I Heard You Liked Me First - Chapter 9

Chi An called Mrs. Xiao’s number. No one picked up. She sent a text message afterward, but by the time she went to bed, there was still no reply.

She figured that Mrs. Xiao must’ve blocked all unknown numbers calls or texts from anyone not in her contacts wouldn’t go through.

Chi An only had her number, but they’d never actually spoken before.

With a quiet sigh, she decided she would go find Gu Hongyun tomorrow. She couldn’t just sit back and do nothing about Gu Yue.

Meanwhile, Gu Nan was having similar thoughts.

As she soaked in the bath, the maid sat beside the tub, gently massaging her hand. Gu Nan leaned against the porcelain edge, her head tilted back, eyes fixed on the ceiling. The curve of her neck was elegant, her long arms resting loosely along the rim. The maid sat on a small stool next to her, carefully applying hand cream to her slender fingers.

“Do you think Gu Yue still blames herself?” Gu Nan asked softly.

The maid paused for a second, then resumed her movements. “Mm. I heard from the helper who buys my groceries she hasn’t eaten for two days. Her mother ignores her, still busy trying to contact the Xiao family. She wants her daughter to meet their young master.”

The maid’s tone grew bitter. “And her father’s no better. He brought home a son a few years ago some illegitimate child that’s just a few years younger than her. So he had a mistress all along.”

Gu Nan’s voice was low and muffled. “I never blamed her, you know. I know she must’ve felt trapped… desperate. I thought if I let her stay at our house, she could keep Grandma company with me. Maybe Grandpa’s old students at the university could help her transfer schools. I just.”

She exhaled, eyes dim. “ I just can’t stop thinking… if it weren’t for my mom, I could’ve been the one living like Gu Yue. And that thought really hurts.”

The maid smiled sadly. “You’re a kind girl. I’ve always known that.”

“It’s not really Gu Yue’s fault,” she continued after a moment. “It’s the Gu family’s fault. Her mother made that call to your grandmother who does something like that? God knows what she said over the phone to make the old lady so angry that she…”

Her voice broke off, thick with emotion. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stop before tears fell.

“That poor girl’s got a miserable life too. None of us is exactly lucky, so why make things harder for each other?”

Gu Nan murmured, “If I go to Gu Hongyun and ask her to let Gu Yue go, that’d be stupid, wouldn’t it? She’d never agree. She’d probably just sneer at me and then go beat Gu Yue again.”

The maid sighed. “That woman’s cruel. She hits her daughter when she’s angry.”

Gu Nan frowned, her expression growing darker.

Who exactly was Gu Hongyun trying to please?

All that scheming just to help that useless cousin of hers. But the Gu family would never take her side.

And then there was the Xiao family… Gu Hongyun was still trying to climb her way into their circle.

The next day, Gu Nan ran into Chi An at the Xiao family’s gate.

Gu Nan frowned. “Why are you here?”

Chi An immediately guessed what she was thinking. “You came for Gu Yue, didn’t you?”

Gu Nan frowned deeper.

Chi An said, “Me too. At least on this matter, we’re on the same side.”

Gu Nan didn’t answer.

They approached the guards at the gate. One made a call, then told them politely, “Madam isn’t home. You should come another day.”

When they asked when she would return, he couldn’t give an answer.

That was a refusal, plain and simple.

They both went back to their cars.

“Heading to the company today?” Chi An asked.

Gu Nan gave her a lazy look. “No. When you see the old lady there, call me. I’ll show up just to ruin her mood.”

Chi An wanted to say more, but their relationship was so strained now that she swallowed the words and simply watched Gu Nan drive away.

Gu Nan had no interest in business. She’d made other plans anyway to meet her old college friend.

The two hadn’t seen each other since graduation, each moving to a different city. When her friend heard she was in B City, she immediately called to meet up.

They chatted for hours, catching up on the past year. Her friend ranted endlessly about the nightmare of running her own studio.

“You have no idea how hard it is to make a living off art these days, Nan Nan. I’m so jealous of you. You’ve got your grandfather’s connections. People see your talent, your spark. They buy your paintings. But for us nobodies? No one understands what we create. No one wants to pay for it. It’s miserable.”

She downed her drink with a grimace. “We all love art so much, but it’s like starving for a dream.”

Gu Nan understood well enough.

She comforted her friend and even offered to help promote her work.

Her friend smiled. “You’re too nice. I just said I was jealous of you and instead of getting mad, you offered to help me? God, how can you be so good?”

Gu Nan laughed softly. “You weren’t wrong.”

Her grandfather’s name had always been the foundation of her reputation and the very reason the Gu family had “married” into theirs back then. She couldn’t deny that her achievements were tied to that legacy.

It was simply the truth.

Her friend hadn’t finished venting and grabbed her hand. “Come on, let’s hit a bar. I need to blow off some steam or I’m gonna explode.”

Gu Nan agreed.

They went to a small, exclusive bar popular within their art circle hidden, lively, but relatively clean of shady types.

After a few drinks, the crowd grew louder. Gu Nan turned toward the commotion and froze.

A woman with platinum-blonde hair was on stage, wearing a golden fringed crop top and black hot pants that showed off her long, toned legs and narrow waist. She moved wildly with the music, every spin making the gold tassels dance over her chest. Every tilt of her body revealed a flash of pale skin seductive and untamed.

