Chapter 44: Spring Breeze
“You know Gu Zhi?”
Gu Chuan’s eyes widened in surprise. “How could you? She’s…”
“Yeah, she was my elementary school teacher. We…” Su Yu paused, his expression complicated. “We were quite close back then.”
“Teacher? Your hometown is in…” Gu Chuan frowned, thinking for a moment. “No wonder… but this is too much of a coincidence.”
“What about you and Gu Zhi?”
“We both have the surname Gu. She… is a close relative of mine.”
“Then why were you so stunned?” Su Yu suddenly remembered Gu Chuan’s surprise when Gu Zhi had introduced herself. “She’s your cousin. Have you never met her?”
“Me?”
Gu Chuan shook his head, a bitter smile on his lips. “How could I have met her? I’ve only heard some things about her. Gu Zhi is a direct descendant of the main family. The Gu family blood in her veins is much purer than mine.”
Su Yu only understood half of what Gu Chuan was saying. He had a vague idea that Gu Chuan’s and Luo Xiaoxiao’s lavish lifestyles weren’t typical of ordinary families. But he couldn’t understand why Gu Zhi, with such an extraordinary background, would come to such an ordinary place to be a teacher.
“Don’t you think… she looks a lot like the woman we met at the bar?”
“The one you asked for her WeChat?”
Gu Chuan’s expression froze, as if he had been struck by lightning. He swallowed the saliva that had collected in his throat. “It does look like her. No… their styles are too different. Their makeup is different too. I’ve never seen Gu Zhi before, so I don’t know what she’s really like.”
“Su Yu, you said you were close with Gu Zhi?” Gu Chuan regained his composure and asked Su Yu. “Does she still recognize you?”
“I… I don’t know. Probably not. Otherwise, she would have recognized me at the bar that day.”
Su Yu shook his head, thinking that Gu Zhi had most likely forgotten him. After all… he hadn’t recognized her either at the time.
“Su Yu, take my advice.”
Gu Chuan looked up at the mature, intellectual, and elegant woman on the stage, hesitation flickering in his eyes. But in the end, he gritted his teeth. “If Gu Zhi really doesn’t recognize you, it’s best not to get involved with her again. No, you definitely shouldn’t.”
“Wh-why? Gu Zhi was really good to me back then.” Su Yu frowned in confusion. “Because her surname is Gu? And she’s a direct descendant?”
“Yes, the family is very strict about these things. Even if you were just ordinary friends in the past, if Gu Zhi wants to fight for power in the family in the future, her opponents’ retaliation might affect you.”
Gu Chuan nodded, a forced smile on his pale face. He lowered his eyelashes, hiding the slightly accelerated heartbeat of someone lying. He shouldn’t have said so much, but Su Yu was just an ordinary person and shouldn’t get too involved with someone like Gu Zhi. It wasn’t good for him.
“Okay, I’ll listen to you.”
Su Yu agreed, not just because of what Gu Chuan said. If he hadn’t met Gu Zhi in his previous life, then he would just consider it a missed opportunity in this life. He didn’t want his rebirth to change the paths of too many people he knew before, even if the possibility was as small as a grain of sand.
“Yeah, just pretend you never knew her.”
Gu Chuan sighed in relief. He looked back at the woman on the stage, the drowsiness in his mind… suddenly gone.
…
“Okay, students, that’s all for today’s class.”
Gu Zhi ended the class just as the dismissal bell rang. She placed the chalk back in the box and gently brushed the dust from her fingers, a warm smile on her face.
“Since my class time is limited, I won’t have many opportunities to see you all in class. But if any student needs help, you can find me in the school’s psychological counseling room. As long as I have time, I will definitely help you.”
“The rest of the students can leave. The class monitors, please stay behind and check the class list with me, so I can take attendance in the future.”
Lu Siyuan was their class monitor, elected a few days ago. He stood up to leave, so Su Yu and the others had to get up to let him pass.
“Aren’t you leaving?” An Zhi looked at Su Yu and Gu Chuan, who were still standing there.
“We are. Just slept for too long, my legs are numb.”
Gu Chuan grinned and pulled Su Yu towards the podium. He whispered to Su Yu, “Even if we saw her at the bar that day, she probably wouldn’t think much of it. She didn’t recognize you then, let alone now.”
They dawdled in the back for a while. By the time they passed the podium, the class monitors from the other classes had already finished checking their lists and were leaving.
“Teacher, can I have your contact information?” A boy suddenly approached her, his demeanor confident.
Gu Zhi, who was organizing her teaching materials, looked up at the boy, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment. The boy felt flustered, feeling that her gentle gaze could see right through him, revealing all his little thoughts.
Gu Zhi smiled, her long eyeliner curving gently. “Of course. If you need my help with anything, I’d be happy to.”
Lu Siyuan was still checking the list. Su Yu and Gu Chuan walked past the podium with their heads down. Su Yu’s expression was actually very natural, even more so than Gu Chuan’s. After all, he had had no contact with Gu Zhi in his previous life. Even if he couldn’t greet a teacher he had once been close to, it was just a small regret.
Su Yu passed the podium without any hindrance. Gu Zhi really didn’t recognize him. Six years was long enough for people to forget many things, even if… their relationship had been very good.
He paused, making way for the boy who had asked for Gu Zhi’s contact information. The boy, holding his phone, left as if fleeing, even accidentally bumping into him.
“Your name is Gu Chuan, isn’t it?”
Su Yu felt the shoulders of Gu Chuan, who was walking in front of him, tremble unconsciously, as if he had heard a voice that made him genuinely afraid. An invisible force field seemed to spread, pressing down on their spines, making it impossible to move.
He stopped with Gu Chuan, then watched as Gu Chuan slowly turned around.
“Cousin, you actually recognize me.”
A smile suddenly appeared on Gu Chuan’s face, in the instant he turned around.
“I saw your father at the family dinner a few days ago. He said you were a bit mischievous and asked me to take care of you since I would be teaching at Qingchuan University.”
Gu Zhi smiled gently. Even the most critical person would be hard-pressed to find a flaw in her. Her every move was as warm and pleasant as a spring breeze.
“But I think you’re a smart boy and should know better. Don’t you think so?”
Gu Chuan lowered his head, his posture… resembling that of a nobleman bowing to royalty in a lavish court. They were also dressed in magnificent clothes, but in the presence of true blood, they exuded an inherent humility.
“You’re right, cousin. I understand.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed unnaturally, his already pale face becoming even more sickly. Others might not understand, but he knew… this was a warning, a hidden dagger, its blade gleaming with a terrifying sharpness, a fatal blow.
“Is there anything else, cousin? If not…”
“No, just saying hello. That’s all.”
Gu Zhi replied casually. She looked down at the list Lu Siyuan handed her, her gaze quickly scanning the names, then stopping at a particular one. Her slender finger gently caressed the characters, a smile playing on her lips.
“Xiao Yu, you’re leaving without even saying hello? Or…”
The voice behind him rose, like a spring breeze brushing against green leaves. But Su Yu, who had just thawed, was suddenly plunged back into a freezing abyss.
“Has it been so long that you’ve forgotten me?”
