Chapter 10: If the Lord remains unchanged, I remain unchanged

Shen Guiyan's heart skipped a beat as she subconsciously looked at Gu Chaobei. Gu Chaobei was already leaning against the bed, grimacing, preparing to check his wound.

"What are you doing?" Shen Guiyan lowered her voice and anxiously pressed his hand.

Gu Chaobei's lips turned white as he gestured to his wound. The red had already seeped through, staining the snow-white silk, and he couldn't even undo his clothes to check the wound!

Shen Guiyan shook her head. It was bad enough to have a man in her room in the middle of the night, but if he was disheveled, she wouldn't be able to wash away the shame even if she jumped into the Yellow River.

There was a knock on the window again. Shen Guiyan quickly got up, put on a cloak, and went over to ask in a low voice, "Who is it?"

She didn't need to ask; it was the same as when Gu Chaodong came last time. But tonight was supposed to be his wedding night. Why did he come here?

"Yan'er." The voice outside was still panting, as if he had rushed here without stopping. Shen Guiyan's nose tingled as she heard his voice, and she glanced back at Gu Chaobei, who had wisely disappeared.

She opened the window, and Gu Chaodong's figure appeared outside, standing under the eaves, sweating, and looking at her. "Yan'er, I didn't know I was marrying..."

Shen Guiya had been discovered, hadn't she? Shen Guiyan chuckled and looked at him. "Have you two consummated the marriage?"

Gu Chaodong's throat tightened, and he looked at her with deep affection. "Yan'er, I had no choice. In that situation, I couldn't let both families lose face, so I had to marry Ya'er..."

"I'm asking if you've consummated the marriage?" Shen Guiyan took a step back and looked at the hourglass in the room. It was the middle of the night, so they should have finished, right?

Gu Chaodong hesitated for a moment and lowered his eyes. "No, I heard my fourth brother causing a commotion here, so I came over."

Shen Guiyan breathed a sigh of relief. "If you haven't consummated the marriage, then it doesn't count as official. If you truly still have me in your heart, go and explain to Father, send Ya'er back, and take me back with you."

"Well..." Gu Chaodong was flustered. Looking at the usually gentle and sensible Shen Guiyan, he pursed his lips. "The marriage has already taken place. If I send Ya'er back now, how will she face it? Besides, she's already carrying my child..."

Marrying Shen Guiya as the main wife would make the child legitimate, more prestigious than the child from Gu Chaonan's room.

Shen Guiyan widened her eyes in shock and looked at Gu Chaodong again. "Since you've decided to keep Fifth Sister, why did you come here?"

To dream of a happy life for everyone?

Gu Chaodong was a bit embarrassed. He didn't expect Shen Guiyan to say that. He thought that after she had experienced a series of changes, she would want to rely on him and would agree with a little coaxing. After all, he loved her the most, didn't he?

Aren't women supposed to be easily persuaded? Why had Yan'er become so difficult?

"Yan'er, we've known each other for many years. Just because of this misunderstanding, do you really not want to spend the rest of your life with me?" Gu Chaodong took a deep breath and said with some pain, "Who wrote 'You should be the rock, and I should be the reed' on the poem?"

Shen Guiyan shook her head. "If you don't change, I won't change. If your heart has changed, how can mine remain the same?"

Gu Chaodong was taken aback, wanting to say more, but Shen Guiyan had already closed the window. She returned to the bed, her eyes already red.

She had been thinking that Gu Chaodong might come and tell her that this marriage was invalid, that he only wanted her. Then maybe he would help her find out the truth about Aunt Qin's death and take her away from the Shen family.

But he came, and it was after he had married Shen Guiya.

Shen Guiyan wasn't a fool. If he really had feelings for her, would he have married Shen Guiya regardless of her feelings?

She lay down on the bed in frustration, but heard a muffled groan. It seemed like she was pressing on someone.

Gu Chaobei lifted the blanket, still wearing a strange expression on his face, and looked at her, holding his shoulder.

His eyes were deep, as if someone had said, "A person who harbors everything has the universe in their eyes." Shen Guiyan was stunned for a moment, then regained her composure and got up to make room for him.

