Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The wedding was organized with lightning speed.

Not wanting the Gu Family to become a laughingstock, they simply swapped Gu Zeqian’s original engagement party for the wedding of the eldest grandson. Once the news broke, the entire high society circle in Lincheng exploded.

Some said I was a master manipulator; some said the Gu brothers had turned against each other for my sake; others said Gu Yanzhou was merely using me to suppress his younger brother.

The rumors were as sharp as knives.

But it wasn’t until I truly stepped into the Gu family’s ancestral home that I realized the wagging tongues of outsiders were nothing compared to the smiling, predatory gazes of the Gu Family members.

During the tea ceremony, Gu Yanzhou’s second aunt sized me up and said languidly, “Yanzhou certainly has unique taste. He actually dares to place something Gu Zeqian didn’t want into the seat of the primary wife.”

The entire hall fell silent.

My fingers tightened. Before I could speak, Gu Yanzhou had already set down his teacup.

“Second Aunt.”

His tone was flat. “If you don’t know how to speak properly, then speak less. It is not your place to comment on who occupies the seat of the primary wife in the Gu Family.”

His aunt’s face turned pale, and she tried to force a smile.

Gu Yanzhou didn’t even look at her again. He reached out, took the tea bowl from my hand, and casually straightened my sleeve.

“My wife is thin-skinned.”

He spoke neither warmly nor coldly. “Whoever makes her uncomfortable, I will make them uncomfortable first.”

In that instant, the room went still.

It wasn’t just because he was being protective.

It was because Gu Yanzhou had made his stance crystal clear.

He wasn’t using me for show.

He was truly shielding me.

After the wedding ended, I had just entered the lounge when Gu Zeqian burst in.

He had been drinking; his tie was loose, and a deep crimson was suppressed in his eyes.

“Is this how you’re getting revenge on me?”

I looked at myself in the mirror, not even bothering to turn around.

“Second Young Master Gu, don’t you think you’re taking yourself a bit too seriously?”

He slammed the door shut, strode over to me in a few steps, and reached out to grab my wrist.

“Xu Yutang, do you really think he wants you?”

Gu Zeqian gritted his teeth, looking as though he had lost his composure from the provocation. “He is a master of calculation. You’re nothing more than a tool he’s using to trample over me.”

Before I could pull my hand away, the door was pushed open again.

Gu Yanzhou stood at the doorway, his eyes devoid of any warmth.

“Let go of her.”

Gu Zeqian turned back and sneered, “Brother, why the act? Do you dare say you didn’t marry her just to win against me?”

Gu Yanzhou walked over and pried Gu Zeqian’s fingers off one by one.

His movements were slow, but his ruthlessness made one’s scalp tingle.

“Win against you?”

He gave a light scoff. “You’re not worthy.”

Gu Zeqian’s face turned ashen.

In the next second, Gu Yanzhou took my hand and pulled me behind him. His palm rested on the back of my neck with a dominance that was both reassuring and face-heating.

“From today on, stay away from her.”

He stared at Gu Zeqian, his voice as cold as ice. “I didn’t care how you acted out before. But she is Mrs. Gu now. If you dare look at her with those eyes again, I’ll make sure you can’t even step foot inside the Gu Group.”

Gu Zeqian wanted to say more, but Gu Yanzhou had already pressed the intercom to have the bodyguards escort him out.

When the door closed again, the lounge finally became quiet.

Only then did I realize my heart was beating incredibly fast.

Gu Yanzhou was still holding my hand.

It was very warm and very steady.

I looked down and asked softly, “How long do you plan on holding it?”

Gu Yanzhou lowered his gaze, his eyes falling on our joined hands as if he had only just realized.

But he didn’t let go.

“I’m not allowed to hold it?”

He took a step forward, forcing my back against the vanity.

Our figures were reflected in the mirror, standing so close that I could smell the crisp, cold scent of cedar on him.

I stayed stubborn. “That wasn’t in the agreement.”

“The agreement didn’t say I couldn’t hold you, either.”

After Gu Yanzhou finished speaking, his gaze dropped an inch, lingering on my lips.

That look was so direct it threw my breathing into disarray.

However, he merely reached up to remove a loose hairpin for me and whispered, “You look very beautiful today.”

Then he turned and left.

Leaving me standing there alone, unable to recover for a long time.