Deadly Trap

Chapter 95. Revisiting Gu Garden
Along the way, Su Li watched the winding mountain roads outside the car. Nearly an hour had passed since they left the city center, and even the skyline of Pear Island had disappeared behind the dense forest, yet her heart still pounded with tension.

Minxiu Mountain was where she and Mu Fei first met. But as the car turned deeper into the valley, even the villas and hotels disappeared. The black iron gate at the entrance to the valley had already stunned her.

Moreover, the moment the car drove from the valley onto the mountain ridge, Gu Mufeng's grip on her hand tightened noticeably.

The woods suddenly opened up into a bright and open space.

A celestial palace seemed to rise from the ground, startling Su Li at first. Before her stood a majestic gate tower with soaring eaves, its walls stretching as far as the eye could see. Eight ancient ginkgo trees lined the path, and in the center hung a stele inscribed with calligraphy by a renowned master in small seal script:

Gu Garden.

But Su Li couldn't care less at that moment.

Before the car even entered the circular road, Su Li could already see men and women standing solemnly on both sides. They were led by a middle-aged man and a middle-aged woman, and all of them were dressed in neat blue long gowns, numbering several dozen.

Su Li's first reaction: She's transmigrated into a book?
She muttered to herself, "Is this to welcome Yuan Shikai?"

Gu Mufeng, whose brows were slightly lowered, glanced sideways upon hearing this, but seemed amused by the sarcasm in Su Li's words, a slight smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. However, his gaze immediately turned cold, revealing his usual mocking tone:

"No, this is a demonstration."

The car door opened, and Welsh respectfully stepped aside: "Boss, Ms. Su, the luggage has been delivered, so I'll take my leave. Happy New Year."

Gu Mufei nodded slightly, even letting out a barely perceptible sigh.

In previous years, whenever his team was on holiday and Minsheng Securities was closed for trading, he would fly overseas alone, anywhere would do.

This year, if it weren't for his efforts to use the Gu family's influence to intimidate Tang Quan and prevent him from making any rash moves, and to allow Su Li to recuperate in peace, he would have been able to achieve great success.

Incidentally, Gu Mufeng thought about finding a long-term backer for Su Li.

Otherwise, why would he bother to be tortured?

Before leaving, Welsh glanced back at the Gu family's tense standoff. Recalling Gu Zhipei's surgically sharp approach last time, he couldn't help but feel a vague sense of worry for his boss.

Su Li breathed in the mountain air with joy: finally, she had left the hospital. Her ribs were still bandaged, and her arm was strangely fixed in place by an ugly splint.

As if he hadn't seen the dozens of people on either side, Gu Mufeng carefully helped her up, and the two slowly climbed the seven-story white marble steps.

What I feared most came to pass. The middle-aged butler who had been with Gu Mufei last time quickly stepped forward, clasped his hands in a respectful bow, and said, "Young Master, the Old Master has been eagerly awaiting your return home."

"……Don't."

Gu Mufeng's brows furrowed. Su Li could feel his shoulders stiffening and resisting beneath his suit, almost like a puppy's fur standing on end. Perhaps due to the inherent clash with the title "Young Master," Gu Mufeng coldly squeezed out a sentence through clenched teeth:
"Call him Mr. Gu."

The butler was caught off guard. The old master insisted on instructing them to greet him in this way, which forced him to "urgently study" short videos overnight to see how a "proper butler" "should" act.

His attempt to flatter backfired, and he immediately reverted to his usual low-key demeanor, bowing his head and saying, "Yes, Mr. Gu."

Su Li chuckled to herself: it was rare to see Gu Mufeng so flustered; he was actually quite cute, making her want to pat him on the head. Sure enough, compared to her nervousness, Gu Mufeng was probably the one who couldn't stand the way the Gu family addressed each other from the very beginning.

Thinking about it this way, Su Li felt both heartache and relief.

Snuggling together, they moved through the garden, taking in the changing scenery. Su Li followed the butler into the garden. As the three of them passed the white jade brick carving of nine cranes soaring through the clouds, Su Li couldn't help but linger and glance at it.

