Chapter 517: Extra: Gu Nian - Midsummer's Echo (Finale)

Ji Mu was dumbfounded.

What… did she mean?

What did she mean by… “That was pretty hot”?

‘Jiang Qingli had followed my plan to the letter, arriving right on time. From her perspective, she should have only seen me get roughly slammed against the wall and kicked to the ground by Gu Nian.’

‘It was a textbook scene of bullying and humiliation!’

‘When she saw her usually delicate “flower vase” Beast Husband beating up a handsome, pitiful male, shouldn’t she have been shocked, then discovered her Beast Husband’s true colors and cut ties with him? Shouldn’t she have realized that this poor, pitiful soul possessed the qualities of truth, goodness, and beauty, making him the perfect replacement, and then embraced her new love?!’

‘How could she run over and say something like that!’

Ji Mu’s head was buzzing; he couldn’t process it at all.

Jiang Qingli had no intention of explaining. She waved her terminal and said to Gu Nian, “I’ve already spoken to Assistant He. I told her he was harassing me and bullying you. She’ll take care of it.”

Earlier, Jiang Qingli hadn’t planned on exposing him, deciding to give the Twelve Cities’ City Lord some face. But since Ji Mu tried to frame Gu Nian, she wouldn’t hold back.

Ji Mu’s eyes widened, and he instinctively retorted, “I—I didn’t!”

‘This can’t get out. If it does, how am I supposed to survive in the aristocratic circles? Intentionally trying to break up someone’s family… I’ll be despised by the entire aristocracy. What female would dare want me after this!’

Ji Mu scrambled to get up, but a single glare from Jiang Qingli froze him in place.

He suddenly realized that Jiang Qingli might have known Gu Nian’s true nature all along. She didn’t mind at all; in fact, she might have even thought it was good that Gu Nian could use him to vent his anger.

‘How could this be…’

A chill ran through Ji Mu. On a hot summer day, he felt as if he’d been plunged into an icy cavern.

He could only watch, helpless, as Jiang Qingli wrapped an arm around Gu Nian’s waist and led him away, and as Assistant He arrived with several security guards to apprehend him.

…

Gu Nian’s mood was a little down.

He didn’t say much during dinner.

Back in their room, while Jiang Qingli was at her desk handling some files, he crouched on the nearby sofa, his chin resting on his knees.

Jiang Qingli could feel his gaze on the side of her face, but when she turned to look, he would avert his eyes, as if lost in a daze.

The dim yellow light fell on his profile, outlining it in a dance of light and shadow.

When their eyes met, Gu Nian looked up and offered her a smile, but it seemed a little lonely.

It was the first time Jiang Qingli had seen such an expression on Gu Nian’s face.

She quickly finished a few urgent files, pushed aside the screen in front of her, and tiptoed over to sit beside Gu Nian.

Jiang Qingli’s arms couldn’t wrap all the way around Gu Nian’s back, so she rested one on his shoulder and pressed her cheek against his. Gu Nian pulled his chin back, shifting his knees slightly to let her lean against them.

The posture was actually a little ridiculous.

But it was also very intimate.

Their breaths mingled closely. When Jiang Qingli blinked, her eyelashes brushed against Gu Nian’s cheek, and he pressed his lips together.

‘He wanted to pull away, but also wanted to be closer.’

Jiang Qingli asked softly, “Why are you sitting like this?”

“Probably an old habit,” Gu Nian replied.

Jiang Qingli asked, “When did you pick it up?”

Gu Nian avoided her gaze. “…I forgot.”

Even if he didn’t say, Jiang Qingli could guess some of it.

A while ago, the underground auction house had been cleaned up, its sordid sections renovated into a pure entertainment venue.

Gu Nian wasn’t very good with renovations, so he’d asked Jiang Qingli to review the design plans once. He had to leave midway for something, and Jiang Qingli continued the tour with the others.

The rooms being demolished were cramped, divided by iron bars into individual spaces of less than two square meters.

Jiang Qingli felt a faint sense of suffocation. “What was this place?”

The person accompanying her answered truthfully, “Miss Jiang, these were the dormitories for the fighters in the old Beast Fighting Arena… The space is very small. The Beastmen usually slept crouched down in here.”

As he spoke, he ducked inside to demonstrate.

His posture then was exactly the same as Gu Nian’s now.

Her heart felt as if someone had taken hold of it and squeezed, not too hard, not too soft.

Jiang Qingli leaned in and gently kissed his lips.

“Nian,” Jiang Qingli said, peppering him with light kisses. “Why are you unhappy? Are you annoyed I showed up too early, before you got to beat him to your heart’s content?”

Gu Nian pressed his lips together. “I could never be ‘annoyed’ with you. Never.”

He emphasized the point but didn’t say why he was unhappy.

‘Does he want me to coax him?’

After they had confessed their feelings for each other, Gu Nian was always docile and obedient around Jiang Qingli. Even when he was jealous, he wouldn’t give her the cold shoulder. There were times he’d pretend to be upset, but it was mostly to tease her, and he’d come whining for kisses after just a few words.

This, however, was truly rare.