The wound on his shoulder hadn't been bandaged and was bleeding more, staining her bed. Shen Guiyan didn't have the heart to say much to him, just whispered, "When he leaves, you should leave too."

Gu Chaobei let out a soft hum and raised his shoulder, saying, "I haven't had enough of the excitement. Who was it that said bad people come in the middle of the night? Why didn't you stab him?"

"Can you and he be the same?" Shen Guiyan rolled her eyes.

She had known Gu Chaodong for so many years, but Gu Chaobei had only seen him today.

After a moment of thought, Gu Chaobei nodded. "Not quite the same. He's more of a beast than I am."

Glaring at him, Shen Guiyan unceremoniously pulled her blanket out. "Get down."

Gu Chaobei groaned and sat up, holding his shoulder. "You injured me, can't you be gentle?"

"You offended me first." Shen Guiyan glanced at his shoulder and, unable to bear it, turned to get some medicinal ointment for him.

"Yan'er, who are you talking to?" Gu Chaodong, outside the window, heard some movement and couldn't help but ask.

He hadn't left yet? Gu Chaobei raised an eyebrow. It was quite a feat to hang outside on the second floor.

Shen Guiyan was startled, not knowing how to answer, but the man on the bed suddenly got up and walked straight to the window.

"What are you trying to do?" Shen Guiyan hurriedly stopped him.

Gu Chaobei made a clicking sound and pulled her hand, opening the window to come face to face with his own elder brother. He gave a slight smile, took a deep breath, and shouted out of the window:

"Thief—catch—"

Gu Chaodong's expression changed as he saw his younger brother coming out, and upon hearing the shout, he almost fell off the eaves: "Fourth brother?!"

The rain outside had stopped, and Gu Chaobei's voice carried far, startling people from all corners of the courtyard. Bao Shan hurriedly put on her clothes and came out to see that the fourth young master of their family was grabbing someone outside the window and refusing to let go, still shouting, "Quick, catch the thief—"

The person outside the window struggled fiercely but dared not use too much force, for fear that if Gu Chaobei let go, they would surely fall from the second floor.

The commotion had just died down, and everyone who had just fallen asleep was awakened again, all coming to Yanzilou to see what was happening. The steward of the Shen family couldn't help but shout when he saw the person standing outside the window: "Master Gu?"

The young masters of the Prime Minister's residence were destined to have a feud with Miss Shen. First, it was the eldest master Gu, then the fourth master Gu, and now both of them had come together.

Even Shen's father couldn't sleep peacefully and came over with Shen's mother, both wearing their clothes.

When Shen Guiyan heard Gu Chaobei's shout, she knew she was in trouble. Two men, one inside the room and one outside the window, and she couldn't escape. Who would be implicated? Wasn't it her?

Gu Chaobei, this rascal, had never considered the issue of a girl's reputation and just dragged her into this mess!

Could Shen Guiyan just sit and wait for her doom? No, she couldn't. If she let them continue like this, she was afraid she would be killed.

Without further ado, Shen Guiyan decisively messed up her hair, tore open her nightgown, and rolled onto the bed, hugging the blanket and crying.

Both brothers of the Gu family were stunned. Gu Chaobei turned to look at Shen Guiyan and couldn't help but laugh. Gu Chaodong's face, however, was very ugly: "Yan'er..."

The Shen family's reinforcements arrived, and as soon as they entered, they saw this chaotic scene.

"What's going on?" Shen's father looked at Shen Guiyan on the bed, not caring who the person outside the window was. In the middle of the night, in his own daughter's room, how could he still maintain a good expression?

Shen's mother had sharp eyes and, seeing the bloodstains on the bed, hurried over to ask, "Yan'er, who did this to you?"

Gu Chaobei let go of Gu Chaodong's clothes, reached out to grab his cloak, and then looked innocent.

Shen Guiyan, crying and trembling, pointed at Gu Chaobei: "It's him, the fourth young master Gu..."

Alright, no need to say more. Just this unfinished sentence was enough. The gazes of the Shen family all turned to the window.

Gu Chaobei sighed and said, "Yan'er will marry me sooner or later. I just got a little impatient, being full of youthful vigor. But as for the elder brother, why come to my wife's room in the middle of the night without going through the wedding night?"