Chapter 81: Probe (Part 2)

  Gu Tianxi returned to the old Gu residence in Shanghai, walked into the hall, and the first thing he saw was that expensive crystal piano. He stretched out his slender fingers, lightly pressed the keys, and a soft melody flowed from his fingertips. The next second, the sound of opening and closing doors came from upstairs, followed by Gu Huanli rushing into Gu Tianxi's arms like a swallow returning to its nest. "Brother... you're back!"

  Gu Tianxi looked at the slender and weak sister in his arms, his arms gradually embracing her tightly, making her soft body closely attached to him. His hand stroked her back, like stroking a lazy cat.

  After a long time, Gu Huanli raised her head and looked at him. Her clear eyes suddenly had a hint of shyness. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something but didn't speak out loud. Gu Tianxi held her and slowly walked up the stairs, "What do you want to say? I'm listening."

  Gu Huanli's mouth curved into a sweet smile, and she said softly, "I was just thinking, why didn't brother tell me in advance the arrival time of the flight, so I could go to the airport to pick you up and take you home?"

  Gu Tianxi gazed into Gu Huanli's eyes, as if seeing into her heart through them. His lips gradually curled up into a faint smile. "I couldn't bear the thought of you waiting at the airport for so long. Besides, it was snowing with rain in Shanghai and the flight was delayed for half a day before taking off."

  He lifted up Gu Huan Lian's chin, his index finger tracing down her brow and finally landing on her lips. His eyes were filled with a tenderness that could drown a person, like an endless deep sea; his voice was warm and gentle, like spring rain. "My most precious little sister doesn't need to waste time on meaningless waiting, she just needs to give me the sweetest smile when I come home, and it's enough to comfort my travel fatigue."

  "Brother——" Gu Huanli stared at him dazedly, swallowing her tears. She wanted to say something, but Gu Tianxi pressed his lips against hers and softly shushed her, gently embracing her. "How did you get so thin? Didn't the chef's cooking suit your taste? Or were you having another nightmare last night?"

  Gu Huanli shook her head, her voice soft and gentle, with a hint of childish naivety and innocence. "I'm a bad little kid. YZUU knows that brother wants me to learn to be independent, but I still rely on brother everywhere, wanting to tie brother to my side, never parting."

  Gu Tianxi's arm tightened, firmly embracing Gu Huanli's slender body. He looked at her gently but firmly, "Don't be afraid of anything, brother will never abandon you or hurt you. I'll always be by your side, protecting this sticky and naughty little kid. Even if one day you don't need me, I won't leave."

  "I know..." Gu Huanli's eyes were filled with tears, she muttered to herself, "I know, even if I'm in hell, brother will still be guarding me, never leaving or abandoning me."

  "Silly girl, what nonsense are you talking about?" A hint of a deeply meaningful smile floated on the edge of Gu Tianxi's lips as he gently cupped Gu Huanli's face in his hands. His amber-colored eyes seemed to possess a magical power that could see through people's hearts, gazing deep into her soul.

  Although his smile was so gentle, Gu Huanli still felt an inexplicable chill. She instinctively wanted to cover up her inner fear and dependence. However, she knew that for a strong and astute brother like him, lying or hiding the truth would be unwise. So, it's better to be half-true and half-false, after all, Cassidy was her soul guardian.

  A delicate cloud of crimson blush spread across Gu Huanli's cheeks, she stuttered, her head slightly bowed in shyness, "My meaning is, no matter where the horizon may be, I will chase after brother, and be with brother forever and ever."

  "Oh?" Gu Tianxi responded faintly, then smiled softly, "What's this, thinking of saying that when you grow up, you must become Brother's bride?"

  He suddenly leaned in close to Gu Huan Lian, his warm lips brushing against her cheek, "From childhood to adulthood, I don't know how many hundreds of times I've called out. People say that if you tell a lie a thousand times it will become true, could it be that you're also planning on working towards a thousand times?"

  Gu Huan's heart skipped a beat, and she stuttered as she spoke, "I... I... I want to... marry my brother, I want to be my brother's... bride."

  Gu Tianxi reached out and pinched her chin, still smiling warmly. "Although you're still young, shouldn't the person you proposed to also start preparing? As for the wedding ceremony, do you like Chinese style or Western style? Or perhaps a mix of both?"

  Gu Huanli's eyes widened even more, her red lips slightly parted in surprise, revealing a glimpse of her neat and white teeth. Gu Tianxi looked at her adorable expression and suddenly thought of a startled little deer, he couldn't help but lightly shake his head, "What? Scared silly?"

  Gu Huanli finally came back to her senses, she bit her lip and tried to speak in a childish tone, "If I have all three, then I can be with my brother for all eternity."

  Gu Tian Xi looked at her, the warmth in her eyes had frozen into ice, emitting a chilling aura that made her swallow all her words. He still smiled, his fingers lightly brushing against her lips, "You're really a naughty little kid... not just this life, but for all eternity..."

  His voice became even lower and more enchanting, like a soft and resilient net that tightly bound Gu Huanli, "Greedy little Li, your wish, brother remembers."

