Chapter 68: Stalemate (Part 1)

  Remember in one second

  "Brother—" Gu Huanli's lips curved into a shallow smile, and she raised her arm to hook it around Gu Tianxi's neck. Her eyes were filled with infinite adoration as she whispered, "I miss you so much."

  Upon hearing this, Gu Tianxi's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes gleamed with an unusual light, but he remained silent.

  Gu Huanli slightly raised her head, staring straight at him, and carefully said, "Today's class ended early, and I was sent here by someone from the Night Faction. I've already asked them to inform Cassidy... If it makes brother worried or angry... I'll take responsibility..."

  A moment of silence.

  Gu Tianxi remained silent, but his eyes gradually turned cold and stern.

  Gu Huan Lian's heart moved slightly, guessing that her brother knew something, but on the surface she remained calm and composed, still leaning against Gu Tian Xi's body, smiling lightly.

  The surroundings were eerily quiet.

  The two people didn't say a word, just silently gazing at each other, almost hearing the sound of each other's heartbeat. After a long while, Gu Huanli timidly kissed his cheek, which was something she had never done before, so her face instantly flushed with red clouds.

  Gu Tianxi's fingers trembled slightly, and she secretly sighed in her heart. She hugged her sister tightly and gently kissed the top of her head. "I've already helped you apply to school, it starts in February."

  Gu Huan's eyes widened, as if she had just woken up from a dream. She looked at him with a reluctant expression. She bit her lip and whispered, "Brother, I... want to skip grades."

  "What grade do you want to read?"

  "Seventh grade."

  "If you fail, you will become a shame to the Gu family."

  "The children of the Gu family will never fight an unprepared battle."

  "You must get all A's in every subject."

  "Yes."

  "I'll arrange it for you." Gu Tianxi didn't ask her sister why she suddenly had such an idea, as long as she could do it, why not let her go ahead and do it, but the premise was that she must meet her own requirements.

  Seventh grade...

  This way, they can shorten the distance between them, she can graduate from university earlier and become a useful person sooner, and stay by her brother's side. Separation is for the sake of reuniting next time, this kind of thing, Gu Huanli understood.

  "Why are you crying?" Gu Tian Xi pinched Gu Huan Li's chin, scrutinizing her slightly red and swollen eyes. His gaze turned exceptionally cold, "Have you forgotten what I said before? You're not allowed to cry in front of others."

  Gu Huanli looked at her brother's suddenly gloomy face, trying to struggle free a little, but found that the hand grasping her waist was even tighter, and her chin was pinched painfully. She felt a bit uncomfortable in her heart, not because she was wronged, but just felt that she had done something naughty again, making her brother angry.

  "Does it hurt?" Gu Tianxi asked slowly.

  Gu Huanli nodded and then immediately shook her head.

  His fingers gently stroked her eyebrows, and his amber eyes were much darker than usual. "When I'm not by your side, who do you want to wipe away your tears for you, and who do you want to hold you in the palm of their hand and cherish?"

  Gu Huanli saw that he was truly angry and hastily lowered her eyelids, saying in a low voice, "I only have Gege."

  Gu Tian Xi was stunned, unable to speak for a moment. After a while, his icy gaze gradually softened, looking at his sister with a gentle expression, like water, and let out a soft sigh. "Every time you make a mistake, you use this tone to beg for forgiveness. You really think I'm not willing to punish you, don't you?"

  When Gu Huan Lian heard her brother say this, she blinked and immediately leaned into Gu Tian Xi's arms, "Brother, you promised to take me to Disneyland during the holidays." Her tone was long and drawn out, with a spoiled little girl's expression.

  Gu Tianxi was taken aback again, and couldn't help but laugh out loud. She knew that she would only show this mischievous side in front of him. Gently brushing aside the stray hairs on her forehead, he smiled lightly and asked, "America or Japan?"

