Ex-Kneeling to Call Sister-in-Law - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

One month later, the Gu Family opened the ancestral hall.

Gu Zeqian’s bail application had been rejected. With the evidence against him being irrefutable, the Gu Family Branch had also been thoroughly purged. To give the public an explanation, the Old Madam personally ordered for Gu Zeqian to be brought back to the old manor to kowtow and admit his wrongs before the ancestral tablets.

Initially, I didn’t want to go.

But Gu Yanzhou said, “You should see this through with your own eyes until the very last breath of resentment is gone.”

So, I went.

The incense in the ancestral hall was heavy, making one’s chest feel tight. Gu Zeqian knelt on the ground, having lost a significant amount of weight; he no longer possessed any of his former spirited arrogance. When he saw me entering side-by-side with Gu Yanzhou, his eyes first showed resentment, then embarrassment, and finally, nothing but gray defeat.

Leaning on her cane, the Old Madam said coldly, “The person you owe is not just the Gu Family, but her.”

Gu Zeqian’s lips moved, but he couldn’t make a sound for a long time.

Gu Yanzhou stood by my side, his palm resting on the small of my back as if silently bolstering my courage.

Looking at Gu Zeqian kneeling there, I suddenly realized that I didn’t feel the sense of gratification I had imagined. There was no excitement from revenge, no pride in winning.

There was only a sense of peace, as if a chapter had finally closed.

The Old Madam commanded sharply, “Address her.”

Gu Zeqian’s knuckles turned white from clenching, and the veins on his temples bulged. Yet, in the end, under the gaze of the entire hall, he lowered that head which had always been held so high.

“…Sister-in-law.”

Those two words were so soft they were raspy, as if squeezed out bit by bit from between his teeth.

The ancestral hall became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

I suddenly smiled.

It wasn’t mockery.

It was relief.

I used to think that winning meant making him look back at me. Only later did I understand that true winning was him kneeling before me while I no longer needed a single thing from him.

I didn’t look at Gu Zeqian again, turning around to walk out.

Gu Yanzhou followed me out. In the courtyard, the begonias were in full bloom; with every gust of wind, petals blanketed the ground.

Just as I was about to speak, he suddenly called my name.

“Xu Yutang.”

I turned around.

In the next second, Gu Yanzhou dropped to one knee.

Everyone in the courtyard froze.

The Old Madam hadn’t expected it, the servants hadn’t expected it, and neither had I.

Yet Gu Yanzhou didn’t seem to care at all about how many eyes were on him. He simply looked up at me, his eyes filled with a possessiveness and earnestness he had never bothered to hide.

In his hand was a ring.

It wasn’t an exaggerated or flashy style, but a minimalist plain band with my name engraved on the inside.

“The first time we registered our marriage, I took advantage of your drunkenness to trick you into coming home with me.”

He said in a low voice, “That time didn’t count.”

My nose suddenly stung with emotion.

Gu Yanzhou’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His voice was deeper than usual, and more solemn.

“Xu Yutang, I’ve done many dishonorable things in my life. I’ve schemed against people and I’ve snatched things away. But with you, from the beginning when I wanted to steal you, to later when I wanted to coax you, to now when I want to give you my very life-it’s all been real.”

He looked up at me, emphasizing every word.

“Are you willing to marry me again?”

I looked at him, and tears fell instantly.

A man like Gu Yanzhou was born to stand at the top and give orders. But now, he was kneeling on one knee before me. Everyone in the courtyard was watching, yet he only had eyes for me.

In that moment, I suddenly felt that all the grievances I had suffered in the past seemed worth it.

I reached out my hand to him, my voice thick with tears, yet my smile was genuine.

“Gu Yanzhou, your proposal this time actually shows some sincerity.”

His gaze tightened.

I added another sentence.

“So, I accept.”

The moment the ring slid onto my finger, Gu Yanzhou stood up and pulled me into his arms.

It wasn’t a gentle hug.

It was the kind of embrace that comes after losing something and finding it again-a desperate hold that felt like he wanted to press me into his very bones.

I was held so tightly I could hardly breathe. Before I could protest, he had already lowered his head to kiss me.

This time, there was no one in the way, no cameras, no Gu Zeqian, and no rumors.

There was only the wind, the flowers, our heartbeats, and Gu Yanzhou’s kiss, which was so hot it was almost out of control.

He kissed me until my legs went weak. Finally, he pressed against my ear, his breathing heavy.

“Xu Yutang.”

“Hmm?”

“You agreed to it yourself this time.”

Before I could understand what he meant, he held me even tighter.

“If you ever try to run again,” he chuckled, his voice raspy and dangerous, “I’ll lock you to my bed and coax you there.”

My face flushed bright red, and I raised my hand to thump his chest.

Gu Yanzhou caught my wrist and lowered his head to kiss my fingertip.

“Don’t move.”

“Why?”

“If you keep moving, I’ll want to make up for the wedding night right now.”

I was completely speechless.

Later, I reclaimed my father’s patent and established my own studio. Gu Yanzhou gave me full authority over the core design section of the Old City Project. He didn’t even blink when he signed the papers, as if it were only natural to hand half of his empire over to me.

I teased him for being a hopeless romantic.

Gu Yanzhou cornered me in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in his office, his arms circling my waist. He lowered his head to kiss the side of my ear and replied lazily.

“Mrs. Gu, everything in the Gu Family belongs to you. And I, of course, am yours as well.”

Even later, whenever the social circles mentioned that upheaval in the Gu Family, someone would lower their voice and say that back then, the Second Young Master Gu had knelt in the ancestral hall and called out ‘sister-in-law’ with red eyes, and all of Lincheng had heard it.

But only I knew that what I would remember for a lifetime, more than that address, was that messy, drunken night many years ago.

I had said a casual remark.

“If you dare to marry me, I’ll dare to marry you.”

And Gu Yanzhou had truly remembered those words for a long time, waited for a long time, and step by step, he had come to bring me home as his wife.

(The End)