  "I..." Gu Huanli wanted to say, Brother, the naive words of a child are not meant to be taken seriously, let alone, even if they were, he and she are siblings, how could they possibly get married? In the future, there will definitely be someone, a gentle and beautiful woman, by brother's side, enjoying his doting, his care, his tenderness, everything of his.

  But as she spoke, a sharp and severe pain spread from the bottom of her heart, making it hard for her to breathe. Every time she thought about her brother no longer pampering her, no longer loving her, no longer looking at her with that gentle and doting gaze, this pain would wrap around her tightly, making tears flow uncontrollably...

  "Ah——" Gu Tianxi gently lifted his hand and wiped away the tear stains on Gu Huanli's face. His voice was soft and airy, with a hint of faint smile, "When I left, you cried so hard, and now that I'm back, you're still crying so hard. Could it be that my little Li is made of water? You cry so easily."

  "It's nothing." Gu Huanli wiped away the tears on her face with the back of her hand, and smiled wryly. "Actually, I wanted to tell brother about my final exam results, but then I thought it was such a small thing that it wasn't worth mentioning. So, I could only cry and tell brother how much I missed him when he wasn't around."

  "Remember, after going to the United States, you must also maintain such grades. Take care of yourself, and I absolutely will not accept lazy failures." Gu Tianxi leaned forward and scooped up Gu Huanlin in a horizontal hug, the smile on his face becoming even more gentle, "You should know that if your grades do not meet my requirements, there will be what kind of punishment. So even if I am not by your side, you must study hard, and even harder than now."

  "Yes." Brilliant fireworks burst forth in a riot of colors in the clear eyes, and the soft, boneless hands of Qianqian encircled Gu Tianxi's neck. A dazzling smile spread across Gu Huanli's face, "I will work hard to make myself a pride for my brother."

  Gu Tianxi didn't say another word, he just hugged his sister back to their room, washed away the dust and fatigue, and then held Gu Huanli in a light sleep.

  The sun sets in the west, and some yellowish blurry spots begin to appear in the air.

  Gu Huan Lian slowly opened her eyes, with a hint of a gentle smile on her lips. Only her brother's embrace made her feel warm and at ease, unlike the scent on Ye Shen's body, which was enchanting and alluring. She leaned her head to one side, gazing at Gu Tian Xi who was sleeping lightly, and couldn't help but reach out her hand, playfully tracing his forehead, his eyebrow bone, his nose bridge, his cheek...

  Suddenly, Gu Tianxi grasped the mischievous hand and placed it on his lips, lightly kissing the icy fingertips. Gu Huanlin was tickled by his kiss and couldn't help but laugh out loud, repeatedly begging for mercy.

  At this time, Gu Tianxi finally opened his eyes lazily, as if he had just slept a comfortable sleep. He looked at his sister with sleepy eyes, his voice a little hoarse, like the night wind blowing over the treetops, but it made people hear a hint of pampering and warmth. "I've been exhausted for more than half a month, either staring at line charts until my eyes are dry and almost can't be closed, or doing derivations until my brain is knotted, plus these days I've been busy with the decoration of your new home, and when I came back, I encountered flight delays, I'm really exhausted to the point of soul loss."

  Gu Huanli listened to her brother's complaining tone and couldn't help but smile, "I never thought that my brother would get tired too, I always thought you were a superhero who saves the world."

  "Save the world? As long as I can protect my little Li, that's enough." Gu Tianxi gently stroked her hair, his eyes curved into a serious expression. "Besides, I'm human, not a god, so of course I'll have all sorts of human feelings and go through all sorts of extremes. It's just that I prefer to conquer the limits, because this kind of conquest seems to me more like a conquest of potential and willpower, and this kind of conquest makes me feel the beauty and preciousness of existence."

  Gu Huanli gazed quietly at Gu Tianxi, with a thoughtful expression. At this moment, she felt that she understood her brother a little better. Only, such understanding made her even more admire and look up to him.

  "Xiao Li, you must remember, stopping is to organize your thoughts, to avoid the bloody rain and stormy nights and days, to have the courage to face the past, and even more so to have the courage to face the future. You should only focus on the current pain." Gu Tian Xi's fingertips fell on her wrist, where a purple amethyst bangle was worn, slowly caressing it as if feeling its spring-like warmth. "No matter what happens, you must bravely smile and face it. Believe me, courage is the best gift that you can give yourself right now. As long as you think about it, you will definitely be able to give it to yourself..."

  Bravery...

  Although brother doesn't know anything, he seems like he knows everything.

  Her five organs and six entrails seemed to have been burned by sulfuric acid, with blood-filled holes emitting white smoke that pierced every nerve. A faint cloud floated across Gu Huan's eyes, a flower-like smile blooming on her immature face. She shifted forward, leaning into Gu Tianxi's arms, her fingers gently climbing onto his palm, intertwining their ten fingers together.

  Brother, believe me, no matter what happens, I will never be weak and hurt myself again, nor will I let you suffer to the extreme.