CHAPTER 121: CHAPTER 113: BORROWING HALF A BED

Qiao Yu rarely calls, especially at this time.

Qiao Yuxian thought it was Qiao Lech who needed something, and immediately answered the phone: "Dad, what’s wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing," Qiao Yu said. "I hope I’m not disturbing your rest."

"No," Qiao Yuxian heard his hesitation and seemed troubled and asked, "Dad, is there something you want to tell me?"

After she asked, Qiao Yu suddenly fell silent.

Qiao Yuxian didn’t push him, quietly waiting for him to speak.

Gu Yanjing listened to their silence, glanced at Qiao Yuxian, and vaguely guessed some things.

After a moment of silence, Qiao Yu finally said with difficulty, "Yuxian, your mother has returned."

The pen twirling in her fingers stopped, and Qiao Yuxian froze entirely. Her gaze fell on her exam paper, but she couldn’t make out a single letter, and a faint ringing started in her ears.

As the ringing stretched and drifted, her thoughts also extended, leaving her mind briefly blank.

She stayed still and dumbfounded for quite a while until Gu Yanjing rubbed her hair, bringing her back to reality. Her voice was somewhat dry as she asked, "Wha-what? Dad, what did you just say?"

Qiao Yu repeated, "Your mother has returned. She came home today and wants to see you."

Qiao Yuxian’s right hand clutched the pen tightly, her knuckles a bit pale, and her thumb rubbed back and forth on the pen. Her gaze lowered, her pale lips moved several times before she said, "She... why has she come back? Wh-why does she want to see me?"

Hearing her reaction, Qiao Yu couldn’t respond for a moment.

Qiao Yuxian asked again, "Did she say she wants to see me? Are you sure you heard right? Is it... me she wants to see?"

"Your mother returned specifically to see you this time," Qiao Yu admitted without hiding it. "Take your time to think about it. There’s no rush. If you want to see her, I’ll go with you. If you don’t, I’ll talk to her."

Qiao Yuxian’s eyelashes trembled slightly as she said, "Okay. Thanks, Dad."

After hanging up the phone, she lowered her gaze and got a bit lost in thought. She appeared calm, but her fingers kept rubbing the pen in her hand, gripping it more tightly.

Gu Yanjing reached out to hold her right hand.

Startled, she snapped back to reality and turned her head to meet Gu Yanjing’s calm and mild eyes.

"Let go," Gu Yanjing said.

Qiao Yuxian instinctively released her grip, her eyes fixed on him. After a moment, some color returned to her eyes, and her tense body relaxed: "I... my mother..."

As she spoke, even she couldn’t believe it. Licking her lips, she said, "My mother has come back."

"Yes," Gu Yanjing acknowledged, removing the pen from her hand and placing it on the table.

"She, I..." Qiao Yuxian raised a hand to touch her forehead, "I’ve never met her. Why does she want to see me? Back then..."

The words reached her mouth yet she swallowed them back, leaning on her chair, silent with her gaze lowered.

Gu Yanjing didn’t resume his work; he stayed beside her.

He couldn’t fully understand Qiao Yuxian’s feelings.

Nor did he know what she had gone through over the years.

And even less did he know what kind of existence Zhao Shimeng was in her heart.

The only thing he could do was accompany her.

After a long silence, Qiao Yuxian finally moved and placed her hand into Gu Yanjing’s.

Gu Yanjing held it, watching her.

Qiao Yuxian leaned back in her chair, turning her head to look at Gu Yanjing, saying, "The car parked next to the villa today, was it hers?"

She had regained her normal composure, but her eyes were slightly red.

Her voice was small, looking pitiful.

Gu Yanjing touched her face, saying, "Yes."

"Did you look into that car?" Qiao Yuxian asked again.

"I did," Gu Yanjing replied.

Qiao Yuxian held his fingers, feeling the joint. After a few seconds of silence, she straightened her body, picked up the pen, and continued working on her questions.

Gu Yanjing looked at her: "Why not leave it for tomorrow?"

Qiao Yuxian shook her head: "I’m fine. There’s more to do tomorrow anyway."

...

After eleven o’clock, Gu Yanjing and Qiao Yuxian left the study.

Qiao Yuxian went downstairs first to bring Zhaocai.

Gu Yanjing waited in the hallway. Only after she and Zhaocai entered the room did he return to his own.

Returning to his room, he made some international calls to handle some matters, and it was almost 1 am by the time he lay in bed after washing up.

The room fell into darkness, and with it, all things quieted down.

In the silent night, even the slightest noise could be noticed.

Gu Yanjing lay in bed, listening as his door was slowly pushed open. Someone tiptoed in and gently, little by little, closed the door.

Soft footsteps slowly approached the bed.

Gu Yanjing heard the sound reach his bed and sensed a slight change in the air around him.

Then... he felt his quilt being lifted slightly, and a hand reached under it, precisely finding his hand.

"Not sleeping yet," Gu Yanjing suddenly spoke.

Startled, Qiao Yuxian jolted, causing Gu Yanjing’s arm to move slightly as well.

Gu Yanjing sat up and turned on the bedside lamp.

Qiao Yuxian squatted by the bed, holding his hand, and buried her face in the bed.

Gu Yanjing pinched her nape, making her lift her head.

Qiao Yuxian closed her eyes and complained, "Ah, no, it’s too bright."

Gu Yanjing dimmed the light more and said, "It’s not bright."

Qiao Yuxian tried opening one eye first when it was really not glaring, she opened the other eye.

Meeting Gu Yanjing’s gaze, she squatted on the floor, arms on the bed, looking up and smiling at him, "You scared me just now."

"Weren’t you here to scare me?" Gu Yanjing asked, looking at her.

His voice was cold, but a hint of indulgence could be heard within it.

"Yes," Qiao Yuxian said, "but I didn’t scare you."

Gu Yanjing looked at her, signaling her to continue.

Qiao Yuxian played with the tie of his robe and continued, "I just came to give you a scare. If you were scared, I would have kept you company so you wouldn’t be afraid to sleep alone."

Gu Yanjing’s eyebrows moved slightly, a faint smile appearing in his eyes.

Qiao Yuxian fidgeted with the robe tie, catching his gaze for a moment before she shifted it away again, lowered her eyes, and said, "Well... actually, I wanted to borrow half the bed."

At this, she looked up at Gu Yanjing again, promising, "Just half, no more."

She crouched on the floor, a small figure, her beautiful eyes blinking with a pleading look.

Gu Yanjing watched her, feeling a melting sensation in his chest: "Where’s Zhaocai?"

"I sent Zhaocai downstairs," Qiao Yuxian replied, smiling obediently at him.

Gu Yanjing took her arm, pulling her up: "Come up."

Not hesitating for even a second, as soon as he finished speaking, she kicked off her slippers and climbed over him, lying on the other side of the bed.

Gu Yanjing turned to look at her.

Qiao Yuxian lay back on the bed, pulling the blanket up a little, bashfully saying, "I might have to borrow half the blanket too..."