Zhu Qingyu, drunk and unruly, took advantage of her intoxication to kiss her irresistibly kissable little brother. Feeling completely satisfied, the overwhelming urge to sleep that always followed her drinking soon took over.
Comfortable and carefree, she shut her eyes, tilted her head, and rested her face against his chest. Automatically clutching him, she shifted back and forth, finding the most comfortable position to lie in. It felt as if she were already lying on a warm, cozy bed—everything was perfect and in place. With that, she drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile, the word "like" hung over Gu Zhao like a spell, freezing him in place. Even now, he hadn’t fully processed it.
What did she say?
Did she say she liked me?
She did, right?
She really likes me!!!
Does she like me?
She definitely likes me!!!!!
The more Gu Zhao thought about it, the happier and more excited he became—he wanted to jump up and down, soaring into the sky with joy.
At this moment, he couldn’t even remember the questions he had planned to ask Zhu Qingyu today. His mind was consumed by those four powerful words:
She likes me!
She likes me!
She likes me!
Countless dazzling fireworks exploded in Gu Zhao’s mind, so magnificent and overwhelming that everything else paled in comparison. Only those four golden, radiant, and mesmerizing words remained:
She likes me!
She likes me!
She likes me!
As for whether Zhu Qingyu’s “like” might have been meant for someone else, or if he had mistaken the person and stolen someone else’s affection—Gu Zhao simply didn’t care.
He heard it, and it was his!
Grabbing Zhu Qingyu, he triumphantly declared:
“You like me! I like you too! You’re the one I sought after. We were destined to be together—we should get married as soon as we return to the capital!”
The moment he said the word “marry,” Gu Zhao’s mind began to map out every detail of their wedding.
Since she came from the heavens, she surely had no family here. But that was easy to solve. Since Zhang Jingyan had vouched for her as his cousin, Gu Zhao would just cement that cousin relationship.
He would send the betrothal gifts to the Zhang family, making it her home family from now on, and Zhang Jingyan her real cousin.
This not only solved her identity problem but also conveniently pushed Zhang Jingyan off the table—perfect!
Gu Zhao busily planned their wedding all by himself, so caught up in his own excitement that he lost all sense of time and place.
But Zhu Qingyu, sleeping soundly in his arms, showed no reaction at all, breathing steadily in peaceful slumber.
Her words had gone unanswered—how could that be!
Gu Zhao lifted her chin, coaxing the girl buried in his chest awake:
“Promise me before you sleep again, Zhu Qingyu! Marry me!”
Zhu Qingyu was sleeping comfortably when suddenly disturbed. She was displeased, slapping his hand away and burying her face back into his chest, refusing to be pulled out.
Her sisterly affection was like a night-blooming cereus—its fragrance intoxicating and alluring, yet fleeting. By the time you notice the scent, the flower has already passed its bloom.
Gu Zhao was about to lose his mind. Sleep, sleep, sleep—she just kept sleeping. How could she be sleeping at a time like this?
What if she wakes up tomorrow and denies everything?
He had to wake her up immediately and get an explanation!
Right now!
Seeing that there was no way to handle this at the restaurant, and with Zhu Qingyu making him utterly helpless, Gu Zhao hurriedly scooped her up and rushed downstairs.
Xiong Kun was waiting by the carriage. When he saw His Lordship carrying Doctor Zhu, looking so anxious and rushing toward him, he was genuinely startled.
He jumped down from the carriage and lifted the curtain for Gu Zhao, asking,
“Your Lordship, what’s wrong with Doctor Zhu? Should we call a doctor?”
Gu Zhao’s voice was filled with frustration and urgency as he replied,
“No need. Hurry back to the inn!”
Once they returned to the Gucheng Inn and settled Zhu Qingyu down, Gu Zhao quickly went to find the cook to prepare some sobering soup.
A bowl of the soup was brought over, but unfortunately, once she was back in her room, Zhu Qingyu fell into an even deeper sleep. There was no way she would wake up on her own to drink the soup.
Gu Zhao sat by the bedside, staring at this Zhu Qingyu who only knew how to fight without thinking of consequences, his teeth clenched in frustration. He almost wanted to bite her.
It was his own mistake for not coaxing her to drink less. With no other options, Gu Zhao took a sip himself, then leaned close to her lips, prying her mouth open to feed her the soup.
The sobering soup was sweet—made with brown sugar, honey, kudzu flower, and licorice.
Even in her sleep, Zhu Qingyu tasted the sweetness and couldn’t help but lick her lips toward the source of that sweetness.
At this, Gu Zhao lost control again. Most of the soup never made it down; much of it was lost as she eagerly sought more, and in his distracted state, he spilled the bowl.
The little that remained disappeared between their tangled lips and teeth. Who consumed more—him or her—was anyone’s guess.
Zhu Qingyu was too exhausted. Half-awake and half-asleep, she reached out and hugged Gu Zhao.
“Little Brother, don’t make a fuss, let me sleep a little longer.”
Gu Zhao was pulled close and lay down beside her on the bed. At a loss, he finally said,
“Then you have to promise me as soon as you wake up!”
It was a plea destined to go unanswered—like the ephemeral bloom of a night flower missed at its prime.
With no one else around to disturb them, Zhu Qingyu slept soundly until dawn.
When she woke, she found herself on a moving carriage.
Gu Zhao had been sitting inside, half-opening the window while reviewing some documents. Noticing Zhu Qingyu awake, he immediately dropped the papers, leaned over, and wrapped her tightly in the blanket. Looking straight into her eyes with no room for evasion or testing, he said bluntly,
“You said you like me yesterday!”
Waking up to such a bombshell, fragmented memories from the drunken night came rushing back.
Gu Zhao’s words sounded like the truth!
She was doomed. Absolutely doomed!
It was the courage that only comes with drink. How could she have done such a thing?
Sitting on Gu Zhao’s lap, kissing him, saying she liked him...
She was really doomed. At this point, all she could do was stubbornly deny everything.
Zhu Qingyu hurriedly sprang up, but she moved too quickly and bumped foreheads with Gu Zhao, the collision making her head throb painfully.
Holding her head, Zhu Qingyu frantically denied,
“I’m not, I didn’t, don’t say such things!”
