Chapter 6: Behind the “Clueless” Girl.

I pulled open the car door and stepped out—

“Oof!”

I was in such a hurry that the moment my foot hit the ground, I put on a spectacular performance of face-planting in front of everyone.

Laughter erupted all around me.

I wanted nothing more than to dig a hole and bury myself in it.

I was just struggling to get back up when a sharp pain shot through my ankle.

“An An!”

Gu Shen’s worried voice rang out.

He rushed over and dropped to one knee in front of me, his face visibly tense.

“Where does it hurt? Did you hurt yourself badly?”

For some reason, the moment I saw him, all the chaos in my head went completely silent.

“I… I think I twisted my ankle…”

My voice came out so pitifully that I sounded like I was about to cry all over again.

He didn’t say a word.

He simply turned around and crouched down in front of me.

“Get on. I’ll carry you to the hospital.”

And just like that…

I was on his back again.

His back was so warm.

Warm enough that I had the strange feeling that no matter how hard the storm raged outside, he would always be there to shield me from it.

I rested my face against the crook of his neck, staring shamelessly at his handsome profile.

How had I been blind to a face like that all these years?

“Gu Shen… can you carry me around for a little while?”

“Sure.”

He didn’t ask any questions. He simply changed direction.

It was after ten at night, and the streets were almost deserted.

The October wind carried a faint chill.

After a while, he asked quietly, “Why did you suddenly come all the way here to find me?”

I was silent for a second.

Then I answered honestly.

“I wanted to see you.”

Three simple words.

But I felt his entire body stiffen beneath me.

I decided to ask him directly why he’d been angry with me.

He gave a quiet snort.

“We hadn’t even been married for a few days, and you were already asking for a divorce every single day. What did you expect me to do? Not get angry?”

“Qiao Yi’an, I was genuinely furious back then. You tossed around the word ‘marriage’ like it meant nothing, but to me… every time you mentioned divorce, it actually hurt.”

“Those days I was away on business, I kept checking my phone, waiting for you to call… or at least send me a message to make up with me.”

“But you never did.”

“To you, it was always all about Gu Xing. No matter what I did, it was useless. You only ever saw me as your sworn enemy.”

At some point, tears began slipping down my cheeks.

He stopped walking.

His voice softened, carrying a hint of hope.

“Qiao Yi’an… could you look at me for a change?”

“Could you… maybe like me a little?”

My heart clenched.

I choked out, “But you’re always calling me stupid and making fun of me.”

He let out a soft sigh.

“Because I saw how good you were to my brother. It bothered me. I didn’t like it.”

“So I deliberately teased you.”

I quietly wiped my tears against his shirt and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck.

“Gu Shen…”

“I don’t think I like Gu Xing anymore.”

“He and his wife were being all lovey-dovey right in front of me, and I didn’t even feel jealous.”

“My sister even called me an idiot. She said the person who’s always treated me the best is the one I never noticed.”

He answered immediately.

“Your sister was right.”

I promptly leaned over and gave his shoulder a small bite.

Then I asked him to put me down.

The moment my feet touched the ground, I rose onto my tiptoes and kissed him first.

He froze for a second.

Then his arms tightened around me, pulling me closer as he deepened the kiss.

“Gu Shen…”

“If I said… starting now, we should officially date…”

“Would that be weird?”

He went completely still for three seconds.

Then his eyes lit up like someone had switched on a pair of high beams.

“No.”

“Not even a little.”

Bonus Story: The Secret He Kept for Ten Years

On our wedding day, I asked him,

“Gu Shen, when did you start liking me?”

He was silent for a few seconds.

“After you hear the answer… you’re not going to run away, are you?”

“Just tell me!”

“…It was when you were fifteen.”

“You got chased by a dog, fell into a ditch, and came out soaking wet and smelling awful.”

Me: ………

Yep.

That was so me.

And somehow, that was also so him.

Apparently, our taste in romantic partners had always been seriously questionable.

— THE END —