Chapter 74: I Fell Down Myself
Just judging from those blows just now, Song Yinxing had really hit hard—every punch landed solidly. Nie Ying had even been beaten until his nose started bleeding.
Gu Qingxu watched coldly from the side and felt the faint ache in his cheek begin to resurface again.
Looking at it this way, when Song Yinxing had hit him last time, he had actually held back.
But he couldn’t understand why Song Yinxing now looked like he was facing a mortal enemy, his eyes red with rage. In the end he could only mock inwardly—Gu Yang really had found himself a very devoted watchdog.
Nie Ying finally recovered from his earlier passive state. He caught the fist that was about to land on his face again, then kicked Song Yinxing away and staggered to his feet.
He wiped his nose with the back of his hand. The blood smeared all over his face made him look even more frightening as he stared fiercely at Song Yinxing.
Song Yinxing steadied himself. Coldness filled his gaze. His blood-stained knuckles still retained a bit of warmth, and his fingers trembled uncontrollably—the vivid sensation of the blows he had just delivered seemed to linger on his skin.
Seeing that the fight could no longer remain one-sided, Xie Wu hurried forward to stop them in case Nie Ying did something extreme.
“Gu Yang just woke up. Causing a scene here really isn’t appropriate.”
Gu Yuhui had finally finished watching the farce. As the only person present capable of stopping things, he stepped forward to calm the situation.
But he very clearly favored one side.
“Student Nie, regarding this matter, I will personally pay a visit later.”
That meant he intended to pursue the matter thoroughly.
Nie Ying had suffered loss after loss and nearly ground his teeth to pieces in frustration. He didn’t dare confront Gu Yuhui directly, so he could only take a deep breath and leave.
After Nie Ying left, Gu Yuhui looked at Song Yinxing. His gaze carried a hint of scrutiny as it swept over him from head to toe—not very obvious, but not concealed much either.
“You’re Student Song, right?” he said with a slight smile. When he smiled, he looked exactly like Gu Qingxu.
Song Yinxing didn’t know how to face the middle-aged man before him, so he lowered his head to avoid revealing anything unusual.
“You used to come to our house to tutor Xiao Yang. Although I wasn’t there, I heard the servants mention it.”
Seeing Song Yinxing remain silent, he continued calmly, “You’re a good kid. Don’t worry—regarding this matter, I won’t let the Nie family make things difficult for you.”
Song Yinxing had never intended to gain anyone’s approval.
He had simply lost control of his emotions.
From the moment he learned that Gu Yang had fallen into the pool from such a high place, to the moment he saw Nie Ying’s face appear in the hospital room—
The rage he could no longer suppress ignited every bit of resentment he had accumulated until now.
Sure enough, the hatred between him and Nie Ying could not be satisfied by merely seeing the other party suffer a bad outcome.
Punch after punch landing on that face that disgusted him gave those dark emotions he could never show to the world a place to vent.
After offering a few words of concern to Song Yinxing, Gu Yuhui no longer paid much attention to the young man he had only met a few times.
However, he keenly sensed that there seemed to be some kind of relationship between him and Gu Yang. This could be seen from the subtle shifts in Gu Qingxu’s expression.
He looked toward the person lying on the hospital bed with a slightly teasing expression.
Gu Yang had shown little reaction from the beginning. He had simply watched everything attentively.
So similar.
How could even this be so similar?
When he received the phone call earlier, the message he heard had briefly dragged him back into the past.
“President Gu, Madam Ke had an accident at home.”
That sentence had been the beginning of his nightmare.
He had fallen in love with a woman he absolutely shouldn’t have loved.
That woman was his older brother’s lover, and the two of them were destined to enter marriage.
For the first time, he felt jealousy toward his unreliable, unsuccessful older brother.
He tried to get close to her, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t insert himself into their world of two.
He truly had no way to resonate with their spiritual world. He couldn’t understand what these art students were thinking about all day.
And during that process, he deeply realized the truth behind the saying: every pot has its matching lid.
He was an outsider who didn’t belong. Even when taking photos, the two of them would lean into each other, leaving him standing awkwardly to the side.
But he simply couldn’t accept it.
So in his heart he desperately cursed them, wishing that the perfect couple would never end up together.
Perhaps because since childhood he had always fought for what he wanted and had never asked anything of heaven—
That single wish actually came true.
His older brother died in a car accident.
He couldn’t even describe what he felt at that moment.
Before he had time to mourn, he followed the desires of his heart and walked step by step toward the bride who was trying on a white wedding dress in her room.
He told her the news.
As he watched the blissful smile on her face slowly shatter, he felt that pain as well.
Carrying guilt toward his deceased brother and hope for a brand-new future, he mixed sincerity into his pretense and tried to cross the forbidden line, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
Then his face suddenly hurt and his head was knocked to the side.
At that moment, what drifted over first was fragrance—then the slap.
It was the first time in his smooth life that he had been struck.
Yet surprisingly, he didn’t feel much.
Love meant patience and compromise.
He was not like those domineering CEOs who went crazy with red eyes, shouting and tearing clothes in humiliation games.
The longer things dragged on, the more uncertain they became. He wanted to get married immediately.
Using this wedding dress. At this wedding venue. The invitations had already been sent out; the same guests would attend.
He was a generous person. Even if after the wedding she wanted to take him to sweep his brother’s grave, he wouldn’t mind.
Unfortunately, everything went against his wishes.
He had fallen in love with a flower and wanted to keep it for himself.
But he hadn’t expected it to be a flower that would inevitably wither once removed from its original soil.
No matter what he did, he couldn’t save it.
So he prayed to heaven again.
But perhaps because his wish had already been granted once, and among the countless people in the world, heaven had no time to listen again.
