I Heard You Liked Me First - Chapter 26

All of Old Madam Xiao’s anger fell squarely on Gu Hongyun. Terrified to talk back or complain, Gu Hongyun could only force a smile and say, “There must be some misunderstanding. Yue isn’t staying home to avoid her studies. She’s been unwell lately, so she’s resting. She’ll return to school next semester.”

She’s still studying on her own at home, of course, not just playing around. She even plans to go to graduate school in the future.

Hearing her mother say this, Gu Yue’s first reaction was to feel moved her mother was finally letting her go back to school, even saying she could pursue graduate studies.

It meant she wouldn’t have to stay home learning how to be a perfect housewife anymore.

But she wasn’t moved at all. And that surprised even her.

She felt as though her soul had floated above everyone, watching them scheme and posture.

Her mother’s “decision” wasn’t out of love; it was pure pressure.

And all of this this entire shift was orchestrated by Gu Nan and Chi An.

For the first time, Gu Yue realized something sharply: fate was something she had to take into her own hands. Waiting for others to wake up and fight for you was pointless you’d end up losing even more.

With that thought, she stepped forward, facing Old Madam Xiao and the elegant Mrs. Xiao standing beside her. She smiled sweetly.

“It’s all my fault,” she said gently. “I wasn’t feeling well before, so I begged my mother to let me take a break at home. But please rest assured, I haven’t neglected my studies. I’ll work hard one day, I’ll be as great a painter as my cousin. I’ll make sure not to embarrass either the Gu family or the Xiao family.”

As soon as she finished, her gaze met Mrs. Xiao’s and in that instant, she could almost read the woman’s thoughts: As great as Gu Nan? Don’t kid yourself. You’re just saying what these people want to hear.

Gu Yue froze. Wait why does Mrs. Xiao think exactly what I’m thinking? No, more importantly, why can I read her expression so clearly?

But she didn’t have time to dwell on it. Her mother had already started bragging, and she had to keep smiling and playing along.

What should’ve been a small, forgettable moment ended up stirring waves between the Xiao and Gu families after the banquet.

Later that night, Su Wan handed her mother-in-law a cup of tea.

“I’ve actually told Gu Hongyun before that Gu Yue might have a pleasant personality, but there’s really not much going on in her head. She’s nothing like her cousin.”

“I thought my warning would make her reflect a little, but apparently, she just locked the girl up at home. I honestly don’t understand what the Gu family is thinking.”

She frowned. “Could it really be like what Aunt Zhang said? That once a daughter’s set to marry off, the family stops caring about her future?”

And that younger Gu boy, they practically bought his way into that international university.

Old Madam Xiao sneered coldly and turned her gaze on Su Wan.

Su Wan wasn’t surprised. Normally, she didn’t involve herself in family politics, so for her to suddenly take interest now, it was only natural her mother-in-law would be suspicious.

She gave a light, effortless smile. “You know me, Mother. I’m not one to meddle. But once she marries into our family, I’ll be her mother-in-law. I can’t help worrying a little.”

Old Madam Xiao nodded slowly. “You’re right. And that old Madam Gu, honestly, that woman’s been acting like a phoenix ever since her family started doing well. She wouldn’t listen to reason even if you tried. I’ll call her myself.”

“That Gu girl… I still think she’s a good one. She handled herself well today. Working with the Gu family benefits us, too, so keep an eye on this marriage.”

Su Wan nodded. “Of course. Since Gu Hongyun can’t educate her daughter properly, I’ll just have to step in when needed.”

She sighed softly afterward, as though the whole thing was such a heavy burden.

Meanwhile, inside the car leaving the Xiao residence, Gu Hongyun’s simmering rage finally boiled over.

But this time, it wasn’t her daughter she went after it was Gu Nan.

“That shameless girl!” she spat. “I thought she’d be better than her mother, but no, she’s just the same, stirring up trouble behind my back. I’ll make her pay for this!”

