Chapter 76

The faint orange light from the balcony shone through the camera lens like the setting sun’s golden rays.

The light illuminated the top of Gu Liuguang’s head, like scattered flowing fire spilling across the pitch-black night sky. Her hair strands also emitted a warm orange glow. Her fair skin appeared almost transparent under the light, her eyebrows were pale, and her pupils were a pale gold color. Everything looked like a person who had stepped out of a painting.

She had a casual attitude and didn’t even bother finding a good angle. She looked down at the camera from above to below. Every now and then, she aimed it at the giant rose nearby, which was almost as big as her face.

The camera shook, and she alternated with the giant rose in the frame, like a pair of stunning twin flowers.

The faint orange light resembled the chaotic silhouettes in a movie, with Gu Liuguang as the only protagonist in the scene. Everything else only came alive because of her.

Rustle, rustle. As she moved the potted plant, the branches and leaves squeezed together and then unfurled.

Gu Liuguang adjusted the position of the flower pot again. She switched the phone camera and aimed it at the rose to take a photo. To make it clearer for the other person, she even captured the veins on the leaves and the thorns on the main stem in sharp detail.

“Can you see it clearly?”

The faint orange light was blocked by the half-person-tall branches and leaves. Gu Liuguang stretched her phone in to get a clear shot, but because it was too dark, it looked like a blurry mass. She quickly pulled the phone back.

“I can see it clearly,” Lin Zhenshuang said through the phone. She paused for a moment. “It’s very pretty.”

Gu Liuguang didn’t hear her. She stared blankly at the vibrantly blooming rose, only reacting belatedly that she was still on video.

She looked back at the phone. Lin Zhenshuang on the screen was still staring intently at her own phone. Suddenly, Gu Liuguang grew curious. “Auntie, do you have a favorite flower? What’s your most favorite kind?”

Lin Zhenshuang’s movements had a very small range. If you didn’t look closely, she resembled a static photo. She wore a pair of frameless glasses. Upon hearing the question, she only lowered her eyes to look over, her emotions faint, as if pondering for a moment.

“Yes,” Lin Zhenshuang’s voice sounded serene in the night. A faint smile appeared on her face—perhaps due to the shifting light, it looked both holy and aloof. “My ex-girlfriend’s favorite.”

Gu Liuguang fell silent. When she lowered her head, her long hair obediently slid down. She sat down beside the rose, looking casual and unrestrained.

“This variety isn’t available domestically yet. Most are dyed, and they wither quickly after picking. They’re very demanding on their growing environment—delicate and prone to dying. They need special care.”

“I have a garden in Country X where I had someone plant this flower specifically. I thought that when it bloomed, I could take her there to see it.”

Gu Liuguang picked up on the implication: they had broken up before the flowers even bloomed.

Gu Liuguang didn’t know whether to be shocked that her aunt liked women or to offer some comforting words. She also felt she shouldn’t meddle in an elder’s emotions.

Gu Liuguang felt a bit guilty. The phone camera shook along with her, occasionally capturing her glowing white calf. She offered a perfunctory consolation. “No one knows what the future holds. Maybe you two will go see it together someday.”

A smile appeared on Lin Zhenshuang’s face. She smiled faintly. “Maybe.”

Seeing that she didn’t seem too upset, Gu Liuguang asked curiously again. “What kind of flower is it? Are you still growing them?”

Lin Zhenshuang didn’t answer directly. Instead, she said to her, “If you’re really curious, you can come see it yourself when they bloom.”

Gu Liuguang suddenly understood. “Are you planning to develop it into a tourist attraction?”

Lin Zhenshuang’s expression turned serious. “No, it’s a private garden.”

Gu Liuguang half-jokingly said, “Prettier than Night Moon Villa?”

Night Moon Villa was the most beautiful garden she had ever seen so far.

Lin Zhenshuang replied, “If I say yes, you might not believe me. You’ll have to see it with your own eyes and compare.”

