Chapter 24: Discovered

The night was silent, as if even the wind had stopped at this moment.

The dim light illuminated the two tangled figures on the ground, the taller shadow somewhat swollen and twisted, as if it wanted to swallow the slender one completely.

Gu Zhao one hand palms the waist that can't be grasped, the moment he brings the person into his arms, the breath is not easy to detect a few points heavier.

Half of Ji Su's cheek was forced to press against his firm pectoral muscles, and the heat of his chest actually penetrated through the two thin layers of clothing, scalding his heart.

It happened so suddenly that his mind went blank, he almost forgot how to breathe, and naturally he couldn't care less about struggling.

Until two simultaneous shrieks sounded behind them--

Zhou Yang: "Gu?"

Qiao Jin : "Crap!"

Ji Su snapped back to his senses and reflexively pushed away the person who was straddling him with a forceful hand, while taking a step backward.

But they were so close that the tie of his robe accidentally hooked onto the waistband of Gu Zhao's pants and ripped apart when they separated.

Ji Su couldn't help but whimper, "Ah!"

Gu Zhao's movements were faster than his, his large hands quickly gathering up the loose robe and skillfully tying the laces back on.

Although Qiao Jin didn't understand the situation, he rushed up excitedly and questioned, "Gu Zhao, what are you doing?"

Gu Zhao withdrew his hand, and said, "It's none of your business."

Qiao Jin raised his eyebrows and held Ji Su back with his body, saying sternly, "Ji Su's business is my business, don't you think-"

"Xiao Qiao." Ji Su interrupted just in time, "I'm fine, it was ...... Gu Zhao who helped me just now."

Although the person who scared him was also Gu Zhao, if it wasn't for that big hand, he'd probably be lying on the ground with his head bleeding right now.

"Huh? Ah oh oh ......" Qiao Jin was a bit embarrassed, dryly laughed twice, "I see, it's me who misunderstood schoolmaster Gu Da haha ......"

At that moment, Zhou Yang also came up, "Brother Gu, what are you doing on the balcony with Ji Su?"

Gu Zhao: "See the night view."

Ji Su: "Drying clothes."

The two disagree, and Zhou Yang is confused, "Is it the night view or the drying of the laundry?"

Gu Zhao didn't answer again, just looked deeply at Ji Su and turned in the direction of his room.

"Hey? This is going back to your room?" Zhou Yang scratched the back of his head, "Then I'll go back to get cleaned up too, Xiao Qiao, Ji Su, we'll see you in the morning."

"Bye." Qiao Jin waved at him, "Good night."

Seeing the tall back disappearing in front of her eyes, Ji Su breathed a long sigh of relief and braced herself with one hand on the railing handrail before realizing that her legs were still a bit weak.

"Susu, what's going on?" Qiao Jin turned back his face and asked in a lowered voice, "What are you doing on the balcony with Gu Zhao, it can't really be watching the night view, can it?"

Ji Su signaled, "Go in first."

The two of them walked into the room one after the other, and Qiao Jin unlocked the balcony door in his own free time, just to be on the safe side.

Ji Su sat down on the edge of the bed and explained, "I was hanging out my clothes on the balcony, and when I turned around, I saw Gu Zhao standing behind me, and I was so scared that I almost fell over."

Qiao Jin is puzzled: "What's he doing standing behind you, just to startle you?"

Ji Su frowned, "I thought it was a little strange too."

"Wait ......" Qiao Jin looked startled, "Gu Zhao wouldn't really be suspecting you, right?"

Ji Su recalled the obscure look and couldn't help but look down at the hem of her robe.

I don't know if Gu Zhao saw his legs the moment the bathrobe came apart.

But the other party's eyes shouldn't be that good, at least not good enough to see a flash of a mole on his leg in dim lighting conditions ......

"No, it can't be." Qiao Jin said and then quickly overruled himself, "If he really had suspicions, how could his reaction be so flat?"

"Makes sense." Ji Su lifted her face, "He was kind enough to reach out and help me."

If Gu Zhao knew he was Mengmeng, he would have punched him hard to get rid of his anger, how could he save him?

"Anyway, we're going back to school tomorrow, and we won't be seeing Gu Zhao very often, so he'll be even less suspicious of you then." Qiao Jin analyzed correctly, "I believe it won't take long for him to completely forget about Mengmeng and act as if nothing had happened."

"I hope so." Ji Su nodded and suddenly remembered an important question, "By the way, this trip is almost over, have you made any progress with Zhou Yang?"

"Ugh, my brain hurts just talking about it." Qiao Jin took a seat beside him, "These days it's been a multi-man operation at all hours, I haven't had a chance to be alone with him at all."

