CHAPTER 224: CHAPTER 210: I WILL DEFINITELY MAKE YOU REGRET IT

After more than a decade of not touching alcohol, Gu Qili had long forgotten its taste, barely remembering the sweet flavor from her childhood sip that turned spicy later, and then... the memory blurred.

First-timers tasting red wine may find it a bit unsettling initially, the heavy body swirling around the mouth, with a texture that’s somewhat coarse and forceful, as heavy as stout, yet upon careful appreciation, that tangy note hits just right, like a volcanic eruption, ferocious at the onset and then bursting with dazzling colors.

Thinking of the descriptions she had learned about red wine, Gu Qili could roughly guess what kind of wine it was, quite consistent with what the label said.

Gu Qili didn’t dare to drink more, wiping her mouth before returning to her room.

She had just turned on her computer to work on her thesis when she received a text. After she blocked Hu Jiaojiao on WeChat, Hu Jiaojiao must have sent countless messages unsuccessfully, only to realize she was blocked, and resorted to texting instead.

"Gu Qili, how is the task I assigned you coming along? This is your final warning. If I don’t receive the interview notice by tomorrow, I will send those photos and videos to your friends, colleagues, and Mu Shuoqian. Take care of it."

Facing her threat, Gu Qili replied without hesitation: "Hu Jiaojiao, if you dare to do this, I’ll make sure you regret it."

"Well then, let’s see if I dare."

Irritated, Gu Qili blocked her phone number as well. She had never encountered such a vexing person before, as annoying as a fly.

With the computer on her lap, she didn’t open it, her mind repeatedly thinking about the screenshots of the videos that Hu Jiaojiao had once sent.

Finally, she opened the door and walked out, just as Mu Shuoqian also came out of his room. Seeing her, he seemed startled. "Why haven’t you gone to bed yet?"

"I’m writing my thesis." Gu Qili’s newly resolved determination faltered at the sight of him. She was still angry with him and really didn’t want to discuss these matters at this time.

Was she being too sensitive? After all, if she didn’t know about his affairs, she didn’t know, and life could still go on well as long as he treated her well.

Is it that the more you like someone, the more you expect from them, and become greedier?

Forget it, don’t think too much about it anymore. Maybe he truly has unavoidable reasons for not telling her, so she might as well pretend to be unaware. Sometimes she’d rather be a naive fool.

Comforting herself this way, Gu Qili finally looked up and smiled at him: "What are you up to?"

Only after she spoke did she notice something in his hand that he seemed eager to hide behind his back, with an awkward expression on his handsome face.

"What is it?" Gu Qili leaned forward, trying to peek behind him.

"Nothing." He stepped back, obviously dodging, and Gu Qili sensitively noticed his ears were a bit red; the discovery startled her. Was Mu Shuoqian actually feeling shy?

He’s so shameless, yet he can be shy?

While Gu Qili was thinking this, she asked, "What’s this?" What she held was a very thin photo album, a style that had been out of date for many years; Gu Qili had never even seen such an antique. The hardcover paper on the front bore a landscape painting, depicting a vast field with a bicycle parked beside a cluster of flowers. All four corners were worn, revealing the grey paperboard underneath.

Her question was not answered. Mu Shuoqian stood in front of her, lips pursed, watching her as she turned to the first page of the album.

The album was old, the photos even older, all black and white.

Gu Qili had never seen real black and white photos; when she was a child, color photos were already abundant, and there were various recordings. Gu Dezhong had taken many many photos of her.

In the black and white photos, the young boy looked plain and seemed only six or seven years old. Although he looked much different from his current self, Gu Qili recognized him at a glance. He was handsome even as a child, just even more so as a grown-up.

"Mu Shuoqian, so this is what you looked like as a kid." Gu Qili couldn’t resist touching the photo with her finger, eyes filled with a tender smile, "Even then, you liked to keep a straight face. Your bad temper hasn’t changed at all."

Mu Shuoqian said nothing, but seeing that she finally had a smile, he carefully put his hand on her shoulder and gently pulled her into an embrace, looking at the pictures with her.

"This is me at seven," his tone was light as he explained, "My face hadn’t filled out yet."

He was already a cute kid before his face filled out, how could people even cope when he grew up?

