I Heard You Liked Me First - Chapter 22
Right at that moment, Chi An happened to be standing behind them. When she saw the two suddenly stop moving, she asked if something was wrong.
Gu Nan smiled and said, “Nothing, we’ve just been walking for a long time. I’m a little tired.”
After that, they continued wandering around, stopping now and then. Even lunch was dealt with at the venue. By the end, they had explored every single corner of the convention center.
The only thing that left Gu Yue a bit disappointed was that they never saw that stunning cosplayer from earlier again.
Winter nights fell quickly, and by the time darkness descended, the three of them finally left the convention hall.
It had been an exhausting day for all of them. Gu Yue sighed with relief and said, “Good thing I turned off the step counter before we left. If my mom saw how many steps I took today, I’d have no idea how to explain it.”
Gu Nan pulled out her phone and checked her WeChat pedometer twenty thousand steps.
That number actually shocked her for a moment. She couldn’t recall ever walking that much in one day. And just from looking at it, her legs suddenly felt sore and heavy again.
“I don’t think I can take another step. Let’s find somewhere to sit.”
Chi An said, “Let’s get dinner. Mrs. Xiao just messaged me she invited us to eat together tonight.”
Gu Nan raised a surprised brow. She had thought Su Wan would avoid them for a few days after finding out they’d gone to the convention, maybe even refuse to see them out of anger. But now, it seemed she wanted to meet the same night.
Dinner was arranged at an elegant Western restaurant a perfect choice after a long day. A good, protein-heavy steak sounded like heaven.
Su Wan arrived before the three of them and chose a quiet booth by the window.
When they arrived, she greeted them with a smile. “I heard you went to the convention today. You look exhausted.”
Gu Nan slumped in her seat, too tired to speak, and nudged Gu Yue to handle the conversation.
Gu Yue, however, was still buzzing with excitement. “Yeah! My cousin took me to the convention. We played so many games, got a ton of prizes and merch, and took pictures with lots of cosplayers!”
“Even though I’m tired, it was really fun!”
She originally wanted to mention that they’d seen a cosplayer who looked a bit like Su Wan—but when she remembered that woman’s stunning figure and then looked at Su Wan’s composed and elegant demeanor, she decided against it. Better not say something that might come off as rude.
Su Wan seemed genuinely interested, listening intently and nodding along, indulging Gu Yue’s enthusiasm.
Just as the two were chatting, the waiter came over with their dishes.
Gu Yue finally stopped talking and turned her focus to eating. After walking twenty thousand steps, she was starving so hungry she felt she could eat an entire cow.
Su Wan fell silent too.
She had agreed to dinner not because she wanted to, but because after finishing her own cosplay activities, she didn’t feel like going home yet. She wanted to share her convention experience with people who would understand and these three were the most suitable company.
But halfway through the meal, Gu Yue suddenly froze, staring at Su Wan. Her widened eyes immediately drew everyone’s attention.
“What’s wrong?” Gu Nan, having recovered a bit of her energy, perked up with curiosity.
Gu Yue couldn’t think of a good excuse. Her gaze kept drifting toward Su Wan’s collarbone, which made it impossible for anyone not to notice.
Su Wan arched a brow. “What’s the matter now?”
Gu Yue hesitated for a long time, her cheeks growing redder by the second. Finally, she stammered, “Mrs. Xiao, the glitter on your collarbone is really pretty.”
Su Wan almost lost her composure right then and there.
Glitter on her collarbone? She’d completely forgotten to wipe that off after changing earlier—it was leftover from the cosplay makeup session.
Gu Nan and Chi An both turned to look.
Sure enough, the faint shimmer on Su Wan’s already delicate collarbone made her look even more elegant and enticing under the warm lights.
Gu Nan’s tone carried a teasing smile. “So that’s the kind of person Mrs. Xiao is. I wonder—who exactly were you trying to seduce with that collarbone glitter?”
Su Wan smiled stiffly, expression lifeless. Inwardly, she cursed: I’ve been living separately from that useless husband for years who the hell would I even be seducing?
What, you think I did this to charm you kids at the convention?
Her silence only left more room for imagination.
Gu Yue gazed at Su Wan’s refined and beautiful face and was suddenly reminded of a flower she’d once seen Chrysanthemum of Gold Sands.
Su Wan was just like that flower exquisite, soft, elegant, and breathtakingly beautiful flower. A rare bloom that ordinary people could never hope to touch.
But the reality was, Su Wan was already married to a man Gu Yue remembered as less than admirable.
Was a man like that really worth her putting glitter on her collarbone for?
