Chapter 11: He Holds Grudges
“So let me get this straight—you got a little curious, Song Yinxing mentioned it once, and you immediately said you’d go to the hospital with him?”
Yu Bai’s shocked voice came through the headset.
“Just to confirm, you guys only met for the first time yesterday, right?”
“First time.”
“You’re not exactly close to his mom either, are you?”
“Of course not.”
“Then why on earth…” Yu Bai swallowed the rest of the sentence. “Forget it. As long as you’re happy.”
“Oh right, when you visit someone in the hospital, you’re supposed to bring a fruit basket or milk or something. It’s not great to go empty-handed.”
“Yu Bai.” Gu Yang asked seriously, “Do I look mentally challenged to you?”
What else would you be? Yu Bai screamed silently.
He really wanted to grab Gu Yang by the collar and demand to know what kind of wiring in his brain made him so naturally decide to accompany a classmate he’d only met twice to visit that classmate’s critically ill mother in the hospital.
He shouldn’t have made this call.
At the fruit shop outside the hospital, the owner recommended the usual gift combinations. Gu Yang didn’t think much about it and pointed straight at the most expensive option.
“Alright, I’m busy. Hanging up.” He ended the call, paid, and left with the basket.
Song Yinxing, who had been told to wait at the entrance, glanced at what he’d bought but said nothing, silently leading him inside.
The inpatient building was filled with the smell of disinfectant. Gu Yang followed behind Song Yinxing, surveying the surroundings.
“It might be a bit noisy in there,” Song Yinxing warned in advance.
His mother was in a four-person ward. Second bed from the entrance. Patients on both sides. A duet of coughing and snoring mixed with family members chatting in dialect.
Gu Yang paused subtly for a few seconds before stepping in.
When they pulled back the curtain, a middle-aged woman inside nodded at Song Yinxing. “Back from school, Xiao Song? Your mom’s doing alright today. She fell asleep after her IV. Didn’t need to call the doctor.”
She briefed him on medication and drips, then got up to leave.
“Your caregiver’s pretty kind—helping others tidy up too,” Gu Yang remarked.
“She’s not just ours. I hired shared care.” Song Yinxing realized Gu Yang might not understand. “She takes care of several patients. She can’t stay with us all the time.”
“It’s cheaper that way.” He subconsciously dug his nails into his palm as he spoke.
Adolescence was when pride ran high. At Guanli High, where wealthy kids were everywhere, the visible and invisible gaps, the occasional ridicule—all of it made Song Yinxing unconsciously sensitive.
But Gu Yang only responded with an indifferent “Oh.”
It wasn’t any of the reactions Song Yinxing had anticipated, and it caught him off guard.
Thankfully, at that moment, Song’s mother stirred awake. “Xingxing’s back?”
She slowly turned her head and noticed Gu Yang. “And this is…?”
“Mom, this is Gu Yang. My classmate.”
“Oh, a classmate.” She struggled to sit up. Song Yinxing quickly adjusted the bed. “It must’ve been a bother to accompany Xingxing here. It’s messy here, and I don’t have anything to offer you.”
“Not at all. I hope I’m not disturbing you. This is just a small token.” Gu Yang smiled politely and placed the fruit basket aside.
Her expression softened further. She wanted to say more, but accidentally choked on her breath, coughing hard. Song Yinxing sat beside her, patting her back gently.
“I’m fine.” She waved weakly. “You silly boy, why bring classmates to a hospital?”
“After school, you could watch a movie, have a meal together. Why spend all day by my side? I’ve said it before—when I’m still conscious, you don’t have to stay with me all the time. No need to hire a caregiver either. Why waste that money…”
“Mom!” Song Yinxing interrupted softly, embarrassed, glancing at Gu Yang.
Gu Yang’s expression held a faint smile—not warm, but impeccable. It gave off a cool, detached elegance.
“Alright, alright, I won’t say more.” She smiled at Gu Yang. “You young people are all very independent these days.”
“Yinxing is already outstanding.” Gu Yang inclined his head slightly. “That’s thanks to your guidance, Auntie.”
A nurse came in calling for the family of bed 121. Song Yinxing hurried out, ears burning from the unexpectedly intimate praise.
Behind the curtain, only Gu Yang and Song’s mother remained.
She looked at him and let out a long breath.
“You’re the first classmate Xingxing has ever brought to meet me.”
That line sounded oddly familiar.
Novels always wrote it that way—you’re the first woman the young master has brought home.
“Xingxing said your name is Gu Yang. Is it that Gu family who deals in jewelry?”