Gu Qili looked carefully for a while before flipping to the second page, which featured a group photo. In it, young Mu Shuoqian was still in that black checkered shirt and trousers, but this time held in the arms of a woman. His face was stern, showing an unwillingness, while the woman was smiling at the camera.

This truly was a breathtakingly beautiful woman, with clear and bright pupils, and eyebrows curved like willow leaves. There was no need to guess; this must be his mother.

"This is my mom." Mu Shuoqian’s voice was devoid of any fluctuation. Because he was holding Qili’s shoulder, she didn’t notice anything odd about his expression. However, at the mention of these words, his eyes were already stormy.

"Your mom is so beautiful," Gu Qili couldn’t help exclaiming. "She has such an elegance."

He didn’t agree or disagree, instead he reminded her, "There’s one more."

Gu Qili quickly turned the page. The third photo was a graduation picture where Mu Shuoqian had matured enough to have girls screaming after him, although his face was still youthful, hardly eighteen or nineteen. Wearing a black academic gown, he was looking at the camera with a forced smile, which looked a bit odd. A group of graduates was also in the background, "This is my photo from graduating college at eighteen."

He graduated from college at eighteen? Truly a genius worthy of the Mu name.

"This is..." Seeing the question in her eyes, he took the initiative to explain, "I went there when I was five. Up until I was twenty, I lived there, studied there, graduated, and worked."

It seems Chen Yishu’s guess was correct. He really had lived there, for twenty years no less, which easily explained his fluent American English.

Gu Qili flipped through the album some more, then there were no more photos. The album itself wasn’t thick, and the number of photos was pitifully few, only three.

But these three were sufficient. It was as if she had come to understand him all over again.

"Still angry?" Mu Shuoqian lightly touched her hair with his hand, his tone somewhat helpless, "That’s all there is."

Gu Qili closed the album, feeling a mix of emotions. The fact that he was willing to show her these photos proved that he cared about her, and he was also willing to share some of his past experiences. However, Gu Qili always felt that he had hidden the most important things. As for what that was, she didn’t want to think about it anymore.

Why be overly sensitive? The past he didn’t want to talk about might have nothing to do with her. She could tell that he really didn’t like to bring up his mother. Once, Mu Haotian had said, "Your bad temper is so much like your mom’s," which resulted in him looking gloomy the entire afternoon. Whenever someone mentioned his mother, he would definitely have a sour face, which is why he hesitated to take out the album yet hid it behind his back.

Gu Qili was actually very content. She didn’t intend to pry into someone else’s secrets; she just wanted there to be no secrets or barriers between two people in love. She didn’t want him to be unhappy with secrets buried inside him.

"Mu Shuoqian, I have something to tell you too." This was her only secret, and in truth, she had wanted to tell him for a long time.

"What is it?" He took her hand and led her back to his bedroom, where his wardrobe was still open; presumably, that’s where the photo album was usually kept.

He walked over to put the album in a storage box and closed the wardrobe door.

Coming clean, as if confessing a mistake, "Ruyan."

Mu Shuoqian’s hand paused as he closed the door, then after a moment, he responded: "Hmm?"

"You know, Ruyan."

Having said that, Gu Qili observed his expression. In the past, everyone in the Mu Family thought she was Ruyan, and everyone stood against his decision to marry her. Only he stood firmly by his choice, unyielding to Mu Haotian’s persuasion by any means, hard or soft. At that time, she never thought to explain herself, as it was a matter of willing confrontation—since he did not mind her tarnished reputation, why should she worry about it?

But now that they were together, she found no need to explain herself to anyone else. The only person she wanted to know the truth was him.

"Why should I care about her past?" He walked over to stand in front of her; his tall frame enveloping her in shadow. Looking up at him, Gu Qili saw his expression was calm, his eyes tranquil and undisturbed.

"But everyone says that Ruyan is me."

"What about you, do you also want to say Ruyan is you?" He bent down, his dark eyes shining like stars.

Gu Qili gripped one of his hands, feeling as if he knew everything, like he had known since the very beginning when they married.

The understanding he had of her went beyond simply knowing the will left by Gu Dezhong; he understood everything about her, just as one knows the lines on the palm of their hand.

This peculiar sensation made Gu Qili’s heart race; could it be that he has known her for a very, very long time?