That flower still withered in the end.
Gu Yang licked his dry lips.
Gu Yuhui poured him a glass of water. Worried that Gu Yang had just woken up and might not hold it steady, he carefully supported the bottom of the cup.
Gu Qingxu watched him and felt his teeth ache.
Leaning against the side, where Gu Yuhui couldn’t see him, he rolled his eyes so hard they nearly reached the ceiling.
The phone in his pocket kept ringing endlessly. Gu Qingxu didn’t even need to look to know it was those directors who couldn’t reach Gu Yuhui and were now collectively harassing him instead.
Yet he didn’t move an inch. Instead, he turned his head and looked at Song Yinxing standing silently in the back, smiling provocatively at him.
Since both of Gu Yang’s family members had arrived, everyone else consciously stepped aside from the hospital bed.
“Gu Second’s smile is so annoying. I can’t stand it,” Xie Wu muttered before asking Song Yinxing, “Is he looking at you? What does that mean?”
Song Yinxing hadn’t expected Xie Wu to talk to him so familiarly. He stiffly turned his head away, unwilling to interact.
“Isn’t he just showing off that he’s the one standing beside Gu Yang now?” Ying Jiayi saw through the petty thoughts between men clearly. She said coolly, “Standing there like some grand lord. Anyone who didn’t know better would think he came here to tour a scenic attraction.”
“Yeah, that’s why I don’t like Gu Second,” Xie Wu said helplessly, nudging Song Yinxing with his elbow. “Don’t worry. Gu Yang doesn’t like him either. If you two ever pull each other’s hair, he’ll definitely stand on your side.”
“I won’t make things difficult for him,” Song Yinxing finally said slowly after a long pause.
Xie Wu raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t forgotten the scene of this top student beating Nie Ying to the ground just now—he didn’t look like some timid little wife type at all.
“I won’t make him stand against everything he has now,” Song Yinxing closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, the earlier gloom had vanished. His gaze was clear and resolute. “What I need to do is become someone worthy of him.”
Ying Jiayi was quite surprised by that statement, but she had to admit it instantly increased her impression of him.
After all, being poor wasn’t scary. Being insecure wasn’t scary either.
The scariest kind of man was the one who was poor and insecure yet still resented his partner for having better conditions.
“…And then make Gu Qingxu shut his mouth,” Song Yinxing added quietly.
That made Xie Wu laugh. He patted Song Yinxing’s shoulder with satisfaction.
“Nice awareness for a top student. Just for that sentence alone, I’ll support you from now on.”
After saying that, he poked Xia Chun, who was standing on the other side.
“You’re the one who pulled Gu Yang out of the pool?”
When the other person silently nodded, Xie Wu grinned.
“Thanks. If you hadn’t been there, who knows what would’ve happened. That guy Gu Yang really goes too far sometimes.”
Their previous meeting at the clothing store had been extremely awkward. Now he was trying to say something to smooth things over.
Xia Chun didn’t want to chat, but he also didn’t want the other party to keep dwelling on the topic. He simply replied coldly that it had been nothing.
Hearing their conversation, Ying Jiayi quietly observed this person.
Not because she knew he was a cross-dresser.
He just looked strangely familiar, but she couldn’t remember who he resembled.
Finally, before the missed calls completely flooded his phone, Gu Qingxu stepped forward and gestured to interrupt.
Gu Yuhui didn’t care much about those calls, but since the phone had been handed to him, he accepted it. He lightly patted the blanket covering Gu Yang, indicating he needed to leave first.
Gu Yang was naturally happy about that. Gu Yuhui’s overly attentive care earlier had made him feel quite uncomfortable. He waved his hand as well, signaling that Gu Qingxu could leave too.
Did he even need to be told? As if he wanted to stay here.
Gu Qingxu left with a cold sneer.
Once the two of them were gone, the classmates who had been standing nearby instantly crowded forward. Everyone had something to say, and no one was willing to give way, so the room quickly became noisy.
“How did this even happen?” Ying Jiayi couldn’t help complaining. “Are you some kindergarten kid who loves adventure? Why did you climb onto the diving platform?”
“I was just wandering around.”
Ying Jiayi obviously didn’t believe that explanation. Suspicion filled her face as she tried to find clues in his expression.
“Did Nie Ying push you down?” Xie Wu asked.
“Yeah. It startled me,” Gu Yang replied lightly. There was no sign of fear in his tone, though his face was still very pale.
With so many people around, it clearly wasn’t suitable for quiet recovery. Ying Jiayi and the others soon left.
She also wanted to leave some space for Song Yinxing.
She felt that this incident wasn’t as simple as it seemed, but Gu Yang clearly didn’t want to explain it to them.
Song Yinxing indeed stayed behind.
After everyone left, the room became much quieter. Gu Yang’s posture was even more relaxed than before, and Song Yinxing naturally sat beside the bed.
The action came so naturally that he only realized afterward it might be crossing a line of intimacy.
But Gu Yang didn’t seem resistant at all.
“Do you want some more water?” Song Yinxing asked after quietly letting out a breath of relief.
Gu Yang shook his head.
“Do you want me to adjust the angle you’re leaning at?”
Gu Yang shook his head again.
Song Yinxing froze. He tried to act natural, but it had the opposite effect.
Gu Yang took his hand and looked at the blood on his knuckles.
Only then did Song Yinxing realize and hurried to the bathroom to wash his hands before returning.
“You hit him really hard just now,” Gu Yang said lightly, even with a hint of amusement in his tone. “So I have to tell you something.”
“Nie Ying didn’t push me. I fell down myself.”
Song Yinxing’s heart sank immediately.