For some reason, Gu Yue’s chest felt tight.
She remembered her mother once saying, “Mrs. Xiao might look like she’s got it all, but in truth, she’s no better off than the rest of us. Mr. Xiao’s never been a faithful man.”
Gu Yue suddenly wanted to tell Mrs. Xiao, The glitter’s pretty, but you shouldn’t wear it next time. That man doesn’t deserve it.
Gu Yue wasn’t the type to hide her emotions, so the air around the dinner table turned heavy.
Su Wan cleared her throat and quickly changed the subject.
“About Gu Yue’s schooling there’s an opportunity coming up that we might want to seize.”
Everyone’s attention shifted to her.
Su Wan explained, “New Year’s is coming soon. Mrs. Xiao Senior wants to host a gathering with her old friends, mostly to brag about how successful the Xiao family’s been this year. After all, they’ve sold several big properties and made a fortune.”
“But not all those ‘friends’ are genuine. From what I’ve heard, a few of their grandsons’ wives graduated from top universities.”
Gu Nan clapped her hands. “Oh, I get it you want them to mock Mrs. Xiao because her granddaughter-in-law’s a high school dropout!”
Gu Yue, the so-called dropout: “???”
Su Wan said mildly, “You don’t have to put it that harshly, but that’s roughly the idea.”
“If Gu Yue keeps up her sweet and well-behaved image and then adds a good degree to her name, Mrs. Xiao Senior will have something to show off in front of her friends. When that happens, she’ll definitely put pressure on the Gu family.”
“I’ll send you the profiles of those ladies. It’s up to you how to steer the conversation so this topic comes up naturally at the New Year’s gathering.”
Gu Nan and Chi An both agreed to take on the task.
After dinner, the three of them went their separate ways.
Su Wan drove herself home, while Chi An was responsible for dropping off Gu Nan and Gu Yue.
Before starting the car, Chi An said to Gu Nan, “You should take off your scarf. I’ll turn on the heater it’ll get warm soon.”
Gu Nan, distracted while reading through the documents on her phone, didn’t think much of it. She took off her scarf and handed it to Chi An, who placed it in the back seat.
On the way back to the city, Gu Nan sat in the passenger seat while Gu Yue rested in the back.
As she skimmed the papers, Gu Nan frowned slightly. “What exactly does the Xiao family see in the Gu family?”
“Sure, the Gu family’s rich, but the Xiaos are one of the biggest real estate families in the country. What does real estate have to do with education?”
Gu Yue didn’t quite understand the intricate web of family interests but Chi An did.
She explained calmly, “Do you know how much the Gu family’s schools make every year? Thousands of students paying hefty tuition and all kinds of fees it’s an enormous flow of cash.”
“The Gu family has money but wants to break into real estate. The Xiao family has connections and influence in real estate, but their capital isn’t as fluid. A marriage alliance binds both sides more securely than any contract. No one can stab the other in the back that way.”
“But the Gu family’s influence and heritage still can’t match the Xiao family’s status. That’s why, in this alliance, they’ll always be the weaker side.”
Gu Nan smirked. “No wonder. It’s just another business transaction dressed up as marriage. No one in our parents’ generation married for love just for profit.”
The irony was that Gu Nan’s own mother believed she had married for love, while her father had only married for gain.
And as always, marriages built on interest never led to happiness.
The three continued discussing how they might “accidentally” run into those society ladies and subtly guide them into bringing up the topic of education at the New Year’s banquet.
Before long, they arrived back at the Gu residence.
After saying goodbye to Chi An, Gu Nan and Gu Yue linked arms and headed inside.
Neither of them noticed that Chi An, after locking the car, reopened the door, took Gu Nan’s scarf from the back seat, and brought it home with her instead of returning it.
On her way back to her room, Gu Nan felt a chill around her neck and frowned slightly, though she couldn’t quite figure out why.
She turned to Gu Yue. “Come hang out in my room for a bit.”
Gu Yue nodded. As they were heading upstairs, the housekeeper came over. “Nan Nan, we found the coat you lost it was sitting right next to the washing machine! I have no idea how I missed it before.”
Gu Nan’s expression shifted slightly. “Are you sure it really wasn’t there before? It’s such a big coat, it’s hard to miss.”
The housekeeper frowned. “You’re right, it is strange. But if it wasn’t there before, then where could it have been? Ah, maybe I’m just getting old.”
Gu Nan quickly comforted her and then went upstairs with Gu Yue.
