The Woman in the Photograph

Gu Yuechen suddenly looked up at the door, his blood seeming to freeze in an instant. He even forgot to breathe.

It can't be Pei Huanyi, can it?

Didn't he say he wouldn't come again?

He wasn't wearing anything right now!

Gu Yuechen finally regained his senses and, in his panic, accidentally fell off the sofa.

Yu Yaochen's pupils constricted as he quickly reached out to catch him.

"Careful!"

How could Gu Yuechen care about his aching knee? He shoved Yu Yaochen's hand away, scrambled to pick up the clothes scattered on the floor, and pulled them on piece by piece.

His fingers trembled so badly that he could not fasten the buttons no matter what.

It was all Yu Yaochen's fault!

If Yu Yaochen had not insisted on bringing up that kind of topic, he would not have impulsively taken off their clothes.

Compared with Gu Yuechen's flustered panic, Yu Yaochen seemed far calmer.

He immediately got off the sofa, walked over to Gu Yuechen, and helped him get dressed.

"Don't be afraid. I changed the password two days ago."

Gu Yuechen's fingers paused. Only then did he realize that quite a long time seemed to have passed since the password had been entered.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Gu Yuechen demanded angrily.

"I'm sorry." Yu Yaochen had not expected Gu Yuechen to react so intensely. He lowered his head and saw that Gu Yuechen's knee had already turned red, making him feel somewhat annoyed with himself. "Did the fall hurt?"

"Go get dressed already." Gu Yuechen pulled his hand away and retreated several steps, looking as if he wanted nothing to do with him. "It's so cold. Don't make Doctor Pei stand outside for too long."

Yu Yaochen realized that Gu Yuechen had misunderstood. "It's not him. It's the auntie who comes over to clean. She's the only one I told the entry password to."

He did not like being disturbed while he was creating, so he had simply given the cleaning auntie the entry password.

Later, after he and Gu Yuechen had slept together in the studio, he had begun considering changing the password so no one would see their bodies.

He himself did not really mind. He even went swimming occasionally.

He simply did not want anyone else to see Gu Yuechen's body. Man or woman, neither was acceptable.

Gu Yuechen paused while dressing. "Is she an auntie from the Yu Household?"

"Mm." Yu Yaochen nodded.

Gu Yuechen immediately relaxed, and the panic and unease in his eyes vanished without a trace. He then continued getting dressed at an unhurried pace.

Every tiny movement of his fell into Yu Yaochen's eyes, and Yu Yaochen frowned slightly.

If Gu Yuechen merely felt sorry toward Pei Huanyi, there was no need for him to panic to this extent, much less injure his knee like that.

Pei Huanyi was not a fool. Once they made their relationship public in the future, he would be able to guess something or other. Gu Yuechen should have been prepared for that.

Yu Yaochen realized that Gu Yuechen seemed a little overly nervous about Pei Huanyi.

"Why are you still standing there?" Gu Yuechen had already finished dressing and looked at him in confusion.

Yu Yaochen came back to himself and bent down to pick up his own clothes.

I'm probably just being too sensitive.

At that moment, the phone on the coffee table rang, and they both looked over.

Yu Yaochen put on his trousers first, then went to get the phone.

"It's the auntie. I'll tell her to go back."

Gu Yuechen hurriedly said, "Don't. Let her come in. It's so cold, and it wasn't easy for her to come all this way. At least let her come inside and warm up."

More importantly, he hoped another person would come in so they would not have to continue what they had been doing.

Hearing how considerate and kind Gu Yuechen was being, Yu Yaochen naturally did not refuse. His eyes curved slightly, his expression turning gentle.

"Okay."

He answered the call and said, "Auntie, wait two minutes. I'll come open the door for you right away."

After hanging up, Yu Yaochen quickly got dressed and strode toward the door.

Gu Yuechen lowered his head to check his appearance.

Though she was only a servant, before the engagement was called off, he did not want to invite trouble.

The door opened, and a middle-aged woman in a down jacket walked in, carrying two bags.

"I thought you weren't here." Standing in the entryway, the woman smiled and said, "Madam was worried that you spend all day in the studio and don't eat on time, so she specifically asked me to come make you some soup to nourish you."

"I'll take those to the kitchen for you." Yu Yaochen reached for the two bags in her hands.

"Young Master, there's no need. It's just a few things. I can carry them myself."

"It's inconvenient to change your shoes while carrying things."

Upon hearing that, the woman stopped refusing and handed the things to Yu Yaochen.

"Young Master, just put them on the counter. I'll organize them later."

"Mm." Yu Yaochen nodded.

Once Yu Yaochen turned around, his line of sight no longer blocked her, and the woman finally saw Gu Yuechen standing beside the sofa.

"Do you have a guest?" The woman dipped her head toward Gu Yuechen. "Hello."

Gu Yuechen was just about to greet her when he caught sight of her face. As though struck by lightning, his eyes widened and his face turned pale.

He had seen the photographs his grandmother kept hidden in the cabinet. Though he had not looked at them many times, he still remembered the woman in them.

So at this moment, he recognized at a glance that the woman before him was the mother who had given birth to him and then abandoned him.

Afraid that Gu Yuechen would feel awkward, Yu Yaochen stopped and stood between them, introducing them.

"She's the auntie in charge of cleaning and meals here. She only comes by occasionally."

Gu Yuechen did not react at all. His eyes remained fixed on the woman, the shock and joy hidden in them nearly overflowing.

Yu Yaochen looked at the woman. "He is my..."

He paused, the corners of his lips curving as his smile became somewhat sweet.

"He's an important... friend of mine. He comes here to see me often."

The woman immediately dipped her head, her tone respectful. "Hello, my name is Lin Lizhu. You can call me Auntie like Young Master does, or Aunt Lin."

Lin Lizhu...

Gu Yuechen silently repeated the name, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes.

So his original surname had been the same as his mother's.

He believed that his mother must have loved him once. Otherwise, why would she have given him the same surname?

Noticing Lin Lizhu's gaze, Gu Yuechen nervously rubbed his palms together.

"My name is..." Gu Yuechen raised his eyes to meet Lin Lizhu's, hoping to see some special emotion on her face. "My name is Gu Yuechen. Yue as in joy, and Chen is..."

Gu Yuechen suddenly looked at Yu Yaochen, jealousy rising in his heart once more.

Completely unaware of what he was thinking, Yu Yaochen smiled and finished for him. "Like me, his name also has the character Chen."

"Is that so?" Lin Lizhu smiled. "What a coincidence."

Gu Yuechen stared at Lin Lizhu's face but saw no special emotion.

The expectation in his eyes turned to disappointment.

His mother had not remembered him.

I should have said my name was Lin Yan.

Of course, that was only a fleeting thought.

He would not rashly acknowledge Lin Lizhu as his mother.

He was still ruining the relationship between Yu Yaochen and Pei Huanyi.

He was afraid that if Lin Lizhu found out, she would despise and loathe him, her son, even more.