Gu Liuguang grew even more expectant from her words. Knowing she wouldn’t reveal the variety, she pressed on about when the flowering period would be.

This time, Lin Zhenshuang answered. “We just started planting them, so you’ll have to wait until next May to see them.”

The two quickly agreed that once the flowers in the garden bloomed, Lin Zhenshuang would take her to see it.

After chatting about this, Gu Liuguang inevitably grew curious about what kind of girlfriend someone like Lin Zhenshuang would have.

Lin Zhenshuang said, “Very pretty and very cute.”

Gu Liuguang sighed inwardly. Pretty people really do go for other pretty people. She could clearly see the lingering affection in her eyes for her ex-girlfriend. On a whim, she asked, “How did you two break up?”

At that moment, Lin Zhenshuang’s powerful aura suddenly relaxed. Her expression dimmed for an instant. “I don’t know.”

She pulled herself together again and looked up at Gu Liuguang. “I was on a business trip abroad. We were still chatting the day before, and the next day, she broke up with me.”

Gu Liuguang stared at her in shock, wide-eyed. She couldn’t believe anyone in the world could resist the temptation and break up with Gu Shuang.

Gu Liuguang opened her mouth, stumbling over her words to comfort Lin Zhenshuang. “Maybe there was some other reason.”

Lin Zhenshuang smiled. Gu Liuguang felt a pang of sympathy for her misfortune.

Lin Zhenshuang quickly composed herself. She picked up the coffee beside her and took a sip. “She has a new partner now.”

Gu Liuguang had already gotten up and walked to the living room. She kicked off her slippers and curled up on the sofa in a corner, hugging a pillow. Her expression urged her to continue. “Do you two still keep in touch?”

Lin Zhenshuang said, “Sort of.”

Gu Liuguang pondered what “sort of” meant but couldn’t figure it out, so she kept asking.

Lin Zhenshuang explained, “I know about her life, but she’s indifferent to me.”

Gu Liuguang let out an “oh.” “That means she’s moved on from the relationship. You should let go too. Constantly stalking… cough, cough, keeping tabs on your ex’s life makes it hard to move on.”

Lin Zhenshuang glanced at her and smiled faintly. “Why should I move on?”

Question marks popped up on Gu Liuguang’s face. Lin Zhenshuang continued calmly, “I’m waiting for her to break up.”

Gu Liuguang’s face went blank for a brief moment. She felt she should say something but couldn’t find the words.

Gu Liuguang said dryly, “You really love her.”

After reacting, she added, “What if she never breaks up? What if she gets married? What then?”

Lin Zhenshuang looked indifferent. “Then I’ll wait for her to get divorced.”

Seeing Gu Liuguang about to say more, Lin Zhenshuang added, “If they have kids, I’ll help raise them.”

“This world belongs to whoever’s left standing. I’ll wait for her.”

Wait, was “survival of the fittest” used like that?

Gu Liuguang swallowed her words. She suddenly understood why Lin Shixia was the child of destiny, the heaven’s favorite in this world.

Gu Shuang looked like such a backup plan—it was hard to reconcile with her appearance and wealth.

On the surface, she was the glamorous family head, but behind the scenes, she was just waiting for her ex-girlfriend to break up. Who could understand?

Gu Liuguang said, “As long as you’re happy.”

Lin Zhenshuang didn’t respond to that. Her gaze shifted slightly as she asked about Gu Liuguang’s resignation and move. “Have you packed up your things in the room?”

“If not, let me handle it.”

Gu Liuguang had previously misunderstood that Gu Shuang had special feelings for her. Now, hearing that Gu Shuang had an ex-girlfriend and was still waiting for her to break up, she felt relieved.

She used to think it would be too much trouble for her, but now she realized Gu Shuang was Lin Shixia’s aunt. For someone like her, it was just a matter of making a phone call.

Gu Shuang was willing to help with this—it was perfect.

Gu Liuguang quickly agreed, feeling her whole body relax.