Back in her room, Gu Yue mentioned casually, “That happens to me all the time. Sometimes something’s right in front of me, but I just can’t see it. Then the moment I stop looking it’s suddenly there.”
Gu Nan handed her a cup of milk tea made by the housekeeper. “That could be it but this time, I don’t think it was the housekeeper’s mistake.”
Gu Yue’s eyes widened. “Wait… don’t tell me the Gu house is haunted?”
Gu Nan rolled her eyes and leaned back against the bedhead. Looking at Gu Yue sitting on the sofa, she said calmly, “No. I think Chi An stole my clothes.”
**********
At that thought, Gu Nan suddenly realized something. She reached up to touch her neck and blurted, “Wait where’s my scarf?”
Gu Yue blinked. “I think you left it in Sister Chi An’s car…”
Her voice trailed off the more she spoke.
What did her cousin just say earlier? That Sister Chi An liked to steal her clothes. Could that scarf have been something Chi An wanted to take? But why would she steal Cousin’s clothes?
Their eyes met in the air reading the same shocking thought in the other’s gaze.
Gu Yue immediately grabbed her milk tea and hurried over to sit beside Gu Nan on the bed, eyes wide. “Don’t tell me Sister Chi An really did steal it! But why would she take your clothes and scarf?”
“My mom said Sister Chi An is rich. She definitely doesn’t need to steal! And even if she did, she couldn’t wear your things it’d be way too obvious!”
Gu Nan frowned, equally confused. “Yeah… what could she possibly want them for?”
Though Gu Yue rarely went out, she spent plenty of time online and had seen all kinds of strange posts and gossip threads. Her imagination began to spin, and after a gulp, she hesitantly voiced the wildest thought in her mind.
“Could it be that Sister Chi An is… a pervert?”
Gu Nan nearly laughed because that was exactly what she’d been thinking too.
The two of them immediately huddled closer, faces serious as they entered full-on gossip mode.
Gu Nan whispered, “This isn’t even the first time I’ve suspected her of stealing my clothes.”
“The first time, I’d just come back here and gone out to a bar. Afterward, I realized my favorite top was missing. I thought I’d left it there, but not long after, Chi An returned it to me, saying she found it.”
“Then she borrowed one of my coats, but that coat totally didn’t suit her usual style.”
“Later, some clothes from my laundry basket disappeared.”
“And now my scarf.”
Gu Yue gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
“When you say it like that, Cousin… all those were, um, unwashed clothes, right?”
Gu Nan inhaled sharply. “Where did you even learn the word unwashed! That’s such a dangerous thought!”
“But… you’re right,” she muttered after a moment. “They were all things I’d already worn.”
Their gazes met again.
At that point, the idea that Chi An was a closet pervert had taken deep root in their minds.
Gu Nan decided it was safest to keep her distance. This person was clearly dangerous.
Her withdrawal began the next day by skipping work.
In truth, the only reason she ever went to the office was to play with the three kittens there. But even the joy of cats had to be sacrificed now.
What irritated her most was waking up automatically at eight the next morning, sitting up, ready to go downstairs for breakfast like usual only to remember she’d already texted Chi An the night before, saying she wouldn’t be coming in.
The toothpaste in her mouth suddenly tasted unbearably bitter.
After brushing her teeth, she lay back in bed, tossing and turning restlessly, staring up at the ceiling in frustration.
“This is driving me crazy!”
She kicked her blanket twice, feeling nothing but pent-up irritation.
Technically, she and Chi An had never been particularly close to begin with. After all, she’d once mistaken Chi An for her father’s lover.
But after so many encounters, they’d gradually grown closer, and once she learned the truth about Chi An’s relationship with her father, she’d finally opened up and accepted her.
Yet now what on earth was wrong with Chi An? Gu Nan had finally started seeing her as a friend, and then she went and did something so incomprehensible. No matter how beautiful she was, beauty couldn’t excuse something as creepy as stealing someone’s clothes!
At some point, her thoughts drifted off and she fell asleep again. By the time she woke, it was already noon.
Her aunt called her down for lunch. As she sat at the table, the older woman said, “Xiao Chi came by this morning looking for you. I told her you were still sleeping, so she went home. Seems like she didn’t go to work either. You were doing so well at your job, why’d you suddenly start slacking off again these past two days?”
Gu Nan slumped in her chair. “Something happened. I just… don’t feel like going.”
Her aunt gave her a knowing look. She’d practically raised this girl, after all. “You don’t want to see Xiao Chi, do you?”
“Anyway, she said she’ll be asking you to go out with her in a few days to discuss plans for Yueyue’s schooling. You still going to go with her.