Gu Garden's artificial hills and pavilions, scattered among the terraces, rivaled even the Humble Administrator's Garden in beauty, perhaps even surpassing it by hundreds of times. The New Year's red lanterns were already hung, adding to the festive atmosphere. Su Li was filled with admiration, only regretting that she hadn't brought her sketchbook with her.

Unable to resist, she quickened her pace and quietly asked the housekeeper:
"Sir, may I ask who designed the rockery and water features of Gu Garden?"

Having never been addressed as "sir" before, and with such respectful "asking for your guidance," the butler was in a good mood and replied sincerely:
"Gu Garden is an ancestral home that is hundreds of years old, and its exact history is now impossible to verify. However, it is said that in the late Southern Song Dynasty..."

The butler explained everything to Su Li meticulously, like a tour guide. Su Li followed closely behind, marveling at everything he saw and paying close attention.

They walked straight ahead and arrived at the main hall of the courtyard. There, they saw Gu Zhipei pacing anxiously outside the hall, even carrying his grand chair under the eaves. He was flanked by only two young men, a very simple arrangement.

From afar, Gu Zhipei, with white hair and silver eyebrows, and a crane-like figure, held a cane. He was hunched over and hidden in a dark blue silk round-necked robe. Seeing them arrive, he hurriedly stepped down a stone step.

Su Li found it strange: Gu Zhipei's eyes are clearly the same shape as the phoenix eyes, so why are they so kind and gentle?
"Ah Fei, you've finally come home."

As if struck by a bolt from the blue, Gu Mufeng's body stiffened and jolted. "Afei" was how his mother called him; how could he possibly call out to some demon or monster?

Like instinct, his face and eyes were cold, and his voice, like a whip, arrogantly lashed out:

"call--"

But he seemed to immediately sense something was wrong. Su Li chuckled to herself: Mr. Gu in the garden is about to lose his bearings.

A moment of silence fell over the hall. Gu Zhipei pondered briefly, then finally smiled slowly and relented:
"In that case, let's use your name. It was given to you by your mother, so I don't think you'll mind. Mu Fei."

With a helpless deep breath, Gu Mufeng could only acquiesce. Su Li couldn't help but lower her head and chuckle to herself, saying that he also found the matching surnames awkward.

As she gave that sly, mischievous laugh, Gu Zhipei's gaze immediately fell on Su Li, his friendly demeanor masking a sharp, surgical scrutiny.

Su Li was startled by the gaze. She suddenly realized, was this what they meant by meeting the parents?
However, Gu Mufeng had specifically instructed her not to prepare any gift for the meeting.

"This must be Miss Su? She's so young. Come closer, let's have a word."

Gu Mufeng released his grip on her hand. Su Li stepped forward with a smile, her demeanor graceful and elegant.

"Hmm. Unique."

Su Li was slightly taken aback, unable to figure out what made her stand out. She was dressed comfortably today, her left arm still awkwardly clamped in a splint. Not only had Gu Mufeng helped her wash her face this morning, but it had also taken her a whole hour to teach him how to apply light makeup.

Clearly, the doctors and nurses outside the ward were peeking at her with their backs turned, but Gu Mufeng pressed down on his wrist, narrowed his deep, watery eyes, and lightly brushed her eyebrows, completely oblivious to everything else.

Thinking of Gu Mufeng's unusually earnest expression, Su Li's cheeks flushed slightly. But then, she smiled more calmly: "You flatter me, sir. I am just a child from an ordinary family."

"Ha, this is unusual."

Gu Zhipei smiled kindly, his gaze sharpening: "Your mother was a well-known pianist before her retirement, and your father was a university vice dean. This is hardly ordinary."

Su Li was slightly startled, and a gentle thought ran through her mind: Gu Mufeng would definitely not have revealed the truth to Gu Zhipei. It seemed that Gu Zhipei had investigated this on his own.

Su Li remained neither humble nor arrogant.