Ji Su suggested, "Do you want to take advantage of the last night to go talk to him alone?"

"Schoolmaster Gu Da is still in his room." Qiao Jin rolled his eyes, "With that big moving iceberg around, let's not talk about warming up the relationship, it's lucky I didn't freeze to death."

"Then ......" Ji Su hesitated, "I'll go and draw Gu Zhao away?"

"Hey no no no!" Qiao Jin waved his hand back and forth, "I can't push you into an ice hole just because of this bit of happiness of mine."

Ji Su : "It's not that dramatic ......"

"Actually, I think this trip still has quite a lot of gains, at least I feel that the two of us have gotten a lot closer." Qiao Jin said in a serious tone, "There will be plenty of opportunities in the future, and I'm not in a hurry for this moment, so why don't we just start by being good friends?"

"Okay." Ji Su touched his gently with her shoulder and whispered encouragingly, "No one will dislike you once they really know what kind of person you are."

"Really?" Qiao Jin immediately came to life and pounced on her with open arms, "So Susu baby, you're in love with me too?"

Ji Su dodged nimbly out of the way, "Stop at the right moment."

*

After waking up the next day, a few people had their last lunch at the vacation lodge and departed to drive back to A City.

In the evening, the group arrived at the entrance of University A without any problems.

Ji Su got off the bus with her bag on her back and stood by the bus to say goodbye to the others, "I really had a great time on this trip, thank you."

"We had a great time too, what are you thanking us for?" He Yiming smiled with a sunny face, "Next time there's a chance, we must go out again!"

Wang Mingzhe, who happened to be getting out of the car on his crutches, answered, "We have to make another appointment!"

He Yiming pulled out his cell phone from his pocket again and said in a joking tone, "Ji Su, your cell phone won't run out of battery this time, right?"

Ji Su smiled slightly and opened WeChat, "Yes."

He looked down and pulled up the WeChat QR code, letting He Yiming scan the code when he inexplicably felt a chill on the top of his head.

Ji Su subconsciously raised his eyes and suddenly fell into a pair of dark and cold eyes.

For some reason, he felt that the Gu Da schoolmaster's expression looked like he wasn't too happy, and his air pressure was low.

"With a beep, Ji Su lowered her eyes and clicked agree to the friend request, "Added."

"Great!" He Yiming cheerfully put away his cell phone, "Then I'll go back to the dormitory first, so we'll be in touch often in the future!"

"Good." Ji Su answered and raised her eyes again, realizing that Gu Zhao had already turned around and left, his tall and large back looking rather cold.

Qiao Jin took his arm, "Let's go too, Susu."

Ji Su came back to his senses and stepped forward.

This three-day and three-night trip should be his biggest encounter with Gu Zhao, right?

In the future, if we met on campus, Gu Zhao's character would definitely not give him a second glance, let alone say hello to him.

This also means that the experience of him pretending to be Mengmeng and Gu Zhao's online love affair will soon be history, and no one will know about it except for him and Qiao Jin.

Of course, if Gu Zhao needed him in any way in the future, he would never refuse, which Mengmeng owed to G.

*

During the first week after the vacation, Ji Su devoted herself to her studies and part-time job.

But soon Ji Su realizes that things don't seem to be going the way he thought they would.

In the following week, he would always meet Gu Zhao in various unexpected places, such as the cafeteria, the library, and even walking on the road.

The big University of A suddenly became small, so small that you can meet people you don't really know well at any time.

What surprised him even more was that Gu Zhao not only didn't treat him as air, but every time he would stare at him with an indescribable look in his eyes, he would also sit at the same table with him to eat.

Just like this evening, Ji Su had clearly avoided the meal on purpose, but as soon as he sat down at the table, a familiar voice came back to his ears, "Aiya what a coincidence! We're bumping into each other again haha!"

Ji Su lifted her face, her smile slightly forced, "What a coincidence."

Due to the coincidence of high intensity, Qiao Jin faced Zhou Yang with a less than usual enthusiasm: "Why are you guys eating so late too?"

Zhou Yang replied, "I got so high playing soccer with Gu that I forgot the time."

Qiao Jin said helplessly, "Fine."

"Let's eat together." Zhou Yang sat down opposite Qiao Jin with his dinner plate and greeted, "You sit too, Brother Gu."

Gu Zhao sat down opposite Ji Su, his emotionless eyes falling on that pretty face.

Ji Su noticed the sight and feigned calmness on the surface, but in her heart she felt something was very wrong.

Since returning from his May Day trip, he'd been seeing Gu Zhao more often lately, and the other man's gaze seemed to be getting longer.

