I Heard You Liked Me First - Chapter 5

Gu Yue’s mother, Gu Hongyun, went straight to find her own mother.

Old Madam Gu Su Mingfang was in the middle of making arrangements for her youngest son’s entry into the family company.

When she heard that her eldest daughter had come, she frowned slightly. She wasn’t particularly happy about it, but since Gu Hongyun had recently been in contact with the Xiao family and there was talk that her daughter Gu Yue might marry the “young master” of the Xiao family, she restrained her impatience and allowed her in.

As soon as she saw her daughter, Su Mingfang asked coldly, “What do you want this time?”

This daughter of hers always came asking for things. Her husband was useless, she herself had no accomplishments, and she was always scheming to get more from the family.

They say a married daughter is like spilled water, but this one she hadn’t even been properly spilled out, yet she kept coming back, trying to compete with her brothers for property.

Su Mingfang didn’t like her daughter one bit.

True to form, Gu Hongyun came in looking pitiful and immediately began to complain tearfully, “Mom, please send someone to investigate Madam Xiao’s whereabouts last night!”

Su Mingfang looked at her in disbelief. 

That’s easy for you to say. Investigate Madam Xiao’s movements? Do you think that’s something just anyone can do? If the Xiao family finds out, how am I supposed to explain it to them?

Gu Hongyun wiped her eyes. “But last night, Madam Xiao took Yueyue away. The Xiao family came over yesterday to meet her, but they didn’t even see her face. I couldn’t get through to her, and later found out Madam Xiao took her somewhere. I don’t know where she went. Please, Mom, help me find her. I have to bring her back to apologize to the Xiao family.”

That made Su Mingfang’s face darken.

You mean you invited them to your home for a matchmaking meeting, and they didn’t even see Gu Yue?

Her fingers trembled slightly with anger, and her chest rose and fell sharply with each breath.

“This is the kind of daughter you’ve raised? What a disgrace to our Gu family!”

Gu Hongyun didn’t dare talk back. She kept her head low, mumbling, “Then… what should I do?”

“Do? Whatever you do, don’t go investigating Madam Xiao’s whereabouts,” Su Mingfang snapped through clenched teeth.

She glared at her daughter, full of disappointment. “Do you not have a brain? Why don’t you just call and ask? Since it was she who took Gu Yue away, you’re Gu Yue’s mother showing concern for your daughter’s whereabouts isn’t inappropriate!”

Only then did Gu Hongyun realize her mother had a point.

Still, she’d always felt inferior to the Xiao family. Even though Madam Xiao had done something so unreasonable, she didn’t have the confidence to question her.

Back in her room, she hesitated for a long time before finally gathering enough courage to call Madam Xiao.

At that moment, Madam Xiao was sitting in her sunroom, reading. The sudden ringtone broke her concentration. She glanced at the caller ID, already guessing why the person was calling.

When she answered, her voice was calm and gentle, but carried a certain distance. “Hello.”

“Hello, Madam Xiao,” said Gu Hongyun nervously. “This is Gu Hongyun. I heard from my family that you took my daughter out last night? I haven’t been able to reach her, and I’m really worried something might’ve happened. May I ask where you brought her?”

Madam Xiao hadn’t intended to explain that she’d sensed last night that Gu Yue didn’t want to talk about it either.

But considering this was about the girl’s safety, she finally replied, “She asked me to take her to the airport.”

The moment she heard “airport,” Gu Hongyun relaxed slightly. That was something she could trace. She quickly thanked her and hung up.

Madam Xiao stared at the phone for a moment, her mind drifting to Gu Yue’s delicate, stubborn face.

A soft sigh escaped her lips. She lowered her gaze back to the book, though after several minutes, her fingers still hadn’t turned the page.

Meanwhile, upon learning that her daughter had gone to the airport, Gu Hongyun immediately began checking flight information.

That wasn’t hard to do. She had money, and her daughter wasn’t someone important enough to draw much attention, so it was easy to find out.

