C8 Finally I Have Waited for You

"I'm not hungry."

Ann Xiaomin continued walking toward the front yard, and no one dared to stop her. Steward Ning, having finished his tasks at some point, quickly caught up with her.

"Great Young Madam, are you heading out? I can call a driver for you right now."

"No need." She was going to see her mom, and she couldn't let anyone from the Gu family know.

Steward Ning said something else behind her, but Ann Xiaomin wasn't in the mood to listen. She walked straight to the main gate, relying on her memory. The security guard still recognized her and greeted her as Great Young Madam. When she asked him to open the gate, he did so immediately.

As soon as Ann Xiaomin stepped out of Prosperous Garden, she spotted Gu Xiurann standing not far away. She paused for a moment, then walked briskly toward him.

"Xiurann, are you okay?" The thought of Gu Junbai's behavior in front of Gu Xiurann made Ann Xiaomin feel a bit uneasy around him.

"Xiaomin, it's my fault. I just stood by and watched as Gu Junbai... I was powerless."

Gu Xiurann looked worse than Ann Xiaomin. His usually handsome face was weary, with faint dark circles under his eyes. He was pale and still wearing the same clothes from the day before.

"Xiurann, have you been waiting here all this time?" Ann Xiaomin asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I was really worried about you. Gu Junbai wouldn't let me into Prosperous Garden, so I had no choice but to wait outside for you to come out. Thankfully, I finally got to see you."

Worried about her, Gu Xiurann stayed by her side all night, which deeply moved Ann Xiaomin.

"Xiurann, after Aunt Xin passed away, you disappeared without a word. Mom and I searched for you for a long time, fearing the worst. Now that I see you're okay, why didn't you reach out to us?"

Gu Xiurann pulled Ann Xiaomin into a warm embrace, avoiding the question. "I'm sorry."

Her mind was a whirlwind, but the sudden warmth of his hug was comforting, so she didn't push him away.

After holding her for a moment, Gu Xiurann released her and asked, puzzled, "Xiaomin, tell me, what's going on? How did you become Hsu Yaying?"

Trusting the brotherly figure she'd known since childhood, Ann Xiaomin explained honestly, "Miss Hsu ran away from her wedding. I look a lot like her, so the Hsu family found me to take her place. My mom is seriously ill, and we couldn't afford her treatment, so I had no choice but to sell myself. What about you, Xiurann? How did you become the Second Young Master of the Gu family?"

Gu Xiurann and Ann Xiaomin had been neighbors, and he had always doted on her like a real brother. She genuinely regarded him as family. After Aunt Xin's death, Gu Xiurann left without a trace, and they hadn't heard from him until they met again yesterday.

At this, Gu Xiurann's eyes dimmed. "My mom was Gu Hong's mistress, and I'm his illegitimate son. Now that I've been acknowledged by the family, I've become the Second Young Master. Xiaomin, you're not really Hsu Yaying. If the Gu family finds out, regardless of what happens with the Hsu family, they won't let you go. While you still can, leave and don't come back here."

Ann Xiaomin was caught in a dilemma, remembering her agreement with the Hsu family. She hesitated, feeling torn between her promise and her safety.

"But I promised the Hsu family I'd leave only after finding Hsu Yaying."

"That depends on whether you can leave at all. You know better than anyone how Gu Junbai treats you."

Just the thought of Gu Junbai made Ann Xiaomin shiver. She had initially believed that this stand-in marriage would simply require her to care for Gu Junbai, who was partially paralyzed from burns, until Hsu Yaying returned. Little did she know it would involve sharing a bed with a man who was a complete deviant, nearly costing her life.