Jiang Qingli didn’t press him immediately. She just raised a hand to stroke his hair, her fingers tracing down to his ear. She gave it a gentle squeeze and felt a small, rough spot.

It was Gu Nian’s old ear piercing.

Gu Nian had two piercings in his ear. He didn’t usually wear earrings, so they had healed over. You couldn’t see them unless you looked closely, but you could feel the distinct scar tissue when you touched them.

But if you looked up close, you’d see that the two piercings were completely asymmetrical.

Gu Nian didn’t usually let her touch this spot. He hadn’t managed to pull away in time, so she was able to feel it carefully.

Jiang Qingli asked the question she’d long wanted to know. “When did you get them? Who pierced them for you?”

“When I was a teenager.” Gu Nian avoided her gaze again, his tone a bit vague. “I did it myself.”

“Why?” When Jiang Qingli didn’t want to be fooled, she couldn’t be fooled.

Gu Nian was silent for a moment before saying, “Back in the Beast Fighting Arena, they’d put tags on our ears to tell us apart. The person who tagged me messed up the first time, so they pulled it out. I made the second hole myself. That’s why there are two scars.”

He didn’t sound like he was in pain when he talked about it, just distressed. “They won’t go away after so long… I hope you don’t find it ugly, Qingli…”

Jiang Qingli didn’t speak, just stared at him.

Her direct gaze was so intense it made Gu Nian’s heart race.

Just when he felt he couldn’t take it anymore, Jiang Qingli broke her gaze. She lowered her eyes, tilted her head, and kissed his ear, her breath soft and gentle. “It’s cute. It’s another thing that makes Gu Nian one of a kind.”

She spoke the words “one of a kind” right against the scar.

Gu Nian felt a searing heat in his chest, as if sparks were showering down inside him.

Jiang Qingli chuckled and continued, “So, even if others show up who are similar to you, or who surpass you in certain…” She paused. “…’green tea’ aspects, I won’t be interested in them. You can set your mind at ease.”

“Also, when I said you looked hot beating that guy up today, I wasn’t teasing you. It’s the truth. You looked really good.”

Gu Nian lowered his head and fell silent.

Sometimes, Jiang Qingli was incredibly perceptive.

He really was feeling down because of what happened today.

‘The other males who’d thrown themselves at her in the past were all different from me. But today, I realized that in the future, more and more people would try to please Jiang Qingli by catering to her tastes. There are plenty of people out there with even fewer scruples than me. I’m not that special after all.’

‘What’s more, I’ll only get older with time.’

‘What if a younger replacement comes along…’

Gu Nian already had severe anxiety about his looks and his age. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got at himself.

‘Why can’t I stay young and beautiful forever? Why can’t I always be the way she likes me?’

He was afraid Jiang Qingli would find him childish if she knew.

But she didn’t.

She simply said he was one of a kind.

Gu Nian closed his eyes.

He felt Jiang Qingli’s fingers touch the scar he loathed so much.

In truth, he had long forgotten how much it hurt.

It was never something worth caring about.

But now, as her fingers gently caressed it, he felt every inch of his skin burn.

“Qingli.”

Gu Nian suddenly opened his eyes. Looking right into Jiang Qingli’s, he said,

“I love you.”

…

“Qingli, I want to be with you forever.”

“Okay.”

“Qingli.”

“Hm?”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

…

Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, the moon hung high in the sky. The flowers were blooming slowly and beautifully.

They held each other, whispering meaningless sweet nothings. The words were short and simple, repeated back and forth, both a confirmation and an affirmation.

After talking until her throat was dry, Jiang Qingli suddenly remembered something. “Oh, right. I have something to show you.”

She walked over to her desk and handed Gu Nian a paper certificate.

Gu Nian opened it and saw it was a donation certificate.

The contents were extensive, detailing a long-term donation to the Twelve Cities’ orphanages.

There were two names listed as the donors: [Jiang Qingli, Gu Nian]

“You’ve given all your money to me, so I didn’t tell you when I used it,” Jiang Qingli said. “You’re not mad I acted on my own, are you? We split it fifty-fifty.”

“Of course not. It’s my honor for you to use my money,” Gu Nian said. He’d been upset before that Jiang Qingli never used his money. Now that he had this chance, he couldn’t be happier. “From now on, just use mine for everything.”

The more she spent, the more motivated he was to earn.

Jiang Qingli smiled.

‘Every time I see the children at the orphanage, I think of Gu Nian.’

‘In the future, I won’t let such sad things happen to other children again.’

Gu Nian wrapped his arms around Jiang Qingli, ready to go to sleep. But after a moment, he couldn’t resist opening the donation certificate again. He traced their names, written side by side, and a smile curved in his eyes.

He said from the bottom of his heart, “I’m so happy.”

Gu Nian had silently written his and Jiang Qingli’s names in his heart countless times.

It had been an unspeakable dream, a hopeless cry in the midst of sorrow. He had never dared to hope for a future.

But now, their names had been written by Jiang Qingli’s own hand, pressed closely together.

–

On a midsummer day, much like the one when they first met.

Gu Nian was certain his love had finally been answered.