But Gu Zhao was always expressionless, and the emotions in his dark eyes were so hard to understand that he had no idea what the other man was really thinking.

To be honest, he was a bit afraid of such a person, and even if he wanted to please the other party, he didn't know where to start.

After finishing her meal, Ji Su was about to make a quick exit from the scene when a surprised female voice rang out, "Hey? Ji Su!"

Ji Su looked over at the sound and his heart thumped.

Lin Yan wore a white slim-fit dress with delicate lace trim embroidered on the neckline, cuffs and hemline, which was pricey at first glance.

Gu Zhao lifts his eyes as well, and his gaze lingers on the dress, visibly frowning.

"Hokage." Ji Su steadied herself and stood up as if nothing had happened, "Why did you want to get up to the second cafeteria today?"

"My roommate said she wanted to come and try the Potter's Chicken in the second cafeteria, so she asked me to accompany her." Lin Yan looked over at the others at the table, only to realize that there was a big handsome guy sitting in front of him.

"Gu Zhao?" Lin Yan said in a surprised tone, "Why are you here too?"

Gu Zhao looked at the hem of her skirt and spoke in a calm tone, "That's a nice skirt you have."

Ji Su's scalp instantly tingled, "Sister-"

"Right? Isn't it nice?" Lin Yan didn't notice his dislike, and picked up the hem of her dress with her fingertips to show it off, "This dress is still Ji Su--"

"Hokage-san!" Ji Su interrupted her sharply, "Senior sister, I suddenly remembered that I have something to tell you."

Lin Yan froze, "What is it?"

Ji Su was about to pull someone aside to talk when Gu Zhao spoke up again, "Where did you buy the dress?"

Lin Yan didn't read Ji Su's hints in her eyes and replied truthfully, "I didn't buy this dress, Ji Su gave it to me."

Ji Su: "......"

He's done. He's really done this time.

At this time, Qiao Jin sitting on the side finally reacted, this should be the legendary Zha Nan cheated money and sex by the school sister.

"Senior sister, my name is Qiao Jin," he got up violently and enthusiastically guided the person outward, "Come, come, senior sister I'll tell you something very important ......"

As the two walked away, Ji Su stood still, not daring to look back at Gu Zhao's face.

"The dress you gave her, where did you buy it?" The cold voice still rang out, "I bought the exact same dress for my online love interest."

"Huh? What?" Zhou Yang figured out the connection and asked incredulously, "So that girl just now is your online love interest?"

Gu Zhao didn't answer him and called out, "Ji Su."

Ji Su turned around slowly and tried to muddle through, "Actually that dress ...... I got it at a brick and mortar store ......"

Halfway through his sentence, he met those dark, lightless eyes, and in a flash of lightning, realization dawned on him.

Gu Zhao knows, knows everything.

All this time, the other party was merely watching him act timidly, as one would watch a poorly-acted actor, just waiting for the moment when he would reveal a fatal break.

After realizing this, Ji Su was like a bucket of ice water poured over his head, so cold that he shivered and couldn't say anything to defend himself.

"Zhou Yang." Gu Zhao opened his golden mouth, "You go back to the dormitory first."

Zhou Yang had a puzzled expression on his face, but he still stood up as he was told, "Alright, then I'll go back to the dormitory first."

With the last straw gone, Ji Su unconsciously bit her lower lip, trying to organize the words of explanation in her mind.

Gu Zhao got up, "Come with me."

Ji Su's first thought was that he was going to take himself to some deserted corner and beat him up, but instead he breathed a small sigh of relief.

The next moment, Gu Zhao asked, "That piano piece you played for me, where did you play it?"

Ji Su blurted out, "Music club."

Gu Zhao stepped on his feet, "Lead the way."

"Huh?" Ji Su followed up by stopping and asking in a careful tone, "Weren't you going to take me to the corner and beat me up?"

Gu Zhao looked at him and asked coldly in return, "How many punches do you think you can take from me?"

Ji Su : "This ...... this is negotiable?"

Gu Zhao laughed in exasperation, "What do you think?"

Ji Su was terrified inside by his laugh, thinking it was a sign that he was pissed off.

Gu Zhao repeated, "Lead the way."

This time Ji Su didn't ask any more questions and honestly led him in the direction of the music club.

There weren't many people left in the activity center at this hour, and the music club had no activities tonight, locking up early.

Ji Su takes the key from the flower bed set on the windowsill, opens the door to the music classroom and walks in.

Gu Zhao followed him into the classroom and closed the door behind him.

There was a "click" and a drop of the lock.

Ji Su's heart trembled underneath and his heart rate increased.