Her friend leaned in, eyes sparkling. “Oh my god, it’s her! The witch herself! She’s out to kill again tonight. How can she look that good? Ugh, that’s what a real woman looks like. She’s so hot, I’m dying!”

Gu Nan narrowed her eyes. That face looked… familiar.

A moment later, she pulled out her phone, snapped a quick photo of the “witch” on stage now flirting with another woman and sent it to Chi An with a short message:

“Does this woman look familiar to you?”

A reply came soon after.

“She looks a lot like Mrs. Xiao.”

Gu Nan rested her chin on her hand, staring at the stage in disbelief.

Mrs. Xiao was famous for being gentle and elegant. Even though she’d only seen photos, that refined temperament had nothing in common with the wild woman before her.

Her friend giggled. “What, you into her too? You’re staring like she’s art. She’s actually a muse for a bunch of people. You should talk to her maybe she’ll model for you. You’d love painting her curves. That’s what real maturity looks like.”

Gu Nan said faintly, “Oh? Do you have her WeChat?”

“Sure do! I’ll send it to you.”

They stayed longer than planned. Gu Nan hadn’t realized she could get drunk she’d only had a few sweet cocktails, but those were the dangerous ones.

Her friend’s boyfriend came to pick her up, and seeing Gu Nan so quiet and composed, he assumed she was sober. After a few words of concern, they left.

Gu Nan lingered at the bar entrance before finally walking to her car. She sat behind the wheel, watching the neon lights blur outside the windshield.

Her lashes were long and thick, her half-lidded eyes reflecting the colors of the city like starlight in a frozen sky.

She knew she shouldn’t drive. But she didn’t want to call a driver either.

Time passed. Her thoughts grew hazy.

Leaning against the seat, her defenses fell away fragile, like snow melting the instant it touches the ground.

She didn’t even know how her phone ended up dialing, but when the call connected, a familiar, distant voice came through.

“Gu Nan?”

Her throat tightened. Her voice trembled, choked with tears.

“…You bastard.”

The moment Chi An heard her tone, she knew something was wrong.

“Where are you? What happened?”

Gu Nan’s gaze was hazy as she shook her head slightly. “Chi An, you bastard. How could you treat my mom like that? How could you let Gu Yue come find me but not guard against Gu Hongyun? You’re terrible. Because of you, I’ve lost everything. I’m all alone now.”

“I only have myself left. Do you know how hard, how painful that is? You bastard, jerk, I hate you so much.”

“Where am I? I’m not telling you. I won’t tell you I came out to drink.”

“I’m not drunk. I’ll sit for a while, and then I’ll drive back. No, I won’t call a driver. I’m scared. I haven’t taken my revenge yet I can’t go down there to see my mom.”

“I won’t drive drunk. Fine, I’ll just sleep in the car.”

“Don’t come over here. I don’t want to see you. I’m not telling you I’m drinking at Lass. You won’t find me.”

“You’re awful. How can you be so awful? Do you know how much my mom liked you? She never wanted you to help my dad with the company. She just didn’t want you and him to get close. You homewrecker… why don’t you just die?”

“Yes, I want you dead. Or what else? You killed my grandma what’s the point of you still being alive? Go down there, go and apologize to her.”

“No, wait. If you die, you’ll end up with that disgusting man, my dad. My mom didn’t even love him, but it still made her miserable to see you together. My mom liked you so much… You really are a bastard… I liked you too, when I was little.”

Gu Nan’s voice cracked, trembling as she cried harder and harder, like she was trying to pour out all the grief buried in her chest.

Her words slurred between sobs, cursing Chi An again and again.

Half an hour later, a car pulled up behind hers. Chi An got out, Bluetooth earpiece still in place, and strode toward Gu Nan’s car. She tugged on the driver’s side door it opened easily. Seeing that Gu Nan was safe, she let out a long breath of relief.

Gu Nan turned her tear-streaked face toward the sound. Her eyes were so clouded with tears she couldn’t see who it was.

Chi An closed the driver’s door and went around to the passenger side. She opened it and got in, taking Gu Nan’s phone to end their call before slipping the earpiece into her pocket. Looking at the weeping girl beside her, she said quietly, “I’m here. Do you want to hit me to vent?”

Gu Nan’s weak fist thudded against Chi An’s shoulder. Her mouth trembled as she cried even harder. “I don’t have any strength. I can’t hurt you.”

Chi An couldn’t help but smile, though a single tear traced down her cheek. “Then wait until you sober up to hit me.”

After a pause, she added softly, “It hurts. I… I’ve been hurting for a long time.”

Gu Nan buried her head against Chi An’s shoulder, tears soaking into her coat. “Does it hurt as much as mine? Do you hurt like I do? I feel awful. I can’t cry. When Mom died, I couldn’t cry. When Grandpa died, I couldn’t cry. I told myself to stay strong, to take care of Grandma, that I couldn’t be weak. But now Grandma’s gone too, and I still can’t cry. It hurts so much, Chi An. You bastard. It’s all your fault. I’m going to kill you.”

Chi An raised a hand, hesitating for a moment before letting her fingers brush against Gu Nan’s hair. “Alright. Kill me then.”

Gu Nan’s delicate hands mimicked the shape of a knife and thrust an invisible blade into Chi An’s chest. “I killed you.”