Chapter 4

"Where did you go to party again? Do you know how important this event is? Why did you arrive so late?! You're too much!" Before she could even straighten herself up, Gu Jiuci could hear her father's cold rebuke. Upon hearing that, Gu Jiuci furrowed her brows and turned her attention to a group of three seated close by. Xu Yun'er and her mother Su Furong were seated to the left and right of her father respectively. They were so close to each other that they seemed to belong to the same family. After the death of Gu Jiuci's mother, Xu Yun'er and Su Furong came to stay in the Gu residence at the wish of Gu Jiuci's late mother. They cajoled the young lady into causing more and more trouble. In the eyes of her father, Gu Qingyuan, she had completely turned into a troublemaker who only knew how to create havoc and a good-for-nothing child that he had failed to bring up properly. It was also due to his indifference and rebukes that caused Gu Jiuci to feel that she was receiving less affection from him, leading her to treat the scheming Xu Yun'er and Su Furong as her closest family members! "Please stop scolding Jiuci, Uncle. She must have been preparing a birthday gift for Grandfather Huo. That's the reason why you arrived late, right, Jiuci?" Just as Gu Jiuci was thinking of speaking, Xu Yun'er's overly sweet voice rang out. The voice suited Xu Yun'er's looks perfectly. She looked obedient and harmless. No one would feel the need to be wary of her, but no one would also believe that underneath such a harmless looking face was a black and vile heart. Gu Jiuci had to forcibly control her revulsion to prevent herself from tearing her cousin's statement apart. "That's right. Our Jiuci knows that it's Grandpa Huo's birthday today, so she must have specially prepared a heartfelt gift for him. Why would she arrive late at such an important gathering otherwise?" Xu Yun'er's mother, Su Furong, who was also Gu Jiuci's maternal aunt, added along the lines of her daughter's words. Gu Jiuci looked coldly at the mother and daughter working in tandem. She had actually arrived exactly on time, but they were insisting that she was late. It looked as though they were helping her to come up with an explanation, but in reality, they were setting her up to take an even greater fall. In her previous life, the only thing on her mind was to wreck the wedding banquet. How could she have thought of bringing Grandfather Huo a present? "Why don't you show everyone your gift now, Jiuci?" As expected, Su Furong made the request with all smiles. "I..." Just as Gu Jiuci was about to speak up, Xu Yun'er interrupted her. "Jiuci must be planning to give Grandpa Huo a surprise! Why don't I distract him first then?" Like magic, Xu Yun'er produced a well-made box and walked up to Old Master Huo before opening it in front of him. "Grandpa Huo, I heard that you're fond of collecting pipes. It took me a long time to find a suitable piece of agate, and I personally crafted it into a pipe for you. Could you see if you'd like it?" Old Master Huo was famous for being fond of collecting pipes. Once he saw the gift, he could not help reaching out his hand to take it out of the box. "This is so thoughtful of you." The old man's eyes lit up and he nodded in satisfaction. Mrs. Huo, who was standing beside him, looked in approval at Xu Yun'er as well. "Say, this young lady is really filial." "It's my duty," Xu Yun'er replied in a modest voice before retreating back to the side. This time, however, Gu Jiuci did not fail to notice the satisfied look in her eyes. Her cousin had pretended to help her out of an embarrassing situation before taking out a well-made gift of her own to win over the approval and love of the elder Huos. Then, the female guest of honor, Gu Jiuci, would be unable to present any gift to Grandpa Huo at all, thereby causing the seniors of the Huo family to have a very bad impression of her! "Killing two birds with one stone, eh? What a good plan! "Sorry to disappoint you, however. In this lifetime, I won't let you get what you wish for anymore!" "Grandpa Huo, it's my turn to give you a birthday present!" Gu Jiuci proclaimed cheerfully. Expectedly, she saw the look of shock in Xu Yun'er's eyes and the constipated look on Su Furong's face. "Grandpa will definitely like anything you give me, Jiuci. Quick, show me what you have!" Grandpa Huo immediately began to talk excitedly. Very quickly, the attention of all the seniors from the Huo and Gu families was shifted from Xu Yun'er to Gu Jiuci. "This gift was specially prepared for you by me and Brother Che!" Her lips parted slowly as she spoke. She then walked up to Huo Mingche and lifted his arm. All of a sudden, she could feel the man's body tense up immediately, as well as his probing gaze... "Both of you prepared it for him?" Mrs. Huo directly asked. By this time, not only was Huo Mingche shooting a probing look at her, but even the seniors of the Huo and Gu families were extremely shocked. It was easy for Gu Jiuci to understand why. In her past life, she showed her disgust for Huo