“She thinks she’s all that now? Everyone knows how filthy the art world is! Who knows how she sells her paintings probably through some man’s bed. Wouldn’t surprise me if someone else painted them for her! Acting all refined like some cultured lady please!”

“I can’t believe I ever told you to learn art appreciation from her. What a joke I must’ve lost my mind!”

Gu Yue frowned. She finally spoke up. “Mom, Cousin Nan really is talented. And she doesn’t have those kinds of… relationships.”

“What do you know!” Gu Hongyun snapped, her fury instantly redirected. She stared at her daughter in disbelief. “Did you just talk back to me? Unbelievable! I never should’ve let you near them you’re already learning to defy me!”

Gu Yue saw her mother’s hand lift.

She knew exactly how her mother hit those long, sharp nails leaving scratches that burned for days.

But this time, she didn’t flinch. She looked her mother squarely in the eye.

“Mom, if you’re going to hit me, just don’t leave marks. Mrs. Xiao said she’s taking me shopping in a few days.”

Gu Hongyun froze midair. For a moment, she could actually feel her daughter had changed.

When did that happen?

Was this really her obedient, well-behaved little girl?

Her raised hand trembled violently. The hatred and anger in her eyes seemed to solidify, stabbing right through her daughter.

It was the first time Gu Yue ever truly won a fight against her mother. Her heart pounded so hard she could hardly breathe but she was thrilled.

She’d finally figured out how to handle her.

When they got home, she locked herself in her bedroom and let her mother throw her tantrum downstairs.

Leaning against the door, she pulled out her phone and texted Gu Nan.

“It worked. I’m allowed to go back to school next semester.”

“Mom was furious, but she didn’t dare hit me this time. Once I mentioned Mrs. Xiao, she backed off completely.”

“Thank you, Cousin. If it weren’t for you and Chi An, my life would’ve stayed dark forever.”

Gu Nan, holding her cat, replied:

“Don’t thank us. You still have to fight for yourself. If you didn’t want to change, no one could’ve pulled you up from that cliff.”

After that, Gu Yue couldn’t meet Gu Nan openly. They only saw each other when Su Wan arranged something outside the Gu family estate or when Gu Nan brought the cat to the vet for vaccinations.

The four of them, with an orange tabby in tow, always drew attention. They were all dressed in designer clothes, styled like they’d walked straight out of a fashion shoot.

Su Wan looked down at the cat with mild disgust. “I heard orange cats get fat like pigs when they grow up.”

Gu Nan turned to her with a teasing smile. “Oh my, Mrs. Xiao, such words from you—won’t that damage your elegant image?”

Su Wan: “…”

She really wished she could stitch Gu Nan’s mouth shut.

Gu Yue hurried to smooth things over. “Mrs. Xiao, my cousin didn’t mean it like that. She just loves Little Orange too much. Don’t talk about her like that she’s adorable.”

Su Wan sighed, then asked, “Are you attending the art institute’s awards ceremony, Gu Nan?”

Gu Nan nodded. “Mm, Chi An set it up. She said it’ll drive Gu Hongyun and the old matriarch insane.”

Su Wan smirked. “They’re probably already furious.”

Gu Yue nodded earnestly. “Oh, definitely. Grandma called my mom as soon as we got home, scolded her, then Mom spent half the night breaking plates in the kitchen.”

Su Wan asked, “She didn’t yell at you again?”

“She did,” Gu Yue admitted, “but not too bad. She won’t hit me anymore. As soon as I mention you taking me shopping, she stops.”

She paused, then added, “But what really angered her was Grandma blaming her for keeping me home. The funny thing is Grandma was the one who said before that girls shouldn’t study too much.”

Su Wan gave a sharp, cold laugh. “Men always twist morals to suit themselves. ‘Girls don’t need education,’ ‘A married daughter is spilled water,’ ‘A good wife must be gentle and virtuous,’ all just cages they built to keep women obedient.”

“I don’t understand why so many women still swallow that poison.”

Gu Nan coughed lightly. “Su Wan, you sound fierce today.”

Su Wan: “…”

She’d slipped up.

