Night Fire Lingering

Gu Yanci looked at her helplessly and said, "Let's talk in the car."

It's hot outside.

As for Wen Yan's attempt to shift the blame, he accepted it, since he was indeed angry and hadn't answered her call.

Wen Yan glared at him several times, then followed him into the Rolls-Royce with a cold face.

"If you're not angry with me, why did you come out to find me?" Gu Yanci rarely took the initiative to speak.

Wen Yan glared at him, her eyes wide with annoyance: "Aren't you angry with me?"

The carriage was silent, with only the sound of air circulating.

"I'm sorry, it was my fault for not answering the phone," Gu Yanci said after a few seconds.

Wen Yan was still wondering how long the two of them would be in a cold war, and when she should speak up to regain some face, but she didn't expect Gu Yanci to actually want to admit his mistake.

She stared at the man in astonishment, feeling a strange mix of emotions, as if she were the one being unreasonable.

"You...you're still angry, so why are you apologizing to me?"

Gu Yanci was indeed still angry, and his expression was still somewhat cold: "I am angry with you, but that doesn't mean I don't love you, Wen Zhizhi."

These words melted into Wen Yan's heart like honey.

She came here to explain things to Gu Yanci, so she can be more magnanimous, humph!

After Wen Yan figured things out, she felt much calmer and said, "Gu Yanci, I mentioned Brother Jingzhou just to confirm that you are with me because you love me."

Not for any other reason.

Gu Yanci wanted to smoke, but Wen Yan didn't like the smell of smoke, so he could only take a cigar from the center console and play with it in his hand.

"Wen Zhizhi, is it because you love me that you stay by my side?" Gu Yanci looked at her beautiful face. "Wen Zhizhi, in the past, you only had Gu Jingzhou in your eyes. You would think of him first when there was something good, and you would go to him first when there was something to do. I was always just his backup option."

In the last sentence, the man couldn't hide his self-deprecating tone.

In his childhood relationships, whether it was familial love or the innocent, budding romance, his priority was always after Gu Jingzhou.

"When did I ever consider you a backup option?" Wen Yan felt utterly wronged. "Gu Yanci, it's because you disliked me first that I had no choice but to go to Brother Jingzhou!"

"When did I ever hate you?" Gu Yanci gritted his teeth. "Am I crazy enough to prepare gifts for people I hate every year?"

"..." Wen Yan blinked. "Well, you really didn't like me when we were little. You said I was spoiled, that you didn't like playing with me, and that you always looked unhappy when I asked you for help."

"You like Gu Jingzhou, why would I chase after you? I'm not looking for trouble!"

"?"

Wen Yan was filled with questions. She sat up straight in shock, pointing at herself, "What? Gu Yanci, are you crazy? He's my brother!"

Gu Yanci felt furious when he heard Wen Yan calling him "Brother Jingzhou" so affectionately. "Then why don't you call me brother? I'm four years older than you."

"Gu Yanci, do you like playing incestuous games? Do you want me to call you brother?"

Wen Yan had a look on her face that said, "Are you out of your mind?"

Gu Yanci's expression froze for a few seconds, not understanding what it meant.

What is the relationship between age and orthopedics? Bone age growth?

However, President Gu did not ask, lest he expose his ignorance and ruin his current momentum.

"You don't like Gu Jingzhou?" he asked, voicing the question that concerned him most, but in a tone that was almost a definitive conclusion.

"Why would you think that I have feelings for Brother Jingzhou..." Wen Yan felt that saying this was a desecration of the deceased Gu Jingzhou. "Gu Yanci, Brother Jingzhou and I have a pure brother-sister relationship! Don't talk nonsense, have wild thoughts, or spout nonsense!"

Gu Yanci's complexion improved considerably.

He lowered his eyes, concealing the deeper meaning in them.

Wen Yan treated Gu Jingzhou as a simple older brother, but Gu Jingzhou might not have been so. On his deathbed, Gu Jingzhou held Wen Yan's hand and said his last words: "Take good care of Zhizhi."

Wen Yan grew angrier the more she thought about it, so she simply asked directly, "When you married me, did you intend to be at odds with Brother Jingzhou?"

After calming down, Gu Yanci was utterly speechless: "Wen Zhizhi, firstly, I'm not stupid enough to argue with a dead person; it's pointless. Secondly, no one is worth sacrificing my marriage for, including Gu Jingzhou."

Wen Yan looked at him, somewhat satisfied with the answer, but then she thought about how she had foolishly bought three copies of "Apologize" at the bar, and how the man had stupidly thought she liked Brother Jingzhou... No wonder he reacted like he had a stress response whenever Brother Jingzhou was mentioned!

I'm still so angry!

Wen Yan opened the car door, but before she could step out, Gu Yanci grabbed her wrist.

"Where to?" Gu Yanci's gaze was somewhat intense.

Haven't they made up?

"Drive my car!" Wen Yan said irritably. "My car is still parked in the parking lot!"

"Sit in mine." Gu Yanci didn't want her out of his sight. "I'll have someone take your car back."

"No!" Wen Yan glared at him. "Gu Yanci, I'm still angry. Let's talk about it when we get home!"

When Gu Yanci heard her say "go home," he relaxed and emphasized, "Okay, see you at home in twenty minutes."

After watching Wen Yan leave, Gu Yanci typed "[What is orthopedics?]" into the search bar.

Answer: [Orthopedics is an important branch of clinical medicine, mainly studying the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases related to the musculoskeletal system, including bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, and nerves. It involves a variety of issues such as trauma, degenerative diseases, congenital malformations, infections, and tumors.]

Mr. Gu: ?

It seems like Wen Yan didn't mean that?

Gu Yanci directly contacted Zhou, the assistant in charge of customer service, and asked the same question.

Zhou Qi was puzzled by the source of his boss's question and honestly explained: "Traditionally, orthopedics is a medical specialty. Later, the internet slang 'German orthopedics' emerged, primarily referring to romantic pairings between two people of the same generation who are related by blood (such as siblings)."

Siblings... in love?

So, is this why Wen Yan doesn't call him "brother"?

So, if she always calls Gu Jingzhou "brother," does that mean she has absolutely no romantic feelings for him?

Gu Yanci's mood improved somewhat, the gloom cleared up, and a knot that had been lingering in his heart for many years was completely untied at this moment, as if a shackle that had bound him for a long time had finally been released, giving him redemption.