"My family has fallen on hard times for many years. But a life of ordinariness is a blessing. Don't you agree, sir?"

This time, it was Gu Zhipei's turn to be stunned.

Seeing that Gu Zhipei's interrogation was going badly, Su Li was immediately dragged away by Gu Mufeng under a pretext to go for a stroll in the garden. Having a rare moment of complete freedom, the two went boating on the lake, avoiding Gu Zhipei until dinner time.

Walking through the corridors and across the bridges, the garden lights sway in the evening, while the restaurant is brightly lit.

Having been impressed by the grand entrance she made that morning, Su Li had already imagined an extremely long dining table with more than a dozen servants running around: Gu Zhipei and Gu Mufeng must be like enemies, sitting opposite each other at the two ends of the five-meter-long table.

But there was only one round table for six people in the restaurant. On the slightly worn brocade round stools, Su Li marveled at the carving of the antique huanghuali wood, and was even more surprised that dinner at Gu Garden was so simple.

Each person was served a plate of Wensi Tofu in pure silver tableware, which seemed to be a deliberate attempt to please Gu Mufeng by controlling oil and sugar intake. There was only a plate of duck breast, a plate of dried bean curd strips, and a bowl of steamed crab meat lion's head meatballs.

Su Li glanced left at Gu Zhipei and right at Gu Mufei; both of them remained indifferent and as usual. Knowing that Gu's maternal grandmother was ill and unwilling to join the meal, she felt at ease and began to enjoy the rare culinary masterpiece among the home-cooked dishes.

Halfway through the silent dinner, Gu Zhipei suddenly spoke slowly:
"Young lady, I heard you're studying architecture. What do you think of Gu Garden?"

Su Li gently put down the bowl and cup, and calmly answered:
"Gu Garden is a masterpiece of nature. The ancients valued the unity of man and nature and the way of nature. The Gu family gardens are meticulously designed, yet they are full of coincidences and reason, without any apparent design."

Gu Zhipei smiled and nodded, then changed the subject:
"Yes. Careful effort doesn't guarantee a successful design; a large family doesn't necessarily mean a difficult business."

"Managing the garden is a small matter. There are many rules and obligations to the family, and even more times when you suffer grievances, which you can't let outsiders see. Do you understand?"

Clearly, Gu Zhipei was giving her a warning, telling Su Li to back down when things got tough.

Su Li immediately understood, gently wiping the corner of her lips and smiling calmly:
"Sir, you flatter me. The ancients also spoke of the unity of knowledge and action, and of not accepting grievances. Besides, if we're talking about grievances, Mu Fei has suffered far more than I have, so how could I be unwilling?"

Gu Zhipei's gaze narrowed slightly. This girl was indeed sharp-tongued. Gu Mufeng had been wandering far from home; who knew that such a young man, so impulsive, would be so easily bewitched by some beautiful woman?
Despite his friendly smile, Gu Zhipei refused to back down. As if unwilling to give up, he insisted on gaining the upper hand once more.
"How clever. It's a pity you don't know Mu Fei's personality. He's like our Gu family, both fierce and stubborn. Little girl, it's not easy to endure this."

Upon hearing this, Gu Mufeng's face darkened. Just as he was about to speak, Su Li's warm hand landed first in his scalded palm:
“Mu Fei has never made me endure anything. It seems that if I want to learn the word ‘endurance’,” Su Li smiled gently, “I must ask the old gentleman for immediate instruction.”

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Next Chapter: The Secret (If it's not sweet, you don't have to pay)

[Author's Note | Chapter 95]

Finally, it was Su Li's turn to meet her parents.

Compared to his last visit, when he was dejected and wished he could turn back time, how was Gu Mufeng's mood this time?
Gu Mufeng is using the Gu family; Gu Zhipei is making things difficult for Su Li; but Su Li is genuinely having a great time at Gu Garden. Perhaps after waiting for hundreds of years, Gu Garden has finally found someone who truly understands it?

What do you think of Su Li's response? Is it possible for Gu Mufeng to reconcile with the Gu family?
The next chapter is super sweet!

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