She’d only been reminded of her own past and of that cheating husband who’d once told her to be “virtuous.”

After the cat got its shot, Gu Nan tucked her into the carrier. “Alright, I’m heading home. Are you guys still meeting up? I’ll drop her off and join you.”

Chi An volunteered to come along.

On the way, Gu Nan said, “Little Orange keeps trying to run off. I often see her staring out the window like she wants to go exploring.”

Chi An chuckled. “She used to be a stray. It’s normal for her to want the outside. Once she gets used to her new home, she won’t feel that way anymore.”

Gu Nan thought for a moment. “Hey… do you think cats can go on walks?”

Chi An blinked. “What??”

“I’ll do some research,” Gu Nan said seriously.

Gu Nan nodded, feeling that she and Chi An had divided the work of raising the cat quite clearly.

Before she knew it, it was mid-January, and the universities were entering their final exam season.

The art academy under the Gu family had a commendation ceremony before finals, mainly to honor a teacher whose painting had recently won an award.

Gu Nan was invited to serve as the guest presenter.

Originally, the award presenter was supposed to be Gu Hongkang, the president of the Gu Corporation.

But once Gu Nan agreed to attend, the organizers immediately switched the presenter to her instead.

That move made Gu Hongkang furious. He’d already thought it was beneath him to attend the event at all, and now they had the nerve to replace him?

His assistant tried to soothe him, speaking carefully:
“President Gu, some of the deans in the art academy also hold shares in the group. Once they heard Miss Gu was coming, they were thrilled and made plenty of preparations.”

“You know how popular Miss Gu is in the art world. For most of these people, getting to see her in person is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Gu Hongkang gave a cold laugh.

Artists, painters just empty titles. There’s nothing valuable in those so-called paintings. It’s all hype.

He’d never understood the artistic value of a painting, or the deeper meaning behind a novel. To him, they were just drawings and books nothing more than pretentious decorations.

But for those who did understand and who had the ability to appreciate, Gu Nan’s reputation was more than deserved.

Especially for the students at the art academy, who had always felt inferior compared to the prestigious national art schools. Now, they had something to be proud of students from other top schools hadn’t even seen Gu Nan in person, but they would.

Many of them followed her on Weibo and had seen her recent posts: a series of quick sketches, all featuring the same little cat.

Everyone knew Gu Nan had been a cat enthusiast online for years, but her running joke was that every cat she tried to pet hated her. Now that she finally had a cat and was posting high-quality sketches of it almost daily, it sent her student fans into a frenzy.

“If only Gu Nan could give us a class!” one student gushed. “I even downloaded the same brush set she uses, but my drawings still look nothing like hers. I’m so useless!”

“Her sense of atmosphere is amazing. The way she balances light and shadow, the way her cat’s expression tells a whole story ordinary people can’t paint like that!”

“Gu Nan is a legend! A literal god!”

“I want her autograph!”

“Forever our god!”

But not everyone could share in the excitement.

One girl, who had previously been bullied on campus, was locked in her dorm room that day.

Her roommates sneered from the other side of the door:
“You’d better not show up and dirty Gu Nan’s eyes. After what you did, you don’t deserve to see someone like her.”

“Yeah, we’re not bullying you, it’s for your own good.”

The girl sat slumped against the door, hugging her knees, her eyes blank. She murmured over and over, “It wasn’t me who framed him. It wasn’t my fault.”

Meanwhile, Gu Nan’s car had arrived early at the school. Several deans and teachers came out warmly to greet her.

One of the deans said enthusiastically, “You have to take a look at our teacher’s award-winning piece and give us some feedback.”

Having Gu Nan’s critique would make the piece even more valuable.

Gu Nan was momentarily speechless.

Artists usually avoided critiquing one another’s work in that way it wasn’t how they talked about art. At most, they’d say, “That’s a nice piece,” or offer a few words about the overall emotion or tone.

Nobody dissected a painting like it was a reading comprehension exercise. It was like when a writer’s work ended up on an exam half the time, the writer themselves couldn’t answer the questions correctly.