Even though he'd done enough to build up his mind on the way over, he still had trouble controlling his nervousness when it came time for the two of them to be alone in a space.

He could only hint to himself in his mind that it was just a beating, close his eyes and bear it.

First let Gu Zhao take a breath of bad luck, he then explain the whole thing, maybe the other side can forgive him.

Just as he was thinking about it, Gu Zhao coldly voiced out, "Play the piano piece you played me the other night, again."

Ji Su was a little confused, "That's it?"

Gu Zhao walked over to the spot across from the piano and settled into a chair, "Play."

Ji Su pursed her lips and walked over to the piano and sat down.

He raised his hands and his long, thin fingers pressed the first key.

The piano piece was called Look Forward, a piece he had played countless times as a child, and had long been so familiar with it that he could play it with his eyes closed, but today he stumbled over it for the first time.

Because Gu Zhao was sitting right across from him, his long legs propped up on the ground, his gaze cold and clammy, like a shadowy, cold-blooded viper wrapped tightly around him, extremely creepy.

"Play it wrong." Gu Zhao reminded nonchalantly.

Ji Su took a deep breath and forced herself to be still.

This time, the sound of the zither poured out from his fingertips in a flowing stream, warm and peaceful with the usual loneliness.

At the end of the song, Ji Su sits at the piano with his eyes downcast, quietly waiting for his final judgment.

"It's really you." After a long time, Gu Zhao opened his mouth, word by word, his voice sounding like it was squeezed from the depths of his throat, "You're the one who played the piano for me late at night, you're the one who wore a dress to take pictures for me to see, and you're the one who pulled the plug on me."

When Ji Su said the last few words, he could hear the gnashing of teeth in them.

He plucks up the courage to stand up and turns to face Gu Zhao.

Gu Zhao also moved, and with heavy steps, took a step towards him.

As the oppressive figure gradually approached, Ji Su instinctively took a step back, his body resting against the edge of the piano, momentarily losing his balance and pressing his hands back on the black and white keys.

"The piano tinkled, urgent and panicked, like a signal of some kind of unease.

Gu Zhao stopped in front of him and bent down slightly to look at him, his dark, bright eyes were like knives and swords, as if they wanted to break him open alive.

Ji Su's long, dense eyelashes trembled violently, like the wings of a butterfly undergoing a violent storm, fragile and vulnerable.

In the next instant, Gu Zhao stretched out a pair of big hands and pinched the thin waist, carrying the person to sit on the piano.

There was another burst of disorganized music, just like Ji Su's increasingly panicked mood.

"Gu, Gu Zhao ......" He tried to look straight at the other man and opened his mouth in a small voice to plead for himself, "Actually, the whole thing is a misunderstanding, I can explain it to you- -"

"Call me what?" Gu Zhao's voice was low and cold, with a hint of imperceptible huskiness.

In the midst of such confusion, Ji Su was surprised to hear the meaning of the words.

He bit his lower lip, "I'm really sorry ......"

"You know that's not what I'm going to hear." Zhao Gu stared down at his rosy, full lips, not a wavering emotion audible in his voice.

Ji Su closed her eyes and opened her mouth as if she was going out of her way to shout, "Brother, I'm sorry ......"

The word "brother" was not intentionally used with Mengmeng's clip sound, but with his own voice, bright, clean and beautiful, with the end of the word floating upward somewhat softly out of shame and anxiety.

Gu Zhao's handsome and cold face has an inexplicable expression, and his pursed thin lips look like they are suppressing something.

"You hit me first." Ji Su couldn't stand the feeling of a blunt knife cutting into his flesh anymore, and heroically tilted his face up, "I won't fight back, and I won't hide."

The pointed jaws were raised, pulling the graceful neck line extremely beautifully, almost like a sacrificial white swan.

Gu Zhao gave a laugh and said in a commanding tone, "Spread your legs."

Ji Su didn't react for a moment, "What?"

"I said--" Gu Zhao stretched out a hand, thrust it straight into the closed knee, and parted the two long, thin legs forcefully and irresistibly.

It's already hot enough for Ji Su to habitually wear a pair of pants, but they're very thin and sheer.

Gu Zhao's palm was hot, his fingers were strong and slightly rough, rubbing up the side of his leg a little bit, and even though it was separated by a layer of fabric, he felt that the skin on his leg burned as if it was about to burn.

As the large, bony hand moved higher and higher, Ji Su couldn't help but fold her legs together, also holding the large hand tightly between them.

Gu Zhao looked down at him from top to bottom, his voice getting lower, "I haven't done anything yet, what's the point of clamping down so tight?"