her heart.

He took out a dark blue velvet box.

A ring was shining quietly within.

"You probably think that we've only known each other for a short time, but you should know me well enough by now. Thus, I have another question for you."

He looked at her intensely.

"Miss Shen, are you willing to marry Lu Huaiyu?"

If you can hear me this time...

If you can answer me this time...

This time, even if ten years had passed and they had gone through life and death, they would still be the same as they were now.

'Are you willing to marry Lu Huaiyu?'

Her hot tears finally fell.

"Lu Huaiyu.

"This is my second answer.

"I'm willing."