“A lot of things are unnecessary. I plan to sell them or give them to friends. I’ll only bring the ones I really like to C City.”

As Gu Liuguang said this, she observed Gu Shuang’s expression. She worried the other woman might ask what she was bringing.

The incident with the gray-pink limited-edition bag that Lin Shixia mentioned last time was in the past, but she still fretted. What if some limited-edition item appeared in her apartment again, even though they were gifts from others?

“Your personal items are your decision. For the rest, the moving company will provide a cleanup list when they come. You just check for anything missing.”

Gu Liuguang sat obediently on the sofa and nodded. Before hanging up, Gu Shuang mentioned the rose in the flower pot again.

She said that if the conditions weren’t good, she could sprinkle some fodder from the express delivery packaging inside—not too much, just a few grains.

The rest just needed watering; this flower was very drought-resistant.

After hanging up, Gu Liuguang lay on the sofa for a while before getting up to push the flower back to its original position.

In just that short time, Gu Liuguang felt unbearably hot. She finally packed it up as Gu Shuang instructed. Just as she picked up her phone, a bunch of new messages flooded in.

Zhang Ze had sent her quite a few, asking where she had gone and mainly inquiring if she could linger in the live stream room for a few more days to keep the hype going.

Even if she didn’t say anything, just hanging in the live stream would do.

Gu Liuguang then remembered that before video calling with Gu Shuang, she had been idling in the live stream. Logically, this was a fake world, so Gu Liuguang didn’t need to care about others.

She stared blankly at WeChat, still debating whether to reply, when Lin Shixia’s message popped up.

She said she sent it during a break from filming. She missed her so much that she felt like quitting the industry right now.

Gu Liuguang was used to Lin Shixia’s sweet talk and didn’t take it seriously. But she was cautious about anything that might derail the plot, so she quickly replied with an emoji.

Light Cub: My girlfriend is a big star! Wait until you win awards before thinking about retirement.

Lin Shixia: [Fox tilting head]

Lin Shixia: I hope I can see Baby first thing every morning.

Lin Shixia: When is Baby coming over? Is it easy to pack your things? I’ve contacted a moving company here.

Light Cub: Auntie said she’ll arrange people to come tomorrow to help pack and move.

Lin Shixia: Auntie?

Lin Shixia initiated a video call. Gu Liuguang answered without much thought.

On the screen, Lin Shixia still had her xia nv makeup from filming—a simple high ponytail with white ribbons hidden in her hair. The background was pitch black, with distant lights visible only when the camera shook.

There were insect chirps on her end. Lin Shixia immediately asked about her aunt. “Did Auntie contact you? When did she say they’d come?”

A sudden night breeze blew. Lin Shixia brushed her hair twice, her eyes fixed on Gu Liuguang on her phone. She deliberately used a coquettish tone. “Auntie’s always seeking you out. I’m getting jealous… I haven’t even chatted with you this long.”

Changing the subject, she asked, “Does Auntie chat with you every day too?”

Lin Shixia stood a bit away from the crew. Gu Liuguang could hear the sound of her feet crunching small pebbles. The wind howled, making her voice sometimes clear and sometimes muffled. “Auntie is my love rival, isn’t she?”

Gu Liuguang didn’t know what to say. She hesitated before speaking. “Auntie has someone she likes.”

Lin Shixia raised an eyebrow—the motion looked rather handsome on her. “Did Auntie tell you herself?”

Gu Liuguang nodded and emphasized, “The person she likes is taken. She’s waiting for her ex-girlfriend to break up.” She even mentioned the garden planted specially for her ex-girlfriend.

Lin Shixia relaxed a little. “She never mentioned it to me. I do know about the garden…”

After a pause, she smiled reassuringly, as if a huge weight had lifted from her heart. “Liuguang, I’ve actually always been worried that Auntie likes you.”

“If Auntie liked you, I’d have no chance at all. You wouldn’t choose me either.”