Conversation

Qiao Nian walked back to her room. After closing the door, she locked it without hesitation.

Exhausted, she placed her bag on the table beside her and lay down heavily on the bed, heaving a sigh of relief.

She stared blankly at the white ceiling. Thinking of Gu Zhou and Gu Qi’s relationship, her heart was in a mess.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door.

Qiao Nian stood up and walked towards the door tiredly. When she opened it, she saw Matriarch Gu standing outside.

“Grandma,” Qiao Nian greeted.

“Nian Nian, do you have time?” Matriarch Gu asked gently, a loving smile on her face.

When Qiao Nian heard Matriarch Gu’s words, she nodded.

Matriarch Gu walked into the room and sat on the sofa. She patted the empty seat beside her, indicating for Qiao Nian to sit down.

Qiao Nian walked over to Matriarch Gu and sat down.

Matriarch Gu took Qiao Nian’s hand and placed it on her knee. She looked at Qiao Nian dotingly and said gently, “Nian Nian, when you married into the Gu family, we didn’t manage to hold a grand wedding for you. You and Gu Zhou were still married in secret. We didn’t do well back then. It’s been hard on you.”

Qiao Nian shook her head gently.

She also hoped to keep her marriage a secret. After all, her relationship with Gu Zhou…

Qiao Nian pushed all the distracting thoughts to the back of her mind and stared unblinkingly at Matriarch Gu.

Matriarch Gu sighed softly and said helplessly, “It’s all thanks to you that Ah Zhou’s condition has stabilized. He has suffered a lot in the past, which is why he has become like this. This is a mental illness that’s not easy to treat.”

Qiao Nian was slightly stunned. She hadn’t expected Matriarch Gu to mention Gu Zhou’s childhood to her now.

She still remembered the last time Matriarch Gu was unwilling to say this.

“Actually, I should have told you about these things the last time you asked me.” Matriarch Gu sighed softly, her eyes filled with heartache and sadness.

She had wanted to wait for Gu Zhou to tell Qiao Nian, but now it seemed that it was better for her to say it.

Qiao Nian stood rooted to the ground in silence, waiting calmly for Matriarch Gu to continue.

Matriarch Gu held Qiao Nian’s hand tightly and sighed again. She said sadly, “Actually, he’s very pitiful. When he was young, his parents didn’t dote on him either. He always felt that he was redundant.”

When Qiao Nian heard Matriarch Gu’s choked voice, her expression turned serious.

“After Ah Zhou’s parents gave birth to his eldest brother, Gu Yue. For some reason, the two of them fell out and lived separately. Ever since I was young, Gu Zhou has been raised by me. Both of them would accompany Gu Yue on his birthday, but the two of them would still quarrel. Sometimes, they would even break things. There were a few times when Gu Yue was so frightened that he cried.”

At this point, Matriarch Gu’s eyes were filled with pain. She pursed her lips and continued, “Children are sensitive. Gu Yue has seen many arguments between his parents. Then, his personality changed, and he contracted leukemia not long after!”

Hearing Matriarch Gu’s words, Qiao Nian was stunned.

How had this happened?

Leukemia?

Gu Zhou had a nagging feeling that he was the extra one.

Zhou Zhou was always insecure and stuck to her.

Could it be that Gu Zhou was born to…

Matriarch Gu’s next words confirmed Qiao Nian’s guess.

“After the couple found out that Gu Yue was suffering from leukemia, they finally stopped quarreling. For Gu Yue’s sake, they plan to have another child. When the time came, that child could provide Gu Yue with a bone marrow transplant and other needs…” At this point, Matriarch Gu’s eyes turned red, and her voice choked.

Qiao Nian thought of Zhou Zhou’s innocent face and how he had said that he had never eaten candy. At that time, she had thought that Gu Zhou’s parents were worried that Gu Zhou would have cavities, so they were unwilling to let him eat candy.

However, she had never expected Gu Zhou’s parents to only treat him as Gu Yue’s medicinal source.

Was that why Gu Zhou had become like this?

Matriarch Gu tried hard to suppress the sadness in her heart and continued, “Back then, in order to save Gu Yue’s life, this was the only way. At that time, I thought that if they had another child, their relationship would reconcile. But later on, I realized how wrong I was!”

Qiao Nian was also stunned.