Mingche to everyone after knowing that she was getting engaged to him. She hid from him all day, so how was it possible for them to prepare the gift together? "Yeah!" Gu Jiuci continued to play her bluff. She tugged once on Huo Mingche's arm, but he still remained motionless. "Brother Che..." His icy gaze fell on Gu Jiuci's face upon hearing her helpless cry. He held it there for about one second before he began to move. She was secretly relieved, and her back had already broken out in a cold sweat. She was playing it really close this time, but fortunately, she managed to get him to move in the end. She led him across their guests toward the orchestra situated on one side of the great hall. This action immediately caused everyone present to feel shocked. "What is she trying to do? Don't tell me that she's going to play the piano?" "Isn't Gu Jiuci a rich good-for-nothing? How could she possibly know how to play any musical instrument?" Gu Jiuci maintained her composure even as she received everyone's questioning gaze. She let go of Huo Mingche's arm and took a violin from a musician in the orchestra. "Do you still remember this?" Gu Jiuci asked. She turned to look at Huo Mingche before playing a melodic tune on the violin. "I do." Huo Mingche's gaze changed immediately, and he even walked up to the piano on his own accord. As he sat, the faint lighting shone down upon him. He gazed sideways at her, the suffocating pressure that he always exerted on her long gone. There was even a hint of gentleness in his gaze, which had never been warm. He looked exactly like a romantic and loving prince in a fairytale. Gu Jiuci's heart began to beat wildly. She controlled her emotions and gave a deep and elegant bow toward Grandfather Huo, who was seated on the second-level terrace, before playing a moving prelude with great familiarity. Five seconds later, Huo Mingche's fingers began to move quickly. The low and rich sound of the piano blended harmoniously with the violin. The music was grand and forceful at times, and soft and lingering at other times, carrying the sweetness of two people in love. Other times, it was heroic and tragic at the same time, invoking a sense of relief that one might feel at the end of one's life. It felt as though a person's life journey had been played out in front of them; right from the prime of his youth to the twilight of his life. He remained true to his vows and his love was unchanging, however. The guests were already stunned speechless. They were either intoxicated by this masterful performance or focusing on it in silence. The expressions of everyone on the second-level terrace, aside from Su Furong and her daughter, had changed. Gu Jiuci's father, and even Huo Mingche's parents, looked ruefully at the couple, their gazes containing a complicated mixture of feelings. Old Master Huo himself was completely focused on the two, who were putting great effort into their performance. An unshakeable thought came to his mind. Gu Jiuci was immersed in her music, and her vision became blurry uncontrollably. It was her first duet with Huo Mingche after nine years. The piece that both she and Huo Mingche were performing was composed by Grandma Huo. The lyrics were written by Grandpa Huo himself. This piece was evidence of their love for each other, and a blessing for the future of Guo Jiuci and Huo Mingche. However, Gu Jiuci was far too young to know what love was. She squandered her chance and disappointed them eventually. Today, she was giving the piece back to Grandpa Huo and herself as well. "In this lifetime, I will never let you down again, Huo Mingche!" Gu Jiuci's face was streaked with tears after she had stopped playing. She had not expected that they could play so harmoniously after not even practicing once together in nine years. "You played really well." Gu Jiuci praised him tearfully. The man walked slowly toward her and reached out to wipe away her tears awkwardly. "Don't cry," he said simply, his exquisite-looking lips parting. Gu Jiuci stared at the man blankly. Why wasn't she rejecting his touch? "Good! Good! Good! I like this gift especially well!" Grandpa Huo had said "good" three times, evidence of how much he liked this birthday present. Gu Jiuci placed the violin down and broke into a smile. "Grandpa Huo, Grandma wanted you to take good care of yourself in the past. Do you still remember that you should drink and smoke less?" "I do, I do! I'm not smoking anymore!" Old Master Huo immediately threw the pipe in his hand into its box with disdain and did not take another look at it. Gu Jiuci smiled casually. She stole a sideways glance at Xu Yun'er, who was seated in the corner. "Tsk-tsk... Look at that harmless and kind face turning angry!" "You two brats! I love you and get so frustrated with you, you know?" Grandpa Huo walked down the stairs cheerfully and held one of their hands in each of his. "Listen up, everyone! It's my 70th birthday today, but I have a piece of news for all of you that is even more important..." Gu Jiuci's heart began to beat wildly. It was finally coming!