  "As long as brother is with me, anywhere will do." Gu Huanli whispered softly in his ear, after all, such an opportunity was extremely rare, and she naturally wanted to grasp it tightly.

  "Hmm." Gu Tianxi let out a cold hum, his face covered in a layer of frost, his expression as sharp as ice, and an aura of murder surrounding him. However, there was a hint of amusement in his tone. "Tomorrow, I'll have the hairstylist come over to give you a trim."

  Gu Huanli lowered her head and looked at him, her eyes rippling with waves, softly uttering a few words, "Brother, can't I not cut it short... I want to keep it long..."

  "I don't like your eyes being covered by your hair." Gu Tianxi's words were spoken lightly, but his eyes were fierce and serious.

  Gu Huanli stared at him, and for a moment, she couldn't say a word.

  Gu Tianxi's lips curled up with a smile, her fingers gently teasing the black hair hanging from her shoulders. "You can grow it long if you want to, but without my permission, you are not allowed to cut it short."

  Her bright and clear eyes blinked repeatedly, especially dazzling in the sunlight. After a while, she finally replied softly, "Unless brother doesn't want me one day, otherwise, I will always stay."

  The house was quiet inside.

  Gu Tian Xi stared at Gu Huan Lian without blinking, his dark eyes deep and mysterious. Suddenly, he said in a low, husky voice that sent shivers down one's spine, "Why would I not want you?" The tone was icy cold, but beneath it, a hint of tenderness flickered, only to vanish instantly.

  At the words, Gu Huanli's eyes suddenly became dazed, as if she had suddenly remembered something from the past, but soon returned to normal, smiling lightly and hooking her arm around Gu Tianxi's neck again. "Yes, brother will never abandon me."

  I know, even if I'm foolish, make mistakes or hurt myself, you will still love me just the same.

  Looking at his sister's eyes, which seemed to be filled with a mix of sadness and adoration, he felt a sudden jolt in his heart. For some reason, Gu Tianxi suddenly felt a pang in his chest, and a sharp pain spread across his chest. He gently wrapped his arms around Gu Huanli's waist, and under the sunlight, his eyes were deep and calm like water, seeming to be both passionate and indifferent at the same time, which was extremely moving. With his hand, he gently poked her cheek, and said lightly, "From now on, you must never say such nonsense again."

  There was a moment when the boy in front of him almost overlapped with the man who had shed tears outside the operating room.

  Gu Huanli's eyes were incredibly soft, she slightly tilted her head, and her gaze met Gu Tianxi's with a deep affection. Her fingers unconsciously brushed against his cheek. Although there were no tears, the moisture seemed to reach directly into her innermost heart from her fingertips. She nodded, her tone extremely serious, "Yes."

  "It would be a pity if the hard-won opportunity were to be abandoned in vain." Gu Tianxi bent down to pick up the towel that had fallen on the ground, then hugged his sister and left the recording room.

  Sitting in the stands, with a group of screaming and shouting girls behind her, Gu Huan Lian didn't know whether she should be delighted that her brother had such high popularity or surrender to his boundless charm. However, as she sat there quietly, she felt her chest throbbing repeatedly, not painful but empty, as if she had lost something, feeling extremely stifled.

  She wasn't that kind of bad sister who wanted to monopolize her brother, she just...just wanted her brother to take a look at her, just wanted to spend a few more days by her brother's side. Gu Huanlin curled up the corner of his mouth and smiled sarcastically. Yeah, there will always be that day when brother takes someone else's hand, promises to entrust his life to them, and shoulders that person's sky...

  It doesn't matter, as long as that person is gentle and considerate, as long as that person understands Brother, then this younger sister will naturally give her full support. Brother's life should be perfect and complete from the start. However, just thinking about a woman appearing by Gu Tian Xi's side, occupying all his attention, makes Gu Huan Lian's chest churn with anger.

  She's overthinking it.

  In any case, at least he's here and she's here, which is better than being worlds apart in memory.