Gu Yang nodded.
She smiled. “Before I fell ill, I worked for a wealthy lady. I know a little about these things. Don’t take offense.”
Gu Yang knew the “wealthy lady” she meant was Madam Nie.
“Don’t mind what I said earlier,” she continued warmly. “Actually, I’m very happy. Because of my illness, he’s been busy taking care of me since middle school. He barely had time to socialize.”
“After the entrance exams, he chose Guanli High on his own. I know it’s full of young masters and young ladies. He’s stubborn and a bit solitary. I was afraid he wouldn’t fit in, that he’d be bullied. Seems I worried too much.”
No, your instincts are pretty accurate, Gu Yang thought.
“Now I can rest easier.” She closed her eyes, that short speech exhausting her strength for the day.
Some time later, Song Yinxing returned. Lifting the curtain, he saw the scene inside.
“She fell asleep again,” Gu Yang said without turning, head lowered as he fiddled with something.
Song Yinxing stepped closer and tucked in his mother’s blanket. “Sorry. I was talking to the doctor. It’s getting late—I’ll walk you out… What are you doing?”
He saw Gu Yang holding a knife, peeling an apple.
“I was going to prepare some fruit for your mom.” Gu Yang handed him the peeled apple. “Guess it’s for you now.”
“This was so sudden—did I scare you?” Gu Yang gathered the apple peels neatly into a plastic bag. “You get this apple, and you’re not allowed to think about it anymore.”
So you knew.
Before Song Yinxing could process Gu Yang’s self-awareness, he quickly raised a hand. “Wait—don’t throw the peel away. It’s too wast—… never mind. Just leave it. I’ll handle it.”
After escorting Gu Yang to the hospital entrance and watching him take a taxi, Song Yinxing finally had time to examine what he held.
He had to admit—it was the sharpest-edged apple he’d ever seen.
He took a bite slowly.
So sweet.
Juice burst across his tongue. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten fruit this sweet.
Back when his mother hadn’t fallen ill, she’d occasionally bring home leftover fruit from her employer. She’d slice it into a platter for them.
That memory was distant now, blurred by a soft filter of nostalgia.
—
Gu Residence.
Gu Yang handed his coat to a housemaid. As he passed through the living room, he noticed something and displayed obvious disgust.
He was about to head upstairs when a voice stopped him.
“Why rush upstairs? Won’t you eat first?”
Hand resting on the railing, Gu Yang replied coolly, “Not hungry.”
“Wang Ma, set another place.”
The middle-aged woman emerged from the kitchen, glancing awkwardly between the boy at the table and Gu Yang before complying.
Once the tableware was set and the chair pulled out, Gu Yang sat down.
The boy across from him smiled faintly, carrying a restless arrogance.
Gu Qingxu—slightly less cannon-fodder than Gu Yang, Nie Ying’s like-minded friend, mainly serving to mock and belittle Song Yinxing in the protagonists’ push-and-pull.
“Really not hungry?” Gu Qingxu studied Gu Yang’s vacant expression. “Back so late—ate outside? With who? He Ming’an?”
Gu Yang ignored him.
“Fine. Even if you don’t eat, keep me company. Eating alone is boring.” Gu Qingxu went on casually.
Gu Yang lowered his head and scrolled through his phone.
Starting from the top of his chats, he replied to He Ming’an asking if he’d gotten home, then to Yu Bai’s gossip.
“Next week’s Nie Ying’s coming-of-age ceremony. Come along,” Gu Qingxu said.
“No. I wasn’t invited.”
“That’s what you think. Ah Ying mentioned you before.” A strange smile curled on Gu Qingxu’s lips. “You’ve never gone all these years. Going once isn’t too much to ask.”
He actually invited him.
Looks like Nie Ying truly doesn’t know anything. Madam Nie’s secrecy is impressive—quiet for years, then one grand move.
“Is that so? Then I’ll go.”
“I knew you’d refuse, so I was going to get Dad to persu—” Gu Qingxu froze mid-sentence.
Since when did he agree so easily?
Gu Yang hadn’t planned to go. In the original novel, Madam Nie privately summoned Nie Ying and handed him the DNA report. She didn’t go crazy and distribute copies to every guest, so there was no spectacle to watch.
But since Nie Ying personally invited him…
He could assess the situation then and see if he might expose a little of Nie Ying’s dirty secret.
After all, he was someone who held grudges very well.
Scrolling further down, he saw a message from Ying Jiayi. He hadn’t checked his phone after school.
The message was simple.
She invited him to come watch a good show tomorrow.
