chapter 15
Gu Qingning shot Cheng Yu a glance, her hands casually tucked into her trouser pockets as she strolled ahead with an easy, unhurried gait.
That fearless attitude of hers only infuriated Cheng Yu even more.
If Gu Zhao weren’t present, she would have already torn Gu Qingning to shreds.
In the living room.
The air was thick with tension, a strained silence stretching between them like a drawn sword.
All the servants had been dismissed, leaving only the butler and Aunt Lin in the room.
After hearing what had happened, Gu Zhao’s gaze drifted to the shattered jewelry scattered across the table. His emotions were complicated — a mix of surprise, concern, and a faint, inexplicable sense of admiration.
If not for the fact that she had that same face, he would have thought she’d been swapped out for someone else — she was nothing like the person described in the files.
Gu Qingning clearly had no intention of sitting around for some silent staring contest. Her voice was cool as she said,
“If you’re not going to say anything, can I go now?”
As she started to rise, Gu Zhao couldn’t keep up his act of silence any longer.
“Qingning, why did you climb through the window into Aunt Cheng’s bedroom?”
The moment the words left his mouth, he realized how idiotic that question sounded.
He was just about to try to rephrase himself when Cheng Yu, unable to contain herself, jumped in angrily.
“Ah Zhao, isn’t it obvious what she did?”
She glared at the young girl across from her, eyes filled with venom.
“She broke two of my pieces of jewelry and threw the rest into the flower fertilizer! How arrogant can one be? She’s completely out of line! If you don’t give me an explanation today, I’ll go to the old master and let him decide who’s right!”
Gu Zhao frowned and turned his gaze to the girl lounging on the opposite sofa.
Her long, slender legs were stretched out carelessly; her expression was detached, unreadable.
Gu Zhao’s curiosity about her only deepened. He asked gently,
“Qingning, is there… some reason behind what you did?”
A reason?
Cheng Yu’s expression darkened immediately — she could hear that he was already trying to protect Gu Qingning.
“No,” Gu Qingning lifted her gaze slightly, her eyes sweeping over the few remaining pieces of jewelry on the table.
Though they had been cleaned several times, they still carried the faint scent of fertilizer.
Seems they’re pretty sturdy after all.
“Ah Zhao, you heard her — she admitted it herself. She had no reason; she did it on purpose!” Cheng Yu rushed to condemn her, afraid Gu Zhao might take her side.
“Gu Qingning, have I ever treated you unfairly? You just arrived at the Gu house — I was worried you wouldn’t be comfortable, so I personally arranged a room for you on the third floor. I’ve never treated you badly with food, clothing, or lodging! And now you repay my kindness like this? Do you even have a conscience?”
Her voice trembled with emotion, tears welling up — to an outsider, she might have looked like the very picture of a kind, long-suffering stepmother.
The room on the third floor?
Gu Qingning watched her little performance, her expression cold, lips curving into the faintest trace of a smirk.
“Are you done?” she asked evenly — no anger, no warmth, just her usual calm.
Cheng Yu bit her lip, hatred flickering in her eyes.
Gu Qingning gave a short, derisive laugh.
“I’m the one repaying kindness with betrayal? You sure about that?”
“Miss Qingning, the Madam truly cares for you,” Aunt Lin quickly chimed in, taking her mistress’s side with practiced loyalty. “She arranged your room exactly like Miss Wanwan’s, never favoring one over the other. Madam is kind-hearted — you shouldn’t treat her so unfairly.”
Gu Qingning arched a brow.
“Are you accusing me?”
Meeting the cold sharpness in those eyes, Aunt Lin’s heart skipped a beat. Her knees still ached faintly from before. Her voice faltered immediately,
“N-no, of course not, Miss Qingning. I wouldn’t dare.”
“Then keep your mouth shut,” Gu Qingning’s voice dropped suddenly, laced with frost. “Even a dog should know whom it’s barking for. My temper’s a lot worse than you think.”
At that, Gu Zhao shot Aunt Lin a meaningful look — clearly, Qingning hadn’t had an easy time here.
Catching his gaze unexpectedly, Aunt Lin panicked and quickly lowered her head.