When she saw the destination, she frowned in confusion.

“Where is this place? Why would she go there?” She couldn’t make sense of it. Gu Yue had never left the city before. Why that city, of all places?

But… it did feel oddly familiar.

While Gu Hongyun was anxiously searching for her daughter, Gu Yue was already with Gu Nan, visiting Gu Nan’s grandmother at the hospital.

The old lady was kind and warm. The moment she saw Gu Yue, she grabbed her hand affectionately, chatting away. “You seem so well-behaved much more than Nan Nan. Just looking at that one, you can tell she’s a handful.”

Gu Nan snorted softly. “I guess I’m just the bad kid now.”

Her grandmother chuckled. “Aren’t you? Did you forget the time you poured your grandpa’s ink into the fish tank?”

Hearing this, Gu Yue turned to look at Gu Nan, eyes bright with surprise.

She’d only ever heard such stories from classmates or online. She never imagined that someone beside her could have a past like that and one that her grandmother could recall with laughter instead of scolding.

Gu Nan had once climbed Mount Tai alone at night and ended up bedridden for a week after.

She’d carried a sketchboard to the remote Tibetan plateau and painted the scenery there.

For her graduation trip, instead of going with classmates, she took her grandparents to travel across Europe selling paintings along the way, living freely, and even spending her earnings lavishly.

Listening to all this, Gu Yue couldn’t help sighing from the heart. “You’re amazing.”

To her, Gu Nan’s life was something she could only dream of something completely out of reach.

At noon, a caretaker came by to help the grandmother with lunch. The old lady waved the two girls off. “What are you doing sitting here all day? I’m fine it’s nothing serious. I’ll be discharged soon. Don’t make me feel like I’m on my deathbed.”

Then she looked at Gu Nan and added, Take Yueyue out to have some fun. She came all this way to see you.

 You can’t keep her cooped up in a hospital.”

Gu Yue wanted to insist she could stay and help, but Gu Nan took her by the hand and led her outside.

Once they reached the hospital gate, Gu Nan asked, “What do you want for lunch?”

Gu Yue was just about to say “anything’s fine,” when Gu Nan stopped her. “Don’t say ‘anything.’”

Gu Yue paused, thought for a moment, then pointed toward a big golden sign in the distance. “McDonald’s. I want McDonald’s.”

“Alright.”

They had McDonald’s for lunch, wandered through the mall, watched a movie, and ended up in an arcade trying to catch plush toys.

They tried twenty times but didn’t manage to get even one.

Disappointment flickered in Gu Yue’s eyes.

She’d seen people do it online, it didn’t look that hard.

Leaning lazily against the claw machine, Gu Nan watched her companion’s clear, earnest eyes and suddenly felt a pang of tenderness deep inside.

If her mother hadn’t taken her away from the Gu family back then, would she have ended up just like Gu Yue.
Too afraid to try anything, too inexperienced to play, even something as simple as catching a claw machine toy for the first time in her life?

Gu Nan straightened up, her sharp eyes shifting toward the counter.

Behind the counter, a part-time girl was helping some elementary school kids exchange game tokens, while a well-dressed woman in her thirties sat behind her, refined, beautiful, and exuding a cool, untouchable air as she watched a college boy in front of her.

Something crossed Gu Nan’s mind. She nudged Gu Yue’s shoulder.

Gu Yue turned to her. “What is it? Cousin, do you know how to play these machines? Are you super good at it?”

Gu Nan shrugged and raised a brow. “Not really. Catching toys isn’t about skill.”

Gu Yue listened attentively, her expression serious. “Then what is it about?”

Gu Nan smiled. “It’s about the boss lady. Go talk to her. Tell her you spent over twenty yuan and still haven’t caught a single toy. Say this is your first time playing.”

Gu Yue’s eyes widened. “What?!”

Was her cousin teasing her?