  Her fingertips lightly brushed over the watch on her wrist that her brother had given her, and a sharp pain shot through her chest again, even more painful than when she saw Luguo's betrayal. She thought she had long been numb, until her soul left her body and felt the pain, as if she had finally found herself after being lost for so long. The pain spread out, piercing her heart and bones, tearing her liver and intestines apart.

  This life is for brother's sake.

  Gu Huan Lian thought for a moment, and suddenly a smile appeared on her face. She wanted to watch this game carefully, engraving it in the deepest part of her heart, never forgetting it.

  Her shoulder was lightly patted, and when she turned around, two familiar-looking girls were standing in front of her. One of them asked with a smile, "You... are Gu Tianxi's sister, right?"

  Gu Huanli blinked a few times and suddenly searched for their influence in her memory, she couldn't help but laugh, "I've seen the two sisters at the hospital."

  "Vivian" Han Ruoxi awkwardly tugged at her friend's clothes, really not knowing what had gotten into her today to make her proactively strike up a conversation with Gu Tianxi's sister. The last time something like this happened, it caused quite the stir, and Luo Yichen didn't even bother explaining himself, letting others gossip about him behind his back or even right in front of him. But, his sudden change in personality, as well as his attire...

  Han Ruoxi couldn't let go of Jiao Yichen from start to finish, especially when she saw his dispirited appearance, which made her heart ache even more. Those boring words were just some occasional complaints she had expressed to friends, but who knew they would spread so widely, and after being retold ten times, a hundred times, by so many people, now it sounds like the truth is simply worlds apart from the actual story. If she wasn't someone in the know, she's afraid even she would be moved by that twisted and bizarre tale.

  Qī Wēi Wēi didn't care and smiled, picking a spot next to Gù Huàn Lí and sitting down directly, "We're late, the whole place is full except for this empty seat next to you, I suppose it's specially left by Gù Tiān Xī... hehe..."

  Gu Huanli likes Qi Weiwei's straightforward attitude and appreciates her willingness to take a stand for her friends, but more importantly, Qi Weiwei dislikes Luo Yichen, and with that, they are comrades in the same trench.

  That's right, taking pleasure in tormenting and slandering Yuwen Yong, making him struggle painfully in the mire as a war friend.

  Han Ruoxi hesitated for a moment, then sat down close to Qi Weiwei. Just listening to the whispers behind her back, she always felt that those people were mocking her, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She poked Qi Weiwei and whispered, "Let's go sit somewhere else, everyone is staring."

  "It's alright, such a good position, everyone is so envious." Qi Weiwei waved her hand casually and turned to Gu Huanli, "Recently, haven't you been feeling well? I didn't see you on the competition field at all."

  "Huh?" Gu Huanli stared at Qi Weiyi in surprise, "Sister didn't come to watch the match, how did she notice whether I came or not?"

  Qī Wēi Wēi covered her mouth and smiled secretly, while pointing at the school uniform on Gu Huàn Lí's body with her other hand. "Please, you're the only student in the whole field. Besides, although Gu Tiān Xī is a transfer student, he immediately became our school's sensation. As his sister, you naturally attract attention."

  Gu Huanli's lips curled up in a smile, "So I'm just an extra, huh? Nuo Nuo, quickly tell me, what has brother been doing at school to make..."

  She pointed behind her at the group of girls and clicked her tongue, saying "So crazy"

  Then she pointed to the two girls on either side and whispered, "Lan Gege and Yi Chen Gege also have a lot of fans."

  Qī Wēi Wēi spread her hands and said helplessly, "No way, the three most handsome boys in the whole school are not only in the same class but also on the same basketball team. According to my observation, I'm afraid even the principal's speech didn't attract as many people as now. It's just that their opponents are a bit..."

  Looking at those people on the other side of the field, their faces were ashen and their hair was standing on end in anger, Gu Huanli couldn't help but say, "Judging from this situation, it's truly... a spark to fire..."

  At this moment, with a whistle from the referee, the game officially started