She glanced at Chi An beside her, her eyes silently pleading for help.

Chi An cleared her throat. “She can look at the painting, but no critiques today, Dean. She’s here to present an award.”

The dean immediately nodded. “Ah, of course, of course. My mistake.”

(So critiques cost extra, he thought privately.)

The group walked to the school’s small honor gallery. When Chi An and Gu Nan saw the winning painting, both stopped.

It depicted a bright, beautiful girl with a sweet smile but behind her eyes was an ocean of grief. She was smiling, but crying.

Gu Nan frowned slightly, her lips pressing together.

The dean had introduced the artist earlier a teacher nearly fifty years old. But the brushwork on this piece…

Gu Nan, dressed in a pair of slim wool trousers and a sharply tailored coat, instinctively slid her hands into her pockets as she studied the painting. She didn’t say anything.

No one dared interrupt her.

Chi An quietly asked, “What is it?”

Gu Nan said softly, “This painting…”

She didn’t have proof, so she couldn’t voice her suspicion. One careless word could ruin someone’s career.

But the truth was, this painting didn’t look like the work of a middle-aged teacher at all.

The brushwork was too young too raw, yet filled with emotional depth.

And the painter… Gu Nan could almost sense it. They were deeply depressed, maybe even suffering from severe depression.

She shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

Then she turned to the others and said politely, “I’m going to rest for a bit.”

Together, she and Chi An left for Chi An’s office.

Once they were alone, Chi An asked, “Why were you hesitating just now?”

Gu Nan wandered around the office, idly touching things as she answered, “Nothing serious. It just felt like that painting wasn’t done by that teacher. Maybe it’s just my imagination. I don’t really know him.”

Chi An looked thoughtful. “And what made you think that?”

Gu Nan picked up a little cat figurine from Chi An’s desk, spinning it absently between her fingers. “The brushwork felt too young like someone who hasn’t been painting for long. Even if an experienced artist tried to mimic that style, there’s still a difference.”

“And the subject is a smiling girl who’s actually crying. It doesn’t feel like something a man, or an older man, would paint.”

She paused. “The artist might even have severe depression.”

Chi An’s expression grew serious. “Do you remember when I told you I had to handle a campus bullying case?”

Gu Nan nodded.

“It’s this school,” Chi An said quietly. “A student accused a very popular teacher of stealing her painting. After that, she was bullied badly by her classmates.”

Gu Nan raised a brow. “Do you have any of her earlier work?”

“I’ll find it,” said Chi An, already heading for the door. “Wait here for me.”

As the award ceremony drew closer, Gu Nan sat in Chi An’s chair, idly playing with the cat figurine.

Time passed, and Chi An still hadn’t returned. The silence made her restless.

She sighed. If she’d known it would take this long, she would’ve brought her tablet she could’ve been sketching the next chapter of “Little Orange’s Great Escape.”

That was her current webcomic series on Weibo, inspired by her cat, who constantly tried to sneak outside.

Just then, she glanced out the window and froze.

On the opposite dormitory building, through the hanging laundry, someone was sitting on the balcony railing.

Gu Nan narrowed her eyes.

A student… was she trying to jump?

Her pulse spiked. She grabbed her phone and immediately called Chi An.

Chi An picked up quickly, her voice brisk. “I’m on my way to get the student’s paintings”

Gu Nan interrupted, “No, Chi An, listen. There’s someone sitting on the dorm balcony she’s wearing red. Bright red. I think she’s about to jump.”

On the other end, Chi An sounded startled. Something crashed in the background. “That can’t be right. All the students are supposed to be in the auditorium…”

“Let’s go together,” Gu Nan said urgently. “We can’t just stand here and watch.”

She shoved the little cat figurine into her coat pocket and bolted out of the office toward the dorm building.

Chi An replied quickly, “I’m coming. Don’t panic.”

She couldn’t let this turn into a tragedy not in front of Gu Nan.

She had to reach that student in time, to stop what was about to happen.
So that, in Gu Nan’s world, there would always be light and never this kind of darkness.