But Gu Nan had been nothing but kind to her these past few days—she didn’t seem like the type to play pranks.

Seeing her hesitation, Gu Nan nodded encouragingly. “Go on. I’m not lying. If you can’t catch one after talking to her, I’ll take my head off and let you use it as a basketball.”

Gu Yue had never heard anyone make such a ridiculous vow. No wonder she’s Gu Nan, she thought, half exasperated, half impressed.

Following Gu Nan’s suggestion, she walked toward the counter.

From a distance, Gu Nan watched as Gu Yue said something to the boss lady—her entire face instantly turned scarlet, and then the woman reached out and lifted her chin playfully.

Gu Yue practically fled back, flustered and red-faced, while the boss lady leaned back laughing, her former coldness gone entirely.

When Gu Yue returned, she glared at Gu Nan. “You tricked me!”

Gu Nan asked casually, “What did she say to you?”

Gu Yue’s face burned even redder, and she refused to answer.

But Gu Nan could guess. That boss lady probably said something like ‘Call me big sister’ or ‘Let big sis give you a hug.’

That woman had always liked innocent, obedient girls like Gu Yue.

Seeing her expression, Gu Nan couldn’t help laughing. “I didn’t lie to you. Try again this time, you’ll definitely catch one.”

Gu Yue didn’t quite believe it, but she still slipped a token in and moved the joystick.

Normally, the reason claw machines didn’t work was simple the claws were set too loose. They’d grab the toy, but always drop it halfway.

But this time, the claw didn’t loosen. It held the plush toy firmly all the way to the prize chute.

Gu Yue stared in disbelief. “I actually got it!”

“Of course,” Gu Nan said lightly. “You went and used your charm on the boss lady—no way she’d let you leave empty-handed.”

Gu Yue’s eyes went wide.

Gu Nan chuckled and explained, “These machines run on a payout system. Unless enough tokens have been spent, the claw won’t grip tight enough to catch anything. But there’s a shortcut—asking the boss lady to adjust it manually.”

Gu Yue’s worldview was shaken. Even claw machines have tricks like that?

And when Gu Nan mentioned “using your charm,” she felt her cheeks burn. She didn’t even dare look back toward the boss lady again.

Still, she said softly, “The boss lady’s actually quite nice. She could’ve refused, but she helped anyway.”

Gu Nan smirked. “She’s not nice to everyone. She just likes obedient little girls like you. But don’t get any ideas she’s a total flirt.”

Gu Yue blinked in surprise. For a second, she thought she’d misheard her cousin in the noisy arcade.

It wasn’t until they walked out of the arcade, holding the plush toy between them, that she finally asked, “Wait—you said that boss lady likes girls?”

Gu Nan nodded casually. “Yeah. Why?”

Gu Yue murmured, almost to herself, “So… there really are people who like the same gender.”

Gu Nan let out a short laugh. “What’s so strange about that? Has any man ever made you believe they’re worth liking again?”

Gu Yue froze mid-step. She watched Gu Nan’s back, her figure tall and confident against the bustling crowd and glittering mall lights and felt something cold spread in her chest.

She hated men. But because of her mother and grandmother, she couldn’t bring herself to like women either.

Gu Nan turned around, the bright lights outlining her silhouette like a halo. She looked dazzling, like a fragment of light in the noisy chaos.

If there were someone like my cousin, Gu Yue thought, someone who could show me a different kind of life… maybe it wouldn’t matter whether they were a man or a woman.

For a fleeting moment, an image surfaced in her mind someone with gentle eyes, calm and warm as water. The person who had sent her to the airport that night.

Gu Nan didn’t call her to catch up. She leaned against the railing of the mall corridor, pulled out her phone, and noticed several missed calls all from the same number.

There was also a new text message.

For some reason, even in the heated air of the mall, a chill crept up her spine, a bad feeling sinking deep in her chest.

She opened the message.

“Gu Yue’s mother already knows she came to find you. Be careful.”
—Chi An